Tag: 2026

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

AdLarge Acquires Inlet Media. AdLarge is acquiring the assets of technology platform Inlet Media, Inc that it has used for nearly two years to onboard, distribute, and monetize audio and video content through its AI-powered podcast and creator workflows. As part of the transaction, Patrick Cedrowski, co-founder of Inlet Media, has been named chief technology officer of AdLarge and the fwd. network. Brian Egan, co-founder of Inlet Media and longtime AdLarge and fwd. network team member, has been promoted to vice president and head of product.

NHPR Partners with The Podglomerate. New Hampshire Public Radio enters into an exclusive sales partnership with Portsmouth-based podcast agency The Podglomerate,, in which The Podglomerate will serve as the exclusive sales partner for podcasts produced by NHPR. NHPR director of on-demand audio Rebecca Lavoie says,“Partnering with The Podglomerate is a natural next step in our relationship. We’ve worked with them on several marketing campaigns, and are impressed with their steadfast advocacy for our journalism. They also have some of the most innovative approaches to monetization I’ve seen in the industry.”

Edison Presenting “Evolving Ear” Webinar. Edison Research will present, “The Evolving Ear: How New Listeners are Shaping Podcast’s New Chapter,” in a webinar on January 27 at 2:00 pm ET.  Edison says, “The future of podcasting may be unpredictable, but listener trends offer the best clues about where it’s headed. Drawing from over 20 years of Edison Research data, senior research director Gabriel Soto will explore how the next wave of podcast consumers is shaping the medium.” Get more info and register here. 

Radio Mercury Awards Call for Entry. Call for Entry for the 2026 Radio Mercury Awards is officially open. Entrants have the opportunity to be awarded in 17 categories along with the Best of Show recognition. Call for Entry deadline is Monday, April 6, 2026. Finalists for the show will be announced in early May, and winners will be announced at the live Radio Mercury Awards event on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at SONY Hall in New York City. For more information regarding entry categories, guidelines, entry fees and deadlines, available sponsorship information and more, click here.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: CES2026, Radio Can Relate

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgHello from Las Vegas, where I am both eager and anxious for CES2026. 

I am eager to witness what’s new, and to report each day this week here in TALKERS, and on radio stations across the USA and around the world. Help yourself to 60-second reports, updated daily, for air all this week. Simply download from HollandCooke.com. No charge, no paperwork, no spot.

And I am eager to witness the continuing evolution of this event, and its parent the Consumer Technology Association — formerly the Consumer Electronics Association — which does NOT want us calling this “the Consumer Electronics Show.” At the first one, in 1967, audio cassettes were disrupting 8-track tapes. And decade-after-decade, gadget-after-gadget, this organization and this show has represented an industry that makes products that come in boxes. Audio, video, computers, smartphones…stuff.

Back to the future: Artificial Intelligence doesn’t come in a box. And much – possibly most – of what’s unveiled this week here is AI-driven. For years before AI popped, this show, and this nimble association, has been pivoting, away from things to experiences. Sure, there are still monster TVs and flying cars at CES, and there have been for 10 years. But last year’s keynote by Delta Airlines’ CEO was a star-studded event at The Sphere, a dazzling display of how they’re reimagining your travel experience. Experiences, not things.

Like flight, radio is also 100+ years old. So I am also anxious, as our industry struggles to evolve. Radio was the first consumer electronic gadget. And, for most of a century we cornered the market on making audio. Now everyone does. Much of what I write each week here in TALKERS is about optimizing the listener’s and advertiser’s experience. Radio’s roots run deep. At CES I’m looking for clues as to how we can grow new branches. More here tomorrow.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn