Executive Action Inside Audacy
• UPDATED: Audacy, Inc. just announced several key executive changes, including the appointment of Kelli Turner as President and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Oliviero as Chief Business Officer and Bob Philips as Chief Revenue Officer.
Turner (left) has been serving as Interim President & CEO since January when former President & CEO David Field stepped down. Oliviero (center) was most recently Market President for Audacy New York, and Philips (right) was President of Audacy Networks and Multi-Market Sales.
“On behalf of the Audacy board, we are delighted that Kelli Turner has agreed to take on the permanent President & CEO role and lead Audacy through its next phase of reinvention and growth,” said Michael Del Nin, Chairman, Audacy. “She is an exceptional media executive who, along with Chris Oliviero and the rest of the Audacy team, will ensure we continue to invest in high-quality content to engage our audiences and provide best-in-class solutions to our partners.”
“It’s a privilege to lead Audacy at this exciting moment in its impressive history and the evolution of audio,” said Turner, who has served on the Audacy board since Sept. 2024. “This is one of the most dynamic businesses in media and entertainment, and I’m looking forward to partnering with Chris Oliviero and all of our teams to build on our momentum with audiences, creators and advertisers. I’m especially excited by the appointments of Chris and Bob, who know Audacy’s businesses inside out and whose track records in management, programming and sales are second to none.”
The company concurrently announced the departures of Chief Operating Officer Susan Larkin, Chief Digital Officer J.D. Crowley, Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman and Executive Vice President and General Counsel Andrew Sutor. Mike Dash has been named Executive Vice President and General Counsel, succeeding Sutor, who will stay on for a transition period.
• Turner was most recently Managing Director & CFO of Sun Capital Partners. Before that she was President & COO of SESAC Holdings, a leading music licensing and rights management company owned by Blackstone. She has also served in various executive and leadership roles at RSL Group, Martha Stewart Living, Time Warner, Allen & Company and Citigroup.
• Oliviero has served as Market President in New York since 2020 and earlier spent more than 23 years at CBS Radio (which became part of Audacy in 2017). He started his career as a production assistant on The Howard Stern Show and took on progressively more senior programming roles.
• Philips joined CBS Radio in 1996 and later served as Chief Revenue Officer for CBS Radio and Entercom. Following Entercom’s rebranding as Audacy in 2021, Philips transitioned into his most recent role as President of Audacy Networks and Multi-Market Sales.
I wanted to share that the Audacy Board of Directors has asked me to serve as President and CEO on a permanent basis, and I agreed. As you know, I’ve been in the interim role since January, but I have served on the Audacy Board since September and have come to deeply appreciate and believe in this company, its brands, and its people. While the industry goes through its ongoing transition, I am confident we are building a great future together.
We have incredible brands and talent and one of the strongest balance sheets in our industry. Following our financial restructuring, we are moving as quickly as possible to position the company for growth and sustained success. As another step in this effort, I am delighted to share two significant promotions within our senior leadership: Chris Oliviero will be our new Chief Business Officer, overseeing Revenue and Programming and continuing to oversee the New York market for the near term. Chris will report to me and be my partner in leading the business.
Also, Bob Philips will be Chief Revenue Officer, reporting to Chris. Neither Chris nor Bob is unfamiliar to anyone at Audacy or across the audio industry, and they bring more than a half-century of combined experience and expertise in our company to their new roles. Audacy’s Regional Presidents, Jeff Federman, Mark Hannon, Claudia Menegus, and Brian Purdy will report directly to me. All the changes we have been making will help ensure the business is as streamlined and nimble as possible to capitalize on all the opportunities ahead.
I am also pleased to announce that Mike Dash, another veteran of our business, is our new Executive Vice President and General Counsel, succeeding Andrew Sutor, who will stay with us for a transitional period.
Along with these changes, we are eliminating the Chief Operating Officer role, and as a result, Susan Larkin will be leaving Audacy. On behalf of the Board and all of us, I want to thank Susan for her many contributions to the business over the past 7+ years. She has been a trusted partner and friend to so many of us and will leave a lasting legacy. I also want to acknowledge the contributions of Paul Suchman and J.D. Crowley, who are also leaving Audacy with our deep gratitude. Along with Susan and Andrew, the work that these executives did was foundational to positioning our business for the future.
Thank you for all of your continued dedication and support. I am excited to be an official part of this extraordinary company, partnering with Chris, the executive team, and all of you. We are available to answer any questions you may have.
Kelli
