William Paley At His Estate, "Four Winds"

By T.J. Clemente

Back in the early 1970s when private helicopters were reserved for a very privileged few, William S. Paley, the founder of CBS, would land at the Shinnecock helipad, where a driver would meet him and take him to his Southampton home, Four Winds. Four Winds, the name given to the estate by previous owner Lucien Tyng, was where Paley spent quality time with his family, at the end of Halsey Neck Lane.

Born on September 28, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, William S. Paley was one of the giants of the twentieth century entertainment field. He parlayed a small cigar manufacturing enterprise into what is perhaps the most distinguished television network in the United States. On January 18, 1929 -- the year of the stock market crash -- he paid $400,000 for Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting. By buying a small radio station, Paley helped create the comprehensive media we now take for granted.

Bill Paley was an aide to General Dwight Eisenhower during the war. Many of the future hall of fame broadcasters worked for him at CBS radio, bringing all the details of war to the American public. Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite are two of the most noted celebrities to come out of CBS's early days. After the war, Paley changed the face of American media by creating a network with affiliates across the nation, so shows could be presented nationally in prime time. For the public face of his network, he created a news division that, at one time, was second to none, with correspondents around the world. In time, CBS was called the "Tiffany" network, because of the quality Bill Paley demanded.

He was not afraid to pay the big talent big dollars and as a result, Arthur Godfrey, Ed Sullivan and Gunsmoke were all on CBS, being watched all across America. In 1995, CBS, the last privately owned television network, was sold to Westinghouse Electric for $5.4 billion. Bill Paley was actually the man who sold the New York Yankees (recently valued at $1.2 billion) to George Steinbrenner in 1973 for $8.3 million.

Bill Paley was married twice, first to the former wife of William Randolph Hearst, Jr. and then to Barbara Cushing Mortimer, or Babe Paley, as she was affectionately known. Babe had a daughter from her previous marriage, Amanda Mortimer Burden, who became Steve Ross's second wife. Bill and Babe Paley also had two children of their own, a boy named Bill and a girl named Kate.

The Paley's paid a publicist to keep their names out of the papers and kept their lives as private as possible. Socializing in the highest social circles, Bill had lifelong relationships with many of the bluest of blue bloods. Receiving an invitation to a private Bill Paley party was a big deal, so the names of visitors to Four Winds were kept private. There is the story that one day, after dropping off Mr. Paley and guests at the Shinnecock Inlet, the CBS helicopter took off and inhaled a large bird. Southampton local Swede Edwards was called in to help lift out the engine, which was brought back to Four Winds to be repaired. For many years, Swede also serviced Bill Paley's automobiles.

Bill Paley greeted everybody with a big smile and treated all he met in a gentlemanly way. He received honors from Presidents, broadcasting academies and business organizations. He was extremely well informed, as he received the news before the rest of the country and made decisions that preserved integrity of news reporting. In real life, it was he who allowed Edward R. Murrow to expose Senator Eugene McCarthy, a scene that was so excellently portrayed in the movie Good Night, And Good Luck. He also made the decision that brought the country Don Hewitt's "60 Minutes," the largest moneymaking prime-time news show in the history of television. Its first broadcast was on September 24, 1968, 38 years ago.

The show is still on CBS, at seven p.m. on Sundays.

There is the story of William Paley visiting an old ill socialite and watching television with him. Noticing the age of the television, Paley mentioned to his old friend that today's new TVs come with remote controls. His friend smiled and replied, "I have remote control." Then, he pressed a button and a butler appeared. The butler changed the channel. The men chuckled.

William S. Paley passed away on October 26, 1990 in New York City. He died in his own private wing of a hospital he helped build. He was first class, right to the end. Four Winds is now owned by another family. However, it is still referred to as "The Paley Estate" around town by the caretakers and service people.