ABC Radio is being replaced by ABC Audio for the name of the umbrella brand. The company’s view is that with the new platforms entering consumers’ lives, from podcast distribution to interactive voice and beyond, the switch of names is appropriate. ABC Audio will house everything on offer: ABC News Radio; the new on-demand content team; the Affiliate Solutions group; the growing business development department; the sales integration operation; and the FM entertainment team.
In other changes, Heidi Oringer has been promoted to Executive Director of Business Strategy, Programming and Distribution, and Abe Velez has been promoted to Director of Business Development and Strategy.
Oringer began her career at ABC as an overnight writer for morning radio, served as Director of Entertainment for ABC News Radio, and was most recently Director of Affiliate Solutions.
Velez played a vital role in the 2015 network relaunch of ABC Radio. Stretching beyond his Business Development charge, he collaborated with Oscar-winning composer Leo Sidran to produce the theme for Start Here. Posts prior to ABC included LimeWire, Palm Pictures, Sony Music, and independent documentaries including A Jihad for Love.
Is Heidi Oringer any relation to Dave Oringer, who was an engineer for WABC-TV in New York many years ago? I worked with Dave around 1979 and 1980.