Following the closing of its purchase of ESPN’s local radio properties in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, Good Karma Brands has announced the appointment of Market Managers in New York and Los Angeles.
Sam Pines moves to Los Angeles to oversee “ESPN 710” KSPN after serving as Market Manager for Good Karma Cleveland since 2006. Pines has been with the company since 2000 and also is a partner in the company.
Vinny Dimarco will lead “98.7 ESPN” WEPN-FM and 1050 WEPN New York. Dimarco joins the company from ESPN where he Senior Director of Sales for ESPN Audio Partnerships since 2012. He previously was General Sales Manager for WEPN from 2003 to 2011.
The duo fill the slots that had been held by Tim McCarthy. McCarthy departed KSPN and WEPN/WEPN-FM in September 2021 ahead of the sale announcement.
Good Karma Brands (GKB) is pleased to announce its Market Managers in both New York City and Los Angeles with the recent acquisition of ESPN New York and ESPN Los Angeles. GKB partner and Senior Vice President Sam Pines, will be ESPN Los Angeles’ market manager, and former ESPN Audio Senior Director of Sales Vinny DiMarco joins GKB as ESPN New York Market Manager.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have both Sam and Vinny in their respective roles,” said Good Karma Brands Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Craig Karmazin. “Sam has distinguished himself as a leader both inside and outside the company, and will bring creativity and take a relationship-focused and marketing savvy approach to ESPN Los Angeles. Vinny’s background at ESPN New York and his relationships within New York City and throughout both Good Karma and ESPN make him a well-liked and respected leader who will keep teammates, advertising partners and our fans at the forefront of all that we do and achieve.”
Sam Pines joined Good Karma Brands in 2000, and since 2006 has led ESPN Cleveland as a Market Manager and Sales Manager. He writes a sales and leadership series, “Time to Win” coaching relationship-based selling and marketing, and is engaged with numerous boards and nonprofits, including Milestones Autism Resources, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Folds of Honor.
“I’m excited to be part of the team at ESPN 710,” said Sam Pines. “It’s rare that an opportunity comes along where we can invest our resources in a place that has such a well-established foundation of great local sports talk, significant play by play rights, including the 18-time champion Lakers, the Super Bowl Champion Rams, LAFC and the Angels, and the power and reach of ESPN’s digital assets. I’m looking forward to bringing a marketing-first approach to working with advertisers to such a great city and sports community.”
Vinny DiMarco, ESPN New York market manager, joins Good Karma Brands from ESPN, where he managed multi-market, multi-platform sales across ESPN radio affiliates, and oversaw emerging categories, including sports betting and crypto-currency. He started his ESPN career at ESPN New York as general sales manager.
“After working closely with GKB for so many years, inside Disney/ESPN, I’m thrilled to join the team and return to my roots in the local NY market,” said Vinny DiMarco. “98.7 ESPN and 1050 ESPN’s collection of assets is second to none. Our on-air talent is among the best in the business, and they resonate with every NY sports fan. Add to that our play-by-play partnerships with the Jets, Knicks, Rangers and Islanders and you have some of the most compelling content in all of Sports. For our advertising partners, our multi-channel offerings, including ESPN Digital media, provide impactful marketing opportunities with best-in-class service and execution. I’m very excited for the future of ESPN New York and our partners!”
