Audacy underwent a round of layoffs on Wednesday that eliminated the jobs of nearly 100 employees, and the staff at WBBM in Chicago and 1080 WTIC in Hartford were majorly affected.

In Chicago, afternoon news anchor Keith Johnson has exited. Johnson anchored alongside Lisa Fielding from 2-7 PM on the venerable news outlet.

Also, five of the eight digital news employees at WBBM saw their positions eliminated. AnnMarie Welser — a Social Media and Community Editor at the all-news station — confirmed she was one of the casualties.

In Hartford, 1080 WTIC news anchors Kevin Gorden and Greg Little departed the station, according to a report from The Laurel.

Additionally, KDKA saw a lineup shuffle amid the layoffs, as afternoon host Rick Dayton departed the station yesterday.

Audacy claimed the layoffs would affect less than 2% of its overall workplace. The company — which is in the process of emerging from a pre-packaged bankruptcy filing earlier this year — said the move was a disappointing but necessary one.

“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.”

The Tampa news/talk radio scene is one served by several different brands. However, Newsradio WFLA has cemented a leadership position thanks to the combination of a strong local morning show, and the biggest names in national syndication courtesy of Premiere Networks. In the winter ratings book, the Florida talk station relied on both to produce success.

Mornings feature The Ryan Gorman Show from 5a-9a. In the traditional 6a-10a timeslot, which includes three hours of Gorman, and the first hour of the nationally syndicated Glenn Beck Program, WFLA earned a 4.2 share to finish 8th with Persons 6+. That was up from a 3.0 during the same time last year. Gorman officially took the reins in morning drive in March 2023. The show was lower though with Persons 25-54 (2.0 share), and Persons 35-64 (1.4 share).

Middays on the iHeartMedia-owned station featured the final two hours of Beck’s show along with the entirety of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. Those two programs collectively delivered a 2.9 share (Persons 25-54) and a 1.6 share (Persons 35-64) from 10a-3p EST.

The afternoon daypart, which features The Sean Hannity Show from 3p-6p, and the first hour of The Jesse Kelly Show recorded a 1.5 with Persons 25-54. That was slightly higher than the 1.4 pulled in with Persons 35-64.

In weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p), WFLA reeled in a 2.2 share with Persons 25-54. That was seven tenths (1.5 share) higher than its performance with Persons 35-64. For the full week (M-Su, 6a-12a), WFLA scored a 1.8 share with Persons 25-54, and a 1.4 with Persons 35-64.

A few additional positives for the quarter saw WFLA produce a 5.3 share with Persons 35+, good for sixth place. That represented a jump from a 3.2 year-over-year. Among Persons 6+, the station also finished 6th with a 4.5 share, up from a 2.9 share/13th-place showing in the winter 2023 book.

Ratings information for AM 860 The Answer and Impact Radio 1250 were not available.

Ratings reports and analysis are written by BNM and sponsored by Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group. Learn more about the different ways media research can benefit your station and cut through the noise by clicking here.

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.”