BFofA To Honor Edward McLaughlin For Lifetime Achievement

Edward F. McLaughlin, the iconic broadcaster who discovered Rush Limbaugh, will be honored with the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Broadcasters Foundation of America’s Golden Mike Award dinner.

The gala, which is an annual fundraising event for the Broadcasters Foundation’s mission of helping broadcasters in need, will be held on Monday, March 5 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. McLaughlin holds the prestigious title of Chairman Emeritus of the charitable organization.

“Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the charitable organization that I have believed in and supported for many years means a great deal to me,” stated McLaughlin. “I am grateful for the generosity of the broadcasters who make it possible for the Broadcasters Foundation to help our colleagues.”

Edward McLaughlin

“Ed is a visionary who took chances that led broadcasting into uncharted territory and tremendous success,” observed Dan Mason, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “His dedication and leadership of the Broadcasters Foundation helped advance our mission. It is with great pride that we honor his innovation and recognize his years of service.”

McLaughlin began in radio in 1958 as a salesman for an Oakland radio station. In 1964, ABC hired him as general sales manager for KGO/San Francisco, one of the area’s first news/talk stations.

McLaughlin left San Francisco for New York in 1972, to become president of the ABC Radio Networks. During his 14-year tenure as president, McLaughlin increased the number of ABC affiliates and purchased Watermark, the radio syndication company responsible for Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.

In 1987, McLaughlin founded EFM Radio, a production company devoted to talk radio. The following year, he produced The Rush Limbaugh Show, a daytime talk show centering on political issues, featuring an opinionated, up-and-coming commentator from Sacramento. By 1990, The Rush Limbaugh Show had become a fixture on over 200 stations and revived the struggling talk-radio genre.

As Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, he redefined its mission and set the organization on its current course. Throughout his career, McLaughlin has received numerous accolades, including Radio Ink’s Lifetime Leadership Award in 2010 and the National Association of Broadcasters’ National Radio Award in 1996. He was the first chairman of the Radio Network Association, a long-standing board member of the International Radio & Television Foundation, and a trustee of The Paley Center for Media. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

McLaughlin joins Dick Clark. Bill Hoffman, and Charles Osgood as a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. As previously announced, Emily Barr of Graham Media Group will receive the Broadcasters Foundation’s 2018 Golden Mike Award.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has distributed millions of dollars in aid to broadcasters who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or unforeseen tragedy. Personal donations can be made to the Foundation’s Guardian Fund. Corporate contributions are accepted through the Angel Initiative, and bequests can be made through the Foundation’s Legacy Society. For more information, please visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, call 212-373-8250, or email info@thebfoa.org.