Michael A. Wiener
Encyclopedia
Michael A. Wiener was an American
business executive who was one of the two founders of the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
in 1972, ran the company as president and chairman, and became a philanthropist after selling the business and its 44 radio stations to Westinghouse Corporation
in 1996 for $3.7 billion.
Born in Brooklyn
, Wiener got his start in the radio business selling radio advertising. He started calling rock and roll
"American music" as a ploy after prospective buyers were reluctant to place ads on stations that played the genre, which they "associated with the drug culture and the peace movement". He had been selling ad space for Metromedia
when he joined together with Gerald Carrus to purchase San Francisco-area radio station KOME
in 1972, a station that played free-form rock
, with his investment covered with money raised from his wife and associates, along with $5,000 he had obtained after selling his father's stamp collection.
As the company grew, both Wiener and Carrus left their day jobs to work full time at Infinity. Wiener was the company's president starting in 1972 and shifted to chairman in 1979, a position he retained until selling the company. In 1981, they hired Mel Karmazin
as president of the radio division, by which time Infinity owned three stations. Over the next decade, Karmazin led Infinity on a buying spree and brought in shock jock
Howard Stern
, moving the business into successively larger radio markets.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation agreed to buy Infinity and its 44 radio stations for $3.7 billion in June 1996, under new regulations enacted under the Telecommunications Act of 1996
that allowed greater concentration of ownership in the radio business, paying 1.7 shares of Westinghouse stock for each of the 119 million shares of Infinity. Though Karmazin was the public face of the company, Wiener and Carrus owned the bulk of the shares, which were worth billions at the time of the Westinghouse deal, and had doubled by the time the company was later acquired by Viacom
.
Interviewed for an obituary published in The New York Times
, Howard Stern lauded Wiener as being "smart enough to hire Mel [Karmazin] and give him the freedom" to run the business as he saw fit, which included being someone "who would take a risk on me". He credited Wiener and Carrus with having "worked their way into larger markets" after starting in smaller markets, a genuine accomplishment given "the number of radio stations that go under".
. Wiener and his wife saw the need to provide integrated treatment for heart disease and became active supporters of the hospital's Dr. Valentin Fuster
.
In 1997, his son Gabe died at age 26 after experiencing a cerebral aneurysm
. In memory of their son, the Wieners dedicated the Gabe Wiener Music and Arts Library at Columbia University
. They also endowed the Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ, a pipe organ
with 4,345 pipes at Central Synagogue
in Manhattan
, in memory of their son. Wiener stated in 2005 that his son "would really love the way this fills the synagogue with wonderful sounds". The Wieners contributed $2 million for the organ, after Columbia University rejected the offer based on concerns about architectural changes to the chapel in which it would have been placed and after rejecting a request by the New York Philharmonic
as the Wieners wanted the organ used for music instruction. The Wieners contributed an additional $1 million to Central Synagogue in 2005 to endow a classical music
series that featured choral and organ works.
Wiener died at age 71 on August 2, 2009, due to cancer
. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business executive who was one of the two founders of the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Don Imus and Mike Francesa. Infinity merged with CBS Corporation in 1997 and later...
in 1972, ran the company as president and chairman, and became a philanthropist after selling the business and its 44 radio stations to Westinghouse Corporation
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
in 1996 for $3.7 billion.
Born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Wiener got his start in the radio business selling radio advertising. He started calling rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
"American music" as a ploy after prospective buyers were reluctant to place ads on stations that played the genre, which they "associated with the drug culture and the peace movement". He had been selling ad space for Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
when he joined together with Gerald Carrus to purchase San Francisco-area radio station KOME
KOME
KOME was a radio station in San Jose, California, heard at 98.5 FM from 1971 thru 1998. Currently, the 98.5 FM frequency is home to KUFX .-Beginnings:...
in 1972, a station that played free-form rock
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
, with his investment covered with money raised from his wife and associates, along with $5,000 he had obtained after selling his father's stamp collection.
As the company grew, both Wiener and Carrus left their day jobs to work full time at Infinity. Wiener was the company's president starting in 1972 and shifted to chairman in 1979, a position he retained until selling the company. In 1981, they hired Mel Karmazin
Mel Karmazin
Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin is an American executive. He co-founded and was the president of Infinity Broadcasting and eventually became the president and chief executive officer of CBS. As of 2008, he is the CEO of Sirius XM Radio....
as president of the radio division, by which time Infinity owned three stations. Over the next decade, Karmazin led Infinity on a buying spree and brought in shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
, moving the business into successively larger radio markets.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation agreed to buy Infinity and its 44 radio stations for $3.7 billion in June 1996, under new regulations enacted under the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
that allowed greater concentration of ownership in the radio business, paying 1.7 shares of Westinghouse stock for each of the 119 million shares of Infinity. Though Karmazin was the public face of the company, Wiener and Carrus owned the bulk of the shares, which were worth billions at the time of the Westinghouse deal, and had doubled by the time the company was later acquired by Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
.
Interviewed for an obituary published in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Howard Stern lauded Wiener as being "smart enough to hire Mel [Karmazin] and give him the freedom" to run the business as he saw fit, which included being someone "who would take a risk on me". He credited Wiener and Carrus with having "worked their way into larger markets" after starting in smaller markets, a genuine accomplishment given "the number of radio stations that go under".
Philanthropy
A long-time philanthropist, Wiener had been a generous giver to the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, New YorkMount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
. Wiener and his wife saw the need to provide integrated treatment for heart disease and became active supporters of the hospital's Dr. Valentin Fuster
Valentin Fuster
Valentí Fuster is a Spaniard cardiologist – the only cardiologist to receive all four major research awards from the world's four major cardiovascular organizations....
.
In 1997, his son Gabe died at age 26 after experiencing a cerebral aneurysm
Cerebral aneurysm
A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.- Signs and symptoms :...
. In memory of their son, the Wieners dedicated the Gabe Wiener Music and Arts Library at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. They also endowed the Gabe M. Wiener Memorial Organ, a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
with 4,345 pipes at Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue
The Central Synagogue is located at 652 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 55th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built in 1872 in the Moorish Revival style as a copy of Budapest's Dohány Street Synagogue, it pays homage to the Jewish existence in Moorish Spain...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, in memory of their son. Wiener stated in 2005 that his son "would really love the way this fills the synagogue with wonderful sounds". The Wieners contributed $2 million for the organ, after Columbia University rejected the offer based on concerns about architectural changes to the chapel in which it would have been placed and after rejecting a request by the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
as the Wieners wanted the organ used for music instruction. The Wieners contributed an additional $1 million to Central Synagogue in 2005 to endow a classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
series that featured choral and organ works.
Personal
Wiener had an interest in photography, especially of landscapes, and had a 2005 display of his works at a Manhattan gallery, with proceeds going to charity.Wiener died at age 71 on August 2, 2009, due to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.