Lance Tidwell
Lance Tidwell has been named senior vice president of programming for the iHeartMedia San Antonio market. The company also says that Rod Phillips will lead its Nashville-based iHeartCountry team, and Crystalyn Portwood has been named director of sports sales for the Denver market, effective Aug. 8.
As SVP of Programming, Tidwell will work closely with talent and the programming staff to deliver opportunities to reach listeners through iHeartMedia San Antonio’s assets, the announcement said. Tidwell will also work closely with the sales team.
Tidwell previously worked with iHeartMedia Tucson as SVP of programming. His other programming experience includes stops in Monterey/Salinas, Calif; Hartford/New Haven, Conn.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Seattle. Prior to his time with iHeartMedia, Tidwell served as COO for Southern Star Broadcasting in Memphis.
IHeartMedia San Antonio includes KAJA(FM), KQXT(FM), KBUC(FM), KXXM(FM), KZEP(FM), KTKR(AM), WOAI(AM), KQXT(HD) and KZEP(FM).
Rod Phillips
In 2011 Rod Phillips helped develop “The Bobby Bones Show,” the nationally-syndicated country music morning show, working with Bones to expand the show’s original format and moving “The Bobby Bones Show” from Austin to Nashville for its transition in February 2013.
Phillips has more than 20 years’ experience in programming. He previously served as iHeartMedia’s SVP of programming for the Southeast Region, PD and on-air personality for KISS(FM) in Chicago, and operations manager for iHeartMedia’s Miami-Ft. Lauderdale cluster. IHeartCountry has more than 140 country format radio stations across the U.S. Country artists make up four of iHeartRadio’s top five most listened-to artist stations.
“IHeartMedia has more country stations than any other format and reaches more country listeners in America than anyone else across multiple platforms — broadcast, digital, social and events. And because country is also one of the closest-knit music and radio communities, it’s important that iHeartCountry has a leader like Rod who knows both the people behind the music and the nuances of the format,” said Tom Poleman, president of National Programming Platforms, iHeartMedia.
Crystalyn Portwood
The iHeartCountry team, which includes Brand Coordinators Doug Montgomery, Steve Geoffries, Gregg Swedberg and Chad Heritage, support the recent launch of iHeartCountry stations in markets including Boston, Chicago and Pittsburgh, as well as provide all iHeartCountry stations with strategic resources and product leadership. IHeartCountry is built on its local franchises, which include KEEY(FM) in Minneapolis; WMZQ(FM) in Washington; WEBG(FM); WUBL(FM) in Atlanta; WSIX(FM) in Nashville, Tenn.; WPOC(FM) in Baltimore; KNIX(FM) in Phoenix, a release explained.
IHeartMedia Denver’s KOA(AM) and 103.5 The Fox are the flagship stations for The Denver Broncos NFL franchise and 850 KOA is the flagship station for the Colorado Rockies baseball team and The University of Colorado Buffalos football and basketball teams.
Portwood previously served as local sales manager at KMOX in St. Louis, Mo., for CBS Radio under then GSM Tim Hager and assumed the role of GSM when Hager departed for the role of SVP of sales for iHeartMedia Denver.
