18 Facts About Mel Karmazin

Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin was born on August 24,1943 and is an American executive.

Mel Karmazin was the president of Infinity Broadcasting and eventually became the president and CEO of CBS television.

In October 2012, Karmazin announced that he would be stepping down on February 1,2013.

Mel Karmazin was born to a Jewish family in Long Island City, Queens in New York City.

Mel Karmazin's father was a taxi driver and his mother a factory worker.

Mel Karmazin first worked as a typist for an advertising firm in high school and then started selling radio ads at the age of 17.

Mel Karmazin graduated from Pace University with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

At Metromedia, Mel Karmazin presided over New York's WNEW-AM and WNEW-FM when he was approached to run Infinity Broadcasting in 1981.

Mel Karmazin ran Infinity for 15 years, then sold the company to Westinghouse, then the parent of CBS.

Mel Karmazin served as President and Chief Operating Officer of CBS Corporation from April 1998 until January 1999.

Mel Karmazin later said he didn't get along with Redstone and found it difficult to be "No 2" at a company, but particularly under Redstone.

Mel Karmazin was a strong supporter of radio personality Howard Stern at Viacom, and Karmazin joined Sirius Radio shortly after the company signed Stern.

Mel Karmazin recruited Martha Stewart to Sirius, acquired the programming rights to NASCAR, and raised $500 million in debt financing.

Mel Karmazin was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the National Radio Hall of Fame, a recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters National Radio Award, and the IRTS Gold Medal.

Mel Karmazin's reported 2012 pay and severance from Sirius XM amounted to over $255 Million.

In June, 2001, Mel Karmazin married his longtime executive assistant, Terry Malia.

Craig Mel Karmazin followed in his father's footsteps, when he began an internship at Infinity-owned WIP in Philadelphia in 1997.

Mel Karmazin is currently the principal owner of Good Karma Broadcasting, which owns eleven radio stations in four states, including eight sports radio stations.