George A. Heinemann, a longtime NBC television executive who developed “Ding Dong School,” “Shari Lewis and Lambchop” and other children’s and educational programs, died Aug. 21 at his home in Canaan, N.Y. He was 78.
The cause was a heart attack, said his daughter Robin Anne.
Mr. Heinemann was born in Chicago. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1941, he became a special-events editor at CBS.
During World War II, he served with the Naval Air Corps in the South Pacific.
In 1948, he joined NBC’s local station in Chicago, where in 1952 he created “Ding Dong School,” which later became a popular network program.
He also developed several educational programs, including the first course for college credit to be televised by a commercial station.
Mr. Heinemann came to New York in 1956 as program manager for WRCA-TV (now WNBC-TV) and three months later was named the station’s director for programs. At WRCA the shows he created included “Hi, Mom,” “Shari Lewis and Lambchop,” “Take a Giant Step,” “The `Go’ Show” and “Dr. Joyce Brothers,” a daily program of advice on love, sex and marriage.
In 1957 he became the director for program planning and development for stations owned by NBC, and in 1959 he was named NBC’s manager for public affairs, a department that included religious programs, discussion programs, children’s programs and educational programs as well as “Meet the Press.”
He was named director for public affairs in 1968, vice president for children’s programming in 1970 and vice president for special children’s programming in 1973.
At NBC he developed “World Wide 60,” a documentary series, and “Update,” the first network news program for teenagers, as well as “NBC Children’s Theater,” whose production of “The World of Stuart Little” won a George Foster Peabody Award in 1966, and “Tut: The Boy King.”
His programs won seven Peabody Awards.
In 1972, he received a special Peabody Award for his children’s and youth programming.
After retiring from NBC, Mr. Heinemann taught at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, supervised intern programs for NBC and directed the King Foundation awards program for student scholarships in television.
In addition to his daughter Robin, of Des Moines, he is survived by two other daughters, Michael Ann, of Manhattan, and Kim Heinemann Olson of Chicago and a granddaughter.
