KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ross Bagwell Sr., the Knoxville man credited with making East Tennessee a key player in the cable TV industry, died on Thanksgiving.
Bagwell's family called him a successful entrepreneur, a loving man, a mentor and a creative genius. He was 91.
"Friends knew him as a true gentleman who cared deeply about people. He was a father figure to many. He never said goodbye without saying, 'Be careful!' and 'Call me if you need me,'" his family said.
According to his obituary, Bagwell fell in love with the idea of creating TV programming in the 1950s. He got his start after enrolling in NYU and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, taking a position as a pageboy at NBC. He rose through the ranks at 30 Rock before he and his wife, Sue, returned to Knoxville in 1964.
Bagwell then worked at WATE-TV in Knoxville before moving to advertising. He then returned to TV production in 1975, a move that would eventually turn East Tennessee into a production hub for American television.
Bagwell is known for being one of the catalysts that brought East Tennessee to the forefront of the cable TV industry in the 1980s and 1990s along with his late son, Ross Bagwell, Jr, and his daughter, Dee Haslam.
Their company, Cinetel Productions, was one of the largest independent production companies in the U.S. and produced several popular programs for various networks, including Nickelodeon's "Hey Dude," TNN's "I-40 Paradise," and A&E's "America's Castles."
In 1994, Bagwell Sr. sold the company to Scripps Howard, and Cinetel would go on to become the home of Scripps Networks and HGTV here in Knoxville.
After the sale, the Bagwells started Ross Television Productions and Bagwell Entertainment LLC. They would continue producing programs for Discovery, HGTV and other cable networks. Dee Haslam eventually assumed control of Bagwell Entertainment in 1999, renaming it to RIVR Media. It would go on to produce several hit shows in the 2000s, including Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" and the first season of TLC's "Trading Spaces."
Bagwell Sr. leaves behind his daughter and her husband, Jimmy Haslam, several grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Jeanette, his wife, Sue, his son, Ross Bagwell Jr., and his brother, Barney.
The family said they will hold a celebration of life for him at Cherokee Country Club on Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. before a receiving of friends between noon and 2 p.m. The family said people can make memorial donations to Lakeshore Park, Emerald Youth Foundation or UT Medical Center in lieu of flowers.
