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MEDIA CONTACT: Sharon Dickman 585.275.4128
September 30, 2004
Richard Leibner, co-founder and president of one of the most successful talent agencies in broadcast journalism, will receive the Meliora Citation for Career Achievement from the University of Rochester during Meliora Weekend, Oct. 8 to 10. Leibner’s company, N. S. Bienstock, Inc., represents some of the biggest names in television news from Dan Rather and Bill O’Reilly to Chris Matthews and Paula Zahn.
Leibner will speak on Friday, Oct. 8, in Rochester, and receive the University’s most prestigious alumni award for professional excellence. He will talk about the legacy of his 40-year-old company, electronic journalism, and the broadcast industry. He is a 1959 graduate of the College.
His early career as an accountant in the family’s New York firm was transformed after he and his father, Sol, joined Nate Bienstock to develop an agency that specialized in representing on- and off-air news talent. Over time, Bienstock has expanded from television news to also include radio and all components of reality-based programming. His wife, Carole Cooper, is a principal in the firm.
Earlier this year, Television Week named N. S. Bienstock, Inc. as the only agency among the “10 Most Powerful in TV News,” and Leibner has been described as the “superstar agent of TV news.”
Now in its fourth year, Meliora Weekend combines homecoming, reunion, and family weekend with quality speakers and events for alumni, students, parents, members of the University community, and the public.
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
PR 1891, MS 327