October 22, 2020
BMI Board Extends President & CEO Mike O’Neill’s Contract;
Six Directors Re-elected to the Board
Press Release
New York (October 22, 2020) BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) today announced the election of Caroline Beasley, CEO, Beasley Media Group, LLC as Chairman of the BMI Board of Directors, effective immediately. Beasley, who joined the Board in 2014, most recently served as Vice Chairman of the BMI Board. She succeeds Michael J. Fiorile, Chairman of the Dispatch Printing Company, who has been elected Presiding Director of the BMI Board.
“It is truly an honor to have the privilege of serving as Chair of the BMI Board of Directors,” said Beasley. “Many thanks to Michael Fiorile for his innovative vision, tireless collaboration and insightful leadership over the past several years in his role as Chairman of the organization. I look forward to working together with the Board, Mike O’Neill and the outstanding BMI team to continue to serve the evolving needs of music creators, publishers and licensees in today’s dynamic marketplace.”
Beasley was named Chief Executive Officer of Beasley Media Group, LLC in January 2017. Previously, she held several senior-level positions within the company since 1994, including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary. In addition, she has served as a Director of Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. since she joined the company in 1983.
Beasley most recently served as past Joint Board Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Board of Directors and is a past Chairman of the NAB Radio Board. In addition, Beasley is a member of the Broadcasters Foundation of America Board of Directors and serves on the FCC Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
In addition, the BMI Board of Directors has extended Mike O’Neill’s contract as President & CEO for six years, through the end of 2026.
“BMI has achieved groundbreaking success under Mike’s leadership,” said Fiorile. “During his tenure, the Company set revenue and distribution records year after year, while making significant strides to protect copyright and safeguard the value of music. I, along with our Board of Directors, have no doubt that Mike is the right person to continue to lead the charge towards a modernized music licensing landscape that will benefit everyone involved. He truly leads by example, which encourages the entire BMI team to do their best every day for the songwriters, composers, publishers and business communities we are privileged to serve.”
Under O’Neill’s leadership, BMI has reported its highest-ever revenue and distributions to its affiliated songwriters, composers and publishers. Notably, BMI became the first music rights organization in the world to deliver more than $1 billion in public performance royalties to its affiliates. Additionally, O’Neill spearheaded BMI’s historic victory over the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure the continued practice of fractional licensing. He has also overseen exponential growth year-over-year in both signing up tens of thousands of new songwriters and composers to the Company and processing trillions of performances, adapting to the seismic digital shift in how music is consumed. Most recently, O’Neill has successfully steered the Company during the global COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing the health and safety of BMI team members while ensuring seamless service to affiliates and licensees and driving historic revenue and royalty distributions.
The Company also announced that the following six BMI Board members have been re-elected to three-year terms, expiring in 2023: Greg Ashlock, President, iHeartMedia Markets Group; Rebecca Campbell, Chairman, Direct to Consumer and International, The Walt Disney Company; Dave Lougee, President and CEO, TEGNA, Inc.; Mike O’Neill, President and CEO, BMI; Mark Pedowitz, Chairman and CEO, The CW Network; and Perry Sook, Chairman, President and CEO, Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Continuing in their terms on the BMI Board of Directors are: Susan Davenport Austin, CFO, Grace Church School; Amador Bustos, President and CEO, Bustos Media Holdings, LLC; Bill Hoffman, President, Hoffman Communications, Inc. and Retired President, Cox Media Group; Catherine Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Urban One, Inc.; Phil Jones, Retired President, Meredith Corporation Broadcast Group; Jerry Kersting, Former President, Tribune Broadcasting and past EVP/CFO, Clear Channel Radio; Paul Karpowicz, Retired President, Meredith Local Media Group; Ginny Morris, Vice President, Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. and Chair and CEO, Hubbard Radio, LLC; and Neil Smith, President, GNS Media, LLC.
ABOUT BMI:
Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 17 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.
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