It goes without saying that Audacy has been the leader in sports radio programming for several decades. The company owns and operates some of the industry’s biggest brands from coast to coast. Over the past 18 months, however, its business strategy has evolved. Rather than relying solely on the strength of its local stations, Audacy has increasingly focused on expanding distribution, turning those brands into properties designed to reach listeners wherever they consume audio.
While many can debate when that shift began, let’s say, for the sake of discussion, it started in June 2025. That’s when Audacy announced a partnership with its biggest competitor, iHeartMedia, making more than 200 of its radio brands available on the iHeartRadio app, the country’s largest streaming audio platform. That move was followed by the addition of full-FM signals for several legacy sports stations in Chicago, Buffalo and Los Angeles, with Houston set to join the list in the coming weeks.
Those moves generated excitement both inside Audacy and among those who closely follow the sports radio industry. The company’s latest investment in its sports portfolio has once again captured the industry’s attention. Beginning in September, 23 of Audacy’s sports radio brands will become available on SiriusXM, giving some of the company’s biggest local stations a national platform beyond traditional terrestrial radio and streaming.
“[Partnerships] are definitely part of our strategy. There will be more partnerships. We have a great team out there with great relationships. There’s lots we can do with other parties and great brands that people want to be associated with,” said Audacy CEO Kelli Turner at the Barrett Media Summit last month.
A Step In The Right Direction
Following the SiriusXM announcement last week, many Audacy sports radio personalities quickly celebrated the news across social media. For many, the partnership represented another sign that the company continues to invest in sports radio and believes the format remains a valuable business.
“I’m a fan of how Audacy has been aggressive in promoting their shows. In the end, we will all benefit from more ears listening and more name recognition,” says WEEI host Rich Shertenlieb.
Others shared the news almost immediately on social media, from 97.1 The Ticket host Marc Ryan to WFAN producer Rami Lavi. Audacy Senior Vice President of Programming Mike Thomas even reposted a recording of a local newscast announcing the partnership.
“On the surface, all the stuff the company is doing is exciting. It’s really cool to be on SiriusXM,” said one Audacy talent in a major market. “It’s a positive to merge with SiriusXM. It is interesting that all these competitors in the arena are now joining forces. That never would happened ten years ago.”
By placing some of its premier sports stations on SiriusXM, Audacy has taken another step in the industry’s evolving approach to distribution. The move reflects a broader reality facing radio companies as audience habits continue to shift. Reaching listeners is no longer about owning a single frequency or app. It’s about making content available wherever consumers choose to spend their time.
Navigating A Changing Model
However, not everyone inside the company views the partnership through the same lens.
For some, the excitement surrounding expanded distribution is accompanied by some uncertainty. The concern isn’t about Audacy’s willingness to evolve. Instead, it’s whether placing only a portion of its sports stations on SiriusXM unintentionally creates competition among teammates rather than reinforcing the company’s traditional focus on winning in local markets.
“It used to feel like the only mission was to maximize the audience for our [station]. Now, interests and habits are splintering so much, that it’s now about getting in bed with all your enemies so you can still reach the maximum audience possible,” said an Audacy talent. “What’s being lost is the team you play for… We’ve gone from competing against everyone else to competing against ourselves.”
Questions remain about how Audacy selected the stations that will join SiriusXM. In total, 42 Audacy brands hit the the satellite radio platform, including 23 sports stations. Those chosen for the partnership have embraced the opportunity.
“I welcome any opportunity to grow our show’s brand,” said Shertenlieb. “With Eric Spitz and Scott Greenstein and their track record at SiriusXM supporting killer sports talk, I know we’re in great hands. Plus, now I can say I’m on the same platform as Hair Nation.”
Another unanswered question is whether SiriusXM will measure listening to the newly added stations. If so, it’s unknown if whether that data will make its way to Audacy. From a talent perspective, many of those I spoke with understand that revenue growth ultimately determines the company’s long-term success. They also hope the partnership creates new revenue opportunities with high levels of listening that extend beyond their local markets.
More broadly, the agreement illustrates how quickly exclusivity is disappearing in the audio business for some. Local brands are no longer confined to the markets they serve. Instead, they’re increasingly being positioned to compete for attention wherever listeners are willing to engage.
“As a host, I’m excited to be on SiriusXM,” said an Audacy talent. “Local stations are now becoming national brands. Some of the intimacy that local brands have is now gone. It isn’t what it used to be. But that’s the evolution of the industry and how people consume us.”
Continue Taking Risks
In the months ahead, more details about the Audacy-SiriusXM partnership will emerge. Those details—and the processes behind them—will help shape how both employees and competitors evaluate the partnership’s long-term success.
Audacy Chief Business Officer Chris Olivero addressed the importance of embracing change while accepting the Jeff Smulyan Award at the Barrett Media Audio Summit last month. His message reflected a philosophy that appears increasingly evident in the company’s business decisions.
“If you’re going to take risks, you’re going to have to be comfortable with failure. You’re going to be criticized, and you’re going to be comfortable with naysayers,” said Olivero last month. “With risk, sometimes you fail but it leads to the success.”
During the past 18 months, Audacy has not shied away from taking risks or pursuing partnerships that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago. Inside the company, many talent believe the SiriusXM agreement represents another step in that evolution rather than a departure from the company’s identity.
“Audacy’s sports brands are deeply connected to the cities, teams and fan communities they serve, and being able to extend our reach nationally through SiriusXM is a natural fit,” said Turner in the company’s announcement last week.
Whether the partnership becomes a significant revenue driver or simply another distribution channel is unknown. Those answers will come with time, data and whatever additional partnerships Audacy pursues next.
What isn’t up for debate is the company’s direction.
Audacy is no longer treating its local sports stations as products designed to live exclusively on one frequency or one app. They’re becoming brands built to reach fans wherever they choose to listen. That requires a different mindset from executives, programmers, talent, advertisers and even listeners.
The strategy won’t satisfy everyone. Some will miss the days when local stations competed exclusively for hometown listeners and fiercely protected every audience advantage they could create. But in an industry where attention continues to fragment across countless platforms, expanding distribution may be less about abandoning local radio than ensuring it remains relevant.
If the past 18 months are any indication, Audacy has already made its choice.
Rather than protecting the old playbook, the company is betting that the future belongs to the brands willing to be everywhere.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.