Radio Broadcasting News Summary: Week of October 19–23

The week featured industry research on radio’s overlap with podcasting and its digital impact, major personnel transitions and format changes, the NAB Show New York and Marconi Awards, ownership policy debate, and several notable deaths in radio and country music. Spotify also reported strong Q3 results.

📻Audience and Advertising Research

🗼New Podcast Study 2026 data (from Strategic Solutions Research/Point-to-Point Marketing, surveying ~1,205 podcast consumers ages 18–54) showed substantial radio-podcast overlap. About 74% of respondents listen to local radio weekly or more (46% daily). Among podcast Superfans, 79% listen to local radio weekly; among Prime Prospects, the figure is 82%. Hosts drive loyalty (81% of those with a favorite podcast cite the host as a major or sole reason), and daily radio listeners respond strongly to host interaction and host-read ads. The research positions radio as already reaching many of podcasting’s most valuable listeners and highlights opportunities to re-engage lapsed radio users via familiar talent on podcast platforms.⁠

🗼A Katz Radio Group study (“From the Airwaves to Action”) analyzed a summer 2026 experiential-brand radio campaign. Using Katz Analytics (powered by Magellan AI), it linked 15- and 30-second spots across 82 airings to more than 16,000 radio-attributed website sessions from nearly 10,000 unique visitors, plus an estimated 1,410 product views, more than 100 checkouts, and over 260 modeled purchases. The findings underscore radio’s ability to drive measurable digital engagement beyond awareness.⁠

📻Programming and Station Moves

🗼In Atlanta:  Audacy’s Star 94 (WSTR) launched The Bret Mega Show (Bret Mega and Anna “AB” Bohlmann) in morning drive (6–10 a.m. ET). The pair relocated from St. Louis amid Audacy’s sale of Y98; the show continues on stations in Kansas City and Wichita. Brand Manager JR Ammons praised their high-energy, authentic style as a new chapter for the station.⁠

🗼In Philadelphia: Audacy flipped Hot AC “The New 96.5” (WTDY-FM) to Country as “US 96.5” (its 24th Country station). The launch featured Morgan Wallen & Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help.” It goes commercial-free until Oct. 24, with weekday programming starting Oct. 26 (including Katie & Company, Coop, and national shows). It creates direct competition with Beasley’s longtime Country 92.5 XTU (WXTU). New call letters WCUS are pending.⁠

🗼Manning Media’s acquisition of three stations from Verstandig Broadcasting (Rock 92.1 WBHB, Country 101.5 WAYZ, and Hot AC 100.9 WIKG/translator) in the Hagerstown/Waynesboro area was highlighted in industry digests this week (deal valued around $700,000; pending FCC approval). It expands Manning’s existing cluster in the market.⁠

📻Personnel Transitions

🗼Boston: WBUR CEO Margaret Low announced she will step down at the end of June 2027 after nearly seven years (she joined in January 2020). The NPR veteran (who rose to SVP for News) will join the board the following fall. She led the station through pandemic challenges, staff reductions, federal funding cuts, ratings growth, and expansions such as the WBUR Festival. A search for her successor is underway.⁠

🗼Boston:  rock DJ Carter Alan is retiring after 47 years (WBCN music director/DJ for 19 years, then WZLX midday host and APD since 1998). His final midday show on iHeart’s 100.7 WZLX is Dec. 18; Chris Tyler takes over. He is credited with early U.S. airplay for U2 and launching the Rock ’n’ Roll Rumble.

🗼Roanoke:  WSLQ “Q99” morning co-host Dave (David) Paige will sign off Dec. 11 after nearly 30 years at the station (35-year career). He co-hosted the “Dick & Dave” show with Dick Daniels; the pair’s Miracle Day raised over $3 million for the Children’s Miracle Network. He plans more time with family, painting, and travel.⁠

