Maryland news from Pugh & Tiller, Sage Growth Partners, WBAL and WPOC
Pugh & Tiller has been named to the PRNEWS 2026 Agency Elite Top 120 and received Best PR Agency and Best Web Design Firm honors in The Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Reader Rankings awards. This is the third time Pugh & Tiller has been named to the PRNEWS Agency Elite list, and the sixth straight year as a Reader Rankings winner. Additionally, the firm was recently included on O’Dwyer’s “Leading Gainers Among PR Firms” list, reporting a 9.1% increase in net fees since 2023, and advanced to a top 50 position on the 2024 O’Dwyer’s ranking of Firms Specializing in Technology.
Baltimore-based healthcare growth strategy and marketing firm Sage Growth Partners announced a partnership with Xealth, a digital health company that enables health systems to efficiently deploy, integrate and manage digital health tools for improved patient care.
WBAL NewsRadio is making a key addition to its weekday lineup with the appointment of Angelette Aviles as afternoon drive host. Aviles can now be heard weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., bringing a blend of political, media, and cultural insight. She first joined the station in 2024 as a weekend host. She succeeds Torrey Snow, who exited earlier this month. On the TV side, the NBC affiliate has added a 7 p.m. newscast, co-anchored by Jason Newton and Ashley Hinson, along with longtime WBAL-TV morning meteorologist Ava Marie, who moves to 7 p.m.
“Expanding our marketing leading news offerings is further proof of our continued commitment to our viewers,” WBAL president and general manager Dan Joerres said in a statement. “Having the most-experienced team of local journalists in the marketplace is a distinct advantage for our brand. This newscast will follow the powerful half-hour of ‘NBC Nightly News,’ fitting seamlessly into the evolving schedules of our loyal viewers, while delivering a key audience valued by our advertising partners.”
Jeff St. Pierre, assistant program director and afternoon host at Country 93.1 WPOC, has exited as part of a new round of layoffs at iHeartMedia. His departure ends a 17-year run with the station. St. Pierre joined WPOC in 2008 as producer for the morning show, later co-hosting with Laurie DeYoung. He also served as Public Affairs Director and was named Assistant Program Director in 2015.
Photo: Matthew Pugh and Jessica Tiller via Pugh & Tiller LinkedIn
