The ongoing “economic uncertainty” is responsible for another round of layoffs last week at Beasley Media Group where we have heard of on-air and programming cuts in Detroit and Tampa and off-air exits in additional markets.
If you have been affected and wish to be added to our list, please reach out to [email protected].
Danny Serrano departs as Program Director of Spanish CHR “92.5 Maxima” WYUU Tampa after just six months.
Serrano joined the station last October after hosting mornings at Audacy Hot AC “Mix 105.1” WOMX Orlando from June 2023 until June 2024. He began his career in Tampa as a host/producer at 1150 WTMP at then held multiple roles at the CBS Radio turned Beasley Media Group cluster from 2010 to 2015 including promotions, producer at Sports “98.7 The Fan” WHFS and on-air at Rhythmic CHR “Wild 94.1” WLLD. He would then spend two years programming CHR “95.3 Gorilla” WYNF Biloxi MS and six years as APD/afternoon host at Cox CHR “Hot 101.5” WPOI Tampa from 2017 until jumping to WOMX.
Serrano tells us, “Met some great people in the short stent I was at Beasley Tampa/Saint Pete. In the meantime I’ll be here on the beach catching some rays.” He can be reached at [email protected].
We’re told that in addition Serrano that one additional on-air host and multiple IT and promotions staffers have exited in Tampa.
Jonathan ‘J Steele’ exits as remote APD of Adult R&B “105.9 Kiss-FM” WDMK and afternoon host at Classic Hip Hop “105.1 The Bounce” WMGC-FM. Steele served in-house as APD/afternoon host at WMGC-FM from April 2019 to October 2020 and has been remote since. He continues as PD/morning host at Zelus Hip Hop “Power 98.3” KKFR Phoenix. Steele has previously programmed Hip Hop “Kiss 97.3” KKSS and Hot AC “Mix 105.1” KKRG-FM, Hip Hop WAMO Pittsburgh, “Loud 102.3” WLOA Youngstown, CHR “94.7 Hits-FM” WYUL Chateaugay NY/Montreal and CHR “98.5 Kiss-FM” WPIA Peoria.
Also departing in Detroit are four off-air staffers from the promotions, sales, and IT departments.
Directly unrelated to the budget cuts, the company also is making an afternoon change at Sports “97.5 The Fanatic” WPEN-FM Burlington NJ/Philadelphia where Tyrone Johnson was let go as host of the afternoon drive “Best Show Ever?”.
Johnson joined WPEN-FM in 2016 as a producer rising to afternoon host in July 2022. The original “Best Show Ever?” lineup featured Johnson, Ricky Botallico, Hunter Brody and Jennifer Scordo. Subsequent cuts left the show down to Johnson, the former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Botallico, and producer Sylvana Kelleher. Johnson shared in a TikTok live that he was told the station “was going in a different direction” and that he knew as early as last summer that a change was likely.
WPEN-FM has already begun a search for a new host to join the station.
