Iowa sports radio host Trent Condon out at KXNO after heartfelt comments about laid-off co-workers

Several people at the Des Moines sports radio station KXNO were laid off last Tuesday as part of iHeartRadio’s nationwide layoffs.

After sharing his heartfelt comments about those affected, KXNO host Trent Condon is also no longer with the station.

Several of KXNO’s longtime hosts were part of the layoff. Ken Miller, who was set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of sports talk radio in Des Moines and was set to retire on Wednesday, did not appear on the final episode of his show in protest.

Condon, who was not an iHeartMedia employee and purchased the two-hour block from noon to 2 p.m. on KNXO, discussed Miller’s absence afterward.

“Today was supposed to be Ken’s final day. Ken decided not to come in,” said Condon, via Barrett Media. “Standing up for his friends and colleagues, doing it in a way that he said he just didn’t feel comfortable. He talked to everybody. People tried to talk him into coming on here today to do his final show. On the anniversary of 30 years of sports talk radio starting in Des Moines. A place where people said it could never work, and it worked for 30 years. Ken said no.”

Condon also talked about the heartbreaking reality that so many of his colleagues had lost their jobs and local sports fans had lost an outlet to talk about their favorite teams.

“My heart aches for the people, my friends, and for my colleagues,” he said. “For the people that made the station what it is. The people that lost their jobs yesterday as corporate came down with a mandate of the layoffs. People that worked incredibly hard to give you listeners a product. To localize what we’re doing, and give you a voice. Regardless if you’re a Hawkeyes, Cyclones, Bulldog, or a Panther fan. Your voice to keep things local, and that was taken away.

“They all deserve better. This was a station that was bringing in revenue. This is not a station that is hemorrhaging money. I know the financials, because I work in the financials. From the corporate, it’s not about Des Moines or Sioux City. It’s not about the little places. As acquisitions, changes, and mergers happen, all the big things. All the things that all of us, regardless of your line of work. It doesn’t matter where you work, or what you do for a living. We know what happens in these kind of spots. That’s where we are.”

On Monday, Condon announced that his time with KXNO was also over.

“My days at KXNO are over,” he wrote on X. “My comments were considered ‘controversial’ from corporate about my colleagues that were let go. I stand by what I said.”

Thank you for listening and showing that local sports talk matters. You can still hear me daily on @LockedOnIowa
& have already had conversations with many outlets.

I’m here to listen to any and all ideas. As media evolves, I will evolve with it.

— Trent Condon (@trentcondon) June 29, 2026

Conden added that he will continue to appear on the Locked On Iowa podcast and is having conversations with other outlets.

iHeartMedia and KXNO have not commented on Condon’s departure or clarified whether it was their decision or his.

KNXO has been in a similar situation before. In 2020, they parted ways with six employees as part of iHeartMedia layoffs. Those cuts led to intense local backlash, and to some hosts refusing to air their shows in protest. KXNO eventually reversed course and rehired everyone who had been laid off.