Cumulus Media Promotes Three To Executive VP Roles

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Pictured (L-R): Bob Walker, Dave Milner, Mike McVay

Cumulus Media has promoted three executives to newly-created EVP posts. Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Content & Programming, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Content & Programming. Dave Milner, Senior Vice President, Operations, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations. Bob Walker, Senior Vice President, Operations has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations.

Mary Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cumulus Media, said: “These promotions recognize the strong performance of these key members of our senior leadership team. Mike, Dave and Bob are terrific executives and have each been instrumental to the success we’ve achieved during the first year of executing our turnaround plan for the company.”

McVay and Walker are based in Atlanta, while Milner is based in San Francisco.

Weekly Chart Report (4/7/17)

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Cumulus Media-Nashville Names Lori Tournay Liggett As General Sales Manager

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Lori Liggett

Cumulus Media-Nashville has promoted Lori Tournay Liggett to General Sales Manager of its music stations including country stations WKDF and WSM-FM, in addition to WQQK.

Liggett has more than 27 years’ experience in radio promotions, sales and management. She joined Cumulus Nashville in 2015 as General Sales Manager for WQQK. Prior to that, she was with CBS Detroit, where she was General Sales Manager for AMP (Top 40). Liggett also held positions with Crain’s Detroit Business and CBS Radio-Detroit’s WDZH (Smooth Jazz) and WWJ-AM (News Radio).

Allison Warren, Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Media-Nashville said, “We have been fortunate to have Lori leading WQQK and have seen first-hand her ability to strategically lead a sales team, and find creative and compelling solutions for advertising partners. Lori is an innovative, well-respected sales manager with a proven track record of nurturing sales talent and driving growth. She has a keen understanding of both local and ad agency business and I’m thrilled to have her leading our Music stations WSM-FM, WKDF and WQQK.”

Liggett said, “I am honored to lead the WQQK, WSM-FM and WKDF sales team. Broadcast and digital media is constantly evolving, and Cumulus Nashville puts local client solutions, employee development and our communities at the forefront of everything we do. I look forward to continuing these efforts.”

Cumulus’ radio properties in Nashville include: WWTN, WQQK, WKDF, WSM-FM, WGFX, and Titans Radio Network.

Andy Elliott Named VP, Promotion For Pearl Records

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Andy Elliott

Andy Elliott has joined Pearl Records as Vice President of Promotion beginning today (April 3). Most recently acting as Sr. Dir./Country Promotion and Radio Initiatives at Curb Records, Elliott’s career also includes stops as Director of National Promotion at Arista Nashville and Program Director for KJJY and KHKI in Des Moines, Iowa.

“What an honor for me to join the amazing team at Pearl Records,” said Elliott. “To work with my longtime friend Mandy McCormack and to team up with Lesly Simon again is a dream come true. Speaking of dreams, I get to work with Garth and Trisha? Someone is going to have to pinch me because I still can’t believe it.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Andy Elliott join the Pearl family,” added Mandy McCormack, SVP Radio Promotion & Marketing and Artist Strategy. “His love and commitment to Country radio, in addition to his extreme passion for the music and the artists …. he is absolutely the perfect addition! Ask Me How I Know.”

“Andy Elliott is one of the most respected promotion executives in the business,” said Lesly Simon, General Manager. “His work ethic, passion and innovative spirit are a perfect compliment to the Pearl team, and I am thrilled to be working side by side with him, again. There is no better person to represent Garth and Trisha in this role.”

Elliot can be reached at: [email protected]

Weekly Chart Report (3/31/17)

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MTSU’S WMOT Roots Radio Affiliates With VuHaus For Video Outlet

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MTSU’s WMOT Roots Radio 89.5 FM has affiliated with VuHaus, a web platform that showcases music videos and livestreams created by public radio stations.

The partnership is officially being launched today, March 28, at 5 p.m. CT, with a live performance of the Americana/folk band The Stray Birds from the Aurora Nashville studios in downtown Nashville that will be broadcast at wmot.org and vuhaus.com/nashville.

“WMOT is thrilled to join VuHaus as an affiliate to present Americana music and artists with partner World Cafe in Nashville,” says Val Hoeppner, executive director of WMOT Roots Radio. “At WMOT, we are building a culture of discovery, and this partnership will further our efforts to bring attention to Nashville artists and the sound that is distinctly our Middle Tennessee heritage.”

Radio and online broadcast, WMOT has been a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR) since 1969, serving as the region’s only Americana music channel. The 100,000-watt professional station, housed in the Center for Innovation in Media inside the university’s Bragg Media and Entertainment Building, changed formats last September from its classical, jazz and news-talk focus to Americana in a partnership with Music City Roots, a Nashville-based firm that provides programming for both radio and television.

