iHeartMedia

LOS ANGELES – December 1, 2021 – iHeartMedia announced today that John Ivey has been named President of CHR (Contemporary Hits Radio) Content Development and Strategy, effective immediately. 

In his new role as President of CHR Content Development and Strategy, Ivey will focus on the recruitment, training, deployment and career growth of talent across all of iHeart’s CHR stations. Ivey will work closely with Dennis Clark, the Executive Vice President of Talent Development to coach and develop talent.  He will continue to report to Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer and President of the National Programming Group for iHeartMedia.

“For over 20 years, John has been a key part of our successful Los Angeles market and our CHR stations across the country,” said Poleman. “Now he will step into another integral role within iHeart – a role which represents that iHeart is a talent-first company dedicated to building the skills, capacity and drive of our nationally-recognized on-air personalities. John’s extensive experience in programming and his credibility within the industry are perfect for leading and elevating this initiative.”

Ivey has served as President of CHR Programming Strategy since 2017.  Additionally, Ivey has held the role of Program Director for iHeartMedia’s iconic CHR powerhouse station KIIS FM in Los Angeles for the past 20 years and will pass the torch to his successor, which will be announced tomorrow. Since Ivey joined KIIS FM as its Program Director, the station has been consistently one of the nation’s highest cuming station in key demos, features some of the most popular programming lineups including the hit morning show On Air with Ryan Seacrest, has won multiple Marconi Awards for station of the year, and is home to nationally-recognized events including iHeartRadio’s KIIS FM Jingle Ball and Wango Tango.  Ivey will remain a strong presence and supporter for the KIIS FM team to ensure a smooth transition.

“My mother took me to a radio station for the first time on my 6th Birthday. The PD of that station, Mrs. Potter was my first mentor.  Next was my first PD, Steve Hagen and later the legendary Steve Rivers. Now it’s my turn to focus on TALENT FIRST at iHeart,” said Ivey. “Thanks to Bob Pittman for always supporting me and allowing me to pitch a dream and turn it into a job. I love supporting talent, watching them grow and achieve their goals. Let’s GO!”

Ivey, a 40-plus year radio veteran and the longest running Program Director for KIIS FM, began his radio career as an on-air personality and Music Director in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky and later led programming efforts for stations in Rochester, New York; Nashville, Tennessee; and Boston. He joined iHeartMedia Los Angeles in 2001 and throughout his tenure has served as Vice President of Programming for the market, Program Director of KYSR FM and KHHT FM, Senior Vice President of Programming and CHR Brand Manager for iHeartMedia, and has co-produced marque events and television specials including iHeartRadio’s KIIS FM Jingle Ball and Wango Tango.  Additionally Ivey was named on Billboard Magazine’s Inaugural Power List. 

Acquisition establishes iHeartMedia as the only company to provide a complete set of Advertising Technologies and Measurement solutions for all forms of Audio Media

Acquisition Further Expands iHeartMedia’s Industry Leading Data and Measurement Capabilities, Programmatic Platform, Self Service Platform for Small Businesses and Podcast Capabilities

NEW YORK – February 17, 2021 – iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT), the No. 1 audio company in America and the No. 1 podcast publisher globally, today announced it has entered into an agreement with The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) to acquire Triton Digital®, the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry, for $230 million, subject to certain adjustments.* With this acquisition, iHeartMedia will now be able to provide audio content to producers and advertisers with an industry-leading full ad service package for streaming and podcasting no matter their size, reach or distribution method.

The addition of Triton Digital’s vast array of infrastructure and measurement solutions will complement iHeartMedia’s current advertising technology services, data platforms and programmatic platforms while providing additional solutions for those in the digital radio industry, allowing iHeartMedia to be the first and only company in the audio market to provide four distribution methods for audio, including on-demand, broadcast and digital streaming radio and podcasting, and to service all audio assets programmatically.

The acquisition of Triton Digital is the latest of iHeartMedia’s investments in the audio technology space, and further enhances its position as the leader in audio. Most recently, in October 2020, iHeartMedia acquired Voxnest, the leading marketplace for podcasts and provider of podcast analytics, enterprise publishing tools, programmatic integration and targeted ad serving. Over the past two and a half years, the company has also acquired Jelli Inc, the pioneering technology that offers marketers a digital-compatible buying platform for broadcast radio that includes programmatic buying, data targeting and creative optimization; Radiojar, the centralized, cloud-based audio playout platform, through iHeartMedia, Inc.’s subsidiary RCS; and Unified, the leading social advertising data intelligence platform and solutions provider.

