Bonneville Phoenix announced two big moves on Wednesday, with a former company programmer returning and a promotion on the cluster’s news/talk KTAR.
Brian Long comes back to Bonneville as the Phoenix cluster’s Director of Programming. He previously worked as PD at Bonneville Seattle’s ESPN affiliate KIRO-AM. Long makes the move from iHeart San Diego’s KOGO-AM and KGB-AM to succeeding Sean Thompson, who left the role in June.
The second personnel change is the promotion of Martha Maurer to KTAR Program Director. Maurer has been at the station since 2012, climbing the ranks from Editor, to Assistant Program Director, up to News Director.
“We are thrilled to welcome Brian back to the Bonneville family. He is a proven leader who will bring strategic thinking and an innovative spirit that will grow our market leading news and sports brands,” said Market Manager Ryan Hatch. He added, “There is no one more passionate about KTAR News and its talented content teams than Martha. We have watched her grow and achieve great success for 11 years and couldn’t be more excited for her to lead this legendary brand into the future.”
Long commented, “Getting the chance to return to Bonneville after such a great run in San Diego and being part of the evolution for such iconic brands as Arizona Sports and KTAR News is humbling. I look forward to getting to work alongside some of the best talent in the country.”
Maurer added, “It is an honor to continue supporting the mission of Bonneville Phoenix and the heritage brand that is KTAR News. I’m thrilled for this new opportunity to work with the best team in broadcasting and grow our news and talk content across multiple distribution channels.”
