BFA to Honor Mel Karmazin with 2015 Lowry Mays

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Mel Karmazin

Mel Karmazin is the 2015 recipient of the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award that will be presented during The Broadcasters Foundation of America annual breakfast held at 7am on Wednesday, April 15 during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas. This year, the Awards Breakfast moves to a new location, the Brahms Room in the Encore Hotel.

Recognized as an industry leader, Karmazin was the CEO and member of the board of directors of SiriusXM when he retired in 2013. He held a similar position at Sirius Satellite Radio and oversaw the merger with XM Satellite Radio. Before moving into satellite radio, Karmazin was President/COO of Viacom, where he served on the board of directors and was responsible for all of Viacom's operations.

Previously, Karmazin served as President/CEO and member of the board of directors of CBS Corp., following a stint as its President/COO. Karmazin first joined CBS in January, 1997, as Chairman/CEO of CBS Radio, following the merger of Westinghouse/CBS and Infinity Broadcasting, where he had been President/CEO. Earlier in his career, Karmazin spent 10 years with Metromedia.

Karmazin is involved in numerous philanthropic ventures and has served on a number of boards throughout his career. Currently, he is a Trustee at NYU Langone Medical Center, a board member and executive committee member of Autism Speaks and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Paley Center for Media. He was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and has received the National Association of Broadcasters' National Radio Award and the IRTS Gold Medal Award.

The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award is bestowed annually on an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy and entrepreneurship. It salutes its namesake Lowry Mays and is underwritten by The Mays Family Foundation.

The Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast is complimentary to all, thanks to sponsors Frank N. Magid Associates, Marketron, the NAB, the National Association of Media Brokers (NAMB), Nielsen, the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB). To register, please contact the Foundation at info@thebfoa.org.