The Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture is headed by Bob Thompson, Trustee Professor of Television, Radio and Film and one of the most well-known and widely-quoted popular culture experts in the world. The center serves as a venue for the exploration of TV and pop culture issues and history.
In 1997, with support from then-Dean David Rubin, Thompson founded the Center for the Study of Popular Television. In 2005, the center was renamed after Newhouse alumnus Edward Bleier ’51 thanks to a generous donation from the pioneering media executive.
“Media, particularly popular media, are the new DNA of our global society. With internet and satellite, ideas, images, stories and information affect every aspect of the world, often instantly,” Bleier said in the announcement about the renaming of the center. Bleier died in 2023.