“The reality is that this is happening everywhere in radio,” former general manager for the station Jeffrey Parke said

NEED TO KNOW

• KCAL-FM 96.7 has transitioned to an all-music format, laying off its entire on-air staff after 61 years
• Hosts John DeSantis and Daryl Norsell expressed shock and gratitude for their decades with the station
• The move follows the June retirement of former general manager Jeffrey Parke after nearly 40 years in radio leadership

After 61 years, California’s KCAL-FM 96.7 laid off its entire staff following the station’s announcement to transition to an all-music format on Saturday, Aug. 1.

“96.7 KCAL Rocks is turning the page today. Thank you to every listener who made the last chapter what it was,” the station said in a Friday, July 31, statement on social media. “THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS NOW. Classic rock. Nothing but music. All day across the Inland Empire.”

Several of the station’s on-air personalities confirmed they had been laid off, including evening host John DeSantis.

“Well, it’s finally our turn. This morning, the ownership of KCAL released the entire air staff,” DeSantis wrote on Facebook. “Yes, all of us. They will be moving to an automated, human-less format. To say this is shocking is an understatement. I have a lot to process, and will be saying more shortly. But for right now, I just want to thank all of you for letting me be part of the KCAL family. It has been a radio dream come true. You will always rock.”

“After an amazing 42 year run with the station, the last 36 in the Afternoon show, I can’t be anything but grateful,” Daryl Norsell, who hosted the station’s afternoon show, wrote on Facebook.

“My four hours in the studio was always my favorite part of my day. My escape from whatever else was going on to be with my friends,” Norsell continued. “I started in radio when I was just 18 and at KCAL when I was 20 years old, and I’ve literally grown up and spent my entire adult life on the air with you playing music that I love and sharing stories and experiences.

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The latest layoffs come just weeks after another major shake-up for the station. 

In June, former KCAL General Manager Jeffrey Parke, who spent nearly four decades leading Redlands-based KCAL-FM and KOLA-FM, announced his retirement, according to The Orange County Register.

“I was stunned that the company was making this move, but the reality is that this is happening everywhere in radio, and it’s really become a bottom-line thing,” Parke told the Register on July 31.

KCAL-FM 96.7 did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Thursday, Aug. 6.

“KCAL has a longstanding history in the Inland Empire, and this next chapter builds on the station’s strong rock heritage,” Kelly Sanders, Chief Operating Officer of Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation, said in a press release, the Register reported. “We rebuilt KCAL around the music our listeners grew up on, the songs and the artists that made classic rock, and we built it right here at home. KCAL will deliver a focused, consistent listening experience with broader appeal for both our audience and advertising partners.”

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