Audacy has made a series of leadership changes at its local markets.
- Regional President Doug Abernethy will add direct market oversight of the company’s fourt stations in Austin TX. Abernethy will also add Regional oversight for Austin to add to his purview of Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Greensboro, Greenville-Spartanburg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Norfolk, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, and Wichita.
- Former Austin SVP/Market Manager Bob Mackay will move to Dallas as Vice President of Sales. Mackay joined the cluster in 2020 after previously holding roles at CBS Radio, Clear Channel, Cox, and Radio One in Houston, and serving as Vice President/Director of National Sales for Emmis.
- Memphis SVP/Market Manager Dan Barron will relocate to New Orleans in the same role. Barron succeeds Kevin Cassidy who moved to Chicago in December. Barron has led Audacy Memphis since 2008 after serving as Director of Sales for Barnstable and Cumulus Memphis and VP/Corporate Development for First Broadcasting.
- Gina Massenzi rises from Director of Sales to SVP/Market Manager for Audacy Las Vegas filling the role created by Dan Kearney’s departure last May. Massenzi has been with the CBS Radio turned Audacy Las Vegas cluster since 2014 rising from Media Consultant to General Sales Manager to Director of Sales. She also spent seventeen years at the CBS Radio/Peak Broadcasting cluster in Fresno as an Account Executive and General Sales Manager.
- Audacy has also divvied-up former Regional President Rachel Williamson’s markets with Brian Purdy adding Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee and Mark Hannon adding Minneapolis.
Audacy has announced strategic leadership updates and promotions to bolster the Company’s commitment to its local markets.
Gina Massenzi has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Las Vegas, where she will oversee Mix 94.1 (KMXB-FM), KDWN (KDWN-FM), News Talk Radio 840 AM (KXNT-AM), Q100.5 (KXQQ-FM), 98.5 KLUC (KLUC-FM), The Bet Las Vegas (KLUC-HD2), and CHANNEL Q (KMXB-HD2). Massenzi was previously Director of Sales for the market.
Dan Barron will become Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy New Orleans, home to Magic 101.9 (WLMG-FM), Bayou 95.7 (WKBU-FM), WWL (WWL-AM/FM), B97 (WEZB-FM), The Bet New Orleans (WWWL-AM) and CHANNEL Q (WEZB-HD2). Barron succeeds Kevin Cassidy, who was named Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Chicago in December 2023.
Bob Mackay assumes the role of Vice President of Sales for Audacy Dallas. Mackay, who previously served as Senior Vice President of Audacy Austin, will leverage his track record of success to optimize sales efforts in his new position and drive revenue across the Dallas market’s brand collection.
Three Regional Presidents add responsibilities to their regions. Doug Abernethy will pick up regional and direct oversight of Audacy Austin in his home market, managing Majic 95.5 (KKMJ-FM), Mix 94.7 (KAMX-FM), Talk Radio 1370 (KJCE-AM), and The New Hot 95.9 (KKMJ-HD3). Brian Purdy adds regional oversight for Audacy Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee. Mark Hannon will assume regional oversight of Audacy Minneapolis.
“We have a very strong leadership team that has enabled us to make strategic changes and promote talent with multi-year track records of success. These leadership moves continue to position our local brands to deliver exceptional listener experiences and client value while reinforcing our commitment to excellence in the communities we serve,” said Susan Larkin, Chief Operating Officer, Audacy. “We are confident in Gina, Dan, Bob, Doug, Brian and Mark’s ability to drive growth across their respective markets.”
Massenzi started her radio career in sales at News/Talk 580 KMJ in Fresno, CA, in 1997. In 2005, she became General Sales Manager for the newly launched 105.9 Jack FM (KFJK-FM), followed by Hot AC KWYE-FM. Joining Audacy in January 2014, Massenzi served as the Director of Sales for Audacy Las Vegas’ six-station cluster. She was recently inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Barron was most recently Senior Vice President and Market Manager for Audacy Memphis since 2008. Before joining the Company, Barron was Vice President of Corporate Development for First Broadcasting, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and enhancement of broadcast operations through technical upgrades. Other previous roles include Director of Sales for Citadel Broadcasting and Vice President, Director of Sales for Barnstable Broadcasting.
Mackay, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Austin since 2020, previously was President of Marsades Media, specializing in audio and digital marketing solutions. His notable career in the radio industry includes roles such as Director of Sales at Radio One Houston, General Sales Manager at Cox Radio, Vice President and Director of Sales at Emmis Communications, and positions at Clear Channel. Mackay serves as a board member for the Salvation Army in Austin and previously served as a board member for the American Advertising Federation’s Houston chapter and on the Black Chamber of Commerce advisory board.
Abernethy has over 35 years of broadcast experience, holding various senior manager positions with multiple formats in 25 markets over the years, and currently oversees ten radio markets nationwide for Audacy. He joined the Company in March 2015 as Regional Vice President and Market Manager for Audacy Miami while having regional oversight of Austin, Denver, Gainesville, Greensboro and Greenville. When the Company and CBS merged in 2017, Abernethy was promoted to Regional President, overseeing 16 markets nationwide. He has recently served as interim Market Manager of Audacy Las Vegas.
Purdy has served as a Regional President and Dallas Market Manager for Audacy since 2017, and today, he has oversight of the Company’s Austin, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Madison, Milwaukee, New Orleans, St. Louis and Wichita markets. Before joining the Company, Purdy held various roles for CBS Radio, including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston Market Manager and Dallas-Fort Worth General Manager. He also previously held sales and market management roles for Clear Channel Dallas and Houston.
Hannon is a seasoned broadcast radio executive whose career spans three decades. He currently serves as a Regional President for Audacy, overseeing 16 markets, including Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford, Minneapolis, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Richmond, Rochester, Springfield, Washington D.C. and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was with CBS Radio for 28 years and joined the Company in 2017 when the it acquired CBS Radio. Hannon is Boston-based, where he began his career in broadcasting.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com