Entercom replaces local radio market manager as ratings slide

Pennsylvania-based Entercom Communications Corp., which operates three Indianapolis radio stations, has parted ways with longtime Indianapolis market manager Jenny Skjodt.

Skjodt had led the cluster—composed of WZPL-FM 99.5, WNTR-FM 107.9 and WXNT-AM 1430—for nine years.

Officials for Entercom and Skjodt could not be reached to comment on whether Skjodt resigned or was fired. Skjodt was replaced by Entercom’s local sales vice president, Ben Hoffman. 

During part of Skjodt's tenure, top-40 station WZPL had been among the central Indiana market’s most-listened-to stations.

But since early this year, WZPL’s market share has started to slide, from 7.4 among all listeners in February—which led the market—to a 4.9 in October. Even the market share for the popular Smiley Morning Show, hosted by Dave Smiley, has dipped a bit.

Skjodt, who graduated from Indiana University in 1984, was formerly with Susquehanna Broadcasting in Indianapolis, which was acquired by Cumulus in 2005. The 2001 IBJ Forty Under 40 winner spent 23 years with Susquehanna, where she worked as a sales representative, director of sales and general manager.

Hoffman, a Murray State University graduate, has been with the local Entercom cluster for more than seven years. Before joining Entercom, he was director of sales and station manager for the Townsquare Media cluster in Fort Collins, Colorado.

It's not clear if any of the Entercom station's will have programming changes in the wake of the staff shakeup.

Skjodt is the second Indianapolis radio market manager in the last three months to leave abruptly.

Tom Stemlar lost his job as Cumulus Media's local market manager Aug. 27 and was replaced by former iHeartMedia Cincinnati Region President Chuck Fredrick.