Barbara Brogliatti, Longtime PR Executive at Warner Bros., Dead at 69

She handled publicity for TV shows including “Dallas,” “All in the Family” and “Friends” before rising to top corporate post and spearheading key industry initiatives

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 16: Barbara Brogliatti, Executive Vice President & Chief Corporate Communications Officer Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., talks at Variety Magzine's 'Women In Showbiz' at the Beverly Hills Hotel on November 16, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Getty Images)
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Barbara S. Brogliatti, who worked as a top publicity executive at Warner Bros. for 18 years, died Sunday morning in her Napa Valley, Calif., home after a long battle with cancer. She was 69.

Brogliatti, who served as the executive vice-president and chief corporate communications officer at Warner Bros., had cancer that spread to the brain, the studio confirmed to TheWrap. Her command and understanding of the industry enabled gave her influence beyond that of most public relations executives.

Brogliatti was a key player for the the studios’ Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in labor negotiations with the talent guilds as a strategist as well as spokeswoman. She spearheaded the educational task force on intellectual property protection for Motion Picture Association of America, the Hollywood studios’ lobby arm.

Brogliatti also handled the marketing and publicty activities for the unprecedented fundraiser “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” which brought in $150 million in pledges to help victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2011.  And she was in the media spotlight again when Warner Bros. and America Online, the top Internet content distributor at the time, announced their ill-fated $14 billion merger in 2000.

Brogliatti came to Warner Bros. in October 1990. During her stint there she worked with top executives including the studio’s chief executives Bob Daly and Terry Semel, the TV chief at the time, Leslie Moonves, and producer Norman Lear.

Prior to her ultimate posting, Brogliatti was senior v.p. and chief corporate communications officer for seven years. Before that was named to head worldwide TV publicity in January 1995, adding global responsibilities to a position she had held since April 1992.

Brogliatti was in charge of publicity for such landmark series as “All in the Family,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “Dallas,” “Full House,” “Friends” and “ER,” as well as the launch of The WB Television Network.

“Barbara is one of the most respected and talented public relations executives in the industry,” said Meyer in 2004, when he announced her promotion to her final post at the studio, executive vice-president and chief corporate communications officer.

“Her expertise, experience, instincts and breadth of knowledge have made her an integral part of our most senior management team for nearly a decade. This promotion is just one way of acknowledging her numerous contributions not only to Warner Bros. and Time Warner, but also to our industry as a whole,” he said.

Brogliatti graduated from UCLA in 1968 with a degree in social sciences for elementary education. She mentored Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while he was an undergraduate at the campus, which was not far from the San Fernando Valley where she was raised.

She is survived by her husband Ray. There were no immediate plans for services announced.

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