Cox Media Group has announced that President/CEO Kim Guthrie, who began her career in radio in the late 1980s and has been associated with Cox since August 1998, has “decided to move on from the organization after a 22-plus year career with the company.”
In a brief statement issued just prior to Wednesday’s Opening Bell on Wall Street, CMG Executive Chairman Steve Pruett said thanked him for her decades of service to Cox Media Group “and her leadership during the company’s transition to new ownership.”
This transition, which saw Apollo Global Management take a big stake in what is now a reconstituted CMG, now results in Pruett assuming interim CEO duties “until a permanent Chief Executive Officer is appointed soon.”
Guthrie will work with Pruett “on an orderly transition,” as Pruett added, “She has been instrumental in positioning CMG for future success as an industry-leading media company.”
In a prepared statement, Guthrie said, “We have built a strong foundation for future growth, including an exceptional senior management team, a successful carve-out from Cox Enterprises, and deep, long-term relationships with our communities, customers and partners. I have full confidence in this great team at CMG and I look forward to watching CMG’s future achievements.”
Guthrie, who holds a B.A. in Journalism from Iowa State University, began her career in 1987 for All Pro Broadcasting, owned by the late Willie Davis, as the General Sales Manager for the Milwaukee-based radio company.
In 1992, she took on similar duties at Heritage Media, before landing at Hubbard Broadcasting in 1995 for GSM duties at its Minneapolis-St. Paul cluster.
In August 1998, Guthrie landed at Cox, taking the role of VP/GM for its Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y., station group, including WBAB-FM and then- newly acquired WBLI-FM. With success on Long Island, Guthrie was elevated to a Regional Vice President in September 2001. She held that role until July 2009, when she was named Group VP.
Guthrie ascended to the President/CEO role in January 2017.
