The Crown Network Names D.J. Hodge as President

CINCINNATI,OH—The Crown today announced that D.J. Hodge has joined the organization as its new President. With extensive experience leading media operations, driving revenue growth, and overseeing large-scale team performance, Hodge brings the leadership and vision needed to accelerate the Crown’s mission of high-impact storytelling and audience engagement.

“We are thrilled to welcome D.J. Hodge as President of The Crown,” said Anthony Breen, Founder & CEO of Synergistic, Founder & Chairman of The Crown. “D.J. brings the exact combination of leadership, creative instinct, operational discipline, and modern media understanding that this network needs. More importantly, he believes deeply in Cincinnati and in the opportunity to build something that shines a bigger spotlight on the people, teams, businesses, and stories that make this city special.”

About D.J. Hodge

Throughout his career in the sports media industry, Hodge has held several senior leadership roles, centered around building audiences, leading teams, and growing revenue across broadcast, digital, and live platforms.

• Most recently, Hodge served as Division President at iHeartMedia. In that role, he oversaw operations for multi-market broadcast and digital assets, managed cross-platform content strategy, partnerships, and revenue generation across six major markets.
• Before that, he was Market President for iHeartMedia Cincinnati, leading multiple stations including flagship news, sports, talk, and music formats.
• He also served as Senior Vice President of Sales at iHeartMedia, where he developed and executed sales and advertising strategies, drove revenue growth, and built relationships with key clients.
• Earlier in his career, Hodge gained experience in other leadership roles, including General Manager for Learfield Sports at Xavier University, where he contributed to strengthening media and sports-program partnerships.

As President, Hodge will:

• Lead strategic direction for The Crown, including content strategy, digital expansion, audience growth, partnerships, and brand development.
• Oversee revenue operations, leveraging his deep sales background to drive financial sustainability and partnerships.
• Enhance cross-platform integration across broadcast, digital, live events, and community engagement.
• Build and mentor high-performance teams and foster a culture of innovation, creativity, and accountability.

“Joining The Crown at this stage is an incredible opportunity,” said D.J. Hodge, President of The Crown. “Cincinnati has no shortage of great stories, great people, and great energy, and our job is to bring that to life in ways that feel modern, authentic, and built for today’s audience. I’m excited to work with this team to grow a media network that celebrates the city, serves the community, and creates real value for our viewers, creators, and partners.”