Berner A Major Hollywood Player

Mary Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cumulus Media, was named to The Hollywood Reporter‘s 2016 Women in Entertainment Power 100 list, which was released yesterday. Berner, who is listed under the category “The Chiefs,” is the only radio executive on the list and is one of 26 new names on this annual listing of Hollywood’s most powerful women in entertainment.

As the article states, “When Berner, 57, was named CEO in October 2015, the radio company had suffered four straight years of ratings declines, its 18-month employee turnover rate was near 50 percent and its stock was in danger of delisting from NASDAQ. After surveying her 6,000 employees, she launched a turnaround effort that included handing over control of content to local programmers. The result: 12 consecutive months of ratings increases. Cumulus owns 447 stations, including KLOS and KABC in Los Angeles and WPLJ in New York, where Berner lives. Its Westwood One segment produces and syndicates shows starring John Tesh and Don Imus, and it has exclusive radio rights to NFL games. Berner’s focus now is on ad sales. “Ninety-three percent of Americans listen to radio each week, which makes it the largest medium in the U.S. in terms of reach,” she says, “but it’s under-appreciated by advertisers.” [Photo courtesy of Adrienne Grunwald]

Check out the full list of the Women in Entertainment Power 100 on the Hollywood Reporter website.