By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --John Langley creator of the long-running TV series "Cops," has died during a road race in Mexico, a family spokeswoman said.
Langley died in Baja, Mexico, of an apparent heart attack Saturday during the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off-road race, family spokeswoman Pam Golum said. He was 78.
"Cops" was among the first reality series on the air when it debuted in 1989, and it would become an institution through 32 seasons. Langley and production partner Malcolm Barbour had shopped the idea for years, and found a home for it on the fledgling Fox network.
The show was famous for following police, from deputies in the Deep South to officers from big city police departments, on long, boring nights in patrol cars or in fevered foot chases.
Its quirks, including its often shirtless suspects and its reggae theme song "Bad Boys," were frequent fodder for standup comics and were often referenced in films, TV shows and songs.
It ran on Fox until 2013, when Viacom-owned Spike TV, later re-branded as The Paramount Network, picked it up.
It came under criticism for what was considered a slanted, pro-police perspective, and was permanently pulled from the air by Paramount last year during worldwide protests over the killing of George Floyd.
Some versions of the show still air internationally in syndication.
Langley was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills and served in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s.
Langley was also a producer on the 2009 film "Brooklyn's Finest," directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Richard Gere and Don Cheadle, and on the non-fiction series "Jail," "Vegas Strip" and "Anatomy of a Crime."
He was an off-road racing enthusiast and frequently drove in events like the one he took part in Saturday.
Langley is survived by his son and producing partner Morgan, who oversees their company Langley Productions; another son, Zak; two daughters, Sara Langley Dews and Jennifer Blair; his wife, Maggie, and seven grandchildren.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More