On This Week’s iHeartMedia Layoffs

iHeartMedia iHeart iHeartCommunicationsThe first full week of 2025 began with yet another, albeit smaller round of staff cuts at iHeartMedia.

Sources indicate that very few were affected by the cuts earlier this week, but that some significant names did depart.

Among the others known to be affected, RAMP reports that Jay Shannon exited as Program Director of AC “Star 102.1” KDGE and Hot AC “Mix 102.9” KDMX Dallas just shy of eleven years with the cluster. Shannon had been with iHeart and its predecessors since 1992 with time as PD/morning host at KZII Lubbock where he was regionally syndicated through 2001, PD of “96.7 Kiss-FM” KHFI Austin from 2001 to 2003, PD of CHR “Mix 96.1” KXXM and Hip Hop “Hot 92.5” KSJL San Antonio until 2005, followed by a return to Austin as PD of KHFI and “102.3 The Beat” KPEZ until being promoted to cluster SVP/Programming in 2010 until his March 2014 move to Dallas. Shannon can be reached at Jayshannon2@gmail.com.


While nobody else on the programming and on-air side has gone public with their departures from the company, there are two others have been wiped from their station’s digital platforms and we have confirmed their exits.

Brett Andrews 95.7 Big-FM WRIT MilwaukeeBrett Andrews has exited as Senior Vice President of Programming for Milwaukee and Madison WI. He first arrived in Milwaukee in 2015 as PD of Classic Hits “95.7 Big-FM” WRIT-FM and CHR “97.3 Now” WRNW-FM. He hosted afternoons on WRNW-FM until its flip to Sports in November 2018 and added mornings at WRIT-FM the following April. He added PD duties for CHR “Z104” WZEE Madison in 2020 and rose to SVP/Programming in July 2022, while also tracking for stations across multiple formats at the company.

Andrews has also previously hosted nights at KFRX Lincoln NE, KZCH Wichita and “103.7 Kiss-FM” WXSS Milwaukee and afternoons at “Hot 97.5” KVEG Las Vegas. He first joined iHeartMedia in 2010 as APD of CHR “Z100” and Rhythmic CHR “Wild 107.5” KXJM Portland before rising to Program Director. He then moved to St. Louis to program CHR “Z107.7” KSLZ and Rhythmic CHR “Wild 104.9” KBWX from 2013 to 2015 prior to his move to Milwaukee.

Afternoon host Dave Michaels has moved to mornings at WRIT. In Madison, Krista Hatcher moves from 2-4pm to 2-7pm absorbing Andrews’ 4-7pm shift. Andrews can be reached at BrettRadio.com.


Carmine Gialanella Wild 95.5 WLDI West Palm BeachCarmine Gialanella is out as morning host at CHR “Wild 95.5” WLDI Fort Pierce/West Palm Beach. Gialanella has spent his entire career at the company’s West Palm Beach cluster since starting as an intern in 2010. He began hosting nights at WLDI in ___ before being promoted to afternoons in June 2019 and mornings in December 2020. He also previously tracked afternoons at sister Hot AC “93.9 MIA” WMIA-FM Miami.

Co-host Maegan Lahti continues in mornings.


We have also heard of at least two other members of the national programming teams and sales staffers across the country that were affected by this week’s layoffs.

If you were affected and wish to be listed please reach out to news@radioinsight.com.

This story first appeared on radioinsight.com