KCRW Cuts 10% of Staff in Wake of Public Media Funding Cuts; DJs Jason Kramer, Jeremy Sole, José Galván Among Exits
Faced with further budget cuts following the Trump administration’s elimination of federal funding for public media, local public radio outlet KCRW has trimmed an additional 10% of its staff. Included in the cuts were several of the station’s most well-known music DJs, including Jason Kramer, Jeremy Sole and José Galván. Also as part of the changes, host Elvis Mitchell’s long-running interview series “The Treatment” will now run inside “Weekend Edition.”
KCRW president Jennifer Ferro revealed some of the changes in a letter to the station’s subscribers and supporters on Friday.
“Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality,” Ferro wrote in the memo. “The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff. These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.”
Ferro added: “While this moment is challenging, we believe these changes are necessary to ensure KCRW is positioned for the long term.”
In Friday’s letter, Ferro noted that “you’ll notice some programming changes too. Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup.” She didn’t name the departing DJs by name, but Kramer, Sole and Galvan confirmed their exits on social media.
“After 27 years, I have unfortunately been let go from KCRW. Along with some other of the best DJs in the world,” Kramer wrote. “The station will always have a place in my heart, and every artist that I play I will still be there in another way.”
Wrote Galván: “For the past 14 years, I have contributed my musical taste and unique perspective to KCRW. For the first six, I creared and curated a feature called ‘Pan Caliente’ on the music blog, and for the past 8.5 years I was lucky enough to be an on-air host. Growing up in LA, it was a dream come trye to be a part of the elite DJs of KCRW. Sadly as of this morning, I am no longer living that dream. I was let go, along with some other staples of the station. Throughout my time at KCRW, it was never lost on me that it was a privilege and a pleasure to be able to share music and artists with the world week after week. Radio is my passion, and there will be other opportunities for me to share my taste at better run institutions. Thank you to those who supported me on this particular journey… Stick a fork in me, I’m done at 89.9 FM.”
As for Sole, he wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart that I say this, but for the past 18 and a half years I’ve been most honored and grateful to share time and music with you every week on KCRW. Unfortunately that time has cme to an end, as of today. It’s been the highest honor of my life (so far!) to serenade you and hopefully to provide some semblance of soulful depth and some appreciation for the music of every culture on the planet. I’ve had the honor to sit in the same chair as some of the most dedicated and talented radio hosts and DJs, I’ve been able to break new and genius talent like Hiatus Kaiyote, Black Pumas, Michael Kiwanuka and so many others with their first radio plays on national radio. Thank you to Anne Litt for believing in me, bringing me in and training me. Luckily for me I have some other big projects in the works that I can’t wait to share, but in regard to future music programming, contact me if you know where I should go next. Onward and upward, brothers and sisters. It’s been an honor serving you the platters than matter, and the joints that anoint.”
The Santa Monica College-owned NPR station has gone through several rounds of cuts in recent years; last year, KCRW offered voluntary buyout packages as it faced a $3 million budget deficit. As a result, then “Morning Becomes Eclectic” co-host Anthony Valadez and “All Things Considered” host Janaya Williams exited the station and the program “Greater LA” was canceled.
In 2020, KCRW cut 20% of its staff, or around 24 people, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also led to a budget shortfall.
Here’s Ferro’s letter:
I’m writing with an update on KCRW.
Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality. The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff.
These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.
You’ll notice some programming changes too. Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup. You’ll now be able to hear The Treatment inside Weekend Edition Saturday, where Elvis was featured weekly in decades past.
While this moment is challenging, we believe these changes are necessary to ensure KCRW is positioned for the long term.
No matter what, we will stay true to the essence of KCRW — playing a vital role strengthening community, connection, and being courageous and inspirational in light of the issues we all face in Southern California. KCRW remains strong with more members than we’ve ever had and sustained audience growth. We just launched our new app with new streams like Dance24 & Vintage24, and we’re very proud of new shows like ‘The Sam Sanders Show’ and ‘Question Everything,’ our podcast about journalism from Brian Reed, the creator of ‘S Town.‘
My deepest gratitude is to you for standing up for KCRW when we’ve asked, for showing up for our live events, our on-air programming, and connecting with us via our newsletters and on social media. We are here to serve, and we take seriously our responsibility to keep KCRW as strong as possible for today and the future.
