iHeartMedia, the nation’s largest radio broadcaster, continues to navigate a period of significant turbulence as restructuring efforts and layoffs sweep across the company. New leadership appointments, departures, and station realignments are reshaping operations from New York to Los Angeles.
In a move to streamline operations and cut costs, iHeartMedia has announced the appointment of Steve DeLusant as Region President for New York and Adam Kurtz as Region President for Chicago. Both DeLusant and Kurtz are seasoned iHeart veterans, bringing extensive sales and management experience to their new roles, according to a report from Radioink.
These appointments come amidst a wave of layoffs impacting various departments and stations. In New York, Conservative talk radio station WOR-AM saw the departure of morning show hosts Len Berman and Michael Riedel, along with Morning News Editor Terry Trahim. Berman’s exit follows his recent coverage of the New York City Marathon for the station.
On the West Coast, iHeartMedia Los Angeles announced a series of promotions, including Jeff Thomas to Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Adam Wolfson to Senior Vice President of Sales, and Tracy Barrios to Senior Vice President of Operations. Julie Martzke was also elevated to Senior Vice President of National and Event Sales.
However, the Los Angeles cluster also saw the departure of two veteran Program Directors, Robin Bertolucci and Don Martin. Bertolucci, long associated with KFI-AM 640, and Martin, who also served as EVP of Programming for iHeartMedia Sports and PD for KLAC-AM 570, resigned from their positions. iHeart EVP of News Chris Berry will assume interim PD responsibilities for both KFI and KLAC.
These changes reflect iHeartMedia’s ongoing efforts to restructure its operations and reduce costs. CEO Bob Pittman stated in a Q3 earnings call that the company aims to free up $150 million. While these restructuring efforts may bring new opportunities for some, they also leave a trail of uncertainty and job losses in their wake. It remains to be seen how these changes will ultimately impact iHeartMedia’s programming and overall performance in the competitive radio landscape.
All of this comes as radio stations and TV stations brace for ad revenue to drop now that political ads are coming to an end.