Cumulus Reports 2026 Q1 Revenue Down 12.2%
Cumulus Media is first out of the gate reporting its operating results for the first quarter of 2026. Net revenue for the company was $164.4 million, a decline of 12.2% from the same period in 2025. Cumulus saw its net loss shrink by almost half to $16.9 million compared to Q1 of 
2025. The company reports declines in all segments of its business; even digital revenue was off 8.3% ($33.5 million). Network spot revenue was down 25% ($33 million), and broadcast spot revenue was $67.7 million, a decline of 16.3% from Q1 of 2025. Cumulus president and CEO Mary G. Berner says, “We are pleased to report first quarter earnings. The Court’s recent approval of our reorganization plan marks a pivotal milestone in strengthening our financial foundation and positioning the company to compete in the evolving media landscape. While we await FCC approval of the plan, we remain focused on leveraging our core strengths to drive long-term value creation.”
host Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes aimed at the two. FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez issued a statement about the order, saying, “This is the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date. As part of its ongoing campaign of censorship and control, the White House called publicly for the silencing of a vocal critic, and this FCC has now answered that call. This is an unprecedented and politically motivated attempt to interfere with how broadcasters operate, and this unlawful overreach will fail. This should be a lesson to media companies that no amount of capitulation to this administration will buy them protection. The only choice is to stand up and stand firm in defense of the First Amendment.”
assumed the operations manager role at the company’s WMAL-FM, Washington. Cumulus regional vice president Larry Blumhagen states, “Art has proven to be exceptionally dedicated and creative in his years as APD for KABC. We are eager to watch him bring those qualities to the role of program director for KABC and KSFO.” Webb comments, “I’m excited to step into this role and build on the strong foundation already in place at both stations. Our focus remains on creating engaging, relevant content that truly connects with California listeners while continuing to elevate the incredible work of our talented teams. With such outstanding rosters in Los Angeles and San Francisco, I’m looking forward to sharing in much success together.”
management for Urban One. MIW says Flowers “has built a career centered on driving revenue, fostering meaningful brand partnerships, and creating opportunities for growth across the industry.” MIW board president Sheila Kirby comments, “Lori is truly a light in this industry, someone who consistently shows up with intention, generosity, and a commitment to lifting others. She brings both strategic clarity and a strong sense of purpose to everything she does, and I have no doubt she will continue to push MIW forward while creating meaningful opportunities for women across the business.”
Wang – is heard on 790 KABC-AM in Los Angeles and 810 KSFO-AM in San Francisco daily from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm. Phillips is also a columnist for the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News. Wang also hosts the locally focused “KABC News Blitz” daily from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Cumulus regional VP Larry Blumhagen says, “We are thrilled to extend “The John Phillips Show” and will continue to have John Phillips and Randy Wang speak about accountability in California to their loyal audience.”
Stations I work with are confronting a generational revenue issue: Local direct retail business owners who are Baby Boomers are retiring. And their heirs are moving the radio dollars that built their parents’ businesses to search engine optimization and elsewhere-digital. The narrative we present them: “Radio is ‘a reach engine’” for the digital content people their age personally favor. In this mode, the station feels less like “your father’s Oldsmobile;” and more present tense. Many of these next-generation businesspeople are avid podcast listeners, and that presents an opportunity.
South Florida and Florida State University. Radio broadcasts for Rowdies home matches on Florida Alumni Radio will feature the same crew from the club’s television broadcasts on Tampa Bay 44 – longtime Rowdies play-by-play commentator Drew Fellios, Rowdies legendary goalkeeper and color commentator Jeff Attinella, and sideline reporter Diandra Loux.
responsibilities outside of Philadelphia, including the Upstate New York, Mid-Atlantic and New England areas. iHeartMedia EVP of programming Thea Mitchem says, “Jeff is a proven leader with a deep understanding of our brands, our audiences and the power of strong programming. His ability to strategically elevate stations while developing great teams makes him the right choice to lead programming in Philadelphia, and I’m confident he’ll continue to drive success in this important market.”
provocative podcasts, unexpected live experiences, and new research, tools and planning solutions, Bubbler is designed to get brands into the conversation in fresh ways.” As part of its launch, Bubbler announces a partnership with iHeartMedia to develop and distribute a slate of original business and marketing podcasts, with more than 10 original podcasts slated for this year. President of iHeartPodcasts Will Pearson says, “The iHeartPodcast Network has always been focused on the new genres and audiences we can reach through this incredible medium – and the ‘business-to-business’ space is a perfect example of that. Creating a slate in podcasting for marketing executives to have meaningful, deep conversations with each other about the world of business and advertising will have immense value for our listeners and brand partners alike.”
