• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 6, 2011

Evan Harrison, who helped shape Clear Channel Radio's digital strategy over the last five years, is leaving the company for a new post as chief creative officer for Van Wagner Communications, one of the country's largest outdoor advertising companies, Van Wagner announced Monday.

In his new role (a newly created position for Van Wagner), Harrison will be responsible for identifying and developing new business partnerships, and forming a creative marketing solutions team. He will be able to draw on high-profile Van Wagner properties, including premium billboards in outdoor epicenters, like Times Square and LA's Sunset Strip, as well as aerial platforms (primarily banner-towing) and sports venues.

The news of Harrison's move to Van Wagner comes not long after he stepped down from his post at Clear Channel in March. The departure was not a surprise. In August 2010, an internal CCR memo revealed that he was planning to leave his post as CCR's executive vice president and digital president by the end of last year, but Harrison apparently decided to extend his stay by a few months.

After joining Clear Channel in 2004, Harrison oversaw the relaunching of hundreds of its radio station Web sites, rolled out a new common platform for streaming, on-demand digital audio and video content, and introduced the popular iHeartRadio app, as well as various online-only channels.

He also helped boost digital ad revenues to over $100 million in 2010, accounting for a healthy portion of the radio industry's total digital ad revenues, which came to $615 million in 2010, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. Harrison launched the "Sessions" live performance series and forged partnerships with digital production companies to help local advertisers get into online video advertising.

In the memo announcing his departure in March, Clear Channel Radio boss John Hogan noted that the digital division now boasts "25 million monthly unique visits to our online sites and 24 million downloads of our mobile apps."