People in the News

Bruce Avery, the former general manager of Hofstra University's WRHU (88.7 FM) in Hempsted, New York, died Saturday at the age of 69 after a lengthy illness. Avery retired in August 2022 after spending 28 years as the general manager of WRHU.

Timothy Gerard Girton, an on-air host and program director for two Louisville stations, died last Monday at the age of 58. Girton worked as an on-air host for WMJM (101.3 FM, Magic) and WGZB (96.5 FM).

Audacy's Boston sports station WEEI (93.7 FM) has hired Adam Jones to serve as a co-host during the afternoon drive block with Meghan Ottolini and Christian Arcand. As part of the new talent line-up, Jones & Mego will debut January 30 with the new afternoon team.

iHeartMedia has appointed Tracy Bethea as program director of WDIA (1070 AM), its urban oldies and classic soul station in Memphis. She reports to Sue “Bis Sue” Purnell, the senior vice president of programming at iHeart's mid-South area.

iHeartMedia says its Denver-based world-class rock station KBCO (97.3 FM) has hired Robbyn Hart to host mid-days, starting Monday. Hart will host the midday show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and will report to program director Scott Arbough.

Iliad Media Group’s self-syndication unit announced Joey & Lauren in the Morning have added Rhythmic CHR KEZE Hot 96.9 in Spokane as a new affiliate.

Amy Leimbach has been named the regional SVP of sales for the newly-created greater Texas region, and Steve Earnhart has been appointed regional SVP of sales for the greater Arizona region. Additionally, Breeanna Malik has been named the executive VP of the unified partnership team at iHeartMedia.

Long-time Seattle host Gregg Hersholt is retiring from Lotus' KNWN (1000 AM, 97.7 FM) on Friday. The retirement caps a five-decade broadcasting career, much of it spent in the Seattle market. Brian Calvert will fill Hersholt's role as morning news co-host, starting Tuesday.

Salem Media Group has appointed Andy Massingill as its senior director of digital sales. Massingill moves into the position after serving in a leadership with Salem for its western region, where he helped open additional revenue streams for the company there.

Capitol Broadcasting's classical radio station KMFA (89.5 FM) in Austin has appointed George Preston as its chief executive officer. Preston will join the station at the end of the month; he will be responsible for the overall strategic, operational, financial, and managerial leadership of the station.