NEW YORK: Stu Olds former president and CEO of Katz Media Group will be the recipient of this year’s Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award. The Award will be presented posthumously at the Broadcasters Foundation of America Breakfast on April 13, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters Show.
Olds had an extraordinary 33-year career, guiding the nation’s largest media representation firm and shaping the current radio industry environment. He oversaw operations for all Katz Media Group companies, including Katz Radio Group, Clear Channel Radio Sales, Katz Television Group, Katz Marketing Solutions, and Katz 360 Digital Sales. He passed away in December 2010 after battling Myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of leukemia.
During his long and distinguished career, Olds was a pillar of the radio community, contributing his time and expertise to numerous organizations. He served on many charitable foundations and industry organizations, including vice chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America Board, honorary trustee of AWRT/Alliance For Women In Media Foundation, and a board member of the Radio Advertising Bureau and the Bayliss Foundation.
Olds joined Katz Radio’s Chicago office in 1977. He was named a vice president of the Katz Radio division in 1981 and appointed to vice president and manager of the Katz Radio Group Network in 1984. He assumed the presidency of Katz Radio in 1987, was named executive vice president of the Katz Radio Group in 1990, and was promoted to President of the division four years later. He is survived by his wife, four daughters, and two grandchildren.
The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award annually honors an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy and entrepreneurship. The inaugural award was presented last year to former commissioner and acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission James H. Quello. The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award salutes its namesake, who is a legend in the broadcasting industry, and is underwritten by The Clear Channel Foundation and Wiley Rein, LLP.
