He’s worked at a wide range of radio broadcasting companies since joining Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s WSJM-FM in Benton Harbor, Mich., in 1994 as a Production Director. Most recently, he served as Executive VP of Content for the former Alpha Media.
Starting Monday (7/20), he’ll be taking a key content-focused leadership position at Cox Media Group — a company he worked for in the early 2000s.
For Phil Becker, he’ll hold the newly created position of VP/Audience & Content Growth.
This will see Becker lead the audience growth strategy across Cox Media Group’s Radio division, concentrating on broadcast, streaming, podcasting, social media, and emerging platforms. He’ll work closely with programming leaders and market managers, focus on expanding audience reach, strengthening content performance, elevating on-air talent, and accelerating multi-platform growth, CMG announced in a press release distributed Tuesday.
“Phil brings a strong and unique combination of audience expertise, content leadership, and a passion for developing talent,” said CMG Radio President Rob Babin. “His experience and audience-first approach will help strengthen our brands and position CMG Radio for continued growth.”
Becker joined Alpha Media, recently acquired by Connoisseur Media, in June 2014 after serving as a co-founder and GM with Russ Oasis of the former Oasis Radio Group. But, from 2003 until joining Oasis in June 2006, Becker was a Program Director and air personality at CMG.
“CMG Radio has outstanding brands in tremendous markets,” Becker said. “I’m excited to join Rob and the team to build on that success; deepen audience connections across platforms; and create remarkable content that matters to listeners, viewers, followers and fans.”
Becker has in recent years gained notoriety across the U.S. for his embrace of artificial intelligence in on-air content delivery, in particular with the use of “AI Ashley” on KRFF “Live 95.5” in Portland, Ore., once a flagship Alpha Media Top 40 station. Using Futuri Media’s Radio GPT software, the station in June 2023 created an AI-driven synthetic version of midday host Ashley Elzinga, who had been voicetracking the shift.
