The Pulse Briefing Updates Friday, Nov 13

Radio Broadcasting

More Names: Cumulus Media Continued a new round of company-wide layoffs Thursday, affecting on-air talent, programmers, producers, promotions, and management at stations across multiple markets. MORE

In Denial: iHeartMedia still denies 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. MORE

Miami Promotion: WQAM 104.3 FM, an Audacy sports station in Miami, has named Zach Gelb its new Brand Manager. MORE

Media Industry

NFL Ratings Pacing: 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. MORE

Another Win: 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. MORE

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

U-S News

Moving On: President Donald Trump signaled he plans to wind down negotiations with Iran, stating a deal with Tehran is not needed, as he pulled Vice President JD Vance off diplomatic efforts to end the war. Trump redirected Vance to focus on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-led cities.

Microsoft Outage: A widespread Microsoft outage affected tens of thousands of users across the United States for about 10 hours on Nov. 12, disrupting access to Outlook, Microsoft 365, Copilot, and other platforms. The disruption impacted government agencies, communications services, and artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI and Anthropic. MORE

TNF Final: The Washington Commanders defeated the New York Giants 24-21 Thursday to keep their season alive and move within two games of the Giants in the loss column. Jayden Daniels threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Commanders in the victory.

Friday The 13th: Microsoft Spooked By Worldwide Outage

• Hours-long outage: A Microsoft outage that began over 12 hours ago has left millions around the world without access to Outlook email, Teams meeting tools and other staples of modern office life. Banks, governments and courts in multiple countries are affected.
• No quick fix: Microsoft said it had “observed marginal success” in solving the problem. The outage was not caused by a cybersecurity breach, the tech giant said.
• Global disruption: Outage reports “reached 74 countries and territories in about an hour,” according to Downdetector. In the US, city governments across the country reported widespread email disruptions. In the finance hub of Hong Kong, bankers at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs told CNN their work had been disrupted.

(5:15AM Update) Microsoft said it is working to resolve an hourslong outage that has disrupted services that include Outlook and Teams, with government departments and schools from the U.S. to Australia among those affected.

According to outage tracker Downdetector, hundreds of thousands of users have reported problems in more than 70 countries.

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.

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.

Cutbacks Impact NBC News Streaming Service

NBC News is ending “Stay Tuned,” its one-hour prime-time program on the NBC News Now streaming service, as part of a review of its resources, a person familiar with the matter said.

The program, anchored by NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, streamed from the West Coast at 8 p.m. Eastern. Schwartz will remain with the news division, the person said.

Producers on the show may apply for nearly 50 open jobs at NBC News, many of them in the “Dateline” or news specials departments. The person said the company hopes some affected employees will take those positions.

A handful of jobs across NBCUniversal’s news unit are being eliminated. The affected employees represent less than 1% of the unit’s staff, the person said.

NBC News confirmed Wednesday’s stream was the show’s last. The company declined to make executives available for comment.

NBC News Now is expected to fill the prime-time hour with reruns of earlier streaming programs. The service already airs repeats of Tom Llamas’ “Top Story” in the evening.

Other television news divisions are also reviewing staffing as media companies face financial pressure. Skydance, which owns CNN and CBS News, has offered buyouts to employees across the company as it seeks $6 billion in cost cuts following its debt-heavy combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount. CBS News and CNN have also had layoffs in recent months.

NAB Makes Full Court Press For Vehicle Act

The National Association of Broadcasters’ top priority for the lame-duck session is passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, an official said, as last week’s midterm elections set up a divided government for the next two years.⁠

Shawn Donilon, executive vice president of government relations for the NAB, said on the organization’s AirTime podcast that the measure is the group’s focus before the current session of Congress ends Jan. 3. The bill, which would require AM radio capability in new vehicles, passed the House in September and has more than 60 co-sponsors in the Senate.

Stingray-TuneIn Anticipate More Revenue Growth

A year after Stingray acquired TuneIn for $175 million, the company says the deal is generating revenue and cost savings faster than expected, with more gains still possible.

Stingray President and CEO Eric Boyko said the integration has produced annualized revenue synergies of nearly $31.7 million and cost savings of  about US$8.5 million. He said the company sees further opportunities to coordinate operations and development teams and reduce distribution and advertising costs.

Stingray also credited TuneIn advertising and stronger sales across its free, ad-supported streaming TV channels, including its Moodscapes feeds, for quarterly growth. Revenue from FAST channels rose more than 85%, while advertising revenue across TuneIn, FAST channels and retail media more than doubled, executives said in a report.

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 New Mexico 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.