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Steve Jones Explains Why He Bought Skyview Networks

Garrett Searight
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Steve Jones Explains Why He Bought Skyview Networks

When Steve Jones looks at Skyview Networks, he doesn’t see a transaction. He sees a career-defining commitment to an industry he’s loved since he was a teenager interning at a radio station. Jones recently completed his acquisition of Skyview Networks. And his reasoning cuts straight to the heart of what he believes audio can still deliver. For advertisers, for talent, and for the business partners who depend on the company every day.

Jones didn’t arrive at this moment by accident. He joined Skyview seven years ago after a long career at Disney ABC, and the seeds of this acquisition grew from conversations he had with the company’s shareholders over time.

“I joined Skyview seven years ago after a long career at Disney ABC, and I joined the company because of its culture, its values, its technology, and what I saw as real opportunities for growth,” Jones said. “That continued through my tenure there, and in discussions with the shareholders of the company, I saw an opportunity to further lean in and create this acquisition. So I did this not as a transaction intended to flip the company. This is about me believing in both Skyview and the industry. And really wanting to create the greatest opportunity that I can for my employees and also my business partners.”

A Business Built on Four Pillars

Skyview isn’t simply a sales house anymore, and Jones was quick to make that point. The company has evolved into a multi-revenue operation, and understanding what drives the business is essential to understanding why Jones wanted to own it.

“The primary revenue generator for the company is in network audio sales,” said Jones. “That’s about a billion-dollar revenue marketplace inside a much larger broadcast ecosystem. That has continued to be a place where Skyview has excelled, but it’s not without pressures.”

Jones laid out the four pillars that define Skyview’s business today. The first involves relationships with radio ownership groups that provide inventory Skyview monetizes in the network space. The second covers services and publishers, including The Weather Channel and the Associated Press. Which offer imaging, production, and other content in exchange for barter inventory Skyview then sells. The third pillar centers on syndicated talent.

“We also have many influencers, including The Dana Cortez Show, Bob and Sheri, Tony Lorino, Erik Zachary, and B-Dub, among others. All independent talents who are completely committed to engaging with their audiences and providing real value at the local level,” the Skyview Networks President, CEO, and Chairman shared. “Even though they’re syndicated shows, they’re the differentiators for these radio stations. For the listeners who engage with these shows and talents, it all feels and sounds like it’s a local friend on the radio. And we’re operating at the intersection to create the revenue for this talent that allows them to do what they do.”

Sports rounds out the fourth pillar. Skyview provides play-by-play technology, distribution, production, and ad insertion for major national leagues and teams — often without the listener ever knowing Skyview is behind it.

Technology, AI, and the Path Forward

Jones didn’t just acquire Skyview to preserve what it already does well. He also sees a technology story unfolding that could reshape the company’s future — and he’s already acting on it.

At the NAB Show, Skyview introduced Cirocast, a cloud-based, IP-delivered audio distribution product the company spent years developing. The product earned NAB’s Product of the Year recognition. It also solves a real and looming problem: in July 2027, the FCC has mandated that C-band satellite spectrum will be auctioned off. Which threatens to reduce the bandwidth that satellite distributors rely on to move content.

“Cirocast is IP-delivered and cloud-based, so the audio can be delivered through the cloud,” the longtime radio executive stated. “It can operate in a virtual environment or a hardware environment. It’s agnostic to the different types of technologies that are out there, and it provides reliability and durability. As a broadcast company, Skyview understands the importance of making sure the audio gets to the radio station with low latency. And that commercials reach the right listener, right station, at the right time.”

Beyond Cirocast, Jones sees artificial intelligence as something far more significant than a productivity tool. He views it as an organizational transformation.

“At Skyview, we view AI less as tooling and more as transformation,” shared the new Skyview Networks owner. “We’ve engaged in a very directed and thoughtful approach to integrate AI technology into the fabric of the company so that it is present across everything we do. It’s intended to create optimized performance and more efficiency. As we gain efficiencies, that allows Skyview to take that excess capacity and reallocate it into new opportunities and initiatives.”

