In September 2015, Gray Television struck a deal that would allow it to grow into the major broadcast media company that it is today. For $442.5 million, Gray agreed to purchase the radio and television assets of multimedia company Schurz Communications. Gray would then spin the radio stations in three deals totaling $16 million.
Today, Schurz is focused on regional broadband companies, through which cable TV services are offered. Now, it has appointed a new President/CEO, effective Feb. 1, 2023.
Replacing Todd Schurz, who has been in the role since 2007, is John Reardon.
Reardon has served as an independent Director for the company since 2020. He started his legal career in private practice before becoming a general counsel.
Prior to joining Schurz Communications, Reardon was Of Counsel to Kutak Rock LLP in the firm’s Corporate and Government Services Department, where he worked with several prominent broadband companies. He also served as a Managing Director and CEO of Choctaw Telecommunications LLC, a wireless communications company, from 2011-2019.
Early in his career, Reardon served as a telecom associate for the law firm of Keller and Heckman LLP.
Schurz did not elaborate on the reasons for naming a successor to Todd Schurz. However, he noted in a social media post that he was “very excited that John Reardon will be our company’s next president and CEO.”
Schurz is a family-owned provider of residential and business telecommunications services. The company operates six consumer broadband services, including Burlington Telecom (Vermont), Hiawatha Broadband (Minnesota), Orbitel Communications (Arizona) and Antietam Broadband (Maryland). Schurz also provides cloud managed services through its Otava subsidiary.
Until 2015, the South Bend, Ind.-based company owned some 15 TV stations, in markets ranging from Roanoke-Lynchburg, Va.; and Anchorage to Springfield, Mo.; and Augusta, Ga.
Its radio stations were located in five markets. The Lafayette, Ind., properties were sold to Neuhoff Communications; Rapid City, S.D. properties went to The HomeSlice Group; and stations in South Bend, Ind., and Benton Harbor, Ind., went to Mid-West Family Broadcast Group.
— Additional reporting by Matthew Keys