“Adding Triton Digital and its industry leading services to the iHeartMedia audio ecosystem establishes iHeartMedia as the only company with a total audio advertising technology and data solution,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “iHeart, with our strong leadership position in podcasting, digital radio and broadcast, already provides cutting edge audio management, programmatic and data solutions for the broadcast radio, digital audio and podcasting industries, and this acquisition further strengthens our position as the No. 1 audio company in America and provides unique -- and critical -- solutions for the industry and for advertisers.”

Operating in more than 50 countries, Triton Digital is a global Advertising Technology SaaS platform for audio streaming, podcasting and metrics that enables publishers to monetize their audiences by providing a highly respected digital audio measurement and advanced audio-focused infrastructure to maximize the yield of audio inventory. The company’s two lines of business focus on advertising infrastructure and measurement, including a content delivery system that distributes digital audio streams and podcasts to listeners while dynamically inserting ads and measurement business that tracks audience and creates ratings reports.

In addition to measuring audiences for customers, Triton Digital operates the world’s first programmatic marketplace for digital audio programmatic ad-buying and Yield-Op, a world-class Supply Side Platform (SSP) that specializes in Audio and enables programmatic audio advertising.

“We are thrilled to join the iHeartMedia family,” said Neal Schore, CEO of Triton Digital. “We remain deeply committed to providing the world’s broadcasters, podcasters, and online audio publishers with continuously innovated, best-in-class solutions and services for online audio management, advertising, and consumption data, and are well positioned to enhance iHeartMedia’s value proposition to audiences and advertisers.”

*The consummation of the proposed acquisition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

About Triton Digital

Triton Digital® is the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry. Operating in more than 50 countries, Triton provides innovative technology that enables broadcasters, podcasters, and online music services to build their audience, maximize their revenue, and streamline their day-to-day operations. In addition, Triton powers the global online audio industry with Webcast Metrics®, the leading online audio measurement service and Podcast Metrics, one of the first IAB certified podcast measurement services in the industry. With unparalleled integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability, Triton remains committed to connecting audio, audience, and advertisers to continuously fuel the growth of the global online industry. Triton Digital is a wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). For more information, visit www.TritonDigital.com.

Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Jon Pardi and Chase Rice plus Hot Country Knights, Bobby Bones and More on May 2 At Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas

The Event Will Livestream Exclusively on LiveXLive and Broadcast Across iHeartCountry Stations

New York, NY – January 28, 2020 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, announced today the return of the iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One on Saturday, May 2. For the seventh straight year, Country music's biggest superstars will perform at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas in a live celebration of all things Country.

The 2020 iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One lineup will feature Country music’s hottest artists including Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Jon Pardi and Chase Rice, plus Hot Country Knights, Bobby Bones and more.

“Now in its seventh year, the iHeartCountry Festival has undoubtedly become one of the most anticipated nights in Country music," said Rod Phillips, EVPP of iHeartCountry. “With an incredible roster of Country music’s most popular artists, this year’s show will once again exceed listeners and viewers expectations, as the event broadcasts across our iHeartCountry stations nationwide and livestreams exclusively on LiveXLive.”

The star-studded event will livestream exclusively on livexlive.com and broadcast live across iHeartMedia’s Country music radio stations in their local markets and at iHeartRadio.com. iHeartCountry has more than 150 Country stations across the U.S. reaching more than 109 million Country music listeners per month on broadcast alone, making it the largest Country broadcast radio group in America.

The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally-recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Concert Tour Presented by Capital One, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartRadio Wango Tango, iHeartRadio Podcast Awards and iHeartRadio ALTer Ego.

Capital One will be the national presenting partner for the iHeartCountry Festival. Capital One Cardholders will be the first to get exclusive access to high demand tickets through an exclusive Capital One® Cardholder Pre-Sale beginning Tuesday, February 4 at 10:00am CT through Thursday, February 6 at 10:00am CT at iHeartRadio.com/CapitalOne.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 7 at 12:00pm CT via TexasBoxOffice.com.

The iHeartCountry Festival is an iHeartMedia Production. Proud partners of this year's event include Capital One, Care Now, Tito’s Handmade Vodka,Twisted Tea ® and Wyndham Rewards with more to be announced. The 2020 iHeartCountry Festival’s benefiting charity is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and for every ticket sold, iHeartMedia will donate $1 from their proceeds to help fund the hospital’s lifesaving treatments and research.

For more information visit iHeartRadio.com/countryfestival.

About Capital One

At Capital One we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them great products, rewards, service, and access to unique and unforgettable experiences they are passionate about. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Learn more at capitalone.com/access.

About the Frank Erwin Center:

Located in the heart of downtown Austin, the Frank Erwin Center has served Central Texans with the best in live entertainment, including concerts, theatrical performances, family shows and sporting events since 1977. The multi-purpose facility, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary in November 2017, is owned and operated by The University of Texas at Austin and serves as the home court for the Texas Longhorns Men’s and Women’s basketball teams.

