MIKE MCVAY

Mike McVay is a highly respected media executive, consultant, and programming strategist with over four decades of experience in the radio and music industry.   

McVay began his broadcasting career as an on-air talent before transitioning into programming and management. He’s worked on-air at radio stations in Moundsville, Wheeling and Charleston, West Virginia, before assuming on-air and programming management positions in Mobile, Louisville, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. Mike McVay’s contributions to those radio stations and their successes allowed him to go into business for himself. In 1984, he founded McVay Media, a consulting company that has advised hundreds of radio stations, music artists and music labels. The company continues to produce excellent results for its clients more than 40 years later.    

In 2011, McVay joined Cumulus Media as Senior Vice President of Programming and was later promoted to EVP of Content & Programming for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, a large, well-known radio network. During his eight-year tenure, he was responsible for overseeing programming across hundreds of stations and numerous nationally syndicated shows, working with major personalities, and optimizing content for evolving listener habits. He was instrumental in modernizing content delivery and integrating digital strategy with traditional broadcasting. In 2019, he stepped down to resume full-time work with McVay Media.    

Mike McVay’s efforts are closely connected to the successful on-air careers of many local and nationally syndicated radio personalities, including Delilah, John Tesh, Stephan A. Smith and many other notable individuals. In addition, he has been a catalyst and organizer of many radio industry conventions, bringing industry individuals together with encouragement to share best practices and ideas that have shaped the industry in numerous ways. 

Respected for his integrity, foresight, and love of the medium, Mike McVay remains a transformative figure in radio, constantly adapting to new trends while honoring the core principles of compelling audio content.

In 2025, Mike McVay was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.