🕇In Memoriam

• Dan “The Duke” Davis, longtime ESPN Radio host and original update voice (joined at the network’s 1992 launch; retired 2011), died Oct. 21 at 84. He was also known for calling Doug Flutie’s famous 1984 Hail Mary.⁠
• Matt Hanlon, veteran radio executive (Citadel Midwest Division President overseeing dozens of stations; later roles at Entercom/Audacy, Townsquare, and Saga), died Oct. 20 at 63 of a heart attack. He helped expand Bill Simonson’s The Huge Show into a statewide Michigan sports network.⁠
• Rod (John Anthony) Calarco, former WCBS-FM GM and longtime CBS Radio executive (28 years), died Oct. 12 at 79 of a heart attack. He led WCBS-FM to No. 1 and held other industry roles.⁠
• Country Music Hall of Famer John Anderson (hits including “Swingin’,” “Seminole Wind,” and “Straight Tequila Night”) died Oct. 21 at 71. He had attended a Hall of Fame event days earlier.⁠
• Panama Hoston (“Panama”), longtime Reno Media Group personality (morning co-host of “Panama and Mike” on Classic Hits KODS “The River”; Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame), died Oct. 18 at 66 from liver failure complications.⁠
• Noah Adams, longtime NPR All Things Considered host (about 18 years across stints), died Oct. 16 at 84 at his home in Ohio. He was known for thoughtful storytelling through major events and everyday American stories.⁠

📻Industry Events and Awards

🗼NAB Show New York (Oct. 21–22 at the Javits Center) drew roughly 6,700 attendees (57% first-timers; from 72 countries), with 250 exhibitors/sponsors and 101 educational sessions focused on AI, streaming, live sports, the creator economy, and podcasting strategies.⁠

🗼The 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards were presented Oct. 20 at New York’s Edison Ballroom. Highlights include Legendary Station of the Year (WIVK-FM, Knoxville), Major Market Station and Personality (WBMX-FM and Karson & Kennedy, Boston), Best Radio Podcast (“Purple Daily,” SKOR North/KSTP), and the NAB National Radio Award to Joel Oxley (Hubbard Radio Washington, D.C.). Other winners spanned formats and market sizes (e.g., Country: KKBQ-FM Houston; Sports: WEEI-FM Boston; Classic Hits: WCBS-FM New York).⁠

Other Headlines

• NYC radio personality Funkmaster Flex (Hot 97) was involved in an altercation in the Delta Lounge at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks’ season opener (Oct. 20). Former Hot 97 colleague TT Torrez alleged he shoved her; Flex denied being punched and accused music executive Shadow Stokes (Torrez’s husband) of baiting him for a lawsuit (including throwing a drink). Conflicting accounts circulated widely.⁠
• Spotify’s Q3 2026 results showed 306 million Premium subscribers (+9% year-over-year; +6 million in the quarter) and 788 million monthly active users (+11%). Revenue reached about €5 billion (+16%). The company expects 316 million Premium subscribers by year-end.⁠
• The MusicFirst Coalition and Future of Music Coalition urged the FCC to retain local radio ownership caps (and FM subcaps) as part of the ongoing 2022 Quadrennial Review. They argued that further deregulation would reduce diversity and localism, and that radio’s lack of a performance royalty for over-the-air play gives it a cost advantage over digital competitors. This contrasts with NAB and some broadcasters’ push to lift the limits.⁠

📻Upcoming industry gatherings include:

• Country Radio Seminar (Nashville, March 17–19, 2027).
• Radiodays Europe (Palma, March 14–16, 2027; program details emerging).
• Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC, Las Vegas, April 1–2, 2027, preceding NAB Show; registration open).
• NAB Show Las Vegas (typically early-to-mid April; next major U.S. gathering after New York).
• AES Show Nashville (Oct. 30–Nov. 1, 2026).

Radio History: Oct 25

➦In 1937...The soap opera "Stella Dallas" made its debut on WEAF in New York City.

It aired until December 23, 1955. The New York Times described the title character as "the beautiful daughter of an impoverished farmhand who had married above her station in life."

She was played for the entire run of the series by Anne Elstner (1902–1982). Her husband Stephen Dallas was portrayed by various actors.  The series was created and produced by the husband and wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, based on the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty. The 15-minute drama began on October 25, 1937, as a local show on WEAF in New York City, in the wake of the successful movie version starring Barbara Stanwyck, and it was picked up by the NBC Radio network beginning June 6, 1938, running weekday afternoons.

➦In 1948...WDIA Memphis originally went on the air June 7, 1947. The owners, John Pepper and Bert Ferguson, were both white, and the format was a mix of country and western and light pop, as well as "homemaker shows", network shows and block programming that included soap operas and classical music. The original frequency was 730 kHz, eventually move to 1070 AM. The station did not do well until Ferguson learned about "targeted programming" and realized there was one audience in Memphis no other radio station served. Half of the listeners who could hear WDIA's signal were Black-American, and WDIA hired the first black disk jockey in the South.

