Industry News

Katz Media Group Raises $47,000-plus for Broadcasters Foundation

The Broadcasters Foundation of America announces that Katz Media Group has raised more than $47,000 during its 13th annual companywide membership drive. This year’s generous contribution brings the total amount raised by Katz to nearly $500,000 since the drive’s inception. Every dollar raised directly supports the Stu Olds Memorial Fund, which commemorates Katz’s former CEO and aids broadcasters and theirimg families during life’s most challenging moments. Broadcasters Foundation of America president Tim McCarthy says, “For over 70 years, the Broadcasters Foundation has provided critical aid—ranging from medical care to emergency financial assistance—for broadcasters facing hard times. The steadfast generosity of Katz Media Group makes it possible for us to continue our mission, and I can’t thank the Katz team enough for their ongoing commitment.” Katz Media Group has been selected to receive the 2025 Philip J. Lombardo Spirit Award, which will be presented at the BFOA Golden Mic Gala on March 10. This prestigious honor recognizes Katz’s dedication to supporting the Broadcasters Foundation of America and its mission of helping broadcasters in need.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

Las Vegas-based, nationally syndicated talk host Wayne Allyn Root tells TALKERS that he is a member ofimg the “Private Economic Council” – a Washington, DC-based organization composed of “influential business leaders, entrepreneurs and economists promoting free market tax policies, advocating for taxpayers, and helping to support and promote President Trump’s economic agenda.” It also includes former Trump senior economic advisor and former member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board Steve Moore, Papa John’s founder John Schatter, and former U.S. congressman and current Liberty University School of Business Dean Dave Brat.

Cumulus Media’s KESP-AM, Modesto-Stockton “Sports Radio 970 AM” is the new Central Valley radio broadcast home of the San Francisco Giants. The station is also the official radio broadcast home for the San Francisco 49ers, the Golden State Warriors, and the San Jose Sharks. Cumulus regional VP and market manager Patty Hixson says, “We are thrilled to have this affiliation with the San Francisco Giants. This is a very special franchise and now we get to share all the baseball action with our Sports Radio AM 970 fans. Go Giants!”

Industry News

Newsmax Closes Preferred Offering; Preparing for IPO

Newsmax Inc. announces the closing of its previously announced offering of Series B Preferred Stock. Newsmax says the offering exceeded its initial target of $150 million with the company closing last week on its maximum offering amount with gross proceeds of $225 million, before the deduction of placement agent fees and other offering expenses. More than 8,000 accredited investors participated in the private offering.img Now, is submitting IPO offering materials with the SEC and is seeking a public offering with a planned listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NMAX” later this year. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy states, “This achievement reflects the strong results Newsmax has demonstrated and testifies to the trust and support the company maintains with investors, viewers and friends. We’d also like to thank Digital Offering LLC, for their expertise, hard work and their positive commitment to supporting us throughout this process. We are excited to be one step closer to our upcoming IPO which will provide us a tremendous opportunity for growth. A public offering will allow tens of thousands of Americans to directly partner with us and join our news revolution. We look forward to delivering long-term value to all of our shareholders.”

Industry News

WWO: The Effects of Nielsen’s Three-Minute Qualifier

The Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog post this week looks at the effects of the changes to Nielsen’s PPM ratings system that has provided significant increases in listening across demographics and time periods. This audience growth is due to Nielsen’s three-minute qualifier modernization which provides a significantly more comprehensive and realistic definition of AM/FM radio’s audience and their listening behavior. The post notes that Nielsen found 23% of PPM listening occasionsimg were three or four minutes. Under the old five-minute listening qualifier rule, none of this tuning would have received listening credit. Effective with the January 2025 PPM survey, Nielsen is now crediting tuning occasions that are three minutes or greater. What are the results so far? First, drive times and weekends experience the greatest growth. Comparing January 2024 to January 2025 for persons 12+ and 25-54 reveals double-digit growth for all dayparts. Weekends and drives times have the greatest increases. Second, AM/FM radio’s listening profile now skews younger: Every major buying demographic has a higher composition of listening. Persons 65+ is the only demographic where AM/FM radio’s audience composition is reduced. Persons 25-54, AM/FM radio’s most popular buying demographic, experiences the largest increase in audience composition. Persons 18-49 have the next largest growth. And third, format shares remain stable. Versus October 2024, PPM January 2025 format shares are very consistent. An uptick in news/talk AQH composition is most likely more due to a heavier news cycle (major weather stories and a new president) than a PPM methodology enhancement. In local markets, there is more share variation. See the complete blog post here.

