As the restructuring at iHeartMedia continues, three programming executives have been promoted to Division Executive Vice Presidents of Programming for the iHeartMedia National Programming Group raising the number of programmers at that level to seven.
The new EVP’s are Jeff Hurley, Tony Travatto and Angela Watson Charles who will work in the Community Division of the smallest markets in the company. Hurley has served Regional Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia’s Allentown/Harrisburg Region since 2013 after previously programming multiple stations for the company. Travatto rises from Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Detroit and PD of CHR “Channel 95.5” WKQI and AC 100.3 WNIC. Charles has served as Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia New Orleans and midday host at Adult R&B “Q93” WQUE.
The previously existing members of the National Programming Group will work in the Region and Metro Divisions. Thea Mitchem and Andrew Jeffries will work with the largest markets in the Region Division and Maynard and Gene Romano will work in the Metro Division.
iHeartMedia announced today that three of its senior programming executives have been named Division Executive Vice Presidents of Programming for the iHeartMedia National Programming Group, effective immediately.
Jeff Hurley, Tony Travatto and Angela Watson Charles will now join current Executive Vice Presidents of Programming Andrew Jeffries, Thea Mitchem, Maynard and Gene Romano. They will report to Brad Hardin, Chief Operating Officer of the iHeartMedia National Programming Group.
Each member of iHeart’s Executive Vice President of Programming team will partner with the company’s Division Presidents, collaborating with each Division to provide national programming assets, services and resources:
Mitchem and Jeffries will work with Kevin LeGrett and Scott Hopeck and the Region Division, which is comprised of the company’s largest markets, like New York and Los Angeles, that each reach hundreds of cities, communities and trading areas for local businesses.
Romano and Maynard will work with Division Presidents Tom McConnell, Tony Coles and Linda Byrd and the Metro Division, which houses markets that are large areas that still encompass multiple communities – but are not regional hubs like the company’s largest markets.Travatto, Hurley and Watson Charles will work with Division Presidents Shosh Abromovich, Nick Gnau and Dan Lankford and the Community Division, which includes markets that focus on the shared needs of one community and one trading area for most businesses and advertisers and will also group markets into areas which are geographically close and culturally similar.
“We’re excited to add Angela, Jeff and Tony to our already extremely talented Executive Vice President of Programming team,” said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. “They each have deep experience building great local brands with a blend of math and magic, and they’ll provide excellent leadership to our programmers in our Community Division markets.”
Hurley has served as Regional Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia’s Allentown/Harrisburg Region since 2013. He joined iHeartMedia in 2004 as the Program Director for WHKF-FM Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and later worked as a Program Director, Operations Manager and on-air personality for brands in the Region. Hurley’s on-air background includes stations in Philadelphia; Cincinnati; Rochester, New York; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Elmira, New York.
Travatto brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role, most recently as Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Detroit and Program Director for Channel 955, Detroit’s #1 Hit Music Station, and 100.3 WNIC, The Best Variety Of The 80’s, 90’s & Today. He joined iHeartMedia in 2005 as the Program Director for iHeartMedia San Antonio’s KXXX-FM and has served on iHeartMedia’s CHR brand team. Travatto’s background includes working at radio stations in Michigan and Illinois.
Watson Charles began her career at iHeartMedia in 1990 as a Promotions intern for WQUE-FM before transitioning into programming and as an on-air personality. In 2015, she was named Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia New Orleans’ eight stations. Also known as Uptown Angela, Watson Charles is the midday on-air personality for Q93, New Orleans Hip Hop and R&B Station, where she has been number one in her daypart for more than two decades.
