The voice of morning radio in Los Angeles is staying put.
iHeartMedia has inked a new three-year deal with Ryan Seacrest, bringing his contract through the end of 2027. Under the agreement, the omni-present entertainer will continue to be a core personality across all iHeartRadio platforms, hosting and producing its No. 1 L.A. morning drive-time show for 102.7 KIIS-FM as well as the nationally syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest and American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest.
As part of the new pact, which brings Seacrest to nearly 30 years in the iHeart family and 20 years as the voice of morning radio in L.A., he’ll also maintain a close working relationship with iHeart chairman and CEO Bob Pittman and president Rich Bressler. In that capacity, Seacrest not only provides input into the company’s major initiatives but also hosts several of its tentpole events, including the two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival and L.A.’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball holiday concert.
“The first job I ever had where I got a paycheck was at a radio station. That was when I was 16 years old, and so I’ve come into a studio every day of my life forever. It’s just something that’s such a part of my DNA,” he tells THR, before adding: “There is a real intimacy and unvarnished presentation to live radio that I love. It’s different [from] television, where it’s highly produced and, in many cases, very rehearsed.”
The news of his extension comes as Seacrest has settled back in L.A., after a six-year stint in New York where he was taping Live with Kelly and Ryan. He announced earlier this year that he’d be leaving the daytime talk show, noting that he’d already stayed three years longer than he’d initially planned. At the time, he said the decision to move on would allow him to focus on his many other jobs at American Idol, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, his eponymous foundation and at his radio show. More recently, he was named Pat Sajak’s successor when he retires as host of Wheel of Fortune next year.
Seacrest’s deal was negotiated by Jeff Refold, COO and CFO of Ryan Seacrest Enterprises, and Jonathan West at Latham & Watkins LLP.
