In October, the DJ and former KCRW host Jeremy Sole climbed atop a booth to address the crowd in the front bar of the Moroccan Lounge in downtown L.A. He was in mourning.
“It’s been a hell of a week,” Sole said to a hundred or so clubgoers. Sole, known for his cosmically peaceful voice and deep knowledge of electronic, dub and global music, had just been laid off after 18 years at the Santa Monica public radio fixture. Speaking to the crowd at his event, Le Frique Sonique, he reminisced on the mixing desk that changed his life.
“I realized for the first time that this is a different medium,” he said. Tens of thousands of fans may be listening to you, he said, but “you’re talking to one friend, sitting right there at the table with you. It felt like we were just in the room together for 18 and a half years, listening to music together.”
Last year’s staff cuts, following similar waves in 2020 and 2024, have reshaped the station, losing stalwart voices like Sole, Travis Holcombe, Jason Kramer, José Galván and Valida. KCRW’s leadership said that the loss of federal funding for public media necessitated a “new budget reality.”
Yet several prominent new DJ hires, just days after the layoff announcement, raised eyebrows among the station’s core fans.
As AI and algorithms reshape how music is discovered, KCRW is one of the few outlets still highlighting diverse, experimental music scenes to Southern California’s influential audiences. The station’s ambitions are a referendum on the cultural and economic value of good taste.
“Radio is a truly unique connection between the person transmitting and the one receiving,” Sole said in an interview. “I was really crushed when they let me go, and it still stings for sure. It felt like being excommunicated from my family.”
KCRW’s music director, Alejandro Cohen, said, “Sometimes renewal is part of the process. To be creative, you have to be able to take a fresh approach to things. So to me, bringing new voices, refreshing things, not keeping things static, that is the key.”
Like all public media in the U.S, KCRW is at a difficult juncture. Famed for its cutting-edge music programming, its DJs shape the entertainment industry through music supervision, live performances and hosting gigs at the Hollywood Bowl. Reaching around 3 million listeners across its terrestrial and online broadcasts, it’s one of the few outlets that can turn a DJ into a global star.
“Unlike commercial stations or AI-driven models, our DJs are curators who are encouraged to take chances on new artists and play music our listeners might not have heard before,” the station said in a recent report to the Corp. for Pubic Broadcasting.
KCRW retains that prestige, even as its financial situation is shaky. The station reported losses of $2.7 million in 2024 and $1.3 million in 2023. 2024’s total membership funds and donations of $20.895 million were its lowest income since the pandemic year of 2020. In 2024, 16 staffers including “Morning Becomes Eclectic” co-host Anthony Valadez took buyouts to address a $3-million budget deficit.
Those worries were compounded by President Trump’s executive order in May rescinding funding for CPB, saying, “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
Last year, KCRW reported around a half million in government grants, and received a reported $1.3 million from the CPB.
“Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality,” KCRW’s president, Jennifer Ferro, wrote in a memo announcing the cuts last year. “The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff. These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.”
For the DJs who lost their decades-long jobs, the last few months have been disorienting and painful. Many felt like they never got a clear explanation of why they were selected.
“It felt like it would be a lifelong thing, almost like the Supreme Court, that until I died I’d be a KCRW DJ,” said José Galván, a Latin and indie savant laid off after 14 years at the station. “It was a shock, and it felt unmerited.”
“Was it a kick to the stomach? Yeah, absolutely,” said Jason Kramer, who lost his job after 27 years at KCRW.
KCRW DJs who grew up on hallmark shows like “Metropolis” and “Chocolate City” saw the job as a peak of what radio could achieve. For Travis Holcombe, who hosted the popular subculture show “Freaks Only,” “The job itself was the reward,” he said.
He left KCRW rather than accept a demotion and pay cut. “To no longer be a KCRW DJ feels weird, but I’m also kind of at peace with it,” he said. “Because I don’t feel like it’s the organization that I fell in love with 14 years ago.”
This round of cuts came soon after a changing of the guard at KCRW’s music programming.
Cohen, the new music director, is a respected figure in L.A. who helped turn the community radio nonprofit Dublab into a tastemaking force, with global reach and popular live events stretching from all-night sets at Descanso Gardens to an ambient-music terminal at LAX.
“Given the new music director’s background in independent radio, I assumed there was enough experience in-house to lead the transition,” said Valida, a KCRW veteran laid off last year.
Yet several DJs said they were surprised that advice from consultants seemed to push toward playing more songs off a pre-vetted playlist. Several said Izzi Smith, a veteran NPR executive and consultant, suggested more political news worked into music programs.
