AUDACY LAYOFFS

[PTBoardOp93]

Rick Dayton, afternoon news anchor at KDKA Pittsburgh... Clearly KDKA will still have newscasts in the afternoon. So where's the savings here?

Rick was a talk show host, not a newscaster. He was also probably close to retirement, with close to 40 years in broadcasting.

Mike Kadlick, WEEI-FM Boston beat reporter for New England Patriots... Won't a Boston all-sports station still have a Patriots beat reporter? Maybe the station will send a part time stringer for games and news events?

I wouldn't assume they would have a beat reporter. I would wager there are fewer than 10 beat reporters who work for sportsradio stations across the whole country. Sports radio these days is about hot takes, not reporting.

Chuck Taylor, WRCH Hartford AC station afternoon DJ.... Surely WRCH, always rated #1 in Hartford, will still have an afternoon DJ. So where's the savings here?

It appears David Simpson is taking over the shift. I think he's been with WCBS-FM but previously worked in Hartford. If he's with CBS-FM, then it will be voicetracked from NYC.

KCBS San Francisco All-News, three reporters are dismissed... So how do you have an all-news station with three fewer reporters?

Ask KNWN 1000, where they laid off all the reporters last year.

 

[Mark Roberts]

This isn't the San Francisco Bay Area board so I will be brief:

KCBS San Francisco All-News, three reporters are dismissed... So how do you have an all-news station with three fewer reporters?

Ask KNWN 1000, where they laid off all the reporters last year.

Reports are that KCBS laid off a fill-in anchor, a weekend reporter, and an overnight traffic reporter. This is not the same as "laying off three reporters". My take on it: https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/kcbs-layoffs.771326/

 

[TheBigA]

Reported on the Dallas board that Billy Kidd at The Spot KSPF has been laid off:

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/audacy-firings-who-was-part-of-the-slaughter-in-dfw.771323/#post-6716699

 

[Don CT]

But in a world where DJs are around the clock now on Apple/Spotify (even though it’s AI), does radio need to invest more to keep up with the personalities on other apps?

What DJs does Spotify or Apple have?

 

[CTListener]

What DJs does Spotify or Apple have?

Fake (AI) DJs, apparently, if I read his post closely enough.

 

[Always interest]

Hopefully the reports that Christine Richie was laid off from WNEW 102.7 are incorrect.
She is still listed as the evening personality on the station's website. And checking out the station, I hear a female DJ. Nice that they have some commercial-free hours at night; not just mornings.

 

[Always interest]

She wasn’t on tonight sounded fully automated

 

[MarcB]

One salary is the savings. No one is going to abandon WRCH because one of its bland DJs is gone. The station's entire purpose is to present inoffensive music with as little gab as possible, especially during the work day.

There are a lot of angry comments on Joan Dylan's Facebook page that state they're not longer going to listen to Lite. - Perhaps she'll end up at WZBG in Litchfield County once the sale to Full Power Radio closes. Outside of Morning Drive and Afternoon Drive they run music off the satellite. Maybe FPR will add some local jocks even if they are voicetracked.

As for WRCH my 70-something year old mother hasn't listened to the station regularly in years - Christmas music time not withstanding because they play a lot of newer music she doesn't like. She largely listens to 96.1 Kool Radio or The River 105.9 now. Occasionally she'll also listen to WATR 97.7, but as is with Lite 100.5 they play some new music she doesn't like. Outside of Morning Drive and a few local talk shows during midday they run satellite fed music.