Infinity Broadcasting’s short-lived experiment in stretching one general manager to oversee three radio stations ended Thursday with the naming of several new station bosses.
In a restructuring of the management of several of its seven stations here in the wake of longtime GM Harvey Wells’ departure, Infinity promoted three executives to oversee talk station WCKG-FM 105.9, adult rocker WXRT-FM 93.1 and country station WUSN-FM 99.5.
Michael Damsky, general sales manager for WXRT since 1990, moves up to vice president and general manager. Terry Hardin, general sales manager at WCKG, adds the role of vice president and general manager.
Dave Robbins, who is vice president and general manager of oldies station WJMK-FM 104.3, adds to his title that of vice president and general manager of WUSN. Robbins’ other role as general manager of WBBM-FM 96.3 was handed to Infinity director of sales Paul Agase on an interim basis.
Wells oversaw all three stations before leaving to run Fred Eychaner’s growing Newsweb radio group. Infinity, like its main competitor, Clear Channel Communications, had gone through a process of eliminating big salaries by chopping GMs during the past few years.
Rod Zimmerman, senior vice president and market manager for the Chicago Infinity stations, stopped short of saying that the general manager system wasn’t working.
“Harvey cast a big shadow in this market,” Zimmerman said. “With three stations coming available, this is the best alignment. Putting three general managers over three stations, you get the best mileage.”
Coincidentally, the move occurred on a day when the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that substantially raises indecency fines on broadcast stations.
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The new rules would raise the fine to $500,000 per violation from $27,000. Media observers say the change will most affect radio, where stations with shock jocks are fined more often than any others.
WCKG, which will have its own general manager for the first time in two years, carries the most controversial lineup in the city, with Howard Stern in the morning drive, Kevin Matthews in middays and Steve Dahl in the afternoon drive.
Zimmerman said that geography–WXRT’s Northwest Side office is far from WCKG’s downtown studios–played a role in the decisions to name separate general managers.
“In the case of WXRT and the others, we need people there 24/7,” he said.
Zimmerman said that the company would conduct a search for a new general manager for its pop station, WBBM-FM.
The other white protein: Add the National Pork Board to the list of marketers suddenly jumping on the low-carb bandwagon. On Monday, the pork board launches a national print advertising campaign promoting pork as a low-carb option.
Beginning with full-page ads in USA Today, the producers take a new spin on their long-running “Pork. The Other White Meat” tagline. Instead, new ads will put an “x” through the word meat and replace it with “Protein” scribbled just above it. Another ad states: “Not all proteins are created equal.” The ad also uses the “Pork. The Other White Protein” line.
The ads, from Campbell Mithun’s Chicago office, will run for the next several months.
Red Lobster to Richards: As expected, Red Lobster is parting ways with besieged Euro RSCG Tatham Partners here. The restaurant chain is set to award its $80 million account to Dallas-based Richards Group.
With Red Lobster gone, Tatham is left with only a handful of advertising clients. Walgreen Co. also is expected to part with the agency.
On the move: Ken Frydman, formerly vice president and director of corporate communications for the New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report, jumps to Golin/Harris International as director of worldwide media relations, a new position. Frydman will be based in New York. … Nanci Figueroa, director of sales and marketing for Kimpton Boutique Hotel, Hotel Monaco, was promoted to area director of sales and marketing for Hotel Monaco and Kimpton’s Hotel Burnham. … Tribune Co. promoted Rich Engberg to vice president/general manager of WBZL-TV in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market. Engberg was director of sales for the station. Separately, Tribune Broadcasting promoted Gina Mazzaferri to vice president of strategy and administration, and John Poelking to vice president of finance.