Principal
Koplovitz & Company
Kay Koplovitz is a pioneer in cable television networks and new media ventures. She is a visionary woman who led the emergence of cable television from the backcountry of America to challenge the mighty broadcast networks for coveted audiences. She continues to be a visionary in raising venture capital for women entrepreneurs and in launching new programming companies that challenge the frontiers of the digital age.
Koplovitz & Company
Koplovitz & Company provides media advisory services to major corporations, sports organizations, advertisers and distributors and makes investments in early and mid-stage companies in media and high growth sectors.
Broadway Television Network, Chairman of the Board
Broadway Television Network was launched in November 1999 to televise live Broadway musicals to all televised distribution worldwide. It's programming is issued in high definition and broadband surround-sound and is seen on pay-per-view, digital cinema and television, and is distributed on DVD, home video and on broadband throughout the world. Broadway Television Network is the first and only company to successfully secure the right to telecast live Broadway Musicals through a series of collective bargaining agreements with all the unions on the Broadway scene. Further, the company is the first to telecast to digital cinema in high definition and Dolby sound, introducing live Broadway shows to local movie theater audiences. In essence, it is bringing Broadway to Main Street.
Working Woman Network, Chief Executive Officer
Koplovitz served as Chief Executive Officer from January 2000 to August 2001, implementing the transformation of the workingwoman brand into a multi-media resource of goods and services to serve the fast-growing sector of career-committed, entrepreneurial, corporate and professional woman. Under Kay's tutelage, WWN was formed by the blending of assets of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines; the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE); WWN Events, hosting 12-15 major conferences a year; workingwoman.com, the first online business center for dynamic business women's market; and the Women & Minority Business Exchange (WMBX), a market to facilitate selling to corporate and governmental procurement agents.
USA Networks, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Kay Koplovitz is the founder of USA Networks, television's first advertiser-supported basic cable network, and was the first female network president in television history. She served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from USA's premiere in 1977 as an all sports service (Madison Square Garden Sports), until stepping down in 1998 when the network had become a leading provider of original programming around the world. During her tenure, she built USA into the #1 ranking in primetime viewer ship among cable networks. The company held that lead position for 13 of her last 14 years at the helm.
Under Koplovitz's direction, USA launched the SCI FI Channel in 1992, which has become one of the industry's top ranked networks in viewer ship according to Nielson and is distributed to over 100 million households worldwide. In April 1994, she launched USA Networks International, which now operates in Latin America, Europe, Brazil and South Africa.
Koplovitz was the first to negotiate cable rights to major league sports including Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL, among others. Upon re-directing USA Network as a general entertainment network in 1980, she engineered the acquisition of top off-network series and high-profile theatrical movie packages on a pre-syndication basis.
In 1989, USA Network became the first basic cable network
to feature regularly scheduled original movies; the USA
Pictures Original movie is still one if the most successful
and recognizable on television. Among the award-winning movies
developed under Kay's supervision was Moby Dick, staring
Patrick Stewart. This Hallmark Entertainment mini-series became
the highest-rated entertainment program in cable history.
Her other accomplishments include establishing cable networks
as distribution vehicles for off-network television series,
creating original dramatic series for cable, notably Silk
Stalkings, La Femme Nikita, and Farscape, three of the longest
running and most successful original series in cable. She
also led the field in international co-production.
Presidential Appointment: Chair of the National Women's Business Council
Koplovitz was appointed in 1998 by President Clinton to be
Chairman of the National Women's Business Council (NWBC),
the influential advisory board for women-owned business. In
her own experience, Koplovitz recognized that the key to empowering
women in the business arena is to give them access to what
matters most: capital. She recognized the need for venture
capital for high growth businesses when she discovered that
in 1997, only 1.7% of the venture funding in the U.S. went
to fund women-led businesses. That's why Koplovitz created
Springboard 2000, a unique initiative to accelerate
women's access to the equity markets as both entrepreneurs
and investors.
Springboard has been developed by, and flourished under, the joint cooperation and efforts of Koplovitz and the NWBC staff working with prominent women's business and major corporate technology partners. Since its launch in January of 2000, Springboard has generated more than $600 million of investment capital and funding for women-owned businesses. In March 2001, Springboard was registered as Springboard Enterprises, which will continue to develop and implement all of the Springboard policies on a national basis. Also in 2000, Koplovitz created Angels4Equity, a New York-based investment club for high net worth women to foster the growth of early stage companies.
Author
Koplovitz has authored a book to be published in May 2002
titled, Bold Women, Big Ideas: Learning to Play the High
Risk Entrepreneurial Game. The book unveils the secrets
of entering the world of equity finance to the new breed of
women entrepreneurs.
Erase the Hate Foundation
At USA, Koplovitz launched a non-profit national "Erase
the Hate" campaign, which grew into a public affairs initiative
interacting with dozens of national organizations in the promotion
of tolerance. The documentaries won numerous industry honors,
including Emmy and Ace Awards. The Erase initiative
with the YWCA was lauded by the U.S. Senate and honored with
the designation of National "Erase the Hate Day" on
April 30. Koplovitz has gone on to establish a non-profit
Erase the Hate Foundation for national media distribution.
Corporate Activity
Koplovitz is a member on the corporate boards of Instinet and Liz Claiborne and previously served on the boards of Oracle, Nabisco and General Reinsurance Corporation. She is chair of the Board of Broadway Television Network, and serves on the Board if Miavita. Her time and expertise is also given as a Board of Trustee for the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City, she heads the Corporate Partners Program for, and is a trustee of, the Central Park Conservancy, and serves on the board of the New York City Partnership and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Personal
Kay Koplovitz holds a master degree in Communications from Michigan State University. She is also a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and holds an honorary doctorate degree from St. Johns University. A native of Milwaukee, Koplovitz is married to private investor, William C. Koplovitz, Jr.
Awards and Inductions
Ms Koplovitz has received numerous awards from both the media and financial industries during her career. Among her many awards are the following:
- Cable Hall of Fame; Induction For Leadership in the Industry, 2001
- Babson College: Induction into Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, 2001
- University of Michigan Business School: Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2001
- New York Economic Development Council: Alley Entrepreneurs Award 2000.
- Anti-Defamation League's Champion of Liberty award For The Erase The Hate Campaign (1998)
- First Corporate Innovator award from the Committee of 200, America's Women Business Leaders (1997)
- Women in Film: Lucy Award for Outstanding Program Executive (1998)
- Chairman's Award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives (1996)
- Cable Ace Governor's award (1995)
- International Crystal Award from Women in Film (1993)
- Broadcasting Magazine Hall of Fame (1992)
- Woman in Business Making History award in (1992)
