Westwood One, Benztown Extend Partnership

Westwood One announces it has signed a multi-year partnership extension with imaging powerhouse Benztown, an international radio imaging, production library, programming, jingles and voiceover services company with over 1,900 affiliations across a large portfolio of radio groups on six different continents.

Under the new agreement, Benztown will provide radio imaging, production, voiceover, programming and jingles to Westwood One and to Cumulus' owned and affiliated stations.

In 2011, Cumulus and Benztown signed an exclusive agreement that created one of the radio industry’s largest and highest quality collections of production and imaging libraries. Per the terms of the new agreement, Westwood One will continue to manage affiliation and advertising sales for all Benztown production and imaging libraries and Benztown will direct production of the network’s library offerings. Additionally, Westwood One will manage affiliate and advertising sales for Benztown’s voiceover services available to stations for barter and will serve as exclusive ad sales representation for select Benztown Radio Networks programs and services.

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Content and Programming for Cumulus Media said: “The creative services that Benztown provides to our Cumulus O & O stations, and to our network products, is exceptional. This renewal is the highest profile endorsement that could ever be given to any product or service.”

Dave “Chachi” Denes, Benztown President said: “If you were to ask me seven years ago when I got invited to leave the PD chair at KBIG if any of this would be possible, I would have said not in a million years. Working with Mike McVay, Charles Steinhauer, Dennis Green and the programming team at Cumulus/Westwood One is the highlight of my career. I’ve never been happier personally and professionally and I hope that the Benztown story inspires others who have had to reinvent themselves.”