Cohen said that Smith advised on programming and promotion strategies and hosts’ on-air delivery, but did not consult on music. Regarding playlists, Cohen said, “We have set up a system where the DJs are sharing songs with each other on a weekly basis.” Those tracks are “not mandated by management,” he said, and “a fraction of their airtime in any hour to add some more consistency across our programming.”
Still, some DJs felt that went against KCRW’s spirit. “It became clear that outside consultants were heavily involved, and their advice was pushing KCRW toward something much closer to commercial radio,” Valida said. “That was both surprising and disappointing.”
Holcombe recalled being told that “‘Change is hard, but this is Radio 101, it’s about predictability and repetition. People want to hear what they know, we’ve spoken to many consultants.’”
“I don’t think that’s why people listen to KCRW,” he said.
Cohen disagreed with that characterization. “Being resourceful on how you expand your voice, within what’s available to you, has always been part of the creative process. There’s an art form to that,” Cohen said. “Everyone knows what public radio and traditional media are going through. The way people consume media is in itself a challenge. But part of the creativity is how you make the most out of the resources you have.”
Days after the cuts, the station announced three new DJ hires. They included the veteran electronic artist John Tejada, Stones Throw label founder and Dublab board member Peanut Butter Wolf, and the producer Luxxury, who hosts the popular podcast “One Song” with Diallo Riddle.
Awkward timing aside, the new hires have formidable reputations. “The new DJs are deeply rooted in Los Angeles’ music ecosystem and bring active creative practices alongside their radio work,” Cohen said. “Their presence reinforces KCRW as a living, participatory music institution, not just a broadcast outlet.”
Yet the mixed messages around the reasons for cuts and new hires left a bad taste for the departing DJs.
“Are you using the excuse of Donald Trump’s cuts to all public media funding, or are you hiring new people?” Kramer asked. “You can’t have both.”
“I would’ve loved to see KCRW double down on being a beacon of authenticity, discovery and community,” Valida said. “But there are a lot of disillusioned KCRW fans trying to figure out where to redirect their energy and their money. I think the impact on fundraising from core music fans could be significant. Time will tell.”
Others wondered if an outspoken social media presence played a role in who was selected for layoffs. Both Sole and Valida said they were reprimanded or put on leave for social media posts decrying the Israel-Hamas war. Cohen, asked if such posts played a role in layoffs, said, “Not at all,” adding, “We made programming changes in our music lineup that just happened to occur at the same time as our cost-saving measures.”
KCRW has an obligation to shift with changing tastes, and no one has a lifetime sinecure there. Still, Galván said, “I have no idea what their vision is. For a decade, the worry around KCRW was ‘Our audience is getting older, it’s not replenishing,’ so we needed to tackle online and social media. If they hired some 25-year-old with a crazy following, OK, fine, that’s not me. But they just brought in new 50-year-old DJs.”
For 2026, the station brought back its concert series School Night, famed for breaking indie bands in the 2010s, to the Airliner in Lincoln Heights. Cohen’s proud of new 24-hour streaming channels — one with electronic dance music, one of vintage Gen X and millennial sounds — on KCRW’s flagship app.
“If we were like a body, music is still the heart of the station,” Cohen said. “Progressive music programming is the foundation of our relationship with Los Angeles and the global music community. Our goal is not to retreat from discovery, but to protect it by adapting how it’s delivered.”
Some KCRW fixtures like Jason Bentley and Henry Rollins are well ensconced; “Morning Becomes Eclectic” host Novena Carmel has found her voice on its flagship broadcast, as have progressive DJs like Tyler “Boogie” Boudreaux and Francesca Harding. Cohen said more DJ hires — including younger, diverse talent — are coming soon.
“Existing audiences are passionate,” he said. “I want them to be open to new voices. Yes, you love a show that was on the air for years. But this new person? We’re bringing them in for a reason, because we love them. Let’s give them a shot, because at some point, those that were there before were the new ones.”
Public media is bracing for a turbulent period under a president that loathes its existence. Donors are wary of economic turmoil, while AI slop clogs opaque streaming algorithms. None of the laid-off DJs are quite sure what’s next in their careers.
Sole frequently performs live across the city, and Valida is involved with social justice efforts like DJs Against Apartheid. Galván books the Paramount in Boyle Heights. “I do feel like I’ll be OK. Maybe I have a halo of confidence, but I have a lot of people who will ride for me,” Holcombe said.
At the Moroccan, Sole still sounded grateful for the opportunity to build his career through KCRW, even if the station, in this new era, has moved on without him.
“It was a blessing that I will never, ever forget in my life,” he told the teary crowd. “I do still believe in supporting public radio, especially at a time when everything else feels not only owned but influenced by up on high. To have something be people powered nowadays is more rare and more special than ever. Support public radio, just support any local thing around you.”
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