Recently KASN 107.7 The Bone in San Francisco laid off Lamont Hollywood who’s been in the industry for 37 years! KASN is owned by Cumulus Media. Hollywood went off on Cumulus and the radio industry. He wasn’t wrong. Here’s what he posted on Facebook.
Dear Friends and Loyal Listeners,
After 37 unforgettable years, the time has come for me to step away from the microphone. Due to corporate restructuring and severe cutbacks at Cumulus, my chapter on these airwaves is coming to an end.
What we are all witnessing is the tragic consequence of debt-fueled media consolidation. For years, giant corporate conglomerates bought up hundreds of radio stations using massive leverage, only to spend the next decade slashing real human talent, gutting local newsrooms, and replacing live voices with syndicated feeds and automated voice-tracking just to pay down interest on executive balance sheets. Oh , and to preserve executive salaries and bonuses.
The suits in corporate headquarters treat a radio station like a spreadsheet, completely blind to the fact that radio was built on authentic human connection, community trust, and undeniable personality. They think they can algorithmically automate decades of trust, local flavor, and real intimacy with a community. When companies gut the very voices that give a station its identity, they destroy the soul of the medium and push loyal listeners away.
Corporate suits control the tower and the license, but they don’t own my voice, my character, or the unbreakable relationship I’ve built with you.
While this corporate decision was completely out of my hands, my gratitude for the time we shared is entirely within my heart. When you spend nearly four decades behind a microphone, a radio station stops being just a job—it becomes a living conversation, a community, and a second home. Through every shift, every song, every joke, and every drive home, you were the reason I put on the headphones.
You allowed me to be a part of your daily lives, your commutes, your workdays, and your personal milestones. We laughed together, navigated changing times together, and built a connection that no corporate board or balance sheet can ever erase. For thirty-seven years, you gave me your time, your trust, and your loyalty. That is the greatest honor any broadcaster could ever ask for.
The silver lining in today’s media landscape is simple: the audience follows the talent, not the signal frequency.
While this chapter on the radio dial is closing, our story is far from over. Moving to an independent platform will give me total creative control, zero corporate meddling, and direct ownership of the show. I am already hard at work preparing to bring it directly back to you.
We will be together again soon, and I can’t wait to share what’s next.
This isn’t a final goodbye—it’s a deep, heartfelt thank you, and a promise that the best is yet to come. Keep the music loud, stay tuned, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for every single year.
With deep respect and endless gratitude,
Lamont
Radio is going through some major issues. The auto industry is trying to phase out AM radios in cars. CBS Radio folded. Corporations like Cumulus, Clearchannel (I Heart Media) have been buying up every station in every market, with the same format with playlists and personalities. All these stations sounded the same regardless the format! Then came the smartphones, the apps, then podcasts. The people in cars were entertained by their phones. Not the AM or FM dial. So now Cumulus and other corporations are losing market share. Here’s the one thing Big Radio forgot about: the talent. Big Radio spent millions on consultants to do the same thing: bits, contests, and make sure personalities stay within the lines of content. Stations want to make sure talent and personalities are “safe.” That’s why 75 Radio isn’t getting picked up! We’re the ECW of talk radio! And that’s why America turned off the radio and pulled out their phone! Cumulus’ biggest mistake was to make sure there is talent behind those microphones! Radio is going through some tough times, But we will still be here!
