Layoffs under way at Charlotte radio stations, employees say

Beasley Broadcast Group, which acquired seven Charlotte radio stations this month from CBS Radio, has shed about a dozen or more jobs at the operation in a wave of layoffs that began Friday, employees said.

Bill Schoening, Charlotte market manager for Beasley, said Monday he could not comment on the reports, and calls and messages to Beasley executives at its Naples, Fla.-headquarters were not returned. But some of the affected workers said Monday they were surprised to learn a week before Christmas that their jobs were being eliminated.

None of the layoffs appear to have hit the top talent ranks at the stations, which include three of the city’s best-ranked stations, WPEG-FM (“Power 98” 97.9); WBAV-FM (“V” 101.9) and WSOC-FM (103.7).

Beasley also operates sports-talk stations WFNZ-AM (“Fan” 610) and WBCN (1660) and pop stations WKQC-FM (“K” 104.7) and WNKS-FM (“Kiss” 95.1).

On Dec. 1, Beasley took over the Charlotte stations, part of a transaction with CBS Radio that also included station transfers in Tampa, Miami and Philadelphia. CBS had operated radio stations in Charlotte since 1997, but traded them to gain operations in larger cities where there was synergy with other broadcast properties. When the deal was consummated, Beasley wound up with 53 radio stations in 12 cities, including 12 stations it already operated in Eastern North Carolina.

About 200 people, full- and part-time, worked at the Beasley studios on South Boulevard before the layoffs.

This story was originally published December 22, 2014 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Layoffs under way at Charlotte radio stations, employees say."