Connoisseur Media has announced that Mark Handwerger will be promoted to Market Manager of its Portland OR cluster effective October 16 as Robert Dove moves into an advisory role ahead of his retirement at the end of this year.

Handwerger joined the cluster as Director of Sales in August after holding that role at Sinclair’s KATU-TV Portland for the past two years. He has also held sales management roles at other Portland television stations since 2003 and served as Director of National Sales for Fox Television’s “Fox Net”. He said, “I’m excited about our future here at Connoisseur Portland. The legacy brands we have in this market are powerful, and we’ll continue to grow their local presence. When you combine these audio platforms with our Connrex suite of digital solutions, it’s an unbeatable combination for both listeners and clients. We’re building something special here.”

Dove had lead the then-Alpha Media cluster since December 2023 after previously spending sixteen years leading iHeartMedia’s Portland operations. He commented, “These past two years have been a great experience. We’ve built a strong team and made meaningful progress in Portland. Mark’s leadership will keep that momentum going as the team continues to grow.”

Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw said, “Portland is a major part of who we are. It’s a great market with incredible talent and strong brands. Mark’s the right person to lead this next chapter. He understands how to connect with the community and drive results, and that’s exactly what we want in a local leader.”