Supply: Monica Schipper / Getty
Congratulations are to ensure that the esteemed radio business veteran, Chesley Maddox-Dorsey. In January, the CEO of A Surprise Media Firm was named considered one of the U.S. Black Chambers Energy 50 Ladies of Affect for 2025. The celebrated recognition honors influential Black girls who’ve made important contributions throughout numerous fields, with a particular deal with enterprise, innovation, entrepreneurship, and management. Now, she’s sharing her ideas for fulfillment in honor of Ladies’s Historical past Month.
Maddox-Dorsey’s exceptional achievements have earned her a spot on the checklist, largely on account of her impactful management at A Surprise Media Firm, which boasts over 8,000 radio associates by means of its two key divisions: American City Radio Networks (AURN) and Superadio. Since buying AURN and Superadio in 2018, Maddox-Dorsey has grown the corporate right into a powerhouse in Black radio, syndicating among the hottest exhibits within the business together with Ebro within the Morning, Yung Joc & The Streetz Morning Takeover, Alice Cooper’s Alice’s Attic, Nessa On Air, Viewpoints Radio, and Cafe Mocha Radio, together with inspirational packages like The Marvin Sapp Radio Present, The Come Up with Tye Tribbett, and The Hezekiah Walker Gospel Countdown.
With over 40 million weekly listeners, the radio powerhouse’s management continues to form the way forward for Black radio.
Authenticity and a powerful crew will take you far, in response to Maddox-Dorsey.
Supply: Monica Schipper / Getty
A graduate of Oberlin Faculty, Maddox-Dorsey’s radio profession started unexpectedly—by means of banking. Her experience in finance performed an important position within the profitable acquisition of KJOI-FM in Los Angeles within the ‘80s. Alongside the way in which, she additionally turned keen about empowering aspiring Black and feminine broadcasters. Inspired by her mentor, John E. Oxendine, Maddox-Dorsey took a major step in her profession, turning into a shareholder in Blackstar Communications. The partnership led to the acquisition of tv stations alongside House Buying Community and, later, Fox Broadcasting.
Maddox-Dorsey’s work in banking allowed her to assist media firms, together with a number of minority-owned broadcasters, securing financing that helped them thrive. Nevertheless, her transition into media herself got here when Sydney Small recruited her in 2000 to steer Unity Broadcasting Firm’s transformation. The large alternative in the end led her to grow to be President and CEO of Access1, an organization that owned 23 radio and tv stations, Superadio, and a minority stake in AURN. Pushed by a imaginative and prescient to create one thing uniquely her personal, Maddox-Dorsey went on to ascertain A Surprise Media Firm, solidifying her legacy as a trailblazer within the broadcasting business.
Providing recommendation and perception to girls striving for greatness, Maddox-Dorsey pressured the significance of taking dangers and remaining steadfast in a single’s imaginative and prescient.
“The prospect to steer a buyout of two well-known however uncared for B2B manufacturers was irresistible. I beloved the potential of infusing new concepts and expertise into AURN, which had grow to be a shadow of its former self. I knew that between Superadio, a top-ranked syndicator, and the distribution community of AURN, we had a base to construct upon,” the published big stated, in response to a press launch. “You need to be the producer of your profession and life, and to do this, you have to make certain your values and targets are authentically aligned.”
For ladies in senior administration, climbing the ladder to success, Maddox-Dorsey stated you have to “be a collector of expertise as you construct your crew and village.” The radio maven added, “You’re answerable for the result of people that be just right for you, so be severe and intentional.”
The U.S. Black Chambers will have fun all of its Energy 50 Ladies of Affect honorees on March 27.
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