Chris Kinard has been named the new Sports Format Vice President for Audacy. Kinard will add those responsibilities to his duties as Vice President of Sports Programming and Cluster Director of Operations for Audacy Washington D.C., which includes 106.7 The Fan and The Team 980.
As part of his new responsibilities, Kinard will oversee the development and implementation of brand and format strategies for the company’s Sports division. He will also work closely with Vice President of Sports Danny Freisinger to execute the company’s multiplatform content strategy and production. Kinard takes over for Spike Eskin who recently left WFAN to serve as afternoon drive co-host on Audacy’s SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia.
“We are privileged at Audacy to benefit from the best local sports content thought leaders in the country and Chris has distinguished himself through his leadership of WFJK-FM and WTEM-AM in D.C. over many years,” said Jeff Sottolano, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, Audacy in a release. “I am excited to see Chris take on this new role and partner with our local and central leadership on further strengthening our unrivaled position in sports.”
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to lead our best-in-class local sports radio stations,” said Kinard. “Audacy is home to the most-listened-to brands and the most impactful local voices in sports, and we have an exciting future ahead. I’m thankful to Jeff Sottolano, Dave Richards and Danny Freisinger for this opportunity.”
Kinard joined 106.7 The Fan in 1998 as an intern and worked his way up to become a producer until 2007. From there, he took on the role of Brand Manager and has held that position since then. In 2019, he also took on the role of Operations Manager for Audacy Washington D.C., overseeing multiple stations including Classic Hits 94.7 The Drive, The Team 980, and Connecting Vets.
