Artificial intelligence is changing how consumers search, research and shop, giving local advertisers another digital channel to consider as they build marketing strategies. Jenny Sutton, Head of Digital Marketing Solutions at Audacy, says the rapid adoption of tools such as ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews and Claude is creating a new path for consumers to discover businesses. In an Audacy Insights article, She argues that marketers should add artificial intelligence optimizat

Cumulus Media has filed an emergency motion in federal appeals court asking a New York court to clear up a procedural question that has temporarily blocked it from trying to enforce a procedural victory it scored last month against Nielsen in its ongoing antitrust lawsuit over national ratings. In a motion filed last week, Cumulus is asking the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to explicitly declare that its stay of a preliminary injunction against Nielsen ended July 13, when a

According to the rankings of Nielsen’s most listened-to radio formats for 2026-to-date, adult contemporary continues to dominate in both the closely-watched persons 18-34 and 25-54 demographics, while it still finishes second among persons 6+ behind news/talk. The trends, based on Inside Radio’s analysis of average-quarter-hour share data in PPM markets, covering Monday-Sunday 6am-midnight, show AC with an 8.0 share for 18-34 – 1.3 points ahead of CHR, and 1.4 ahead of countr

MediaCo posted second-quarter revenue growth of 9% as digital sales continued to drive the company’s top-line performance, while higher expenses contributed to declines in Adjusted EBITDA and a wider net loss. Net revenue rose to $34 million for the quarter ended June 30, up from $31.2 million a year earlier. Net loss increased 17% to $8.6 million from $7.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA fell 38% to $942,000 from $1.5 million in Q2 2025. For the first half of 2026, MediaCo reported

Public radio’s overall audience may be on the upswing, but a closer look at the numbers shows the gains are not being distributed evenly across the various formats embraced by noncommercial stations. New analysis from the Radio Research Consortium finds a broadly positive picture in PPM markets, as stations are generally performing better than they were before Nielsen introduced its three-minute listening qualifier in January 2025. News/Talk is performing better among persons

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