Share
Rick Jackson, who led WBT-AM (1110) radio into an era of conservative talk, said Friday he is leaving Charlotte to manage a cluster of stations in San Diego.
Jackson, 56, took over as general manger at WBT and sister station WLNK-FM (“The Link” 107.9) in 1992.
“It's probably a time for a change, not just for me but for the stations,” said Jackson. “I don't want to be the one who stays too long at the party.”
In taking over the three-station cluster in San Diego, Jackson rejoins Lincoln Financial Media, which sold its Charlotte stations to Greater Media of Braintree, Mass., in 2007 for $100 million.
No replacement was immediately announced. Greater Media is expecting to move someone internally to the Charlotte position, said spokeswoman Heidi Raphael. Until then, the stations will be overseen by Rick Feinblatt, Greater Media's Philadelphia-based senior vice president, she said.
“We wish Rick all the best in his position,” she said.
Over his 17-year career overseeing the stations, Jackson was frequently the target of disgruntled listeners' ire over programming changes at WBT, which has been serving Charlotte since the 1920s and whose 50,000 watt nighttime signal is audible from Maine to Miami. Among the personalities who have left during his tenure are Jeff Katz, Richard Spires, Brad Krantz, Gerry Vaillancourt Jerry Klein, Michael Graham, and Mike Church.
Jackson also led WLNK through a format change beginning in 2003 away from music and toward personality-oriented talk, built on the foundation of the successful “Bob & Sheri” morning show.
WBT and WLNK are believed to be the top two stations in the region in terms of advertising sales, with an annual combined billing estimated at about $19 million.
