Beasley Media Group initiated broad programming layoffs on Friday, days before its Q2 earnings release, with Boston and Philadelphia among the confirmed markets affected. Early indications point to reductions across program director roles and on-air talent.
Former WDHA Program Director Terrie Carr said she was dismissed via a “one minute phone call,” adding that additional cuts are hitting colleagues in her New Jersey cluster. The scale and final scope of the reductions were not immediately clear as notifications continued through the day.
Among the highest-profile names disclosed so far is Beasley Media Group host Mike Missanelli, who returned to Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic (WPEN) for middays in August 2024 after hosting afternoons from 2008 until May 2022.
This is Beasley’s second wave of layoffs in 2025, enacting a previous reduction in force shortly before reporting Q1 results.
The broadcaster is scheduled to release its Q2 earnings on Tuesday.
In Q1, Beasley’s revenue declined 10.1% year over year, and the company posted a $2.7 million loss, compared to an $8,000 profit in Q1 2024. Digital revenue rose to 22% of total revenue, with digital operating income increasing from $100,000 to $1.9 million and margins improving from 6.1% to 17.8%.
With Q2 revenue pacing down 10% per prior management guidance, the implemented programming layoffs come as a cost measure alongside ongoing digital investment.
If you have information about the layoffs, contact Radio Ink Editor-in-Chief Cameron Coats by email at [email protected].
Good insights. But you’re whistling past the grave yard. CEO’s like Caroline Beasley and Bob Pittman- nice people, we’re sure. But they have zero accountability. The iHeart Board of Directors are Pittman’s people. They will never question him. And Caroline is a family Beasley member. That’s fine, but she will never be held accountable or fired.
So, these CEO’s are comfortable. They have plenty of money, and they are not ambitious or hungry like people starting out are.
Without that hunger and without the urgency to succeed, there is no solid inspiring leadership.
That’s Problem One.
Problem Two is, neither of these companies- most radio companies now- refuse to spend hard cash to promote their radio products. So many potential advertisers aren’t even thinking about radio. That’s a big problem.
And you can’t just conveniently blame the salespeople. If the companies don’t believe in promoting their own products, why should potential advertisers believe in that?
Net income (also known as profit) for Beasley Broadcast Group, ticker symbol BBGI from marketwatch.com:
2020: $17.77 million Loss
2021: $1.41 million Loss
2022: $42.06 million Loss
2023: $75.12 million Loss
2024: $5.89 million Loss
You, along with the largest radio groups in the industry, have a revenue growth problem, Caroline. Your revenue is not keeping pace to stay ahead of your expenses. Instead of making a single dollar of profit, you’ve lost well over $140,000,000 in the last 5 years. Congrats–you’re actually doing better than some of your peers.
In the same time period, one group lost over $4 billion. Another group lost over $400 million. Another group went bankrupt and changed their CEO.
At what point will the CEO’s of the largest radio groups in the industry stop and seriously examine how their amazing, powerful, effective, proven radio platforms are sold in today’s marketplace. How are your sales managers trained? How are your sales people trained? How are your general managers trained? (I know the answer to those questions, trust me…) Are they working together? Are they on the same page?
Are you asking these questions, or are you relying on some radio “lifers” to justify how they can’t get it done with the same old elaborate, “mailing it in” explanations?
Better yet, are you calling your largest clients to build relationships and to see how your team can do a better job serving them? Are you using their responses to improve your sales process? As the dismal quarterly earnings reports keep rolling in, it sure looks like some CEO’s continue have their heads in the sand.
Hey, it’s your pocketbook and if you choose to lead some of the most powerful collections of marketing weapons on earth and keep losing money, that’s on you. But when your failed leadership results in firing hard working people, that will shadow your legacy and make people roll their eyes when you accept your next random radio industry award of “achievement.”
How about leaving your companies in better shape than what you inherited? That would be the honorable thing to do. There are some extremely smart people who work for Radio Ink or write columns for Radio Ink. Some of the most brillinat ideas I’ve ever seen have been by columnists in this publication. Are you reaching out to them for help? They can fix this.
Nobody likes to see you losing money. So decide not to, then engage smart people who can make sure you don’t lose another dime. We’d all like to see you win and win BIG time. This is not what that looks like.
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