Last October the station teamed with the NPR-distributed World Cafe from WXPN in Philadelphia to create a new Nashville-headquartered content hub, World Cafe Nashville, focusing on expanded coverage of music and artists from Nashville and the South. Currently WMOT airs World Cafe each night at 10 CT. The program was launched in 1991 and features a mix of artist interviews and in-studio performances from almost every musical genre.

“In launching World Cafe Nashville with NPR Music as a southern hub for World Cafe, we were delighted to partner with a great local station in WMOT,” says Roger LaMay, general manager of WXPN and chair of the VuHaus board of directors. Extending this commitment to exposing the incredible music of Nashville and the region to a video channel on VuHaus is an important next step.”

 

Dennis Reese Named Sr. VP, Promotion For RCA Nashville

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Dennis Reese

Dennis Reese has been appointed to Senior Vice President, Promotion, RCA Nashville. Reese will begin his new role on April 1.

Reporting directly to Sony Music Nashville’s Exec. VP, Promotion & Artist Development Steve Hodges, Reese will be responsible for the development, implementation and supervision of the strategic and tactical radio promotional plans for artists on the RCA Nashville roster which includes Kane Brown, Ryan Hurd, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Jake Owen, Dolly Parton and Chris Young.

Hodges says, “Dennis has a rock solid reputation in the industry, excellent relationships with many of our key partners and a real passion for our format and roster. I am elated to have him lead the RCA Nashville team in this exciting and ever-evolving world.”

Reese says, “This is a dream come true for me. It is such an honor to be a part of RCA Nashville and the Sony Music Nashville family, and, I can’t thank Steve and Randy Goodman enough for inviting me to join their team.”

Reese was Senior Vice President, Promotion, Epic Records most recently. Prior to this, he held the position of Senior Vice President, Promotion, Capitol Records for 11 years, and was also Senior Vice President of Promotion at Elektra Records and Columbia Records. Reese began his career in radio, and programmed stations in Miami, Orlando and Charlotte.

Weekly Chart Report (3/24/17)

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iHeartRadio Reaches 100 Million User Mark

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iHeartRadio has reached another monster milestone, having surpassed 100 million registered users. The service reached 90 million registered users just seven months ago. The number is additive to the quarter of a billion listeners iHeartMedia reaches monthly on its 850 broadcast stations across the country. To celebrate this milestone, iHeartRadio is debuting a Top 100 live radio station – The iHeart100 – to showcase listeners’ top songs on the platform.

With more than a billion downloads, iHeartRadio is now reaching 85 percent brand awareness among consumers in less than five years. In January, iHeartMedia launched its new on-demand subscription services, iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster, which are the first fully differentiated streaming music services to provide listeners with the best of live radio combined with easy on-demand functionality.

“100 million registered users is an amazing milestone, and we are thrilled to see such great momentum and traction for iHeartRadio,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio. “We are committed to continuing to provide an exceptional listening experience for our millions of fans and listeners, and with the official launch of our new on demand services, we are able to offer even more iHeartRadio features for our listeners who want to enhance their radio experience.”

CBS Radio Event Draws Major Country Names

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Garth Brooks (bottom row, center); EVP, Programming, Chris Oliviero (bottom row, right of Brooks); EVP, Digital Media, JD Crowley (bottom row, second from left); VP, Country Programming, Tim Roberts (bottom row, fourth from left); VP, Programming, Jeff Sottolano (bottom row, third from right); VP, Music Initiatives, Chad Fitzsimmons (top row, fourth from left); with CBS Radio Country PDs from around the country

CBS Radio recently hosted its annual country gathering in Nashville, with record labels, management teams, and artists attending the event. This year’s gathering included visits from Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Sam Hunt.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (center); EVP, Programming, Chris Oliviero (left of McGraw); EVP, Digital Media, JD Crowley (bottom row, second from left), VP, Country Programming, Tim Roberts (bottom row, fourth from left); VP, Programming, Jeff Sottolano (bottom row, third from right); VP, Music Initiatives, Chad Fitzsimmons (top row, fourth from left); and CBS Radio Country PDs from around the country

Sam Hunt (bottom row, center); EVP, Programming, Chris Oliviero (bottom row, right of Hunt); EVP, Digital Media, JD Crowley (bottom row, second from left), VP, Country Programming, Tim Roberts (top row, seventh from left); VP, Programming, Jeff Sottolano (bottom row, fourth from right); VP, Music Initiatives, Chad Fitzsimmons (top row, sixth from right); and CBS Radio Country PDs from around the country. They are joined by Mike Dungan, Chairman & CEO, UMG Nashville (bottom row, second from right) and Royce Risser, Senior VP, Promotion, UMG Nashville (top row, second from left)