Norm Pattiz Dies: Westwood One Founder, Radio Hall of Famer Was 79

Norm Pattiz, the founder of the Westwood One syndicated programming network, died Dec. 6 at age 79.

The cause of death was not revealed by officials at Westwood One parent company Cumulus Media.

Pattiz began as a salesman with Los Angeles television station KCOP (Channel 13), but left there in 1976 to start Westwood One.

In 1985, the company purchased Mutual Broadcasting System, one of the biggest radio networks in the United States. Two years later, the company acquired the NBC Radio Network.

In the early 1990s, control of Westwood One shifted to Mel Karmazin and Infinity Broadcasting (later acquired by CBS Radio). Pattiz remained chairman of the company until 2010, at which point he moved on to found the on-demand audio network, PodcastOne.

Pattiz helped propel on-demand audio into the mainstream, first with an on-demand version of the Adam Carolla show, and later through partnerships with such brands as the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Pattiz was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame for his work at Westwood One in 2019, and he received the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s Giants of Broadcasting Award that same year.

No information on survivors was available.

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