There was no formal press release but rather “A Message from David Field” distributed as an internal memo to all Entercom Communications employees.
“As we approach the halfway point of summer, I am writing to share an update on our progress as we continue to work through these extraordinary times,” Field said two days ahead of Entercom’s release of its second quarter earnings.
While Field’s message opens with a pep talk, the focal point of the memo are the promotions of 10 Entercom staffers to executive-level roles in the programming, legal and HR departments.
Noting that Entercom’s “greatest strength and our most important and valued asset are our people” and that the company is “incredibly fortunate to have such a talented team across the country,” the following promotions were announced:
- Jeff Sottolano, SVP of Radio and Radio.com Proogramming, takes the title of EVP/Programming
- Chris Ebbott, Program Director of market-leading ’80s-focused Classic Hits KRTH-FM “K-Earth 101” in Los Angeles, is now a VP of Programming
- Reggie Rouse, Urban Format Captain and Brand Manager for WVEE-FM “V-103” in Atlanta, is also now a VP/Programming
- Chad Fitzsimmons, who came to Entercom via the tax-free merger with CBS Radio, rises from VP of Music Initiatives and Partnerships to SVP of Promotions & Experiences
- John Kennedy ascends from VP/Technical Operations to SVP/Engineering
- Senior Counsel Rose Isard and Johnny Palumbo each add VP stripes in the in-house legal department
- Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Jennifer Morales is now VP of Corporate Communications & PR
- Nancy Muir-Gaire, Corporate Director of Facilities Management, is now a VP
- Director of Benefits and HR Compliance Stephanie Taylor is now VP of Benefits, Compliance and Talent Acquisition
However, the bigger news may be the naming of Bill Smee to the newly created role of VP/News.
Smee joins Entercom with what Field calls “a strong history of leadership positions in multi-platform journalism at CNN, NBC News and Slate.”
In this new role, Smee will spearhead Entercom’s work “to enhance and
Hexpand our news brands, building on their unparalleled position in our
communities and adding new products and capabilities across our broadcast, digital, podcast, and smart speaker platforms,” Field said in the memo. “We are very excited about the future of our news and news/talk brands and the
robust opportunities that lie ahead.”
Entercom’s all News brands, inherited from the CBS Radio, include such heritage AM stations as WCBS-AM and WINS-AM in New York, KNX in Los Angeles, and WWJ in Detroit, in addition to WBBM-AM & WCFS-FM in Chicago.
Smee has operated his own Washington, D.C.-based strategy, talent recruitment and content creator consultancy born in December 2016 after short stints at HuffPost and Mashable. From September 2013-December 2016 he served as Director of Digital Video at NBC News, and prior to that was an Executive Producer at Slate for 6 1/2 years.
He is a 1985 Yale graduate who started his career in 1987 as a Senior Supervising Producer for CNN.
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