Mel Karmazin To Receive BFA’s Mays Award

Mel Karmazin today was announced as 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 7 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, during the 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 and innovator, Karmazin was the chief executive officer 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, he was president-CEO and member of the board of CBS Corp., following a stint as its president and 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. To register, please contact the foundation at 212-373-8250 or [email protected].

The mission of the Broadcasters Foundation of America is to improve the quality of life and maintain the personal dignity of men and women in the radio and television broadcast profession who find themselves in acute need. The foundation reaches out across the country to identify and provide an anonymous safety net in cases of critical illness, advanced age, death of a spouse, accident, and other serious misfortune. The Broadcasters Foundation of America is a 501(c)3 public charity.