Audacy Sports 94.1 WIP Philadelphia has found its new Brand Manager in “Arizona Sports 98.7” KMVP Phoenix PD Rod Lakin.
Lakin has spent his entire career at Bonneville Phoenix starting as an intern in 2004 before rising to Assistant Program Director of KMVP in 2014 and Program Director in June 2019. During his tenure, he served as Director of the Arizona Diamondbacks Radio Network from 2010 to 2017.
Lakin succeeds Spike Eskin, who moved to New York to program 660 WFAN/101.9 WFAN-FM and CBS Sports Radio in May.
Audacy welcomes Rod Lakin as Brand Manager of SportsRadio 94WIP (WIP-FM) in Philadelphia, effective October 4. In this role, Lakin will oversee content strategy, talent, operations and branding for the station.
“I’m pleased to welcome Rod Lakin to the WIP team and begin the next chapter for our iconic station,” said David Yadgaroff, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Philadelphia. “Rod brings a breadth of experience and deep understanding of what works in the sports audio format, which I trust will position WIP for much success as the home for Philadelphia sports fans.”
“I have the deepest respect for the iconic WIP brand and what it means to the most passionate fan base in the country,” said Lakin. “To have an opportunity to join the talented team at 94WIP is truly an honor, and I want to thank David Yadgaroff, Jeff Sottolano, Spike Eskin and Audacy for their belief in me.”
Lakin has spent nearly two decades in the spoken word format in Phoenix, first joining ESPN Radio 860 and Newsradio 620 KTAR in 2003. He was a founding member of Sports 620 KTAR upon its launch in 2007, serving in a variety of roles over the next several years including director of the Arizona Diamondbacks Radio Network. In 2014, Lakin was named executive producer for Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the flagship station of the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Phoenix Suns. In 2018 Lakin added programming duties for ESPN 620 AM and was named Program Director of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in 2019
