Courtesy the Washington Post

(August 6, 2010) Bruce Gilbert, the CEO for the Dan Snyder-led Red Zebra Broadcasting, recently accepted a job as VP of news, talk and sports programming with CBS Radio in Dallas. My colleague Paul Farhi talked to Gilbert about the move, and asked him how WJFK's switch to sports talk just over a year ago affected Red Zebra's 980 flagship.

"I'm a glass half-full guy, so I always look on the positive side," Gilbert told Farhi. "It definitely made us better, sharper. There was definitely some complacency there [before the switch], and that blew it away."

Gilbert also said the move was "good for the sports-talk format" overall in this city, and it's hard to disagree. Before the switch, WTEM was getting four percent of its target audience, men ages 25-54. Now, the two stations are getting a six percent share, combined.

"More people are tuning in to the format," Gilbert said. "The competition has made the format better."

Gilbert has family ties in Dallas, where he used to work in radio, and his wife is from Houston. He said he had "no dissatisfaction" with Red Zebra, and that Snyder "has been gracious and helpful and true to his word every step of the way."

Farhi also asked Gilbert whether Snyder wants to sell Red Zebra and get out of the media business.

"I never felt it was a possibility," Gilbert said." He added, "I can't speak for the board. But I can say that Dan has been very passionate about being in the media business....There's no question the economy has changed in ways no one would have predicted in our lifetime. But there's a passion there with Dan. He's a big believer in the media business."

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