The Media Notepad: iHeartMedia Chicago names new region president
Also: A new syndicated radio show originates from Chicago; St. Louis Cardinals strikes new deal with FanDuel
[This post was updated on November 12.]
Amid layoffs, iHeartMedia announced some promotions on Friday with a pair of new Region Presidents.
Adam Kurtz will take over from Matt Scarano in Chicago and oversee all six iHeart brands, including AC 93.9 The Lite, Adult R&B V103, and Hip-Hop WGCI. Kurtz has been with iHeartMedia since 2001, when it was Clear Channel, starting as an account executive and rising through numerous sales positions.
In New York, Steve DeLusant takes over in the same role, overseeing Top 40 Z100 (WHTZ), Hip-Hop WWPR, and top-rated AC powerhouse WLTW, among others. DeLusant started with iHeart in 2013 as a sales manager for three of its New York stations and was an account manager for Emmis. He will succeed Bernie Weiss, who has been promoted to Division President. Kurtz and DeLusant will report to him.
iHeartMedia’s nationwide layoffs continued into Friday, with the morning team of Len Berman and Michael Riedel being shown the door from conservative talk WOR-AM in New York. Berman was best known for his “Spanning The World” sports segments on NBC’s Today Show and sports anchor at NBC-owned WNBC. iHeart also cut programmer Robin Bertolucci from conservative talk KFI-AM in Los Angeles after 24 years and Don Martin from sports talk KLAC. On November 4, Scarano and Rock 95.5’s Angi Taylor were laid off at iHeart.
On Monday (November 11), KFI laid off its entire news department, with 22 employees losing their jobs.
A Chicago radio station is the home base for a new syndicated radio show.
Classic Rock U, a showcase for classic rock music, launched on 97.1 The Drive (WDRV/WWDV) on October 5 and KSHE-FM St. Louis and KSLX-FM Phoenix. All three are owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and are classic rock stations.
“From growing up being raised on radio to connecting with millions of people on YouTube, and now connecting with just as many on radio stations all over the country, it really feels like I’ve come full circle,” said host Adam Reader, who is also known as “The Professor Of Rock”. “Interviewing hundreds of my favorite artists and bringing their music to these mass audiences is a dream come true. I am thrilled to be able to bring Classic Rock U to such an excellent and growing list of stations.”
A YouTube Superstar, Reader has interviewed numerous musicians throughout his career including Journey, Carlos Santana, Heart (Ann and Nancy Wilson), and more.
Syndicated by Skyview networks, Classic Rock U just added Atlanta, San Jose, Albuquerque, Little Rock, Des Moines, South Bend, Ind., and Salt Lake City with stations belonging to Cox, American General Media, Cumulus, Sanete County Broadcasting, and Midwest Family Broadcasting. Ten stations are carrying the program, with more to be announced soon.
Classic Rock U airs on The Drive on Saturday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and Sunday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m.
Despite its uncertain future, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (formerly known as Bally Sports Midwest) announced a new multi-year deal last week with the St. Louis Cardinals, keeping the team on cable TV.
“We are pleased to enhance and expand our long-term partnership with Diamond and FanDuel Sports Network Midwest,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said in a statement. “We value the continuity for our fans of staying on the same network as the Blues, and we are excited that we will now be able to expand access to our games and other great Cardinals content across multiple platforms next year.”
The Cardinals also gain in-house streaming rights for games, meaning fans can watch games without signing up for a cable or satellite subscription in their viewing footprint, which includes St. Louis and much of Southern Illinois. The Cardinals agreed to take a revenue reduction from Diamond as the team rejected the idea of MLB taking over producing games as other teams formerly with Bally have done.
MLB and the Atlanta Braves have filed objections after parent company Diamond plans to exit bankruptcy.
The Cubs’ arch-rival has had a tough go it in the past year with dwindling TV ratings and attendance at Busch Stadium. Many cite Bally as the reason, but that should change with the new streaming component, which should erase blackouts in the Cardinals’ viewing footprint. The Cardinals had a 30 percent ownership joint venture with once what was Fox Sports Midwest, which carried over to Bally when the Fox RSNs were sold to Diamond. FanDuel has had rights dating back to the Prime Sports era, sharing games with longtime rights holder KPLR-TV, and later KSDK. The Cardinals have been exclusive to cable since 2011.
The deal’s timing is interesting as the FanDuel deal was announced two days after Missouri voters narrowly passed an amendment to legalize sports betting. FanDuel is one of the major sports bettors and a new sports book could open at Busch Stadium in 2025. The legalization of sports betting is bad news for neighboring Illinois, which could lose out on potential revenue as Missourians would likely stay in their state to bet.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds announced the end of their joint venture with Bally on Friday. No decision has been made on how the team plans to distribute games next season and beyond.