➦In 1959...Chicago-based announcer & host Bob Murphy (not to be confused with sportscaster Bob Murphy) died at age 42.  He was best known nationally for his announcing & substitute hosting on Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club on ABC Radio.

➦In 1984...The summer ratings book…

Gomez Urges Broadcasters To Be More Aggressive With FCC

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez on Friday urged the broadcast industry to take a far more aggressive stance in confronting the Trump administration’s actions against major U.S. networks and stations.

Gomez, the Federal Communications Commission’s sole Democratic member, specifically called on the National Association of Broadcasters to push back against the administration’s multipronged efforts to challenge broadcasters. She highlighted a series of recent moves, including a warning from FCC Chair Brendan Carr that networks could violate their regulatory obligations by airing “entirely fake polls” ahead of the November 3 election.

Study: Podcaster Listeners Are Engaged Radio Listeners First

Radio stations already reach many of podcasting’s most engaged listeners, according to findings from The Podcast Study 2026 presented in the series’ final webinar on Tuesday, October 20.⁠

Strategic Solutions Research and Point-To-Point Marketing hosted the free session, “What Radio Can Learn from The Podcast Study,” drawing on a national survey of 1,205 U.S. podcast consumers ages 18–54. The webinar examined what the research reveals for radio leaders about talent, advertising, audience development, and the overlap between radio and podcast audiences.⁠

Edison Research Is Out With Top 50 Podcast List

Edison Research at SSRS announces the Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. from Edison Podcast Metrics™ based on reach for the third quarter of 2026 among weekly podcast consumers ages 13+.

The Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie, and The Daily top the list, as they did in Q2 2026. The full list of Top 50 podcasts is below.

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Crime Junkie
3. The Daily
4. Call Her Daddy
5. Smartless
6. New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce (+1 rank position since Q2 2026)
7. This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von (+1 rank position since Q2 2026)
8. Dateline NBC (-2 rank positions since Q2 2026)
9. Rotten Mango (+4 rank position since Q2 2026)
10. The Breakfast Club (+1 rank position since Q2 2026)

Fox News Unveils Extensive Midterm Coverage Plans

• Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum to Co-Anchor “FOX News Democracy 26” November 3rd
• FOX News Channel to Unveil Enhanced Augmented Reality and Data-Driven Graphics
• FOX News App Debuts AI-Powered Election Chatbot, Interactive Maps
• Ruthless to Bring Its Signature Insider Take FOX Nation and FOX News Digital

FOX News Media will provide special multiplatform coverage of the 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3rd and throughout the surrounding days. Beginning at 6 PM/ET, FOX News Channel (FNC) will kick off November 3rd’s election night coverage with FOX News Democracy 26, co-anchored by Bret Baier, chief political anchor and executive editor of Special Report, and Martha MacCallum, anchor and executive editor of The Story.

Atlanta Radio: The Mega Morning Show Launches On Star 94

Star 94 launched “The Bret Mega Show” this week, its ninth morning-show lineup since early 2008. Audacy vice president of programming JR Ammons, who oversees stations in Houston, Atlanta and other markets, made the change by dropping hosts Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott earlier this year, shortly after assuming oversight of the station. The previous duo had been on Star for less than a year after 25 years at the now-defunct Christian station Fish 104.7.

Many Afffiliates Annoyed with ABC's Plans for Super Bowl

ABC affiliates are angered by Disney’s plan to air this year’s Super Bowl on Disney+, ESPN2, NFL Network and ESPNU in addition to ABC and ESPN, a move that could reduce related ad revenue by up to 35%, according to a station group CEO speaking anonymously.

Disney holds the rights under its 2021 NFL deal; ABC last broadcast the game in 2006.

The Super Bowl is a major revenue driver for ABC affiliates. While Disney owns some stations, most belong to groups such as Sinclair, Nexstar and Tegna. Roughly 3% of a typical local affiliate’s annual advertising revenue comes from the game when it airs on the station, a figure that can be substantially higher for large-market owned-and-operated outlets, which have generated about $10 million in Super Bowl advertising revenue, according to people familiar with the matter.

Manning Media Expands With Acquisition of Three Stations

Manning Media expands regional radio footprint with $700,000 acquisition of three VerStandig stations

Manning Media has purchased three additional radio stations from VerStandig Media for $700,000, bringing its total to eight stations across the Frederick, Hagerstown, Martinsburg, and Chambersburg, Pa., markets and strengthening its presence in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region.

