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Rock Music Rolling Into Summer With Heavy Releases, Streaming Gains

Terrie Carr
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Rock Music Rolling Into Summer With Heavy Releases, Streaming Gains

I’m a self-proclaimed rock chick, former rock programmer (of various rock formats), and frequent concertgoer. Especially a current-based rock concert crowd member, I love experiencing new talent.

It doesn’t matter if I’m programming a radio station or on the air. Whether I’m hosting my podcast, or cruising YouTube. I’m always looking for sounds. LOUD sounds.

It’s inspiring to see so many artists putting out full releases, singles, and a mountain of rock tours rolling.

Clubs, sheds, amphitheaters, arenas, festivals. It seems everyone is on the road or heading out on tour. ’Tis the season. The month of May is coming in hot and loud with some killer new releases (and so is June!).

May 2026 Releases

  • Sevendust – One – May 1
  • Black Keys – Peaches – May 1
  • Geoff Tate – Operation: Mindcrime 3 – May 3
  • Social Distortion – Born To Kill – May 8
  • Black Veil Brides – Vindicate – May 8
  • Peter Frampton – Carry The Light – May 15
  • Devin Townsend – The Moth – May 29
  • Violet Grohl – Be Sweet To Me – May 29
  • Shinedown – Ei8ht – May 29
  • Paul McCartney – The Boy Of Dungeon Lane – May 29

June 2026 Releases

  • Evanescence – Sanctuary – June 5
  • Jared James Nichols – Louder Than Fate – June 5
  • Des Rocs – To Hell and Back – June 12
  • Bolan – Gargoyle Of The Garden State – June 12
  • The Pretty Reckless – Dear God – Juen 26

With streaming numbers up across all demos, rock was cited as the fastest-growing genre in terms of streaming share in 2025.

Most current-based tours I attend are sold out in my area. Most recently, Des Rocs, Black Label Society, Mammoth, and Nothing More packed venues. If you participated in any of the Record Store Day celebrations last week, you saw long lines, diverse crowds, and interesting demographics all grabbing vinyl.

Most of the vinyl I saw people buying fell into some genre of rock.

So why do people still think rock is dead?

While the industry prioritizes other genres (as it has for decades), we are constantly fed the line that “cultural shifts are causing tastes to change.” It’s hard not to look at what’s actually happening around us instead of scrolling and flapping our gums.

Active, classic, metal, alternative. I feel lucky that there is something to experience in my area of NY/NJ every night of the week. There’s also so much great new music to look forward to as we head into summer. Many of the above-mentioned artists releasing music will be featured on my Carr Stereo Podcast. Artists are not only busy but engaged.

I was recently told by a radio company executive that current based rock is proven not to work in the New York Market. I’m going on the record saying I beg to differ.

I have programmed in the New York metro for close to 30 years. That’s another column for another time.

Be on the lookout, or better yet, on the “ear-out.” We have a few great musical months ahead.

Discover, download, crank up, and enjoy.

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.

TechSurvey 2026 Showed AM/FM Radio Listening Declining, Digital Growing and We Won’t Ignore It

Jason Barrett
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TechSurvey 2026 Showed AM/FM Radio Listening Declining, Digital Growing and We Won’t Ignore It

Last week, Barrett Media published results from Jacobs Media’s TechSurvey 2026. The story spread quickly. The Drudge Report picked it up. So did Citizen Free Press and Michael Smerconish’s newsletter. Some in the radio industry weren’t thrilled about the attention.

I understand the reaction. I just don’t share it.

Let me be clear, Barrett Media exists to celebrate, educate, and challenge the media industry. We feature accomplished broadcasters who write fairly, honestly, and respectfully. Sometimes the coverage is favorable. Other times it isn’t. I put my name on everything I write. Agree, disagree, or ignore it — that’s your call.

Some felt our headline for the story wasn’t positive enough. More were troubled by the way other websites framed radio negatively. We went through this last year too. A quote from our feature on Dan Orlovsky of ESPN was used by other websites differently than what we published. We cannot control how other outlets use our work. And we won’t stop reporting facts because they might amplify the information differently. That’s journalism. Suppressing it would be public relations.

Now, About That Data

For the first time in TechSurvey’s history, broadcast listening fell to 54% of total time spent with a listener’s favorite station. Digital platforms now account for 44%. That’s a 10-point gap, which is down from 15 points just one year ago.

Before anyone dismisses this as noise, remember who these respondents are. They represent radio’s most loyal, most engaged P1 listeners. These are not casual fans. Even they are moving toward digital at a meaningful rate.

The longer view is harder to ignore. In 2013, the gap between broadcast and digital was 71 points. Today it sits at 10. That is not a blip. That is a decade-long trend.

There are bright spots in the data. Personalities held their seven-year lead over music as the top programming driver, with 60% of respondents citing hosts and shows as a main reason they listen. But those strengths only describe what radio does well for the audience it already has. The harder question is what the industry is doing to retain the audience it keeps losing.

