Farneda Returning To WXRT

CBS Radio Triple A WXRT/Chicago announced one prominent staffer is leaving — and one very familiar face will be returning. First, MD Kelly Hansford (left) broke the news of her resignation, as she has accepted the position of Director of Event Marketing for iHeartMedia Denver. Stay tuned for further details on that, soon. To help fill the void of Ransford’s impending departure, OM/PD Greg Solk has turned to a man who knows the inner workings of XRT pretty much better than anyone — 30-plus-year station vet John Farneda (below, left), who was XRT’s MD/Operations Manager when he left in November of 2014, is coming back as interim Music Director.

In a staff memo, Solk praised Ransford, saying, “I have been at this racket quite a while, and I can honestly say Kelly is one of the premier programmers I’ve ever been around. Her exhaustive work ethic is just one of the many qualities I will miss about partnering with her.” Ransford is a Chicago native who began her career at CBS Radio Top 40 B96. She spent a decade as APD/MD of KFOG/San Francisco and served as morning show producer at Entercom Triple A KMTT (103.7 The Mountain)/Seattle before joining WXRT as MD in January 2015. In her farewell staff memo, Ransford said, “I will always cheer on XRT’s successes and growth. YOU are Chicago’s Finest AND you all Rock.”

Commenting on Farneda’s return, Solk said, “To those of you who are unfamiliar with John, he is not an XRT rookie. It was just over two years ago that John stepped aside to focus on some personal goals when Kelly replaced him as MD. This is an exciting time for all of us at XRT for sure. John will be in the house and working on a smooth transition with Kelly by next Wednesday, 4/5.”