WIBC-FM 93.1 is looking for a new program director.
Alan Furst, the radio station’s program director since January 2010, this week informed Charlie Morgan, market manager for WIBC parent Emmis Communications Corp., that he is leaving to take a job with Radio One’s News 92 FM in Houston.
Indianapolis-based Emmis has launched a nationwide search for Furst’s replacement, Morgan said, adding that WIBC News Director Stacy Conrad will serve as interim program director until a full-time replacement is hired.
The program director's position at WIBC is one of the plum radio jobs in the local market. WIBC has been one of the most listened to radio stations in central Indiana for decades, and last year was third in advertising sales behind country powerhouse WFMS-FM 95.5 and classic rock behemoth WFBQ-FM 94.7, according to BIA Financial Network Inc., a Virginia-based research firm.
Furst has a lengthy background in radio programming, including serving as program director for WLW-AM 700 in Cincinnati, vice president of programming for CapStar Broadcasting, senior vice president of programming for Clear Channel, and director of country programming for Cumulus. Before joining Emmis, Furst was senior vice president of content for Austin, Texas-based DMX Inc., a provider of customized music for commercials and other applications.
Furst is moving to be closer to family, Morgan said, and to help take care of his father, who is in failing health.
“[He] lived in Texas before he moved here for this job. Houston is a Top 10 market. It all makes great sense for Alan,” Morgan said. “Not so much for us, but how could I argue?”
Furst, who replaced Kent Sterling at Emmis, was one of Morgan’s early hires at the Indianapolis radio station.
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