Clear Channel Radio Announces Promotions For Key National Programming And National Strategic Partnership Executives
 

 

New York, NY – August 11, 2011 – Clear Channel Radio, the leading media company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any radio or television company, announced today the promotion of two of its executives: Michele Laven, previously Senior Vice President, Distribution and Development, was named Executive Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, and Tom Poleman, previously Senior Vice President of Programming, will become President, Clear Channel National Programming Platforms. These new roles serve to underline Clear Channel’s commitment to delivering unparalleled opportunities for key advertisers, marketers, artists and labels on both the national and local levels and across Clear Channel’s multiple platforms, and provide unique benefits to listeners, users and partners of Clear Channel's radio and digital products.

 

Michele Laven’s new position as Executive Vice President of Clear Channel Strategic Partnerships reflects the company’s continued focus on expanding alliances with key national distribution and content partners as well as creating and developing compelling integrated advertising and marketing campaigns across all of Clear Channel’s platforms. Laven will expand Clear Channel’s efforts around developing alliances with key national distribution partners, and leverage those relationships to create significant value, creating compelling integrated advertising and marketing campaigns across all Clear Channel platforms. She will also focus on distribution agreements for iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s digital music platform. Laven will report to Clear Channel CEO John Hogan.

In his new role as President of National Programming Platforms, Tom Poleman will lead a new National Programming Platforms group, which will oversee music and event marketing, label and artist relations, on-air talent development, creating a network of format brand managers and digital programming. As the primary programming link to Clear Channel Digital, Poleman will use the company’s best-in-class programming expertise to enhance iHeartRadio, the company’s industry-leading digital radio product, as well as custom radio, digital stations and social platforms. He will also have an integral leadership role in the expanding on-air talent development initiative across the company.

In addition, he will be responsible for national promotions and events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival, a two-day music event hosted by Ryan Seacrest that will mark the biggest live concert festival in radio history. He will also report to John Hogan.

“With 237 million listeners a month, 850 broadcast stations across the country, and the 30 million monthly users of our online and mobile products, including iHeartRadio, one of the most popular digital radio services, no other media company comes close to Clear Channel’s reach, scale and promotional power,” said John Hogan. “This company is built on strong local market relationships – with our listeners, community leaders, advertisers and partners– and as we continue to strengthen these connections and keep our local focus, we also will make the most of our national scale and reach by putting together products, events and relationships that nobody else can. In their new roles, Tom and Michele will harness the company’s national scale, local engagement, multiple platforms and relationships to benefit advertising and marketing partners. This is Clear Channel’s powerful competitive advantage, and is key to delivering on our strategy to be where our listeners are with the products and services they want and expect, and creating unique effective opportunities for national advertisers to leverage our national reach and local activation capabilities.”

“Our pre-promotion and announcement of the iHeartRadio Music Festival, which reached an estimated 100 million listeners, highlighted our promotional power – as evidenced by the tremendous attention we got from the media, the entertainment industry, our Silicon Valley partners, investors, community leaders, advertisers and, most important of all, consumers,” added Bob Pittman, Clear Channel’s Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms. “By taking on these key roles on John Hogan's senior team, Tom and Michele will help the company take even greater advantage of its industry-leading resources; in addition to our traditional partners, there are companies that didn't even exist ten years ago who are now among our major partners and allies as we work to lead the media and entertainment industry into this exciting new world. They will enable us to be even more relevant and effective for our audiences and advertisers, while providing new areas of growth for our company.”

Other appointments in conjunction with the creation of the National Programming Platforms Group are:

 

Tom Owens, formerly Executive Vice President of Programming Development, will become Executive Vice President of Programming Research and Strategy. In his new role, Owens will head Clear Channel’s leading and expanding programming resources, leverage Clear Channel’s considerable research capabilities to expand programmers’ access to unmatched consumer perspectives and insights, work consultatively with the company’s Executive Vice Presidents for Operations and Senior Vice Presidents of Programming teams on high-profile competitive opportunities for individual stations, and provide unmatched programming partnership services for the entire senior management team. Owens will continue to report to John Hogan.

Darren Davis will become Senior Vice President, General Manager of National Programming Platforms, reporting to Tom Poleman. Davis will focus on leading Clear Channel’s Programming Operations Center and the company’s highly effective Premium Choice network, which is used to import and export programming innovation and excellence from region to region, market to market and station to station. Additionally, Davis will develop and lead a new team of Format Directors, who represent the best and brightest available to Clear Channel Radio, to focus the collective strength of Clear Channel on specific formats for both our broadcast radio and digital properties. Davis was previously Senior Vice President of National Distribution.

Jeff Littlejohn will become Executive Vice President of Engineering and Systems Integration, reporting to John Hogan. In his new role, Littlejohn will oversee all engineering functions and terrestrial distribution platforms, as well as overseeing RCS. In his new role, Littlejohn will lead the integration of the expanding array of Clear Channel’s distribution and operations systems that allow Clear Channel Radio to seamlessly deliver content across a national footprint while providing local activation capabilities. He was previously Executive Vice President of Distribution.