John Marks has stepped down as PD of Sirius XM’s The Highway. No word yet as to replacement, so stay tuned for updates.

Marks has proved to be quite an innovator within the format. Joining SiriusXM as Senior Director of Country Music Programming after years in terrestrial radio, he focused on playing contemporary hits mixed with new music, and never seemed to care if an act was unsigned or not.

He shared the following with HITS in July:

"To date, SiriusXM The Highway has been responsible for nationally breaking Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell, Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, Parmalee and Old Dominion, and coming along quickly are Clare Dunn and Logan Mize... SiriusXM provides true national exposure for new artists and new music for a subscriber audience of about 28 million and a listening audience almost double that size. Our subscribers who love The Highway are seeking to discover interesting new music and artists. They appreciate human curation of music combined with on-air hosts who present music with true passion and enthusiasm for “what’s next.” Many digital platforms can play new music, but we do it in a concentrated form and give real thought to presentation."