AURN’s new direction includes airing ‘conversation’ with presidential hopefuls

Now that the American Urban Radio Network has severed its longtime partnership with Sheridan Broadcasting Network, it is wasting no time in making a new mark on the media landscape by bringing the Democratic and Republican Party Presidential candidates to Pittsburgh for a forum at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

During a May 12 telephone conversation with AURN President for Program Operations and Affiliations Jerry Lopes, CFO Arthur Benjamin, and Access 1 Communications President Chesley Maddox Dorsey, Lopes said the August 18 forum is just one aspect of the company’s move to invest and expand its presence in the media marketplace—a move that did not happen under the previous partnership’s administration.
“As one of the longtime Sheridan people involved here, I am certainly thankful for the opportunities the Davenport family gave me and for what they did to get us to this point—we’ve made a lot of history together,” he said.
“But for me and the staff here, it’s like hitting the reset button. We’re excited about our new majority partner (Access 1), their capabilities and space in the marketplace—and they are excited about our plans to grow this company and take it to the next level.”