Abrams created and built a dramatically different TV Morning Show and PM News concept, which were in development at the time of his departure and were scheduled to launch in early 2011. Abrams was XM's Chief Programming Officer prior to 2008.
In June 1998, Abrams became the company's first employee, designing programming and overseeing and training a staff tasked with re-inventing radio's sound. Abrams was once again challenged to revitalise the radio landscape, this time with 150 stations to develop and programme. For more than three decades, Lee Abrams has shaped the American radio industry.
He has brought unrivalled ratings as well as economic success to radio stations in over four hundred markets, including ninety-seven of the top 100, over the last forty years.
In 1993, Newsweek named Abrams one of America's "100 Cultural Elite" for his contributions to the development of modern radio, and Radio Ink named Abrams one of the 75 most influential radio figures of all time.
Abrams decided to join ABC Radio Networks as an internal counsellor in 1989, where he supervised the innovative Z-Rock format, the first satellite-delivered Superstation, as well as the first?Active Rock? format, and was influential in the launch of Radio Disney. Abrams oversaw the satellite delivery of programming to over 1,000 stations while at Satellite Music Network (now ABC).
Abrams invented and built Album Rock, the first effective FM format, as a founding partner of Burkhart/Abrams, an Atlanta-based consulting firm. He also created multiple other extremely successful radio formats, including the first Classic Rock format at KFOG in San Francisco, the first FM Urban/Dance format at WKTU in New York, and the first New Adult Contemporary format, among others.
He also designed the initial blueprint for the NBC Source Radio Network. Every major broadcasting company has been one of his corporate clients. Musically, Abrams generated Eric Johnson's Grammy-winning CD "Ah Via Musicom," has appeared on several Alan Parsons Project CDs, and has worked as a consultant and label head with major labels and recording artists.
Great industry executives such as The Moody Blues, Yes, Asia, Iron Maiden, Bob Seger, Island Records, and EMI Records have been among his clients. Other media projects undertaken by Abrams include the redesign of Rolling Stone magazine, the release of TNT Cable Network, MTV, American business consultant to Swatch, Disney, and counsellor to large numbers of entertainment corporations.
Furthermore, Abrams has been the subject of feature articles in hundreds of customer publications, including Playboy, Esquire, The New York Times, People, and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared as a guest on Donald Trump's The Apprentice series.
While at XM, Abrams was in charge of creating and bringing in eternal icons like Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, BB King, Wynton Marsalis, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty, and others to create passionate original programming. Abrams is widely regarded as a pioneer in reimagining traditional media and marketing, and he is a frequent speaker as well as college professor.
Abrams recently created and featured the SkyDives series, which was sponsored by Geico and Priceline.com and aired on cable superstation WGN AMERICA, which reaches 72 million homes. Abrams, 58, is a Commercial and Instrument rated pilot who lives in Chicago. Stay tuned for Act 4 as Lee reinvents news delivery for the twenty-first century!
