• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 31, 2008

The Radio Advertising Bureau is restructuring itself, including the addition of a new business unit dedicated solely to increasing radio's share of advertising spending, the industry organization announced Friday. The restructuring involves dividing its marketing operation into two separate groups: a business development unit dedicated to key advertisers, and a new marketing and communications department.

The marketing and communications department will be headed up by Leah Kamon, who is joining the RAB as senior vice president. In this capacity Kamon will coordinate all the RAB's divisions and initiatives into a single, cohesive marketing effort. She will also take a lead role in Radio 2020, the RAB's collaboration with the National Association of Broadcasters and the HD Radio Alliance. Kamon previously directed internal communications for Time Warner.

As part of the restructuring, Mary Bennett, the executive vice president for national marketing, is leaving the company.

This push to coordinate RAB's efforts comes not long after Katz Advantage doubled the number of sales personnel in its marketing and business development unit, as part of a concerted push to better communicate the radio platform's advantages to advertisers. Many took the move in early February as a sign that big broadcasters were dissatisfied with the RAB's performance, as the industry contends both with a softening economy and an apparent secular downturn.

Altogether, the Katz Advantage group represents a total of around 3,500 stations, including Bonneville, Citadel, Cox, Cumulus, Emmis, Greater Media, Journal, Regent, Saga, Sandusky and South Central, in addition to Clear Channel.