iHeartMedia is doubling down on its positioning as one of the last “truly human” mass-reach entertainment platforms. In a memo to staff, Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman announced that as of this week, “Guaranteed Human” will become a central part of the company’s on-air identity — from hourly legal IDs to new sweepers that reinforce the message of real voices and real connection. Poleman says the move formalizes what iHeart has already been leaning into: companionship,

The U.S. advertising market is finishing 2025 in a stronger position than it began the year, driven largely by better-than-expected digital spending and continued gains by the largest technology platforms, according to a new report from MoffettNathanson. The firm raised its U.S. ad growth forecast to 7.6% for 2025, up from a revised 5.8% in March and above the 6.9% estimate issued at the start of the year. Analysts said the improvement stems from outsized performance at Meta,

Latin America’s digital-audio market has entered a new phase of scale and maturity, with local-language content, mobile listening, and news programming driving record engagement across the region. A new report from Triton Digital focused on the so-called LATAM region also shows growing opportunities for creators. “When we look at the data, what really stands out is how mature the LATAM podcast ecosystem has become,” Triton VP Oscar Sermeño says. “News taking the lead against

For months, industry chatter has suggested that the rise of YouTube and the dominance of video-first podcasts would inevitably push listeners away from narrative storytelling and toward chat-based talk shows. But the latest Podcast Download report from Cumulus Media, Westwood One, and Signal Hill Insights paints a very different picture. Narrative shows — those that feature a host telling a story, like “Serial” or “Radio Lab” —remain remarkably resilient and still command the