Media Moves

In another sign that the National Association of Broadcasters wants to make NAB Show New York a suitable replacement for the now-defunct Radio Show it co-produced with the Radio Advertising Bureau, one of the most recognizable names in Radio will be receiving the 2022 NAB Distinguished Service Award — the organization's highest honor.

In another sign that the "Big Tech" companies groups such as the NAB point to as dollar-siphoning behemoths that are immune from FCC regulatory policy aren't so evil, the newly launched Google-backed Scripps Journalism Journey Initiative is continuing its launch phase by hiring a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to lead it.

Cumulus Media has opened the doors to a new division, one devoted to Music Partnerships. It has selected a 12-year Cumulus veteran to lead it, serving as the audio content creation and distribution company's creative liaison with artists, labels, booking agencies, and promoters.

The biggest Spanish-language media and content company in the world has selected an Executive Vice President of Global Broadcast Engineering. This individual will have three bosses.

He presently serves as Area President for iHeartMedia's Alaska markets. Now, he's adding the company's stations in Honolulu to his watch.

Like Bill Livek, who in late February announced his retirement as CEO of Comscore, the company's Chief Commercial Officer arrived following a tenure at Rentrak. There, Chris Wilson oversaw sales and product development priorities, among other things. Now, Wilson is set to depart Comscore, which has put the wheels in motion on a series of executive leadership moves in the wake of his exit.

She's been with Sinclair Broadcast Group since 1998 and has risen through the programming ranks. So has her colleague, who joined Sinclair in 1994 and has also climbed up the company's programming ladder. As of today, both now hold the title of SVP/Programming for Sinclair Television Group, reporting to Programming COO Arthur Hasson.

The Byron Allen-owned Allen Media Group (AMG) has just filled a newly created role in which this individual will be called on to help AMG’s senior advertising and marketing executives to strategically work with brands for significant partnerships with the AMG portfolio — including its broadcast TV channels.

He spent 11 1/2 years at The Walt Disney Company, most recently as the Director of Content Innovation for ABC Owned Station WLS-7 in Chicago. Now, he's heading over to NBCUniversal's properties across town to lead up its multiplatform content efforts.

In the mid-1980s, he was a part of a dual-anchor team at 5pm and 6pm for Montgomery, Ala.'s CBS affiliate at the time, WCOV-20. At the end of 1985, CBS network affiliation shifted to WAKA, and so did this news anchor and reporter. Kim Wanous would remain at WAKA until 1995, when he joined crosstown WSFA-12 for a 16-year run. Now, all across central Alabama are mourning the loss of Wanous.

The Radio Show may be a thing of the past, but the NAB is making more and more steps to make its NAB Show New York more of a radio industry executive destination than ever before. The latest move designed to welcome radio leaders? The 2022 National Radio Award will be presented in Gotham to two sibling research and consulting experts.

With the new multi-year agreement, Benztown will continue to provide radio imaging, production, voiceover, programming, and jingles services for Cumulus Media-owned radio stations and Westwood One syndicated programming.

There's a new Vice President and General Manager of Salem Surround, the in-house digital marketing agency at Salem Media Group. It's the individual who for the last three years has been a Digital Sales Director for the company focused on Christian and conservative Talk Radio consumers.

Since 2017, she ran her own consultancy, providing marketing and advertising strategy and execution tips gained through her experience in such previous roles as Senior Integrated Marketing Director for Urban One's Charlotte radio stations. Now, this media sales and marketing veteran has joined Hearst Media Production Group.

He was initially brought to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group in June as EVP and Head of Corporate Development. Now, just weeks later, he has taken the title of Chief Financial Officer of the media company.