It couldn't hurt, but perhaps is the key word.
It might also be that Audacy has become a less desirable place to work these days. He's not the only one who's fled the company as it's "evolved" and found new "synergies."
The article looks to me like they're still "consolidating." I don't see many new hires there. For the most part, they're plugging the holes from departing people with people already on staff. If they're adding staff in the alternative format it's because they essentially "consolidated" it so much that some of the people who were left decided it was time to move on instead of shouldering an impossible workload. TSQ has had similar issues.
TSQ in Buffalo lost three managers on the programming side for just that reason. All three cited burnout and excessive workload between the on-air product and online posting requirements for both themselves and in overseeing other talent as the reason they left. Audacy has also upped the responsibilities of pretty much all personnel post "merger." A number of people in all departments have simply moved on - some in the business, and some out of the business.
Former Buffalo TSQ employees have stated that air staff are required to post multiple times across multiple social media platforms, including station websites each day.
Responses like that are why people are fleeing the business, and not all of them are "ready for retirement." They are ready for careers that have a lot more upside and value their communication skills more highly than a lot of corporate radio spreadsheet jockeys.
And, of all the groups, Townsquare has made the biggest progress of transitioning from traditional radio to being a company where radio is part of a larger marketing plan, particularly for local direct accounts.
99.9 percent of those posts on social media are totally worthless. Tweets about "what's your favourite cheese" and other mindless blather. That's not content. It's waste product.
The next generation has a demonstrable lack of interest in radio. They're more interested in learning how to make money on Tik Tok than working for iHeart.
"99.9" is rather high, but the point is well made that a substantial number of social media posts qualify as vapid fluff, serving as nothing more than click bait.
A quote from a (female) Comm major commenting at a local business luncheon, "Why would I work for chicken feed at a radio station when I have college loans to pay back? I can put a video up on Tik Tok that gets a thousand times the impressions in ten minutes than the recognition I'd get on radio in a year. I'd make money, and a TV producer might see my work."
Presuming what once may have been a great job at Audacy Rochester remained great. Word is it wasn't. As to Mr. Wise, good for him! More than likely, he deserved the shot; but it's curious that he's been there 16 years and wasn't given the chance ten years ago... or five years ago. It appears his number finally came up on the TSQ Wheel of PDs.
No, I said it's happening particularly at TSQ and Audacy. We already know about the deep cuts at iHeart. Fortunately, they're not in Buffalo. Rochester isn't as lucky. At this point, it seems that Cumulus is the most stable of the big corporations locally. Of course, they went through their cuts and multiple bankruptcies under previous regimes.
