Baltimore Radio: Front Office Changes At WIYY, WBAL

Cary Pahigian, Dan Joerres

Cary L. Pahigian, one of radio’s most familiar and accomplished executives, has decided to step away, effective March 31, from the position he has held since 2014 as president and general manager of Hearst Television’s legacy Baltimore radio stations to explore several new professional opportunities.

Pahigian’s duties will be added to those held by Dan Joerres, a 24-year Hearst Television veteran who since 2011 has served as president and general manager of WBAL-TV and, since 2014, as Pahigian’s close partner and collaborator on numerous joint Radio-TV initiatives, including Baltimore Ravens football. Joerres will oversee all of Hearst’s Baltimore operations – WBAL-TV, WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5 and WIYY-FM “98 ROCK” and their associated digital properties.

Among many other joint accomplishments, Joerres and Pahigian have secured key broadcast rights to Baltimore’s major professional sports teams – including most recently the radio broadcast rights for the Baltimore Orioles. WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5 and 98 ROCK are now the official radio home of the Orioles, while WBAL-TV, WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5 and 98 ROCK are the official broadcast partners to the Ravens.

“When Cary joined us eight years ago, he brought a wealth of experience at many of the nation’s most honored radio stations,” said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb. “His passionate advocacy for local broadcasting and his strong appreciation for broadcasters’ important community service role were hallmarks of his spectacular success in managing WBAL Radio and 98 ROCK to even greater heights. We wish him great success in his well-deserved next chapter.”

“I joined WBAL and 98 ROCK because of the exceptional leadership team and extraordinary culture at Hearst Television,” Pahigian said. “And my longtime teammate and friend Dan Joerres epitomizes that level of managerial acumen. I know he will lead the outstanding teams throughout WBAL-TV, WBAL NewsRadio and 98 ROCK to even greater achievements. While I plan more adventures for my ongoing career, I leave Hearst with my gratitude for their support and providing me the opportunity of a lifetime.”

During Pahigian’s tenure, WBAL Radio burnished its journalistic reputation. Among many other honors, it captured NAB’s 2016 Marconi Award for Large Market Station of the Year, and in 2021 it earned four first-place awards in Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association competition, recognizing journalism from stations in Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C. In 2020, Pahigian was recognized nationwide as Radio Ink’s General Manager of the Year.

Pahigian joined Hearst Television from Saga Communications, where he was president and general manager of a nine-station radio group in Portland, Maine. His broadcast leadership experience includes corporate vice president/operations at Sconnix Broadcasting, station manager at WBZ/Boston, and operations manager at WIP/Philadelphia. He has been active within numerous non-profit organizations and community initiatives, as well as industry organizations including the NAB and the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), and has served on the boards of regional organizations including the Maryland, DC, Delaware Broadcasters Association.

While Joerres has spent his career in television, he essentially grew up in radio; his father was an executive with Saga. Joerres moved to WBAL-TV as president and general manager in January 2011 from Hearst-owned WXII-TV in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he had served as general sales manager. He currently serves on various Baltimore area boards, including The Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees, the Shock Trauma Hospital Board of Visitors and The Greater Baltimore Committee, as well as the boards of the Stella Maris elder care facility, the Center Club of Baltimore and the Maryland, DC, Delaware State Broadcasters Association.