Mariusz Walter, co-founder of TVN, passed away at 85

Mariusz Walter was born on January 4, 1937, in Lviv. His love and passion for the media began to develop during his studies at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, where he would work at a student radio station. Later on he worked at Radio Katowice and Polish Television studios in Katowice, only to move in 1963 to TVP main headquarters in Warsaw.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Mariusz Walter became one of the crucial figures in television. He would produce, direct, and write scripts for documentary films and TV shows. He had an exceptional talent. One of his main achievements was a very popular TV show "Cities contest", as well as the legendary "Studio 2" - an hours-long section filled with documentaries, live television, and even music, including the unforgettable ABBA concert of 1976.

He worked in Telewizja Polska until the imposition of martial law in Poland, leaving in 1982. For a brief period he would give lectures at the University of Silesia in Katowice.

The following year Walter met businessman Jan Wejchert, with whom he went on to create several television channels, including TVN, as well as the first - and still the largest - news channel in Poland - TVN24.

Walter and Wejchert would make business in multiple fields, starting from food products.

In the 1990s, after the fall of communism, Mariusz Walter made an investment and bought a Kraków-based TV station Wisła from an old friend. From that moment on, he began to create a new TV station that was to become a competitor to TVP.

After creating the studio and building an editorial team, Mariusz Walter's big dream became reality. At 7:30 p.m., on October 13, 1997, Polish audience watched "Fakty" TVN for the first time. The evening news programme would then become TVN's flagship show.

Walter was TVN chairman until 2001, and member of the ITI company board (TVN's owner) - until 2012, when Onet portal was sold to Ringier Axel Springer media concern.

Mariusz Walter was man of great erudtion and a huge fan of football. For many years he would be a board member in his beloved club Legia Warszawa.

In 2001, he received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

In 2002, Walter was awarded with a "Star of Polish Television" statuette on the 50th anniversary of TVP, for creating groundbreaking TV shows and setting new standards in entertainment and TV journalism.