Audacy has laid off as many as 300 employees today in its first large-scale reduction in force after exiting bankruptcy. The staff cuts span local and national levels, impacting all departments, including on-air talent, traffic, sales, and management.
Among those affected on the on-air side are 101.1 WCBS-FM morning host Annie Leamy in New York City, Magic 106.7 (WMJX) morning host David O’Leary in Boston, 830 WCCO evening hosts Henry Lake and Chris Tubbs in Minneapolis, Big 98.1 WOGL afternoon host Trey Morgan in Philadelphia, 98.7 Simon (WSMW) host Charley McCain in Greensboro, and 104.3 WOMC midday host Aricka McCauley in Detroit.
Several radio professionals involved reached out directly to Radio Ink. In Pittsburgh, WBZZ Assistant Brand Manager, Music Director, and Midday Host Elista Hathaway was let go. Glenn Anderson reported that his nearly 30-year tenure had come to an end. Anderson, who most recently hosted afternoons at Star 102.1 (WDOK) in Cleveland also served as the station’s public service director.
Radio Ink also learned that Audacy let go of the entire staff at WHHL in St. Louis before transitioning the station’s format from hip hop to sports.
Nationally, several team members behind the BetMGM Network have been let go.
This comes after significant changes at the top. President and CEO David Field stepped down after 27 years in January. Kelli Turner, who joined the board in September 2024, is now serving as interim President and CEO. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Rich Schmaeling resigned in February, with no immediate plans to appoint a replacement.
A company spokesperson told Radio Ink, “Audacy has made workforce reductions to ensure a strong and resilient future for the business. We are streamlining resources to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving media landscape and to best position Audacy to continue serving listeners and advertisers with excellence.”
If you have been affected by the RIF and wish to have your news reported, reach out to Radio Ink Online Editor Cameron Coats.
I refuse to listen or watch anything associated with George Soros! Pure corruption! Audacy blew it!
Unless you’re an old dude ready for retirement (like someone I know…), make radio only one spoke of your overall career wheel. Do video, write and publish articles, learn a bit of engineering, learn a lot about production, try some standup and practice public speaking.
Corporations can and will pivot — as educated performers, so can we.
Can’t the FCC revoke these guys licenses? They are a menace. I could easily add Cumulus and I Hate Radio to the menace list
LOL. For what? Radio is a declining business and a private business can hire/fire at their own will. Don’t worry, there are still part-timers who will announce songs and tell you to go to the website for $12 an hour. Which is probably $6 too much.
300 employees… wow
am I the only one that can hear Jim Morrison in the background singing to the entire radio industry….. “This is the end my only friend the end……”
You guys suck for this!! The Ponch and Nikki show was the only reason I listened to 99.7. Plus you got rid of Johnny Dare? That man helps so many people in Kansas City. I hope you go bankrupt!
Jami, Audacy just like iHeart, has already gone bankrupt.
Jami, did you really think a media company was basing their business on what you listen to? LOL. The show wasn’t making them enough $, so it’s replaced with a show that they can pay 70% less to, and cut the losses. Oh, and these cuts are a by-product of coming out of bankruptcy not going into it. It’s a reorganization of debts.
I’ll add to the above: Even if you have talents as a programmer, do not start a consultancy unless you already have one with one or more stations already under contract. The major station groups are moving entirely away from having any outside “help” with programming, the smaller independent operators generally can’t afford a consultant, and the small/unrated market stations are holding on for dear life as it is.
I’m already at the point where I believe any future client stations are going to come by making the programming I do for my existing stations into a turnkey syndicated format, much the way Drake Chenault, TM, Century 21, and the like did in the 1970s and 1980s. The difference now is that running such a format is dependent only on having a dedicated computer, and these days a station can add remote access for the programmer and then only have to worry about local ad sales. Teach the salespeople how to do commercial production, and there’s a huge savings.
But the point is the same one. On-air talent opportunities are dwindling. The audience no longer perceives them as important or necessary. Even programmers — who already are handling multiple stations in a cluster, or even find themselves being the “remote PD” of co-owned stations in other markets — are an endangered species.
I’m just glad that, being right up against the age 70 threshold, I can afford to retire when the time comes that there’s nothing left for me to do. A lot of the people who are being shown the door don’t have that luxury.
This was inevitable, and more layoffs are coming as the company must continue to pivot.
Look at their quote “reductions to ensure a strong and resilient future.” Radio companies no longer view “talent” as a strength, but a liability. In fairness, many of these on-air people were just announcing songs or playing the same predictable trivia games, which isn’t worth paying for anyway.
If you’re still in this business, you better understand that the advertising money is sprinting away from radio, meaning if you aren’t personally adding tons of money to your depart (spoiler, you’re not), then the time behind you is longer than the future.
Do not move for a radio job.
Do not only do radio.
Go back to school.
Start a side-hustle.
Do NOT start a podcast. Podcasters don’t play by radio rules and they understand niches. Radio taught mass generalizations, make everyone happy, 15 second breaks, etc… that is the opposite of podcasting and you likely will fail, and fail fast.
Radio is “follow through rules”. Podcasts are the intersection of true creativity and sales. The only similarities are headphones and a microphone, but the two businesses are not at all related.
Your comment was spot on and written so well. I am on the air…but for the last several years have carried another career on the side. You never want someone else to have all the power deciding your financial future. Radio friends…you are all in my thoughts and prayers!