Top News/Talk Media Stories This Past Week (May 5 – 9, 2025)
Here are the most talked about stories of the past week (5/5-9) on news/talk radio and related talk media according to TALKERS:
Stories
1. Tariffs / The Economy / UK Trade Deal
2. Alien Enemies Act / Deportations
3. Big, Beautiful Bill / Medicaid Cuts
4. India-Pakistan Tensions / Russia-Ukraine War
5. Newark Airport Woes / Air Traffic Control Staffing
6. Conclave Elects New Pope
7. DOJ to Drop Abortion Pill Suits
8. Trump’s Alcatraz Order
9. Surgeon General Nominee
10.Columbia Pro-Palestinian Protests
People
1. Donald Trump
2. Jerome Powell
3. Scott Bessent
4. Mike Johnson
5. Keir Starmer / Mark Carney
6. Pope Leo XIV
7. J.D. Vance
8. RFK Jr.
9. Janette Nesheiwat / Casey Means
10.Elon Musk
To see the full TALKERS Stories, Topics, and People Charts, please click HERE.
decreased 2.2% for the quarter to $22 million compared to the same period last year. Saga reports a net loss of $1.6 million for the quarter consistent with the same period last year. Looking ahead, the company says revenue pacing for the second quarter remains uncertain but is improving as the quarter progresses. For the second quarter Saga is currently pacing down mid-single digits. April was down high-single digits. May improved to being down low-single digits and June is approximately flat with the same period last year.
followed by The New York Times’ “The Daily” at #2, NPR’s “Up First” at #3, NBC News’ Dateline NBC at #4, and FOX Audio Network’s “FOX News Hourly Update” at #5. Other radio-centric podcasts of note include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Shawn Ryan Show” rising two spots to #6, and Silverloch’s “VINCE” falling 11 places to #18. 
investment. Other notes from the first quarter include: Revenue from new business accounted for 18% of net revenue; Local revenue, including digital packages sold locally, accounted for 71% of net revenue; Digital revenue was comparable to the first quarter of 2024 but increased 6% year-over-year to $10.8 million, on a same-station basis; Digital revenue accounted for 22% of net revenue; and Digital segment operating margin was 18%. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley says, “Our first quarter results 
reflect the strength of our ongoing transformation and the resilience of our core strategy. While revenue was impacted by persistent macroeconomic headwinds, we mitigated this through disciplined cost management, operational streamlining, and continued momentum in our digital business, resulting in an Operating Loss of $2.0 million and year-over-year Adjusted EBITDA growth. Digital revenue now represents over 20% of total revenue, and the meaningful expansion in digital segment operating income underscores the scalability of our platform and the impact of our strategic investments. As we look ahead, we remain focused on unlocking margin expansion, accelerating our digital evolution, and driving long-term value for our stockholders through thoughtful execution and innovation. We are particularly encouraged by the continued growth in our high-margin digital offerings and the early success of new digital and content initiatives. With a more agile operating structure, a differentiated content portfolio, and deepened advertiser engagement, we believe Beasley is well-positioned to navigate short-term market challenges while building a more durable and diversified revenue base.”
Fan.” Former University of Kentucky standout and Indiana Miss Basketball Bria Goss will provide the game analysis, and long-time broadcaster John Nolan will deliver the play-by-play on the Old National Bank Radio Network. Radio One sports format captain Jeff Rickard says, “Basketball is such an integral part of the Indiana community, and the Fever are certainly a big part of that story. For ‘107.5 The Fan’ to be able to share in telling the story of this exciting chapter in Indiana’s pro basketball history is a wonderful opportunity. We’re thrilled we can bring Fever fans a little closer to the action.”
“It won’t work on FM.” Country. Country was predicted to be a failing format for the FM band. At the dawn of FM proliferation in the 1970s, the future of the band was viewed with fear and skepticism. Why wouldn’t country music work on the FM band? The conventional chatter said that “country needs to be on AM because truckers drive long distances and AM signals cover long distances. FM does not.”
When a blogger found “no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show,” it forced Australian Radio Network to 
Global, the parent company of CBS, have begun charging what’s known as ‘reverse’ retransmission fees to broadcasters. The networks demand a share of broadcasters’ revenue for the right to use their content. This practice was once unheard of, but some networks now regularly require more than 100% of broadcasters’ retransmission fees as ‘reverse’ fees, leaving broadcasters to sustain themselves solely on whatever ad sales they can make with their limited inventory (also capped by the networks, and often amounts to only a few minutes of airtime per hour). This funnels more and more money out of local markets and local journalism and into the hands of mega media corporations, who threaten broadcasters with content blackouts if they don’t get sky-high payouts.” They go on to argue that the “problem gets even worse with providers like YouTube TV and Hulu Live. Under their affiliate agreements with the networks, local affiliates can’t even negotiate for online providers to carry the content. The networks do it for them and pay the affiliates whatever they deem reasonable (sometimes, nothing). This gives the networks total control over streaming distribution while robbing local stations of revenue and autonomy in the rapidly growing online video space. What was once a mechanism to support hometown news is now a corporate racket. Instead of investing in local reporters, meteorologists, and producers, local broadcasters’ funds are siphoned to bloated national newsrooms that churn out anti-Trump propaganda and woke talking points. Meanwhile, higher cable bills pass the cost to everyday Americans.” 
