Audacy VP/News Bill Smee has stepped down from his role at the company.
Smee joined Audacy in August 2020 to “spearhead our work to enhance and expand our news brands, building on their unparalleled position in our communities and adding new products and capabilities across our broadcast, digital, podcast, and smart speaker platforms.” Smee spent fifteen years at CNN in production roles from 1987 to 2002 followed by stints as VP Production & Development for Discovery Times Channel, Executive Producer for Slate Magazine, Director of Digital Video for NBC News, and as a consultant for companies including HuffPost, Mashable, Slate, AARP Studios, and Audacy.
In a memo shared with staff, Smee wrote, “This is something that I have been contemplating over the past period of months and with the holidays behind us and the company’s financial restructuring plan now rolled out, the time is right for me to move forward into a new professional chapter. Our news operation has made so much progress over the last several years— building out digital and podcasting capacity, integrating our broadcast and digital teams within newsrooms, strengthening communication and collaboration across the network of brands, and creating new revenue opportunities in partnership with our sales teams. All this done while delivering over and over in high leverage breaking news situations and racking up awards that validate Audacy’s local news brands as truly best in class. Along the way, we have also strengthened newsroom leadership and replenished talent around the country. There is much to build on as our brands look out on the horizon in 2024 and beyond.”
He added on LinkedIn, “It has been incredibly rewarding to work these last four years with so many talented and passionate people within Audacy’s newsrooms and across the larger company. And I’m proud of our collective accomplishments: building out digital and podcasting capacity; integrating broadcast and digital teams within newsrooms; strengthening communication and collaboration across a network of brands; navigating the first wave of AI; and creating new revenue opportunities in partnership with sales teams. All of this was done while delivering over and over in high leverage, breaking news situations and racking up awards that validate Audacy’s local news brands as best in class. ”