The newly acquired stations are 101.5 WAYZ, 92.1 BOB Rocks, and 100.9 NEXT. Combined with Manning’s existing holdings—Key 103, 106.9 The Eagle, Fred fm, 106.3 WARK, and 93.5 MAX Country—the expanded group now reaches an estimated 281,800 people.

Comscore Launches Monthly Ad Exposure Report

August Ad Exposure

Streaming now reaches nearly half of US adults with ads, yet accounts for only 22% of television ad exposure—barely half the share of broadcast.

Comscore’s new monthly Score Report, launched this week, quantifies that gap for the first time by tracking the percentage of total TV Ad Exposure Time across platforms rather than relying on traditional viewership figures. The inaugural August edition shows broadcast platforms still commanding 43.2% of ad exposure time, cable 34.5%, and streaming just 22.3%.

Ronn Owens Daughter Gets Jail For False Pregnancy Scam

Former KGO Talker Ronn Owens and Daughter

Laura Owens, daughter of Bay Area radio legend Ronn Owens, was sentenced Friday to 30 days in jail and up to seven years of supervised probation for four felony convictions related to false claims that she became pregnant with twins by two men, including former “Bachelor” star Clayton Echard.

The Mercury News reports Maricopa County Judge Jeffrey Rueter imposed the sentence in Arizona after a hearing in which prosecutors sought prison time. Owens, 36, pleaded guilty in August to perjury, identity theft of an ultrasound, and two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices. She originally faced 14 felony counts; the plea carried a possible sentence of up to 12.5 years.

R.I.P.: Dan Davis, Longtime ESPN Radio Host

Legendary ESPN Radio broadcaster Dan Davis, a founding voice of the network known as “The Duke,” has died at 84, ESPN announced Wednesday.

Davis joined ESPN Radio at its launch in January 1992 as a host and update reporter and remained a fixture until his retirement in 2011. ESPN Public Relations confirmed the news on X, calling him an ESPN Radio founding member.

Over a career that began with high school football play-by-play, Davis called college football and basketball games and covered major events including the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. One of his most celebrated calls was Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass that lifted Boston College over Miami in 1984. From 1999 until his retirement he served as ESPN Radio’s SportsCenter update reporter.

Colleagues praised his consistency and professionalism. Longtime ESPN personality Mike Tirico said Davis “has been the great constant of ESPN Radio” and “the best update man sports radio has ever known,” adding that “someone will work his shift, but no one will replace ‘The Duke.’” Scott Van Pelt called him “a professional, first and foremost, but beyond that, a great role model” and a friend whose voice he would deeply miss.

Radio History: Oct 24

➦In 1861…The transcontinental telegraph line across the United States was first completed.

Rudy Vallee

➦In 1929...one of radio’s first “really big shows” The Fleishmann Hour starring Rudy Vallee was broadcast for the first time over NBC radio. Actually, the Rudy Vallee show had several different titles over the years, all of which were referred to by the public as The Rudy Vallee Show. Megaphone-totin’ Rudy and his Connecticut Yankees band were mainstays on radio into the late 1940s.

➦In 1930...Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson Jr. born (Died – February 3, 1959). He was known as The Big Bopper, he was a musician, songwriter, and disc jockey. His best known compositions include "Chantilly Lace" and "White Lightning", the latter of which became George Jones' first number-one hit in 1959. 

He was killed in a plane crash in Iowa in 1959, along with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens and the pilot Roger Peterson. The accident was famously referred to as "The Day the Music Died" in Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie".

Richardson worked part-time at Beaumont, Texas radio station KTRM (now Gospel KZZB). He was hired by the station full-time in 1949 and quit college. He soon was promoted to supervisor of announcers at KTRM.

In March 1955 he was drafted into the United States Army and did his basic training at Fort Ord, California. He spent the rest of his two-year service as a radar instructor at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

Richardson returned to KTRM radio following his discharge as a corporal in March 1957, where he held down the "Dishwashers' Serenade" shift from 11 am to 12:30 pm, Monday through Friday. One of the station's sponsors wanted Richardson for a new time slot, and suggested an idea for a show. Richardson had seen college students doing a dance called The Bop, and he decided to call himself "The Big Bopper". His new radio show ran from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, and he soon became the station's program director.

YouTube TV Viewing Hits Record

Television viewing cooled in August after a two-month World Cup-driven surge, according to Nielsen’s August 2026 Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge reports. Total TV usage fell 4.4%, reflecting the quiet period between the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in July and the start of the football season, along with the usual back-to-school drop among kids and teens. Although time spent declined across every Gauge category from July to August, both cable and streaming still gained share, reaching 18.9% and 49.6% of television, respectively.

