Template:Multiple issues Les Garland is an American media executive.Throughout his celebrated career in entertainment, Les Garland’s path has been blazed by his love of music. As co-founder of groundbreaking networks including MTV: Music Television, VH1, RKO Radio Network, and The Box Television Network, Garland is also recognized as the voice of a DJ on a worldwide number one record; that’s just the beginning. Garland’s decades of accomplishments are as expansive as they are diverse. He has worn many hats including Radio Personality; Radio Program Director; Record Company President; Event Producer; Music Talent Manager; Executive Producer; Brand Marketer; Public Speaker and Entertainment Industry Consultant. An award-winning talent who has been featured in magazines, newspapers, on radio and television, Garland has resided at the height of pop culture for his entire career.Prior to his years as a cable television pioneer, Garland cut his chops as Program Director of historic radio stations in major markets including K-100 Los Angeles, CKLW Detroit, WRKO Boston, and KFRC San Francisco during contemporary music’s broadcast prime. Discovered by pop radio legends Bill Drake and Paul Drew, Garland’s storied radio career led to a spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “Music Industry Heavy 100.”The audience has always come first in Garland’s mind. At KFRC, he achieved his greatest accomplishments in radio, taking the station to new heights as the top rated station in San Francisco. Legendary KFRC was named Radio Station of the Year no less than four times while Garland was being voted Program Director of the Year by his peers. Channeling Orson Welles, Garland inadvertently created a KFRC promotional spot that has since become a part of radio history. It also netted Garland a Clio. The award winning promo, titled “Close Encounters”, stunned listeners by announcing that the station would go silent in order to communicate with extraterrestrials.Directly on the heels of his distinguished stint in radio, Garland was hand-picked by iconic label chiefs Ahmet Ertegun and Doug Morris to leap from radio to records, managing West Coast operations for the most venerable brand in music, Atlantic Records. Atlantic was home to some of the most popular artists in history, including Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Abba, Aretha Franklin, Foreigner, The Spinners, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and AC/DC, and Garland was suddenly working closely with several of the musicians he’d fallen in love with as a DJ.One of Garland’s most recognizable achievements was his wholesale influence on 80’s culture as co-founder of MTV: Music Television and VH1. MTV, the world’s first 24-hour music channel, is home of the anthemic I Want My MTV marketing hook which Garland played a key role in developing. Along with co-founder, Robert Pittman, serving as MTV Networks Senior Executive Vice President, Garland was executive producer of the first six MTV Video Music Awards and
$900,000
