Bob Pittman To Receive Golden Mike Award

The Broadcasters Foundation of America announced Thursday that Bob Pittman, chairman-CEO of iHeartMedia, will receive its 2016 Golden Mike Award on Monday, Feb. 29, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The Broadcasters Foundation annual gala raises funds to benefit the its mission of providing aid to broadcasters in need. 

“Bob is an extraordinary broadcaster,” said Dan Mason, vice chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. “As an architect of today’s iHeartMedia, Bob’s focus on innovation and his deep belief in broadcast radio has expanded radio into new areas and platforms, and we are proud to recognize his contributions to broadcasting.”  

“Radio reaches more Americans than any other medium, the best friend in the seat next to them and their trusted companion and information source across multiple platforms,” said Pittman. “I feel extremely fortunate to be in broadcasting during the most exciting time in our industry’s history. I am grateful to the Broadcasters Foundation for this honor, and I thank them for their deep commitment to supporting our broadcast colleagues in their times of need.”

Pittman’s history in radio began at age 15 when he worked as an on-air announcer in his native Mississippi. He became the co-founder and programmer who led the team that created MTV, and has been CEO of MTV Networks, AOL Networks, Six Flags Theme Parks, Quantum Media, Century 21 Real Estate and Time Warner Enterprises.

He was also COO of America Online and later of AOL Time Warner, and he is a founding member of Pilot Group a New York private investment firm.  Prior to these accomplishments, Pittman successfully programmed a number of radio stations, including WNBC in New York.

His philanthropic work includes serving as chairman of New York’s Public Theater and chairman of the poverty-fighting Robin Hood Foundation, where he is still on the board.  He is also on the boards of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Alliance for Lupus Research. 

Among his many acknowledgements, Pittman was named to the Advertising Hall of Fame and inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.  He was named one of Advertising Age‘s “10 Marketers Who Changed American Culture” and “50 Pioneers and Visionaries of TV”; he received the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award; a Council of Fashion Designers  Award, and was named one of Life magazine’s “Five Original Thinkers of the ’80s.”