Streaming usage was down 3.2% month-over-month, but the drop was smaller than the overall TV decline, so the category picked up 0.6 share points. YouTube crossed a critical threshold in August as the social video platform captured more than 15 percent of time spent with television in American households. YouTube stood out by setting a platform record at 15.8% of TV as its viewing rose 6%. While viewing among 6- to 17-year-olds faced back-to-school pressure, YouTube saw a 9% increase among adults 50 and older. Disney Streaming and Paramount Streaming each gained 0.1 share point, finishing at 4.8% and 2.3% of TV. Peacock slipped to 1.6% (−1.0 point) after Telemundo’s World Cup coverage and the latest season of Love Island USA ended in July, though it was still up 0.2 points from August 2025.

Trump Called Musk to Lift Ukraine Starlink Restrictions

Elon Musk

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine that the SpaceX chief had throttled, U.S. officials said. The system was working more normally Thursday, shortly after their conversation, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said. Some Ukrainian officials said the system was not restored to full functionality but was operating at higher speeds than under the previous cap.⁠

The restrictions, imposed last week, capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite network at roughly 100 miles per hour (about 160 km/h). This rendered some Ukrainian offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless, disrupting attack missions and air-defense operations against Russian forces and sparking panic in Kyiv.⁠

Trump expressed frustration to Musk that the speeds remained limited, according to officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier Thursday that full speeds had not been restored and that he hoped for discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days. Trump later told reporters that Musk had “put it back,” while declining to confirm whether he himself had made the call.

TV Ratings: TODAY No. 1 In Total Viewers and Key Demo

• TODAY’s Ireland Broadcast Drives Audience Growth Across All Four Hours
• TODAY Marks 38 Straight Weeks of Year-Over-Year Total Viewer Growth, Its Longest Streak on Record

NBC News’ TODAY won in total viewers and the key demo A25-54 for the week, while remaining the #1 morning news program across the board season-to-date.

TODAY averaged 2.823 million total viewers, beating GMA by +136,000 (+5%) and CBS by +1.017 million (+56%). The show has now posted 38 consecutive weeks of total viewer growth compared to prior year, its longest streak on record.

Katz: Here's How Radio Drives Digital Engagement

A summer 2026 radio advertising campaign generated more than 16,000 radio-attributed website sessions and hundreds of modeled purchases, according to a new Katz Radio Group insights report that quantifies radio’s ability to drive measurable online consumer activity.

The study, “From the Airwaves to Action: How Radio Drives Digital Engagement,” examined a campaign for a leading experiential brand and found that its 15- and 30-second commercials produced an estimated 16,000-plus website sessions from nearly 10,000 unique visitors during the tracking period.

CBS Sports Extends JJ Watt As Lead NFL Analyst

Future Hall of Famer and current CBS Sports announcer JJ Watt has been named lead analyst for the NFL ON CBS in a new multi-year agreement. The announcement was made Thursday by David Berson, Chairman, Global Sports Group, Skydance.

Watt will continue to call the Network’s top games alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports’ lead NFL announce team, including next season when they call Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to JJ’s growth as a top-tier broadcaster, watching him tackle this role just like he did his hall-of-fame playing career,” said Berson. “He’s insightful, entertaining, passionate, meticulous in his preparation, and the ultimate teammate. He has a unique ability to see things and communicate to fans of all levels. We are thrilled to have him leading our NFL coverage.”

America's News Sources On Social Media

Facebook and YouTube continue to outpace all other social media sites when it comes to news consumption: 40% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news on Facebook, and 34% say the same about YouTube, according to as Pew Research Center survey.

Smaller shares of Americans regularly get news on Instagram (23%) and TikTok (20%). Fewer say they get news on X, formerly known as Twitter (10%), Reddit (9%), Nextdoor (8%), LinkedIn (6%), WhatsApp (5%), Rumble (2%), Truth Social (2%) or Bluesky (1%).

