Former Idols SA judge Randall Abrahams has been appointed as the CEO of Primedia Broadcasting. He takes over the reigns from Geraint Crwys-Williams, who resigned from the company after 18 years.

Abrahams has a wealth of media and broadcasting experience. He launched his career in radio as the station manager of Good Hope FM; he then moved to Johannesburg, where he was part of the team that launched YFM.

In 2002 he was appointed as the General Manager of Commercial Radio at the SABC. Abrahams was also the CEO of the MTN SAMAS in 2011 and 2012 and was appointed as the Managing Director of Universal Music in June 2012.

“I am pleased to return to a swiftly evolving broadcast landscape, and I’m very excited to join the Primedia Group,” Abrahams said in a statement.

“Primedia remains at the forefront of both content creation and distribution with a drive for continued innovation. Working under Jonathan’s [Procter] leadership alongside a team of experienced marketers and creators is an exhilarating prospect, and I aim to bring my combination of experience and innovative ideas to the table.”

Abrahams joined Idols SA in 2002, where he was the longest-serving judge. In January, Mzansi Magic announced that he would not be returning for season 18.

“We are taking a fresh approach to the judging panel to retain audiences and stay competitive in the Sunday night timeslot,” the channel said at the time.