Herb Steinberg; Movie Publicist Helped Plan Tours at Universal Studios

Herb Steinberg, 78, motion picture publicist for Paramount and MCA who helped plan the public tours for Universal Studios. A native New Yorker, Steinberg was an Army captain during World War II and earned a journalism degree from City College of New York. After working on various New York newspapers, he became a publicist for Paramount Pictures in New York in 1947. The studio moved him to Los Angeles in 1956 as director of publicity and advertising. In 1963, Steinberg joined MCA Inc., parent company of Universal, where he helped create the studio tour program now functioning in Hollywood and Orlando, Fla. As vice president of MCA recreation services involved with public relations, Steinberg made many of the company’s announcements when it first decided to build a major studio in Florida. Respected in the burgeoning tourism industry as well as by publicists, Steinberg served on the California State Tourism Commission and on the executive committee of the California Tourism Corp. He was named to the California Tourism Hall of Fame in 1993. Steinberg also was director of communications for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers of America and since 1987 had been active on the board of trustees for the Motion Picture & Television Fund. The fund provides health and charitable services for members of the entertainment industry. On Thursday in Encino.