Former AOL and Google digital sales executive will now lead national sales at Clear Channel Media

In what must have been a great first month, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has named Tim Castelli to the newly created position of President of National Sales, Marketing and Partnerships only six weeks after hiring Castelli to run digital sales.

The former regional veep of sales for AOL was hired as Executive Vice President of Digital Sales at the end of February. Prior to working at AOL, Castelli held several positions at Google including Technology Industry Director. Before that, in what must now seem like another life, Castelli was publisher of Rolling Stone.

Castelli has made the most of his move into digital. Castelli left Rolling Stone in the summer of 2007 after slightly more than one year on the job. He then made his way to Google before joining AOL. Prior to all that, Castelli spent 13 years at Ziff Davis Media where he eventually led the tech group with included PC Magazine.

If none of this desk jockeying seems to makes sense – that is, how does one go from a print-centric, almost anti-digital organization like Rolling Stone to digital sales spots at Google, AOL and now Clear Channel – well, chalk it up to the world of digital sales and solid connections. (See this news brief from one year ago announcing the new sales team at AOL/Huffington Post which mentions Castelli.)

Castelli, in his new role, will now be in charge of sales for Clear Channel Digital which includes its property iHeartRadio (which currently does not employ an advertising model), and will oversee the partnerships division, Strategic Partnerships and Clear Channel Connections. Castelli will also head Clear Channel Radio Sales and Premiere Networks Sales (I wonder what the radio vets think of that?).