Posted by Bud on December 08, 2009 at 13:50:48:
In Reply to: John Gehron to work with AccuRadio.com posted by Bud on December 07, 2009 at 20:19:32:
December 8, 2009
LEWIS LAZARE Media & Marketing columnist llazare@suntimes.com
Noted Chicago radio executive John Gehron has joined growing Chicago-based Internet radio company AccuRadio.com as its lead management consultant, according to AccuRadio founder and CEO Kurt Hanson.
Gehron is no stranger to the Chicago radio industry. His roots here reach back to the mid-1970s, when he was program director at then Top 40 station WLS-AM (890). While Hanson attended the University of Chicago, he interned at WLS under Gehron.
Most recently, Gehron was general manager of Chicago-based Harpo Radio, where he oversaw operations and programming for "Oprah & Friends," a lifestyle talk radio channel that airs nationwide on Sirius XM Radio. Gehron was eased out of his Harpo job a year ago when Sirius XM was suffering financial problems.
Now, Gehron is back in business with Hanson, who is trying to grow his nine-year-old Internet radio company. Many believe Hanson got in early on what will prove to be a major alternative to traditional terrestrial radio stations, such as Gehron's former WLS-AM and the many others competing in the Chicago market. Traditional radio has been under heavy siege the past year as advertising revenue has plummeted and listeners' loyalty has splintered, thanks to operations such as Hanson's.
Hanson's AccuRadio offers music aficionados nearly 500 online channels tailored to specific tastes and customized for various markets. AccuRadio's focus is on musical styles that appeal to the 25- to 54-year-old age group. Last spring, Hanson recruited former WNUA-FM (95.5) smooth jazz host Rick O'Dell to program a collection of niche online jazz stations aimed at the Chicago market.
In addition to his marketing skills, Gehron will help in attracting new financing to further expand AccuRadio and allow Hanson to offer more customized online radio channels in more markets nationwide. "I will be someone Kurt can bounce ideas off of," said Gehron, who also will spearhead AccuRadio's "Slipstream Radio" initiative -- a plan to offer online, multichannel versions of AM and FM stations for terrestrial broadcasters.