Joseph Corazzi

Many people in the United States are familiar with the television channel Country Music Television. CMT, as it is usually called, is an American country music-oriented cable television network with rogramming that includes music videos, movies, biographies of country music stars, and various reality programs. What most people are not aware of is the story of this network and how it came to be.

That particular story involves one Mr. Joseph A. Corazzi, who, along with Glenn D. Daniels, and Gerald Bartell helped to launch the station in the early1980's. Mr. Corazzi was already a well-known figure at the time in the satellite communications world. Mr. Corazzi called an early brainstorming meeting regarding the would-be network due to his interest in Country Music and his extensive experience in shaping and translating media and entertainment into business opportunities. 

Mr. Corazzi was already the head of a telecommunications firm that was the first of its kind to utilize emerging satellite technology for use in television broadcasting. He had founded the company in 1974 after receiving his Bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico, and in the years since, Corazzi pioneered the first installations of 24-hour satellite television entertainment for hotel customers. The profits helped Mr. Corazzi to purchase and operate cable television and pay television systems throughout the southwest. 

Today, Mr. Joseph A. Corazzi is the Chairman of the Capital Group, Inc., an investment firm operating in Beverly Hills, California.