Clear Channel Hit By Layoffs

The current round of restructuring followed what Clear Channel called a “flattening [of] our senior management organization to reduce overlap.” According to reports, since Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners’ buyout of the company in 2008, most of the layoffs have not focused on sales departments until now.

While details have not been released, there are reports that staff reductions vary from one market to the next, and that part of the strategy to make sales more efficient involves the creation of call centers in each market. There is also speculation that rep group Katz Media may add regional to their current national sales work for Clear Channel.

The company, which owns 850 radio stations in the U.S. with an estimated 110 million listeners, did not divulge the names of staffers let go, except to say: “In the process some people were negatively impacted.” The only layoffs confirmed to this point have taken place in the Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla. offices. As of now, the only person known to have been let go was West Palm Beach Account Coordinator Donna Schaneen.