Updated March 19 at 1:54 p.m.
After almost a decade at WDEV-AM, general manager Steve Cormier is parting ways with the storied independent radio station.
Ashley Jane Squier, whose family is in the process of selling the Waterbury-based Radio Vermont Group, announced Cormier’s departure Monday morning in an internal email, which was obtained by VTDigger.
Squier did not specify the nature of the general manager’s departure, saying only that Cormier, a veteran Vermont radio host who joined the station in 2015 and became manager in 2017, was “no longer employed” by the company.
Additionally, Squier would not say whether Cormier was terminated or chose to leave the company of his own accord.
“I’ll just say we wish him the very best, and we’re excited for him and his future endeavors,” Squier told VTDigger.
Cormier could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Cormier’s departure comes amid the ongoing sale of WDEV and two other stations, WCVT-FM and WLVB-FM, to two business leaders and former Republican political candidates, Myers Mermel and Scott Milne.
Mermel, who has worked in investment banking and commercial real estate, recently served as the president and executive director of the Ethan Allen Institute, a conservative think tank in Vermont. Milne is president of Milne Travel, a Vermont-based travel agency founded by his parents.
The sale was first announced in January and is expected to be finalized in the coming months pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission, according to Squier. Her family has owned and operated WDEV for almost 90 years and had been trying to sell the station for several years.
Cormier himself attempted to buy WDEV in 2017, reaching a deal with the late Ken Squier, the longtime station owner who died in November. Cormier was ultimately unable to secure funding, however, and the deal fizzled out.
In the email to staff members, Squier said that all “operational issues, financial matters, advertising concerns, and emergency station matters” should be directed to Mermel, suggesting that the incoming owners have already begun to make their presence known at the company.
In an interview with VTDigger in January following the initial announcement of the sale, Mermel indicated that Cormier would remain in his role for the foreseeable future.
“He is the general manager and will be the general manager,” Mermel said at the time.
Mermel also repeatedly told VTDigger in January that he and Milne were not anticipating any layoffs while the station changed hands. “We expect to keep current staffing levels,” he said.
But change is nevertheless afoot. Ashley Jane Squier acknowledged that Cormier is not the only one who has parted ways with the radio group in recent months, though she declined to specify what positions had been vacated and under what circumstances, noting only that there had been “a couple” of departures since the sale was first announced.
“I think it’s all to be expected because when change happens there’s a lot of shakeup,” Squier said. “The change, though, is very positive from my perspective, and I just feel that we’re moving toward a Radio Vermont Group that’s healthy and remains a very vital part of the media landscape in Vermont.”
Mermel declined to comment for this story. In a written statement, Milne did not comment on Cormier’s departure but said he was “more impressed with the value of the WDEV brand now than ever” and that he was grateful to be a part of the station group.
“That brand and giant legacy, coupled with the people that make up the company today- are reason for great optimism for WDEV and its sister stations,” Milne said.
Disclosure: VTDigger has a media partnership with WDEV.
