Markets in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia Realigned to Better Meet the Needs of Listeners, Partners and Advertisers
 
New York, NY – August 3, 2016 – iHeartMedia announced today that it has elevated the roles of Region Presidents Brian Olson, Linda Byrd and Justin Schaflander to align the markets within the Midwest Southeast Division to better serve the needs of partners, advertisers and the communities it serves. All three Region Presidents will continue to report to Tom McConnell – President of the Midwest Southeast Division of the iHeartMedia Markets Group. 
 
Effective immediately, Florida, formerly organized into four regions, will now be comprised of two regions – Central/North Florida and South Florida. Brian Olson will now become President of the South Florida Region including West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers/Naples and Punta Gorda, and will also manage day-to-day operations in the Miami market, which includes a number of iconic brands and franchises such as Y100, Big 105.9, MEGA 94.9, 103.5 The Beat, 93.9 MIA, 940 WINZ and News Radio 610 WIOD, and produces legendary marquee events including the Y100 Jingle Ball and is home to this year’s iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina. Olson is a 25-year media veteran who joined iHeartMedia in 2006 as Senior Vice President of Sales in Miami.  Olson has also been Market President in Miami and most recently held the position as President of the West Palm Beach Region.
 
Linda Byrd will now become President of the Central/North Florida Region, which includes Orlando, Tampa/Sarasota, Jacksonville, Brunswick, GA and Melbourne.  Byrd is a 40-year media veteran who has been with iHeartMedia since 1982.  Byrd previously oversaw operations in Orlando, including Real Radio 104.1, XL 106.7, Magic 107.7, 101.1 WJRR, Rumba 100.3, News Radio 102.5 WFLA, 96.9 The Game, 104.5 the Beat, WLOQ Radio, Florida’s News Network, FNN Hispana, Alma 97.1 and Pride Radio Orlando. During her tenure she has received many prestigious honors, including Radio Ink Magazine’s General Manager of the Year, and received the Silver Medal Award by the American Advertising Federation for outstanding advertising professional in Central Florida.  Byrd was also the first woman to serve as Chairman of the Florida Association of Broadcasters and currently serves on the boards of the Central Florida Transportation Committee and Florida Citrus Sports.
 
Justin Schaflander will now become President of the expanded Atlanta Region which now includes Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Columbus/Albany, Charleston, Columbia, Savannah, Myrtle Beach and Florence.  Schaflander is a 20-year media veteran who joined iHeartMedia in 2007 as Director of Sports for the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. He has overseen all business aspects of iHeartMedia’s Atlanta Region since 2014 and has held senior sales leadership positions with the company. He is also a board member for the Sunshine on a Ranney Day (SOARD) non-profit organization and is actively involved with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
 
“Under the leadership of Brian, Linda and Justin, this new organization will allow us to better align our regions' assets and resources to improve the listener experience and client results,” said McConnell. “All three of these Region Presidents are proven leaders and have winning track records for driving ratings and revenue, and I’m excited to see all of them take these regions to the next level.”
 
iHeartMedia is the leading media company with the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America.  Its radio brands and content are available across multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations; online via its branded digital sites; mobile; and social, with nationwide listening through iHeartRadio, the all-in-one streaming music and live radio service.