Broadcast Industry Layoffs: What Now for Politics, Football, and Radio?

First, it was the election. If your side won, you said, “told ya.” Then, the Dallas Cowboys started the season with three wins and six losses. The fans are doing what they always do. Blame Jerry. There was another story getting the attention of the radio medium last week. The iHeartMedia layoffs. This isn’t new to the broadcast industry. We’ve come to expect an annual bloodletting. All three categories, Politics, Football and Radio, have me asking, What Now?

The changes at the iconic News/Talk KFI, AM 640, Los Angeles is the RIF that made me do the mental double-take. According to the L.A. Times and Barrett Media, 13 of the 25 staffers, including longtime Program Director Chris Little, were downsized.

Radio enthusiasts get a shot of adrenaline when the conversation includes legendary brands like KFI. The station has been on the air since 1922. During those 102 years, the call letters haven’t changed. For perspective, the Plymouth automobile brand lasted 73 years. Unlike Audacy’s WCBS-AM New York earlier this year, the KFI brand isn’t going away. At least, I don’t think so.

However, changes at the aforementioned iconic brands got my attention because it’s more than layoffs. It’s a strategic change in the way news and information is gathered and disseminated. What do they see that we don’t? A lot. It doesn’t mean leadership is correct all the time, but it means decisions are being made based on projections and vision. There’s a realignment and an updated PR piece about how this makes the organization better or stronger. Blah, blah, blah.

Back to the first item in this column. The presidential election results were a relief for 50.2% of the voters and a recluse result for 48.1% of the electorate. That’s tight, but as Reese Bobby told his son Ricky in Talladega Nights, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Loss creates grief and mourning. It should. However, I see people post about leaving the conversation and giving up. Trust has been lost, so it’s time to stop participating. A therapist will say, “Everyone grieves differently.” Much of this talk is post-mortem feelings, but the fight will return when we get to another election cycle.

This isn’t the time to give up. It’s what the competitor wants you to do. Is it a time to critique and reinvent? Absolutely. Sidebar: The current critique of the losing side is a Masterclass in what happens when you don’t win. Seven days after the election, the critique is being critiqued. Those criticisms wouldn’t exist if a few swing states had a different result.

What does this have to do with the radio business? We mourn with our brothers and sisters who have been downsized. It’s a different experience for each person, but failure and fear occupy every person’s emotional bank during this time, no matter the size of the severance. Industry columnists do a good job of acknowledging these casualties and offering career advice.

However, what about the people who are still in the game? Yeah, the survivors, the untouchables. You have a tough job because you’re getting back on the field and playing after your team got blown out in the first half. Your responsibility is to make the product better for the audience. The listener doesn’t care about the layoffs. They care about what comes out of the speakers and the devices.

If downsizing removes a favorite host, technological advancements should replace that person or team with something better. If a Program Director or Brand Manager, who is the soul of the station, is on the chopping block, then the replacement from across the hall or from another market needs to be an improvement. The listener will know something is missing or has changed. Maybe not next week, but if there’s a perceived difference that isn’t an improvement, they will spend less time with the brand at some point.

The strategy of the losing political party is changing right now. Why? Because it has to be better. Radio leadership, lick your wounds, get back out there and fight for your audience. They have choices. Your only choice is to win.

Dallas Cowboys fans? I don’t know what to tell you.