Cumulus Classic Alternative “99X” 100.5 WNNX College Park/Atlanta GA morning host Leslie Fram exited her primary position as Senior Vice President of Music Strategy at Paramount Global’s CMT as part of the company’s layoffs last week.
Fram held her role at CMT, where she was recruited by then CMT President and current Cumulus Chief Content Officer Brian Phillips, since 2011. After beginning her career at WABB Mobile AL, Fram joined WNNX predecessor “Power 99” WAPW as APD/morning co-host in 1990 and rose to Program Director in 1997, and was part of every incarnation of the station’s morning show from the brand’s original launch in October 1992 until its demise in January 2008. She would then serve as PD of Emmis AAA 101.9 WRXP New York before joining CMT. She joined the reconstituted “99X” alongside her former co-host Steve Barnes in February 2023.
During Fram’s tenure at CMT, she initiated the “Equal Play” campaign guaranteeing a 50% split between male and female artists, and “Next Women of Country”. As part of a memo to her team shared with Billboard, Fram wrote, “Thirteen years ago this month, I had the extraordinary opportunity to become SVP/Music & Talent at CMT and work with my longtime friend and mentor Brian Philips (President of CMT at the time). The transition from rock radio to country music television turned out to be a pivotal moment in my career, allowing me and the brand’s resident experts to build CMT’s next great chapter. We went on to create an even bigger music brand, continuing to amplify the format’s superstars and legends while giving voice to the next generation.”
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com