Kirk Harnack will serve as a strategic consultant to MaxxKonnect.
Harnack is well known as host of the online video series “This Week in Radio Tech,” or TWiRT. He also has long been associated with Telos Alliance, most recently as senior sales consultant. He left Telos after 25 years in January, as Harnack posted on Facebook.
As a consultant or engineer he also works or has worked with companies like Akamai Broadcasting, Oxford Media Group, Kauai Broadcast Partners, South Seas Broadcasting and Delta Radio, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also has experience as a television meteorologist, currently with RFD-TV.
MaxxKonnect offers prioritized connectivity and technical services. It said Harnack’s new role will build on their “established relationship focused on helping broadcasters better understand and deploy modern connectivity solutions and advanced audio technologies in real-world broadcast environments.”
It said Harnack will contribute to its educational initiatives, participate in industry events and discussions, and provide insight on emerging trends. It cited his 45+ years in radio and television broadcasting including expertise in AoIP, networking and virtualized broadcast systems.
Director of Sales and Marketing Adam Robinson highlighted Harnack’s “infectious energy, technical depth and deep-rooted industry connections.”
From the Radio World People News page: The National Association of Broadcasters has named Joey Martin as senior vice president of sales strategy and enablement for global connections and events, or GCE.
“In this role, Martin will oversee sales and revenue generation for NAB Show and NAB Show New York, reporting to Karen Chupka, executive vice president, GCE,” the organization said.
Martin is former VP of sales at NTP Events. Prior to that he was vice president of business development at ASIS International.
Chupka highlighted his expertise in sales strategy, account management and partner engagement.
Eric Trabb, SVP and chief customer success officer, now becomes senior VP of strategic partnerships and alliances, responsible for helping the spring show develop new partnerships and growth opportunities, a spokeswoman said.
“Eric will drive expansion into adjacent markets, attracting new audiences and customers while building new alliances with next-generation technology companies. As the business of video production and consumption is seeing record growth, this shift gives us the focus needed to continue to expand the NAB Show for all its stakeholders.”
Inrush Broadcast Services has announced that Andy Gunn has joined the firm as its director of project management and process engineering.
He follows Rob Bertrand, fellow alum of WAMU(FM) in Washington, D.C., who joined Inrush as its CEO last year.
Gunn spent six years as director of broadcast engineering at WAMU, where he helped build and maintain its technical systems.
In this newly created role, Inrush said Gunn will strengthen the company’s ability to deliver broadcast technology projects by bolstering the processes of its managed services and support operations.
His initial focus will be process engineering for Inrush’s managed services, including its phone-based InrushVoice, as well as its network operations center.
“Andy brings a unique combination of deep engineering credibility and an operational mindset to build repeatable processes,” Shaun Dolan, Inrush’s SVP of emerging technologies, said in a release.
At a time of great changes and challenges for public broadcasting, Christy Tanner has been named to one of the most prominent positions in American local public radio: She is the new president/CEO of New York Public Radio.
She succeeds LaFontaine Oliver, who remains as executive chair.
NYPR operates in the nation’s largest media market and includes WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, Gothamist, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space and New Jersey Public Radio.
“Tanner is a highly accomplished CEO and board director, an award-winning journalist and a longtime New Yorker,” the organization said.
“She is known for more than two decades of transformative media industry leadership in executive roles at CBS, TV Guide and The Washington Post Company. She serves as chair of Swerve Sports, a streaming TV company, and on the board of directors of Audacy, one of the nation’s largest audio companies.”
She began her career as a reporter and editor at the Associated Press and at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. She has had senior executive roles at the Washington Post and Reed Elsevier, and was CEO of TV Guide Digital.
NYPR noted her leadership of CBS News Digital starting in 2015, where she and her team “innovated what news could look like on mobile, audio, social and connected TV.”
