Bret Saunders and other on-air personalities got a nasty surprise this week when iHeart Media, owner of their employer KBCO 97.3 FM, informed them they were being laid off as part of at the media corporation.
“To My Friends: Thank you for 28+ years,” Saunders . “I’ve loved every day with you, and being a small part of your lives has been my greatest honor and pleasure. My time at KBCO has come to an end. I’ll miss the laughs, the countless people I’ve met, and being a part of the community. Thanks!”
Saunders declined to comment when reached by The Denver Post. KBCO’s website made no mention of the layoffs. (Saunders has long written The Denver Post’s Sunday jazz column.)
KBCO parent company iHeart Media is in the process of trying to save up to $50 million by restructuring, including the latest round of layoffs, .
“While we will be creating new roles to support our future needs, we also recognize that some colleagues and existing positions will be impacted as part of these changes,” according to an employee memo obtained by the trade publication. “We have given this a great deal of thought and do not take this step lightly; we are deeply grateful for the contributions of those affected, and we’re committed to supporting them through this transition.”
Saunders first began his employment at KBCO in 1997 and worked the morning shift throughout his career (and, until this week, had been helming the 6 to 10 a.m. slot). He was known for working with KBCO’s celebrated Studio C series, which included live performances, interviews and annual music compilations from local and nationally touring musicians.
“Bret was in high school when he got his first radio job,” according to his KBCO biography. “He worked for a little 10-watt station in Michigan and had his FCC broadcast license 2 years before he had a driver’s license!”
Despite Saunders’ post at roughly 11 a.m., as of noon Monday, he was .
Jeb “Nerf” Freedman, program director and vice president of events and strategic partnerships for KBCO, declined to comment when reached by The Denver Post. It was not immediately clear how many other layoffs were taking place at KBCO this week.
This story will be updated.
