By Connie Thiessen
Corus Entertainment has undertaken a reorganization of its audio division.
“We can confirm we’ve made a number of changes in our audio business as part of leadership turnover and continued enterprise efficiency reviews,” a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue, in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon. “We are continuously working to improve workflows and invest into roles that better position us for the future.”
Among those caught up in the restructuring is Larry Gifford, National Director of Talk Radio, who had been with the company since 2016. Based in Vancouver, Gifford – an alum of 710 ESPN Los Angeles, 97.3 KIRO FM Seattle, and the Fox Sports Radio Network, among other stations – has been leading programming efforts across Corus Radio’s AM stations.
In a recent application to the CRTC, the company questioned the viability of AM going forward, citing both technical and financial reasons.
Among others impacted, Jeff Storey, Director of Business Operations & Program Director at Corus’ Hamilton radio properties, is also a casualty of restructuring. He had been with the company just shy of 30 years.
Corus announced Wednesday that Ronnie Stanton had been promoted to VP, Audio, overseeing all 39 AM and FM radio stations as well as the Curiouscast Podcast Network. He moves into the position vacated by Brad Phillips, who retired from the company earlier this month.
This story first appeared in Broadcast Dialogue is reprinted with permission.
