Entercom has announced the hiring of Richard J. Schmaeling as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective April 18.
Schmaeling joins Entercom from Travel Leaders Group where he held CFO duties. He has also served as CFO for television station operator LIN Media from 2008 until its acquisition by Media General at the end of 2014 and VP/Finance of Dow Jones.
Schmaeling will succeed Steve Fisher, who previously announced his intentions to step down, as of April 30. Fisher will continue to assist Entercom with the CBS Radio merger through January 2018.
Entercom Communications Corp. (NYSE: ETM) today announced that it has appointed Richard J. Schmaeling as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 18, 2017. Mr. Schmaeling will report to David J. Field, Entercom President and Chief Executive Officer, and will succeed Steve Fisher, who will step down on April 30, 2017, as previously announced. Mr. Fisher will continue to assist with the CBS Radio integration through January 2018.
Mr. Schmaeling brings deep media expertise and more than 30 years of finance and leadership experience to Entercom. Within the media industry, Mr. Schmaeling held the role of CFO at LIN Media (NYSE: LIN), a local TV and digital media provider serving 23 markets and approximately 10% of U.S. households, from 2008 until its acquisition by Media General in December 2014. Prior to joining LIN Media, Mr. Schmaeling served as Vice President, Finance at Dow Jones, where he oversaw nine business units and held key operational finance responsibilities. Most recently, Mr. Schmaeling served as CFO at Travel Leaders Group, the largest travel agency company in the United States, with over $20 billion of annual gross billings and more than 40,000 travel agents globally.
“Rich is a proven leader with an excellent track record and outstanding reputation as a public company CFO,” said Mr. Field. “His breadth of experience and hands-on leadership of successful integrations for the LIN Media/Media General and News Corp/Dow Jones mergers make him an ideal choice as we join forces with CBS Radio and position ourselves for a dynamic future. I am thrilled to welcome Rich to Entercom.”
Mr. Field continued, “I also want to reiterate my thanks and appreciation to Steve Fisher for his dedication to Entercom over the past 18 years and the outstanding role he has played in our growth and success. We are grateful for all of his contributions.”
Mr. Schmaeling commented, “I am excited to join Entercom at this pivotal time in the Company’s history and to help drive the next era of Entercom’s growth. I look forward to working with David and the team as we complete and realize the full benefits of the CBS Radio transaction and position Entercom to better serve listeners and advertisers while creating significant value for shareholders.”
Mr. Schmaeling began his career at Arthur Andersen in the audit and business advisory practice. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
