Can Radio Absorb the iHeart Cuts? The Hard Truth — and a Hopeful Way Forward

Will the industry be able to absorb the losses? That’s the question a lot of people in radio are quietly asking after the latest round of iHeart layoffs. And the honest answer is: probably not in the traditional way.

 Not all of these people will find equivalent jobs in radio. Not at the same pay. Not with the same titles. Not in the same kinds of positions they had before. 

That is a painful thing to say, but it is also the reality of where the business is right now. iHeart has publicly discussed major cost-saving initiatives, including another $50 million in annualized savings beginning in the second half of 2026, on top of previously announced savings. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects broadcast announcer and radio DJ employment will decline over the next decade, citing consolidation, fewer live positions, and the possibility of more stations running without live DJs or even using AI-driven operations. 

That is not an absorption market. That is a changing market. The strange part is, radio revenue itself is not projected to completely collapse. BIA’s 2026 local advertising forecast still shows radio over-the-air revenue at more than $10 billion, with radio digital revenue continuing to grow. 

So the issue is not that radio has no value. The issue is that the old staffing model is being dismantled. 

But here is the part I hope people remember: radio people have more transferable skills than they sometimes realize. We know how to communicate. We know how to sell an idea. We know how to write under deadline. We know how to read a room. We know how to turn nothing into something. We know how to promote, persuade, entertain, inform, calm people down, fire people up, and make a message memorable. 

Those skills matter far beyond a studio.

 I have seen newspaper people move into content marketing and public relations. I have seen TV news people become corporate communicators, media trainers, nonprofit storytellers, and public information officers. I have seen promotions directors become event marketing pros. I have seen production people become podcast producers, agency creatives, video editors, voice talents, and brand consultants. I have seen salespeople move into business development, digital strategy, recruitment, real estate, insurance, and local business consulting. 

Radio people can do a lot more than radio. Program directors understand brand strategy. Air personalities understand audience connection. Promotions people understand event execution and community engagement. Production and imaging people understand audio, emotion, pacing, messaging, and creative persuasion. 

News people understand credibility, speed, clarity, and public trust. Salespeople understand relationships, objections, budgets, and how to connect a business with customers. 

Those are not small things. Those are survival skills. The people who will have the best chance going forward are the ones who can create value in more than one lane. The writers. The producers. The imaging people. The local personalities who truly connect. 

The sales-minded creators. The people who can voice, write, produce, generate ideas, serve clients, solve problems, and help bring revenue into the building. That is where the future still has opportunity. 

But I also know how terrifying it feels when the career you thought you had starts changing underneath your feet. My own downsizing was not from iHeart, but it forced me to take a hard look at my future. 

I had been in higher-profile corporate programming and on-air positions, including a strong corporate programming and personality role in Corpus Christi. After that chapter ended, the opportunities I found paid about half of what I had been making. That was painful. It was humbling.

 And it was a long climb. But it also forced me to build something of my own. I started creating jingles, sonic branding, spec spots, and custom audio for radio stations and clients. Little by little, that business grew. It allowed me to stay connected to radio, keep creating, keep helping stations and sellers, and keep using the skills I had spent a lifetime developing.

 Today, that business has grown to the point where I can see a future where I eventually retire from the day-to-day grind and focus fully on the creative work I love most. 

So to anyone who just got the call, lost the job, or is wondering whether there is still a place for you in this business, I want to say this: Your story may not be over. It may just have to change shape.

 The next opportunity may not look like the old one. It may not come with the same title. It may not come from the same company. It may not even come from the same side of the business. But your talent still matters. Your experience still matters. Your ability to create, connect, write, produce, sell, lead, entertain, promote, persuade, and serve a local community still has value. 

Radio is changing, and some of that change is brutal. But there are still ways to build something meaningful from what you know how to do. Sometimes the road back is not really a road back at all.

 Sometimes it is a new road forward. 

To my friends in radio who are hurting right now, I’m pulling for you. It may not feel like it today, but it can still be okay.