Kay Koplovitz

Kay Koplovitz (born April 11, 1945) founded the USA Network and is the first woman to serve as network president in television history. She currently serves as the Co-Founder and Chairman of Springboard Enterprises, Chairman and CEO of Koplovitz & Company LLC and Chairman of the Board at Fifth & Pacific. She is also the author of "Bold Women, Big Ideas: Learning To Play The High-Risk Entrepreneurial Game."

Early life, education

Kay Koplovitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a B.A. in Communications and earned a master's degree in Communications from Michigan State University. She is married to private investor William C. Koplovitz, Jr.

Career

USA Networks

Koplovitz founded the USA Network in 1977 as an all sports service, Madison Square Garden Sports. USA would eventually become the number one ranking cable network in primetime viewership for 13 consecutive years. Under her leadership, the SyFy Channel was launched in 1992 and USA Network International was launched in 1994, operating in countries around the world. Koplovitz is also credited for creating the concept for two revenue steams of licensing and advertising. She served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until 1998 when it was sold for $4.5 billion and it became a publicly listed company.