Sanders Departs WZZK Amid SummitMedia Layoffs

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, April 25, 2025 | 4:00pm CT

Mike Sanders

Mike Sanders, Program Director and midday host at WZZK (104.7) in Birmingham, AL, has announced his departure following an unexpected round of layoffs at SummitMedia Birmingham. Sanders' tenure at the heritage country station lasted from May 2024 to April 2025.

"My journey as Program Director and midday personality at WZZK 104.7 with SummitMedia Birmingham has come to an unexpected pause," Sanders shared in a personal update. He said his position was terminated on Friday, April 25, as part of a broader reduction in force at the company.

Sanders' exit leaves WZZK without any live weekday dayparts, aside from its recently launched morning show, The Rick Burgess Show, for which WZZK serves as the flagship station.

While the company has not publicly disclosed the number of affected employees, approximately 16 staffers may have been impacted across the cluster. Among those reportedly let go were Mike McKenzie, Creative Services Director, and Ricky Aaron, afternoon personality at Classic Rock WBPT.

Sanders, a 30-year radio veteran, joined WZZK last spring. Before arriving in Birmingham, he spent nearly five years at Midwest Communications' WJXA (Mix 92.9) in Nashville as an air personality and talent coach, and previously served as Program Director for Saga's WVVR, WRND, and WQEZ in Clarksville, TN, with earlier stops in Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Denver.

SummitMedia has not yet commented publicly on the staffing changes.