Brian Philips Is New CMT Chief
Brian Philips, an award-winning radio programmer, will become senior vice president and general manager of CMT. John Sykes, president of VH1 and CMT, announced Philips’ appointment in a meeting with staff members Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 21). Philips comes to CMT from Susquehanna Broadcasting, where he was director of FM programming for Dallas and Atlanta. Philips oversaw the transformation of groundbreaking, top-rated country station KPLX-FM (99.5, “The Wolf”) in Dallas. The station is Billboard’s reigning major-market country station of the year. Philips is the first person in history to be named Billboard’s top program director in both country and modern rock (for his work with WNNX in Atlanta and KKMR in Dallas). KPLX played a major role in the recent success of Mark McGuinn’s independently released single, “Mrs. Steven Rudy.”
