Veteran programmer Rick Vaughn is heading back to iHeartMedia, taking on the role of Senior Vice President of Programming in Salt Lake City.
The move marks a homecoming for Vaughn, who spent 15 years with the company before departing for Cumulus Media a decade ago.
Vaughn has been a familiar name in the Salt Lake City market. For the past 10 years, he served as operations manager and program director at Cumulus Media Salt Lake, overseeing CHR outlets Power 94.9/101.9 and Rock 101.1.
His return to iHeart signals a full-circle moment in a career that has stretched across some of the country’s most competitive formats and markets.
Before joining Cumulus, Vaughn’s resume included an extensive run with iHeart. He led programming for rhythmic CHR KGGI in Riverside, CHR brands in Hartford, San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Atlanta. He also programmed alternative WRDA Atlanta, expanding his portfolio across formats and demonstrating versatility in driving both ratings and brand growth.
In addition, Vaughn held leadership roles with Beasley at Philadelphia’s Wired 96.5 and earlier in his career spent time in Idaho, Spokane, and Phoenix. That experience, spanning large and mid-sized markets alike, has contributed to his reputation as a programmer who can adapt to evolving audiences while maintaining station identity.
“This is an incredible opportunity to help shape the future of iHeart Salt Lake City,” Vaughn said in a statement. “iHeartMedia is committed to excellence, innovation and growth, and I’m excited to return to the iHeart family to collaborate with such a talented team, create compelling content, engage listeners across every platform, and deliver outstanding results for our advertising partners.”
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