Some $20 million. And game shows are the longest-lasting shows on TV. It was a very good, good combination, says Morrow. The founder of SFX Entertainment rarely spoke about the impact of his daughters death but his friends say it weighed on him and changed his outlook. This ultimately led to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowing for ownership of multiple stations in single markets Capstar merged with Command Communications, another radio group Sillerman founded, ultimately changing its name to SFX Broadcasting. For its money, CKX got a 90-year lease on Graceland, stipulating, among other things, that the premises may not be used as a massage parlor, a mortuary, or [for] the manufacture, sale, or distribution of feminine hygiene products. (Gives you an idea of how much attention Lisa and Soden pay to protecting Elviss image.) 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In December 2016, former SFX board member Mitch Slater sued Sillerman for an unpaid $2.5 million loan from 2015. In addition to Mr. Sillermans brother, Ms. Baudo Sillerman survives him. He bankrolled Mel BrooksBroadway production of The Producers and was golf partners with NBA legend Michael Jordan. His father, Michael McKinley Sillerman, was a radio executive who went bankrupt when his son was 13. He can outlast and outtalk anybody. Says a close colleague: His BlackBerry messages start at 6 A.M. and never stop into the night. We've received your submission. It runs in the family: Lisa Marie Presley signs autographs for NASCAR fans at Daytona Speedway this past July.Jeff Gross Getty Images, Sillermans latest publicly traded corporate incarnation is called CKX. (Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images). He declined to comment for this story via email. Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter, had sold the majority of Elvis Presley Enterprises, . Even when he was being sued in the end and was broke, hacking and wheezing with a hole in his throat and eating through a feeding tube, he was cracking blowjob jokes and talking about how he was going to f this guy and how this other guy was a scumbag.. And there are between 105 and 110 scheduled for next year.. [2][3], Sillerman was born to a Jewish family in New York City, and was raised in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, the son of Estelle (Levande) and Michael McKinley Sillerman. Capstar applied for and received permission to operate more than one class of radio station in the same market. And I love it. [38] The dispute was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. You and I buy a couple loaves of bread, Bob buys the bakery, Morrow told Budnick and Baron of Sillermans sales abilities, which by 1988, netted nearly $1 billion value in broadcast assets. Correction: In The Man Who Bought Elvis (Dec. 12), we wrote that SFX Entertainment once owned New York Citys Roseland Ballroom. What was most impressive about his $389 million deal with Westinghouse (which was convinced that it needed to become a big player in the business) in 1989 wasnt that it was his biggest score ever; it was the fact that the market for radio stations tanked soon after. But from 2013 to 2014, the increase slowed to 11%; this year, its only 2.5%. Arent companies like Viacom (VIAB) and Time Warner (TWX) disassembling or considering disassembling their empires, while Sillerman is putting one together? Sillerman, the founder of SFX Entertainment, has died at the age of 71 due to respiratory illness. When the King died in 1977, his estate was a mess. Their daughter, Mackinley, died in 2012. Between Elviss legendary free spending and the fact that he didnt own his songs, the situation was dire. He is from USA. It wasnt a plan too dissimilar to Sillermans moves with the original SFX where he spent more than $1.2 billion to gobble up regional rock promoters, venues and management companies in the late 90s. Some of those companies listed werent done deals, Estopinal tells Billboard, adding that Sillerman misrepresented his financing and capitalization as he put SFX together. The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged New Hampshire resident Robert F.X. Profanity was part of a larger schtick punctuated with sexist, racist and generally inappropriate language that was softened by Sillermans own self-deprecating jokes with his Jewish heritage being the punchline. Robert F.X. This is a BETA experience. It didnt scale and this round was young promoters that werent as established as the promoters from the first round of buyouts in the 1990s. She also criticized the investors and analysts watching the company, saying they spent much of 2015 ignoring all indications that the Company was in a poor financial state and ignored key developments like a decision by Moodys to downgrade SFXs credit rating a development that under normal circumstances