Clear Channel Radio details new management organization
Clear Channel Radio CEO John Hogan today sent local stations a detailed memo of the company's new organizational structure, confirming much of what RBR reported in this morning's Daily Epaper. What is new, in addition to naming all of the occupants of various positions, is the title being given to the managers of 10 large market clusters. They are now President & Market Manager, which Hogan says is "a new approach to focus the full undivided attention of a local manager on our most crucial markets." Those 10 are:
Earl Jones, Chicago
Mike Kenney, Cleveland
JD Freeman, Dallas
Til Levesque, Detroit
Manuel Rodriguez, Philadelphia
Rob Williams, New York
Mike Anselmo, Minneapolis
Greg Ashlock, Los Angeles
Kim Bryant, San Francisco
Dave Pugh, Washington, DC
Confirming what RBR reported, four people have been named Sr. VP for overseeing markets other than those 10, whose Pres. & MMs report directly to their Exec. VP. Bill Gentry has been named Sr. VP East, reporting to Exec. VP Tom Shurr. Dave Crowl has been named Sr. VP Central, reporting to Exec. VP Charlie Rahilly. Ed Krampf and Mark Kopelman have both been named Sr. VP West, reporting to Exec. VP Susan Karis.
There are also four Sr. VPs of Programming. As we reported, the list does not include Jack Evans and Bill Richards, who have been given their walking papers. The four Sr. VPs of Programming for Clear Channel Radio are now Marc Chase, Eastern, Michael Martin, Western & Central, Gene Romano, Eastern & Central, and Alan Sledge, Western & Central.
A dozen people now have the title of Regional Vice President, managing specific markets and overseeing others nearby. They are Morgan Bohannon, Linda Byrd, Michael Crusham, Bruce Demps, Dan DiLoreto, Alene Grevey, Michele Grosenick, Jeff Holden, Lee Larsen, Dick Lewis, Matt Martin and Tom McConnell.
"This new approach has fewer layers of management. We've made enormous progress creating and deploying outstanding decision-support systems. Today, our decision-makers are better informed, more experienced, and as a result, more autonomous," Hogan told his staff.
RBR sources say several people inside Clear Channel have now been told which smaller market stations the company is seeking to sell. We understand the number is in the hundreds. Clearly Hogan is reconfiguring Clear Channel Radio to focus on the big bucks - trying to drive ratings and revenues in the largest markets.
RBR observation:
Again, we wish we had the business card concession for Clear Channel. The proof is in the pudding. Will these 10 big market Pres. & MMs be able to produce more revenue for the company now that they no longer have to also oversee other, smaller markets? By the end of this year Clear Channel will have fully lapped the implementation of Less is More and the easy comps will be gone. Hogan's boss, corporate CEO Mark Mays has been telling Wall Street that Clear Channel is not like other radio companies and will continue to outgrow its peers. 2007 will be the test of that. Will LESS layers of management produce MORE cash?
Meanwhile, as Clear Channel gets serious about shedding hundreds of smaller market stations to keep management focused on the big bucks, RBR has already heard that Chris Devine has a deal in the works to buy a pile of stations in Western markets where cattle outnumber radio listeners by substantial margins.
