John Ivey To Lead iHeartMedia Programming Strategy

John Ivey, an iHeartMedia veteran whose duties have included booking artists for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour and KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango, has been named president of programming strategy of the media giant’s Contemporary Hits Radio division.

– John Ivey

Effective immediately, Ivey will report to Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. Ivey will continue booking talent for the company’s live events, oversee its CHR and RCHR formats and improve iHeartMedia’s Top 40 brands in markets across the country. He’ll also continue to develop iHeartRadio’s roster of programmers and on-air talent and retain his duties as program director of Los Angeles station KIIS-FM.

“Throughout my career I’ve always loved the opportunity to help new artists and young talent and programmers grow and I’m thrilled my new position as President of CHR Programming Strategy makes the things I love top priority,” Ivey said in a statement.

“John is one of the foremost talents in media today when it comes to programming Top 40 radio and he is a driving factor in why KIIS-FM is the most listened-to station in its market,” Poleman added. “He knows what CHR listeners want to hear and we’re confident he’ll help bring similar success to our stations in other markets.”

Ivey got his start as on-air talent and music director in his hometown of Owensboro, Ky., before moving on to Rochester, N.Y.; Nashville and Boston before landing in Los Angeles. His efforts at KIIS-FM have helped it reach 4 million listeners per week and a No. 1 Arbitron ranking in the market, according to a statement.

IHeartRadio, formerly Clear Channel Radio, is the largest radio owner in the land, with 858 stations in more than 150 local markets.