Cumulus Media says Cumulus Detroit Vice President/Market Manager Tom O’Brien will retire this month after 40 years in Motor City radio. The Detroit cluster will also add Lance Tidwell as director of FM programming, filling the vacancy left by Robbie Bridges. And in Eugene, Ore., KEHK(FM) has added Josh “Jay Jay” Gebhart as program director, a role he will also have for KSCR(AM/FM) in Willamette Valley.
O’Brien was hired as director of sales for WJR(AM) Detroit in 2004 and seven years later was upped to vice president/market manager for the cluster. Before his time with Cumulus, O’Brien was general sales manager and station manager at WWJ Detroit for 14 years, and also held positions as local account executive and regional manager for Interep.
For his part, Tidwell most recently worked as operations manager for Townsquare Media’s four-station cluster in Fort Collins, Colo. He also had stints as senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia in Tucson, Ariz., and San Antonio. Tidwell also worked as PD for stations including: WWYZ in Hartford, Conn.; KKWF in Seattle; KQFC in Boise; and WGKX in Memphis, Tenn. He also previously served as operations manager for Cumulus Kansas City during his three-decade career.
Gebhart most recently was producer and on-air talent for iHeartMedia in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Before that role, he was talent for Cumulus Minneapolis and had a gig on-air for Ingstad Broadcasting in New Prague, Minn.
Cumulus combines local programming with nationally syndicated brands through its 434 owned-and-operated stations, approximately 8,000 broadcast radio stations affiliated with its Westwood One network and numerous digital channels.
