The veteran had been serving under multi-market ops director Drew Hayes as APD, since he joined last August. Now Hayes, also responsible for Citadel's talk WLS, Chicago (890), recognizes Hess for his "central role in the strategizing and development of the WMAL lineup since joining us last Summer." Hayes says Hess "shares the vision of a re-energized WMAL as Washington’s most influential station.” Hess previously had multi-station responsibilities in Washington and Providence with Clear Channel, and he was Senior VP Programming for Air America.