More Names Added During Latest Round of Layoffs

Cumulus Media began a new round of company-wide layoffs around November 11–12, 2026 (Thursday), affecting on-air talent, programmers, producers, promotions, and management at stations across multiple markets.⁠

This is the second major round in 2026 (following cuts in August during the bankruptcy process). It comes weeks after Cumulus emerged from Chapter 11 on October 16, 2026, eliminating roughly $550–600 million in debt. 

The company is now privately held, with Alden Global Capital (via Next Gen Radio Enterprises LLC) as the controlling shareholder (about 31.86% voting interest). Alden has a track record of significant staff reductions at newspapers it controls (e.g., Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News).⁠

The total number of people affected has not been publicly disclosed by the company. 

IHM Doubles Down On Reported Podcast Spin-Off

iHeartMedia denied reports that it is considering a sale of its podcast division after the company’s shares plunged following a third-quarter earnings report that missed analyst expectations.

The podcast unit was recently ranked No. 2 among U.S. publishers and posted a 24% revenue increase in the last quarter, according to the company.

Shares fell as much as 66% during midday trading Tuesday, a day after the earnings call. They recovered 13% by the close of trading Wednesday after Bloomberg reported that iHeart had held preliminary discussions with investment bank Moelis & Co. and potential investors about selling part or all of the podcast business.

“I can tell you that we have no plan to sell our podcasting business,” an iHeart spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

Third-quarter revenue rose 3.3% year over year but came in below the $1.07 billion consensus estimate. The company also cut its full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to a range of $550 million to $600 million, down from a previous projection of about $800 million.

iHeart President and Chief Operating Officer Rich Bressler said the company expects to begin reporting the podcast division as a separate segment sometime next year. He said the change would provide greater insight into its financial performance and make it easier to value the company’s businesses.

iHeartMedia operates approximately 860 AM and FM radio stations in the United States. The price of its high-yield bond due in May 2029 fell more than 20 cents this week, according to Bloomberg.

NFL Viewership Nears Historic High At Midseason

Through the first nine weeks of the 2026 season, NFL games are averaging 18.3 million viewers, the second-highest audience for this point in the season and a 2% increase from 2025, according to league data. The league also holds the top 49 most-watched shows since the start of the current television season, according to ⁠Front Office Sports.

Weeknight packages have been a major factor. ESPN’s Monday Night Football is averaging 19 million viewers, up 24% from the same point last year. The network’s Week 9 broadcast of the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Minnesota Vikings drew 21.7 million viewers across ESPN, ABC and other platforms, the largest Week 9 audience in the ESPN Monday Night Football era, which began in 2006.

Miami Radio: Zach Gelb New Brand Manager of 104.3 WQAM

WQAM 104.3 FM, an Audacy sports station in Miami, has named Zach Gelb its new Brand Manager. In this role, he will lead the station’s content strategy, talent, operations, and branding, including its flagship coverage of the Florida Panthers, Miami HEAT, Miami Marlins and the University of Miami Hurricanes football and men’s basketball.

“Zach brings a blend of programming instincts and nationwide sports talk experience that positions him perfectly to continue the growth and success of 104.3 WQAM,” said Claudia Menegus, Regional President, Audacy. “His vision and leadership will be vital as we continue to elevate our flagship partnerships, inspire our talented team and deliver the best sports coverage for South Florida’s passionate fan base.”

Saga Reports Net Loss Widens

Saga Communications reported third-quarter net revenue of $26.7 million, a 5.4% decrease from $28.2 million a year earlier. Its net loss widened to $7.1 million from $532,000, largely due to a $9.2 million noncash impairment charge related to its FCC licenses.

The company attributed the impairment to higher interest rates, lower operating margins and reduced projections for market revenue. Saga posted an operating loss of $9.8 million, compared with $626,000 in the prior-year quarter. Without the impairment charge, the company said its operating loss would have been $563,000 and its net loss about $240,000, or 3 cents per share.

Broadcast Mornings: TODAY Remains No.1 Across The Board

• TODAY Delivers Highest Total Viewer Average in 20 Weeks
• TODAY Off to Strongest Season-to-Date Start in Total Viewers in 15 Years

NBC News’ TODAY won across the board for the week, marking its 12th consecutive total viewer win and 153rd consecutive key demo win. TODAY also delivered its highest total viewer average in 20 weeks.

For the week, TODAY averaged 2.999 million total viewers, beating GMA by +76,000 (+3%) and CBS by +946,000 (+46%). It grew its total viewer audience by 306,000 (+11%) week over week.

Viewers Want Easier Way To Navigate Streaming Content

Streaming viewers increasingly want a simpler way to navigate the growing number of services—and say poor discovery could put subscriptions at risk.

In a new Nielsen Gracenote survey, 51.6% of respondents said they were very or somewhat likely to cancel a service if they couldn’t find content that interested them, up from 48.5% a year earlier.

Discovery problems can also mean viewers miss out on programming. More than a quarter of respondents, 27.3%, said they had missed a show because they couldn’t find it, compared with 24.7% the previous year.

Audacy Launches Tiki Barber, Traci Johnson Podcast

Audacy announced the launch of “Double Down on Cheer with Tiki and Traci,” a weekly podcast hosted by husband and wife duo of former NFL star and WFAN midday host Tiki Barber and cheer mom Traci Johnson. 

