WGN Radio Releases Commercial Manager Jason Skaggs


Published on Saturday, 10 December 2016 16:00
Jason Skaggs, one of the most highly-respected radio commercial creators in the business, was released by WGN-AM on Friday. His surprise exit was due to a new round of budget cutbacks happening again at WGN Radio. Skaggs had been with the station for nearly seven years.

WGN-AM hired Skaggs in March 2010 to be the station's Commercial Services Manager, overseeing commercial production for direct clients, along with writing and creating copy for live commercials.

During his time at WGN-AM, Skaggs's commercial work for the station has received numerous national awards, including multiple Radio Mercury Awards, the Radio Advertising Bureau's competition exclusively devoted to rewarding the development of effective and creative radio commercials. Skaggs has also been honored by the National Associations of Broadcasters at the annual Radio Show. In the last few years, Skaggs has been honored numerous times by the Illinois Broadcasters Association with Silver Dome Awards for his work in creating original commercials for WGN-AM.

Despite his track record of excellence and in making WGN Radio's commercials sound so entertaining, Tribune Broadcasting felt the need to cut that corner from the budget, eliminating Skaggs' position.

Said Skaggs on Facebook Friday: "6 years 8 months and 21 days. Today was my last day at WGN. Honored to have been a part of it. Turning the page to my next chapter."

Before coming to work in Chicago in 2010, Skaggs was the Corporate Creative Director for Cumulus Media's Sound Solutions in Atlanta, where he managed spot requests for 384 radio stations in 68 markets. His work for Cumulus had won him a few Mercury Awards, which helped him get the attention of WGN Radio management in early 2010.

A radio ad wiz with well over 20 years of experience, Skaggs also spent over nine years working in Missouri for the Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group.

Skaggs has been called a "one-man show and specialty talent" because of his ability to also create music for commercials, if need be. He is a drummer at heart, but also sings, plays electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, and piano. Many of the commercials heard on WGN-AM in the last few years featured original music and production created by Skaggs in his home studio This immensely pleased WGN-AM's advertisers, especially the smaller organizations that do not have resources for this level of skilled production quality.

One would think that WGN-AM's loss will soon be another radio or advertising company's huge gain.

I rarely troll.

Curious Hair will have to chime in as I don't listen to WGN, but I'm just amazed at the major lickage by Larz.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

Well Mac told me to to tell you to go FUCK YOURSELF!!! ..So now it's been said .. .

Wonder if his nickname is "Boz"?

I have worked in the newspaper business as well as a radio station - granted, they were much smaller markets. However, at one time, ad reps were actually charged with collecting outstanding bills from their accounts!

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.