iHeartMedia Country “96.9 The Kat” WKKT Statesville/Charlotte NC has appointed Shelly Easton as its new Program Director.
Easton most recently served as VP Music Programming for Audacy Philadelphia until exiting at the end of 2020. He entire programming career has been spent in Pennsylvania with stints at Country “Bob 94.9” WRBT Harrisburg from 1995 to 2002, Operations Manager at “Cat Country 96” WCTO and AC 100.7 WLEV Allentown and Country Format Captain for Citadel, programming 92.5 WXTU Philadelphia for Beasley and CBS Radio from 2009 to 2017, and then overseeing CHR “96.5 TDY” WTDY-FM, Classic Hits 98.1 WOGL, and AC “B101” WBEB for Audacy.
Easton succeeds Chuck ‘DZL’ Thompson, who departed earlier this year.
iHeartMedia Charlotte announced today that Shelly Easton has been named Program Director for 96.9 The Kat , Charlotte’s #1 for New Country, effective October 18. iHeartMedia Charlotte has a strong cross-platform presence and includes a number of iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing more than six stations comprised of music, talk and news formats.
iHeartMedia has the leading consumer reach and influence across multiple platforms and delivers more live programming than any other media company. As Program Director, Easton will be responsible for managing all aspects of day-to-day programming operations and delivering unique content for 96.9 The Kat. She will report to A.J., Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Charlotte.
“We are extremely pleased to have Shelly join our remarkable programming family,” said A.J., Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Charlotte. “Her vision, passion and commitment to the country music community makes her the perfect fit to lead 96.9 The Kat. Shelly’s wealth of format knowledge and proven track record sets her apart in driving ongoing advancement of this successful brand.”
Easton brings over 25 years of programming expertise to her new role. Her programming career began at WBRT-FM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before she moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania and became Operations Manager, Program Director and Country Format Captain of WCTO-FM and WLEV-FM. Easton then programmed WXTU-FM for almost 10 years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and oversaw programming for WBEB-FM, WOGL-FM and WTDY-FM, ultimately becoming Vice President of Music Programming. In 2017, Easton was named one of Radio Ink’s Top Program Directors.
“I am so thrilled to be back in the country format. To be able to rejoin the company where I launched my programming career, is a dream come true,” said Easton. “The country battle in Charlotte is long-standing and 96.9 The Kat is primed for continued success. A huge thanks to the entire iHeartMedia senior leadership team for their support and this incredible opportunity.”