Dial Global, a longtime radio force with a presence in the Santa Clarita Valley, is leaving town and closing its Valencia office, a station DJ said Friday.

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“They’ve restructured their financial difficulties and, in order to make the company more solvent, they’ve closed the Brentwood and Valencia offices, and dismissed quite a few people,” said Verna McKay, a longtime DJ for the station’s adult contemporary music afternoon programming.

“Six full-timers for sure,” she said, noting at least 12 more part-time staffers were also let go. “They’re closing the building and they’re moving a very small contingent to Culver City.”

McKay is part of a group that was offered a job in Denver, to where she is currently contemplating a move.

“They are moving the office staff to Culver City,” she added. The office in Valencia will remain open until July, although on-air talent is expected to relocate by April 21.

She noted that downsizing was a challenge facing most media outlets.

“It’s the way the industry is going,” she said, noting that there were fewer and fewer hyperlocal voices afforded to communities. “Hometown Station is the exception to the rule.”

Dial Global merged with the Jones Network, which saw an office of more than 100 reduced by about half, according to another source within the company that asked not to be named.

Some of the remaining staff were offered jobs in Denver and others in Dallas, where there are still offices.

KHTS co-owners Carl and Jeri Goldman helped point the national media presence to the Santa Clarita Valley in the early 90s, both of whom having worked with Unistar before the company settled into a Valencia industrial park and took part in a series of mergers and acquisition.

The company came to Santa Clarita after shutting down its Colorado Springs and Hollywood offices.

Jeri Seratti-Goldman was head of human resources for Unistar when the company moved here.

“It’s sad to see the end of an era happening,” Seratti-Goldman said. “Most people don’t realize how much broadcast history was sitting there over on the corner of Avenue Scott and Avenue Stanford.

“They had a quiet footprint on the SCV, but a massive influence throughout the country,” she said.

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