Brumwell Henderson: Brumwell Henderson, known as Brum, who has died aged 76 at his home near Ballynahinch, Co Down, was a founder of Ulster Television and a member of the family which for many years owned the Belfast News Letter. He was also the first prominent unionist to support the cross-Border enterprise Co-operation North, now Co-operation Ireland.
Brum Henderson's support as vice-president from the outset allowed Co-operation North to demonstrate that it was non-political. "This helped us build up the trust which we enjoy from people and groups throughout the island today," said its chief executive Tony Kennedy. "He was a great advocate for reconciliation and building understanding between people throughout Ireland."
Henderson was born in Hillsborough Castle, then known as Government House, where his ex-naval officer father was comptroller of the governor's household before going on to run the News Letter. He and his brother Bill (later public relations officer to the Unionist Party and News Letter managing director) had an idyllic childhood in grounds which contained "a lake, an island, a river with bream for catching, a mysterious graveyard."
Visiting royalty always stayed at the house. "Unusually, we were a family who actually knew the king and queen," he wrote years later.
After public school in England he had what he regarded as a blissful bohemian student life at Trinity. He wrote the University Notes for The Irish Times at £1 for 500 weekly words, "which was good money".
Even 40 years later he still seemed taken aback at the fury when the North's second university went to unionist Coleraine rather than nationalist Derry, a decision he helped to make as a member of the 1963 Lockwood committee. In his autobiography, Brum - A Life in Television, he wrote: "In the emotional outburst that followed all our rational arguments - academic, sociological and financial - were drowned."
A commanding figure at 6 ft 4 in, he effectively ran UTV from the age of 29, as what the Independent Broadcasting Authority (formerly Independent Television Authority) considered to be a "one-man band".
He returned the criticism. The authorities were "the Great, the Good and the Others," with "a tedious and damaging obsession with public service programmes and other dreary forms of broadcasting". UTV ensured that they had advance notice of any programme about Northern Ireland on the ITV network and opted out of several World in Action programmes.
In 1971, Henderson told the television authority that a planned programme on the effects of the Troubles in the South would simply give publicity to the IRA. It was shelved.
As the longest-serving chief executive in independent television, he did not take kindly to contradiction. He left the board of UTV in 1990, his departure "marked by some gracelessness on the part of the company".
In the same year the Henderson family after almost two centuries also ceased to own the News Letter.
He made many visits to the US to woo sponsors for Co-operation North. Its founder Brendan O'Regan "would introduce us by saying 'I am Irish-Irish and Brum is British-Irish.' This usually required further explanation which in turn shed light on what we were about . . . It is difficult to believe how limited these [cross-Border] contacts were even 20 years ago."
A member of Queen's University senate for 20 years, he also served on committees in Trinity and the University of Ulster, and was delighted by an honorary doctorate from Queen's three years ago. He was an original member of the Laganside development body and a founder of the Ulster Waterways Group which works to restore the northern network of rivers and canals, serving as co-chair with the Duke of Abercorn as president.
He is survived by his wife Pat and daughters Glynis and Sally.
Brumwell (Brum) Henderson CBE: born July 28th, 1929; died July 29th, 2005