A couple of prominent Edmonton radio hosts are now off the air after Harvard Media conducted a series of layoffs earlier this week.

Approximately 15% of Harvard Media’s staff were laid off on Tuesday, including four employees at Harvard Media’s two Edmonton stations, the company explained.

Daily Hive spoke to someone with close knowledge of the situation who said staff was “blindsided” by the decision.

According to our source, staff came in for their regular shifts on Tuesday but were brought in for one-on-one meetings, which is when they were informed of the layoffs.

The layoffs are company-wide, also affecting several staff in Fort McMurray, Regina, and other markets in western Canada.

Of the staff members let go in Edmonton, two were well-known radio hosts; Play 107’s Jenna Winterburn and Derek Allan of Cruz FM.

I got let go today.

I don’t know what this means.
All I know is that I am a mix of emotions & (trying) to process them & I’m grateful for every single day, break & every single opportunity that I had to work, interact & talk w/ ppl.

I’ll be okay.
What’s meant to be will be 💕 pic.twitter.com/aH7MwiFgR1

— x – Jenna 🧡💙 (@jennawinterburn) April 26, 2023

Daily Hive has agreed to keep the identity of the source confidential.

Harvard Media issued a statement to Daily Hive regarding the layoffs, explaining “a 35% decline in revenue during the past 36 months” was a driving factor in the company’s decision.

“To adjust to the macro-economic headwinds, Harvard Media like so many others in the industry regretfully has had to lay off some of our team members,” said George Leith, executive vice president and managing partner of Harvard Media in a statement.

“We are grateful to have been able to limit our downsizing to less than 15% of our total organization. We continue to be committed to the communities we serve across western Canada.”

No word was provided on how the layoffs will affect listeners or day-to-day operations within the company.

Harvard Media owns 13 radio stations across western Canada, including Play 107.1 and 95.7 Cruz FM in Edmonton.