Chicago Radio: Jimmy deCastro To Exit WGN 720 AM

Jimmy deCastro

Jimmy deCastro is stepping down from WGN 720 AM after three and a half years as president and general manager of the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station, accoridng to Chicago Media Writer Robert Feder.

The veteran media executive plans to leave WGN at the end of the month to focus on The Content Factory, his Evanston-based national syndication and new media company, and to expand into the area of sports representation.

“I’ve done everything I can to respect and build on the legacy of this amazing place, and I believe I accomplished everything I set out to do,” deCastro told me. “It’s been great fun to work with the incredibly talented people here. Now the time is right for me to go back and build something new.”

Larry Wert, president of broadcast media for Tribune Broadcasting, praised his longtime friend: “Jimmy brought his unique leadership, experience and passion to the job every single day, and it made WGN a better, more focused radio station both on and off the air,” he said. “I am eternally grateful to him professionally and personally.”

Wert said he has not decided whether to name a successor to deCastro at WGN. Until then, sales and programming operations will report directly to Wert.

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