Edison Research: Podcast Consumption Reaches New High
Edison Research releases its research project The Infinite Dial 2025 (with support from Audacy, Cumulus Media, and SiriusXM Media) that provides insights into “podcast consumption, online audio trends, in-car audio usage, smart speaker usage, social media behaviors, and other digital media habits.” Some of the
key findings of this edition of the study include that podcast consumption has reached an all-time high with 70% of Americans age 12+ having listened to a podcast; 51% of those Americans age 12+ having watched a podcast; 73% of Americans age 12+ having consumed a podcast in either audio or video format, representing an estimated 210 million people; and 55% of Americans age 12+ now being monthly consumers. The study also looked at in-car audio use and finds that among americans age 18+ who have driven or ridden in a car in the past month (88%), 40% have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and 33% actively use one of these systems. You can download the study here.
presenting coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The network will present all of the games through the National Championship on Monday, April 7. The trio of Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel, and P.J. Carlesimo will announce all the action for the Final Four and the National Championship.
has ended operations of news/talk KLIK-AM and its translator K278CT. The station ceased broadcasting on March 14. 
and market manager Tish Boden says, “Team Cumulus Fayetteville is excited to have Gilbert Baez join our team as the new host for ‘Good Morning Fayetteville’ on WFNC News Talk. When you say the name Gilbert Baez in the market it is synonymous with news. I look forward to Gilbert’s success on Good Morning Fayetteville.” WFNC program director Kelvin Culbreth adds, “Gilbert Baez brings a deep desire to report the news and a true sense of devotion to Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, and Cumberland County. He’ll bring his wealth of knowledge about our area and his vast cache of connections. We have heard, ‘Everyone knows Gilbert and Gilbert knows everyone.’ He is the perfect host to carry GMF into the future.”
is a mistake. Some of the findings include: 1) In a typical day, ad-supported digital audio reaches less than a third of America while AM/FM radio reaches two-thirds of America. Combined, ad-supported digital audio and AM/FM radio reach 74% of the U.S. daily; 2) Between ad-supported Spotify and AM/FM radio, most people only listen to AM/FM radio; 3) Between ad-supported Pandora and AM/FM radio, most people only listen to AM/FM radio; 4) The U.S. ad-supported audio clock: Podcasts and AM/FM radio represent nearly 90% of tuning minutes; 5) With a towering in-car share of 86%, AM/FM radio is the primary way to reach consumers on the path to purchase; The proportion of AM/FM radio in-car listening has surged, returning to pre-pandemic norms. 
announced the news on-air on Tuesday. Murphy is one half of the “Murph and Markus” show. Murphy tells SFGate, “I’ve just really enjoyed my time talking to the Bay Area every morning and talking to my partners – whether it was 
Broadcasting the matches will be WPRO-FM personalities Nick Giuliano and Tommy Quinlan. In addition, Rhode Island sportswriter and columnist Kevin McNamara will host a new feature to air on the station every Thursday at 6:20 pm throughout the season titled, “Extra Time with Rhode Island FC.” Cumulus RVP and market manager Holly Paras says, “We are thrilled to continue and expand our broadcast partnership with Rhode Island FC. It’s an exciting time for Rhode Island soccer fans, especially with the opening of the new stadium this year. We look forward to a great season.”
with more than 250 affiliate stations. Coglianese comments, “I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this role with Westwood One and Silverloch and can’t thank my WMAL family in Washington enough for the eight incredible years we’ve already spent together. I also want to offer a special thank you to Dan Bongino for selflessly returning to service for his country. His decency and sacrifice are a true testament to his character. Now we take things to the next level. I’m deeply conscious of the history-making legacies of these broadcasts, which is why we will be delivering the ultimate three-hour live radio show and one-hour podcast for the millions of Americans who demand the truth.” Westwood One president Collin Jones adds, “Vince’s star has been on the rise, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the unparalleled Westwood One platform to expand his reach even further. Vince’s unparalleled ability to combine realism with sharp political insight makes him the ideal host to captivate audiences across both live radio and podcasting. ‘The VINCE Show’ and ‘VINCE’ podcast will quickly become cornerstones of our industry-leading conservative talk lineup.”
includes sports talk KBBG-AM “The Champ” and four music brands. He most recently served with Walnut Media in Omaha. As director of sales. Cumulus Media president of operations Bob Walker says, “We are excited to welcome Adam to Cumulus Des Moines as this is a homecoming for him, having grown up in Des Moines and being a fan of our brands. Adam is an accomplished leader that is passionate about connecting local clients to the power of radio and the digital products we offer to help them grow their business.”
