Longtime Audacy exec Todd Canavah exits

Wraps up 33-year career

In advance of rumored changes at the cluster, longtime exec Todd Cavanah exited Audacy Tuesday after 33 years at the company, in one form or another. 

Cavanah began his career at WBBM-FM/B96 in 1990 as an on-air personality, associate program director, and music director, years before the original CBS, Inc. owned the station and before radio consolidation took hold. In 1993, Cavanah was promoted to program director of B96 and expanded his role after CBS merged with Infinity Broadcasting, adding duties at US 99 and at the various incarnations of 104.3 FM, currently home to Classic Hip-Hop/R&B 104.3 Jams. 

“Not many can build a music brand like Todd Cavanah”, said Audacy Chicago Regional President Rachel Williamson. “With Todd at the helm, B96 became one of the most iconic brands in Chicago and throughout Top 40 nationwide, and 104.3 Jams launched to the top of Chicago radio within months of its birth. But even more than the major accomplishments, Todd has been a great teammate. We wish him the best of luck in this next phase of his career and will miss his warmth and camaraderie.”

While Cavanah has endured in the rough-and-tumble Chicago radio market, he has been criticized by some for his management style, notably on Chicago radio message boards. His exit comes at a time when Audacy as a whole is struggling, with a low stock price and reeling from the departure of the Chicago Bears from its cluster, moving from all-news WBBM Newsradio to ESPN 1000 (WMVP) and with it, a lot of promotional opportunities. There were rumors of format switches making the rounds the last week or so, given both B96 and 104.3 Jams are clearly underperforming. 

Whether he “retired” – as one radio trade tweeted out this afternoon, is debatable given his comments in his farewell note stated nothing of the sort.