iHeartMedia has appointed Robert Sanchez as Vice President of News/Talk/Sports for its Boston cluster overseeing Conservative Talk 680 WRKO, News 1030 WBZ, and Conservative Talk “Talk 1200” WXKS.
Sanchez joins iHeartMedia from Entercom Washington DC where he currently serves as Operations Manager/Program Director for Regional Mexican “El Zol 107.9” WLZL. He first came to Washington to launch “All News 99.1” WNEW in 2012 after twelve years at 880 WCBS New York where he rose to Assistant Director of News & Programming. While in Washington, Sanchez also oversaw the build of the ConnectingVets.com platform.
Sanchez fills the opening at WBZ created by the exit of Peter Casey in November 2017 following the spin-off of the station from CBS Radio to iHeartMedia.
Bill Flaherty, who has served as Interim PD of WBZ, will remain with the station as Director of Operations for News, Talk and Sports.
iHeartMedia Boston announced today that Rob Sanchez has been named the Region’s Vice President of News, Talk and Sports programming, effective July 1. iHeartMedia Boston has a strong cross-platform presence and includes a number of iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing more than six stations comprised of music, talk and news formats.
As Vice President of News, Talk and Sports Programming, Sanchez will be responsible for overseeing all programming for WBZ NewsRadio 1030, The Newswatch Never Stops, WRKO-AM 680, The Voice of Boston and Talk 1200, Boston’s Conservative Talk, and will work closely with programmers across the Boston region. He will report to Dylan Sprague, Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia’s Boston Region.
“Rob’s passion for news and talk coupled with his creativity and bold thinking make him the perfect choice to lead WBZ NewsRadio 1030, WRKO and Talk 1200 into a new era,” said Sprague. “We’re thrilled that he’s joining the iHeartMedia Boston team”
Sanchez brings almost two decades of Spoken Word format experience to iHeartMedia. He began his career in Miami before moving to New York City in 1996 to become a news production assistant, writer and producer for WINS-AM. Sanchez joined WCBS NewsRadio in 2000, where he held a number of newsroom management roles, including serving as Assistant News Director. In addition, his background includes several years as a Director of News and Programming for News, Talk, and Sports as well as Spanish CHR stations in Washington, D.C.
“I can’t wait to join the extraordinary team of journalists and talk show hosts at iHeartMedia Boston,” said Sanchez. “The more I learned about iHeartMedia’s bold vision for their iconic Boston brands, the more it became clear that this is where I needed to be.”
In conjunction with Rob’s appointment, iHeartMedia Boston announced Bill Flaherty as Director of Operations for News, Talk and Sports and will work closely with WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and other Boston Region brands.