Board of Trustees Chair John Rose called her “the leader NYPR needs at this moment” and described her as a pacesetter. “She recognizes our singular role in New York City, and the importance of reinforcing the trust we’ve earned with audiences over generations while having the vision to advance our services, platforms and formats to make the center of excellence that is NYPR sustainable for years to come.”
LaFontaine Oliver joined New York Public Radio in 2023. The organization made the decision last year to bring in a new CEO, according to Current, so he could focus on broader organizational issues rather than day-to-day operations.
From our People News page: MaxxKonnect has hired Steve Griesbach as a senior engineer for the southeastern United States.
MaxxKonnect Technical Services offers contract engineering, broadcast system design and connectivity solutions. It is part of MaxxKonnect Group.
Griesbach will support stations serviced by MK from the company’s offices in Birmingham, Ala., and he will help its build team on projects around the country.
Griesbach began his radio career in 1986 as an air talent, and moved into engineering after completing technology courses with the Cleveland Institute of Electronics. He became a chief engineer in 1990 and has held senior engineering positions with multiple major broadcast groups.
“In 2004, Griesbach took on an 11-station cluster for Cumulus Media in Wisconsin before spending the past decade with Beasley Media Group as chief engineer in Las Vegas,” MaxxKonnect said in the announcement.
President/CEO Josh Bohn cited Griesbach’s “knowledge, work ethic and down-to-earth attitude.”
Send People News submissions, especially for engineering, upper management and supplier roles, to radioworld@futurenet.com with “People News” in the subject line.
Orban Labs has named Josafat Guerrero Jordan its vice president of product development.
Guerrero Jordan joined Orban in 2022 as an applications developer and the audio processing manufacturer promoted him to product manager in 2024.
The company praised Guerrero Jordan’s software development background as it shifts to an agile-style project management approach. He also has experience in IT systems and custom embedded designs.
Orban President David Day credited Guerrero Jordan with managing the Super Hi-Fi HLS decoder, as well as the Nielsen, Ipsos and Kantar watermarking implementations in its 5950, 5750 and Trio product lines.
“Over the years he’s had hands-on experience with multiple customers, where his on-site support and troubleshooting have directly led to product improvements,” Day said in a release.
Guerrero Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in physics.
RCS announced that President and CEO Philippe Generali will retire, effective at the end of February.
He steps down after nearly three decades with the broadcast automation software company and even more time prior to that with RCS Europe.
The company said in a release that, for the next year, Generali will act as a senior consultant to Mark Gray, CEO of Katz Media, who has had oversight of RCS for the past several years. The pair will work to transition the company until a new CEO is identified.
RCS is a subsidiary of iHeartMedia.
“Philippe has been an extraordinary visionary and leader in shaping RCS into the global powerhouse it is today,” Gray said.
Generali joined RCS USA in 1996 as product manager. He became president of RCS USA in 2000 and then president and CEO of RCS Worldwide, overseeing the growth of its playlist and automation products such as Selector and Zetta.
As his involvement grew, the company’s expansion into market research and audience metrics followed suit.
Prior to moving from France to the United States, Generali was the head of RCS Europe, where he helped the company grow its international presence.
RCS credited Generali with the creation of Media Monitors, its market research company. In 2007, he added Florical Systems for television automation, and three years later, he became president and CEO at Mediabase, broadening RCS’ role in music and audience analytics.
“We want to be an end-to-end source for broadcasters and webcasters, a one-stop shop,” he told us.
The company also credited him with establishing relationships with organizations such as EGTA, the International Radio & Television Society and the Market Research Council.
The release indicated Generali plans to spend newfound time pursuing his passions and traveling adventures across both the U.S. and Europe.
From Radio World’s People News page: Keith Williams will retire in March from RCS, where he is senior vice president for Asia Pacific, ending a broadcasting career that has spanned five decades.
“Keith began his career in radio, holding programming and on-air roles at leading stations in Australia and New Zealand,” the company said in its announcement.
“His talent and leadership earned multiple industry accolades and helped deliver continuous #1 ratings at Sydney’s 2Day FM, establishing him as one of the region’s most respected broadcasters. Keith’s voice is legendary.”
