Program director Joe Zarbano leaves WEEI after 14 years

Lane Turner/Globe Staff

WEEI and program director Joe Zarbano have parted ways.

Zarbano, who began at the sports radio station as an intern in 2007 and rose to the position of program director in July 2016, announced he was leaving in a company-wide memo Friday afternoon.

“After careful thought and consideration, the time has come for me to pursue new challenges and step away from WEEI,” he wrote.

“In May of 2007, I walked into 20 Guest St. to begin an internship that I was so excited about I couldn’t sleep the night before. Little did I know, it was the beginning of a 14-year journey that would lead me to some of the most challenging but rewarding years of my life.”

Mark Hannon, the regional president and market manager for Entercom Boston, WEEI’s parent company, also issued a company-wide statement.

“After several ongoing discussions with Joe about his career, future growth and about WEEI as a brand, I have accepted his resignation,” wrote Hannon, noting Zarbano’s “tireless efforts” in his job and in his role with the station’s annual Jimmy Fund Radiothon fund-raiser.

WEEI won the Marconi Award for Sports Station of the Year in 2018, but in recent years the station has struggled in the Nielsen ratings compared with its competition in the Boston market, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

In the most recent ratings period, The Sports Hub was first in the market in the men 25-54 demographic, while WEEI was a distant fourth.

Reached via email, Zarbano declined further comment.