Good for beginning career, but exhausting - Newsletter Editor City Cast Employee Review

I've worked at startups before and I've never seen a company work so well together. Everyone respects each other so much here, and it feels like everyone actually likes their job. The work is far from easy— I mean, we're producing two daily products every day! But the network recognizes that and does its best to help relieve (or at the very least rethink) some of the workloads without losing quality. They seem to care a lot about sustainability and providing resources and have people dedicated to helping brainstorm content and production solutions. The benefits are great and our HR rep is almost always available to answer questions. There's a lot of transparency here and almost no jerks, which is one of the reasons I think that this company works so well. They take hiring very seriously here. They seem to value ambition and passion a lot, and most importantly teamwork. The network is completely remote, yet you really do get a sense of community here. I guess that's not too surprising given the content we make here, but I have worked in media companies that promote values in their content that they don't actually live up to themselves, and that is so not the case here. Like any media company, there will be days that are long but my team and manager are really great about getting me comp time, whether that be logging in late or leaving early the next day. Another example of everyone looking after each other here! The industry has seen many layoffs in the last couple of years, so its nice to be at a place that gives you hope for podcasting.

It's a startup so the company still has a lot to learn. The city teams are admittedly small and they don't have an abundance of resources like other networks, but the resources they do have, they're pretty good at utilizing. They're open to exploring different avenues which I've never seen at a startup before, and everyone does their best to help each other out, even their CEO who is very hands-on. I encourage anyone who joins City Cast to be patient and to speak your mind. They might not have a solution or answer for you right away but I assure you they'll get to it soon. Again, it's a small company so there's a lot on everyone's plates, you just have to patient.

There are some talented, thoughtful people at the company who genuinely believe in the mission. The core idea behind the podcast is strong and has real potential to serve local communities when executed well.

The management style and constant cynicism within the Nashville team created an extremely challenging work environment. Before my time on the team, a prior employee had departed amid ongoing challenges with the manager and team dynamics. Alternative perspectives were often met with abrasive or dismissive responses, making it difficult to collaborate openly and honestly. I also observed communication about coworkers, guests, and members of the communities being covered that was dismissive in tone. This contributed to a culture where open, respectful dialogue was difficult to maintain. Leadership lacks a clear vision and the operational rigor needed to adapt to an evolving media environment. Decisions often feel reactive rather than intentional, with new initiatives introduced quickly without strong operational planning behind them. There has also been significant pressure on employees to accept shifting roles and responsibilities, which has created instability and burnout for teams.