James L. Loper, USC alumnus, friend and former lecturer at USC Annenberg, has died. He was 81.

Loper, a founder and former president of KCET Channel 28, worked for almost 20 years to help develop the Los Angeles public television station. His positions included roles as vice president, general manager and CEO. He also was the founding chairman of the board of the Public Broadcasting Service and served three terms as PBS chairman during its formative years.

After retiring as executive director of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1999, he had been a visiting scholar and executive in residence at USC Annenberg. He also was an adjunct faculty member here from 2001 to 2009, when he taught courses on American media and entertainment industries.

Loper was chairman of USC Annenberg’s Board of Visitors from 1973 to 1981. At the request of Walter Annenberg, he served as an advisor to the original faculty committee that proposed developing the Annenberg school. He also was a member of the Board of Councilors of the USC College of Continuing Education.

In 2004, the James L. Loper Lecture in Public Service Broadcasting was endowed at USC Annenberg to honor annually a major contributor to non-commercial media; recent past speakers have included Judy Woodruff, Tavis Smiley and Vivian Schiller.

The series is funded by the H. Russell Smith Foundation, headed by President Stewart R. Smith.

“Through his insightful leadership at PBS and locally at KCET, as well as at the television academy, Jim Loper was a highly influential civic leader in Los Angeles from the mid-60s through the 90s. He was a man of prodigious intelligence and productive energy, which he wielded with grace and wit,” Smith said.

“The H. Russell Smith Foundation is proud to have established the James L. Loper Lecture in Public Service Broadcasting, thereby honoring this great man while also assuring ongoing discourse about the industry in which Jim was a prominent and inspiring pioneer.”

University Professor Geoffrey Cowan, the former USC Annenberg School dean who recruited Loper to the USC faculty and remained close to Loper, said he was a visionary leader who understood the potential and responsibility for television to serve the public good.

"He shared that passion with his students who will carry on his legacy for decades to come," Cowan said. "Moreover, the annual Loper Lecture will continue to engage and inspire those who, like Jim and Walter Annenberg, have an abiding belief in the importance of public media."

Abigail Kaun, Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Student Affairs at USC Annenberg, called Loper a “gentleman who was very kind and devoted to his students.”

"Jim gave the many, many students who came through his classes a very special insight into the history of television in the United States, particularly public television. He was able to do that because of his own unique experiences and access and leadership in the area of public television," Kaun said.

At KCET, Loper played a fundamental role in the building of the station, Al Jerome, CEO of KCETLink, said in a released statement.

"Jim Loper left an indelible mark on the history of KCET and public television.  As KCET's first president and CEO, Jim launched several national productions that aligned the Hollywood entertainment community with the newly emerging national program service PBS,” Jerome said.

“The series Hollywood Television Theater and Visions linked some of the finest actors, directors and writers and produced many wonderful hours of television. The science series Cosmos with astronomer Carl Sagan broke new ground in the exploration of the skies on television.”

At USC Annenberg, Jerome said, “It was my pleasure to speak to Jim's classes each year and to watch first-hand how he would emphasize the distinctive value of public media and why it always needed to be nurtured and supported.”

Public media has lost a true champion, but Jim's passion for our mission will still guide us as we chart our new course."

Loper is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Brion, and a daughter, Elizabeth Serhan of Arcadia; a son, James L. Loper Jr. of Newbury Park and six grandchildren – Molly and Emily Serhan; and Megan, Caroline, John and James Aidan Loper.