Townsquare Media has announced it is combining its radio and digital content teams.
Jared Willig rises from Senior Vice President of Digital to Chief Content Officer, where he will now oversee all content created from radio and digital platforms including their 322 radio stations, 350 local websites, and national brands such as XXL Magazine, Taste Of Country, Loudwire, Ultimate Classic Rock, ScreenCrush, and PopCrush. Willig joined Townsquare in 2010 after a decade at AOL where he was a Managing Director and later VP/GM of Asylum Network and Moviefone.
Senior VP/Programming Kurt Johnson becomes Senior VP/Content and Programming where he will also lead music industry relations within the company. Johnson has led radio programming at Townsquare since 2011 following ten years as VP/Programming of CBS Radio Dallas. He has also served as OM of AM/FM Philadelphia and PD of WAXQ and WLTW New York.
Jackie Corley concurrently rises from VP/Digital Strategy to VP/Local Content and Programming. Corley rose to her now former position last July after six years as Regional Digital Managing Editor for the company’s properties in Hudson Valley NY.
Townsquare Media Inc. announced today that longtime Company Digital leader, Jared Willig, has been appointed as Chief Content Officer, overseeing all content for the Company across all its radio and digital platforms and consumer touchpoints. Willig has been with Townsquare for over 10 years, and will lead the content strategy and execution across all platforms for 322 local radio stations, over 350 local websites and mobile apps, and industry- leading national Music & Entertainment brands XXL Magazine, Taste Of Country, Loudwire, Ultimate Classic Rock, ScreenCrush, and PopCrush. He will also continue to oversee AMPED, the monetization of the Digital platforms of the Company’s Owned and Operated local and national brands.
In his new role, Willig oversees the newly-created Townsquare Content Team, consisting of team members with varied expertise across platforms, formats and disciplines, in order to drive the Company’s 360-degree strategy in Radio, Digital, On Demand, Mobile Apps, Social, and Video. To help lead that team, longtime Townsquare radio programming head Kurt Johnson expands his role across all mediums to become SVP, Content and Programming, while continuing to lead the Company’s Music Industry Relations. Jackie Corley, who had been overseeing Townsquare’s Digital Content team, also widens her purview to become the VP of Local Content and Programming.
Commented Willig, “For over 10 years now, I’ve had the great privilege of running Townsquare’s Digital Content Strategy and Operations, and while our Company is Digital First, radio has always been at our core. So by merging all platforms into one Content Team, we are simply making official what we’ve already been doing for over a decade. There is no better programmer in the industry than Kurt Johnson, and no better local digital content expert than Jackie Corley, so with their expanded roles, I couldn’t be more excited and confident for our continued success in audience and brand growth across all forms of media.”
Johnson noted, ”I’m excited to expand my role and manage all of our multi-platform brands, working with Jared, Jackie and this amazing group of creators. Making our programming and digital forces one unit creates the content dream team—the best in the business. Thanks to Bill Wilson and Erik Hellum for their confidence in this team and believing in all that we can accomplish.”
Townsquare COO – Local Media, Erik Hellum added, “Given Townsquare’s multi-platform approach to entertaining and informing our audiences and our communities, we will no longer have separate central teams for broadcast and digital content, but rather one incredibly talented content team led by Jared, Kurt and Jackie. With such a talented leadership team, it’s good to be us!”
Prior to joining Townsquare in 2010, Willig spent almost 10 years at AOL as the GM overseeing entertainment brands such as AOL Music and AOL Radio, Moviefone, and AOL Television, and the founder of Asylum.com and ComicsAlliance.com. Before joining AOL in 2001, he worked in online marketing at BMG Entertainment and is a former club and radio DJ in New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Prior to joining Townsquare in 2011, Johnson served as VP/Programming for CBS Radio in Dallas for ten years, Operations Manager for AM/FM in Philadelphia for four years, and Program Director of legendary stations WLTW and WAXQ for Viacom in New York for six years. He is the immediate past Chairman of the board of Country Music Association and is in his fourth year as President of the board of CRB, the producers of Country Radio Seminar.
Corley has been with Townsquare since 2014, serving as Digital Managing Editor of Townsquare Hudson Valley before becoming VP of Digital Strategy. Previously, she worked at Patch and NJ.com.
If interested in joining the Townsquare Content Team, please submit cover letter, resume, and content examples toRecruiting@townsquaremedia.com.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com