CNN Losing Another News Anchor

CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga is leaving the network after nine years, announcing her departure Thursday for an opportunity she said she “couldn’t pass up” and teasing more details soon.⁠

Golodryga, co-anchor of CNN International’s One World alongside Zain Asher since 2023, posted on X that she was exiting after “nine wonderful years,” thanking colleagues for the experiences and support while promising “exciting news to share very soon.” A CNN spokesperson confirmed the departure; her final day is Friday, when she is expected to sign off on air. Asher will continue anchoring the program.⁠

Elon Musk Invests $1B In Skydance

Elon Musk has invested roughly $1 billion in Skydance, the media company formed after Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNBC reported Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter.⁠

The investment, first reported by Semafor, provides a financial boost as the newly combined company seeks to cut costs and support its stock price amid a heavy debt load. Paramount completed its roughly $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6, renaming the entity Skydance. Co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz are integrating two major film studios, the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming platforms, a portfolio of television networks (including CBS, CNN, and others), and supporting corporate functions.⁠

Spotify And Disney Deals Could Reshape Podcasting

Podcast rights are increasingly mirroring television broadcasting, as shown by major deals that treat audio and video shows as licensable intellectual property rather than one-time content drops.

Spotify’s estimated $250 million renewal with Joe Rogan and PAVE Studios’ licensing of two true-crime video podcasts to Disney+ and Hulu illustrate the shift. Under this rights-based approach, creators and rights holders can continue generating revenue long after a show’s initial release by licensing episodes or series across multiple platforms and developing adaptations such as documentaries, scripted series, or other formats.

If podcasting more fully adopts a broadcast-style model, several industry changes are likely. 

R.I.P.: Matt Hanlon, Veteran Radio Executive

Matt Hanlon

Veteran radio executive Matt Hanlon, former Midwest Division President at Citadel Broadcasting, died Tuesday, October 20, after suffering a heart attack. He was known for overseeing large station clusters and for helping expand a local sports talk program into a statewide radio network.

Hanlon spent decades in radio management, sales and operations. At Citadel, he directed 85 stations across 14 markets and approximately 1,500 employees. During that tenure he played a key role in developing Michigan’s statewide sports radio network by recognizing the potential to grow Bill Simonson’s local show, “The Huge Show,” into a broader offering that became a prominent sports brand and generated new revenue.

In November 2016, Hanlon was named Vice President and Market Manager for Entercom’s newly acquired Charlotte cluster, which included WFNZ-AM (The Fan), WLNK-FM (The Link) and WBT-AM/FM. He later held leadership positions with Townsquare Media and Saga Communications, most recently serving as Director of Sales for Saga in Des Moines, Iowa. Earlier in his career he spent a decade with Katz Media Group and held sales leadership roles with AM/FM.

Hooray For Friday! The Pulse Has Your Briefing for Oct 23

Radio Broadcasting

Podcasting Evolving: Podcast rights are increasingly mirroring television broadcasting, as shown by major deals that treat audio and video shows as licensable intellectual property rather than one-time content drops. MORE

Radio Drives Digital Engagement: A summer 2026 radio advertising campaign generated more than 16,000 radio-attributed website sessions and hundreds of modeled purchases, according to a new Katz Radio Group insights report that quantifies radio’s ability to drive measurable online consumer activity. MORE

RIP: Veteran radio executive Matt Hanlon, former Midwest Division President at Citadel Broadcasting, died Tuesday, October 20, after suffering a heart attack. MORE

Media Industry

CBS Goes With JJ: CBS Sports announcer JJ Watt has been named lead analyst for the NFL ON CBS in a new multi-year agreement. The announcement was made Thursday by David Berson, Chairman, Global Sports Group, Skydance. MORE

YouTube Share Spikes: Television viewing cooled in August after a two-month World Cup-driven surge, according to Nielsen’s August 2026 Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge reports. MORE

Musk Backs Sykdance: Elon Musk has invested roughly $1 billion in Skydance, the media company formed after Paramount’s acquisition of WBD. ⁠MORE

Time To Get Serious About MLB

The 2026 World Series opens tonight as the Milwaukee Brewers host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 (FOX, 8 p.m. ET), guaranteeing a first-time champion and marking the first Fall Classic between two teams in the bottom half of MLB payrolls since 1991.⁠

Neither franchise has ever won a World Series title. Milwaukee, seeking its first championship since its only previous appearance in 1982, and Tampa Bay, appearing for the third time after losses in 2008 and 2020, will face off in a best-of-seven series that begins at American Family Field. The matchup pits two of the league’s most efficient, small-market clubs against each other after both entered the postseason as top seeds.⁠

Out of 30 teams, the Brewers ranked 19th in player salaries and the Rays ranked 28th. Their combined payrolls were less than the individual rosters of the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Yankees, underscoring the gap between big-market spending and the success of these lower-payroll squads. The series highlights a rare postseason outcome in which on-field performance and roster construction overcame the usual advantages of higher payrolls.

