As part of its ongoing restructuring, iHeartMedia has announced that Jeff Littlejohn will retire as EVP/Engineering and will be succeeded by Steve George.
Littlejohn has been with the company since 1992 starting as Chief Engineer in Cincinnati. He rose through the ranks as he helped expand the company after the 1996 Telecom Actand was part of the team that created the first version of the iHeartRadio App and worked with Toyota and Ford on the first integration of iHeartRadio. More recently, Littlejohn helped spearhead a modernization of iHeart’s studio facilities and conversion to cloud-based audio systems.Littlejohn is well-respected in the industry and is the recipient of the 2014 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award and 2008 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award. He also served as the Chairman of the NAB Radio Technical Committee. He will continue to consult for the company.
Littlejohn commented, “I am truly thankful for the incredible opportunity to have spent 32 years with such an innovative and forward-looking company. It has been a privilege to collaborate with so many talented colleagues in building something that serves our listeners and communities in meaningful ways. As I step into retirement, I’m committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Steve George, and I’m excited to continue contributing in an advisory capacity, which will also allow me to spend more time with family and explore new adventures.”
iHeartMedia Markets Group President Hartley Adkins said, “There are few people in the industry with the expertise and longevity that Jeff has and we’re grateful for the incredible work he’s done for iHeart. We’ve been fortunate to rely on him for over three decades and I’m so thankful we’ll keep drawing from Jeff in his new consultancy role.”
George began his career at iHeart in 2001 as Chief Engineer for the Sioux City IA market and later was Regional Director of Engineering in Omaha, Regional VP of Engineering for the Midwest, and most recently VP of Engineering and Systems overseeing the company’s centralized engineering teams.
“I’m honored to step into this role and continue the incredible work that Jeff has done for iHeartMedia,” said Steve George. “Jeff’s leadership and guidance have been invaluable to our engineering team, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with and learn from Jeff and many iHeart engineers over the years. I look forward to building on his legacy and the strengths of our outstanding engineering team.”
