A past president and founding member of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters has died. Carl. E. Lee was 96, passed away Sunday, Feb. 22. He was 96, according to the MAB.
His career began in 1939 with Fetzer Broadcasting. By 1958, Lee was executive vice president and general manager of the company and in 1973, added television to his duties. The companies included what are now Kalamazoo, Mich., stations WKZO(AM/FM) and WWMT(TV).
In addition to the MAB, Lee was also a leader for the Broadcasters Foundation, NAB and National Broadcast Pioneers.
He was chairman of the CBS Television Affiliates Board and was instrumental in establishing the Region 4 Emergency Broadcast System and inspecting early Radio Free Europe facilities, according to the MAB.
Lee is survived by his daughter and son-in-law and several grandchildren. The funeral service and burial were private; a public memorial is set for Saturday, March 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. Memorial donations may be made to the Carl E. Lee Broadcasting Scholarship fund through the MAB Foundation.
