Radio News

Local digital advertising is still growing, but operators relying on prior-year baselines to set targets may already be falling behind. That was the central takeaway from Borrell Associates' annual benchmarking webinar, as executives from Townsquare Media, Bonneville International, and Newsday walked through their strategies for success.

Coming this summer to TelevisaUnivision: La Radio del Mundial, as the Spanish-language radio operator partners with Fútbol de Primera to carry live, play-by-play FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage across nine of its flagship AM/FM stations in New York, Houston, Dallas, and Chicago, running June 11 through July 19.

A professional tackle football circuit played on sand, founded by former NFL linebacker and two-time Super Bowl champion Tully Banta-Cain, has signed iHeartRadio as its Official Audio and Radio Partner, with events already underway in California and destination stops planned across the country through 2027.

The Radio Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 runs the gamut from the executive at the helm of America's largest radio company to a Chicagoland radio legend, with the Museum of Broadcast Communications announcing eight inductees today.

In the midst of turmoil in Iran dominating his agenda, President Donald Trump admitted that the fight to keep AM radio in vehicles had slipped off his radar — but recommitted to acting on the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act during an interview last week.

Political advertisers heading into the 2026 election cycle have a new avenue into premium audio inventory, as Global Media's DAX US has struck an exclusive integration with Basis, the cross-channel media orchestration platform.

For the second time in three years, NPR is going back to the well — this time offering voluntary buyouts, with the prospect of layoffs to follow, as President and CEO Katherine Maher works to close an $8 million budget gap created by the loss of federal public media subsidies.

The domestic launch of a 24/7 news-focused audio service — in 2026 — is newsworthy for the action alone. Given the people involved, brought on by supermarket magnate turned AM radio licensee John Catsimatidis, what's to come at week's end marks another exciting chapter for the man who resuscitated one of the world's most recognizable radio stations.

The key finding in Sound Check Europe 2026, a recently released report conducted by Bauer Media Audio and partner Elevate Consultancy? Audio is a core part of their media strategy, and it has largely to do with consumer trust. That said, programming is also key — at least for the company behind Radio Frankfurt.

As 2026 began, word surfaced that the station, WGR, would no longer serve as the team's radio flagship. As Audacy planned for the future minus the Buffalo Bills, a new audio broadcast home was sought. Now, a deal is in place. 

It had been the home of “The Fanatic,” offering a Sports Talk format under owner CRC Broadcasting. Today, the facility is silent and now en route to a new owner: Ken Brentlinger. It's a deal that involves the seller's bankruptcy, and a buyer whose LPFM Broadcasting acquired a trio of Arizona FM translators in 2019.

What does radio need to do right now to best position itself for 2030? The closing session at the Hispanic Radio Conference isn’t framing that as a hypothetical. The urgency is real, and the answers will require innovation and collaboration in equal measure.

“The best time to make changes is when you are doing well,” says Joel Oxley. “And because I’m flipping 65, I’ve decided it’s time for me to hang up my cleats and retire and move on to the next thing, next chapter of my life.” Thus, he's set to conclude a 28-year run with WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C.

The forthcoming global national radio news service from the owner of WABC Radio has revealed when it will debut. And, its timing is designed to coincide with the conclusion of the CBS News Radio service.

The FIFA World Cup returns to America this summer for the first time since 1994, and FOX Sports and iHeartMedia have aligned for English-language audio coverage of all 2026 matches, kicking off with the opening match on June 11 through the final on July 19.