An ayoda on radio

  It’s taken a couple of weeks of research, conversations, and seeking other sources of info to try to make sense of what’s happened on the local dial, particularly with KFI. We offer the best information we’ve been able to gather, with more to come as we confirm what we’re learning. What happened at KFI? After a relatively uneventful couple of years, at least locally, iHeart Media made significant cuts to their radio division, about 10 percent of their 10,000 employees. Although there were changes made on the music-based formats in other parts of the country, most of the cuts here in Los Angeles focused on the news operation at KFI, where the staff was reduced from 22 individuals to 13 , including the dismissal of longtime news director Chris Little . Also departing was their veteran of 22 years as the station’s program director, Robin Bertolucci . Why did KFI’s newsroom get hit so significantly? Given the corporate mindset, it’s kind of amazing the newsroom was able to su...

  Like many small, private schools, our institution is dealing with declining enrollment due to an ever declining pool of high school graduates (it's known as the "2025 enrollment cliff"). Consequently, those of us who still have a job teaching sometimes ask each other if our torches are still lit, à la the tv show Survivor . I have to wonder if the last few days there's been concerns about whose torches are still lit in local radio. Which brings us to the latest update about iHeart's latest round of layoffs. Contrary to earlier reports, the entire 25 member KFI newsroom was not shut down, but it still experienced a significant loss. Now the former KFI News Director, Chris Little  provided an update on his Instagram page: Still keeping their regular shifts are the daily news anchors associated with the station's talk programs.  Amy King  continues mornings with Bill Handel , Debra Mark  middays with John Kobylt , Michael Crozier  afternoons with Tim Conway ...

I watched an old episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati" recently. The characters included Arthur Carlson the GM, Andy Travis the PD, Les Nessman newsman, Herb Tarlek sales, Bailey Quarters traffic / billing, Jennifer Marlowe receptionist, and of course, the talent including Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap. The show was lauded for its authenticity to local radio, save for the lack of headphones worn by the jocks. That was then, this is now. The days of having a local staff running the local station are becoming a rarity. This became apparent over the last couple of days with the latest round of layoffs, separations, and retirements throughout the iHeart radio group and particularly with heritage news / talk KFI. We reported last week  that  Robin Bertolucci , KFI's Program Director would be leaving her position after 22 years. Originally we stated she was part of the first round of layoffs, but later updated her departure as being her choice. Nonetheless, it's worth noting...

  (click on any photo to enlarge) Our family is presently visiting the Central Coast, taking advantage of the three-day-weekend. One of our highlights was sharing time with his Sweetness, Dick Whittington , pictured here with my older son Peter. He's doing well, regaling us with stories from his long career of both radio and other things in entertainment (did you know he once was part of the cast of NBC's "Laugh In?") plus conversation about current events and of course, swapping stories about our families. We did take a moment to raise our glasses (iced tea and water, in case you were wondering) in memory of Don Barrett . He was also a resident of the Central Coast before his untimely passing last year. More about my mentor in a moment. Yours truly, Dick Whittington, Don Barrett (2020) When I get to talk to someone as legendary as Dick Whittington, it's easy to spend the entire time talking about his time in local radio as well as other stops, including being par...

  We first offer the official word that KFI PD Robin Bertolucci  actually retired from the station after 24 years, we offer this as an update to our previous story. Also, we're hearing iHeart Media is going to transition to a regional sales strategy housed within the iHeart corporate structure. Practially speaking, a number of the local sales force will be reassigned or released.  In general, it appears iHeart will shift many responsibilities, from sales to prograning, from local clusters to regional hubs. This would match the comments made by iHeart Media CEO Bob Pittman, whom we previously quoted , who said (I'm paraphrasing) their new strategy the best talent now becomes available to their local stations regarless of where the talent is located.  We also are aware of more changes that will be announced on Monday. Again, please stay tuned. ayodaradio@gmail.com

Whenever there's a discussion about the future of AM radio, the success of iHeart's KFI radio is cited as an example that amplitude modulation is not yet dead. The station has transitioned from being the home of Rush Limbaugh ,  Dr. Laura Schlessinger , and Art Bell  to being almost exclusively live-and-local, featuring Bill Handel ,  Gary Hoffmann ,  Shannon Farren , John Kobylt , Tim Conway Jr. , and  Mo'Kelly , plus a smaller but mighty news department headed by Chris Little . The consistent factor over the past two-and-a-half decades has been Program Director  Robin Bertolucci . She was recognized as one of the best managers in the country. Note the past tense. Bertolucci has officially retired from her responsibilities at the iHeart Radio facilty in Burbank, with no replacement having been named.  In her memo to her staff, she noted her son was in pre-school when she started at KFI, he's now a 27-year-old. She thanked the talent both on-air and be...