iHeartMedia has cut numerous jobs across the nation. RadioInsight has been doing an excellent job of tracking those affected, so they won’t all be duplicated here. The cuts include Jon Justice, who was the only local host at KTLK/1130 (Minneapolis), the entire morning and afternoon shows at KXnO/Iowa Sports Network, and positions in Davenport and Eau Claire.
Elsewhere, Staci & Hutch are no longer with Hubbard Broadcasting’s “KS95” (KSTP-FM/94.5 St. Paul), where they had hosted afternoons.
Longtime radio host Lisa Kaye announced that she has been cut from Subarctic Media’s KTOE/1420 (Mankato), posting a letter indicating that the decision was due to financial reasons.
Woodward Community Media’s Appleton group cut political host Ben Cominos from WHBY/1150 (Kimberly-Appleton) and “Biff” from “95.9 Kiss FM” (WKSZ De Pere). An announcement indicated other local programming will replace Cominos on WHBY.
Regular readers of this site likely realize that morning news anchor Dustin Nolan‘s recent departure from Gray NBC affiliate KWQC/6 (Davenport) was not unusual in this industry with a high turnover rate. Nolan announced his decision to leave the station on June 19, but his departure soon took on a new life as various national outlets claimed he ‘quit on air’ in some sort of Howard Beale-type moment of media outrage. Nolan followed up with a social media post saying that his message was being “twisted,” that he was not blasting the news industry, and that he had actually given months’ notice before his farewell announcement.
Anchor/reporter Alex Sapp has departed Hubbard ABC affiliate WDIO/10 (Duluth).
A belated note that Walnut Media has discontinued the “Bluffs Country” format on K293CX/106.5 (Council Bluffs) and switched the frequency back to its “Boomer Radio” Classic Hits format on June 1. The Country format, legally originating on KXCB/1420 (Omaha), had launched in 2023; the station cited a “highly competitive Country music landscape” in announcing the end of the format. KXCB/K293CX breaks away from the main “Boomer Radio” five times a day for Council Bluffs news updates and also continues to carry the Hawkeyes. With the change, “Boomer Radio” is now heard on four FM signals, two AM signals, and one HD subchannel in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area, as well as one FM translator in Lincoln.
Connoisseur Media’s “US Country 99.9” (KAUS-FM Austin, Minn.) has relaunched with playlist adjustments and a new lineup, which includes the syndicated Big D & Bubba morning show.
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Disclosure: Jon Ellis is an employee of Gray Media Group. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.