Keith Williams (Credit: LinkedIn)
He joined RCS as general manager of RCS Australia 25 years ago and has held several leadership roles.
“Keith played a pivotal role in expanding RCS’s presence across Asia Pacific and driving innovations that transformed the industry,” it said, including the internet-based music delivery service MusicPoint and introducing what became RCS Media Monitors to Australia.
RCS President/CEO Philippe Generali thanked him in the announcement. “Keith has always been a go-getter, a world of personality combined with relentless work ethic. He brought energy and creativity to every conversation, and his ability to close deals while driving innovation set a benchmark for all of us.”
As NAB’s senior vice president of communications since early 2023, he has been one of its public faces in explaining policy and has been the main point of contact for media who cover NAB activities.
He emailed journalists that he will leave NAB at the end of the coming week to pursue another opportunity.
Grace Whaley recently was promoted to NAB’s director of communications and social media. Judianne Meredith joined NAB last summer as a communications coordinator.
“It has been an honor to work on behalf of America’s broadcasters and to collaborate with so many of you covering this industry,” Siciliano wrote.
Siciliano joined NAB in 2022 as senior communications strategist and was promoted the next year, succeeding Ann Marie Cumming.
Prior to NAB he was VP of communications at The Petrizzo Group. He also was a deputy chief of staff for then-Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. He previously served as communications director for Gardner and ran communications on his Senate campaign in 2014.
Siciliano also worked on the presidential campaign for the late Sen. John McCain in 2008.
Don Jones, the longtime owner of RF Specialties of Texas, has died at the age of 90.
Jones lived in Amarillo, where he was born and raised.
Jones and John Schneider founded RF Specialties in 1982 as an alliance of independent broadcast suppliers. The company served as the Nautel transmitter dealer for New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. It also represented Orban, Moseley, ERI, Shively and Wheatstone/Audioarts.
Remembered as more than just a supplier, Jones was known for showing up at transmitter sites and studios to assist with installations.
“I saw him at his happiest when he would be working on a build-out project for one of his many faithful customers,” Schneider told Radio World. “He will be missed.”
“Don was the one who dragged me kicking and screaming into the Nautel world of solid-state transmitters in 1989, and thank God that he did,” wrote Cris Alexander, director of engineering for Crawford Broadcasting, in an email remembering Jones.
Alexander noted that he had fielded a call several months ago from Jones, still active on projects, to pick Alexander’s brain.
He grew up in Amarillo but moved to Orlando to pursue a dream of a career in photography, according to his TAB convention profile. He eventually moved back to the Lone Star State and took a job at KCUL(AM) in Dallas-Fort Worth, managing everything from on-air DJing to climbing towers.
Don Jones, left, assisted Cris Alexander, center, and Amanda Hopp, right, at the KBRT(AM) Oak Flat, Calif., transmitter site as Crawford Broadcasting was tuning up the array and getting it ready to go on the air in January 2013.
Jones attended Texas Christian University and stayed in the DFW Metroplex for two years before returning to Amarillo to work at Hertner’s Camera Store. In 1958, he began a two-year stint in the Army, stationed in Yuma, Ariz.
His time in the military helped form his electronics background. He joined Muzak in 1961 and worked there for four years before the company was sold. McMartin Industries, a manufacturer of Muzak equipment, hired Jones, and he worked in sales and marketing there for nearly 20 years.
Jones started Broadcast Marketing Service in 1980, and met with Schneider, also a McMartin Industries alum, a year later, according to a 2011 Radio Guide feature. The meeting resulted in their cooperative arrangement, the RF Specialties Group. The group expanded to include other independent sales engineers, designated by the name of the state where the company was based.
Jones was credited with many successful TAB initiatives, including the convention itself. In 2005, the National Association of Broadcasters honored Jones for attending the past 40 NAB Conventions.
