The move puts one of Chicago 's
most charismatic and successful broadcast managers in charge of the legacy
radio station, with plans to re-energize, refocus and build ratings and revenue
at WGN.
"There's been a lot of change in it over recent years,
and a lot of controversy around it, given the personalities that have come and
gone," said Larry Wert, Tribune Co.'s president of local broadcasting.
"We're just really looking forward to some smart, go-forward stability. I
don't think we could have picked anyone better than Jim de Castro."
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| Jimmy de Castro |
More than a decade removed from his last radio job, de
Castro will begin his new role on June 3, reporting to Wert, his former WLUP
protege, who became Tribune Co.'s head of local broadcasting in February.
Chicago-based Tribune Co. owns eight daily newspapers including the Chicago
Tribune and Los Angeles Times, 23 television stations, WGN America and its
legacy radio station, which has been on the air since the 1920s.
While still one of the top-billing and top-rated stations in
Chicago , WGN
has endured its share of challenges recently amid personnel changes and revenue
declines, culminating in the departure of longtime general manager Tom Langmyer
last October. Jeff Hill, the station's
director of sales, has been serving as interim general manager.
WGN, which is ranked 4th in the most recent Arbitron ratings
for Chicago with a 4.8 share, took a big hit in revenue last year, dropping by
more than $5 million to $30.2 million, according to BIA/Kelsey. De Castro hopes
to improve on both ratings and revenue for WGN.
de Castro came toChicago in 1981 to take over WLUP-FM 97.9 and
eventually parlayed that into a job running one of the nation's biggest radio
giants.
de Castro came to
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