PFL and iHeartMedia to Enhance Fan Experience Through Music, Talent, Audio Content, Consumer Promotions and More 

NEW YORK CITY and WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2019) -- The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization ever to present MMA in the sport-season format of Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship,and leading audio company iHeartMedia, today announced a marketing, content and promotion partnership designed to promote fight events and enhance the fan experience through the fusion of music and MMA.  

iHeartMedia on-air hosts and talent will make appearances at select events, kicking off with New York’s Hip Hop and R&B station Power 105.1’s DJ Suss-One spinning live at the first event of the PFL 2019 Season May 9 at Nassau Coliseum.  Promotional opportunities continue with DJ Envy of The Breakfast Club, the popular morning show syndicated on Hip-Hop and R&B stations nationwide, to drive tune-in for the events.

The partnership also includes creating music experiences in connection with each fight night and providing fans with access to PFL “in the life” fighter interviews. Fans will gain insight into what happens behind-the-scenes during fight week through the lens of iHeart and PFL influencers. Promotional contests will run across iHeartMedia stations throughout the country and on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital live streaming radio service.  

“The goal of our partnership with iHeart is to create an immersive and exciting experience for fans through music, entertainment and fighter interactions in connection with our regular season, playoff and championship events,” said Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL. “As the leader in audio, with more than 270 million listeners a month on their broadcast stations alone, iHeartMedia will help us reach a massive audience as we enhance and promote our season, which starts May 9 on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.” 

“We are thrilled to be working with the PFL and have the ability to create significant awareness for them through our leading broadcast and digital assets,” said Joe Robinson, President of Corporate Development & Ventures. “We are also excited to have the opportunity to reach this new enthusiastic audience and offer our listeners even more exclusive content and entertainment that they can’t hear anywhere else.” 

Every PFL event will air across ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+, — the leading multi-sport streaming service, in addition to TSN in Canada, and on a wide and diverse group of premier global distribution partner platforms reaching over 130 countries around the world. 

The first half of the regular season – PFL 1, 2 and 3 – will be held on May 9, May 23 and June 6 at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Coliseum. Following a five-week break, PFL action will resume from Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on July 11, July 25 and August 8. The top eight fighters in the five men’s weight classes and top four in the women’s lightweight division will earn spots in the Playoffs this October in hopes of advancing to the PFL Championship on New Year’s Eve.

About Professional Fighters League

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) presents MMA for the first time in the sport-season format where individual fighters control their own destiny, competing in a regular season, playoffs, and championship.  PFL’s differentiated format and exciting fights sparked breakout growth for the league.   PFL events are Thursday nights primetime live on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The PFL 2019 Season features elite MMA athletes across six weight classes, including the first-ever 155-pound women’s division, with each fighter having two fights during the PFL Regular Season in May, June, July, and August.  The top eight fighters in each weight class advance to the single-elimination PFL Playoffs in October, where fighters must fight twice and win twice in the same night to advance to the finals.  PFL Championship is New Year’s Eve with the winners of each title bout being crowned PFL World Champion of their respective weight class and earning $1 million. Viewers will be delivered next-gen stats never before seen in MMA through the PFL’s proprietary SmartCage™ platform and Cagenomics™ technology.

PFL is backed by an investor group of sports, media, entertainment, and business titans.  Watch PFL live Thursday nights in the U.S. on ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes.  PFL is also available in 130 countries around the world with leading local broadcasters.  

For more info visit www.PFLmma.com and follow PFL on Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@ProFightLeague), and Facebook (/ProFightLeague).

New Board’s Range of Highly Relevant Knowledge and Experience Will Be Critical In Ensuring Company’s Future Success

New York, NY and San Antonio, TX – November 6, 2018 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, announced today the members selected to serve on its Board of Directors upon its emergence from Chapter 11.

Subject to confirmation of the Company’s Plan of Reorganization, the post-emergence Board will consist of the following Directors, all of whom possess highly relevant knowledge and experience critical to positioning the company for future success:

• Bob Pittman, Chairman of the Board of Directors:  Mr. Pittman is the current CEO and Board Chairman of iHeartMedia. Mr. Pittman was formerly COO of AOL Time Warner, Inc. after serving as President and COO of America Online, Inc. Mr. Pittman also served as the CEO of MTV Networks and was the cofounder and programmer who led the team that created MTV.

• Jay Rasulo: Mr. Rasulo was formerly an executive at Walt Disney Company from 1986 through 2015, having spent his last five years at Disney as the CFO and Senior Executive Vice President. During his tenure at Walt Disney, among other roles, he served as the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. Mr. Rasulo is a graduate of Columbia University and received his MA & MBA from the University of Chicago.

