D-C Radio: PD Laurie Cantillo OUT At WTOP

Laurie Cantillo

Laurie Cantillo is out as program director at Washington's Hubbard's all-news WTOP 103.5 FM, according to the D-C Business Journal.

"The decision has been made to not renew Laurie Cantillo's contract," WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley wrote in a staff memo sent Friday. "The decision was reached mutually by Laurie and me."
Cantillo took over at WTOP in 2011, replacing longtime programmer Jim Farley.

In a separate memo, Cantillo wrote "this the right time for me to pursue my next adventure." She expressed plans to co-create a screenplay and to pursue other writing. She said radio and digital media would remain "a big part" of her life.

As of January 2015, Hubbard Radio-owned WTOP was the top-rated station in the Washington market. It is the country's highest revenue-generating news radio station, with $63.5 million in revenue in 2013.

Cantillo joined WTOP in late 2011 after a almost three year stint as Program Director at Cumulus' WABC NYC. Previously, she was PD at Oprah & Friends Radio, and PD of at KFYI and EXTRA Sports in Phoenix.

In late 2013, she took over from longtime WTOP programmer Jim Farley, who retired and is now a Florida-based consultant for the top-rated station.