Popular Bay Area Radio Host Blasts Media Company In Scathing Post After Being Laid Off

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Lamont Hollywood, one-half of the popular Bay Area radio show "Lamont and Tonelli," officially ended his career at 107.7 "The Bone" with a tirade against the station's parent company, Cumulus.

"After 37 unforgettable years, the time has come for me to step away from the microphone," Hollywood said in a statement on Facebook. "Due to corporate restructuring and severe cutbacks at Cumulus, my chapter on these airwaves is coming to an end."

"The Bone" was just the latest Cumulus-owned station hit by layoffs in the last week. Hosts at Atlanta's "99X" and Kansas City's "Power 105.1" were also laid off on Monday.

"As I often say, ‘in this business, you don’t retire, they retire you,'" Andy Pollin, host of "630 The Sports Capital," in Washington D.C., said in a tweet on Tuesday after being laid off. "Cumulus just did that to me. I’m open to opportunities, but sadly that’s unlikely at my stage of the game. I’m thankful for the last 7 years at 630 and look forward to what’s next."

SEE ALSO: 'Yes, All Of Us:' SoCal Disc Jockeys Shocked With Mass Layoffs Friday

Cumulus is an "audio-first" media company that owns and operates nearly 400 radio stations across 84 markets.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Then, for a second time in March, in Texas, with a restructuring to help eliminate a large chunk of the company's $697 milion debt, according to Reuters.

In his sign-off, Hollywood said he believed the layoffs were a "tragic consequence of debt-fueled media consolidation."

"For years, giant corporate conglomerates bought up hundreds of radio stations using massive leverage, only to spend the next decade slashing real human talent, gutting local newsrooms, and replacing live voices with syndicated feeds and automated voice-tracking just to pay down interest on executive balance sheets," Hollywood continued. "They think they can algorithmically automate decades of trust, local flavor, and real intimacy with a community."

Hollywood added that while the decision to leave the station was out of his hands, he sees a silver lining.

"Corporate suits control the tower and the license, but they don't own my voice, my character, or the unbreakable relationship I’ve built with you," Hollywood said. "The audience follows the talent, not the signal frequency."