WSB radio program director Drew Anderssen is leaving Atlanta to work a similar job at a news/talk station in Dallas.
He’d had the job at WSB (FM 95.5 and AM750) for three years and is leaving in part to be closer to family.
“I am so upset,” said Clark Howard, a former radio host on WSB who ended his syndicated show just over a year ago. “He is probably the best talk radio programmer in the United States. He is also a really great guy. It is a huge loss for WSB radio. I will really miss him.”
Anderssen, who took over WSB when Pete Spriggs retired, also oversaw all of Cox Media Group’s news/talk stations nationwide.
He will become brand manager at NewsRadio 1080 KRLD in Dallas and its affiliated Texas State Networks for Audacy.
Anderssen presided over WSB during the pandemic when overall radio listening dropped sharply and commuting patterns shifted. But WSB managed to maintain strong ratings, regularly finishing at No. 1 in Nielsen numbers. Last fall, WSB had the highest share for a news/talk station in the top 25 markets and the only one to reach double digits.
In recent months, WSB has seen numbers decline, ceding the top spot to sister rock station 97.1/The River.
WSB’s share in March Nielsen ratings was 6.9, third overall behind the River (8.1) and R&B station Kiss 104.1 (7.3), which is also operated by Cox Media Group. Cox Media Group is majority owned by Apollo Global Management, an asset management firm.
WSB’s weekly cumulative audience was 881,900, the most in metro Atlanta ahead of the River (822,800) and pop station Q99.7 (651,400), owned by Atlanta-based Cumulus Media.
Anderssen worked at Cox Media Group for 24 years, first in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then Orlando, Florida, before coming to Atlanta in 2019.
Anderssen, in a statement, said: “I’m truly grateful for the incredible opportunity that was afforded to me to lead WSB through such a turbulent time in news.” He added about his new job: “This was a tremendous opportunity to return to the city where I grew up and fell in love with radio.”
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