Dan Mason
2012 NAB National Radio Award Winner
an Mason, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CBS Radio, received the National Radio Award during the 2012 Radio Show in Dallas, Texas.
"Throughout Dan Mason's extensive career in Radio, his commitment to innovation and growth, coupled with his programming expertise, has shaped Radio as a whole," said NAB Executive Vice President of Radio John David. "We welcome the opportunity to honor Dan's contributions to Radio by presenting him with the National Radio Award."
Mason began his radio career in 1975 at WZGC-FM in Atlanta. In 1977, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he was WPGC-FM's program director and national program director for the station's parent company, First Media. In 1979, at age 27, KTSA/KTFM San Antonio named him vice president/general manager. Mason later returned to First Media and became president when the company became Cook Inlet Radio Partners. In 1993, Mason joined Westinghouse as president of Group W Radio, which later merged with CBS. Mason acted as CBS Radio President from 1995-2002. He returned full time in 2007 after serving as a consultant to CBS and other domestic and international radio broadcasting companies.
As President and CEO, Mason oversees all operations for CBS Radio's 130 stations. His aggressive growth strategy includes diversifying the division's portfolio with station formats that cater to different age groups and demographics. Under Mason's leadership, Top 40 station launches in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Houston and Phoenix outperform previous lineups. CBS Radio's debut of sports programming on FM stations in Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland has demonstrated success as a business model. Mason also increased CBS Radio's digital presence with an extensive online streaming platform and mobile applications.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Mason graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in broadcasting and was later granted an honorary Doctorate of Humanities. Radio and Records named him Radio Executive of the Year. Radio Ink magazine named Mason Executive of the Year and featured him on its cover. He also has been included on Billboard's Power 100 list, and the Mediaweek 50 list.
Each year the National Radio Award honors an individual who is an outstanding leader in the radio industry. Previous National Radio Award recipients include Steven Newberry, Charles Warfield, Ed Christian, Bruce Reese, Jerry Lee, David Kennedy, John Dille, Lowry Mays, Jeff Smulyan, Bill Stakelin, and Erica Farber, among others.
