Life Is Short… Smoke A Cigar
• Sending our best wishes to Donovan Short, Director of Content for Townsquare Media in picturesque Casper, WY, who announced his impending retirement, effective August 17, closing out a successful 30-year radio career, the past 23 years spent in Casper. Short will be handing off his duties to Ian Delap, Digital Managing Editor and Asst. Director of Content, who will work side-by-side with OM Bill Schwamle. As it turns out, Short (left) also plans to stay put for the foreseeable future as he now plans to focus on running the Casper Cigar Company, a local cigar lounge he bought early last year.
Short caught the radio bug as a child, doing V/O work for his dad’s advertising agency in Birmingham, AL. He landed his first paying gig at 16 at the now defunct WRSM-AM/Sumiton, AL. In 1998, after several other Alabama stops, Short answered an ad in R&R that brought him to Casper. “I took the job sight unseen and it ended up being the best move I ever made,” he said.
Commenting on Short’s many accomplishments, Erik Hellum, Townsquare COO, Local Media, noted, “In addition to being a world-class programmer and brand-builder, Donovan was one of the early digital adopters, teaching his team (and the rest of us) how to extend great radio brands online, and by doing so, built an even larger audience online. With an impeccable eye for talent, Donovan coached his team every day, working to make them better, and developed a new generation of multi-platform talent. Combine that with the fact that he is also a great human being with a wicked, dry sense of humor, and you can see why he is one of the best, and one of my favorites, that I have worked with in my career.”
Tom McCarthy, Market President of Townsquare Casper, said, “Donovan is one of those people who can’t help but help. Setting aside his numerous professional accomplishments in the world of radio and broadcast, there are very few people I know who have made a real difference in the world the way that he has. From his work helping thousands of children have gifts under the tree at Christmas through ‘Stuff the Van,’ to his work helping thousands of children have food in their stomachs — he can’t help but help. I’m honored to call him a colleague and a friend.”
Looking ahead to his future as an important Casper business owner, Short said, “I’m going to explore the land of good stogies and small business. After August 17th I can generally be located in the recliner with a good Nicaraguan.” Until August 17, Short can be contacted at Donovan.Short@townsquaremedia.com.
