The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the newest members of its Radio and Television Board of Directors.

The new members will serve two-year terms that begin in June 2024.

Beasley Media Vice President and Market Manager Mary Menna has been elected to the New York/New Jersey district.

Saga Communications President and CEO Chris Forgy will serve the North Carolina and South Carolina district (District 6).

Jerry “J” Chapman, the President and majority owner of Woof Boom Radio, has been named to take over the 10th district (Indiana), that was previously held by Mike Hulvey before he departed Neuhoff Media for the RAB.

Townsquare Media CEO Erik Hellum has been elected to serve District 12, which holds Missouri and Kansas.

Finally, Bonneville International Executive Vice President of Strategy and Technology Tim Swift was elected to represent Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah (District 22).

Additionally, Radio One Regional Vice President and General Manager Eddie Harrell Jr. will be appointed to a designated seat that had been held by Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins.

The following executives were re-elected and will continue to serve on the NAB Radio Board:

• Leonard Wheeler, President of Mel Wheeler Inc. (District 4: DE, DC, MD, VA)
• Flynn Foster, President/Owner of Guaranty Media (District 8: LA, MS)
• Jeanna Berge, President of iHeartMedia Multi-Platform Group (District 14: IA, WI)
• Andrew Sutor, Executive VP and General Counsel of Audacy (District 16: CO, NE)
• Ben Downs, Vice President of Bryan Broadcasting (District 18: Southern TX)
• Larry Patrick, Managing Partner of Legend Communications (District 20: ID, MT, WY)
• Bob Proffitt, President/CEO of Alpha Media (District 24: Southern CA, Guam, HI, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Island)

The following executives will make up the NAB Television Board:

• Lynn Beall, Executive VP and COO of TEGNA
• Amy Liz Pittenger, Executive Vice President of Bahakel Communications
• David Griffin, CEO of Griffin Communications
• Nicholas Radziul, SVP of Distribution and Government Affairs at Hearst Television
• Deb McDermott, CEO of Standard Media Group
• Pam Teague, COO of Sarkes Tarzian Inc.

The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) has announced O’Reilly Auto Parts has been named the winner of the 2024 Radio Marketer of the Year Award.

The honor coincides with the 25th anniversary of the “Oh, Oh, Oh, O’Reilly” jingle. The company has made radio central to its marketing plan.

“O’Reilly Auto Parts continues to be an incredibly valuable partner to the radio industry,” noted RAB President/CEO Mike Hulvey. “Their ongoing dedication to the use of radio as a lead medium to drive their local business forward is truly a collaborative effort to be celebrated by the entire radio industry.” 

“Thank you to RAB for recognizing O’Reilly Auto Parts with this incredible award,” said O’Reilly Auto Parts Vice President of Marketing and Advertising Hugo Sanchez. “I’m really proud of our entire marketing team, as well as the more than 90,000 team members across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

“This award is a testament to the work of all of our team members, who provide excellent customer service each and every day. Our marketing and advertising work, and the jingle, mean nothing without our team members delivering this great service to all of our customers day in and day out.”

The award will be presented at the 2024 Radio Mercury Awards on June 6 at Sony Hall in New York City. 

After negotiating for two years as part of its first union contract, iHeartMedia employees in the podcast division have filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board.

The charge claims the radio giant has violated Section8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act “by restricting protected Section 7 speech, by engaging in intimidating conduct and by interrogating employees about their support for the union” in its interactions with the iHeart Podcast Union, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The union claims the company reacted negatively to employees distributing flyers and pamphlets related to the union beginning in March.

The iHeartPodcast Union represents around 100 employees between hosts, producers, editors, and researchers in conjunction with the Writers Guild of America East.

Since negotiating with the company beginning in 2022 after iHeartMedia recognized the union, discussions have become contentious, shifting into the public sphere earlier this month when the union claimed the iHeart showed up two hours late to a bargaining session.

Later that week, the union publicly criticized the company in a social media post, writing “Funny how a company that can afford to rent a yacht for celebrities every year ‘can’t afford’ to raise our salary minimums!”