Neil Portnow to be named:
- Portnow, an executive with Jive Records, was one of five finalists under review by the board, which voted Sunday, sources said. The Santa Monica-based academy is in charge of the Grammy Awards.
He would replace longtime Grammy chief C. Michael Greene, who stepped down in April after an ugly in-house battle and accusations of sexual harassment.
Greene quit at an emergency meeting of Grammy trustees in which a report was presented on those accusations, although the academy then released a statement saying an internal investigation had cleared Greene of any misconduct.
Greene had vast authority and served both as chairman and president of the organization. But under revamped guidelines, the new president will report to the board and have reduced authority.
Portnow is senior vice president of West Coast operations for Zomba Group, which is the home of Jive Records.
Article comments
1 - Jill Hein
When are we going to hold these "artists" accountable for their contribution to an ever-growing rage within the young African Americans of today? It is these individuals and their ignorance that are breeding an inaccurate picture of what is right and what is wrong. How dare Kanye whatever go on national television and "diss" our pres when he is making millions utilizing verbage that discredits and undermines the intelligence, capability, and accomplishments of all African Americans. Golddiggers and the "n" word (I am not at liberty to say that word, as I am white and would be considered a racist - total b.s. if you ask me!)...it is truly disgusting to me that he has the nerve to disrespect "his" people, and expect anything more from others. Make your millions Kanye...What are you doing for education? What are you giving back to your community? Have you cancelled any concerts or dedicated the proceeds to aid the hurricane victims? You are nothing but a hypocrite and I loathe the fact that ignorance is often given a chance to speak in this country above many others who could have included some intelligence in their opinion or offered some validity to a feeling of being let down by our leaders. No doubt things went wrong, but it is certainly not a "black" thing you idiot. What about the Mayor? Black as can be...did he do anything to set up supplies for those people...Black, White, Latino, Asian...I saw them all. You Mr. West, apparently see what you want to see...Looking for something to be angry about instead of taking charge of your own life and making it the best it can be...Are you waiting on a program that not only pays for African Americans to go to school, but does the work for them? Take some responsibility and quit blaming whites. It's time we quit apologizing I say...It will never be enough for some.