MAC TICHENOR

McHenry Tichenor, Sr. or Mac Tichenor, went to work in 1956 in the family broadcasting business started by his father. He was employed first in sales and later worked in management at the company’s CBS television station and its Spanish-language radio station, both with the call letters KGBT.

At the age of thirty-five, Tichenor became president of his family’s company, Tichenor Media System (TMS), in 1967. He oversaw its expansion in both English and Spanish-language media and its growth into a 38 radio station group with a focus on reaching Hispanic audiences. When TMS merged with Heftel Broadcasting in 1997 to form Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, it was the largest Hispanic radio group in the nation.

In 1982 Tichenor stepped back from his day-to-day role in the business to focus on company strategy as its vice-chairman of the board.