Portland OR Radio: Connoisseur Promotes Ross MacLeod, Others

Connoisseur Media has promoted Ross MacLeod to Vice President of Programming for its newly acquired Portland, Oregon, cluster and unveiled a sweeping round of programming appointments across all four stations, effective immediately.

The moves, announced Tuesday, affect Adult Alternative 101.9 KINK, Top 40 95.5 KBFF (Live 95.5), Country 98.7 KUPL (The Bull), and News/Talk 101.1 KXL/FM. They mark the most significant restructuring since Connoisseur closed its purchase of the former Alpha Media Portland stations in May 2025.

Ross MacLeod

MacLeod, who joined the cluster in 2024 as KXL Program Director, now oversees programming strategy for the entire market. He continues to report to Senior VP of Programming Keith Dakin.

Additional key changes include:

• Tamara Dhia named midday host on Live 95.5, ending the station’s controversial year-long experiment with AI voice “AI Ashley.” Dhia most recently handled middays at iHeartMedia’s Z90.3 San Diego.
• Dylan Salisbury, already PD of Live 95.5, adds Content Director duties for 98.7 The Bull, replacing outside consultants Tim Richards and Jimmy Steal.
• Veteran imaging and promotions specialist Stewart hired as programming consultant for both KINK and Live 95.5.
• Longtime KXL producer Chris McHill promoted to Assistant Program Director for the News/Talk station.

Connoisseur CEO Jeff Warshaw called the appointments “the ignition point for the next era of these iconic Portland brands,” while emphasizing continued investment in live, local talent and expanded digital content under the company’s Connex platform.

The reorganized leadership team takes control of a cluster that collectively reaches more than 1.5 million weekly listeners in the Portland market, according to recent Nielsen Audio data.