Jones also pushed back on the narrative that radio’s audience measurement challenges represent a fundamental weakness. He pointed to data presented at the NAB Show — including Xperi DTS findings showing more than 100 vehicles engaging with broadcast radio in markets that national measurement had logged at zero AQH — as proof that the industry has consistently undercounted its own reach.

“There is audience that we are not measuring that engages with us every day, hears our advertisers’ messages. And we don’t get credit for that,” Jones said. “Skyview has 100% reach in the United States. There’s no geographic portion we can’t reach. We have over half of all adults accessible to us through the radio station content and barter that we provide.”

For Jones, the acquisition ultimately reflects something personal — a lifelong relationship with a medium he’s never stopped believing in.

“I have incredible passion for this business,” the Skyview Networks President, CEO, and Chairman shared. “I love it. It’s a seven-day-a-week habit for me. Anyone who is committed to succeeding, puts in the time and effort, builds the right team, and has the kind of people that I have at Skyview — people who are equally committed to success every day — is going to find there are great opportunities in front of us.”

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Why Trysta Krick Is Betting Big on Women’s Sports With ‘The Daily W’

John Mamola
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Why Trysta Krick Is Betting Big on Women’s Sports With ‘The Daily W’

In a cluttered sports media content space, the ability to cut through becomes more difficult by the day. Every minute, creators attempt to find an audience that will attach itself and build community. Few in the world of women’s sports have built a digital community like Trysta Krick.

Her no-nonsense approach to discussing collegiate and professional women’s sports is unmatched by many. That’s why a growing list of her peers have come to respect the platform she’s built through her efforts.

“I’m not the same as everyone else. Which is a key reason why mainstream media, at least earlier in my career, hasn’t been that comfortable with platforming me,” says Krick. “Building the audience on my own has become the case study that there’s an ROI (return on investment) to be had. Me building that audience because what led those bigger brands to be attracted to me and therefore platforming me.”

Krick is a hybrid, blending a finance and business background with a love of the game. She grew up with dreams of playing in the WNBA one day, cheering for her favorite team, the Portland Fire. Krick’s love of music also played a key role in her upbringing, as she was writing and recording rap songs by the time she was just eight years old.

When she was 17, Krick received an offer from Sony Records due to her passion for weaving music with performance and wordplay. She attended the University of Oregon, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance in hopes that it would lead to her exit from poverty.

Carving Her Own Path

However, she sought something to fill her soul and found that conversations about sports could serve as that outlet.

“The reason I wasn’t drawn to talking sports to begin with was they tell you there’s no money in it. That’s a concern when you grow up poor like I did,” said Krick. “Also, there’s not a lot of opinionists that are women in this space outside of setting the table or asking questions. That’s never been who I am, so it was hard to find where I fit into this ecosystem.”

Instead of following the path of others, Krick decided to carve out her own lane.

Over the next decade, she found opportunities at both legacy and digital brands. She also continued to build her own platforms and define her persona.

“You have to reach the audience. Every place I worked, when I left it was trying to find a closer connection to the audience. In the beginning, the platforms are what got you close. Everywhere I went, I just found out that isn’t the case,” says Krick. “I learned how to find the people that resonate with what you already do naturally and authentically. That became the thing I leaned into.”

Establishing The Daily W

Leaning on her approach, experience, and business acumen, Krick co-founded The Daily W in March of last year. Alongside Emmy Award-winning producer Sarah Chovnick, the duo sought to create a destination for bold, fierce, and entertaining takes on women’s sports.

The project is Krick’s latest effort to continue building community while providing content to an underserved portion of the sports fandom.

“The community of The Daily W is the strongest of any that I’ve ever built,” said Krick. “I’ve networked well with so many other creators and their audiences over time and learned a lot from them. That’s why we built The Daily W from scratch. Trying to find fans of women’s sports who are underserved… The big businesses talking about women’s sports are curating versus creating for the fans.”