•  Gary Barber:  Mr. Barber served as the Chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM) from 2010 through March 2018. Prior to his role at MGM, he was the co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment, which he founded in 1998. Mr. Barber received his undergraduate and post graduate degrees from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

• Rich Bressler:  Mr. Bressler is the current President, COO and CFO of iHeartMedia. Before joining iHeart, Mr. Bressler was a Managing Director at THL. Prior to joining THL, Mr. Bressler’s experience included serving as Senior Executive Vice President and CFO of Viacom, Inc., as Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Digital Media, and as Executive Vice President and CFO of Time Warner Inc.

•  Brad Gerstner:  Mr. Gerstner is the Founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital, an internet, software, and travel focused investment firm founded in 2008. Prior to launching Altimeter, Mr. Gerstner was the Co- founder of three internet search start-ups. Mr. Gerstner received his MBA from Harvard Business School.

• Sean Mahoney:  Mr. Mahoney is a private investor. He currently serves as a director at two public companies, Aptiv plc and Arconic Inc., and at post-bankruptcy Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. His prior board service includes Delphi Automotive plc and Formula One Holdings. Mr. Mahoney was a partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he headed the Financial Sponsors Group, and Vice Chairman, Global Banking, at Deutsche Bank Securities. Mr. Mahoney is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Oxford University (which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship).

• Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan:  Ms. Sivaramakrishnan is the founder and CEO of Drawbridge, a company focused on designing quantitative algorithms for numerous areas, including computational advertising. Prior to founding Drawbridge, Ms. Sivaramakrishnan was a Senior Research Scientist at AdMob which was acquired by Google in 2010. Ms. Sivaramakrishnan has her Ph.D. from Stanford University.

“We are excited about both the depth and range of our new Board members,” said Pittman.  “We know our ability to draw on the experience of this unique combination of leaders in their respective fields will give us an unparalleled competitive advantage as we build our next level of growth.”

iHeartMedia’s current Board of Directors will remain in place until the company emerges from Chapter 11, at which time the new Board will assume its responsibilities.

Revolutionary Data-Driven Analysis Tool Utilizes Daily Sales and Market Share Data to Optimize Advertising Campaigns for Auto Dealers

NEW YORK – August 28, 2018 – iHeartMedia and AUTOFLYTE announced today the launch of AUTOFLYTE EDGE, a new powerful automotive insights tool that features daily sales and market share data throughout each region to help dealerships market smarter and faster. AUTOFLYTE EDGE is available now exclusively through iHeartMedia.

In an age when real-time analytics and insights are vital to a business’ success, dealerships have been confined to analyzing OEM reports and 60- to 90-day old registration data to guide their sales and marketing strategies. Now, for the first time, auto dealerships will be able to utilize iHeartMedia’s AUTOFLYTE EDGE tool to receive up-to-date daily automotive sales insights from their surrounding area, allowing them to completely customize and quickly update their sales and marketing strategies based on current market dynamics and trends.

The EDGE platform houses insights for dealers across the U.S. and pinpoints the exact geographies where dealerships and their competitors are gaining and losing market share for specific nameplates down to a zip code, allowing dealers to identify where the most opportunity exists for their business right now.

“We are committed to technology-driven innovation and having the ability to offer even more targeting solutions for our advertisers that leverage the unparalleled local reach of radio,” said John Karpinski, Executive Vice President of Automotive Business Development & Partnerships for iHeartMedia. “AUTOFLYTE has partnered with the industry authority for automotive sales statistics to create the most powerful and credible insights tool available and we have partnered with AUTOFLYTE to bring this revolutionary technology to the market. With the new AUTOFLYTE EDGE platform, we will provide our auto partners the ability to break free from previous automotive marketing confinements and use timely information to precisely target new buyers.”

“With iHeartMedia and AUTOFLYTE’s exclusive real-time insights and data, this new tool is nothing short of a game changer for how we do business at our dealership,” said Steve Hurley, Owner of Stingray Chevrolet. “For the first time, we are able to specifically tailor our marketing plans based on what our customers want today versus months ago. We’ve been waiting for something like this and are already seeing success.”

AUTOFLYTE EDGE is part of iHeartMedia’s ongoing focus to assist brands and marketers in reaching consumers across its quarter of a billion monthly broadcast listeners. In May, the company launched iHeartMedia Analytics, the first fully-digital attribution service for broadcast radio. The company’s additional industry-leading marketing optimization tools include SoundPoint, its programmatic real-time radio ad buying platform, and SmartAudio, which enables advertisers to do impression-based audience planning and dynamic radio ad creative using real-time triggers to deploy different campaign messages based on what is happening in a specific market at a specific moment. SmartAudio has allowed brands to use broadcast radio ads to dynamically serve the most relevant message in each market, at each moment to ensure increased relevance and impact.