Yesterday, amidst all the inaugural hoopla, San Antonio based Clear Channel Communications announced it would prune 1,850 jobs from the company, citing the downturn in advertising as the culprit.
In a memo quoted by the New York Times, Mark Mays, Clear Channel's chief executive, said most of the jobs cut were from sales operations, but that all parts of the company would be affected.
He was right: in Dallas, morning drive guy Tony Zazza and midday gal Lisa Thomas are out at Mix 102.9 effective yesterday. Plus, Mix will be using the same program director as 106.1 KISS-FM (another Clear Channel station).
Unfair Park talked to Clear Channel's Dallas market manager J.D. Freeman yesterday, getting confirmation of the on-air axings, plus news that Ryan Seacrest will soon be a fixture on 102.9.
You read that right -- Ryan Seacrest.
Seacrest will fill afternoon-drive with his Los Angeles based show -- a move we think is a definite sign of what's to come.