Industry News

SummitMedia Names Joe Bell SVP of Sales

SummitMedia LLC names Joe Bell senior vice president of sales. Bell, who served with Beasley Media Group for the past 25 years leading clusters in Philadelphia and Miami, will be based in SummitMedia’simg Birmingham, Alabama headquarters. SummitMedia CEO Carl Parmer states, “Joe brings a wealth of experience and a new perspective to the SummitMedia team. He’s a dynamic, high-energy leader who, I know, will guide our results-oriented teams to new levels of success.” Parmer adds that he expects Bell to bring innovation across platforms, strengthening the company’s competitiveness and longterm growth across media platforms. Bell comments, “Success lies in leading with vision, inspiring a high-performing team and unlocking new revenue opportunities across our traditional and digital platforms. Summit has built a team of great people — with great products and great markets — that equal great opportunities.”

Industry News

Montague Upped to Promotions Director for iHeartMedia NYC Stations

iHeartMedia New York promotes David Montague to promotions director for New York City stations news/talk WOR-AM and music outlets hip hop WWPR-FM and classic rock WAXQ-FM. iHeartMedia Newimg York director of marketing and promotions Emily Magelof says, “David’s creativity, vision, and dedication have been instrumental in driving our brands. We are excited for him to continue elevating our promotional efforts, ensuring even greater success in the future.” Montague comments, “I am truly honored for this accomplishment and excited for the future. I want to thank my support system at iHeartMedia, friends and family for their continued confidence and believing in me.”

Industry News

Former NY Governor Patterson Joins 77WABC Show

Red Apple Media announces that former New York Governor David Patterson is joining 77WABC for the program “Left vs. Right” alongside host James Flippin. The station says. “‘Left vs Right’ is a riveting debate every Saturday, from 4:00 pm-5:00 pm, of who’s right, who’s wrong, and where is the common-senseimg solution that brings both sides together for progress and unity. Patterson and Flippin battle the political, social, and economic differences, ultimately landing on common sense and the truth in every situation.” Red Apple owner John Catsimatidis says, “I have known David for many years. He is a common-sense politician, with the ability to make insightful observations about national and local politics. David represents the Democratic perspective with a level-head and a focus on finding the common ground that unites us and moves us forward. Our listeners already know David. His entrée as a regularly scheduled co-host of ‘Left vs. Right’ will be a welcome addition to our listeners.” Patterson says, “I am thrilled to be a part of the permanent WABC Radio lineup and to represent the left side of things. As Americans, we have more in common than we might realize. With common sense, we can come together as Americans and New Yorkers and solve our problems. I’m looking forward to working with James and helping to bring New Yorkers together.”

Industry News

Radio Pro Kelly Orchard Publishes Suspense Novel in Radio Setting

Lifelong broadcaster and FCC consultant Kelly Orchard is publishing a suspense novel titled, Dead Air: Theimg Day the Music Died, that involves pirates hijacking 100 radio stations in five major U.S. cities and follows one company’s story over the course of 24 hours. Orchard was raised in a radio family that owned and operated stations in the 1980s and 1990s. Her family later launched a consulting business that conducted mock FCC inspections and she says the idea for her novel was born from those experiences.

Industry News

iHeartMedia Reports Q4 2024 Revenue Up 4.8%; Full Year Revenue Rises 3%

During the fourth quarter of 2024, iHeartMedia brought in $1.1 billion, an increase of 4.8% over the same period in 2023. For the full year of 2024, revenue was $3.85 billion, an increase of 3% over the full year of 2023. The company breaks down its operating results by division and Multiplatform Group (which includesimg radio stations) Q4 2024 revenue was $684 million, flat compared to Q4 of 2023. The company’s Digital Audio Group Q4 2024 revenue was $339 million, an increase of 7%. Withing the Digital Audio Group, podcast revenue was $140 million, an increase of 6%. For the fourth quarter of 2024, the company reports net income of $31.9 imgmillion. For the full year of 2024, it reports a net loss of $1 billion. iHeartMedia chairman and CEO Bob Pittman states, “Our fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $246 million was up 18.2% vs. prior year, our highest percentage increase in almost three years, and our consolidated revenues were up 4.8% compared to the prior year, demonstrating the inherent operating leverage in this business. We are pleased that we successfully completed the comprehensive exchange transaction discussed last quarter – extending the majority of our debt maturities by three years; keeping our consolidated annual cash interest expense essentially flat; and providing overall debt reduction. This provides the company with the flexibility to remain focused on creating shareholder value in 2025 and beyond.”

