Audacy underwent a round of layoffs affecting nearly 100 employees Wednesday, and one of the casualties was KDKA afternoon host Rick Dayton.
Dayton — who joined the Pittsburgh news/talk station in December 2020 — hosted from 2-6 PM before being let go. Before joining the radio station, Dayton worked at KDKA-TV for 11 years as a morning anchor.
In response, KDKA is shifting the morning show featuring Larry Richert to now run from 5:30-10 AM, with Marty Griffin hosting from 10 AM-2PM, and former 93.7 The Fan morning show host Colin Dunlap hosting from 2-6 PM.
In a statement, Audacy said the layoffs were a necessary step in its reorganization after a pre-packaged bankruptcy filing earlier this year.
“Audacy is performing well against our 2024 business plan, and we are on track to emerge as a stronger and healthier company, well positioned for a bright future as a differentiated, scaled industry leader with the industry’s strongest balance sheet,” a company spokesperson said.
“As we continue to make large investments and drive enhancements across our business, we are simultaneously implementing some difficult but necessary decisions that will impact less than 2% of our workforce to best position our company for long-term growth.”
