Cumulus Media has revealed its first-quarter financial results, and the company noted a loss of revenue in the first three months of 2025.
The company posted total revenue of $187.3 million during the quarter. That figure represents a 6.4% decline compared to the first quarter of 2024.
Net losses for Cumulus mounted during the window, as it finished the quarter with a loss of $32.4 million. In the same quarter last year, Cumulus lost $14.2 million.
The company did see an uptick in digital revenue, in spite of its relationship with conservative powerhouse The Daily Wire ending. Digital revenue accounted for $36.6 million for the quarter. That’s an uptick of 6.1% year-over-year. When excluding the impact of the loss of The Daily Wire’s content, it is an increase of 20.4%.
Digital marketing revenue drove the growth, as that sector was up 30%. Podcasting, however, dropped 13% due to the end of partnership with The Daily Wire.
“For the first quarter, we delivered revenue in line with pacing guidance despite worsening economic headwinds reflecting, among other things, the imposition of tariffs that have depressed both consumer and advertiser sentiment,” said Cumulus Media President and CEO Mary Berner.
“However, with that backdrop, what remains constant is our relentless focus on actions to mitigate the impacts of the macro environment,” continued Berner. “For example, we accelerated growth in our digital marketing services business, which was up 30% for the quarter; leveraged our entire platform to capture demand opportunities; and drove additional annualized cost reductions of $7.5 million. Moving forward, we will continue to execute these strategies while simultaneously working to fundamentally transform the way we use and leverage our key assets.”
The company recorded an Adjusted EBITDA of $3.5 million. That figure was $8.4 million in the first quarter of 2024. Cumulus Media ended the quarter with $52.7 million in cash, and reported a total of debt of $670.2 million.
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