Another round of layoffs at Cumulus Media has further gutted two Bloomington radio stations.
Scott Miller, the longtime morning host at news-talk station WJBC, posted a farewell video on Facebook on Thursday. Faith Rinker, the morning host on country station B104 and also host on the Top 40 station WBNQ, posted on Facebook that she had also been let go. Both said their positions were eliminated.
In his Facebook video, Miller thanked his listeners, sponsors and colleagues.
“Radio is a business, and sometimes difficult decisions are made that are beyond our control,” said Miller. “While this isn’t the ending I would’ve ever written, I leave here with nothing but gratitude for the opportunity to spend these years with you.”
In her Facebook post, Rinker said she “had the privilege to do what I love for almost 25 years.” Her exit was abrupt.
“Today I said goodbye to a place I’ve called home for 25 years, except I didn’t get to say goodbye, at least not to you. That is the saddest part,” Rinker wrote. “Onto the next adventure, whatever that may be.”
Miller and Rinker’s exits come just months after longtime WBNQ morning host Susan Saunders was let go, in the earlier round of Cumulus layoffs tied to ongoing financial challenges in the media industry. Saunders is now working to launch a podcast independently, called Off The Air With Susan, later this month.
The cuts at Cumulus come as the corporate owner of The Pantagraph, Lee Enterprises, also cuts its staff to the bone, including layoffs this past summer. The Pantagraph lists only eight newsroom staff members on its website, down from around 25 in 2019 and 75 in 1999.