Jennifer FerroKCRW President
KCRW president Jennifer Ferro revealed some of the changes in a letter to the station’s subscribers and supporters on Friday.
“Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality,” Ferro wrote in the memo. “The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff. These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.”
Ferro added: “While this moment is challenging, we believe these changes are necessary to ensure KCRW is positioned for the long term.”
In Friday’s letter, Ferro noted that “you’ll notice some programming changes too. Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup.” She didn’t name the departing DJs by name, but Kramer, Sole and Galvan confirmed their exits on social media.
“After 27 years, I have unfortunately been let go from KCRW. Along with some other of the best DJs in the world,” Kramer wrote. “The station will always have a place in my heart, and every artist that I play I will still be there in another way.”
Wrote Galván: “For the past 14 years, I have contributed my musical taste and unique perspective to KCRW. For the first six, I creared and curated a feature called ‘Pan Caliente’ on the music blog, and for the past 8.5 years I was lucky enough to be an on-air host. Growing up in LA, it was a dream come trye to be a part of the elite DJs of KCRW. Sadly as of this morning, I am no longer living that dream. I was let go, along with some other staples of the station. Throughout my time at KCRW, it was never lost on me that it was a privilege and a pleasure to be able to share music and artists with the world week after week. Radio is my passion, and there will be other opportunities for me to share my taste at better run institutions. Thank you to those who supported me on this particular journey… Stick a fork in me, I’m done at 89.9 FM.”
As for Sole, he wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart that I say this, but for the past 18 and a half years I’ve been most honored and grateful to share time and music with you every week on KCRW. Unfortunately that time has cme to an end, as of today. It’s been the highest honor of my life (so far!) to serenade you and hopefully to provide some semblance of soulful depth and some appreciation for the music of every culture on the planet. I’ve had the honor to sit in the same chair as some of the most dedicated and talented radio hosts and DJs, I’ve been able to break new and genius talent like Hiatus Kaiyote, Black Pumas, Michael Kiwanuka and so many others with their first radio plays on national radio. Thank you to Anne Litt for believing in me, bringing me in and training me. Luckily for me I have some other big projects in the works that I can’t wait to share, but in regard to future music programming, contact me if you know where I should go next. Onward and upward, brothers and sisters. It’s been an honor serving you the platters than matter, and the joints that anoint.”
The Santa Monica College-owned NPR station has gone through several rounds of cuts in recent years; last year, KCRW offered voluntary buyout packages as it faced a $3 million budget deficit. As a result, then “Morning Becomes Eclectic” co-host Anthony Valadez and “All Things Considered” host Janaya Williams exited the station and the program “Greater LA” was canceled.
In 2020, KCRW cut 20% of its staff, or around 24 people, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also led to a budget shortfall.
Here’s Ferro’s letter:
I’m writing with an update on KCRW.
Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality. The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff.
These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.
You’ll notice some programming changes too. Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup. You’ll now be able to hear The Treatment inside Weekend Edition Saturday, where Elvis was featured weekly in decades past.
While this moment is challenging, we believe these changes are necessary to ensure KCRW is positioned for the long term.
No matter what, we will stay true to the essence of KCRW — playing a vital role strengthening community, connection, and being courageous and inspirational in light of the issues we all face in Southern California. KCRW remains strong with more members than we’ve ever had and sustained audience growth. We just launched our new app with new streams like Dance24 & Vintage24, and we’re very proud of new shows like ‘The Sam Sanders Show’ and ‘Question Everything,’ our podcast about journalism from Brian Reed, the creator of ‘S Town.‘
My deepest gratitude is to you for standing up for KCRW when we’ve asked, for showing up for our live events, our on-air programming, and connecting with us via our newsletters and on social media. We are here to serve, and we take seriously our responsibility to keep KCRW as strong as possible for today and the future.
Jennifer FerroKCRW President