Clear Channel taps industry veteran John Sykes for key position
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Media industry veteran John Sykes is joining radio giant Clear Channel as president of its newly created entertainment enterprise unit.
In his new role, Sykes will look to expand Clear Channel, which has 850 radio stations, into television, digital platforms and live entertainment.
In an interview, Sykes, who had stints as president of cable channel VH1 and CBS Radio, said he wants to use the “muscle and reach” of Clear Channel to turn it from “850 independent shops” to a “large-scale media company.”
The move to Clear Channel reunites Sykes with Bob Pittman, the chief executive of Clear Channel parent CC Media Holdings Inc. The two worked together on the launch of MTV in 1981 and have remained close since then.
Sykes’ hire is part of CC Media’s plan under Pittman to reposition itself as more than a radio company. Last week, CC Media officially changed the name of Clear Channel Radio to Clear Channel Media & Entertainment.
For more on Clear Channel’s hiring of John Sykes, see the story in Tuesday’s Los Angeles Times.
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-- Joe Flint
