Cromwell Media has announced that Nashville Director of Sales Shawn Fort will rise to General Manager while VP/Market Manager Dennis Gwiazdon moves into an advisory role.
Fort joined Cromwell in December 2020 after previously spending a decade in sales at Entercom Memphis from 2007 to 2017. Gwiazdon has led Cromwell Nashville since November 2019 after previously leading Beasley Las Vegas from 2018-19 after a seventeen year run atop South Central turned Midwest Communications’ Nashville cluster.
Cromwell Media/Nashville Director of Sales Shawn Fort has been named General Manager effective June 15. He succeeds VP/Market Manager Dennis Gwiazdon who transitions to an advisory role after nearly 4 years of leadership. Fort will oversee Cromwell Media’s five radio stations, which includes 93.3 Classic Hits, 94.9 The Fan, 102.1 The Ville, 102.5/106.3 The Game and 102.9 The Buzz, along with a full slate of digital assets. The transition is underway for the mid-June start.
“When Shawn was hired it was with the idea that he would one day become our next GM. I’m delighted that we can promote from within the company,” said Bud Walters, Cromwell Media President. “We knew that when Dennis joined us there was going to be a three-to-four-year limit to our working together. I’ll appreciate his counsel moving forward and thank him for his friendship and commitment during a turbulent time. Our business and stations are better for him being here.”
As a born-and-raised Tennessean, Fort has a lengthy history in the radio industry having begun his career nearly 20 years ago with Entercom – now Audacy – in his hometown of Memphis. After a slight detour from the business for three years, Shawn joined the Nashville team in December 2020. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Fort. “I jumped into the radio industry as an aspiring musician just to be around show business and it turned into a career. It will be an honor to lead our incredibly talented Nashville team. Thank you, Bud and Dennis, and to all my other mentors over the years.”
Gwiazdon added, “Bud and I have been Nashville friends for almost 20 years. He is a leader in our industry, and it’s been a privilege to work with him and the Nashville team. Cromwell Media/Nashville is in very good hands with Shawn. I’m confident that he’ll have the full support of his teammates as they continue to grow and make a difference within the community.”
