iHeartMedia Cuts Dozens of Radio Veterans in New Restructuring Wave

iHeartMedia has launched a fresh round of layoffs hitting local radio broadcasting units across the country, with dozens of long-tenured on-air personalities and programming executives receiving pink slips. The cuts span markets including Anchorage, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Birmingham, Fort Myers, and others — and are explicitly tied to a technology-driven efficiency push outlined in the company's Q1 earnings report.

The human toll is striking: Casey Bieber departed Anchorage after 23 years as Program Director of KGOT and KASH; BJ Holiday exited St. Louis after 41 years in programming and on-air roles; Todd Matthews left Fort Myers after a 33-year morning show run on WIKX; Val Porter left Pittsburgh after more than 30 years; and Russ 'Whip' Rose exited WXDX, where he'd worked since 1995. Other departures hit Indianapolis, Springfield, Pensacola, Phoenix, and Little Rock. Most announced their exits on social media.

The restructuring is connected to a forthcoming $50 million cost-savings program expected to launch later in 2025, layered on top of roughly $100 million in cuts already implemented or planned this year. A memo from Multi Platform Group CEO Ann Marie Licata and Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman framed the changes as an effort to 'move faster and operate with greater precision across markets' by scaling technology developed over recent years — with new roles promised to offset some eliminations.

iHeartMedia, the largest independent owner of commercial AM/FM stations in the U.S. with more than 850 properties, has been leaning heavily on shared services and multi-market programming strategies as the broader radio industry faces sustained economic pressure. The company has also recently explored a merger with SiriusXM — talks that ultimately fizzled — and listed its Texas corporate office for sale, underscoring just how aggressively it is shrinking its physical and operational footprint.