The process of growth is always educational for Krick. She continues to gain lessons and business insight while serving her audience with the content they desire. With growth in mind, she navigates opportunities to collaborate with other creators in the basketball space, hoping to bring audiences from other platforms to The Daily W.

The work does come with its pitfalls, especially when balancing the role of talent with managing a brand.

“I tell everyone that I’m working with that I’m probably not one hundred percent me all the time,” reveals Krick. “Being a talent can be very lonely and vapid. Very self-centered. I struggle with that; it’s just the nature of the business. It’s very competitive and prays on the worst parts of our personality… But building something for the good of women and society, and will eventually be a key part of history. That will be the most gratifying thing that I could ever ask for.”

Krick says she considers herself a better champion for the cause than for herself at times. Her passion lies in the continued growth of The Daily W, as she believes the journey is just getting underway.

Women’s Sports Gold Rush

This comes at a time when women’s sports are becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in all of sports.

“You cannot invest in women’s sports and get the ROI you’re looking for, especially in terms of attendance and viewership, if you don’t invest in women’s sports coverage. That piece is the next piece that’s missing in my opinion,” said Krick.

What Krick hopes The Daily W continues to provide is an outlet for storytelling across digital and social media, meeting an underserved audience where they are. Her goal, particularly with her growing social platforms, is to stop the scroll and swipe left and right by providing access, angles, and opinions that networks and other platforms have yet to invest in.

“Right now, it’s a gold rush. People haven’t strategically deployed how to get the best use of that money,” explained Krick. “We [The Daily W] will smoke every other competitor in this space. We are all working for free for an entire year and gaining more people who want to be a part of this mission. We’re building it off an approach of comedy, integrity, and an edge. It’s Barstool Sports without the toxicity plus great storytelling.”

Krick hopes the continued growth of The Daily W will establish it as a destination, even as networks attempt to serve an audience they have yet to fully capture. She has long believed decision-makers at major outlets often rely on traditional methods instead of taking risks. While that perspective carries weight, Krick is not waiting for executives to evolve their approach to investing in women’s sports.

Instead, she believes platforms like hers are inspiring more women to build their own audiences. It’s a movement centered on sharing compelling content on their own terms rather than relying on networks to provide opportunities.

“How we see analysis and opinion, the bar for that has been really high for women,” explained Krick. “Networks are just catching up and still struggling with it. That’s why they’re hiring internet-first personalities instead of talent who can speak on a long-form and short-form basis, yet have that proven audience as well.”

A year in, Trysta Krick is no longer chasing validation from traditional gatekeepers—she’s building something that may eventually make them irrelevant. In an industry still figuring out how to properly value and present women’s sports, Krick has already placed her bet: authenticity over access, community over scale, and creation over curation.

If the first year of The Daily W was about proving the concept, year two is about proving the ceiling doesn’t exist. If her track record is any indication, she won’t just meet the moment—she’ll redefine it.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Why Stephen Colbert’s CBS Exit Ends the Late-Night TV Political Satire Era

Lauren Ashburn
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Why Stephen Colbert’s CBS Exit Ends the Late-Night TV Political Satire Era

Stephen Colbert is signing off from his CBS late-night show tomorrow — you might have heard something about this by now — and he’s taking shots at the network for ending the 33-year franchise. He’s also broadcast plenty of hijinks from fellow comedians, especially the show’s founder, David Letterman.

Possibly the best bit was watching Letterman and Colbert throw office furniture, including Colbert’s desk chair, from high atop the company’s roof onto a CBS eye logo which, when hit, spewed out colorful balls. Watermelons took the plunge next, as did a tiered cake sent to the show.

In the last two weeks of his swan song, Colbert has interviewed celebrities and politicians and has expressed gratitude for his 11-year run, despite being given the ax shortly after Paramount took over the network. Paramount’s explanation: the No. 1 late-night program was losing $40 million a year and the production wasn’t sustainable.

