Plenty of members of the Mother Jones 400 have been guests at the White House. But Marc Nathanson was one of the few who was there to be sworn in by Vice President Al Gore. The ceremony in March 1999 began Nathanson's tenure as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other federal broadcasting services. Nathanson was appointed to the board twice by his good friend Bill Clinton, who also named him to the board of the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund, a corporation that seeks to develop Albania's private sector.
Nathanson first met the Clintons over a decade ago when Hillary served on the board of one of his Arkansas cable companies. In addition to fundraisers he gave over the years for President Clinton, Nathanson made campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton and Al Gore in the last election cycle. According to Multichannel News, he also gave $5,000 to the Gore-Lieberman Recount Fund.
Nathanson and his wife, Jane, also made contributions to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a political action committee. The couple reportedly lost four close friends to AIDS, and are known for their activism on behalf of its victims. Marc has served on the board of governors of AIDS Project Los Angeles for a decade, and last year received an award from industry organization Cable Positive for his longstanding involvement. He donated the $50,000 grant that came with the honor to Voice for America to expand AIDS education outside the United States. Jane Nathanson, a psychologist, has likewise been active as a major contributor to amfAR and other AIDS organizations.
Nathanson became involved in Democratic politics early in his career, working as an aide to Senator Gale McGee (D-Wyo.) and as a campaign staffer for Senator Robert Kennedy (D-N.Y.).
When he was 28, Nathanson founded Falcon Communications. In 1999, he sold the company to Charter Communications for $3.5 million, creating the nation's fourth-largest cable operator. Nathanson remains one of the largest individual stockholders and vice chairman of Charter's board. He is also a director of the Digital Entertainment Network and the National Cable Television Association, as well as chairman of Mapleton Investments and Mapleton Capital Management. He recently ventured into online entertainment, making an undisclosed investment in iFilm.
-- Pam Smith