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 Schnatter, and former U.S. congressman and current Liberty University School of Business Dean Dave Brat.
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. 
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 
margin 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.”
by a political appointee instead of a career agent. The role of the deputy director is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the bureau’s law enforcement. The Journal also reports that new FBI director Kash Patel had “offered Republican senators private assurances that he would name a special agent with bureau experience” in order to provide “operational expertise and experience.” The FBI Agents Association has made no public statement so far. Cumulus Media issued the following statement: “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dan Bongino on his decision to take on the role of deputy director of the FBI. Dan has entertained and informed tens of millions of listeners every day and we are grateful for our successful partnership. We look forward to welcoming Dan back in the future. We truly value our audience, advertisers, and affiliates and remain dedicated to bringing them the next exciting chapter for this programming soon. Dan’s last show will be Friday, March 14.”
12 years with the station. A report in The Chattanoogan says that Joyce, who hosted the late morning “Brian Joyce Unfiltered” program, “parted ways” with the station last week. Joyce joined WGOW in 2012 and became part of the morning drive show in 2018, alongside Jim Reynolds and Kevin West. In 2023, Cumulus retooled the morning show bringing Jed Mescon aboard to co-host with Reynolds and Joyce moved to the late morning slot. 
managed Cumulus’ Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana stations. Welling takes over for the retiring Chris Monk. Cumulus president of operations Bob Walker says, “We are thankful to Chris for the strong foundation he has built for our clusters in Flint and Saginaw and wish him all the best in his retirement. As we look to the future, we are excited to welcome Cody back to Cumulus to take our powerful brands to the next level. Cody is a passionate broadcaster who is dedicated to helping local businesses connect with our audiences and fully leverage the opportunities our traditional and digital assets provide.”
City. Cumulus Media chief content officer Brian Philips states, “Pete has risen to stardom quickly with his on-air performance and innovative program architecture in Kansas City. Pete is among our most dynamic leaders, in ANY format. It also matters that Pete is Bill Hess’ hand-chosen successor, as Bill returns to oversight of our news/talk flagship WMAL, in the nation’s capital. Bill has served with distinction in this corporate role, and Cumulus news/talk is positioned for continued success under Pete’s leadership.” Mundo comments. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the content leadership team at Cumulus and am grateful for the confidence that the company has shown in me. Learning from Bill Hess in recent years has been a terrific way to make the transition seamless. The news/talk format is changing rapidly but remains dominant in the audio industry. The format has exceptional upside during this transitional political period, as people continue to seek news and information about their cities, states, and country. I am eager to work with my fellow news/talk programmers across the nation to make our brands stronger.”
pm to 1:00 am slot. Additionally, the company says the show adds 25 new affiliate stations, including WMAL-AM/FM, Washington; KSEV-AM, Houston; and KKAT-AM, Salt Lake City. Valdés comments, “Thank you, Jesus! I’m super excited to be on all of these new stations in great cities, and welcome all of our new listeners to join our live late-night national town hall conversation and encourage them to call in on Open Phone across America.”
management background and expertise complement the diverse strengths and wide-ranging capabilities of our existing board, and we are excited to leverage his vision and insights to drive growth and capitalize on new opportunities.” Galbraith is currently a managing member of Kindred Capital Advisors LLC, and is among the largest shareholders of Cumulus through his personal holdings and those held through Kindred.
