She gave a big New York radio station a rebirth that directly brought it back to its roots as a top CHR/Pop station serving the Big Apple. Earlier, she played a key role in giving Houston a CHR/Pop outlet following the demise of two competitors at a volatile time for the format.
Now, after exiting the radio business for a record label role, this veteran talent is combining her skill set for at Global Media & Entertainment — the London-based entity that wants nearly 50% interest in iHeartMedia.
Twenty-five years ago, after successfully motoring long-time Top 40 KRBE-FM in Houston through a difficult era for pop music, Sharon Dastur found herself charged with a heavy-duty task: Take Z100 back from Alternative-fueled hits to straight-ahead CHR/Pop.
With her former KRBE colleague Paul “Cubby” Bryant now in afternoon drive and in the Music Director post, the reboot of WHTZ/New York was on. The rebound in listening and ad dollars gave Z100 its third incarnation, one that resulted in a 2005 promotion to Program Director for Dastur.
Dastur would go on to a lengthy career at Z100’s now-parent company, iHeartMedia. This includes the co-creation and assumption of the Executive Producer role of the annual Z100 Jingle Ball concert, replicated by other CHR/Pop stations in the company. By the end of 2018, she was completing four years as SVP/Programming for the company’s 850+ radio stations around the country, specializing in CHR/Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Adult Contemporary and Country formats.
Then, Dastur exited, taking a role as SVP of Promotion at Republic Records. With artists including Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande, Post Malone and Taylor Swift in the roster, Dastur brought a radio industry mindset to one of the hottest labels around.
Now, Dastur, armed with knowledge of iHeart and a record label, is set to become “an extra U.S. liaison to artist managers and record labels” at Global — a U.K. radio broadcasting giant which owns and operates the Capital, Heart, Gold, Classic FM, Smooth and Radio X networks.
Dastur will hold the title of Global’s Senior Programming & Content Advisor. She reports to James Rea, Global’s Director of Broadcasting.
“She is a forward-thinking and strategic industry pioneer with a passion for music and storytelling through music,” Global said in a statement. “Sharon has transformed brands, created popular culture and has helped guide the careers of some of the biggest artists in the world.”
Ashley Tabor-King, Global’s Founder & Executive President, says he’s known Dastur and has been a fan of her work for many years, dating to her time at Z100. “She’s a world class programmer and brand and event creator. I’m enormously excited to be working with her, as are James Rea and the programming team at Global.”
Dastur added, “For years, I’ve always admired Global’s innovation, creativity, and elevation of the Global brands through smart programming, top-notch talent, and first-class events. I am absolutely thrilled to be working alongside this brilliant group of Ashley, James, and the entire Global programming team.”
