Cumulus Media has announced that Conrad Trautmann will retire as Chief Technology Officer on March 31 with Yancy McNair rising to Senior Vice President of Engineering to succeed him.
Trautmann has led Cumulus’ technical departments since February 2016 first as SVP/Technology and Operations and then as CTO since October 2021. He previously served as EVP/Technology for Westwood One from 2000 to 2016.
McNair joined Cumulus in 2003 as Chief Engineer for their Pensacola FL cluster. He moved to Houston in 2012 as Regional Broadcast Engineering Director managing the day-to-day operations of 104.1 KRBE as well as overseeing fourteen clusters in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas before moving to the company’s Atlanta offices in 2016 as Vice President of Technical Operations.
He will oversee engineering, telecom, real estate, and purchasing for the company. McNair will report to Chief Financial Officer Frank Lopez-Balboa, who said, “Yancy’s impressive career at Cumulus, spanning over two decades, makes him the perfect choice for this role. Starting as a market engineer and steadily advancing through the ranks, Yancy has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and technical expertise. His deep understanding of our operations and his proven track record of success uniquely qualify him to lead our Engineering team into the future.”
Cumulus President/CEO Mary Berner said, “Throughout his tenure, Conrad has been a driving force for innovation and excellence. Among his many remarkable achievements, he seamlessly transitioned our content team to remote broadcasting within days of the pandemic’s onset, built a comprehensive Cyber Security strategy and the team to execute it, and led critical system transitions that have positioned us for future success. His unwavering dedication to advancing the industry he loves will leave a lasting legacy, influencing its future for years to come.”
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com