As of February 1, iHeartMedia will have a new Metro President overseeing its six audio brands serving Atlanta.
He reports to Division President Kim Guthrie, and joins the market from iHeartMedia’s Texas region, where he’s served as the Area President since 2021.
Earning the role is Spencer Bynes. He’ll be responsible for overseeing all programming and marketing for iHeartMedia’s Atlanta-based radio brands, as well as developing and managing key partnerships with current and potential clients across all iHeartMedia platforms. Additionally, he will actively build and foster community relationships across the market and region, while providing leadership, guidance and oversight to the team.
“Spencer has done a superb job in his leadership role in Texas, where he drove positive changes in culture and performance,” said Guthrie. “In addition, his talents on how best to recruit, develop and coach a leadership team make him a wonderful fit for our needs here in Atlanta.”
Bynes is in his second tenure at iHeartMedia and from 2011 to 2016 served in the role of Director of Talent Management and Talent Acquisition. Bynes is also familiar with the Atlanta area: he once worked for Coca-Cola North America as Talent Acquisition Manager. His resume also includes a stint at talent acquisition and recruitment specialist Lee Hecht Harrison, where he served as Vice President of Business Development in the Southern Region.
“What an extraordinary opportunity! Atlanta has a robust and flourishing economic business environment, a fascinating community of people from every part of the world and an incredible music culture and heritage,” Bynes said. “I am honored to join this team. I look forward to expanding iHeartMedia’s reach and influence and helping our customers thrive and grow their businesses.”
As RBR+TVBR reported in October 2022, the former Market President for iHeart’s Atlanta station group, Drew Lauter, was dismissed after a video surfaced featuring him intoxicated and repeatedly using racial slurs and misogynistic language. The video was taken from a smartphone while seated in the back seat in a ride-share vehicle.
The iHeartMedia properties in Atlanta are comprised of Top 40 WWPW “Power 96.1,” Country WUBL “The Bull,” Hip-Hop WRDG “The Beat,” regional Mexican WBZW-FM “El Patrón,” Spanish Contemporary WBZY “Z105.7,” and BIN: Black Information Network flagship WBIN-AM.