would be a significant red flag for investors. As big as Sillermans ambitions, perhaps. Earlier this month in Los Angeles county, two female attendees of Live Nation-run event HARD Summer died of apparent drug overdoses. Sillerman worth at the age of 71 years old? But stars still do get born. But it had to be a biggie to make economic sense. Just months before he died, he was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly diverting investor proceeds for his own use. Sillerman and Shelly Finkel, his close associate and SFX's eventual vice chairman, hardly listened to the music but saw the opportunity in what they believed to be the millennial generations rock and roll. Former SFX Entertainment founder Robert Sillerman has agreed to pay a $179,000 fine after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the businessman with fraud and illegally diverting fund He was never really at 100%.. And the King is content! This year, there are 88 festivals that we anticipate doing, said Sillerman. The listing brokers are Douglas EllimansCaroline Holl, Michael Russell and Stephen Geller. When SFX went public in Oct. 2013, businesses the company owned or was in the process of acquiring earned $14.6 million in adjusted EBITDA on combined revenue of $239 million. Only Mike Darnell [at Fox] got it straight away., Man in the middle: Simon Fuller (in back) with Idol stars Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, and Fantasia Barrino.Ray Mickshaw WireImage/Getty Images. Brandeis University Recent News and Activity Funding Round Sep 16, 2014 Didnt work. Okay, so come on, Bob, what does F.X. . In her ruling, McMahon said the buyout offer was likely made to distract attention from the companys poor quarterly financial reports, which showed that SFX was bleeding money and attendance at its events dropping. He also carried heavy personal pain after the suicide of his 18-year-old daughter Mackinley in 2012, losing his only child in the home he shared with his wife Laura Baudo Sillerman. Sillerman became one of the most intriguingand wealthiestmen in music by twice betting on his vision for the future of mass media. When Sillerman offered to take SFX private this spring, his board (which included many holdovers from CKX) allowed him to float a bid without having financing or equity partners lined up. Investor Robert Sillerman, who bought Elvis Presley Enterprises, photographed with Elvis impersonators, 2005. But if you walk down the street, youll be hard-pressed to find somebody who doesnt know what it is. Sillerman paid $196 million to buy 19 Entertainment. It declared bankruptcy in 2016, and many of the assets it had amassed were sold off. Sillerman in the gift shop at Graceland, Elvis Presleys home in Memphis. He replied with an email that said, Can I borrow a dollar? Estopinal said. Robert F.X. Fuller is signed up to head 19 Entertainment in a five-year contract. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Robert F.X. Why? The duos tactics could be unorthodox. After that big deal, as with so many American business stories in 2000, things began to sour. Maglan Capital, an owner of roughly 1.5% of SFX Entertainment's outstanding stock, called Sillerman's $4.75 a share go private offer "a way low-ball bid." He passed away in his sleep on Sunday at the age of 71. In other words, distribution companies are falling all over each other to reach customers through new, competing outlets. [13] The first product the company produced was called "Viggle", released in January 2012, which used a mobile app as its primary interface. In that spirit, he named Kermit the Frog as the 1996 commencement speaker: 31 newspapers picked up the story, a free marketing bonanza that raised the college's profile and drew hundreds of new admissions. In 1993 he founded SFX Broadcasting with a partner, R. Steven Hicks. The second floor boasts two main bedroom suites with ensuitemarble bathrooms, woodburning fireplaces and a large planted terrace. At that time it was very exciting, but the mergers didnt work in the U.S. in the way we thought they would, Finkel said. On Saturday, Sillerman gave an interview to FORBES and said that he takes full responsibility for the issues within his SFX Entertainment. Even very young people. Additionally, Robert FX Sillerman has had 6 past jobs including Founder at Live Nation. SFX CEO Entertainment Robert F.X. Sillerman denied this when talking to FORBES, noting that he never founded the company with Moreno and stopped working with him after learning of past legal run-ins, a conclusion that Feldman also disputes. But in making his push for the new version of SFX in 2012, he spoke with boundless optimism about the potential for his new company. (Critics at the time complained that Sillerman overstepped his role by collecting fees for acting as both his companys financial advisor and investment banker