MARTIN MESSINGER

MESSINGER--Martin P., age 66, of New York City and East Hampton, NY, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, July 19, 2015 at his home in East Hampton, New York. Marty was born in the Bronx, New York to Roslyn Cohen and Hyman Messinger. He grew up in Bayside, Queens along with his brother, Joel Messinger, and attended Bayside High School before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport and his juris doctorate from St. John's University School of Law. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1975. Marty began his remarkable 36-year career with Westinghouse Broadcasting and CBS in 1978. Prior to retiring in December 2014, he had served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for CBS since 1996; and chief legal officer for the CBS Television Stations group since the division was formed in 2000. Marty also served as CBS Corporation's first Chief Compliance Officer for four years, following the company's separation from Viacom in December 2005. He joined the CBS Law Department in 1996, following the merger of CBS and Westinghouse. Prior to that, he was Vice President and General Counsel of Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W). He played a key role in the merger of CBS and Group W, the merger of CBS with Infinity Broadcasting and numerous other significant transactions. Prior to joining Group W in 1978, Marty practiced corporate law at the Wall Street law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. The counseling and representation CBS's stations received under Marty's leadership was the best in the business. As much as his commitment to professional excellence, Marty was also revered for his deep commitment to being a friend and mentor to those around him and taking a genuine interest in the lives and careers of colleagues throughout the company. Marty's greatest pride and joy was his family. He was a devoted, involved and incredibly proud father to his children Nicole, Christopher and John, and a beaming grandfather to Nicole and her husband Bryn Harder's three daughters, Madelyn, Ruby and Layla. He is also survived by his lifelong friend, and the mother of his three children, Lupe Abuchaibe. Marty was a brilliant, intellectually curious and deeply funny man. His passion for books was evident to anyone who ever entered his home and his love for movies was also well known. He was a lifelong fan of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Rangers and Knicks, and all things sports. Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Saturday, July 25 at Most Holy Trinity Church in East Hampton, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital or Save the Children, two charities that were favorites of Marty.