Norman Pattiz

Norman J. Pattiz (born 1943) is an American broadcasting entrepreneur, a National Radio Hall of Fame inductee, a Founder/Chairman of Courtside Entertainment Group, which includes PodcastOne and PodcastOne Sales and a Los Angeles Lakers season ticket holder for the past 30 years. He is the Founder and Former Chairman of radio industry giant Westwood One which, under his leadership, became America’s largest radio network.
Pattiz is a member of the University of California Board of Regents and was appointed by both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to sit on the board of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees all US nonmilitary broadcasting services, including The Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting and others. He also chairs the Boards of Governors of Los Alamos National Security, LLC., and Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC which respectively operate the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Pattiz has been criticized for making sexual jokes and remarks to women, according to an article published in the Los Angeles Times. Pattiz issued a statement that came close to an apology on November 1, 2016, stating that "There is no excuse for any such comments or making anyone feel uncomfortable. . . . If I did that, I sincerely apologize, and it will be a valuable learning experience.”
Pattiz was "founding father" of Alhurra, a United States-based satellite TV channel sponsored by the U.S. government. It began broadcasting on February 14, 2004 in 22 countries across the Middle East.
In 2010, he created Courtside Entertainment Group, which produces and finances multi-platform programming for broadcast and online distribution. PodcastOne Sales (formerly Launchpad Digital Media) is the company’s rep firm for advertising sales. The Company's PodcastOne division creates and distributes on-demand digital audio content.
He is a prominent Democratic Party donor, and lives with wife Mary Turner, an addiction counselor and former radio personality in Los Angeles.
Pattiz is of Jewish descent and is a member of the national board of the Israel Policy Forum.