Johnny Chiang Expands Role To Include Oversight Of Country Music Programming At SiriusXM

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Johnny Chiang

Johnny Chiang, who joined Pandora as Senior Director of Country Programming in August of 2022, has expanded his role to also oversee country music programming at SiriusXM.

The news comes after a series of changes at SiriusXM/Pandora. Earlier this year, it was announced that Head of Country Music Talent & Industry Relations, Beville Dunkerley, was exiting her position at the platform. Additionally, it was announced last June that JR Schumann would exit his role as Sr. Dir./Music Programming at SiriusXM.

Now as the lead programmer for country music at SiriusXM and Pandora, Chiang will continue developing innovative country music programming, including championing new artists and spotlighting legendary acts. He reports to SiriusXM Pandora’s GM/Senior Vice President of Music Programming, Steve Blatter.

Since Chiang joined the team, Pandora’s artist discovery included Bailey Zimmerman, who has garnered 224 million spins to date on the platform since he was first added to Pandora stations and playlists. Two of his songs ended up on Pandora’s Top-100 Most Thumbed list last year with “Rock and a Hard Place” at No. 12 and “Fall in Love” at No. 29. In October, Chiang spearheaded Pandora’s first-ever three station takeover to mark the release of Zimmerman’s EP Leave The Light On. Since the takeover, the tracks on the EP have spun 107 million times on Pandora.

Chiang also led a cross-genre, multi-station Pandora takeover to help launch the release of Hardy’s country/rock album The Mockingbird & The Crow. That multi-format, co-branding effort helped Hardy’s single garner more than one million spins on release day alone.

Chiang is profiled in MusicRow‘s recent Country Radio & Streaming Issue, where he discusses his integration into the platform.

LB Cantrell
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