Riverside-based 99.1 KGGI has cut longtime on-air personalities Evelyn Erives, Nick Nack, and Garrison King as part of iHeartMedia’s latest wave of layoffs, leaving the Inland Empire station without any local on-air hosts. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring at the nation’s largest radio operator that affects stations across Southern California.
The trio had been among the last familiar voices at the station. The cuts came as iHeartMedia restructures its radio programming to better “leverage” technology, according to an internal memo cited by the New York Post. The memo framed the overhaul as a way for the company to “move faster and operate with greater precision across markets” and “position us not just to adapt to the future, but to lead it.”
iHeartMedia declined to say how many workers were affected, though dozens of on-air personalities and other staffers have reportedly been cut across the country. The company owns more than 850 stations across 160 markets, including Los Angeles-area stations KFI-AM, KLAC-AM, KOST-FM, and KIIS-FM. In May, iHeartMedia announced a new savings plan aimed at trimming another $50 million on top of $100 million in previously announced cuts.
The layoffs come after iHeartMedia rolled out its “Guaranteed Human” campaign last year, pledging that its stations and podcasts would not use AI-generated personalities or AI-generated music. With KGGI now stripped of its last local hosts, the station has not announced who or what will take their place, raising questions about the future of local programming in the region.
The cuts reflect a broader trend in the radio industry as traditional broadcasters face shrinking audiences and shifting advertising dollars. iHeartMedia has been pushing deeper into podcasting as it seeks new revenue streams, as the New York Post reported.
For Southern California listeners, the loss of local on-air talent means fewer community connections and local content on the airwaves. The Inland Empire station’s decision to eliminate all local hosts follows similar cuts at stations across the country, as the radio industry grapples with the transition to digital and streaming platforms.
