Clear Channel Communications, which owns SFX Entertainment, has named Kevin Mayer chairman and chief executive officer of the Clear Channel Internet Group. Mayer will report to Clear Channel president and chief operating officer Mark Mays.
Mayer will "manage and operate all of Clear Channel's Internet and interactive businesses worldwide, working in close coordination with the Company's Radio, SFX Entertainment, Television and Outdoor divisions," a company statement read.
Making the announcement, Mays said, "the Internet is a critical component of our Company's future growth" and "expansion in this area needs to be thoughtful and strategic."
Mayer comes to Clear Channel from his recent position as president and chief executive officer of Playboy.com. Prior to that, he was at The Walt Disney Company, working within Disney's Internet business, then called Buena Vista Internet Group. He is credited with driving the expansion and supervising operations at the online operations of ESPN, ABC News and ABC brands.
Mayer described himself as a "strong believer in the marriage of traditional and new media." -- By Murdoch McBride