“Double Down” takes listeners inside the high-stakes, high-energy world of competitive cheerleading, offering an entertaining and relatable perspective on youth sports, family life, and the increasingly competitive world of travel athletics. Barber and Johnson’s daughters Brooklyn Barber and Teagan Barber have been competing in All-Star cheerleading for eight years.

“Double Down on Cheer with Tiki and Traci” will launch on Friday, November 13, on YouTube and everywhere podcasts are available. Listen to the trailer and follow the show here. New episodes will be released on Fridays.

D/FW Radio: La Grande 107.5 Raises $22,500 During Golf Tourney

La Grande 107.5 (KMVK-FM), an Audacy station in Dallas, raised $22,500 during its third annual “Chiquilin Swing For The Future Golf Tournament.” All proceeds go towards Los Primos Dallas and support its mission of empowering students and their families to tackle any challenge through mentorship.

On November 9, morning show host Armando “El Chiquilin” Ulloa broadcast live on-site at Brookhaven Country Club from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. CT and hosted the golf tournament at 11:30 a.m. CT. The event featured guest appearances from the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and its mascot, Rowdy.

R.I.P.: Art Schreiber, Longtime Newsman, GM

1927-2026

Art Schreiber, a longtime radio executive and newsman who led stations in Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles, has died at 98.

Schreiber’s five-decade career began in Ohio and took him around the world. He worked in nearly every part of radio news—as a reporter, anchor, news director, national correspondent and bureau chief—before becoming a vice president and general manager.

In the 1970s, Schreiber managed Westinghouse-owned all-news stations KYW in Philadelphia, WINS in New York and KFWB in Los Angeles. He later held management roles at Hubbard Broadcasting’s KSTP in Minneapolis and KOB in Albuquerque. In 1981, he moved to Albuquerque to oversee KOB-AM and its FM sister station.

Radio History: Nov 13

➦In 1906...Lee de Forest, who coined the term "radio", patented Audion tube.

De Forest was interested in wireless telegraphy and invented the Audion in 1906. He then developed an improved wireless telegraph receiver.

On 25 October 1906, de Forest filed a patent for diode vacuum tube detector, a two-electrode device for detecting electromagnetic waves, a variant of the Fleming valve invented two years earlier.

One year later, he filed a patent for a three-electrode device that was a much more sensitive detector of electromagnetic waves. It was granted US Patent 879,532 in February 1908. The device was also called the de Forest valve, and since 1919 has been known as the triode.

De Forest's innovation was the insertion of a third electrode, the grid, between the cathode (filament) and the anode (plate) of the previously invented diode.

New Round of Layoffs At Cumulus Media Stations

Cumulus Media has begun a new round of layoffs at radio stations across the country following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.

The cuts, the second this year, have affected on-air talent and staff in markets including Houston, Minneapolis, Nashville and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, according to industry reports. In Houston, Kevin Quinn left his role as assistant program director and afternoon host at KRBE after 14 years. Shannon Knight exited nights and weekends at KXXR (93X) in Minneapolis. In Nashville, Brian Wilson ended his association with SuperTalk 99.7 WWTN, and Adam “Lazy E” Sieminski departed afternoons at WBSX (97.9X) in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre.

Cumulus, which operates about 377 radio stations in 84 markets along with the Westwood One network and a podcast division, completed its financial restructuring on Oct. 16. The prepackaged bankruptcy, filed in March in Houston, eliminated roughly $550 million to $600 million in debt. Former lenders received equity in the reorganized company, and existing public shareholders were wiped out. President and CEO Mary Berner remains in charge, and a new board has been appointed.

FCC filings show Heath Freeman, president of Alden Global Capital, holds a 31.86% voting interest in the reorganized Cumulus through an entity called Next Gen Radio Enterprises LLC. Alden, a New York-based hedge fund, has drawn criticism for deep staff reductions at newspapers it controls, including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News after acquiring them through prior bankruptcies.

An earlier round of cuts in August, while Cumulus was still in bankruptcy, affected sales, programming and podcast staff in markets such as San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit and Kansas City. That round included the departure of KNBR midday hosts Greg Papa and Greg Silver in San Francisco and most of the on-air staff at Atlanta’s WNNX (99X).

In a letter to the FCC ahead of approval of the ownership transfer, Berner pledged that the company would maintain existing newsroom staffing levels for at least two years. The total number of employees affected in the latest cuts has not been disclosed.

R.I.P.: Dan Hicks, Longtime Sportscaster For NBC Sports

Dan Hicks, the legendary NBC broadcaster who called everything from Notre Dame football and golf to the Olympics, has died at 64, according to NBC Sports and his wife, fellow broadcaster Hannah Storm.

“Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around,” Storm wrote on social media. “When he walked into a room, he brought energy and laughter, and brought people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.”

https://t.co/nEscSk889a

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) November 12, 2026

NBC Sports also issued a statement Thursday, saying in part: “Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person. In his 34 years at NBC Sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history.”

A statement from ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro on the passing of longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks, husband of ESPN's Hannah Storm https://t.co/e2x6mCBYQ9

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 12, 2026