Public radio listening is showing signs of a meaningful rebound, with new analysis from the Radio Research Consortium finding the noncommercial radio audience has grown during the past two years — and the gains cannot simply be chalked up to Nielsen’s measurement changes. Looking across five major noncommercial formats — news/talk, contemporary Christian, classical, AAA (adult alternative) and jazz — RRC says combined cume across PPM and continuous diary measurement markets i

The Radio Television Digital News Association will celebrate the national winners at the 2026 Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala Oct. 12 at Gotham Hall in New York City. In Network Radio, NPR was the dominant winner, earning awards in Breaking News Coverage for “The Election of Pope Leo,” Digital for “The Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Immigration Courts,” Excellence in Innovation for its California wildfire investigations with KCRW, Excellence in Sound for “Making Music fro

Thirty-five percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend more during the 2026 holiday season than they did in 2025, with inflation driving higher gift costs cited as the leading reason, according to a new study from advertising technology company Basis. Among consumers planning to spend more, 64% said inflation is the primary reason for their increased spending. The study also found that 83% of shoppers decide on a holiday gift within a few days or less after first discovering it.

Podcast advertising has regained momentum in 2026, and Magellan AI President of Measurement Jim Ballas says the gains are showing up across several of the indicators his company tracks — from advertiser spending and rates to the number of brands putting money into the medium. “I think we’re back really strong,” Ballas said during an appearance on the “PodBiz” podcast. While he cautions that advertising remains cyclical and will inevitably have stronger and weaker quarters, he

NPR is elevating two longtime executives to new leadership roles focused on transformation, audience technology and data as the public media organization works to expand its digital reach and strengthen collaboration across the NPR Network. Chief Operating Officer Ryan Merkley announced that Bryan Moffett has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Transformation, while Michael Seifollahi has been promoted to Vice President, Audience Technology and Data. "NPR is in a pivotal

Beasley Media Group is entering the second half of 2026 with a leaner cost structure and substantially reduced debt, but CEO Caroline Beasley says the company still has work to do to rebuild revenue. Speaking Wednesday (Aug. 12) during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Beasley said the quarter advanced two of the company’s three turnaround priorities: improving the cost structure and strengthening the balance sheet. The third — stabilizing and rebuilding core revenu

Political advertising is on pace for a record-setting 2026, with PQ Media raising its estimate for total political media buying to $15.3 billion, a 46.3% increase over the 2022 midterm election and 1.8% higher than spending during the 2024 presidential cycle. More than 60% of that spending, or $9.38 billion, is expected to hit media markets after Labor Day. The projections come from a two-part guest blog post on the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Radio Matters blog by Dr. Leo Kiv

The growing popularity of women’s sports — reflected by increased fan interest, cultural influence and broadcast hours spent — suggests that brands should be following the money. In a recent interview with “NYSE Live,” iHeartMedia Executive Advisor and Bubbler Media founder Gayle Troberman doubles down on how important women’s sports programming, across all platforms, should be for marketers. “There is a massive undervalued opportunity in women’s sports,” Troberman, who helpe

Salem Media appears to be entering its final weeks as a publicly traded company, reaffirming that it expects its sale to WaterStone to close this month as the broadcaster reports a return to positive Adjusted EBITDA despite another double-digit revenue decline. Salem entered a definitive agreement May 12 to be acquired by The Christian Community Foundation, which does business as WaterStone. The deal calls for WaterStone to acquire all outstanding Salem shares for $1 per shar

The latest courtroom fight between Cumulus Media and Nielsen has hit a procedural roadblock, with the federal judge overseeing their antitrust case declining to decide whether Nielsen is complying with her preliminary injunction until the Second Circuit clarifies whether the order is currently in effect. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas said that her court “appears to lack jurisdiction” to act on Cumulus’ pending motion seeking to enforce the injunction. The uncertainty s