The average TechSurvey respondent is now 58.4 years old. Listeners 65 and older account for roughly one-third of all respondents. Meanwhile, Gen Z is now slightly ahead on digital. Sports radio is the only format where digital has lapped broadcast — 56% to 42%. Additionally, AM/FM’s share of in-car listening has dropped to 50%, down from 62% in 2018. More dashboard options mean more competition for every minute.

Handling The Truth

Fred Jacobs has spent decades delivering truth to help this industry. He is not the enemy. Nor is his data. He said it plainly: “If you’ve been a ‘digital denier’… this compelling chart should motivate you to devise a different strategy — because you are now swimming upstream.” The industry that argues with that sentence instead of acting on it is the one that should worry people.

Radio as an industry won’t earn the trust of the next generation of listeners by telling them everything is fine when the people who track their most devoted fans discover different truths. It’s even worse once the facts are learned. Rather than absorbing the information and addressing the issue at hand, many take aim at the messenger. If the industry wants public perception to be better, leaders need to get serious about changing it. It’s a real problem that needs attention.

We attended the TechSurvey webinar and wrote the story because it matters. Professionals deserve accurate information. That’s how solutions get created.

The good news is that radio’s digital story is real. When Jacobs Media does the 2027 TechSurvey, I’d expect digital to match or pass over-the-air consumption. Outside publications glossed over that part. That’s likely because promoting radio’s demise attracts more eyeballs. This is the industry’s marketing opportunity.

Rather than worrying about how the facts are framed elsewhere, look closer at the data. Better yet, invest time and resources in reshaping public perception. When you do, we’ll be here to write that story too.

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 the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting Should Change TV News

Garrett Searight
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Why the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting Should Change TV News

Television news has a way of flattening reality. Anchors sit behind desks, hosts deliver rehearsed tosses, and reporters stand outside buildings with polished scripts. Viewers watch it all from a couch or a phone screen, processing tragedy the same way they’d process a weather forecast. Something about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting on Saturday evening made that dynamic impossible to ignore.

Those same reporters were there. They ducked under tables. They hid on ballroom floors. Wolf Blitzer stood just feet from the gunman. Jake Tapper was outside the main ballroom when shots rang out. Kaitlan Collins was in the building. Weijia Jiang, WHCA president and a CBS senior White House correspondent, returned to the stage visibly shaken to address the situation. These aren’t characters in a news broadcast. They’re people — with adrenaline, fear, and racing hearts like anyone else.

It’s easy to forget that. The format of television news creates distance. It packages trauma into segments with lower thirds and ticking clocks. So often, anchors and hosts cover mass shootings, violent crimes, and chaotic events with the same composed cadence they’d use to report a Senate vote. The people watching from home don’t always consider what it took to deliver that composure. And frankly, the people delivering it don’t always seem to, either.

Saturday night changed the equation — at least temporarily. Because the victims of the fear, the chaos, and the confusion were the media members themselves. The coverage that followed carried a sensitivity that honestly doesn’t show up often enough. There was acknowledgment of trauma. There was human reaction. And there was a moment where the newsroom paused and recognized that the people in the building were real.

That sensitivity deserves a permanent seat at the table, not just when journalists are involved. Every story about gun violence involves real people scrambling under tables. Every breaking news alert about a shooting represents someone’s terrifying, exhilarating — or simply devastating — reality. The media should report those stories with the same humanity it brought to Saturday night’s coverage. It should always cover fear like fear actually feels.

There’s also another lesson worth discussing — accuracy. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported on air that a Secret Service agent told her the shooter was confirmed dead. That turned out to be false. The suspect was taken into custody, very much alive. CNN had high-profile staff at the event. They got it wrong anyway. That’s not a minor footnote — it’s a significant credibility problem for a network already fighting skepticism about its reliability. If “the mainstream media” can’t get the basic facts right when its own people are on the scene, it’s hard to make the case for trust.

Now, there’s a concession worth making. Breaking news is genuinely hard. Chaos produces bad information. Sources miscommunicate. Still, the standard doesn’t lower just because the situation is intense. If anything, it should rise.

The one redemptive note from a media standpoint? Technology. Jake Tapper grabbed Brian Stelter’s phone and streamed live from inside the Washington Hilton as guests scrambled for cover. Brian Stelter had already been streaming from the ballroom floor when nobody knew what was happening. That kind of immediacy — raw, unpolished, and real — shows how radically the broadcast world has shifted. Being “on” no longer requires a studio, a satellite truck, or even a signal team. It requires a phone and the willingness to press record.

Saturday night was many things. Frightening. Historic. Chaotic. But it also served as a mirror for television news. The industry showed that it can cover tragedy with genuine human feeling. It also showed that accuracy still matters — maybe now more than ever. The challenge is carrying both of those lessons forward, long after the cameras leave the Washington Hilton.

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.

What Radio Stations Must Do Before AI Kills Their E-Blasts

Mike Stern
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What Radio Stations Must Do Before AI Kills Their E-Blasts

Every time I write a column about how to maximize ratings, any suggestions I make must be put through the filter of shrinking resources. Most radio stations have little or no budgets for programming. And even less staff than last year are available to conduct new initiatives.

