Corridor employees affected by iHeart Radio layoffs

Dozens of iHeartRadio staffers around the country were laid off Tuesday, including a number in the Corridor region. Iowa City radio station KCJJ and RadioInsight, which is compiling an ongoing list of staffers impacted by the cuts, report that in Cedar Rapids, layoffs included Jim Doyne, Frank Balvanz and Waldo Knight of AM600 WMT, and Jordan Henry at Hot 95.7. Iowa City staffers affected include “Boston” Mike Ryan from 100.7 The Fox and Jerry Lalor and Mark Pitz at AM800 KXIC. According to Rolling Stone, as many as 850 employees were laid off, mostly in small and medium markets, “where staffs had already been reduced.” iHeartMedia did not address the layoffs in a Tuesday press release announcing its new organizational structure, which it said is aimed at modernizing the company “to take advantage of the significant investments it has made in technology and artificial intelligence.” “We are now using our considerable investments in technology to modernize our operations and infrastructure, further setting us apart from traditional media companies,” said Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, adding the changes were also aimed at “improving our services to our consumers and advertising partners and enhancing the work environment for our employees.” In a statement issued later Tuesday, the company acknowledged there would be “shifts in jobs,” but argued the number was small relative to its overall employee base of 12,500. “That said, we recognize that the loss of any job is significant,” the statement continued. “We take that responsibility seriously and have been thoughtful in the process.”