WBAL NewsRadio hit with layoffs; local shows replaced with syndicated programs

Baltimore’s local media landscape took another hit Thursday as WBAL NewsRadio eliminated local jobs and replaced several locally hosted programs with nationally syndicated shows, according to employees affected by the cuts.

Among those let go were WBAL NewsRadio hosts TJ Smith and Angelette Aviles, who said the changes came as a shock to employees across the newsroom.

The station moved to instead air nationally syndicated programs to fill those slots, like Glenn Beck, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Mark Levin and Lars Larson. WBAL NewsRadio leadership and Hearst, who owns the station, did not respond to requests for comment.

Smith said “everybody was shocked” when they were told there would be changes at the station on Thursday morning. He said he wasn’t sure how many jobs were cut, but that the layoffs impacted people across the newsroom, including both younger people and veterans.

“My heart just goes out to all of my coworkers, some who have given decades to the business,” Smith said.

Smith is a former spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department and Anne Arundel County Police Department who hosted a podcast with WMAR-TV in 2021 and then joined WBAL in 2023. His show used to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where he would mostly talk about news in Baltimore and Maryland.

He said “it would have been nice to say goodbye” to his audience one last time “but that’s just the nature of the business.”

Overall, Smith said he would take the time to figure out his next steps and was remaining optimistic.

Aviles, who used to go on-air from 2-6 p.m. to discuss everything from local politics to pop culture, said nearly two dozen people lost their jobs at WBAL on Thursday. She said there were “a lot of hugs, a lot of tears” in the newsroom.

There has been an outpouring of support for her online since the announcement that her show was cut, she said, even from those who disagreed with her.

“The common theme I got from a lot people is that this was a sad day for the community,” Aviles said. “They love local news.”

She said the layoffs are just another sign that “we’re losing more and more local connections.”

“What do these guys have to say about what’s going on in Baltimore or Annapolis,” Aviles said of the nationally syndicated programming.

The remaining local hosts on WBAL are C4 and Bryan Nehman, Robert Lang, and Taylor Bennett, according to the WBAL NewsRadio website.

Coming out of the layoffs, Aviles said she is most concerned for her colleagues who built a career in the journalism industry that has been changing rapidly.

The shake up comes a little over a week after E.W. Scripps decided to lay off about a dozen journalists and switch to anchorless broadcasts. WYPR has also largely shifted to syndicated programming.

Some listeners complained about the lack of locally tailored programming, while others praise WBAL NewsRadio for its move to air the national hosts.

This story has been updated.