JAMES L. DOLAN   Chairman, Madison Square Garden President and Chief Executive Officer, Cablevision Systems Corporation

 

As chairman of Madison Square Garden, James L. Dolan oversees MSG's many entities, including its world-famous arena complex, professional sports teams, sports and entertainment networks, and historic showplaces.  Mr. Dolan also serves as president and chief executive officer of Cablevision Systems Corporation, one of the nation's leading media and entertainment companies, and MSG's corporate parent.

In his leadership role at MSG, Mr. Dolan is responsible for the company's overall growth strategy and oversees all of its operations.  He serves as governor to the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League on behalf of the New York Knicks and Rangers.

To ensure the standing of MSG's premier venues, Mr. Dolan has taken on a number of renovation projects throughout his tenure.  He is currently overseeing a $500 million state-of-the-art renovation of MSG that will completely transform the arena's interior; the project is slated to begin in 2009 with a targeted opening of late 2011.  Mr. Dolan was also the catalyst for an ongoing restoration of the group's Beacon Theatre, which will see the venerable showplace renewed to its former grandeur in early 2009.  Among his most significant accomplishments as MSG chairman, Mr. Dolan spearheaded a multimillion-dollar restoration of Radio City Music Hall, returning the national landmark and MSG showpiece to its original splendor.

Over the past year, Mr. Dolan has taken additional steps to expand MSG's entertainment properties.  They include the addition of The Chicago Theatre, which was built in 1921 as one of the country's most opulent motion picture houses.  MSG also extended its music business, acquiring a minority-equity interest in Front Line Management, the entertainment industry's largest personal music management firm.

Mr. Dolan has led MSG's response to local and national tragedies.  He played a principal role in organizing "The Concert For New York City," which generated more than $35 million dollars in aid for 9/11 victims and heroes, and "From The Big Apple to The Big Easy," which raised nearly $9 million for Hurricane Katrina relief.  Mr. Dolan also supports MSG's ongoing commitment to the community, particularly through the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the non-profit charity that partners with MSG to help children throughout the New York metropolitan area.

As Cablevision president and chief executive officer, Mr. Dolan oversees the company's comprehensive portfolio of advanced, Optimum-branded residential and business telecommunications services, as well as Newsday, one of the nation's largest daily newspapers, serving the New York area. Rainbow Media's national and regional television programming networks, comprised of AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and News 12 Networks, also fall under his purview. In addition, Mr. Dolan is responsible for overseeing Cablevision's other entertainment businesses, including Clearview Cinemas, one of the tri-state area's leading motion picture exhibitors.

Prior to assuming his present posts at Cablevision and MSG, in the early 1990s, Mr. Dolan served as chief executive officer of Rainbow Programming Holdings, Inc. (now Rainbow Media Holdings LLC). He oversaw all facets of the business, which today operates a wide range of compelling program networks reaching hundreds of millions of households in the United States and abroad.  Mr. Dolan began his career with Cablevision in the 1970s and served in a variety of executive positions before overseeing Rainbow.

Mr. Dolan is a member of the board of directors of The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, an organization he helped found in 1998 which today is the nation's largest private supporter of research of this deadly disease.  He also sits on the boards of the Breathe Easy Play Hard Foundation and is an honorary board member of Cable Positive, the cable industry's AIDS action organization. In addition, he is a member of Cablevision Systems Corporation's board of directors and serves on its executive committee. 

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