Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Saga Communications CEO and Founder Ed Christian Dead


Ed Christian
Ed Christian

Saga Communications founder, Chairman, President and CEO Ed Christian died on Friday, August 19 after a short illness. Warren Lada, a member of Saga's board, has been appointed to serve as the interim CEO. Christian founded Saga Communications in 1986 and has fostered its growth to owning 79 FM radio stations, 35 AM radio stations and 80 translators in 27 markets. Under his leadership, Saga Communications became a publicly traded company in 1992 and continues to be traded under the ticker symbol "SGA" on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

In a release, the company said, "The broadcast industry has lost a pioneer and giant. Saga expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Christian family and Ed's friends and colleagues. Ed will be missed but not forgotten. He is and was a true radio broadcaster that never lost sight of his 'true north' in an industry he loved.

"The board is confident that Warren's vast experience in the broadcast industry as a sales representative, sales manager, general manager, Vice President of Operations and ultimately as Chief Operating Officer of the Company will fill the void that Ed leaves as the Company prepares for the next chapter in 'Saga's ongoing adventure.'"

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said in a statement, "Ed Christian built Saga Communications into one of the preeminent radio groups in the country through keen business sense and a deep understanding of the power of local radio. He was a passionate defender of broadcasting whose leadership helped secure a bright future for the radio community. NAB extends our condolences to his family on their loss."

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

Red Apple Media Appoints Bert Goldman as CTO
Bert Goldman
Bert Goldman
Red Apple Media names veteran broadcast engineer Bert Goldman as its new Chief Technology Officer. He brings more than 50 years of radio engineering experience to the role, with a deep background in station construction, facility upgrades, signal optimization, and regulatory compliance. Goldman has More

Chris Fillar Joins WWJ Newsradio 950 as Morning Co-Anchor
Chris Fillar
Chris Fillar
Audacy names Chris Fillar as the new morning co-anchor on WWJ-AM (WWJ Newsradio 950) in Detroit. Fillar steps into the role alongside Jackie Paige, with the duo now leading weekday broadcasts from 5-10am ET. Fillar, who has delivered sports updates on WWJ and sister WXYT-FM (97.1 The Ticket) since 2018, More

Anna & Raven Show Expands to Montgomery and Columbia
Anna & Raven Show
Anna & Raven Show
Syndicated Anna & Raven Show continues its rapid growth, adding two major Southern markets to its expanding list of affiliates. Beginning this week, the morning program will now be heard on WMXS (Mix 103.3) in Montgomery, AL and WARQ (Live 93.5) in Columbia, SC. The show is now carried in more than 75 More
Advertisement

PodcastOne Announces Return of Chrisley Confessions 2.0
PodcastOne
PodcastOne
PodcastOne has announced the relaunch of Chrisley Confessions, the podcast hosted by reality TV personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley. The revamped series, entitled Chrisley Confessions 2.0, premieres July 16, and will be available in both audio and video formats through PodcastOne. More

Latino USA Podcast Joins iHeartMedia's My Cultura Network
Latino USA
Latino USA
Futuro Media and iHeartMedia announced today that Latino USA, the longest-running Latino-focused news and culture program in the U.S., joins iHeartMedia's My Cultura Podcast Network. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, Latino USA will now be distributed as a podcast via iHeartRadio More

Hubbard Radio Seattle Appoints Nick Beyer VP/MM
Nick Beyer
Nick Beyer
Hubbard Radio has appointed Nick Beyer as Vice President and Market Manager of its cluster in Seattle, marking a homecoming for the longtime broadcaster whose career began over two decades ago at the same group of stations. Beyer now leads operations for a portfolio that includes KQMV-FM (MOViN 92.5), More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement