It’s been a week since iHeartMedia began its latest round of cuts in another reduction of force. Layoffs are never easy. From the biggest corporations to the smallest businesses, they affect all involved — and nearly every time, not for the better. When 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee fell victim to the chopping block last week, the same emotions ran high as the radio flagship of the Green Bay Packers signed off in Wisconsin’s largest market.
Make no mistake about it: sports radio brands are expensive to run. The content local sports radio provides isn’t recorded or set to a tune. It’s people, live on the air, connecting with fans through conversation. It’s what iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman has long valued in his messaging — live and local companionship on the radio.
That companionship ended Monday at high noon local time, as 97.3 The Game officially flipped its signal from sports talk to adult contemporary. It was a moment that left lessons to be learned for the next time this happens.
There’s no art to a format flip; I’ve been in the building for some. The practice has existed as long as radio itself — switching from talk to music, music to talk, or one music format to another. The moment of the flip always leaves questions and concerns for not only listeners, but also the staff involved.
Again, it’s never easy.
Profits Over Presence
What happened this past week with 97.3 The Game showcased lessons on how to be better for the next time — and without question, there will be a next time.
While I empathize with local markets and the costs of running a live and local sports radio brand, success isn’t impossible. Milwaukee-Racine ranks as the 43rd-largest radio market in the United States, just below Nashville.
“The Music City” has two FM sports stations that both capture a good portion of the target demographics, making the investment worth the cost.
In Milwaukee, 97.3 The Game partnered with the biggest brands in the state — the Green Bay Packers Radio Network and the Wisconsin Badgers. They also competed with, and often beat, their two FM sports radio contemporaries in key demos.
97.3 The Game had media rights, homegrown talent, and nationally recognized personalities driving its success. Yet iHeartMedia did what many radio companies have done recently — switching from a format that costs money to one that doesn’t (at least not as much), while still raking in profits.
Many sports and talk radio stations have been through this exercise before.
What To Learn From
The real lessons come from how messaging is handled with talent. When iHeart began its cuts, live shows still had to air. As reports surfaced about layoffs and an impending format flip, on-air talent was left blindsided and uncertain.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Milwaukee Brewers were preparing for their first NLCS appearance since 2018, and the Green Bay Packers were gearing up for a weekend matchup. There’s always pressure to perform when the stakes are high and the stories are big — but adding confusion inside your own building only compounds it.
To their credit, the staff at 97.3 The Game stayed focused on the air, even as colleagues were being let go and plans were shifting behind the scenes.
While hindsight is 20/20, leaving your talent in limbo is never a good practice.
Could management have switched to syndication for the afternoon to inform staff internally about the changes? Of course — and that would have been the better play. Instead, they left their people to face the firing squad with their own well-being still unknown.
The following day, during a new lineup rollout, the morning show opened by telling listeners their program would air “for the foreseeable future” and “as long as we can” in the new time slot. Is that a sign of strong leadership, or evidence that the message never came across properly?
Strong leadership is shown when management empowers staff to guide listeners through transitions. The staff of 97.3 The Game — from the time cuts were made last week through noon Monday — were left in limbo about their futures and the future of the station.
That’s not strong leadership, and it’s a moment managers across the industry can learn from.
Playing The Game
The “why” behind the flip is clear. iHeartMedia saw an opportunity to cut costs and move into a format being vacated in the market with the sale of B93.3 by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance. Save money on talent, reduce expenses, and chase revenue with a cheaper format. Playing music is cheaper than talking Packers.
But the execution was clumsy, flawed, and unfortunate. It left staff and listeners in the dark and created a poor representation of iHeartMedia as a Green Bay Packers partner. Fans will eventually find the broadcasts on a new signal within the iHeart umbrella, but longtime listeners will have to find another home.
There’s no art to a format flip, but the rule of thumb has always been to limit your change. Too much change risks losing listeners you may never get back. It’s a gamble for iHeartMedia in Milwaukee to make such sweeping moves — dumping sports talk, flipping to AC, and shifting the Packers and Badgers broadcasts elsewhere.
The example of what happened to 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee was less a Picasso and more a finger painting — one the industry should study closely and learn from.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