Cumulus’s relationships with advertisers, goodwill, and market share, and push it towards financial collapse. The District Court accordingly enjoined Nielsen’s anticompetitive conduct. 
Nielsen’s brief attacks those findings as speculative, asserting that Cumulus never showed any real risk of bankruptcy or any other non-compensable harm, but one of those irreparable harms has now come to pass: After a motions panel stayed the injunction, Cumulus declared bankruptcy—citing “the Nielsen network tying policy” as a significant contributing cause. The other harms identified by the District Court remain today and have become increasingly urgent, as Cumulus will lose access to Nationwide this September.” TALKERS associate publisher and Harrison Media Law senior partner Matthew B. Harrison comments, “Cumulus has fundamentally shifted the posture of this case. What began as a forward-looking claim of irreparable harm is now being presented as a realized outcome, following its Chapter 11 filing. The appellate court is no longer being asked to prevent potential damage, but to assess whether the harm that has already occurred can be attributed to Nielsen’s challenged conduct — or to broader economic pressures facing the radio industry.”
government studies report most commutes are a solo affair. In the car, Honda drivers cannot be reached by social media, online video, or any digital platform while commuting to work. What are the audio habits of Honda drivers in all locations (home, work, vehicle, and some other place)? Edison examined audience shares among Honda drivers to ad-supported audio platforms at home, in the car, at work, and some other place. In all locations, Honda drivers devote 62% of all their ad-supported audio time spent to AM/FM radio.” 
ratio of the three measurement types and it’s notable that more than half of Joe Rogan’s consumption is audio. For comparison, the audience for Candace Owen’s “Candace” (#9) is mostly from video and video clips – split evenly between the two. “The Tucker Carlson Show” (#10) audience is predominantly from video clips, while The New York Times’ “The Daily” (#6) is almost exclusively consumed via audio. 
radio industry and listeners. Voting for inductees begins Friday (4/24) and runs through May 8. The top six vote recipients will gain induction as part of the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Induction class. The additional inductees that will make up the induction class will be selected by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Spoken-word nominees include: Boomer Esiason, Joey Reynolds, John & Ken, and Larry Elder. 
Lenawee Broadcasting president Julie Koehn didn’t sugarcoat it: “We have [competitors] that steal our news.” And she meant literally – lifting her station’s local reporting and republishing it.
a financial backer of the table tennis phenom played by Timothée Chalamet in the film. Safdie told Vanity Fair he liked Catsimatidis’ ‘larger-than-life regional businessman’ look, which he noticed when the mogul ran for New York City mayor in 2013.” Interestingly, a key focus in the piece is on Catsimatidis’ ownership of news/talker 77WABC. He writes, “Catsimatidis made millions from buying New York real estate on the cheap in the 1970s when the city was in deep economic trouble. So, he recognized a bargain when his Red Apple Media group bought WABC for $12 million from Cumulus Media.” 
newscast that some 700 stations respected enough to put on their air. Schwalb tells the Tribune, “Conversations have been going on since the announcement, and I think we get closer and closer to a decision every day. But we have to be very careful and be very diligent about making sure the product that we select is going to make sense from a listener perspective and a revenue perspective as well… CBS has been a great top-of-the-hour news piece for a long time, but it’s a very small percentage of what we do in a given hour between business, traffic and weather together on the eights, local news – the strongest local newsroom in Chicago radio.” 
with the station across town anymore. It’s competing with 50,000 news brands, nearly half a million podcasts, and an infinite scroll of feeds that never sleep.
who most recently served with Audacy in Sacramento as SVP and market manager. Cox Media Group VP and market manager Jason Meder states, “Aaron’s experience, leadership, and passion for our radio make him a tremendous asset to our Tampa leadership team. We’re excited to welcome him back and look forward to the impact he will have on our sales organization, our clients, and our continued growth in the Tampa market.”
“truckers, shift-workers, travelers, insomniacs, shut-ins, and anyone else looking for a late-night community.” Cunningham tells TALKERS, “I grew unhappy with what was my usual dancing at Manhattan-area nightclubs on Saturday nights. Yet, I sought conversation and connection in an environment that didn’t involve crowds or virtual chats. My talk show was born.” In describing the show’s format, Cunningham continues, “There are no guests. It’s just me, various topics as I see them, and open lines. The formula is simple… and it’s a hit.” Before the show’s debut in January, Cunningham studied comparable news/talk stations in each of the top 75 radio markets explaining, “I could only find a handful of stations that offered live, late-night talk heading into overnights, particularly on Saturday nights. You can now add Hartford to that list.”