Trump Ordered to Sit For BBC Deposition

A federal judge on Thursday ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC, which has accused the president of stalling to avoid answering questions under oath.

Reuters reports U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued the order from the bench at a hearing in Florida federal court, according to a spokesman for Trump’s personal legal team. Trump had canceled an earlier deposition scheduled for October, citing conflicts with his presidential duties and security needs.

SAS Confronts The View About His Trump Dinner

Stephen A. Smith confronted The View on Wednesday, defending his White House dinner with Trump. When Sunny Hostin questioned meeting a president she called “disgusting and abhorrent,” Smith fired back: “He’s the president of the United States, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to try.” He pushed HBCU funding, Black women’s unemployment, and college sports issues. Trump later followed up. Smith: “I’m not apologizing to anybody.”

NAB Says 6700 Attended New York Show

NAB Show New York 2026 wrapped up Thursday at the Javits Center, drawing roughly 6,700 attendees over two days for sessions and demos centered on artificial intelligence, streaming, live sports, and other emerging media technologies.

Preliminary figures from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show the event drew more than 9,000 registrants. Fifty-seven percent of those who attended were first-time participants, and representatives from 72 countries took part.

Radio History: Oct 23

➦In 1904...David Ford Bond born (Died at age 57 – August 15, 1962). He was the announcer for several popular radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s, earning him a spot on the This Is Your Life television show.  For his work on radio, Bond has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6706 Hollywood Blvd.

Bond began working on radio at WHAS in Louisville, Kentucky, and joined NBC in 1928. For 20 years in the 1930s and 1940s, he was the announcer for several radio soap operas and other shows, including the advertising voice for a sponsor's product called Bab-O. He was also a sports announcer for NBC radio in the 1930s, calling college football games as well as the 1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and 1934 World Series.

For almost 30 years, Bond was the spokesman for Cities Service petroleum company, "the longest sponsor-announcer association in the history of radio".

➦In 1928…RCA announced the creation of the Radio-Keith-Orpheum holding company, more commonly known as RKO, with David Sarnoff (general manager of RCA) as its chairman of the board.

➦In 1932...the "Fred Allen Show" premiered on radio.  Allen's radio show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of American radio.

TV Ratings: FNC Continues to Post Week-to-Week Growth

• Fifth Episode of CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ Down 14% in Total Viewers and 12% in the 25-54 Demo Year-over-Year

FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of October 12th with over 2 million weekday primetime viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC nabbed over 1.7 million viewers, delivering an eight percent week-to-week growth in total viewers. 

In Monday – Sunday total day, FNC notched 1.1 million viewers, posting a three percent week-to-week growth in total viewers. Markedly, the network also saw growth in the 25-54 demo in both Monday-Sunday primetime (eight percent) and total day (four percent). Notably, on October 18th, the fifth episode of CBS’ 60 Minutes continued to mark year-over-year declines, posting a 14 percent loss in total viewers and a 12 percent loss in the 25-54 demo.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

The Five dominated cable news with total viewers, securing nearly 2.8 million viewers. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier garnered nearly 2.1 million viewers and at 7 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle claimed almost 2 million viewers. During the 8 PM/ET hour, Jesse Watters Primetime drew nearly 2.4 million viewers while Hannity saw almost 1.9 million viewers in the 9 PM/ET hour.

TV Ratings ABC's WNT Wins Total Viewers and Prime Demos

“World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.356 million), Adults 25-54 (1.133 million) and Adults 18-49 (843,000) during the week of Oct. 12, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (6.642 million, 1.018 million and 755,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+26%/+1.714 million), Adults 25-54 (+11%/+115,000) and Adults 18-49 (+12%/+88,000).

NYC Radio: Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex Gets Into Fight at Knicks Game

Funkmaster Flex and former Hot 97 colleague TT Torrez (and her husband, music executive Shadow Stokes) have given sharply conflicting accounts of a physical altercation that took place inside the Delta Lounge at Madison Square Garden on the night of October 20, 2026.⁠

The incident occurred prior to the New York Knicks’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers—a night that also featured the raising of the Knicks’ 2025-26 NBA championship banner. Video of the scuffle quickly circulated on social media.⁠

Atlanta Radio: Abby Jessen Named Brand Manager At CMG's B98.5

Cox Media Group Atlanta has named Abby Jessen director of branding and programming for adult contemporary B98.5 (WSB-FM), effective immediately.

