In Memoriam – John W. Goddard

John Goddard was the President and CEO of Viacom Cable, spending over twenty-five years with the company. He started in management positions in Viacom’s predecessor companies; Tele-Vue Systems, Inc. in 1966 and CBS in 1969. Mr. Goddard became Executive Vice President of Viacom Cable in 1978 and President and CEO from 1980 until 1996.

Goddard served in numerous leadership positions in cable industry organizations: President and Director of the California Cable Television Association (CCTA), Chairman and Director of the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), Director and Chairman of the California Channel, and Chairman, Interim President and Trustee of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, and Director of CSPAN and Cable in the Classroom. He served as a Director of CableLabs and Chairman of its audit committee. Goddard was also on the Cable Center’s Board and Honorary Board.

Goddard became a member of the Cable Television Pioneers in 1977 and received the NCTA Vanguard Award for Leadership in 1989. He was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2004.

Goddard also served as a director of StarSight Telecast, Inc., ZDTV, Diva Systems Corp., Liberty Satellite and Technology, Inc. (and its predecessors: Primestar, Inc., and TeleCommunications Satellite and Technology, Inc.). He was a director of Bend Cable Communications, LLC and Cedar Point Communications.

Goddard and his wife Joan ran the Goddard Foundation based in Danville, CA, which endows a graduate fellowship at UC-Berkeley and contributes to health care charities.

Goddard received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley.

• Oral History 2014
• 2004 Cable Hall of Fame Honoree