JACKSONVILLE — On March 12, iHeartMedia promoted a 20-year sales veteran to the new role of SVP/Multicultural Sales for its Markets Group.
We now know who is succeeding Nicky Sparrow in her former role as the head of iHeart’s North Florida station group, headquartered in this fast-growing metropolis home to financial services and the U.S. Navy.
Taking the role of Area President for North Florida is Paul Rogers, which sees him assume oversight for a newly configured North Florida region for iHeartMedia that includes not only Jacksonville but also Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, and Panama City, on the Panhandle in the Central Time Zone.
Rogers reports to Division President Linda Byrd, who has worked with Rogers for more than 35 years. She says, “His integrity, judgment, professionalism and competitiveness are what any manager would look for in a market leader. He is the perfect choice as a successor, and I have no doubt that he will take this area to the next level.”
Byrd also thanked Sparrow “for the great work she has done in getting Jacksonville to where we are today” and congratulated her on her new role within iHeartMedia.
Rogers, in essence, is adding Jacksonville to his current responsibilities. He’s been Market President for Tallahassee and Panama City since 2017, and before that served in multiple local, statewide and national roles for iHeartMedia while working in Jacksonville for 18 years. He began his career at WLAK-FM (now WLIT-FM) in Chicago in the late 1980s.
“I am beyond excited by this new challenge and to be given the opportunity to finally lead the Jacksonville market where I have spent so much of my career and where I still have family, many dear friends, teammates and customers,” Rogers said. “We have a strong and diverse staff, and so many of iHeartMedia’s leaders and many of our industry’s greatest air personalities have come from this area. But mostly, it’s a chance to once again work with Linda Byrd, who’s been my mentor for my entire career.”
