Littlejohn Unplugs From iHeart Engineering
• iHeartMedia announced the retirement of Jeff Littlejohn, a 32-year company veteran who most recently served as Executive Vice President of Engineering. He will remain in an active consulting role for iHeartMedia. It was concurrently announced that VP of Engineering and Systems, Steve George will step up to succeed Littlejohn as EVP of Engineering, overseeing the overall technical operations, systems and engineering teams that support iHeart’s 860 local stations in 160 markets.
Littlejohn (left) joined the company in 1992 as Chief Engineer for Cincinnati. He rose through the ranks as he helped expand the company after the 1996 Telecom Act. He was part of the team that created the first version of the iHeartRadio App, and worked with Toyota and Ford on the first integration of iHeartRadio. More recently, Littlejohn helped spearhead a modernization of iHeart’s studio facilities and conversion to cloud-based audio systems. Littlejohn is the recipient of the 2008 Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award and the 2014 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award. He also served as the Chairman of the NAB Radio Technical Committee.
“There are few people in the industry with the expertise and longevity that Jeff has, and we’re grateful for the incredible work he’s done for iHeart,” said Hartley Adkins, President of the Markets Group for iHeartMedia. “We’ve been fortunate to rely on him for over three decades and I’m so thankful we’ll keep drawing from Jeff in his new consultancy role.”
Littlejohn remarked, “I am truly thankful for the incredible opportunity to have spent 32 years with such an innovative and forward-looking company. It has been a privilege to collaborate with so many talented colleagues in building something that serves our listeners and communities in meaningful ways. As I step into retirement, I’m committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Steve George, and I’m excited to continue contributing in an advisory capacity, which will also allow me to spend more time with family and explore new adventures.”
Steve George began his career with iHeart in 2001 as Chief Engineer for the Sioux City, IA, market. He later served as Regional Director of Engineering in Omaha; RVP of Engineering for the Midwest; and, most recently, VP of Engineering and Systems, where he oversaw many of iHeart’s centralized engineering teams. “I’m honored to step into this role and continue the incredible work that Jeff has done for iHeartMedia,” George said. “Jeff’s leadership and guidance have been invaluable to our engineering team, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with and learn from Jeff and many iHeart engineers over the years. I look forward to building on his legacy and the strengths of our outstanding engineering team.”
