Sabrina Ambra (Instagram | TikTok), a co-host of the long-running midday show The News Junkie on Real Radio 104.1 FM (Website), was just laid off as part of a company-wide, nationwide reduction that surprised everyone at the station and their listeners earlier this week. It’s the latest in an ongoing wave of cuts at iHeartMedia, the parent company that owns Real Radio and more than 860 stations across the country.
Her contract had been extended through 2027 just before the layoff, and she described finding out about the layoff, after Tuesday’s show, as a deer-in-headlights moment, as she was asked to gather her headphones and belongings and escorted out of the building.
iHeartMedia has been making significant cuts across its national portfolio this month, eliminating leadership, sales, and programming positions across markets. The company announced $50 million in new cost savings beginning in Q2, on top of a $50 million cut the previous quarter, with the bulk of reductions concentrated in its broadcast radio division. On-air talent at stations from Washington D.C. to Seattle to West Palm Beach have all been caught in the same wave.
Ambra, a well-known stand-up comedian nominated for multiple years as “Best Radio Personality” in local Best Of lists, has a history with the station that goes back almost 13 years, to 2013. She originally interned on The Buckethead Show for two years, left to work at Uno’s, and was soon recruited back to join the News Junkie, an unscripted talk show built around discussing viral news, humor, and what she describes as “three best friends you didn’t know you had,” running four hours a day, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. She co-hosted alongside Shawn Wasson and Chris Lane, or “C-LANE.” According to Ambra, she eventually got her hands on the board for the first time when C-LANE went to “like his 50th Dave Matthews concert,” and she never looked back. “I felt like the alien switchboard operator from Men in Black,” she said. “I loved it.”
Highlights from her nearly 13 years include onsite reporting at Bonnaroo and Hulaween, performing alongside the Ying Yang Twins and Coolio before his death, and a visit to the Central Florida Animal Reserve, where she got up close with lions, tigers, and, as she put it, their poop. During COVID, the whole team broadcast from Wasson’s home for roughly two years before the station required them to return, citing liability concerns.
She says the response since the news broke has been overwhelming, with lots of support from longtime listeners, industry colleagues, and people inside the building who were just as shocked as she was. “I was told it was a massive shock throughout the building,” she said.
Don’t expect Ambra to disappear, though. She’ll continue her role as an in-stadium host for Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride, and she says other opportunities are opening up. She’s still working out what she can and can’t do contractually, but said, “I still want to be an entertainer. I love radio, and I love the audience we’ve built over the years.” Ambra said she’s looking forward to leaning more into her other projects, like having a regular column in Watermark, sketch writing, and performing improv, but is hopeful to return to radio in some form in the near future.
Follow her at @SabrinaAmbra on most platforms, and @SabbyCatCat on TikTok, where she said “SabrinaAmbra” was already taken.