The Politics Behind the Cancellation

Critics and fans balked, saying the real reason Paramount’s owners — Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his son David — shut it down is because they’re friendly with President Trump, who was, most nights, skewered on the show. The timing of the cancellation seems too close to the takeover, making the financial explanation for its shuttering not entirely plausible. CBS has remained mum about the end of a storied, award-winning show.

Colbert’s forced retirement marks the significant decline of the late-night TV political satire era. Other comedic rivals include Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers, all of whom are aligned with an anti-Trump philosophy. Both The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live! — which air at the same time as Colbert — will broadcast reruns tomorrow to support their colleague.

Kimmel came close to being fired by ABC, also for criticizing conservatives. The network gave him an indefinite suspension. But the overwhelming negative public reaction forced Disney to bring him back after six days. It extended his contract until May 2027.

Colbert began his rise to fame on Comedy Central with the satirical Colbert Report — pronounced “Ra-pore,” s’il vous plaît. He took on the persona of a fictional conservative pundit with the same name, whom he called “a well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot.” His main target was Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly.

After a slow start, the 10-time Emmy winner found success on The Late Show by dropping the act and going full-on political. He used his platform to attack those he disagreed with most. Mainly Trump.

The CBS Settlement and Colbert’s Exit

Here’s the rub: Colbert says CBS wanted him to sign another contract before he accused the network of accepting “a big fat bribe.”

He was describing CBS’s decision to pay Trump $16 million to settle its rather weak lawsuit over a deceptively edited 60 Minutes segment. As Colbert framed it, the administration then approved the Paramount takeover, which had been hanging in the air. Detractors saw a quid pro quo.

Then, without consulting Colbert or discussing possible budget cuts, the veteran comic was unceremoniously let go. In his place will be comedian Byron Allen’s syndicated comedy show, Comics Unleashed — and Allen vows no politics.

In addition to the partisan attacks, Colbert — like all late-night hosts — is losing his audience. TV industry metrics for viewership have diminished significantly. Distribution is now all about short clips, streaming, and YouTube views.

The New York Times publishes a popular morning newsletter featuring the best moments from the previous night’s shows. That’s exactly how I keep up with things.

When I grew up watching Letterman and Jay Leno, I watched the full show, depending on how late I could stay up. In the digital age, I used to record the shows and watch the monologue. And sometimes the show in its entirety. Now I usually just watch the clips for a fraction of the time.

Bill Carter, a 25-year Times TV and media critic, spoke out in a guest op-ed. “The biggest loss is to core American values, such as the right to speak freely, even in brutally mocking terms, about those in power.”

While his free speech argument is valid, the problem with the execution is that Colbert and other comedians are strictly liberal partisans. They attack Republicans relentlessly and make their disdain for the MAGA movement blatantly clear. Colbert has denied that he only targets Republicans.

Late Night’s Fractured Future

SiriusXM’s conservative host Megyn Kelly has been calling out Colbert for slamming CBS. “I’m humiliated for him that he stayed on the air all this time.”

Glenn Greenwald, a Pulitzer Prize winner and mainstream media critic, says Colbert’s show had “completely turned themselves into basically like a celebrity guest version of whatever is on MSNBC.”

This doesn’t mean the jokes aren’t sometimes on point and even funny. But they have alienated half of the population. When Barack Obama appeared last week, Colbert asked him what he thought of the host running for president. “The bar has changed,” Obama said, grinning. “Let me put it this way. I think you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen. I have great confidence in that.”

Gone are the days of Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and Leno. When the variety-show appeal of late-night brought in well over 10 million viewers per show. And the franchises made hundreds of millions of dollars. If Colbert could have done that in this fractured media atmosphere, we wouldn’t be watching the final show, no matter what he said.

Instead, we got this: the long-bearded Letterman, on Colbert’s show after throwing furniture off the roof, delivered a closing line. “To the folks at CBS, in the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, motherf—ers.”

