‘Bert Show’ alum Kristin Klingshirn let go from Q99.7 amid broader cuts
Kristin Klingshirn announced on Instagram that she lost her job at top 40 station Q99.7 just six months after she was given an afternoon show.
“I was let go from Cumulus Media today,” she posted Thursday, referencing the Atlanta-based company that owns Q99.7. “I’ll have more to say later. Right now, I’m gonna process and discuss plans with my husband. And then I’m gonna pick up my son from school. Because I can now.”
She was on “The Bert Show” morning program 14 years, until creator Bert Weiss shut it down last fall. In January, Q99.7 gave her an afternoon show 2-7 p.m. with Ethan Cole. The Atlanta Journal-Constitutition was unable to confirm if Cole is still employed by Cumulus.
Neither Klingshirn nor Cole responded to queries from the AJC seeking additional comment. Klingshirn summarized her philosophy about life on the Q99.7 website: “Laugh. Do some good. Repeat. And not necessarily in that order.”
Cumulus Atlanta market manager Justin Schaflander and Cumulus chief content officer Brian Philips also did not answer texts.
Radio companies are under increasing pressure to cut costs as revenues shrink amid shifts in listening habits. Spotify and other streaming services are stealing people away from radio.
Cumulus, one of the largest radio companies in the country with nearly 400 stations,made staff cuts this week, according to radio news website RAMP 24/7. That website noted job losses at stations in New York; Detroit; Columbia, South Carolina; and several smaller markets. RadioInsight provided more details on radio station cuts.
In March, for the second time in the past decade, Cumulus filed for bankruptcy protection to reduce debt. A few weeks later, a judge confirmed the company’s prepackaged restructuring plan, approving a deal that eliminated about $592 million in debt.
The company is also in a legal dispute with Nielsen, which measures radio audiences. Cumulus radio stations have not been included in the monthly Nielsen radio ratings since Dec. 31, 2025. As a result, there is no information on how well Klingshirn’s show did.
Over its quarter-century on air, “The Bert Show” was hugely successful in Atlanta and in syndication on 20 other stations, but Weiss last year said he felt it was the right time to step away.