Cumulus Media has announced that Mike Eaby will be promoted to the role of Vice President and Executive Producer of Westwood One Sports. As part of the new role, he will be responsible for managing and overseeing the multiplatform content and live event production from Westwood One Sports. Eaby will report to Bruce Gilbert, the senior vice president of sports content and audience for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, and is going to begin his responsibilities on Wednesday, May 15. He will succeed Howard Deneroff in the role, who is departing his role after working for over 35 years with Westwood One Sports.
“Mike has played a substantial role with Westwood One Sports for nearly 30 years, both in the control room and on the field, greatly contributing to the success of our Sports franchises, including marquee events like the Super Bowl and March Madness,” Colin Jones, president of Westwood One and executive vice president of corporate strategy and development at Cumulus Media, said in a statement. “Our listeners, advertisers, and league partners turn to Westwood One Sports because we deliver consistently outstanding audio broadcasts. With Mike’s experience, passion, and vision, I’m confident he is the perfect person to quarterback Westwood One Sports into its next era.”
Eaby began his career with Westwood One Sports and joined the company as an editor following his college graduation in 1997. For more than 25 years, he has worked as an on-site producer for the NFL on Westwood One, including 16 Super Bowl championships and 23 conference championship games. Moreover, he has worked as an on-site producer for the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament for 23 years and has served as coordinating producer for Westwood One broadcasts of 10 Olympic Games, eight PGA Championships and 21 editions of The Masters.
“First and foremost, I want to recognize Howie who has been an unparalleled mentor to me throughout my career,” Eaby said in a statement. “As a result of his guidance, I’m prepared and ready to lead Westwood One Sports into its next chapter and am grateful to Cumulus for entrusting me with the keys to our industry-leading sports play-by-play business. With the expansion of sports media into the digital landscape, I’m excited for what the future holds as we explore new technologies, platforms, and business possibilities.”
Deneroff signed a multi-year contract extension with Westwood One in 2019 and has been an integral part of its sports division for several decades. Throughout his career with the company, he has worked in multiple roles on coverage of the NFL, NCAA Championship, The Masters and PGA Championship among other marquee sporting events.
“Westwood One Sports is known as the best in the business for audio sports play-by-play,” Jones said in a statement, “and I would like to thank Howard Deneroff for his immeasurable impact on our sports programming and production success over the years.”
