Several well-known local radio personalities will be missing from the airwaves following corporate layoffs made this week by iHeartMedia.
“The Hollywood Reporter” says in a memo sent to employees this week, executives outlined a need to speed up the sales process after building new tech capabilities over the past few years.
The memo does not detail the exact number of employees impacted, and iHeartMedia declined to comment on the number, but reports have put it in the dozens, according to “The Hollywood Reporter.”
Popular B104 personalities Mike Kelly and Becca Lynn, along with Z95’s Joel Shimer, are part of staff cuts as the company embarks on the process of restructuring its radio programming.
Mike Kelly has been with B104 since 1993, and moved to mornings back in 2006. Lynn joined him on the morning show in 2023.
Shimer joined WZZO in October 2023 after previously serving as morning show producer, and later co-host, at Cumulus Classic Rock “99.9 The Hawk” WODE from 2019-23.
Kelly and Lynn confirmed the layoffs to 69 News, while Shimer posted on Facebook, “I’ve always heard the saying, ‘You haven’t worked in radio until you get fired.’ After today, I guess I can officially say I’ve worked in radio.”