did editorials on WFAA-TV, Dallas for six years. Krok shared the following message via his social media: “It’s been an amazing 15-year run at the biggest news/talk station in America’s 4th largest market. We’ve gotten to know each other so well, and I can’t wait to share the airwaves again, doing what God made me to do – tell stories, react to life, and have fun together.” Krok tells TALKERS that he has a nice home studio where he fills in on network and local shows. He says he’s available for fill-in work and is ready to talk about his next opportunity. Reach him at: 
Metrics and “Share of Ear” Report, MRI-Simmons, Screen Engine/ASI, Podscribe, and Magellan AI. Four of the key findings from this are: 1) Podcast ad campaigns are too light: No brand is coming close to “saturating” podcast audiences; Brands should allocate 5% of digital budgets to podcasting; 2) After five years with a median age of 33 to 34, podcast audiences finally age to 36, reflecting broader appeal with older audiences; 3) Screen Engine/ASI: Podcast audiences offer CTV advertisers significant incremental reach; and 4) Podcasts tighten their grip on audio audiences: Among podcast listeners, 35% of all audio time spent now goes to podcasts. 
personality Tom Tolbert – who co-hosted the “Tolbert & Copes” show with Adam Copeland – and midday personality John Lund – co-host of “Papa and Lund” are both out. Additionally, 
the Cumulus Media news/talk station on November 7. Sutton began working full time at the station in 1997. He tells WHTM that he does not plan on retiring. “Tomorrow is the first time in 52 years that I don’t have to work, but I hope that doesn’t last long because I am not retiring. God is in control, and I know there are new opportunities ahead and a new chapter in my life.” Sutton says he and producer Mark McKenzie were dismissed due to budget cuts. 
number of retailers shopped, retailers shopped most often, brand perceptions, and advertising recall have recovered; 2) Brand equity and shopping patterns for the top two performers (AutoZone and O’Reilly Auto Parts) are stable to up. The second-tier players are slightly off; 3) AM/FM radio and podcasts are the ideal platforms to advertise auto aftermarket. TV underperforms with category usage and brand equity: Heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners visit more retailers in the category, make more shopping trips, and spend far more than the average. Two key consumer segments, do-it-yourselfers and ultra-heavy shoppers are more likely to be heavy AM/FM radio listeners. TV viewers are weak category users. 
Departments, sheriff of Bernalillo County, head of public safety for the State of New Mexico under Governor Gary Johnson. Cumulus Albuquerque vice president and market manager Jeff Berry states, “I am SO excited for Darren’s return to Cumulus Albuquerque as program director. His passion for radio and vision for the future are contagious. We are fortunate to have someone with his background re-join our industry in a leadership position. Welcome home, Darren!” White comments, “I am honored to accept the position of program director for News Radio KKOB and KNML the Sports Animal, and I am humbled by the confidence Cumulus Media has placed in me for this exciting new challenge. Having been a part of Cumulus for over a decade, I have seen firsthand the incredible dedication and talent of the teams at both stations. With a proven history of delivering provocative, engaging, and informative radio that is second to none, I look forward to building on that legacy by attracting new listeners and continuing to bring dynamic programming to our loyal radio family.”
has amassed “a combined 12 million subscribers across platforms. ‘The Benny Show’ has become a go-to platform for the next generation of news consumers and creators alike. The program features commentary and exclusive interviews with special guests including presidential candidates, world leaders, cultural icons and Hollywood actors.” Under Westwood One’s leadership, the Cumulus Podcast Network distributes, markets, and monetizes “The Benny Show” exclusively with this new partnership. WWO president Collin R. Jones says, “As the Cumulus Podcast Network further expands into video, ‘The Benny Show’ is a natural addition to our portfolio of personality-driven talk shows. Benny is well known on YouTube as a strong and independent voice in conservative talk. He challenges mainstream opinions with cutting-edge insight and straightforward questions, capturing both listeners and partners with his streamlined, frank approach.”
Jackson, Jr. is hosting the new weekly podcast “No-Contest Wrestling” with co-host TJ Jefferson the show combines Jackson’s and Jefferson’s unique takes on sports entertainment by interviewing the biggest stars, going behind the scenes with untold stories from the world of wrestling. The second show is “The Jim Jackson Show,” hosted by two-time All-American and 14-year NBA veteran Jim Jackson. In this show, Jackson covers basketball from the college game to the highest levels of the NBA. Eisen says, “I’ve been in a constant search for new, fresh, thought-provoking, and entertaining voices to add to our growing podcast business, and I’m thrilled to add both O’Shea Jackson, Jr. and Jim Jackson to the roster.”
