CALABASAS, CALIF. — In a short but very meaningful statement released at 9am Pacific on Tuesday, Salem Media Group shared that its Executive Chairman will be exiting the role at the end of 2025 — concluding an 18-year tenure for Ed Atsinger III, a chief architect of the Christian-focused and conservative News/Talk media company headquartered in Ventura County, Calif.
Atsinger, the company’s Executive Chairman, oversees the company’s operations while Dave Santrella is the President/CEO of Broadcast Media, its largest segment of the company. There’s also New Media, and Chief Operating Officer David Evans serves as President of that arm.
But, on December 31, Atsinger will relinquish his responsibilities of overseeing operations of Salem as Richard A. von Gnechten as Chairman of the Board, effective today. Von Gnechten is charged with overseeing Board of Directors and Annual Stockholders meetings for Salem, which trades on an Over-the-Counter exchange.
The change in top leadership comes following another difficult fiscal quarter for Salem. In Q2, total net revenue declined to $54.15 million, from $60.61 million, with Digital media revenue falling to $10.56 million from $11.94 million in an era where digital dollars are rising at a quick clip for many of Salem’s peers.
Because of a $25.21 million impairment charge taken in Q2, Salem swung to a net loss of $17.6 million from net income of $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2024.
Atsinger, the brother-in-law of company co-founder Stuart W. Epperson, has been Chief Executive Officer and a Salem company director since its founding in the mid-1970s and through January 2022, when he became Executive Chairman. He was also President of Salem from its inception through June 2007, and has been engaged in the ownership and operation of radio stations since 1969, when he acquired an AM radio station in the suburbs of Raleigh, N.C.
A native of Honolulu, Atsinger and his family evacuated O’ahu following the attack on Pearl Harbor, shortly thereafter settling in Southern California.
Atsinger has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Religious Broadcasters, Cornerstone Christian Network, Chairman of the NRB Music License Committee, and currently is Chairman of the Radio Music Licensing Committee, which on Tuesday settled its court rate proceeding with Broadcast Music, Inc.
