Norm Winer's New Role

This is interesting. Not sure what to make of this news. Norm wasn't just the PD of XRT. He was the father. WXRT is his baby. From Tom Taylor's column...

Norm Winer rotates away from his 36-year role program director at CBS Radio’s adult alternative WXRT/93.1. In the latest change at the company, Norm becomes “Director of Music Initiatives and Special Programming.” CBS says he’ll “take his amazing strengths of industry relationships, gifts of discovering new bands and artists, and skill at producing events, and concentrate on those responsibilities full-time.” Who’s the new PD at ’XRT? There won’t be one, says Chicago media observer Robert Feder. “While Norm Winer’s position will not be filled, his duties will be handled by [WXRT and all-sports “670 the Score” WSCR operations director] Mitch Rosen, and music director Kelly Ransford.” That presumably saves CBS at least part of a salary. Can a big-time station like WXRT run without a full-time PD?

Is the PD position an endangered species in this business?