Four Democratic candidates are accusing the FCC of deliberately running out the clock on a political advertising rate dispute, arguing that the agency is trying to keep its expanded discount policy in place through Election Day without allowing the courts to rule on its legality. In a new Supreme Court filing, they also point to what they say is a striking contradiction: The federal government previously told the justices that broadcasters were not required to offer lowest un

With AM/FM radio still boasting a monthly reach of 88% of Americans, according to Nielsen —connecting with consumers at scale, to give it an advantage over many other traditional media — what’s behind the success of audio media overall, making it so effective for brands? A report from iHeartMedia boils it down to one key factor: the ability of broadcast radio, podcasts and streaming audio to build a direct, trusted relationship between creators or live hosts and their audienc

As advertisers look for ways to connect with consumers beyond traditional commercial breaks, product placement is becoming one of marketing’s fastest-expanding categories. New research from PQ Media finds that music and audio led all media categories in product placement growth last year, with host-delivered brand mentions in popular podcasts helping fuel the increase. PQ Media’s new global product placement forecast estimates worldwide product placement spending increased 12

The podcast industry may be launching fewer new shows than in years past, but the number of podcasts actively producing content continues to grow. Third-quarter figures from Listen Notes show 563,571 podcasts have been active so far in 2026, the highest level since the pandemic-fueled boom of 2020 and 2021. The increase suggests that while fewer creators are entering the market, podcasting continues to maintain a substantial base of active publishers. The strength of the acti

U.S. grocery brands are falling behind international competitors in using sound to build distinctive brand identities, despite the country’s long history of advertising jingles, according to a new global study from sound-branding specialist amp, whose findings were reported by creative industries-focused news site Roastbrief. The amp study analyzes the sonic strategies of 100 grocery brands worldwide, assessing how effectively they use sound to build brand identity across fiv

The Supreme Court has stepped into the escalating battle over broadcasters’ political advertising rates for a second time, temporarily blocking a federal appeals court order that would have forced the FCC to decide by noon Friday (Oct. 9) whether to uphold its disputed lowest unit charge policy. The move came just hours after the Fourth Circuit rejected emergency requests to delay its deadline. Chief Justice John Roberts issued the stay Thursday, suspending the Fourth Circuit

Podcast audience growth continued into September, with a majority of publishers measured by Podtrac posting monthly audience gains, while iHeart maintained its commanding lead and several networks made significant moves up the rankings. Podtrac says 11 of its 19 U.S. ranking participants increased their unique monthly audience in September vs. August, while eight recorded gains in downloads and streams. The results follow August’s particularly strong performance, when 18 publ

John Tesh is expanding his advertising offering with a new program designed to give brands a closer look at what consumers 55 and older are asking about before they buy. TeshMedia Engage uses responses from Tesh’s radio, email and social audiences to connect advertisers with consumer concerns around health, sleep, hearing, brain health, balance and fraud. The program draws on the audience for “Intelligence for Your Life,” which reaches 24 million monthly listeners on 250 radi

U.S. advertisers are entering 2026 amid a continued expansion in global advertising spending, with artificial intelligence investment, major events and digital media growth helping drive the market despite economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Global ad spending is set to rise 11.9% to $1.34 trillion this year, according to WARC’s latest update to its third-quarter 2026 media global ad spend outlook. The increase follows growth of about 10% in both 2024 and 2025. The U.S. re

With three-quarters of 2026 now in the books, there are clear trends for radio formats in key demos for this year, and year-to-year, according to Inside Radio’s analysis of average-quarter-hour share data in PPM markets, covering Monday-Sunday 6am-midnight. When it comes to share gains, the standout formats continue to be contemporary Christian — which in the September 2026 survey ranks 10th among persons 18-34 and 12th for 25-54s — and modern/alternative rock, which ties for