It was a daring, if vulgar, farewell from the man who once ruled the studio. And an admission that his old stomping grounds, and perhaps late night itself, will be carved up and sold for scrap.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Netflix Delivers Global Average Audience of 12.4 Million for Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano Mma Return

John Mamola
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Netflix Delivers Global Average Audience of 12.4 Million for Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano Mma Return

Netflix and MVP deliver an impressive night of MMA at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Ronda Rousey made a stunning statement Saturday. She submitted Gina Carano in just 17 seconds. Viewership figures show the event was viewed by a wide audience worldwide.

What We Know: The triple-main event at Intuit Dome drew 12.4 million global Live+1 viewers, per VideoAmp, G&G Closed Circuit Events, and Netflix. Viewership peaked at nearly 17 million during the Rousey-Carano fight. In the US alone, the card averaged 9.3 million viewers. For context, Netflix’s NFL Christmas Day doubleheader in 2025 pulled in an average of over 20 million viewers— though combat sports have consistently delivered strong numbers for the streamer, too.

What The Numbers Show (Per Netflix Releases)

EventMetric
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson (Main Event Only)Estimated AMA of 108 million live viewers globally
Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano (Combined Final Three Fights)Estimated AMA of 12.4 million Live+1 viewers globally
Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua (Main Event Only)Estimated AMA of 33 million Live+1 viewers globally
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano (Main Event Only)Estimated AMA of nearly 6 million (Live+1) global viewers
EventMetric (Per Netflix)
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson#1 event in 78 countries and Top 10 in 91 countries during the week of November 11–17, 2024
Ronda Rousey vs Gina CaranoN/A
Jake Paul vs Anthony JoshuaReached Netflix Top 10 in 91 countries and ranked #1 in 45 countries
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano#1 on Netflix in the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand; Top 10 in 43 countries

What Remains Unclear: Netflix has not committed to any further MMA events streamed on it’s platform. Whether or not the viewership figures were enough to sway the network into another attempt remains to be seen. While not a direct head-to-head comparison, the viewership figures for Rousey/Carano main event tripled what the other all-female main event brought in boxing.

What It Means: This was Netflix and MVP’s fourth collaboration, following Paul vs. Tyson, Taylor vs. Serrano III, and Paul vs. Joshua. Saturday’s event generated 1 billion impressions across Netflix’s global social channels. Moreover, #RouseyCarano trended at No. 1 on X in the US all evening. Netflix’s live sports strategy is clearly accelerating — and combat sports remain a centerpiece. However, with the fight card stacked with well known names in the world of MMA another attempt will likely not include as much celebrity.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

WLS-AM 890 Names Michael Garay as Operations Manager

Garrett Searight
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WLS-AM 890 Names Michael Garay as Operations Manager

WLS-AM 890 has a new leader. Cumulus Media has named Michael Garay as the new Operations Manager of the station.

What We Know: Garay has worked at WLS-AM 890 as a Senior Technical Producer since 1996. He steps into the role vacated by Stephanie Tichenor’s exit. She departed last week after spending the past seven years as Program Director of the Cumulus Chicago news/talk station.

What They Said: “Michael knows WLS and its history more than anyone I know. His love for that station is unmatched. I can’t think of anyone more deserving to take the reins of the Midwest legend that is WLS!” -WLS-AM 890 morning host Ray Stevens

What Remains Unclear: What the role of “operations manager” will consist of for Michael Garay. Tichenor previously held the title of Program Director and Director of Social Media in the role.

What It Means: Garay won’t have an acclimation period to the station, staff, or market. His deep experience at WLS-AM 890 will absolutely be a benefit to the station. His familiarity will help steady the ship following Tichenor’s departure.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Mark Cuban: Sports Event Ratings On Streaming Platforms Are “Irrelevant”

John Mamola
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Mark Cuban: Sports Event Ratings On Streaming Platforms Are “Irrelevant”

Ratings are dead. At least, that’s what Mark Cuban says. The billionaire entrepreneur and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks made that case during a recent appearance on Front Office Sports Portfolio Players.

