Oh, the Humanity

June 30, 2026

Another quarter, another round of firings at iHEART. Lives are upended but, sadly, we have almost become numb to this.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.

I am not here to throw slings and arrows at companies who are doing this. They have the right to handle their business as they see fit. Any employee in any business knows they are officially day-to-day.

That said, several things struck me with this latest mass casualty event:

First, so many of those whose jobs were “eliminated” were seasoned veterans. These are people with high levels of experience with a deep familiarity of their markets who have, likely, developed on-air relationships with their fans. Yes, those same relationships radio touts as one of its core strengths.

These are also people who rise to the top of the salary spreadsheet.

Second, it seems these cuts always come from the bottom up, in terms of market size. Radio has always had a major market bias. What happens in New York, LA, or Chicago is much more important than what happens in smaller markets. I live in a two-book market and can tell you, firsthand, that local media is much more important here than in a Washington, DC.

Smaller markets are more cohesive. There really is a sense of community and caring. It is much easier being involved and local in places like this. As a comparison, what does being local actually mean in, say, New York? Other than a major sports, crisis, or weather story, what can appeal to all five boroughs? I can tell you that the annual county fair in my market unites everyone. (I mean, who doesn’t love a goat agility course?)

I realize the revenue in larger markets makes them more important; however, expenses are also higher.

Finally, notice how many people were wearing four, five, six, or more hats. Those responsibilities still exist. So, the three stations they were programming and the four they were voice tracking are now handed to someone else. This is not to cast aspersions, but what human being has the focus and energy to perform at an “A” level while juggling so many balls? Things will fall through the cracks. The lure of “good enough” will be too strong to resist as the checklist gets ever larger.

This de-humanization of radio may reduce expenses, but it comes at a greater cost.

As the “expensive” veterans are shown the door, where are their replacements? This brain drain is real. If this were a natural evolution of a business, with new blood replacing old, then it could be a boon for radio. But is that really happening? Where are the young guns who will breathe new life into our industry? What are the incentives for them to even consider joining us?

Are we getting close to a tipping point on the talent exodus? Are we slowly replacing “live & local” with homogenization? Wendy’s may be  tasty and consistent but it’s a shallow replacement for my local burger joint.

The other consequence of these actions is that radio is ghosting its fan base. Those humans who turn on their radios tomorrow morning to spend time with their trusted companion are greeted by…what? An empty space with no explanation. What if the new voice is unsatisfying to the loyal listeners? In an industry that seems to play more defense than offense, why do we continue to provide listeners with reasons to tune out?

Not exactly a relationship building exercise, is it?

But it’s all OK. AI will fix everything. Guaranteed human, right?

Feel free to tell me I’m full of it: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com

• Tweet