There’s another change in the employee roster at the nation’s No. 1 audio content creation and distribution company, and it will see a new individual take on its engineering and technology needs.
Jeff Littlejohn, a longtime iHeartMedia exec, will be retiring as the company’s EVP of Engineering.
Steve George is succeeding Littlejohn, who will continue in “an active consulting role” for iHeartMedia, “lending his unique expertise that has helped the company grow over the past three decades.”
George will manage the overall technical operations, systems and engineering teams that support iHeartMedia’s 860 local broadcast stations across 160 markets.
Littlejohn’s tenure at iHeartMedia predates the company born as Clear Channel Communications’ ownership of the stations in Cincinnati he started at, in 1992. There, he was Chief Engineer, rising through the ranks at an operation tied to the Randy Michaels-helmed Jacor.
Later, Littlejohn played a key role in the creation of the first version of the iHeartRadio App; he also worked with Toyota and Ford on the first integration of iHeartRadio into its OEM dashboard entertainment systems. More recently, Littlejohn helped spearhead a modernization of iHeartMedia’s studio facilities and conversion to cloud-based audio systems.
Littlejohn is well-respected in the industry and is the recipient of the 2014 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award. He is ranked at No. 3 on RBR+TVBR’s Top Tech Leaders of 2024 list, rising from No. 4 in 2023.
Hartley Adkins, President of the Markets Group for iHeartMedia, commented, “There are few people in the industry with the expertise and longevity that Jeff has and we’re grateful for the incredible work he’s done for iHeart. We’ve been fortunate to rely on him for over three decades and I’m so thankful we’ll keep drawing from Jeff in his new consultancy role.”
Littlejohn added, “I am truly thankful for the incredible opportunity to have spent 32 years with such an innovative and forward-looking company. It has been a privilege to collaborate with so many talented colleagues in building something that serves our listeners and communities in meaningful ways. As I step into retirement, I’m committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Steve George, and I’m excited to continue contributing in an advisory capacity, which will also allow me to spend more time with family and explore new adventures.”
George, who began his career at iHeartMedia 23 years ago as the Chief Engineer for the Sioux City, Iowa, market, commented, “I’m honored to step into this role and continue the incredible work that Jeff has done for iHeartMedia. Jeff’s leadership and guidance have been invaluable to our engineering team, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with and learn from Jeff and many iHeart engineers over the years. I look forward to building on his legacy and the strengths of our outstanding engineering team.”
George has also served as iHeartMedia’s Regional Director of Engineering in Omaha; as Regional VP of Engineering for the Midwest; and, prior to his promotion, as VP of Engineering and Systems, where he oversaw many of iHeart’s centralized engineering teams.
