Week of 05.10.10

Brian D’Aurelio

Emmis Communications names Brian D’Aurelio operations manager for the three-station cluster including urban “Hot 97” WQHT, urban AC “98.7 Kiss FM” WRKS and rock WRXP (101.9).   D’Aurelio is also part of the on-air team of WRXP’s nighttime “Brian & Chris” show. Most recently, D’Aurelio served as the director of marketing and digital media for the cluster.
 

Clear Channel names Al B. Sylk to music director for urban WGCI, Chicago.   He replaces Kenard Karter, who will assume APD/MD duties at Clear Channel’s KMEL, San Francisco.  Sylk has been a weekend and fill-in host for WGCI since April 2009 with previous radio stops in Philadelphia, Miami, Orlando and Norfolk.
 

URBan Radio Group Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL ops manager Brian Landrum exits.  He was also PD/afternoon drive host on country WLAY.
 

Former NBC Radio executive Frank Scott died May 11.  He was 77.  After an acting career, Scott turned to radio and was a general manger for Welcome Radio in Denver before he joined NBC Radio to oversee Washington, DC stations WRC and WKYS-FM.  He was later appointed by President Reagan to oversee Voice of America in Europe.

Clear Channel hot AC “Star 101.9” KUCD, Honolulu PD Adam Carr exits.  
 

Music Choice promotes Gary Susalis to senior manager of music programming overseeing the satellite network’s 45 audio channels. He has been at Music Choice since 1999.  Prior to Music Choice, Susalis worked in radio promotions for TVT Records and Concrete Marketing.  He started his music career as APD for at Seton Hall’s infamous WSOU-FM.

United Stations Radio Network hires Chris Venice as director of affiliate relations.  Venice joins USRN following a recent stint as director of affiliate relations for Dr. Laura Schlessinger.   Prior to that assignment, he spent 11 years with the ABC Radio Networks.
 

ESPN Radio owned-and-operated WEAE, Pittsburgh (1250) lays-off six employees, including PD Jim Graci and sportscasters Eartha Jackson and Joe Destio.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports three other off-air positions were also eliminated.
 

Spanish Broadcasting System turns to radio veteran to help program its “Mega TV” channel.  It names José Perez as vice president of programming for Mega TV.  In recent years he’s worked in program development for Univision and Telemundo, but before shifting to television, Perez programmed SBS’ Miami radio cluster.
 

Journal Radio hires Skip Mahaffey for mornings on country KVOO, Tulsa (98.5).  He joins Sunny Leigh.  Mahaffey has spent 25 years in the country format, most recently working for CBS Radio’s country WQYK (99.5) and Clear Channel’s WFUS (103.5) in Tampa.  He also hosted Westwood One’s “Country Six Pack Specials” from 1999 to 2004.  Mahaffey also holds the title as the first broadcaster to win the CMA Broadcaster Personality award three times (1996, 2001 and 2003).
 

CBS Radio’s WCCO, Minneapolis (830) names Chad Hartman as its new late-morning (9am-12noon) talk personality, as John Hines slides back to nights.
 

Clear Channel transfers Poughkeepsie, NY PD Derrick Cole to Virginia where he becomes PD for “98.3 Kiss FM” WKSI, Winchester.  He succeeds Hunter Quinn, who was transferred to Clear Channel CHR “Z-104” WZEE, Madison, WI.
 

JEMAR Entertainment puts Jeff Marginean’s “My Buddy Butch” daily short-feature pet health feature into syndication in alliance with Skip Joeckel’s Talk Shows USA.  
 

Cleveland broadcasters are remembering Rick “Gilly” Gilmour, who died TK after a cancer battle.  He was 48. Gilmour worked at news/talk WTAM, Cleveland (1100) from 1997 until 2004.
 

Bonneville names Amy Morris as morning co-host of “Federal News Radio” WFED, Washington (1500), replacing Jane Norris, who exits.  Morris joins host Tom Temin in the daypart.
 

Apex Broadcasting urban “92.5 The Box” WIHB, Charleston, SC appoints Jay-Tek as program director.  He most recently held afternoon drive on Perry Broadcasting’s WFXA, Augusta, GA.   WIHB flipped from CHR to urban in March.

Focus 360 opens a Dallas office which will be run by newly-named Southwest regional sales manager Jim Augustine.  He joins from SouthCentral Media, an advertising rep firm that he founded to represent a diverse group of media properties including trade and consumer publications as well as broadcast and online vehicles.  Earlier in his career he was an account rep for Hearst Broadcasting’s FM station in Pittsburgh – which is today Clear Channel’s “Kiss 96.1” WKST.

Citadel’s WLS, Chicago (890) operations manager Drew Hayes adds programming duties at sister WMAL, Washington, DC (630) succeeding Paul Duckworth, who exits. Also, WMAL morning host Fred Grandy exits two weeks after show partner Andy Parks was laid-off.  Grandy is a former Republican congressman and “Love Boat” TV star.  Former midday talk host Chris Plante is currently in morning drive.

Network radio veteran Ron Rivlin joins Citadel Media as vice president of affiliate relations for the network’s news-talk-sports division.  It’s a return to the operation where formerly handled affiliate relations for what was then called ABC Radio Networks.    Most recently, Rivlin was VP of interactive solutions for Triton Digital.  Rivlin will be based in New York and report to Citadel Media SVP of programming and distribution Carl Anderson.

Border Media Partners names Bob Proud general manager of its Austin cluster, succeeding Jerry Del Core, who exits.  Proud most recently oversaw BMP’s Waco, TX stations.  He previously was GM of Entravision’s Dallas cluster. 

Emmis rock WRXP, New York (101.9) moves the overnight show “Brian and Chris” to nights (7pm-Midnight) starting May 17.  They fill the slot left open by MD Brian Phillips move to afternoon drive. Both men have other jobs at the station.  Brian D’Aurelio is the director of marketing and digital media. Chris Nadler is the lifestyle engagement director for the Emmis New York cluster including WRXP and sister stations urban “Hot 97” WQHT and urban AC “98.7 Kiss FM” WRKS.   

Clear Channel’s “Newsradio 1000” KTOK, Oklahoma City talk show host Mark Shannon died Saturday, May 8 after a decade-long leukemia battle.  He was 58.  He previously worked in Sioux City, IA and Amarillo, TX.  Local reports say Shannon was released from an Oklahoma City hospital on Friday afternoon to die at home.  In a recent blog post, Shannon wrote, "I've had a life blessed beyond what I deserve, and I have few regrets.  If my time here is up, then I am confident that God will prepare me, much as everything leading up to this point in my life has prepared me for the next step in life."