What We Know: According to Cuban, streaming platforms are aggressively buying into live sports — not for eyeballs, but for subscribers. Amazon Prime Video holds exclusive NFL Thursday Night Football rights and NBA games worth $1.8 billion annually. Netflix has secured Christmas Day NFL games and WWE programming. Meanwhile, Peacock owns key NFL playoff and MLB packages, and Apple TV+ holds exclusive MLS games. ESPN also has a massive arrangement with the NHL. Together, these deals touch all four major American sports leagues. For streamers, according to Cuban, live sports are a subscription engine — not a ratings play.

What They Said: Mark Cuban on ratings figures for sports on streaming platforms “It’s not about ratings anymore. Ratings are irrelevant. It’s now subscriptions and churn. Do you create new subscriptions? Because that’s the money. Yes, they sell ads, and yes, they want to sell more, but that’s not the primary source of revenue.”

Mark Cuban on the precarious position of linear television “Any league that makes their money from TV, whether streaming or linear, understands that linear TV is dying. It’s becoming completely dependent on sports. When you [linear TV] have 60-70% of your revenue coming from basically one industry, we would give you s**t on Shark Tank. So, that has to be a concern.”

Mark Cuban expands on why streaming platforms don’t pay attention to ratings “The idea of the ratings are up, the ratings are down. Meaningless numbers. That helps advertising sales on the margin, but it’s all about subscription revenue. That is what pays the bills. When Netflix reports their earnings, they talk about ad revenue, but how many subscribers do you have locally or globally? When you know NBC Peacock reports, how many subscribers do you have? Disney? How many subscribers do you have? They don’t look at the average ratings anymore at all.”

What Remains Unclear: However, whether streaming’s subscription model can sustain these enormous rights fees long-term remains uncertain. Cuban acknowledged that risk directly. The returns on billion-dollar sports deals must eventually materialize — otherwise, the entire structure wobbles. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether event-driven sports strategies, like Netflix’s Christmas Day approach, can meaningfully move subscriber needles beyond initial bursts of growth.

What It Means: Cuban isn’t wrong in his assessment of what matters most to streaming platforms. The goal is to drive more people to the streaming platform instead of how many people actually view it. That’s another reason why Netflix is making the investment it is in podcasting for example. Can content drive subscription over content driving viewership. It’s not one and the same. However it is interesting to see streaming platforms continue to release viewership data from large events. If it doesn’t truly matter, than why release it in the first place. Sports on every level should be cautious however of trusting in fees streaming platforms pay for their content. If the streamer doesn’t see subscription gains, then the league may be on the mend because of the failure of network TV.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

CBS News Launching ‘Affordability in America’ Series

Garrett Searight
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CBS News Launching ‘Affordability in America’ Series

CBS Evening News has introduced a new series. Affordability in America will highlight issues facing everyday Americans in a variety of ways.

What We Know: CBS News is launching the series after a new poll shows that 67% are stressed about finances. An additional 77% said they don’t believe wages are keeping up with inflation. In a statement to Barrett Media, CBS News shared why this is an important topic for the nightly newscast.

What They Said: “Americans across the country are feeling the impact of today’s economic uncertainty and soaring prices for just about everything needed in their daily lives. This new series will be reported from communities throughout America and spotlight how people are adapting and making difficult decisions to make ends meet. The CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil is in service to our viewers, and this series will help equip them with information to be able to navigate this challenging time.” -CBS Evening News Executive Producer Kim Harvey

What Remains Unclear: How long the series will last. The first installment of the series aired on Monday’s edition of the nightly newscast. That report highlighted a mother of three in Florida working on stretching her family’s budget.

What It Means: Prices on many items in the country continue to rise. Gas prices have been the focus for many, but the issues persist on many other products. It’s a wise move for CBS Evening News to focus on the issue. Nearly every American has been impacted by the increased costs.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Brendan Carr: Broadcasters Should Expect Tough Enforcement From FCC to Continue

Garrett Searight
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Brendan Carr: Broadcasters Should Expect Tough Enforcement From FCC to Continue

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr hasn’t been shy about his vision for the commission. He shared more on Tuesday about why he feels so strongly.

