Mark Pitman Mays is an American businessman. He is the former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Clear Channel Communications Inc. (parent entity of iHeartMedia), which was co-founded by his father, Lowry Mays in 1972.[1] After serving the company in other roles, Mays took over as president and CEO from October 2004 until 2010.
In October 2007, 41 Democratic United States Senators sent a letter of request to Mays, asking him to renounce Rush Limbaugh for his comments allegedly referring to all soldiers who disagreed with the Iraq War as "phony soldiers". Mays gave Limbaugh the letter, who in turn auctioned it on eBay of behalf of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, netting $4.2 million in total for the charity, including the matching funds.[4]
On February 4, 2007, Mays resigned from his position as Chairman at Live Nation.[5] On June 22, 2010, Mays announced his intention to step down as CEO at the end of 2010, but would remain as chairman of the board at Clear Channel. The announcement additionally directed the Board to begin a search for his replacement and was sent via email to all Clear Channel employees