• by Erik Sass , March 27, 2007

Radio veteran Dan Mason will be the new president and CEO of CBS Radio, according to Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of the CBS Corporation, who announced the news late Monday. Joel Hollander, CEO and president since 2003, is stepping down. The company didn't give a reason for the high-level executive shuffle.

Mason was previously president of CBS Radio from 1995-2002, when he left to work as a consultant for the radio industry. During that time, he managed the integration of various CBS-owned properties into a cohesive network, including Group W, Infinity Radio and American Radio Systems stations.

For his encore performance, Mason will be responsible for all 144 radio stations in the network and the division's routine operations. But he is clearly also expected to spearhead strategy at a time when most of the radio business, including CBS, is in the doldrums.

In his announcement Moonves lauded Mason's "perspectives on how radio can thrive and grow in our highly competitive media world." Mason echoed Moonves on innovation: "The combination of our premiere content with new technology applications will enable CBS Radio to move to a new plateau."