A Career Built at the Highest Levels of American Broadcasting
Larry Gifford spent more than three decades working at the senior levels of the American and Canadian broadcasting industry. His career began in 1991 as a producer, anchor, and reporter at 610 WTVN before moving to executive producer and lead anchor roles at 1290 WHIO in Dayton, Ohio, where he helmed the market’s early morning news program for nearly four years.
From there Gifford moved steadily into sports programming. He served as Sports Director at 96.5 WWDB in Philadelphia and then as Sports Director for Fox Sports Radio Network from 2000 to 2003 — overseeing content for one of the country’s largest sports radio operations. He then served as Program Director at 1460 The Fan in Columbus, Ohio, before being appointed Program Director of ESPN Radio Network in January 2005, where he oversaw weekday programming including Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and The Dan Patrick Show.
In June 2006 Gifford moved to Los Angeles as Program Director of 710 ESPN — one of the most competitive sports radio markets in the United States. During his tenure the station posted what were at the time the single highest rated numbers for sports talk radio in the history of Los Angeles. He helped secure the Lakers play-by-play broadcast rights after 32 years at another station and served as executive producer of those broadcasts.
From 2011 to 2013 Gifford served as Program Director of News-Talk 97.3 KIRO-FM and KTTH-AM for Bonneville Seattle — overseeing 24-hour local news, five local talk shows, and 17 hours of local programming each weekday. Under his leadership KIRO Radio won the NAB Crystal Award in 2012 for community service. He subsequently operated Larry Gifford Media as a radio management consultant and talent coach serving US and international radio groups from 2010 to 2021.
Gifford returned to Corus Entertainment in 2016 as Senior Program Director of News Talk 980 CKNW and AM 730 in Vancouver, and was later appointed National Director of Talk Radio for Corus Entertainment — overseeing the strategic vision for talk radio across Canada from 2019 to 2023. Since 2018 he has hosted the podcast “When Life Gives You Parkinson’s,” documenting his personal journey living and working with Parkinson’s disease.
His Connection to BSMG
Larry Gifford has been directly involved with BSMG in two meaningful ways.
First, he served as a mentor to BSMG students — working one-on-one with three students through the program’s mentor-apprentice model. In his own words, he found BSMG students to be “responsive to feedback, eager for insight and direction, and truly appreciative of the time” he gave them. Of Michael Madden and the program he wrote: “Michael at BSMG is professional, eager to help, and always accommodating. I can only imagine the kind of talent radio could develop if everyone in the business was eager and willing to work with Michael and his aspiring broadcasters.”
Second, Larry Gifford produced BSMG’s 54-minute job placement tutorial — “How NOT to Get a Job in Broadcasting… And Best Practices for Landing Your Dream Job.” The tutorial draws on his more than three decades of experience on the programming and hiring side of the industry — at the ESPN Radio Network, 710 ESPN Los Angeles, KIRO Radio, and Corus Entertainment. It covers the specific mistakes that end candidacies before they begin and the practical steps students can take to stand out in a competitive field.
What Students Learn from the Tutorial
The tutorial addresses what most broadcasting programs never teach — what actually happens on the other side of the desk when a program director is evaluating a candidate. Gifford spent decades in exactly that role at some of the most competitive stations and networks in the country. Students learn what employers look for before an interview begins, what specific behaviors and presentation choices disqualify otherwise capable candidates early, and what the broadcasters who get hired consistently do differently from those who do not. For any student preparing to enter the industry, it is among the most practically useful resources available — built entirely from real hiring experience, not career center theory.
A Note on This Page
This page documents Larry Gifford’s publicly verifiable professional history and his documented involvement with BSMG. It is maintained as an accurate reference for journalists, researchers, and directory editors. All credentials listed here are independently verifiable through public records of his career at ESPN Radio Network, 710 ESPN Los Angeles, KIRO Radio, Fox Sports Radio Network, and Corus Entertainment.
Press Contact
Michael Madden, Founder, BSMG mm@broadcastingschool.com | 818-879-0858 | broadcastingschool.com