iHeartMedia, already the largest podcast publisher in the U.S. by audience reach, is betting that the platform’s fans can expand its digital dominance into live, appointment-based listening across its terrestrial broadcast properties with a new true crime radio program set to premiere next month.
The show, True Crime Tonight, will debut June 1 and air Sunday through Thursday at 10 p.m. local time on more than 20 iHeartMedia stations. Each two-hour episode will also be released as an on-demand podcast the following day.
The format is the latest development in iHeart’s “Podcast, Meet Broadcast” strategy, which aims to leverage the company’s dominant podcast portfolio across its linear radio footprint. The initiative includes existing crossover projects such as the Sunday Night Podcast Series, featuring titles like Stuff You Should Know, Ridiculous Crime, and McCartney: A Life in Lyrics.
Podcasting has increasingly found traction within traditional radio in recent years. The UK-based Podcast Radio format was introduced to the U.S. in 2023 and has since been picked up by broadcasters including Beasley Media Group and Alpha Media.
True Crime Tonight will be hosted by KT Studios Founder and CEO Stephanie Lydecker, producer Courtney McKenna Armstrong, and crime analyst Baudi Moovan. The program will feature live audience call-ins, real-time commentary, and expert analysis—a format iHeartMedia executives say fills a gap between podcasting’s popularity and radio’s immediacy.
“We’re always exploring new formats for broadcast radio, and we’re thrilled to introduce True Crime Tonight,” said iHeartMedia Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman. “Stephanie Lydecker and KT Studios are leaders in true crime podcasting, and when Stephanie and I discussed creating a radio format, she was immediately on board. The show will feature live caller interactions and real-time updates, ensuring it remains incredibly engaging and up to date.”
“The idea of connecting live with audiences who are as passionate about the genre as we are is beyond exciting,” said Lydecker. “Tom Poleman is a true visionary. I am proud to bring this show to life and continue to expand our partnership with the exceptional iHeart team.”
Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s Digital Audio Group, framed the new format as a bridge between two dominant but distinct media types. “Even as podcasting has exploded as the newest mass-ready medium in the United States, true crime has persisted as one of its most popular genres – and we wanted to bring that kind of storytelling to the world in a new way, with more interactivity and bigger audiences,” Byrne said. “There are a few mediums that drive more conversation than podcasts, but one big challenge with the medium is that podcasts are not themselves interactive. Broadcast radio—what we sometimes think of as the original social media—can add exactly this element, engaging people in the live conversation with a real-time, interactive component, taking the story to a new level.”
