iHeartMedia layoffs include Angi Taylor, Matt Scarano
Company lets go of five percent of workforce out of 10,000 workers
A time-honored tradition like no other, iHeartMedia announced their latest layoffs Monday, and two Chicago names popped up on the list.
As first reported by Radio Insight, Angi Taylor was relieved of her duties as morning personality on Rock 95.5 FM. Taylor was shifted from sister station Kiss FM, where she was paired with Christopher Frederick (of The Fred and Angi Show), to Rock 95.5 upon its launch in September 2020. Her exit leaves WCHI without a live, local morning show for the time being and it’s not known if a replacement would be named. Taylor came to Chicago in 2008 from WIQQ Philadelphia.
Matt Scarano is also out after ten years as Chicago Region President. During this time he successfully ran the Chicago iHeartMedia cluster, buoyed by the continued success of 93.9 The Lite and V103. He was also director of sales and Atlanta’s Market President for two years.
Both were part of a long list of names being laid off stretching from Seattle to Tampa-St. Petersburg, and markets large and small, ranging from Dallas to Fayetteville, Arkansas. In Milwaukee, former Green Bay Packer turned sports radio host John Kuhn was among those let go. The Boston layoff generated some national news as Rich Shertenlieb was ousted after just six months at classic rock WZLX. He joined the station after exiting WBZ-FM’s Toucher and Rich show in November 2003 in a major Steve Dahl and Garry Meier-like breakup. The news wasn’t lost on Fred Toucher, who celebrated his ex’s firing on the Beasley-owned sports radio station Tuesday.
iHeartMedia made similar layoffs in January 2020 – just two months before the pandemic and more famously in 2009 when the then-Clear Channel laid off hundreds of people nationwide on President Obama’s Inauguration Day, including its Chicago cluster.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, iHeartMedia earned just $929 million in revenue and lost $910 million in its latest earnings report. However, iHeartMedia is growing digitally with its podcast platform and the fourth quarter usually brings strong revenue, thanks to its big-market AC stations flipping to Christmas Music, which generally dominates the ratings in November and December each year (WLIT made the flip last Friday.) iHeart plans to release its third-quarter results on Thursday.
While the spotlight has been on the declining fortunes of linear TV amid cord-cutting and dwindling audiences, terrestrial radio has seen its own share of struggles. The pandemic hit the medium hard as more people opted to work at home instead of commuting to work given that radio’s biggest audience usually comes in the morning rush hour. Audacy recently came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy after spending years in debt after acquiring the former CBS stations.
The recent rounds of layoffs at these radio conglomerates aren’t a great way to recruit future talent, as this space pointed out time and time again. But given these layoffs have been going on in the consolidation era for the last two decades, you wonder if radio will ever get back on solid footing and be the tremendous platform it once was with at least some sense of job security. Unfortunately, the answer is no.
20 thoughts on “iHeartMedia layoffs include Angi Taylor, Matt Scarano”
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F$ck heart! I bet the people that fired her also voted for Trump. The morons!
Stay tuned for an upcoming piece on what this business will look like under a second Trump admin. It won’t be pretty.
Yeah but this country will be better with Donald Trump as president. He will open the pipeline from Canada fuel will be cheaper. In case you don’t know it this country runs on fuel everything is delivered either by railroad or by trucks they run on diesel under Biden gas went from $1.79 to $4.50 a gallon. In case you don’t know it this way you’re paying more at the store. Bread went from a dollar loaf to $3 a loaf. Eggs went from a dollar a dozen to $3 a dozen. Maybe it won’t go back to that but it’ll be a lot cheaper than when Biden was president
your answer is a prime example of another f’#$%n moron that doesn’t understand basic economics.
Your answer just proves you have zero clue. Truck drivers won’t drive for free and fuel cost makes transport fees higher. These cost are paid by stores which later reflects in prices you pay, Einstein.
Why would IHeartRadio fire Angi Taylor? She’s my favorite woman in Chicago! I l loved her morning radio show! I hope that Angi Taylor stays in Chicago!
Her show sucked she was nothing without Fred and she has such an annoying voice.
It really did! I know I’m definitely not the only one who feels this way but she comes across as not that bright and didn’t present any interesting content. Listening to her show was absolutely boring! So in hindsight, her firing was actually warranted.
You voted for Kamala and you call us morons. ????
Democrats, is there no bounds to their stupiditiy?
Won’t ever be listening again without Angi Taylor. I hope iheart crashes and burns now. They seem to be already doing so.
Angi Taylor was awful and her firing is long overdue.
I hope they put Maria Palmer on in the morning with a good team at her side.
A reminder – keep the conversation civil or I will close this comment section. Thank you.
I think that ship already sailed.
I just started listening to 95.5. Loved Angi. So bummed that she’s gone. Guess I’ll head back over to Tom in the mornings.
I hate to say it but I’m glad she’s gone! I texted in and called her out on something she said on the air and she texted back saying I miss her no I didn’t I know what you said and just because someone called you out on it and disagreed with you now you’re going to say you didn’t say it I really didn’t like her and I’m glad she’s gone!
I’m actually kind of glad she’s gone! I was listening to the radio a few months ago and disagreed with something she said she text me back trying saying that she didn’t say it and I misunderstood her no I didn’t she was a total I don’t know what the word is I can’t put it here but I just did not like her she rubbed me the wrong way I’m listening again since she’s been gone
I hope the lady from the Minnesota Bait Shop will still be on the show on Fridays.
Happy Holidays,
Angie Taylor’s husband
Angie thank you for getting me to work every morning!
Seriously! How does firing media personalities become political? Cuts happen all the time. Its just business folks. I wish them all well.