A longtime Syracuse radio DJ has been named the new program director at 93Q (WNTQ-FM) after former PD Tom Mitchell’s exit earlier this month.
Cumulus Media announced Monday that Rick Roberts, who began his career with 93Q while he was still in high school, has been promoted to program director and digital content producer for the Top 40/CHR broadcaster. Roberts has been with the radio station for more than 25 years and will continue hosting the afternoon drive on weekdays from 3-7 p.m.; in addition to on-air host, he was previously named music director in 2006 and assistant program director in 2018.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to lead the amazing 93Q team, with our No. 1-ranked morning show, ‘Ted & Amy,’ and top-notch local staff,” Roberts said in a statement.
This provided photo shows 93Q (WNTQ-FM) program director and on-air DJ Rick Roberts, who started at the Syracuse radio station when he was still a student at Liverpool High School.
Cumulus also announced promotions for two others in its Syracuse market.
Joe DeTomaso, the program director, content production manager and midday host for alternative rock station 95X (WAQX-FM), expanded his purview as the new PD for sports-talk station The Score 1260 (WSKO-AM). DeTomaso joined 95X in 2003 and was named that station’s program director in 2011.
Scott Dixon, assistant program director and afternoon personality at 95X, was named “content production captain” for The SGNL (The Signal), the company’s new streaming-only station in Syracuse. The SGNL launched on Aug. 23 at sgnlsyracuse.com, bringing the Triple A (adult album alternative) format back to Central New York with a mix of artists like Tame Impala, Florence + the Machine, Jack Johnson, and Beck. Dixon, a 2019 SAMMY Hall of Fame inductee who’s been with Cumulus Syracuse for 11 years, also hosts weekdays on The SGNL from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The changes come less than three weeks after Mitchell announced that he is no longer with Cumulus Media Syracuse after 26 years as operations manager for its radio stations, including 93Q, 95X, and The Score 1260, and as program director for 93Q. Mitchell called it an “amicable departure” and said he looks forward to “future opportunities that fit what I have to offer.”
Cumulus previously had another local streaming station, The Rebel Rocks, but it was taken offline in March when longtime DJ Dave Frisina was fired.
Cumulus Media is the second-largest radio operator in the nation with more than 400 radio stations, behind only iHeartMedia, and owner of one of the five largest podcast networks in the U.S. The broadcasting company turned down a $1.2 billion buyout offer in the spring.