Audacy News 780 WBBM Chicago/105.9 WCFS Elmwood Park IL has announced the addition of Craig Schwalb as Brand Manager and News Director.
Schwalb most recently served as Director of Content Integration and Operations for Hubbard News 103.5 WTOP Washington DC. Schwalb was at WTOP from March 2020 until last October. He previously spent 5+ years as Program Director of Conservative Talk 770 WABC New York. He has also programmed WPRO Providence, WKRK Detroit, WRBZ Raleigh, KFNS St. Louis, and was Senior Director of Talk Programming for SiriusXM and APD of 102.7 WNEW New York during its Hot Talk period.
Schwalb fills the opening created by the upcoming retirement of Ron Gleason. Gleason has overseen WBBM since 2005 after previously programming Sports “670 The Score” WSCR from 1991 until 2001.
Audacy names Craig Schwalb as Brand Manager and News Director of WBBM Newsradio (WBBM-AM / WCFS-FM) in Chicago, effective January 23. In this role, Schwalb will oversee content strategy, talent, operations and branding for the station. He will succeed longtime station veteran Ron Gleason, who recently announced his retirement.
“When Ron Gleason announced his retirement last summer, we knew we had a major challenge in replacing him, since Ron has been the driving force behind WBBM for nearly two decades,” said Greg Solk, Vice President of Programming and Operations, Audacy Chicago. “We believe we have struck gold in tapping Craig Schwalb as WBBM’s new Brand Manager. Craig’s vast experience in news and spoken word formats, most recently running content and operations at WTOP in Washington, gives him the ideal skill set to lead this brand and drive innovation and growth for Chicago’s most trusted news voice.”
“The chance to lead WBBM is an incredible opportunity that doesn’t come around often,” said Schwalb. “It brings me back to my home state and to a city that I adore, while working with the team behind one of the nation’s elite news radio brands. Thank you to Jeff Sottolano, Rachel Williamson, Greg Solk and Bill Smee for their support in allowing me the honor of leading this great station.”
Schwalb’s programming management career includes stops at WTOP-FM in Washington D.C., WABC and now Audacy sister station WNEW in New York, WKRK-FM in Detroit, WPRO in Providence, WRBZ-AM in Raleigh and SiriusXM.
