Good Karma Brands names Keith Williams new boss for Chicago's ESPN 1000

Keith Williams

Good Karma Brands has moved quickly to name a new market manager for Chicago, overseeing ESPN Radio sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM.

Keith Williams, a 22-year veteran of the Milwaukee-based company, was appointed Tuesday to replace Mike Thomas, who resigned earlier this month after two years in the position. Thomas left to join Audacy as senior vice president and Boston market manager.

As a vice president and partner at Good Karma Brands, Williams most recently has been the company’s market manager in Madison, Wisconsin. Earlier he headed stations in Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

ESPN Chicago 1000

“I’m thrilled to join the team at ESPN 1000 and work with the talented group of teammates and loyal partners we have in Chicago,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to furthering Good Karma’s track record as a best-in-class operator of world class brands to ESPN Chicago and can’t wait to get started.”

A native of North Brunswick, New Jersey, and graduate of Penn State, Williams joined Good Karma Brands in 1999 — two years after the company was founded by Craig Karmazin in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

His appointment is effective Monday.

Williams takes over the Chicago White Sox radio flagship as it's tied for 22nd place overall with a 1.9 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 419,000, according to the latest Nielsen Audio survey.

Among men between 25 and 54, the station ranked 11th with a 3.4 share. Among men between 35 and 64, it ranked sixth with a 4.4 share.