Industry News

Big Al Coleman Retires from Sports Talk Show

Richmond sports talk host Big Al Coleman calls it a career and he did his final broadcast on Summit Media’s sports talk WURV-HD2/W291CL, Richmond. According to a story from WTVR-TV, Richmond,img Coleman has been a fixture in Richmond sports talk for more than 30 years on numerous stations in the market. He began his working life as a stockbroker but caught the sports talk bug in the 1990s. He says, “Everybody to a person said to me, ‘Don’t quit your day job. You can’t do a sports talk show in Richmond, Virginia, five days a week. It ain’t gonna work…’ It worked. It worked.” He laments that the business isn’t what it was back in the day, “There’s not the same camaraderie. It’s not the same fun that it used to be.” But he adds, “It’s still fun; I still like doing the show. But it’s just time for me to go.” See the WTVR-TV story here.

Industry News

Audacy Expands Podcast Partnership with CBS

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Audacy announces it is expanding its exclusive, multi-year sales and distribution partnership with CBS to include CBS Entertainment, CBS Media Ventures, CBS News, and CBS Studios podcast slates. The CBS News & Entertainment portfolio has 39 titles including “The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert,” “60 Minutes,” and “CBS Evening News.” Audacy chief digital officer and president, podcast and streaming J.D. Crowley says, “CBS Sports is a thriving part of our business, and we are thrilled to expand our partnership with CBS’ storied news and entertainment slate. This stellar lineup of talent and podcasts offers a compelling slate of premium content and new scaled opportunities for our advertising partners.”

Industry News

KYW-AM/FM, Philadelphia Recognizes 10 “GameChangers”

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Audacy’s all-news KYW, Philadelphia “Newsradio” is honoring 10 leaders making a difference and uplifting the lives of people in and around Philadelphia’s communities of color. This year’s honorees were recognized at a ceremony hosted by KYW Newsradio community impact reporter Racquel Williams at Audacy’s headquarters last night (2/27). Audacy SVP and market manager David Yadgaroff states, “KYW Newsradio’s annual GameChangers is a meaningful honor given to the community by the community. We are proud to spotlight the unsung heroes whose contributions shape and elevate us all. It’s a privilege to amplify their stories and the lasting impact they have through our platforms.”

Industry News

Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (February 24-28, 2025)

Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (2/24-28) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:

                          Stories/Topics

1. Trump-Musk Relationship / Trump Cabinet Meeting
2. Musk-DOGE Activities / Federal Firings
3. U.S. Foreign Policy / Russia-Ukraine War / Israel-Hamas War/ NATO
4. Unemployment Numbers-Inflation-Trump Tariff War / Stock Market Instability
5. ICE Deportation Crackdown / FBI Turmoil
6. Trump First Amendment Issues / GOP Town Halls / Epstein Files
7. Big Tech / Misinformation / Censorship
8. Healthcare / Avian (Bird) Flu / Measles Outbreak
9. LGBTQ Issues
10.Deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa

              People

1. Donald Trump
2. Elon Musk
3. Vladimir Putin / Volodymyr Zelenskyy
4. Keir Starmer / Emmanuel Macron
5. Benjamin Netanyahu
6. JD Vance / Kash Patel / Karoline Leavitt
7. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
8. Jeff Bezos
9. Mike Johnson
10.Gene Hackman – Betsy Arakawa

To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.

Industry News

Cumulus Media Reports 2024 Q4 Net Revenue Dips 1.2%

Reporting its operating results for the fourth quarter of 2024 and for the full year of 2024, it says net revenue for Q4 was $218.5 million, a decrease of 1.2% from the same period in 2023. For the full year of 2024, net revenue was $827 million, a decrease of 2.1% from the full year of 2023. The company posts a net loss of $283.3 million for 2024 “compared to net loss of $117.9 million, reflecting a 2024 pre-tax non-cashimg impairment charge of $224.5 million compared to a pre-tax non-cash impairment of $65.3 million in 2023, both primarily reflecting FCC-related charges.” Cumulus president and CEO Mary G. Berner states, “Since the pandemic’s onset, the radio industry has experienced tough economic and secular headwinds. In the face of those, we outperformed our peers through the end of 2023 on key metrics including cost takeouts, EBITDA imgmargin recovery, free cash flow generation, net leverage, and liquidity. 2024 brought additional challenges, including accelerated national headwinds as well as an industry-wide slowdown in local radio advertising. In response, we doubled down on investing in growth areas, particularly in our digital marketing services business, which is pacing up 30% in Q1. Additionally, we continued evolving our broadcast go-to-market strategies, including with new offerings that are successfully attracting large new broadcast clients, and we drove additional cost efficiencies with 2024 actions that will result in $43 million of annualized fixed cost savings, of which $15 million benefited 2024 with the balance in 2025. Though the industry environment remains challenging for now, our 2024 refinancing efforts provided us with the time needed to both execute our day-to-day blocking and tackling and, in parallel, continue to reimagine the ways in which we can get the most out of our key assets to create new revenue streams and build additional long-term value.”

