Atlanta pop radio station Star 94.1 lost its program director, its afternoon host and a weekend host last week after its parent company, Audacy, made sizable cuts nationwide.
Midday host Skye Smith, afternoon host Mike Kannon and brand manager Jerry McKenna all were laid off.
“Farewell, Star 94 Atlanta,” Kannon wrote on his private Facebook page. He gave The Atlanta Journal-Constitution permission to post his note publicly. “Corporate cutbacks finally got me. Today I feel gratitude I was able to spend seven amazing years in this studio in Midtown at the legendary Star 94 doing my best to entertain our audience and bring a truly Atlanta music experience to the city.”
Kannon confirmed McKenna’s and Smith’s departures.
McKenna oversaw the station’s change in 2020 from a straightforward adult pop station to a more dance-oriented version that covered five decades of music, including disco, ‘80s dance, ‘90s hip-hop and more current hits by Dua Lipa and the Weeknd. Although ratings improved over its previous format, the station generally has lagged behind its closest rivals, B98.5 and Q99.7.
In January’s most recent monthly Nielsen ratings, Star had a 3.1 share, good for 13th in the market, behind B98.5 (5.1, 6th place) and Q99.7 (3.3, 11th place). Among women ages 25 to 54, Star ranked eighth, compared with third for B98.5 and fourth for Q99.7.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho2
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho2
The only on-air host Audacy kept at Star was Jenn Hobby in mornings. It’s unclear if the station will hire new local hosts, use hosts from outside the market or just play music without hosts outside of mornings.
Both McKenna, who spent most of his career in New England, and Kannon came to Star in 2019.
Kannon also was previously on Atlanta’s 95.5/The Beat in the 2000s before parent company Cox Media Group began simulcasting its news/talk station there in 2010. (That Beat is different from the current hip-hop station the Beat on 96.1.) Smith had been an overnight and weekend host for Star but was moved to the midday slot last June.
Audacy, like many radio companies, has suffered from shrinking revenues and heavy debt. The second-largest radio broadcaster by revenue, behind only iHeartMedia, with 220 stations in 47 markets, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year and emerged from bankruptcy in September 2024 under a new ownership group led by controlling shareholder Soros Fund Management.
“Audacy has made workforce reductions to ensure a strong and resilient future for the business,” the company said in a statement. “We are streamlining resources to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving media landscape and to best position Audacy to continue serving listeners and advertisers with excellence.”
The AJC has not been able to ascertain if the cuts affected three other Audacy stations in Atlanta: news/talk 1380/WAOK-AM, hip-hop/R&B station V-103 and sports talk 92.9/The Game.
According to trade publication Radio Ink, hosts at Audacy stations in New York City, Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Detroit also lost their jobs, Audacy has not disclosed how many people were let go last week, but Billboard magazine said it was about 200 people nationwide, citing an unnamed source. Audacy’s longtime chief, David Feld, stepped down in January after leading the company for 27 years.
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