US radio and audio media company iHeartMedia has hired David Hillman as chief legal officer, filling the seat left vacant by Jordan Fasbender who departed the company in March.
Hillman joins from sports streaming business Venu Sports, where he was also CLO. At iHeartMedia he will oversee all legal matters, including its compliance, regulatory and corporate governance functions. He will also oversee the company’s government affairs, business affairs and privacy teams.
New York-based iHeartMedia is one of America’s largest audio-focused media companies with more than 860 live broadcast stations, a digital radio service and a podcast publishing business.
Bob Pittman, iHeartMedia’s chairman and CEO, said: “David has very relevant experience across a range of media businesses, as well as specific familiarity with the audio industry. We believe his wealth of experience will make him an ideal addition to the iHeart executive team as we continue to grow our momentum as the number one audio company in America.”
Hillman was at Venu Sports for about nine months – a recently launched joint venture between ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery – having previously been GC at Paramount for its CBS Sports and News units for nearly nine years. Prior to that he was GC at publishing company Simon and Schuster and US radio network Westwood One.
He said: “iHeart is the leader in the audio space in America, backed by a management team deeply committed to growth and innovation, and I’m excited to join and contribute to what’s next. I look forward to working with iHeart’s leadership, partners and the talented legal team to help advance the company across every corner of the audio landscape.”
Fasbender, meantime, left to join Comcast’s as-yet-unnamed cable TV spin-out as its first GC. She had been at iHeartMedia for close to six years, the majority of the time as GC. Prior to that she was associate GC at 21st Century Fox and an associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges.
In a memo to staff reported in showbiz industry website Deadline, the new cable business’s CEO Mark Lazarus said: “As we continue to build our team and position ourselves to become a stand-alone publicly traded company, we are fortunate to rely on Jordan’s experience and advice on a wide variety of matters from the spin itself to the business affairs of evolving media assets.”
In other recent US media moves, online radio broadcaster SiriusXM in February lured former Airbnb legal chief Richard Baer out of retirement to become its new GC, replacing Patrick Donnelly who was due to retire this month.
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