Radio’s Paul and Al’s Show Is Being Slashed by iHeart's Corporate Cutting

Radio’s Paul and Al’s Show Is Being Slashed by iHeart's Corporate Cutting

 

 

The Paul & Al show, which has been a mainstay on Rhode Island radio for 36 years, is being slashed as part of corporate cutbacks at WHJY’s parent company, iHeartMedia.

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The show celebrated its 36th anniversary on July 15th. And announced it was ending due to corporate slashing. The show has been one of the top-rated radio shows in Rhode Island for decades.

 

The duo said in the announcement that they would be having a "retirement" party in August at Track 15.

 

This is part of a massive corporate restructuring by the financially troubled iHeart.

 

According to former radio, Geoff Charles, who previewed the end of the show two weeks ago, “I just found out that Paul and Al, WHJY FM’s morning show in Providence, Rhode Island, that’s been on air for 36 years, got whacked yesterday by iHeart Media. They’ll do an anniversary show on July 15th and say goodbye on September 1st. This is the end of WHJY. It was a legacy rock station, but with Paul and Al gone, it’s just an empty shell of what it used to be.”

 

Others in the radio industry contacted GoLocal with the same information about the demise of the popular, longstanding radio show.

 

The corporate slashing has been reported in recent days.

 

“iHeartMedia is undergoing staff cuts as the company embarks on the process of restructuring its radio programming.

In a memo sent to employees this week, executives outlined a need to speed up the sales process after building new tech capabilities over the past few years. The memo does not detail the exact number of employees impacted, and iHeartMedia declined to comment on the number, but reports have put it in the dozens,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

 

“The move also comes after iHeartMedia announced a cost-saving plan that is meant to lead to $50 million of annualized cost savings. The plan, announced in May, was set to begin in the second half of 2026, and comes in addition to the $100 million of previously announced savings,” the Reporter wrote.

 

Some Markets No Local Talent

According to Radio Insights, "As the names continue to trickle out, some patterns are starting to emerge. Many smaller markets including Atlantic City NJ, Cedar Rapids IA, Erie PA, Fort Collins CO, Springfield MO, and Spokane WA have lost all of their remaining local on-air talents. Even larger markets such as Indianapolis and St. Louis are now down to just a couple local hosts. Surprising many of the people within the company we have spoken to were the amount of people already on the national content teams being affected."