during this period.) So in the middle of one night, Bob and I took off all of our clothes and ran back and forth in front of the glass naked. Sillerman, the entertainment entrepreneur who helped. He was one of the producers of The Producers, the Broadway hit, written by his friend Mel Brooks, that ran for six years and pushed the limits of ticket prices on Broadway. [30][31], In an interview with Billboard, Sillerman admitted that there were "no easy answers" surrounding why the company collapsed, but added that he didn't "begrudge the disappointment and anger" of his staff because he was just as disappointed over the company's performance. Which suggests that Sillerman is either very confident in his ability to create more value with these two companies, or believes he can sell them to someone who has even more confidence, or both. Its sad how things ended because he really was a bright guy, but in the end he carried a lot of pain. This company owned "American Idol" and the licensing rights to Elvis Presley and his Graceland estate. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. American Idol is the No. Thats not the basis of CKX. Nearly three years ago, Robert F.X. Sillerman was a significant player on Broadway. The CK stands for content is king, while the X is a reference to one of his middle initials (they are F.X., and he wont tell anyone what they stand for). Besides buying Elvis Presley Enterprises from Lisa Marie Presley last February, Sillerman and his lieutenants have purchased the smash-hit TV show American Idol and other properties from a company called 19 Entertainment, which was owned by British pop impresario Simon Fuller. He also made money on Broadway as an executive producer for Mel Brooks' musical The Producers. Backstage at The Ed Sullivan Show, 1956: Elvis with the host and manager Parker (left).CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images. At various points heated negotiations and lawsuits ensued between Sillerman and the likes of PaineWebber, Steinhardt Partners, and W.R. Huff, who alleged that Sillerman was trying to shortchange investors. Robert F.X. Almost immediately after Sillerman closed on the Elvis deal, he opened his wallet again and purchased 19 Entertainment, a business with even more moving parts than Elvis. 19 is currently renegotiating the fee for next season, and some think the ante could be upped to $2 million per episode (though a reported flap over American Idol judge Simon Cowells compensation could be complicating matters). The last thing well be thinking about is margins, Sillerman told FORBES in July 2012. He made billions of dollars in two huge sales, but died in bankruptcy, pursued by the government and suffering the painful complications of a decade of throat cancer, eating out of a feeding tube and findingit increasingly difficult tobreathe. LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. Now, after lying in the weeds for a few years and fighting and beating cancer, Sillerman is at it again, pulling together another media empire, whichthough Sillerman wont acknowledge that he has an endgame in mindhell ultimately look to sell for another big score. Can we monetize that? Lawsuits increasingly became a common part of his life, including a suit from a luxury real estate firm for breach of contract after he allegedly cut the firm out of a $114 million real estate deal withoutpaying their commissions. Mr. Sillerman called it an inside joke. He sold the company in 1971, and then launched I P+E, a sales marketing and promotion company. Maybe, but maybe not. [15][16] As of the end of 2013 Viggle had about 3.7 million users. By that time Mr. Sillerman had turned his sights on another industry ripe for consolidation: the nationwide concert circuit, which had long remained a loosely connected network of venues and promoters who operated regional fiefs. Sillerman had bought Elvis Presley Enterprises from Lisa Marie Presley in 2005, but later sold it to a private equity firm. We want to make money both by selling tickets and by putting a live audience in front of Madison Avenue, he said in an interview in 1998. on fraud charges for his work with Function (X). You either have to grow or go down. In other words, Elvis is a classic buying opportunity: The underlying fundamentals are sound, but current management has been unable to take the business to the next level. Not a clue. It runs in the family: Lisa Marie Presley signs autographs for NASCAR fans at Daytona Speedway this past July. So he offered investors a lower price, $12 a share, and the sale was extended even longer. Because American Idol is whats known as event programming, meaning that because its a contest, you almost have to watch it live. Sillerman's income source is mostly from being a successful Executive. Sillerman, Self: 60 Minutes. 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