Jessen will lead the station’s programming, brand strategy, and audience growth while continuing her midday airshift. She’ll also keep hosting middays on three other CMG stations: Easy 102.9 in Jacksonville, 106.1 WNGC in Athens, and Hits 105.3 in San Antonio.

Spotify Hits 306M Premium Subscribers

Spotify exceeded subscriber expectations in the third quarter, posting double-digit gains in revenue and operating income that helped offset roughly €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in operating expenses.

Total revenue climbed 14% in constant currency to €4.97 billion ($5.63 billion) for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The company added 6 million net new premium subscribers—1 million above guidance—bringing the total to 306 million. Premium revenue rose 15% year over year to €4.5 billion ($5.08 billion).

Monthly active users increased 11% to 788 million, in line with guidance, as Spotify’s multi-quarter rebuild of its advertising technology began to show results. Ad-supported revenue grew 9% in constant currency to €482 million ($546 million).

“This was a quarter where we did what we said,” co-CEO Alex Norström said in a statement. “We’ve built a strong business that keeps compounding, we invest when we see a path for growth [and] our costs are moderating. We also have the most passionate and engaged music, podcast and book fans in the world on our platform. That’s why we continue to grow and take share.”

Operating income rose 12% in constant currency to €672 million ($761 million). Gross margin expanded 136 basis points to 33%, driven by improvements in both segments: premium gross margin reached 34.5% (up 130 bps) and ad-supported gross margin hit 18.7% (up 105 bps).

Operating margin came in at 13.5%, slightly below 13.7% a year earlier and 13.6% in the prior quarter. As a streaming service, Spotify spends well over half of every revenue dollar on content costs; in 2025 it paid more than $11 billion to the music industry. Operating margin reflects the operational leverage management can generate elsewhere in the business.

Operating expenses rose about 26% year over year to €967 million ($1.1 billion), or 19% in constant currency after excluding payroll taxes tied to employee share-based compensation (social charges). Social charges totaled €22 million ($24.9 million), €13 million ($14.7 million) above expectations. The company attributed the remaining increase primarily to temporarily elevated marketing and cloud/AI spending. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue stood at 19%; while the figure ticked up slightly in the quarter, the metric has trended downward since late 2023.

For the fourth quarter, Spotify guided for 30 million net new MAUs (to 818 million) and 10 million net new premium subscribers (to 316 million). It expects revenue of €5.2 billion, operating income of €820 million ($929 million), and a gross margin of 33.8%.

Peacock Delivers 2nd Consecutive Quarterly Profit

NBCUniversal’s Peacock posted a $261 million profit and $1.8 billion in revenue in the third quarter, marking its second consecutive profitable period, as parent Comcast’s overall results were dragged lower by declines in broadband and video.

Peacock’s profit compared with a $217 million loss a year earlier, while revenue rose from $1.4 billion. The streamer held steady at 48 million subscribers.

Comcast’s adjusted profit fell 7.3% to $3.8 billion, or $1.07 per share, and revenue declined 6.1% to $29.3 billion. The drops were driven by continued weakness in its broadband and video businesses, partially offset by the World Cup and strong theatrical performances from Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters,” and a carryover benefit from “Obsession.”

Comcast’s content and experiences segment, which includes NBCUniversal, Sky, and Universal theme parks, grew revenue 6.5% to $10.54 billion, with profits rising 29.3% to $1.8 billion. By contrast, the connectivity and platforms business saw revenue fall 2.6% to $19.7 billion and profits decline 4.4% to $7.6 billion as it lost 144,000 residential broadband customers and 274,000 video customers.

The World Cup lifted media revenue 13% to $5.4 billion, with profits of $769 million compared with $247 million a year earlier, fueled by a 14.6% increase in advertising revenue and a 22.4% rise in distribution revenue.

The studios business reported an 18.6% increase in profits to $402 million, even as revenue slipped 1.1% to $2.97 billion. Theatrical revenue surged 76.6% on the strength of “The Odyssey” and “Minions & Monsters,” helping Universal cross $5 billion at the domestic box office during the quarter. Those gains were partly offset by a 23.7% drop in content licensing revenue tied to the timing of available TV content.

Theme parks profits fell 17% to $780 million and revenue declined 4.4% to $2.6 billion, reflecting lower admissions and higher operating costs at domestic parks. Executives said they remain confident in the business’s long-term growth potential despite “near-term cyclical headwinds.”