Mel Karmazin
| Mel Karmazin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Melvin Alan Karmazin August 24, 1943 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Residence | Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Pace University |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon (divorced) Terry Malia (2001–present) |
| Children | Dina Leslie Karmazim Elkins Craig Karmazin |
Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin (born August 24, 1943) is an American executive. He co-founded and was the president of Infinity Broadcasting and eventually became the president and CEO of CBS. From 2004–2012, he was the CEO of Sirius Radio (re-branded Sirius XM Radio after XM merged with Sirius in 2008). In October 2012, Karmazin announced that he would be stepping down on February 1, 2013. Upon his departure, John C. Malone took over Karmazin's role at SiriusXM.
Karmazin was born to a Jewish family in Long Island City, Queens in New York City. His father was a taxi driver and his mother a factory worker. He first worked as a typist for an advertising firm in high school and then started selling radio ads at the age of 17. He graduated from Pace University with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
After school, he worked for Columbia Broadcasting System selling ads for their radio division. In the late 1960s, Karmazin left to work for the broadcasting company Metromedia. At Metromedia, Karmazin presided over New York's WNEW-AM (now WBBR) and WNEW-FM when he was approached to run Infinity Broadcasting in 1981. Soon after he would add fellow New York stations WKTU-FM and WFAN into Infinity's stable. WFAN morning talent Don Imus often referred to Karmazin on the air, never by name, but by the nickname "The Zen Master".
Karmazin ran Infinity for 15 years, then sold the company to Westinghouse, then the parent of CBS. For most of his career he has been known as a "Wall Street darling" for his ability to drive up the price of his various companies' stock. "The joke about him was that he was so pushy that advertisers used to buy airtime from Mel just to get him out of their office," according to a Fortune magazine article. When Infinity merged with CBS Corporation in January 1997, Karmazin would first head CBS Radio as chairman and CEO. By May of the same year he would become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CBS Station Group, overseeing the network's radio and television properties. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of CBS Corporation from April 1998 until January 1999. Viacom, a media conglomerate that includes CBS, UPN, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures and Showtime, absorbed CBS Corporation as of 2000.
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