Media Moves

Here's a hiring that certainly deserves the radio industry's attention. An individual who for the last decade has served as VP/Creative Director for NBC News has just been hired by a radio industry pure-play that recently closed on the purchase of 19 stations from The E.W. Scripps Co. for $47 million. 

In September 2009, Clear Channel's Minneapolis-St. Paul cluster said goodbye to an account executive who arrived 2 1/2 years earlier from a role in print sales for Southwest Newspapers. Roughly nine years later, following stints at the region's top newspaper and, after that, at Comcast Spotlight, he's back at the radio stations -- and a company now known as iHeartMedia.

Larry Patrick and his wife Susan may be best-known across the broadcast media industry for their role as media brokers through their Patrick Communications. But Larry and Susan are also owners of a group of radio stations in the Mountain West, branded as the Big Horn Radio Network. Effective today, its Director of Sales is now VP/GM for the 11-station group.

The recipient of the 2019 Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award has been selected. He will receive the award at the nonprofit organization's Fundraising Gala in New York. The event is scheduled to take place in March 2019.

The newly appointed Head of TV at Cuebiq will play a key role in the launch of its TV attribution tool and spearhead partnership efforts for both advanced and linear TV. The company also notes that he will grow new and build upon existing advanced TV partnerships, such as Hulu and Adobe.

Meredith Corp. has selected the individual under Local Media Group President Patrick McCreery who will oversee advertising revenue growth and strategy across the Des Moines-based company's 17 broadcast TV stations. At the same time, it has promoted its Director of Sales in Phoenix to VP/GM.

With iHeartMedia expected to emerge from debtor-in-possession status in a matter of weeks, it has moved forward with the appointment of an eight-year partnership and branded programming pro at Turner Broadcasting. The role Greg Millard will now hold at iHeart? As of today he's EVP of Event and Experiential Partnerships.

In the eyes of featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, a "most remarkable reporter" has given Cordillera Communications' NBC affiliated KVOA-4 in Tucson a distinct advantage over its competitors. Why is Benner singling out Matthew Schwartz? It comes down to "extraordinary content."

Discovery Inc. has flipped the switch on what it describes as "a newly expanded hub for digital and social video content creation" to support its growing "TV everywhere," websites, social media and direct-to-consumer businesses and brands. In doing so, it is naming the former SVP/GM of Scripps Lifestyle Studios as this new group's EVP/GM.

The world has lost "a wunderkind of the media advertising industry as soon as he entered it over 30 years ago." Michael Lolito, the founder and CEO of Media IQ (today known as MiQ), died on Monday after a prolonged battle with lymphoma. He was 57 years old. 

Lachlan Murdoch, the future Chairman and CEO of the company to be spun-off in connection with the merger of 21st Century Fox with The Walt Disney Company, has solidified the leadership of what is colloquially being referred to as "new FOX."

After starting his career as an AE for the former Jacor Broadcasting in Cincinnati, Chuck Deskins relocated to Tampa-St. Petersburg in 1992, staying with the stations through their acquisition by iHeartMedia predecessor Clear Channel Communications. He later moved on to Atlanta and Miami before returning to Tampa Bay. After four years away, Deskins is back in a big way for iHeart.

TEGNA has decided who will succeed its retiring EVP and Chief Legal and Administrative Office once he departs in early 2019. It turned to an individual who has been in TEGNA’s legal department since joining the company as assistant general counsel in 2003.

Broadcast Music, Inc. on Monday re-elected six members of its Board of Directors during the music rights organization's annual shareholder meeting in Nashville. Six Board members were elected to new three-year terms.

Buzz Knight was a longtime executive at Greater Media who came on board at Beasley Media Group following its 2016 purchase of the Boston-based radio broadcasting company. He's now been upped from a top programming role to an Executive VP position at Beasley.