Radio Broadcasting
Cumulus Going Private: A federal bankruptcy judge has confirmed Cumulus Media’s prepackaged Chapter 11 plan, allowing the Atlanta-based radio company to restructure approximately $660 million in debt, wipe out existing shareholders, and emerge as a privately held company with CEO Mary Berner staying in her role.
49ers KNBR Renew: The San Francisco 49ers announced a multi-year partnership extension with Cumulus Media’s KNBR “The Sports Leader.” KNBR AM/FM, the 49ers flagship station since 2005, has brought live broadcasts and the most iconic 49ers moments since 2005. Legendary broadcasters Greg Papa and Tim Ryan will continue calling live 49ers games, as well as pre-and post-game shows.
Where Things Stand: CBS News Radio will cease operations on May 22, 2026, ending nearly 100 years of service that began in 1927. This decision, announced on March 20, 2026, forms part of broader CBS News restructuring and layoffs under President Tom Cibrowski and Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
Media Industry
TV Ratings: FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of April 6 leading all of television in weekday primetime with nearly 3.6 million viewers, outpacing broadcast networks CBS (3,555,000 viewers), ABC (3,000,009 viewers), and NBC (2,962,000 viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.
WNT Dominates: ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir maintained its dominant lead in the evening news race for the week of April 6-12, 2026, topping both total viewers and the key Adults 25-54 demographic. NBC’s Nightly News with Tom Llamas held steady in second place with continued demo gains, while CBS’s Evening News with Tony Dokoupil trailed significantly in third.
Masters Score: CBS averaged nearly 14 million viewers for Sunday’s final round of the 2026 Masters Tournament, marking the highest-rated final round in more than a decade and matching the audience for Jordan Spieth’s 2015 victory.Rory McIlroy delivered the drama that drove the numbers, successfully defending his 2025 title with a final-round 71 to finish at 12-under par and win by one stroke over Scottie Scheffler.
U-S News
Iran Economy In Tatters: Iranian leaders face a towering postwar reconstruction challenge that is putting pressure on them to negotiate for sanctions relief. The U.S. and Israel hit at least 17,000 targets over five weeks of war, including factories; rail, road and port infrastructure; government buildings; and military facilities. Iranian state media put the cost to rebuild at $270 billion, though analysts said it was too early for an estimate as the impact of the damage filters through the economy.
Pope Defended: A group representing the nation’s Catholic bishops has issued a statement in support of Pope Leo XIV’s remarks on the Iran war, an apparent rebuff of Vice President JD Vance’s admonition suggesting the pope “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Pope Leo has expressed opposition to the war in favor of peace negotiations and said in an April 10 social media post that those who are disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
Trump's Political Pressure: President Donald Trump heads to Las Vegas Thursday to promote the tax cuts he signed into law last year to try to highlight what Republicans see as an economic strength ahead of this year’s elections. The president’s rare trip out West comes as Trump faces growing political pressure to wrap up the war and focus on a message that helps his party as they try to defend their congressional majorities in November’s midterm elections.