Joel Hollander Named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting

Joel Hollander Named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting

NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Joel Hollander has been named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B) radio division, it was announced today by Leslie Moonves, Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, Viacom. Hollander, who will report to Moonves, has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Infinity since May 2003. The appointment is effective immediately.

Hollander will have overall responsibility for Infinity's 183 radio stations, and will also oversee day-to-day operations of the division.

"Joel is one of the finest operators in the radio business, hands down," said Moonves. "He has brought tremendous energy, industry savvy and discipline to Infinity Broadcasting since joining the company, where he has helped our stations grow their ratings and revenues in a challenging advertising climate. He's also helped sell Madison Avenue on the power of radio and our Infinity brands, which has made a huge impact. I have the utmost confidence in Joel and his team, and I look forward to working with them as we realize the full potential of our industry-leading portfolio."

"We have the industry's strongest, most powerful collection of stations, and I am looking forward to working with Leslie and all the hard working employees at Infinity as we maximize our full potential and really sell the power of radio," said Hollander. "Under Leslie's leadership, we have received an unprecedented amount of support and resources, and we've already started to see that translate into real momentum. Having his ear and guidance will be a huge benefit as we seek to grow our businesses."

Hollander succeeds John Sykes, who is leaving Infinity and taking on a new role at MTV Networks overseeing the development and launch of new branded television networks. Details on the new position will be announced shortly.

"John brought real big-picture, out of the box thinking to radio, which is what the industry has needed for a long time," said Moonves. "The same attributes that distinguished him at MTV Networks translated into creative, non-traditional radio programming for Infinity, and the industry took notice. He has wanted to get back to television for some time, and this new role represents a great opportunity for him to do what he loves most."

Prior to returning to Infinity, Hollander served as President and CEO of Westwood One (1998-2003). As President and CEO of Westwood One, Hollander acquired Metro Networks, the nation's largest provider of traffic, news, weather and sports information, and developed and expanded partnerships with the NFL, NCAA, Notre Dame Football, Wimbledon, USGA, The British Open, The Masters, Marketwatch.com, FOX News, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/The GRAMMYs, and The Academy of Country Music. He also created new programming and added significant star power to Westwood One's existing programs, including Boomer Esiason and Marv Albert in the NFL Monday Night Football booth, The John Madden Sports Quiz, The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, and The Laura Ingraham Show. Hollander also extended key Viacom brands with the launch of radio networks with VH1, BET and CMT, and the expansion of the MTV Radio Network.

Prior to joining Westwood One, Hollander was General Manager of WFAN-AM New York. An original member of the WFAN team, Hollander played a major role in the steady yet spectacular rise of WFAN to its current position as one of the most successful radio stations in the country. Under Hollander's leadership, WFAN rode an unprecedented 11-year streak as the leader in sports talk radio and became the number one revenue generating station in America.

A graduate of Indiana State University, Hollander began his career in radio as an Account Executive in Daytona, Fla. Born and raised in New York, Hollander returned to the city where he made his way up and down the radio dial. He served as Account Executive at WBLS-FM and WKTU-FM, as Retail Sales Manager at WAPP-FM and WHN-AM, as Local Sales Manager at WRKS-FM and eventually joining WHN-AM as General Sales Manager. In 1987, at WHN-AM, the great "experiment" known as Sports Radio was launched and WFAN-AM was born.

Hollander and his wife Susan started the CJ Foundation for SIDS in 1993. The CJ Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to recognizing the special needs of the SIDS community through funding SIDS research and support services. Hollander is also on the Board of Directors for Tomorrows Children's Fund, and Westwood One, as well as a trustee of the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television.

Hollander, his wife and their two children live in New Jersey.

Infinity is one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States, with stations covering news, modern rock, oldies, country, FM talk, classic rock and urban formats. The majority of Infinity's stations are in the nation's top 50 markets and reach more than 70 million listeners a week and is also home to 29 of the country's leading sports franchises amongst the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.


Source: Viacom Inc.; Infinity Broadcasting

CONTACT: Press Contacts, Dana McClintock, +1-212-975-1077,
dmcclintock@cbs.com, or Karen Mateo, +1-212-846-7638,
karen.mateo@infinitybroadcasting.com, both of Infinity Broadcasting

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/965075.html


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