A force to be reckoned with in television? Most certainly.
A prolific producer? Oh, yes.
"His finger on the pulse of pop culture"? Without a doubt.
Visionary? Not so much.
He peddled to the lowest common denomenator and that doesn't take vision, that takes business smarts. There's a very old saying - You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of your audience.
Still - he knew how to put the shows together, and not all of them were "Love Boat" inane. He made his mark and was a genuine power in Hollywood.
Yes, he will be missed.
I am
Dawg