WTOP and its sibling station, WFED, have laid off four employees, General Manager Joel Oxley told staffers Friday, and it will not fill five other open jobs. Digital chief John Meyer, evening producer and transporation reporter Ari Ashe, WFED host Francis Rose, and producer Matt Wingfield lost their jobs, Oxley writes in the memo. Additionally, WTOP will not fill the spot reporter Andrew Mollenbeck is vacating to move to Los Angeles, the digital position Kerry Walter left earlier this year, or three open sales jobs.
“Our financial situation continues to be very challenging,” Oxley writes, saying revenue is down in several areas of advertising, and “costs that we cannot control continue to rise.”
WTOP is perennially the top-rated station in the region. Attempts to reach Oxley on Friday have so far been unsuccessful but I will update when I hear back. Here’s the email.
For those of you who were not at the meeting today, I wanted to let you know that we have parted ways with John Meyer of TOP/FED Digital, Ari Ashe of WTOP and Francis Rose and Matt Wingfield of WFED. We will also not be replacing three open sales positions, the TOP reporter position left open by Andrew Mollenbeck’s departure and the Digital position that Kerry Walter held.
Our financial situation continues to be very challenging. National, Local Agency and Sports revenue are all down. Many costs that we cannot control continue to rise. So we have had to make difficult expense decisions in all departments including these staff reductions as we head into 2016.
I want to thank John, Ari, Francis and Matt for all they have done for Federal News Radio and WTOP and wish them all the best.
Please come see me with your questions and concerns. Thanks.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
WTOP and WFED Lay Off 4, GM Cites "Very Challenging" Financial Situation
WTOP and its sibling station, WFED, have laid off four employees, General Manager Joel Oxley told staffers Friday, and it will not fill five other open jobs. Digital chief John Meyer, evening producer and transporation reporter Ari Ashe, WFED host Francis Rose, and producer Matt Wingfield lost their jobs, Oxley writes in the memo. Additionally, WTOP will not fill the spot reporter Andrew Mollenbeck is vacating to move to Los Angeles, the digital position Kerry Walter left earlier this year, or three open sales jobs.
“Our financial situation continues to be very challenging,” Oxley writes, saying revenue is down in several areas of advertising, and “costs that we cannot control continue to rise.”
WTOP is perennially the top-rated station in the region. Attempts to reach Oxley on Friday have so far been unsuccessful but I will update when I hear back. Here’s the email.
For those of you who were not at the meeting today, I wanted to let you know that we have parted ways with John Meyer of TOP/FED Digital, Ari Ashe of WTOP and Francis Rose and Matt Wingfield of WFED. We will also not be replacing three open sales positions, the TOP reporter position left open by Andrew Mollenbeck’s departure and the Digital position that Kerry Walter held.
Our financial situation continues to be very challenging. National, Local Agency and Sports revenue are all down. Many costs that we cannot control continue to rise. So we have had to make difficult expense decisions in all departments including these staff reductions as we head into 2016.
I want to thank John, Ari, Francis and Matt for all they have done for Federal News Radio and WTOP and wish them all the best.
Please come see me with your questions and concerns. Thanks.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
March 2024: Cool Jobs
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
How Noochie’s Porch Became One of DC’s Hottest Venues
More from News & Politics
Megan Thee Stallion and Gunna Will Perform at Broccoli City Festival
I Toured Metro’s “Newly Renovated” Bathrooms. Here’s What I Found.
A New Record Label Documents DC’s Most Challenging Sounds
More High-Tech Public Bathrooms Are Coming to DC This Spring
When Jackie Kennedy Interviewed My Mom for Her Column
“Manhunt,” Apple TV+’s Limited Series About the Lincoln Assassination, Premieres Friday
Metro Police Can Now Issue Fines and Make Arrests for Fare Evasion in DC
Meet the Kensington Couple Who Broke a Guinness Record Attending Concerts