Former Broadcast Company of Americas Vice President of Programming Mike Shepard has joined Tracy Johnson Media Group as a consultant and talent coach.
Shepard, who exited BCA in January as part of cuts related to the loss of the lease of 105.7 XEPRS-FM, will also continue to operate his own Shepard Media Research. Shepard previously programmed Country 97.3 KSON San Diego through much of the 80s and 90s and has worked for multiple consultancies including Pinnacle Media, Moyes Research Associates, and P1 Research.
Veteran programmer, talent coach and research executive Mike Shepard has joined forces with Tracy Johnson at Tracy Johnson Media Group, Inc.
Shepard brings 30 years of programming excellence to one of the world’s most successful radio programming and talent coaching companies.
Johnson talked about Shepard, “We’ve continued to grow the last few years and Mike is a perfect fit. He is a great talent coach, a legendary programmer and well-rounded media strategist. His expertise in multiple formats including Country, Sports Talk and Classic Hits, plus his research skills add depth and value to existing and future clients.”
Shepard most recently was VP/Programming for BCA Radio in San Diego, overseeing The Mighty 1090 (Sports Talk) and MAX FM (Classic Hits). Previously, he was the driving force behind San Diego’s Country powerhouse KSON, leading the station to its highest ratings ever.
He’s excited about his new role with Johnson. Shepard said, “I’ve been a huge fan of Tracy and his work for many years and I’ve seen first hand how his experience, philosophy and unique approach with talent have directly impacted ratings. I’m thrilled to add my expertise to the company and continue building on his amazing track record of success!”
Shepard has worked with dozens of high profile air talent, including Jack Diamond, Tony and Kris, Scott Kaplan, Bert, Rich “Brother” Robbin, Jack Murphy, Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton and more.
In addition to his role as consultant and talent coach with TJMG, Shepard will continue to own and operate his research company, Shepard Media Research.
Entercom Sports “92.9 The Game” WZGC Atlanta has parted ways with John Michaels and Rick Kamla in what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says was a budgetary measure. Kamla, who is also an anchor for NBATV and CBS Sports Network, was one the two remaining hosts from the station’s 2012 launch. Michaels spent a decade at “790 The Zone” WQXI before joining WZGC in 2014.
Townsquare Media has appointed former “Sports Radio 610” KILT Houston Program Director Ryan McCredden as Operations Manager for its Quad Cities IA/IL cluster.
McCredden will oversee Sports “ESPN 93.5” KJOC, Classic Rock “97X” WXLP, CHR “B100” KBEA, Classic Hits 104.9 KIIK and Classic Country 1170 KBOB.
McCredden programmed KILT from March 2012 until his exit at the end of 2018. He has also programmed Talk 104.1 KQTH and Sports 1490 KFFN Tucson and served as a producer at News/Talk 1080 KRLD and Sports 105.3 KRLD-FM Dallas in his career.