What We Know: The FCC has launched a review of the TV licenses for the Disney-owned and operated stations. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has repeatedly asserted that the company is in violation of anti-DEI policies and is also not meeting the public interest requirements. In an appearance on CNBC, Carr shared his insight into the matter.

What They Said: “If your culture is making sure that the laws on the books are enforced, I guess I’m a culture warrior. But broadcasters are different. There’s a public interest obligation. We have equal opportunity rules on the books. We have rules that prevent discrimination based on race and gender. And we have rules requiring that broadcasters actually identify the needs of their local community and serve it. And we’re an FCC that is going to enforce those requirements.” -Brendan Carr

What Remains Unclear: What steps, if any, Carr and the FCC are willing to take to enforce those public interest obligations when it comes to Disney’s stations. Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez has stated that she’ll support Disney in any investigation. She’s stated that the FCC doesn’t have any legal standing to take on the company.

What It Means: Brendan Carr has plenty of runway ahead of him as an FCC commissioner. His current term runs through June 2029. So, he has plenty of time to enact any changes or to feature a fundamental philosophical change from the commission.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Ben Shapiro Confirms Extent of Daily Wire Layoffs

Garrett Searight
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Ben Shapiro Confirms Extent of Daily Wire Layoffs

Ben Shapiro has shared details about the layoffs enacted at The Daily Wire. They are much less substantial than others had previously estimated.

What We Know: The Daily Wire underwent a round of layoffs earlier this month. Barrett Media was the first to confirm that the layoffs had been enacted. Candace Owens, a former Daily Wire employee, claimed that 50% of the staff had been cut. She later upped that estimate to 60%. However, the company denied those reports in its statement to Barrett Media. Now, co-founder Ben Shapiro has shared precise numbers.

What They Said: “The Daily Wire laid off some 13% of our workforce since the beginning of the year. And that really sucked. It was truly sad because all those people are great. And anytime, you know, we’re in business. Anytime you lay people off as a business, that really sucks. It’s tough. It’s bad for them. And it’s bad for us. And I’m personally working to find other places of employment for as many of these people as I possibly can because everybody who we let go deserves a job somewhere else. They’re great folks.” -Ben Shapiro

What Remains Unclear: How accurate that number is. Shapiro doesn’t have a real incentive to lie about the figure. He also, however, doesn’t have much incentive to tell the truth, either.

What It Means: Ben Shapiro is fighting back after being the subject of much criticism since the layoffs were enacted earlier this month. The company has been the subject of several high-profile articles calling into question its future and viability as a conservative media outlet.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

Podcast Advertising Rises 28% During 2026’s First Quarter, Magellan AI Data Shows

Garrett Searight
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Podcast Advertising Rises 28% During 2026’s First Quarter, Magellan AI Data Shows

Magellan AI has released a detailed report concerning first quarter podcast advertising revenue. It shows a large increase.

What We Know: Podcast advertising has continually reached new heights. While the spending in the first quarter of 2026 falls behind what was seen in Q4 of 2025, it did outpace last year’s first three months by a rather wide margin.

What the Numbers Show: Podcast advertising rose 28% during the first quarter, the Magellan AI data shows. Additionally, 1,318 brands bought podcast advertising during the first quarter. Despite the increase in advertising revenue, spot load actually decreased year-over-year. Advertising now makes up 8.24% of all podcast time. That figure includes time spent promoting other podcasts.

What Remains Unclear: How many host-read ads account for the rise in podcast advertising. 34% of all podcast ads are host-read. That number rises to 44% in shows that feature a video component on YouTube. It is also unclear how uncommon advertising lengths affect the numbers. 36% of all podcast ads are 30-seconds.

What It Means: While it’s good news for the medium overall, the news should be taken with a grain of salt. 48% of all podcast advertising, according to Magellan AI data, was spent on the top 500 performing shows. Advertisers spent $364,000 per month on average with those shows. Those shows ranking 501-3,000 generated $43,000 per month in advertising revenue.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.

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