Maurice Wolfe "Reese" Schonfeld (November 5, 1931 – July 28, 2020) was an American television journalist and executive.
Trained as a lawyer, he co-founded CNN with Ted Turner in 1980, and went on to establish Food Network in 1993.
[2] His father, Philip, worked as a partner in a glass-and-mirror company; his mother, Sarah (Wolfe), was a housewife, secretary, and bookkeeper.
[6] In 1979, Turner sold his North Carolina station, WRET, to fund the transaction and established its headquarters in lower-cost, non-union Atlanta.
[6] Schonfeld was appointed first president and chief executive of the then-named Cable News Network (CNN).
[1] He also produced People Magazine on TV for CBS,[1] and assisted in developing "News Channel 8" for Allbritton Communications Company.
[8] Schonfeld subsequently worked with Time Warner in planning the International Business Channel.
[10] Together they had one child— Juliette born in 1966, twelve days before the birth of his youngest child with Karen Lamberti his wife at the time.
Schonfeld had 5 children with Karen Lamberti between 1960 and 1966; Alexander, Ellen, Orrin, William, and Jennifer Ida.