Curtis Named Exec. Director of CRB/CRS
• We couldn’t be more proud of our longtime friend and former R&R colleague RJ Curtis, who has been named as the incoming Executive Director of the non-profit Country Radio Broadcasters/Country Radio Seminar. Curtis, who is currently Nashville Editor for All Access Music Group, will start his new position on Nov. 12. Curtis will succeed Bill Mayne, who has served as Executive Director of the organization for nearly a decade. This past April, Mayne announced he would be leaving following the 50th Anniversary year of Country Radio Seminar. Curtis will work alongside Mayne through the end of his term in May 2019.
Curtis commented, “CRS has been an important part of my professional life for 35 years, never ceasing to challenge, reward, and re-ignite my zeal for our format and its many stakeholders. At my very core, I’m a radio guy and will always think like one, but I’ve also been fortunate to work in other segments of this industry, gaining additional perspective and learning a ton. Two decades on the CRB Board encompassed those various experiences; together, all have more than adequately prepped me for what I consider the opportunity of a lifetime at CRB. Concurrently, I’ll have the honor of working with Bill Mayne until his triumphant sign-off in May. He’s been a mentor, brother, and friend to me since 1983, and — fun fact — brought me to my first CRS in 1985, while serving as my PD at KZLA/Los Angeles. Following his legendary stewardship of CRB is a daunting task, and a responsibility I’ll take seriously.”
Curtis has served on the CRS Board of Directors since 1999, with a deep involvement in CRS leadership for 19 of those 20 years. He’s a longtime member of the CRS Executive Committee and a past CRS Board President (2004-2007). Since 2009, Curtis has been the organization’s VP/Chairman of the Country Radio Hall Of Fame, administered by CRS. Curtis has also volunteered his service to the industry as a member of the CMA, ACM, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital Radio Advisory Boards.
Prior to joining All Access in 2013, Curtis was VP/Country for Country Aircheck, and Country Editor for the late, legendary Radio & Records. He’s also a 30-year radio vet, 17 of those years (over three different decades) at KZLA/Los Angeles. He also programmed KNIX/Phoenix and KCYY/San Antonio and worked for Arista Nashville as Director of Midwest Promotion.
CRB Board President, Kurt Johnson, said, “Among some great candidates for this role, RJ stood out. His unequalled experience and passion for Country Radio, Country music, and CRB made him the right person at the right time. We’re beyond excited to have him lead CRS into its sixth decade.”
• For now, RJ can still be reached at rjcurtis@allaccess.com; after Nov. 12, contact him at 615-327-4487 or RJ@crb.org.
• The 50th Anniversary Country Radio Seminar will be held February 13-15, 2019 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.
