Houston Radio: iHM Gets Disruptive at KBME and KTBZ

SportsTalk KBME 790 host Stan Norfleet was among those cut in a round of layoffs across the country at iHeartMedia on Monday.

“Today was my last on @SportsTalk790 as iHeart executed nationwide layoffs,” Norfleet posted to Twitter on Monday night. “Yes, I was caught off guard, given I’d just agreed to an extension. That said, I remain forever grateful for the opportunity! I have the utmost FAITH the next season will be as rewarding. Thank you!”

The Houston Chronicle reports the 43-year-old Norfleet joined SportsTalk 790 in February 2023, replacing N.D. Kalu and teaming up with Chris Gordy for “Next Up” from 10 a.m.-noon weekdays.

Today was my last on @SportsTalk790, as iHeart executed nationwide layoffs. Yes, I was caught off guard, given I’d just agreed to an extension. That said, I remain forever grateful for the opportunity! I have the utmost FAITH the next season will be as rewarding. Thank you!😉🤘🏿🙏🏿

— Stan M. Norfleet (@StanSportsMan) November 5, 2024

To fill the time slot, the Matt Thomas Show with Ross has been moved up two hours and will air from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. On the opening of his show with the earlier start, Thomas said everyone was informed of the change at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Norfleet, who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., played football at Virginia and Texas Southern before briefly working in sales for the Texans and Rockets. He got into radio in 2011 and began working as a TV analyst for ACC Network in 2015. After working at Atlanta’s WZGC, Norfleet got a job co-hosting a midday show at Charlotte’s WFNZ-FM where he worked for nearly three years before landing back in Houston in 2023.

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Kara Leigh, a night host at Houston’s KTBZ 94.5 The Buzz also was laid off after 19 years at the station.

“Working at The Buzz was my dream job,” Kara Leigh wrote on Instagram on Monday night. “It’s what I set out to do when I declared my communications major and decided to go for it. Trying to work in entertainment is a fool’s errand, and I was so, so lucky to have a career that lasted for as long as it did. For someone who loves music but can’t sing or play an instrument, it was a great place to be.”