Management shakeup at WVAZ, WGCI

In a move that been universally panned by the blogging and message board community (except this blog, which thinks this is a good idea - Wait a minute. Hold up. Am I praising something Clear Channel is doing? I must be high...), Clear Channel has decided to split the management at top-rated Urban Contemporary outlet WGCI-FM, and successful Urban AC outlet WVAZ-FM.

Elroy Smith, who previously ran both stations, will only now run WVAZ, while Kris Kelley (no, not the BackTrax USA host) will become new program director at WGCI. She hails from Detroit's successful heritage Urban station WJLB-FM, where she was assistant program director, music director, and midday personality.

In essence, this splits the PD duties at both stations, countering a trend against consolidation in the management ranks, which should make for a better product overall.

That's certainly not the case at Crawford's two competing stations, urban WPWX-FM and urban AC WSRB-FM. Both stations are struggling, and regarded as industry jokes.