NAB General Counsel and EVP of Legal Affairs Jane Mago Announces Retirement

Jane Mago, General Counsel and Executive Vice President of the National Association of Broadcasters Legal Department, informed the NAB Board of Directors of her intention to retire from the broadcast trade association following a 10-year career. NAB President Gordon Smith announced that Rick Kaplan, NAB Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning, will succeed Mago as head of the NAB Legal Department.

Mago, who came to NAB in 2004 after a 26-year career at the Federal Communications Commission, told the NAB Board she is "calling it a decade" and that she intends to move fulltime from the Washington area and become a resident of Naples, Florida. Mago's NAB career has included numerous highlights, including several appearances as a witness on behalf of NAB before Congressional committees. She helped shepherd the transition from analog to digital television through the FCC, oversaw NAB legal strategies related to the successful Aereo copyright infringement case at the US Supreme Court, spearheaded legal efforts on performance royalty issues, worked collaboratively with the FCC to revitalize AM radio through the use of FM translators, and worked with the Commission to update broadcast emergency alerting.

Mago has been retained as a consultant to NAB through the end of 2015 to assist Kaplan in his transition. She will also help oversee music licensing litigation before the Copyright Royalty Board on behalf of local radio stations. Prior to joining NAB, Mago held many high-level positions at the FCC, including general counsel, chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, deputy chief of the Enforcement Bureau and legal advisor to three commissioners.