WTOP Taps Laurie Cantillo As New PD

Laurie Cantillo

As part of a recently outlined multi-platform digital reorganization and growth strategy, HUBBARD Talk WTOP/WASHINGTON, D.C. has named former CUMULUS Talk WABC-A/NEW YORK Programmer LAURIE CANTILLO PD.

HUBBARD Sr. RVP JOEL OXLEY said, "Recently, we signed (WTOP VP/News and Programming) JIM FARLEY to a contract taking him into 2014. The addition of LAURIE CANTILLO to his team will help us grow the WTOP Brand across all our platforms -- FM radio, streaming audio, wtop.com, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, our mobile platform and e-mail and text updates."

FARLEY said, "LAURIE is one of the best, most-admired and well-liked Program Directors in AMERICA. She has solid news credentials, a great track record of rating success in major markets and a great understanding of the power and potential of digital and social media."

WTOP Restructures Newsroom As Part Of Multi-Platform Growth Strategy

WTOP is reorganizing and expanding its newsroom to emphasize its growing digital efforts and to unify the digital and broadcast staff to become a true multi-platform news operation.

VP/News and Programming JIM FARLEY will oversee the new operation which includes the addition of several positions including new PD LAURIE CANTILLO, who will work under FARLEY to help orchestrate the expansion. Current Dir./Digital Operations JOHN MEYER also moves into the newsroom as the architect of the social and digital strategy as it comes together with the current broadcast operation.

One of the primary reasons for the new structure is to redefine the news workflow. Instead of the traditional model which takes broadcast content and tries to fit it into a digital hole, WTOP's strategy will focus on the creation of news stories at the beginning of a process. A story's execution will be determined at its origin; it will then be optimized for all the distribution platforms WTOP offers -- radio, web, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and mobile.

Said FARLEY, "We will now have both a Digital Editor and a Radio Editor working together 24/7. No other radio station in AMERICA does this. And we are not just talking the talk; we are hiring more people, reevaluating everything we do and making the necessary changes no matter how sacred or ingrained. The future is digital and WTOP will be the leader heading into that future."

Other personnel changes include the promotion of current News Director MIKE MCMEARTY to Senior News Director, Assistant News Director MITCHELL MILLER to News Director, MIKE GARTELL to Managing Editor, GARY EMERLING to Senior Digital Editor and DARCI MARCHESE becomes Executive Producer.

JOEL OXLEY noted, "We are extremely excited about this. While most radio stations in the country are cutting, WTOP is growing. This all began a year and a half ago when we had brainstorm sessions with everybody from the station. 400+ ideas came out of that process. The grassroots message boiled down to this, 'Go Digital and Go Large.' We are doing just that."

The new newsroom configuration will be operational by the end of JANUARY 2012, and an expanded WTOP Traffic Center will be constructed in the first quarter of 2012. Job postings for available positions are listed at wtop.com.

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