Lucie Salhany

Lucie Salhany
Lucie Salhany
Born	Lucille Salhany; May 25, 1946 (age 80); Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Media executive
Years active	1967–present
Known for	First female Chairwoman of Fox Broadcasting Company; founder of United Paramount Network (UPN)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Lucie Salhany, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

Lucille "Lucie" Salhany (; born May 25, 1946) is a prominent American media executive with roots tracing back to Jordan and Lebanon. In 1993, she made history as the first female to head a broadcast television network when she became Chairwoman of the Fox Broadcasting Company. Subsequently, she established the United Paramount Network. With a career spanning more than three decades in entertainment, Salhany emerged as one of the most powerful women in executive leadership roles.

Early life

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Salhany is the daughter of Halim "Hal" Jacob Mady, who was of Jordanian descent, and Matilda "Tillie" Mady (née Thomas), who hailed from Lebanese origins. Her family operated a grocery business in Cleveland. She completed her high school education at Brush High School located in Lyndhurst, Ohio, graduating in 1964. Although she enrolled at Kent State University, Salhany left college at age 19 and did not pursue further formal education.

Television Broadcasting

Salhany entered the television industry in 1967, starting as a secretary to the Program Manager at Cleveland’s independent station WKBF-TV. Rapidly advancing, she achieved the position of Program Manager by age 24. In 1975, she assumed an identical role at Boston’s WLVI-TV.

By 1979, she had risen to Vice President of Programming at Taft Broadcasting Company based in Philadelphia. During this period, she was instrumental in securing syndication agreements for rising stars such as Oprah Winfrey and supported notable programs including "The Arsenio Hall Show," "Hard Copy," and "Entertainment Tonight."

In 1985, Salhany was appointed president of Paramount Domestic Television in Los Angeles, where she managed major productions like Entertainment Tonight, The Arsenio Hall Show, Hard Copy, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

FOX

In 1991, under new FOX CEO Barry Diller, Salhany became Chairman of Twentieth Television. Following Diller’s exit four months later, Rupert Murdoch elevated her to Chairman of the entire FOX Network.

During her leadership, FOX expanded its programming schedule from four to seven nights per week and launched the acclaimed series The X-Files. She was also pivotal in securing the NFL broadcasting rights for the network. Nonetheless, her effort to debut The Chevy Chase Show in 1993 ended prematurely after only six weeks due to low ratings and negative reviews, resulting in significant financial losses for FOX.

After three and a half years into a five-year contract, Salhany departed FOX, citing breaches by Murdoch concerning reporting lines. She claimed he made inappropriate comments about her management approach and questioned her husband’s influence on her decisions.

UPN

Returning to Paramount, Salhany took on the role of CEO for the newly launched United Paramount Network (UPN) from 1995 until its merger with The WB in 1997. Upon leaving UPN that year, she moved to Boston and founded JH Media, a media consulting firm, expressing a wish to step away from the shifting landscape of television.

Between 1999 and 2002, she served as President and CEO of LifeFX Networks, Inc., a publicly traded company specializing in patented virtual human technologies and "Facemail," which allowed users to send emails featuring animated faces and voices.

In 2003, Salhany co-established Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC.

Hewlett-Packard

Salhany became a member of Hewlett-Packard's Board of Directors in January 2002, coinciding with HP's acquisition of Compaq Computer Corporation. Starting that year, she contributed to the HR and Compensation Committee and, in September 2006, she joined the Audit Committee while also being named Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

In 2011, following changes in leadership and criticism aimed at HP’s board, Salhany stepped down. The newly appointed CEO, Léo Apotheker, introduced five new board members to enhance leadership diversity. Before her exit, the board was under shareholder litigation and faced intense scrutiny related to Apotheker’s appointment, particularly as most directors had not met him prior to casting their votes.

Leadership

Professional Advisory Board Member at ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Director at American Media, Inc.
Board Member of Compaq Computer Corporation from 1997 until its merger with Hewlett-Packard Company in 2002
Hewlett-Packard Company Board Member from 2002 to 2011
Trustee at Emerson College
Board Member of ION Media Networks
Advisory Council Member at Lasell College
Board Member of Screens Entertainment Association

Awards

1992: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters awarded by ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
1993: Inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame
1995: Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee, becoming the first woman honored
1995: Silver Satellite Award from American Women in Radio and Television
1996: Named Executive of the Year by Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors
1997: Recipient of the HELP Humanitarian Award
1997: Avatar Award from Cable Financial Management Organization
Honored with the Silver Circle Award by National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
2013: Conferred Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Lasell College

Personal life

Salhany is married to Boston-based restaurateur John Polcari, Jr., proprietor of Regina Pizzeria and Polcari's. The couple has two adopted sons originally from Beirut, Lebanon. She had a previous marriage during the late 1960s.