Alex Silverman is stepping down from his role as News Director of Audacy’s all-news radio station in Los Angeles, according to an all-staff memo circulated to employees on Thursday.
Silverman intends to stay at the station through April in order to effectuate a smooth transition; the news of his departure comes two months after he helped lead the news staff at KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) through non-stop coverage of the wildfires in Southern California, with some of the first reporting from the front lines of the initial blaze that began in the Pacific Palisades community.
“As it stands now, KNX News holds its strongest ratings position in modern history. This is in no small part thanks to what all of you demonstrated over the past two months: your work is vital to Southern California, and despite the great challenges facing the media industry broadly, this remains as true as ever,” Silverman wrote on Thursday. “The millions who have depended on our work on the air and on our digital platforms are a testament to the fact that credible, local journalism matters, and I am honored to have been a part of it and incredibly proud of every one of you.”
Silverman said he was leaving the station to “pursue other opportunities and possibilities,” but acknowledged he still wasn’t sure what those other opportunities will be. He joined KNX in 2022 after serving as the Brand Manager of Audacy-owned news station KYW (1060 AM, 103.9 FM) in Philadelphia. Before then, he served as the Assistant News Director of WCBS (880 AM, now WHSQ) in New York City; the station is now an ESPN-branded sports and talk radio outlet.
Silverman’s departure was announced the same day that Audacy executed on swift layouts throughout its national and local radio operations. The layoffs included Charles Feldman, one of KNX’s veteran news anchors.
In January, Audacy’s long-time Chief Executive Officer David Field resigned from the company. One month later, Rich Schmaeling, Audacy’s Chief Financial Officer, also left.
