He started out in media as an errand boy who rose to become publisher of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Frank Batten Sr. was the retired former chairman of Landmark Communications, a company that at its height owned newspapers and TV stations across the nation. Batten was also the creator of the Weather Channel, a cable TV idea that was first greeted by skepticism, and grew to be in over 87 million homes, as well as on radio station affiliates across the country. Batten passed away. He was 82. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper has details of his life here.