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One today announced that The Dan Bongino Show podcast will offer a special two-hour edition today (8/26) the first day of hearings for the House Republicans’ independent investigation into the assassination attempt against former President Donald J. Trump led by Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Eli Crane (R-AZ). Mills and Crane will be joined by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in this independent investigation. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, will be one of three to testify at the forum, along with Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL officer, and Ben Shaffer, a Washington regional SWAT operator. Bongino will record the special edition of his podcast from The Heritage Foundation, also the site for the forum. The Dan Bongino Show podcast saw a surge in growth in July 2024 as listeners turned to Bongino for his expertise and insight as a former United States Secret Service agent following the assassination attempt against Trump just prior to the RNC.
Cumulus Media has appointed Zach Lyons as co-host for afternoon sports radio show, “Blaine and Zach,” on its Nashville outlet WGFX-FM (104.5 The Zone). Lyons joins co-host, Blaine Bishop, former Tennessee Titans safety and a four-time Pro Bowler. Bishop retired following the 2002 season capping an outstanding 10-year NFL playing career, featuring nine seasons with the Titans franchise. In addition to the weekday show, Lyons will join Brent Dougherty, Lucas Panzica, and Kevin Dyson as co-host of the station’s Titans postgame show, “Titan Talk Back.” Lyons is best known for co-founding broadwaysportsmedia.com and for hosting the popular sports podcast, “Football and Other F Words,” which will join the podcast lineup on the 104.5 The Zone Podcast Network.
media platform to tout home improvement e-commerce as heavy AM/FM radio and podcast listeners are more likely to shop online; 2) AM/FM radio generates significant incremental reach for home improvement TV campaigns: Recent TV campaigns for The Home Depot saw significant lift in reach with the addition of AM/FM radio, especially among younger demos; 3) AM/FM radio generates three times the sales lift of TV in a historic Nielsen TV and AM/FM radio sales effect study for a home improvement retailer; and 4) Home improvement media plans are overweight on linear TV and underweight on audio: The optimized plan should consist of 45% AM/FM radio, 30% linear TV, and 24% podcasts. 
contract. Bartholomew tells TALKERS, “After two successful years where my show increased the numbers of the previous, political show by as much as 350%, I have re-signed with News Talk 820 and 93.3 WBAP in Dallas, TX. So, I’ll be holding down the 9a-11a slot for at least another 2 years.” 
As part of a newly-signed pact between the “The Bob & Tom Show” and Cumulus Media’s Westwood One, the award-winning comedic morning drive program will remain on an affiliate base that includes 17 Cumulus Media stations. Westwood One president/Cumulus Media executive vice president of corporate strategy and development Collin R. Jones states, “‘The Bob & Tom Show’ has been making Americans laugh each morning for more than 25 years. It is an impressive achievement when a program can drive audience numbers and advertiser interest for a 
stretch this long. We at Westwood One are honored to continue our relationship with this exceptionally talented cast for years to come.” Host Tom Griswold comments, “We are truly pleased to continue working with our long-term partner, Westwood One, and with our incredible Cumulus Media affiliates. We have terrific teams and look forward to entertaining listeners with the funniest morning content available. The radio party rolls on – turn it up.” Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, “The Bob & Tom Show” airs weekdays 6:00 am – 10:00 am (ET) on over 100 stations and is available to stations of all formats.
The fourth of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s July 2024 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford. The survey period covered June 20 through July 17. Today, TALKERS magazine editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In Raleigh, iHeartMedia’s news/talk WTKK-FM adds three-tenths to finish with an 8.9 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) that keeps it locked in the #3 rank, while Curtis Media’s news/talk WPTF is up one-tenth for a 0.6 share finish good for the #23 rank. In Milwaukee, iHeartMedia’s news/talk WISN adds a half share to finish with a 13.0 share that keeps it ranked #1 for the eleventh straight month. (Good Karma Brands’ crosstown competitor news/talk WTMJ ceased subscribing to Nielsen several months ago.) In Nashville, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WWTN-FM rises 1.2 shares for a 6.7 share finish that lifts it to the #3 rank, while iHeartMedia’s news/talk WLAC adds three-tenths to finish with a 1.3 share and remains ranked #18.