Industry News

SiriusXM to Launch “Page Six Radio” Program

SiriusXM is partnering with the New York Post to launch “Page Six Radio,” a new daily morning show highlighting the latest celebrity and pop culture news from the paper’s Page Six. The program is being hosted by Danny Murphy, Evan Real, and editor Ian Mohr and will debut on March 31. The two-hour showimg will air on SiriusXM’s Stars channel from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein comments, “Page Six has been a powerhouse for all celebrity news for nearly half a century, and by teaming up with our in-house experts here at SiriusXM, this new show is sure to be the ultimate destination for pop culture fans. With the launch of ‘Page Six Radio,’ we are transforming the publication’s stories to a dynamic new format that will expand its reach and resonate with SiriusXM listeners who turn to the platform for all the latest entertainment news.”

Industry News

Gavin Newsom and iHeartMedia Partner for Podcast

The California governor is launching new podcast via iHeartPodcasts titled, “This is Gavin Newsom.” iHeartimg says, “Governor Newsom is going solo and diving into the real issues that matter – government, politics, affordability, quality of life, and the cultural moments shaping our world. No spin, no script, just real talk about what impacts listeners most.”

Industry News

RTDNA Critical of Trump Press Pool Strategy

The Radio Television Digital News Association is strongly condemning President Donald Trump’s edict that he and not the White House Correspondents Association, will be selecting members of the official White House press pool. RTDNA president and CEO Dan Shelley states, “No president, or any public official,img should have the right to handpick the journalists who cover them. Doing so gives them license to select only news outlets whose coverage they deem positive and exclude responsible journalists whose reporting, although fair and accurate, the administration may not like. We call on the Trump administration to reverse this decision without delay so that the American people, and the world, can be assured they are getting a complete and accurate account of the activities of the President of the United States. This is especially critical during times of crisis.”

Industry News

Cumulus to Employ Quu’s Dashboard Visual Messaging

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Cumulus Media says it is expanding its ability to help advertisers connect with consumers on the go via Quu’s in-dash messaging technology across its 400 radio stations. The company’s stations will leverage Quu’s content management system, 24/7 dashboard display monitor, Xperi’s Rapid technology and DTS AutoStage, and more, to enhance in-car listening experiences and help drive ratings and revenue. Some markets will also offer Quu’s patented Content Partnership sponsorship, bringing fresh opportunities for advertisers. Cumulus president of operations Dave Milner states, “Visual content solutions generate sustainable revenue growth and significantly enhance in-car engagement, where listeners spend the most time with our stations. This expansion underscores Cumulus’s commitment to delivering premium content and sales experiences that meet the evolving needs of our audience and clients.”

Industry News

Audacy Names Berbari Yankees Post-Game Show Host

Audacy’s sports talk WFAN-AM/FM, New York names Emmanuel Berbari postgame show host for its Newim York Yankees baseball broadcasts. Berbari, in his third year with the station, will continue to serve as a fill-in play-by-play announcer. Audacy New York market president Chris Oliviero says, “We are excited to have Emmanuel take on an expanded role as the postgame show host for WFAN’s Yankees broadcasts. Emmanuel has been a terrific contributor to our team coverage the last few seasons and his passion for the game makes him a perfect fit to wrap up each game for the fans of the Bronx Bombers.”

Industry News

New York Radio Team Finds a Home in Cape Town

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Salem Media New York chief engineer Andrew Gladding writes in an exclusive piece for TALKERS about the collaboration between Hofstra University’s 88.7FM WRHU Radio Hofstra and 89.5FM Bush Radio in Cape Town, South Africa. He says, “The power of broadcast radio stems from its genesis, which is the use of audio technology and storytelling to transmit messages to large audiences. As industry professionals, we are all acquainted with the power and reach that our trade provides. However, all stories must begin with the spark of an idea. In the case of the curious collaboration between a college radio station in New York and a community radio station in South Africa, this idea started with a simple conversation.” Read the full story here.

Industry News

“New Jersey 101.5” Presents Town Hall on Terror Threats

Tomorrow evening (2/27), Townsquare Media’s WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” presents a special Town Hall broadcast titled, “Today’s Terrorism Threats.” The Town Hall-style discussion explores the domestic and foreign terrorist threats facing New Jersey. Station political director Eric Scott leads theimg discussion that will include experts educating New Jersey residents about how to identify threats and what to do when one’s personal safety is in jeopardy. The program will also expose the growing threat posed to children who are increasingly being groomed and recruited by extremists online. He says, “Law enforcement is increasingly concerned about both foreign and domestic threats. But the rate at which extremists are targeting our children is particularly alarming.” On-air guests will include: Carl Priddy, acting assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism for the Newark FBI office; Laurie R. Doran, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness; Adam McMahon, assistant professor of political science at Rider University; and John Pizzuro, CEO of Raven and former commander of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.