Funeral services for Jones will be held on Wed., Jan. 14, at 1 pm at the Hillside Christian Church in Amarillo, with a burial to follow at Llano Cemetery.
New York State Broadcasters Association President David Donovan has announced that he will be stepping aside this year after 15 years of leading the association.
“David is doing an outstanding job, but he believes the time has come to turn over management of the association to the next generation,” NYSBA Chairman Chris Musial said in a release.
Musial noted in the release that Donovan will continue to lead the association’s state and national lobbying efforts.
The NYSBA has begun a search for a new president led by its board and executive search committee, and Donovan noted that the association’s goal is for a “smooth transition.”
Prior to becoming NYSBA president, Donovan spent 10 years leading the Association for Maximum Service Television. His legal career dates back to the early 1980s.
Kirk will hold the title of associate executive director of strategy, events, and industry engagement at AES. He currently serves as director of marketing and business development at IES, a position he has held since 2023. For nine years prior, Kirk was the director of sales and marketing at AES.
In a release, Kirk said he looks forward to building on AES’ foundation to serve the audio engineering community.
Brienne Willcock
Willcock will serve as the associate executive director of strategy, standards and industry engagement at IES. She currently is the society’s director of education and standards, where she has helped advance its technical excellence and educational programs. Willcock has been with the society for the last six years.
The two positions have been newly created, the societies said, reflecting their recent shared management arrangement. The promotions are effective Jan. 1.
Longtime president and CEO of The Media Institute, Richard Kaplar, has announced that he will step down from his role at the end of January. Former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has been named Kaplar’s successor.
Michael O’Rielly (Credit: FCC)
Kaplar joined The Media Institute in 1981 and served as vice president from 1984 to 2016. He became executive director in 2016 and kept that title when he became head of the institute in January 2018. He was named president and CEO in December 2018, according to a press release.
“I’ve had the privilege of advancing The Media Institute’s mission for 44 years and especially during these last eight years as its head,” said Kaplar in the release. “It’s been extremely satisfying, but I think it’s time for change.”
Kaplar plans to remain as a consultant to the institute as O’Rielly takes up the mantle.
O’Rielly, president of MPORielly Consulting Inc., based in Arlington, Va., was a Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission from 2013 through 2020.
During his time at the FCC, The Media Institute says O’Rielly was known as a supporter of innovation in the media industry, including NextGen TV, 5G wireless networks and bringing broadband services to unserved Americans. “He was a champion of diversity in media ownership and worked diligently to modernize FCC regulations that hampered media growth and innovation,” said the non-partisan organization.
As an FCC commissioner, O’Rielly also took an active interest in matters related to radio, and he was an advocate for giving the commission more tools to fight pirate broadcasting.
“I am humbled by the board’s selection of me to replace Rick Kaplar, who has so ably and honorably served The Media Institute for decades,” said O’Rielly in the release. “The organization’s defense and promotion of the principles within the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment remain critical to our nation and political discourse, and will be central to my work at The Media Institute.”
O’Rielly came to the FCC from Capitol Hill, where he spent almost 20 years on both the House and Senate sides. From 2010 to 2013 he held several positions, including policy advisor in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip. Before that, he worked for the Senate Republican Policy Committee as a policy analyst.
Longtime news/talk program director Bill Hess has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31.
Hess has served as the program director for Cumulus Media’s 105.9 WMAL(FM) for the past 15 years. Previously, he was also operations manager for the company’s Washington, D.C., cluster.
“I am grateful for these 48 years in the business I love, programming both music and spoken word stations, and working with the most exciting and entertaining teams in radio,” Hess said in a release.
For nine years, Hess served as vice president of the news/talk format for Cumulus, overseeing 43 stations nationwide.
Before joining Cumulus, Hess was the senior vice president of programming for the Air America network. His roots in the D.C. market also include programming stints at music stations WASH(FM) and WBIG(FM).
Hess began his career on-air in 1977 at WCBG(AM) in Chambersburg, Pa.
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