Tony Richards
Founder, President
In February of 2014, he was elected President of the Association of Independent Market Stations (AIMS) an international consortium of independent broadcasters.
In June of 2014, Tony was appointed to the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters and served on the board for 6 years until 2020.
In 2015, Tony created a 24-hour news only radio format called “News Now.” It can be heard in Warsaw, Indiana and is expanding to other markets.
March 31, 2017, Tony purchased WHIN 1010AM, 100.7FM and 107.9FM in Gallatin/Hendersonville, Tennessee.
September 5, 2018, Kensington Digital Media acquired WAWC-FM, and WRSW AM & FM in Warsaw, Indiana.
In January 2021, Tony was elected to the board of directors of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters.
March 1, 2021, Tony started Kensington Capital Investments, LLC in order to expand investment opportunities for his companies. Their first purchase was NY Pizzeria, a fast-casual restaurant in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
June 30, 2022, Kensington Aviation L.L.C. was formed.
December 23, 2023, Kensington Digital Media acquired Nashville Public Radio WPLN-AM 1430 licensed to Madison, Tennessee.
Tony enjoys being with his family, staying active in the community, working, playing baseball, golf, and hockey.
Tony was also one of “Those 2 Guys in the Morning” on WMEE with Charly Butcher. They achieved the highest ratings in Fort Wayne radio history. One half the people in the Fort Wayne area listened to their show every week. “Those 2 Guys in the Morning” also achieved the highest average quarter hour share in the United States in 1987.
In September of 1991 Tony left the morning show and was named General Manager of WMEE and WKJG.
In December of 1999, Tony became the Chief Operating Officer of Federated Media that owned and operated 17 radio stations in Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Northern Indiana until 2012.
In 2006, he created and launched Hippie Radio nationally as alternative to traditional Oldies radio programming. The 24 hour Hippie Radio format is on 6 radio stations throughout the country and the weekend 2 Hour Hippie Radio Show and was on the air in 33 markets.
In 2008, Tony was named the President of the Indiana Broadcasters Association. He served on the board for 9 years.
In 2009, he created Federated Digital Solutions, a digital marketing firm for Federated Media and continues to provide digital, online, and social media services for many radio and non-radio clients.
In 2011, he formed Kensington Digital Media and launched radio station WHPY-FM, in Nashville, Tennessee on February 10, 2012.
In 2013, Tony created Federated Entertainment, an event marketing company that produced over 20 events per year in the Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Warsaw, Indiana markets.
Tony is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He graduated from North Side High School in 1978.
He attended IPFW in Fort Wayne, Ivy Tech, National Association of Broadcasters Executive Business Program, and the Executive Integral Leadership Programs at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a certified trainer in Situational Leadership from the Center for Leadership Studies in California. Tony is married to wife Leann, has five children and nine grandchildren.
At the young age of 13, he and his friends had a small pirate station in his basement and has been in radio professionally since 1976.
He joined Federated Media in 1978 as an on-air personality. In March 1984 he was promoted to Program Director of WMEE (CHR). He helped take the station to number one status in Fort Wayne where it stayed until he left the air in 1991.