Betsy Magness; Cable TV Firm’s Co-Founder
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DENVER — Betsy Magness, a co-founder of Tele-Communications Inc., one of the nation’s two largest cable television operators, has died of a heart attack in Europe.
Mrs. Magness was 61 and died Sunday in Frankfurt, West Germany, as she, her husband and their son were returning from an Arabian horse sale in Poland. The Magnesses raise, collect and breed prize-winning Arabians.
Mrs. Magness and her husband, Bob, started TCI in Memphis, Tex., in 1956 and later moved the company to Bozeman, Mont., and then to Englewood, a Denver suburb. Her husband was chairman of the board, and Mrs. Magness was a member of the board of directors of TCI. The company, after acquiring several smaller companies, now serves 3.7 million subscribers. TCI and Time Inc. are considered the two largest cable operators in the nation.
Leaders of the nation’s cable TV industry have scheduled an Oct. 3 testimonial dinner in New York City to honor the Magnesses.
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