A federal judge has halted the antitrust lawsuit between Cumulus Media and Nielsen after the broadcaster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, temporarily pausing the closely watched fight over radio ratings practices. In an order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the litigation must be paused following the bankruptcy filing Under federal bankruptcy law, that filing automatically freezes most legal actions involving the debtor. Vargas sai

iHeartMedia and Fox Entertainment have revealed more details for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, including performers, host and special award honorees for the annual event celebrating the most-played artists on iHeartRadio stations. This year’s show will feature performances by Alex Warren, Lainey Wilson, Ludacris and RAYE, along with a first-time collaborative performance from TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. Ludacris will also serve as host of the ceremony, which airs live

Radio revenue is likely to remain largely flat this year, with modest growth in local advertising offset by continued pressure on national and network spending, according to new forecasts from media analyst Justin Nielson of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Kagan unit. Nielson tells Inside Radio  he expects the industry’s core local broadcast revenue to grow 1% to 3% this year. But the gains will be uneven depending on the source of advertising. Nielson said national and netw

Radio continues to dominate the U.S. audio landscape, with 84% of adults ages 25-64 reporting weekly listening in the 2026 FMR/Eastlan Ratings National Radio Listening Survey. The figure is largely unchanged from recent years, slipping just slightly from 85% in 2025 and 86% in 2024, underscoring radio’s consistent reach despite the continued expansion of digital audio options. The survey finds stability across market sizes, with weekly radio listening at 84% in both the large