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Inaugural Innovation in Music Awards to Honor CMT's Leslie Fram
Radio Veteran Mike McVay Also Being Honored on June 6 in Nashville
CMT senior vice president of music strategy and talent Leslie Fram will receive the Innovation in National Media Award at the inaugural Innovation in Music Awards on June 6 in Nashville.
Additionally, radio veteran Mike McVay will be honored with the Heritage Award in Innovation which recognizes music-industry professionals who have committed his entire career for identifying groundbreaking initiatives and discovering new talent. A 40-year radio programmer with consulting, management, ownership, sales, programming and on-air experience, McVay currently serves as senior vice-president/content & programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One.
The night will honor music leaders who have played a critical role in the development and advancement of the ever-changing music industry.
Fram will be recognized for her work with several CMT initiatives, including Next Women of Country. Since the Next Women program started in 2013, the initiative has served as a platform for the launch of several successful careers, including those of Grammy nominees and winners Brandy Clark, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Cassadee Pope. The program's annual tour started in 2015 with co-headliners Jana Kramer and Kelsea Ballerini.
In 2000, Fram became the first woman to receive the TJ Martell Award in recognition of outstanding performance in the music industry. She is also recipient of the NARAS-Atlanta Chapter Heroes Award for her outstanding contributions to music and the music community.
She joined CMT in 2011 following an career in commercial radio. As a true music innovator and brand builder, her career spans wild rides in Top 40 radio in Mobile, Alabama, and alternative rock at WNNX/Atlanta and WRXP/New York.
In 2009, she was honored as a Lifetime Achievement inductee in the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. She has also served as an associate member of NARAS and on its board of governors in both Atlanta and New York.