You might not know Lee Abrams by name, but chances are you know some of what he's responsible for. Abrams' work has included the redesign of Rolling Stone and he was involved in the creation of the MTV cable network. But his real claim to fame was in the radio business, where he is credited with inventing the modern radio format structure, including Album Rock, Classic Rock, Urban/Dance and New Age/Jazz. Abrams was also one of the colorful minds behind "Disco Demolition Night," a stunt that took place on a hot July night in 1979. In 1993, Abrams was named by Newsweek as one of America's "100 Cultural Elite." Five years later, he took on another major challenge when he became the chief programming officer of then-nascent XM Satellite Radio. In fact, Abrams had accomplished so much in his professional life, there seemed few challenges that he hadn't taken on. In April 2007, he joined the Tribune Company. One year into Abrams' tenure, it's unclear whether there's been any sort of paradigm shift at the Tribune Co. But Abrams has made his presence felt and, just like it was in the radio days, he has both fans and people who don't want to listen.
