CE Industry Pioneer and ex-RCA executive Jack Sauter Dies at 82

Consumer electronics industry veteran and former RCA executive Jack Sauter, 82, died August 7 in Ft. Myers, Fla. after a brief illness.

Sauter, who earned a B.A. from UCLA in 1947, first joined RCA in 1950 as an advertising field representative. A native of California, he moved to the RCA Sales Corp. in 1957 and in 1960 was appointed Manager, TV Sales Planning and Development. In 1964 Sauter was named Vice President, Product Planning Development and two years later, was elevated to the post of Executive Vice President, Sales Operations. He retired as Group Vice President in 1987.

Sauter’s involvement in the consumer electronics business, on the product development and retail and distribution sides, spanned the advent and growth in popularity of TV as a widely available entertainment appliance that usurped radio, and continued well into the development of the VideoDisc player and VCR product categories.

He is survived by his wife, Sue, and by his daughters Lisa and Betsy, son Jeff and stepson Michael, as well as three grandchildren. No funeral service is planned.