Longtime 105.9 WMAL Program Director Bill Hess has announced he’ll retire at the end of the month.
The retirement from Hess will conclude a nearly 50-year run in the radio business for Hess, who has led both music and spoken word formats during his career.
Bill Hess has spent the past 15 years leading 105.9 WMAL. Included in that time was a nine-year stint as the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, providing oversight for the company’s 43 news/talk brands. Before his tenure as Vice President, he served as the Operations Manager for the company’s Washington, D.C. cluster.
“I am grateful for these 48 years in the business I love, programming both music and spoken word stations, and working with the most exciting and entertaining teams in radio. Concluding with the past 15 years at WMAL and Cumulus Media has been a true highlight.”
During his time in the nation’s capital, Bill Hess also programmed music stations WASH-FM and WBIG-FM, in addition to his time leading 105.9 WMAL.
“Bill is an esteemed leader, teacher and journalist,” said Cumulus Media Chief Content Officer Brian Phillips. “He possesses intellect, a gift for talent development and strict high standards. It has been our good fortune to work in the trenches with Bill during the overheated recent news cycle. Bill will always be our trusted advisor. We wish Bill great things in retirement and thank him for his uncountable accomplishments with Cumulus Media and our high-performing News/Talk stations – particularly for his work programming our News/Talk flagship, WMAL. His legacy is forever secure.”
“It has been a privilege and a blessing to work alongside Bill,” added Cumulus Washington, D.C. Vice President/Market Manager Jeff Boden. “His calm, insightful demeanor and his remarkable ability to attract and lead best-in-class talent has set a standard rarely seen in the News/Talk format.”
Bill Hess’ final day with the company is scheduled for Thursday, December 31st.
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