The U.S. remained the world's largest media market in 2025 with total advertising and marketing spending of $757.56 billion. That was a 7% year-to-year gain, although PQ Media says the pace of growth was slower than the 9.6% increase in 2024 with only a handful of special federal elections to fill vacant seats. The firm says 2026 is expected to deliver much stronger growth, not only from a flood of midterm election spending, but also special events like this summer’s FIFA Wor

Sports podcast listening has surged, with the just released  “State of Audio: Sports Fandom,”  report showing that the share of sports listening happening via podcasts has increased by 71% during the last five years. The finding helps underscore how the sports media landscape has shifted as fandom stretches well beyond live game broadcasts. “Fans don’t just want the final score anymore. They want the analysis, the backstory, the debate, and the personalities around the game.

One of the first stations to embrace the modern rock genre — born from punk and new wave — and one of the first to feature a modern adult contemporary format prior to its flip to full-on alternative rock, rank in the top two of  Inside Radio’s TOP 10  modern/alternative rock stations, based on persons 6+ cume delivery in PPM markets during Nielsen’s fall 2025 wave (October-to-December three-month average), as compiled by ACT 1 Systems. One other small detail: both of the top

Urban One said earlier this week that it has updated the terms of a key lending agreement and resolved a share price compliance issue with Nasdaq that will allow the stock to be relisted on the exchange. The restructured credit agreement with Bank of America and other lenders calls for Urban One’s loan to mature on the earliest of three possible dates: Dec. 18, 2030; 91 days before any significant new debt becomes due, other than its current notes; or the date when a specific

Mo Rocca, an award-winning correspondent for “CBS Sunday Morning,” has been named the recipient of the  2026 LABF Insight Award , the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced today (Feb. 12). Now in its fifth year, the Insight Award recognizes an individual or organization for an outstanding artistic or journalistic work or body of work that enhances the public’s understanding of the role, impact and evolu

Radio remains the most trusted and widely used mass medium in the U.S., according to data compiled by the World Radio Alliance (WRA), underscoring its continued strength in a fragmented media landscape. The WRA reports that 79% of U.S. adults age 18 and older consider radio to be very trustworthy or trustworthy, ranking it ahead of newspapers (77%), television (68%), magazines (68%) and social media (28%). The findings highlight radio’s position as a leading source of credibi

Cross-platform digital advertising revenue is expected to anchor local media strategies in 2026 as subscription growth levels off, according to the Local Media Consortium’s annual  Local Media Industry Insights Survey . The findings show that 72% of publishers reported digital revenue was either up or flat in 2025, and 85% anticipate similar performance in 2026. At the same time, publishers reported mounting pressure on subscription growth, with a 383% year-over-year increase

Stingray’s CEO is no longer describing TuneIn as simply an acquisition. He is calling it “a perfect marriage.” And on the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call Wednesday, Eric Boyko was clearly in the honeymoon portion of the transaction after the $175 million buyout  of the streaming platform closed in December. He said the deal is already exceeding internal expectations — both on revenue synergies and on the strategic positioning it gives Stingray in advertising and

Comedian and writer Wyatt Cenac has been tapped as the host of the 6th Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio, otherwise known as The Ambies. “Podcasting has become one of the most exciting places for ideas and storytelling,” he says in the announcement. “I’m looking forward to honoring the creators, keeping the energy up, and helping make the night feel as vibey and engaging as the podcasts themselves.” Cenac created, hosted, and executive produced his own late-night show for

The new year bounce back returned in January, as creators debuted 14,712 new podcasts last month. The podcast search engine and database Listen Notes says that is 1,500 more than it rolled out in November as the year-end holiday season typically delays show launches to the new year. The January list of new shows is, however, much shorter than what debuted a year earlier when Listen Notes reported 20,407 shows launched. But there is no shortage of new content to consume. More