NEW YORK-  Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, the leading media company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any other radio or television outlet, today announced that Rick Song will join the company as its Executive Vice President of Digital Sales for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. Song, a 20-year media sales and management veteran, joins Clear Channel from Microsoft and will report to Tim Castelli, President of National Sales, Marketing and Partnerships.

This appointment follows on the heels of Clear Channel’s recent unified national marketing, partnership and sales force alignment that will allow the media and entertainment company to pursue national multi-platform marketing initiatives that meet advertisers’ need to reach – and engage – consumers in powerful new ways. This new sales force alignment, led by Castelli, ensures the close integration of the national sales, marketing and partnership operations for the key Clear Channel National Platform divisions, including Digital, Strategic Partnerships, Clear Channel Connections, Clear Channel Radio sales and Premiere Radio Networks sales.

Song will oversee Clear Channel’s digital sales initiatives working closely with the company’s national divisions including Strategic Partnerships, National Programming Platforms and National Advertising Platforms and iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s industry-leading digital radio service as well as with local markets to ensure that they continue to utilize the company’s centralized resources and opportunities. He will leverage Clear Channel’s unique digital assets and massive reach to create innovative national and local advertising campaigns and programs with key advertising and marketing partners.

“Rick is an innovator and he will be an integral part of our team as we continue to further capitalize on our company’s digital assets,” said Castelli. “His tenure and contributions in the digital sales industry will be instrumental in helping to establish cutting-edge ways for advertisers to reach their audience.”

“Over the past year, I’ve watched Clear Channel undertake some really exciting initiatives and I’m impressed with how quickly they evolved into a fully realized media and entertainment company,” said Song. “This is a unique opportunity to leverage my experience in digital advertising with a company that has such an unprecedented reach, scale and promotional power. We have the ability to offer a platform to marketing and advertising partners like no other company.”

Song has spent the last 15 years focused on digital media sales and management. In 2006 he joined Microsoft where he led sales efforts for Microsoft Advertising, working with Fortune 500 marketers and leading advertising agencies to drive profitable engagement with audiences across Microsoft’s digital portfolio. Song also led sales initiatives with Microsoft’s network of partner sites including MSN, Xbox, Skype, FoxSports and MSNBC, as well as the company’s digital platforms including Display, Video, Branded Content, Gaming and Mobile. He founded Microsoft Digital Showcase, the company’s first video Upfront, and led Microsoft’s advancement in multi-screen marketing solutions, launching the first 3-screen advertising campaign for the Discovery Channel. Song previously held various sales leadership roles at Yahoo! and Forbes.com and began his media career in print at Ziff-Davis Publishing. Song is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.