Update: Layoffs at KNX

 


We are learning there are layoffs within the Audacy Los Angeles group. Brian Ping, evening anchor, will be departing the station. We're hearing there will be additional layoffs, both at KNX and possibly at other Audacy properties, but nothing has been confirmed.

A St. Louis native, Ping graduated the University of Missouri with a degree in Political Science. He also received training at the renowned St. Louis Broadcast Center. 

He arrived at KNX in 2011 after three years at KDWN Las Vegas. He looked forward to a career in broadcasting, being inspired by his frequent listening of St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcasts and the newscasts that followed. 

Ping has family roots in Southern California. His grandfather worked as a recruiter for the Howard Hughes Corporation and raised his family in Torrance. His grandmother still lives in a house near La Jolla’s Windansea Beach that’s been in the family since the early 20th century. Ping found the beaches and the California lifestyle very appealing during his visits to Los Angeles, and dreamed of some day living here.

He also spent a year working as a deckhand on board the Yorktown Clipper, a small cruise ship that sailed Alaska, Baja California, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and the Caribbean. An avid runner who has competed in several half-marathons, Ping can be found either running or biking  near his home in Culver City.

As for the layoffs, it appears there have been 100 employees released across the country from the Audacy stations. The company said this is less than two percent of their nationwide work force.

We'll share whatever else we learn about the changes taking place with the local Audacy group as soon as we get more information.

ayodaradio@gmail.com

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