The audio conglomerate initiated a significant round of personnel reductions across dozens of local markets as part of a restructuring plan aimed at securing $150 million in targeted annualized savings.
In an internal staff memo sent by Multiplatform Group Chief Executive Officer Ann Marie Licata and Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman, the company explained that the staff cuts align with a technology-driven shift in station programming designed to prioritize speed, precision, and improved support tools for local sales teams.
According to the internal communication, the strategic changes will implement a faster-is-better approach using newly scaled technical capabilities built over recent years. Although the memo stressed that a guaranteed human presence would remain at the core of the company audio strategy, numerous established local roles are being eliminated.
Known departures from this restructuring include morning host Amy Demboski at 670 KENI in Anchorage, afternoon host Erica Coleman at WZRL in Indianapolis and WTFX in Louisville, afternoon host Tony Mott at KLOU in St. Louis, and Vice President of Programming Clint Gerlek in Springfield. The reductions also severely impacted sports radio station KXNO in Des Moines, where entire morning and afternoon drive teams were dismissed, including Heather Burnside, Alec Busse, Tyler Allen, Sean Roberts, Lucas Strain, and Connor Ferguson.
This current downsizing represents the second phase of a broader cost-reduction campaign. In its first-quarter financial reporting, iHeartMedia outlined plans for a 50 million dollar savings program in the second half of 2026, which follows a previously initiated 100 million dollar cost-cutting effort that primarily targeted regional executive and management positions earlier in the year.
Source: iHeartMedia Internal Memo