Latest news with #WURDRadio
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Four employees out in shakeup at WURD Radio
At least four employees, including one of WURD Radio's top hosts, are being let go as part of what's described internally as a cost-cutting measure, Axios has learned. Why it matters: WURD is the only Black-owned radio station in Pennsylvania, and among only a handful nationwide. The station, founded by the late Walter P. Lomax Jr., broadcast live during last year's presidential campaign from the White House complex — a major get. Driving the news: The layoffs include "Reality Check" host Tonya Pendleton and her lead producer, Troy Wilmore. He had been with the station for 18 years. Pendleton, one of Philly's well-known radio personalities, has led "Reality Check" for the last two years. Content writer Kiara Santos and one other employee were also among those let go. The show won't continue to air, the station's general manager, Ashanti Martin tells Axios. She wouldn't say whether WURD would ever bring back the program. WURD CEO and president Sara Lomax-Reese, the late founder's daughter, wrote in a memo obtained by Axios that the layoffs were meant to "ensure the station's long-term survival." She praised the laid-off staffers' "meaningful contributions to our station, our community and our city." "This decision was not made lightly. As an independent media radio station, it is imperative that we maintain our ability to give Black Philadelphia a voice and a place to make their voices heard," she wrote. What they're saying: The WURD employees affected by the cuts either declined to comment or didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. State of play: The media landscape is shifting, and competition for dwindling advertising revenue is fierce. WURD faced a setback earlier this year, when a conservative health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit alleging the station and one of its partners engaged in reverse racism when it launched a Black doctors directory to help connect people seeking care with physicians of color in the region. Martin tells Axios the cuts were unrelated to the lawsuit. The bottom line: Martin says the radio station is trying to find its footing while dealing with the "erasure of Blackness" from society. "I'm very confident we will survive and thrive," she says. "It's time like this that outlets like WURD are needed more than ever. We want to be around for another 22 years and another 22 after that."
Technical.ly
04-04-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Philly founder proves the maxim ‘Your net worth is your network'
Simone Ammons built software startup QuneUp with about $140,000 from a side gig. Now, she's growing it through the power of community. Ammons launched her company with funds she made from working as a technical writer. Still bootstrapped, Ammons mostly relies on her strong network to keep it growing. That goes hand in hand with her dedication to uplifting others along the way, she told reporter Sarah Huffman on Speaking, our monthly segment on WURD Radio's 'Reality Check' hosted by Tonya Pendleton. 'Everything about QuneUp … was partnered with somebody else in the community that looked like me,' Ammons said, referencing how she connected with the 'fraction of a percent' of other Black women in the business community. Philly-based QuneUp, started in 2022, began with Ammon's personal frustration at work. As an engineer, every time equipment broke down, she got the call to fix it. The equipment often lacked vital information, like the vendor or when it was installed. In response, she developed a QR code sticker that takes the technician to the equipment landing page with all the information needed for repairs. Featured as an honorable mention in 2025 RealLIST Startups, QuneUp has also been recognized with valuable support from other respected institutions, including at two pitch competitions supported by the Philadelphia Department of Commerce. In 2024, QuneUp came in third place, taking home a $2,000 prize and the year prior, it was a finalist in Philly's Most Diverse Tech Hub Pitch Competition. It was also a member of the December 2023 Capital Readiness Program session run by the University City Science Center and, most recently, selected for the inaugural cohort of biotech accelerator HiveBio. Those connections also gave her the platform to find new customers, Ammons said, crediting the Department of Commerce for helping her land two pilots. Plus, it acted as a 'mini MBA' to learn how to run a business beyond just building the software, Ammons said. 'What I realized in business is that your net worth is your network,' Ammons said. Being a part of the community means she's just '10 conversations away from somebody who is interested in investing in a company like mine.'
Technical.ly
03-03-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Biotech startups are still winning federal grants, accelerator founder says — but the money is taking longer to trickle in
Despite news about federal funding freezes, life sciences startups in Philly are still getting grants for their work, according to an accelerator founder — but the process is moving more slowly than usual. HiveBio, a local accelerator program that aims to support underrepresented founders in the life sciences space, recently received a $250,000 grant from Knight Foundation to support its startup programming, which includes connecting companies with lucrative federal funding opportunities. So far, in the face of the chaos, those awards are still being made, according to program founder Tia Lyles-Williams. 'We're not hearing things being denied,' Lyles-Williams told reporter Sarah Huffman on Speaking, a monthly segment on WURD Radio's 'Reality Check' hosted by Tonya Pendleton, 'We're hearing things being slowed down to be paid out or slowed down to be reviewed' The 'secret sauce' of HiveBio is its focus on helping founders find those funding sources, she said. It connects them to agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to find grant opportunities that fit their missions. Startups in the program typically get around $250,000 from those efforts, and have raised as much as $400,000, per Lyles-Williams. It's not just the funding bottlenecks adding a layer of complexity to HiveBio's work. As the Trump administration promotes derogatory rhetoric around diversity, equity and inclusion programming, the program's mission to support underrepresented founders has become increasingly controversial. 'Underrepresented founders just don't have that chance,' Lyles-Williams said. 'It was not only because of necessarily racism, but also due to some of the issues that they're addressing with their startup may not be something prevalent or something known by the venture capital world.' The accelerator program is hoping the science speaks for itself, she added, explaining that while language in the grant proposals may change, the work carries undeniable impact. Lyles-Williams urged private sector investors to step up. While federal opportunities remain, now's the time for venture capitalists to offer more support for underrepresented founders. 'The federal government is not the only opportunity for funding for our founders,' Lyles-Williams said. 'If you are a VC, a venture capitalist firm, if you are an angel investor … [it's] extremely helpful to help put those products to market.'
Technical.ly
31-01-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
This one-person nonprofit multiplies impact by ‘hiring' AI for admin tasks
Maximizing efficiency isn't just a useful business aspiration — for small nonprofits, it's often necessary for survival. When funding is precarious or limited, these organizations have to get creative. For David Buck, executive director and founder of youth mentorship nonprofit Bridges of Opportunities — and the org's only human employee — that's meant turning to AI for help, even if it comes with a sharp learning curve. 'AI seemed so far-fetched,' Buck told reporter Sarah Huffman on Speaking, a monthly segment on WURD Radio's 'Reality Check' hosted by Tonya Pendleton. 'It took a process to develop this growth mindset.' Luckily, he had some help. Buck and other nonprofit leaders were part of a recent cohort with software developers behind AI tool where the engineers helped the orgs get set up new AI 'employees' that assist with administrative tasks. It took some effort, per Buck — as might be true with other new employees, the AI helper needed to be meticulously trained to handle personalized nonprofit needs. 'I really had to … treat this AI personal assistant very personally,' Buck said. Once set up, however, the virtual assistant helped him better understand what niches his nonprofit can fill that others may not have yet tapped into, organize his funder database and more. Dubbed 'Bridgy,' the tool has become something like his 'wing person,' a resource he can trust to answer common questions about the organization, he said. 'I can't be everywhere all the time,' Buck said. 'So, when tasks are needed or questions to be answered, this is where my personal assistant comes in.'
