Brad Lane is heading home. After spending the past two years serving as Good Karma Brands’ Director of Content for ESPN Milwaukee 94.5 FM/540 AM and 620 WTMJ, the opportunity to return to Minnesota and oversee programming for Audacy’s legendary news brand 830 WCCO was just too good to pass up.
Lane will fill the seat previously occupied by John Hanson. Hanson had taken over for Andy Bloom. Both Hanson and Bloom had sports talk backgrounds just like Lane.
Prior to heading south to Wisconsin in January 2019, Lane spent spent twenty years at KSTP-AM (formerly ESPN 1500, now known as SKOR North) working as a host, producer, creative director and program director. His familiarity with the city, the talent in the market, and the WCCO brand should allow him to make a smooth transition.
“I’m beyond excited for the opportunity to be back in the Twin Cities programming a station with such a rich legacy, trusted talent and commitment to excellence,” said Lane. “WCCO has an incredible history and a bright future; it’s with a sincere appreciation for the heritage of this storied brand that I am also thrilled to be a part of its evolution.”
“WCCO Radio serves as an extremely important news brand for the people of the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota who rely on us to be informative, timely, relevant and entertaining,” added Shannon Knoepke, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Minneapolis. “Brad brings a wealth of experience leading content teams and his leadership and vision will be instrumental to the success of our station. We’re looking forward to adding him to the team.
No word yet on what Good Karma Brands in Milwaukee will do to replace Lane’s position. Given the quality of both 94.5 ESPN and WTMJ as brands, the company should be in good shape to attract a strong brand leader.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
