Radio overall continues to have mixed messaging, and it’s not helping. We hear that the industry is healthy, followed by layoffs. We see research projects from every company (Audacy included) that show the power of radio, then more layoffs. Earnings calls spin in a cycle, always attempting to showcase the positives, no matter the negatives. Radio has been, and continues to be, terrible with messaging.
Not just to the audience and clients, but more importantly, internally to the people who drive the industry—talent, producers, imaging, and digital teams.
For the second time in just over a year, Audacy has held another round of layoffs, lumped in with a leadership change. The regional presidents roster increases while the market manager role disappears. Some become SVPs of Sales or Programming or remain on temporarily as “advisors.” Yet, what is the message? For those on the front lines of content and business, the messaging is mixed once again.
It’s been an interesting 15 months for Audacy CEO Kelli Turner. She became interim President and CEO in January 2025, and officially stepped into the role just two months later. The year brought both positives and negatives. Anyone who works in radio knows nothing is all roses and butterflies all the time.
Since she took over, the company has formed partnerships with iHeartMedia and Townsquare Media, moved The Score in Chicago and WGR in Buffalo to full FM signals, and launched the Audacy Creator Lab. She has also led the company with a fresh perspective and energy. I’m looking forward to her appearance coming up later this year at the annual Barrett Media Summit. (Purchase tickets here)
In February, Turner was a guest with Gordon Borrell on the Local Marketing Trends Podcast. During the conversation, she admitted that Audacy could do a better job of telling its story.
“I think we have a great story. It’s just one that we don’t always do a great job of telling, or we don’t always have the ears of the people that should be listening,” said Turner. “The amount of data and research, the case studies, and the story are very compelling.”
I don’t doubt that Audacy has positive stories to tell, but the time to tell them is now—especially when making the toughest decisions that impact people’s livelihoods.
Jobs mean more today than they have at any point in the past thirty years. Rising everyday costs are forcing families to make tougher decisions than ever before. Meanwhile, jobs continue to vanish. Technology evolves. AI adoption and “work smarter, not harder” practices continue.
“These decisions are never easy or made lightly, and we are handling this process as respectfully and professionally as possible,” said Turner in a memo obtained by Barrett Media Wednesday. “There is a lot of change inside our company, in our industry, and in the world. And I know that can be unsettling. I am grateful for everyone’s continued dedication and focus. Together, we are accomplishing a lot, and I’m confident we have a clearer, more effective structure and path to continue to win. Thank you for all your amazing work.”
Change isn’t easy, and progress requires it. I’ve been on the front lines of progress and significant change. There’s a lot of pressure in both aspects. As a manager, you have to take the worst days of the year and use them to guide your team to continue the mission. It’s not easy for anyone in any line of work to accomplish.
However, Audacy is a company with a long history of layoffs—nearly annually—and leadership changes almost as frequently. As one of the top three radio broadcasters in the country, the level of turnover leaves those still inside the company on the ground floor more concerned than ever.
Yesterday, Turner announced ten regional vice presidents to join the five regional presidents already in place. That’s fifteen people contributing in overseeing more than 230 broadcast brands, with 90% coverage in the top 45 markets and over 165 million monthly listeners.
For the employees who remain, questions linger. The first, which many shared with me over the past few days, was simple: “Who’s my boss now?” The second centered on the company’s stability as it shifts from a market-by-market structure to a regional one. The third—and perhaps most telling—wasn’t a question at all, but a statement:
“I’m just waiting for my name to be called.”
Granted, feedback during layoffs often skews negative. However, that statement provides no confidence in tomorrow from many who shared it (or something like it) with me. It suggests employees feel resigned to the fate that their time may be limited. Some may read that and laugh, wondering what took me so long to recognize it.
However, that’s exactly where messaging matters most.
If the story is truly that strong, then it’s time to start telling it to the people who matter most—Audacy’s employees. Turner and her leadership team should find ways to reinforce that better days are ahead. Not through press releases or internal memos, but through real engagement. In the spirit of an election year, this should resemble a market-to-market campaign to share that story.
When new ownership takes over a baseball team, it markets itself directly to the fan base. First pitch is long gone. If Audacy is only in the bottom of the second inning, then show employees the path to the ninth.
Employees want confidence, not more roster cuts. Workers want stability, not constant reshuffling. If Audacy wants the best from its people, it must reinvest in them—not by adding headcount, but by giving time and attention. That’s the kind of messaging that builds belief and drives a better future.
Radio doesn’t have a product problem. It has a clarity problem.
Clarity isn’t built in boardrooms or buried in earnings calls. It’s built through conversations—honest, consistent, human ones.
If Audacy truly believes its story is as strong as it claims, now is the time to prove it—not externally, but internally. Culture doesn’t follow strategy. It follows trust. And trust is earned through communication that doesn’t leave people guessing where they stand or what comes next.
Right now, too many are guessing. Far too many feel the end may be near.
The industry has spent years talking about connection—how powerful, intimate, and unmatched it is. But that same connection must exist inside the building, not just over the airwaves. Otherwise, the message rings hollow.
There is still time to fix that, and I hope Audacy’s leadership takes the opportunity to do so. There is still time to align the message with the mission. But it won’t happen through another memo or restructuring chart. It will happen when leadership shows up, listens, and communicates with the same authenticity the medium prides itself on every day.
Because in the end, the strongest signal any company can send isn’t on FM or digital. It’s the one its own people believe.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
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.
spot on john!
Things will not get better for audicy if it keeps on adding more top managers and shuffling the deck chairs around. We desperately need a coherent strategy showing at least some results. It is hard to understand how firing top talent makes things better. it all starts with the top talent that engages listeners every day, and makes them want to come back for more. I fear that firing the best in the business and replacing them with betting shows, is not the answer. Here is a novel idea: why not ask listeners what they want from sports talk radio?