• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 13, 2015

There’s a new top boss at CBS Radio, with Monday’s announcement that current president and CEO Dan Mason is stepping down, to be replaced by Andre J. Fernandez. The handover is set to take place at the end of this month.

Mason actually served as president and CEO of CBS Radio twice -- first from 1995-2002, then again from 2007 to the present. During this time, he oversaw its first forays into new media, including digital streaming. The company’s digital initiatives launched under his watch include Radio.com and Play.It, its on-demand podcast network.

In a memo to staff, Mason explained: “I would like to do some 'retirement' type things, like leisure travel and spending more time doing my favorite hobbies.” He added he will continue to work with CBS Radio on a consulting basis. He will also continue working for the Broadcaster’s Foundation and provide play-by-play for select college basketball games. 

Mason’s replacement, Andre Fernandez, previously served as president and COO of Journal Communications, a newspaper and broadcast media group that recently divested its publishing business in a merger with E.W. Scripps.

Before that, he served as the company’s CFO from 2008-2014. Prior to joining Journal, he also served as senior vice president and CFO at Telemundo, following its acquisition by GE/NBC.

For his part, Fernandez praised CBS Corp. for the “interface it has achieved with its complementary TV and digital assets, which gives us great opportunities for further development.”

CBS Radio has been involved in a series of station swaps and acquisitions in recent years. Last year, CBS Radio and Beasley Broadcasting announced plans to swap a number of stations, including some high-profile outfits in major markets on the East Coast.