iHM Names John Ivey President of CHR Content D&S

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, December 1, 2021

John Ivey

iHeartMedia names John Ivey as President of CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) Content Development and Strategy, effective immediately. In his new role, He'll focus on the recruitment, training, deployment and career growth of talent across all of iHeart's CHR stations. Ivey has served as President of CHR Programming Strategy since 2017. Additionally, he's held the role of Program Director for iHeartMedia's CHR KIIS-FM in Los Angeles for the past 20 years and will pass the torch to his successor, which will be announced Thursday.

"For over 20 years, John has been a key part of our successful Los Angeles market and our CHR stations across the country," said iHeartMedia Chief Programming Officer and President of the National Programming Group Tom 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."

"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."

Ivey, a 40-plus year radio veteran and the longest running Program Director for KIIS-FM, began his radio career as an air personality and Music Director in his hometown of Owensboro, KY and later led programming efforts for stations in Rochester NY, Nashville 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, SVP 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.