YouTube that will stream live from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am ET, beginning this Friday (5/9). The show is being produced by Joshua Chaires and will be available on Spreaker and iHeartRadio beginning this month. Richardson says his goal is to eventually make the show available to terrestrial radio stations all over the country via XDS feed. 
company had been hopeful Prager would be ready to start hosting an hour of content by June. SDRN says that in the meantime, it will continue airing the Jack Posobiec show in the 2:00 pm ET hour. Salem says, “Jack has done a fabulous job there for months. SRN transitioned Charlie Kirk into the Dennis Prager hours of 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm ET on March 31, one month ago. While it is nearly impossible to replace an icon like Dennis, our affiliates have made that transition work. Listeners love the Charlie Kirk show, while at the same time are missing Dennis. We will continue to keep watching the recovery for Dennis and pray for his improvement.”
CEO Jennifer Witz said the company is re-focusing on in-car listening after its less-than-successful attempt to become a leader in streaming content. She says, “We entered 2025 focused on what we do best: delivering standout experiences to our core subscribers, curating compelling content, strengthening our advertising business, and enhancing the value of our service. Today, we’re operating with greater discipline, improving execution across the board, and reallocating capital toward the areas where we see the greatest impact. We’re building a more focused, more efficient SiriusXM — aligned around what matters most to our listeners and our business — and I’m pleased with how we’ve started the year.”
and CEO Mary Berner says, “For the first quarter, we delivered revenue in line with pacing guidance despite worsening economic headwinds reflecting, among other things, the imposition of tariffs that have depressed both 
consumer and advertiser sentiment. However, with that backdrop, what remains constant is our relentless focus on actions to mitigate the impacts of the macro environment. For example, we accelerated growth in our digital marketing services business, which was up 30% for the quarter; leveraged our entire platform to capture demand opportunities; and drove additional annualized cost reductions of $7.5 million. Moving forward, we will continue to execute these strategies while simultaneously working to fundamentally transform the way we use and leverage our key assets.”
three stagnant years below inflation and a net drop of 2.5% last year – appear to be rebounding. RTDNA says reported salaries are increasing 14.5%. “Employees who contribute to the web were among the higher earners, which brought the figures up. Additionally, commercial stations often matched or exceeded the wages of non-commercial stations — an uncommon trend historically.” 
brought together podcast fans and The Black Effect Podcast Network’s top talent for a day of live podcast recordings from network’s most popular shows including ‘Trap Nerds Podcast,’ ‘Good Moms, Bad Choices,’ ‘R&B Money Podcast with Tank and J. Valentine,’ ‘Naked Sports with Cari Champion’ and ‘Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts.’” 
ransomware attack involved unauthorized access to its network resulting in the exposure employee data including names, Social Security numbers, direct deposit details, W-2 tax information, and home addresses. The attack is being attributed to Cactus, a known ransomware gang. The organization says it stole 2.5 terabytes of data and posted a sample of documents to back its claims. The report goes on to say that Urban One maintains no financial account information or electronic medical records were compromised. 
Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott says, “Senator Cruz is a political insider whose views and opinions are valued by audiences. We’re always looking for engaging and entertaining programming that resonates with listeners, and the continued success of ‘Verdict’ made the decision to expand the program to radio a no-brainer. By harnessing the immense power of broadcast radio, we’re confident Verdict with Ted Cruz will reach millions more listeners across America every week.”
nationally with affiliate relations and sales handled by Compass Media Networks. Pags says, “This is more than a podcast. It’s a platform for real talk in a world drowning in propaganda. They’ve tried everything to shut me up, but I’m getting louder. Salem understands our fight, and I’m honored to team up with them.” Salem chief strategy officer Brad Parscale says, “We’re thrilled to welcome Joe Pags to the Salem Podcast Network. He brings massive credibility, a loyal national audience, and the courage that’s desperately needed right now. This show is going to shake things up.”
The program now airs live on 77WABC from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm ET Sundays becomes available to affiliates on May 4. Red Apple Media president Chad Lopez says, “The response from listeners and affiliates to Anthony’s return to radio has been astounding. Listeners and affiliates were clamoring for more Anthony Cumia, so we extended his show.”
Remember how Larry King would interrupt rambling callers to ask, “What’s your question?” It could sound gruff, but it was really a courtesy, to viewers or listeners. Larry feared TV clickers and dashboard radio buttons. He kept-it-moving to keep viewers and listeners from wandering.
broadcast will be led by FOX NFL Insider Jay Glazer, who will be joined by network personality LaVar Arrington, former Jets general manager Joe Douglas, and FOX Sports’ lead College Football reporter Jenny Taft to deliver live predictions, analysis and reactions throughout the night on Thursday. Additionally, “The Dan Patrick Show” will broadcast live from The Bar – Holmgren Way as will “The Doug Gottlieb Show” – emanating from The Legacy Hotel – Green Bay and The Bar – Holmgren Way on April 24 and 25.
president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt commented on the ruling saying, “Today’s decision affirms what local broadcasters and other publishers have long known: Google has used its dominance in the online advertising marketplace to disadvantage content creators and tilt the playing field. We commend the Department of Justice for taking on this critical case. As policymakers and regulators consider the implications of this ruling, we urge them to recognize that the same Big Tech dominance harming digital publishers is also undermining the advertising revenue local broadcasters rely on to serve their communities. We are encouraged that the FCC, under Chairman Carr’s leadership, is taking steps to modernize its rules and look forward to swift action that begins to level the competitive playing field.”