Audacy regionalization extends to top 40; talent sacked

[Daryl the Beryl]

This is saddening. I hope the sacked staffers find somewhere to work with soon.

www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/209346/audacy-realigns-top-40-stations-including-national

Audacy Realigns Top 40 Stations, Including National And Regional Programming, Local Layoffs
July 15, 2021 at 1:54 PM (PT)
audacy2-2021-2021-07-15.jpg
Top 40 Changes
AUDACY's sweeping national changes have arrived at another format with Top 40 taking a "hub-and-spoke" national and regional programming approach, displacing several local staffers. The move is similar to the realignment of the company's Alternative and Country stations last SEPTEMBER (NET NEWS 9/14/2020) that resulted in layoffs and national and regional programming in several dayparts.

The changes include the addition of national shows with WBBM-F (B96)/CHICAGO's JULIA LEPIDI taking middays and KNOU (NOW 97.1)/LOS ANGELES' JOSH "BRU" BRUBAKER in afternoons or evenings on several AUDACY Top 40 stations.

JULIA (10a-3p):

WKSE/BUFFALO, WKXJ/CHATTANOOGA, WFBC/GREENVILLE, SC, KLUC/LAS VEGAS, KNOU/LOS ANGELES, WPOW/MIAMI, WXSS/MILWAUKEE, WEZB/NEW ORLEANS, WNVZ/NORFOLK, WTDY/PHILADELPHIA, KALV/PHOENIX, WRVQ/RICHMOND, WPXY/ROCHESTER, KUDL/SACRAMENTO and 3-7p at WBBM/CHICAGO.

BRU Afternoons (3-7p):

WKSE/BUFFALO, WKXJ/CHATTANOOGA, WFBC/GREENVILLE, SC, KLUC/LAS VEGAS, KNOU/LOS ANGELES, WXSS/MILWAUKEE, WNVZ/NORFOLK, WRVQ/RICHMOND

Nights (7-11p):

WBBM/CHICAGO, WPOW/MIAMI, WEZB/NEW ORLEANS, WTDY/PHILADELPHIA, KALV/PHOENIX, WPXY/ROCHESTER, KUDL/SACRAMENTO

There is new programming leadership structure under Format Captain BRIAN KELLY.

Regional VP/Programming:
DJ BUCK, WZMX/HARTFORD
TOM "JAMMER" NAYLOR, WEZB/NEW ORLEANS
NATHAN GRAHAM, WTDY/PHILADELPHIA
SUE O'NEIL, WKSE/BUFFALO
TODD CAVANAH, WBBM/CHICAGO

Regional Brand Managers:
ERIK BRADLEY, WBBM/CHICAGO
MICHAEL "BIG MIC" BUHRMAN, KSFM/SACRAMENTO
MIKE DANGER, WPXY/ROCHESTER
MIKE "OD" O'DONNELL, WKRZ/WILKES-BARRE-SCRANTON
MOLLY CRUZ, WXSS/MILWAUKEE

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I hate the consolidation of radio. It happened with the station I usually listen to in my city earlier this year and the quality has just dropped. Sure the songs they play are somewhat the same but the level of discussion from the on-air talent is ridiculous. But I guess when people aren’t listening to radio for any extended period of time, that sort of stuff isn’t needed as much anymore.

[macattack]

This is just horrible for all of the talent whose jobs just got slashed out from under them. I can only imagine what it's like to hear of the boardroom discussions and having to do your job knowing the ax will fall any day now. I don't know if it felt more like rock bottom or a strange sense of relief when it finally happened.

Due to all of the formats that feed into CHR there will hopefully be plenty of options where to find new work for the now-jobless talent. Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop, AAA, the list goes on, and there are many stations out there looking for qualified candidates. I hope they all find new places to land.

As for what this means for the CHR format itself besides there likely being a "Pick of the Week" starting next week that will up-end the CHR chart much like what happens on Alternative and Country, I dunno yet. There really aren't strong indicators where the format is going to evolve into as this decade continues to get underway. It's going to be interesting to see whether Audacy leans into the pop-punk revival, goes almost exclusively rhythmic, crosses over a lot of singer-songwriter/country or goes for a hodge-podge of everything.

[johnm1120]

Audacy is getting worse than iheart. Seriously, another way to nationalize radio and have these stations lose their local flavor. Horrible move.

[jred]

Jul 16, 2021 0:55:09 GMT -5 macattack said:

As for what this means for the CHR format itself besides there likely being a "Pick of the Week" starting next week that will up-end the CHR chart much like what happens on Alternative and Country, I dunno yet. There really aren't strong indicators where the format is going to evolve into as this decade continues to get underway. It's going to be interesting to see whether Audacy leans into the pop-punk revival, goes almost exclusively rhythmic, crosses over a lot of singer-songwriter/country or goes for a hodge-podge of everything.

Yeah, I’m really curious to see how this affects the format. With Alternative, there is a very clear divide between the music Audacy is pushing and the more “classic” Alternative, which has completely turned that chart on its head. I imagine it would be very hard to create a divide like that on CHR.

Though I don’t think it’s what will happen, I think it would be wise to push songs that are performing very well with the public but not necessarily at radio (Forever After All, transparentsoul, Beggin’, are the most obvious examples.)