Radio industry veteran Erica Farber, who ran RKO General’s WXLO-FM “99X” in New York in the mid-1970s and later served as Publisher of former trade publication Radio & Records, will be staying at the Radio Advertising Bureau a few more years.
The President/CEO of the RAB and the group’s Executive Committee agreed to terms a three-year contract extension, which keeps her at the radio industry’s sales advocacy organization through April 2023.
Farber joined the RAB in January 2012 as EVP and became Presiden/CEO in April 2012. In her role, Farber oversees the organization’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the broadcast radio industry.
RAB Board Chair Susan Larkin, a Regional President at Entercom Communications, “Erica has been a consistent and proven leader at the RAB. She has managed the association with tremendous agility and forged strategic and meaningful partnerships within the advertising, investor and broadcast communities. We’re delighted that we will continue to benefit from Erica’s guidance.”
Farber added, “I’m honored by the confidence the RAB Board has entrusted in me and I am thrilled to continue the important work of promoting broadcast radio and shaping the future of the medium with the dedicated staff at the RAB.”
Before joining the RAB, Farber headed her own radio consulting firm. From 1992-2009, she served as COO, President, Publisher and CEO of R&R, which was sold to Nielsen in August 2006 for $18.5 million and subsequently shut down with its June 5, 2009, edition in a move designed to make Nielsen BDS-powered music charts superior to those of iHeartMedia’s Mediabase music charts.
Before joining R&R, Farber was best-known for her 12 years at Interep, where she held various management positions from 1980.
Until January 1980, she had been VP/GM of “99X,” taking the job in August 1976 with Rick Devlin’s shift to manage solely Talker WOR-AM 710 in New York.
Before that, Farber was GSM and GM of WROR-FM in Boston. The Los Angeles-area native, once considered for the part of “Laurie Partridge” on the original version of The Partridge Family (a role given to Susan Dey), saw early career stints at KIIS-AM 1150, KRTH-FM 101.1 and KABC-7 in L.A.
Editor’s Note: RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson was hired by Farber for an editorial position at Radio & Records in December 1995. He served at R&R through its sale to Nielsen in August 2006.
