Salem Media Group has announced leadership changes in Washington DC where Tom Moyer will retire at the end of the year after 30 years with the company.
Moyer had been with Salem since the company’s 1992 purchase of 105.1 WAVA-FM. With his retirement, David Howard will rise from General Sales Manager to General Manager, while Chuck Olmstead is promoted from Local Ministry Director to Station Manager for WAVA AM/FM and SiriusXM Family Talk.
Howard joined Salem in 2020 after previously working in the market for iHeartMedia, CBS Radio, and Radio One. Olmstead joined Salem in 2021 after spending 21 years at the company’s Seattle cluster.
Salem Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SALM) announced today that Tom Moyer, General Manager of Salem Media Group’s cluster of stations in Washington, D.C. will retire at the end of the year. Tom is a 30-year veteran of the Salem DC management team, playing a major role in the growth and development of the cluster.
Salem Media Group Chief Executive Officer Dave Santrella commented, “Our cluster of stations in Washington DC, and particularly WAVA-FM, are crown jewels in Salem’s portfolio of stations. Tom Moyer has been a tremendous leader for us, holding fast to the principles that have guided our company and allowing these stations to be glimmering examples of what a Salem radio station should be in any community. We will miss him and wish him great success in the next chapter.”
Moyer commented, “I’m very grateful for my time at Salem. For my wife Sharon and me Salem has been such an important part of our lives for 30 years. There is certainly a sadness in my heart in moving on, but I have confidence that the timing is right.”
Salem Media Group Senior Vice President Allen Power also commented, “It is not an overstatement to say Tom Moyer has been a part of the very fiber of our DC cluster over the past 30 years. Replacing a longtime leader like Tom is no small task so we considered all the stakeholders of Salem Media DC in deciding on a succession plan.”
With Moyer’s Retirement, David Howard will be promoted from General Sales Manager to General Manager for the market. Additionally, Chuck Olmstead will move from Local Ministry Director to the new role of Station Manager for WAVA-AM/FM and Sirius XM Family Talk.
“We feel this hybrid structure gives us the best of David and Chuck’s unique skills and gifts for this great market,” said Power.
Howard has over 20 years of radio experience in the DC market with companies such as iHeart, CBS/Infinity, and Urban One. He joined Salem DC in early 2020. Olmstead served Salem Seattle for almost 21 years before transferring to Salem DC in 2021. Prior to joining Salem, Olmstead worked from 1996 to 2000 as Director of Operations for Jack Hayford’s Living Way Ministries.
David Howard commented, “I’m humbled and honored to take on the role of General Manager at WAVA-FM, WAVA-AM, Sirius XM Family Talk and WWRC-AM. I’m also extremely excited about the future of all our great properties in Washington DC as a part of Salem Media’s leadership team in our nation’s capital.”
Chuck Olmstead commented, “It is a high privilege to inspire thought and impact lives through the various formats we offer in the DC Market. Life Changing Radio is not just a branding statement, it’s the mission David and I want to continue as we serve our community.”
Howard and Olmstead assumed their new roles as of November 1, 2022. Moyer will continue through November to advise in the transition.