What if I told you that this week, I have a suggestion that involves doing slightly less work to maximize an important marketing asset. We’re looking at your email database/ Even if your response is something like, “Wow, the email, I haven’t thought about that in forever,” I still think this week’s column will help you improve while cutting back your workload.

Plus, I think it’s even more germane for Classic Rock/Hits stations with older audiences. They might be slightly more receptive to email than stations with younger listeners. The inspiration for this post comes from an article by Anne Handley. She is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and digital marketing and content expert. And she wrote a story titled “Email is Dead, Long Live Email.”

While I highly recommend reading Handley’s post because it’s beautifully written — with a strong analogy comparing AI to tornadoes — her main point is this: if it isn’t already, AI will soon be a filter for nearly everyone’s email inbox. And when it comes to brand marketing newsletters, only the most compelling pieces that consumers really care about reading will get past the AI guard at the door.

According to Handley, the most important email metric to track right now is deliverability. The focus is on making sure your e-blasts are getting into listeners’ email boxes and not being sent to spam. Very soon, she thinks, when AI assistants start filtering inboxes, having content consumers want to read, which she thinks of as “interest,” is going to be the new measure of success. That’s because if the AI doesn’t think your content is something the consumer will want to read, it will be filtered out. And you won’t reach your listeners.

With that in mind, I’m going to steal liberally from Capital One and ask the question: what’s in your e-blast? For too many stations, their email newsletter is filled with a multitude of random items. Contests, appearances, sponsorships, and ads. They have minimal value for the consumer.

Let’s be honest. We all know it’s not very compelling. Handley may be somewhat out in front of the curve when it comes to AI sorting through listeners’ inboxes. The fact is that if your emails aren’t compelling today, listeners already aren’t reading them. And you’re already failing to take advantage of one of your best remaining marketing opportunities.

Here’s where I’d suggest doing less work. Make a commitment to slimming down your email to one — or two at most — key messages. That gives the sales team one slot for a client ad.

You’ll have less to write for each email. So it’s less work. You’ll also have to pick the strongest, most valuable message to send in each note. That will make your e-blast more compelling. Work less. Get stronger marketing.

Handley has a lot of other great ideas about how to improve your emails — focused on adding personality — that I’d suggest taking the time to read. Just start by slimming down your e-blast to the most important thing listeners should know about your station. It’s a great first step. And you’ll have less typing to do.

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.

What a Radio Class at WKU Can Teach the Industry About Its Future

Dr. Ed Cohen
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What a Radio Class at WKU Can Teach the Industry About Its Future

If you read the trades and the commentariat (me included), you know that one of the big issues is the next generation. Radio seems more concerned compared to other media, even local TV and newspapers, both of which are in serious trouble.

We know the reasons: young people use other sources of audio entertainment, they still think they can be stars on TV, and for some, the lure of “journalism” means they’ll break an important story by speaking “truth to power.” It must be that that’s a bigger deal than doing middays or selling in a mid-size radio market.

This semester is the first time I’ve taught a full course in over 30 years. Here at Western Kentucky University, I’ve been teaching Broadcast Communication 360, Research and Programming for Electronic Media. I hope you’ll agree that I know the research side pretty well after 40 years in the business, and for programming, I introduced the group to a lot of great people.

Because of my links in the business, the outside presenters were top-heavy to radio, but my view is that if you can program radio, you can work in any medium. There are former radio people in all parts of media, but we can all name people from other media who flamed out in radio.

Most of my group of 14 students is finishing up their undergraduate academic time this semester (I won’t use the term “academic career” because it makes it sound like a job; it isn’t). Most don’t know what they’ll be doing when their time is up.

They’ve learned a lot of production techniques, as WKU is big on that. What they didn’t know much about was the business — and by the business, I’m referring to the media business in general, not just radio. How does it work? Where does the money come from? What are the issues today? What will be the issues tomorrow? I require them to read trade press (their choice of which medium), and we spend time at the start of each class talking about the news.

They’ve heard from some good people. If you had a class that included visits — either by Zoom or in person — with the following folks, would you think it was worthwhile? How about Fred Jacobs, Steve Goldstein, Buzz Knight, George Ivie, Bruce Gilbert, Mike McVay, Jason Barrett, Kenny Smoov, Robby Bridges, Kelly Ford (Kelly is a WKU alum), and John Shomby? That’s an all-star lineup.

They’ve heard me talk about networking and how one job that doesn’t seem great can lead to the next one and the next one. My mom worked for Eastman Kodak in Rochester for over 30 years before retiring. Few of us do that anymore. But sometimes the biggest hurdle is getting started — getting that first job.

Except for George Ivie (an accounting degree from the University of Florida and years at Ernst and Young), I’ve asked each guest speaker three questions:

  • Why did you get into the business?
  • How did you get your first gig?
  • What do you look for in someone you’re considering hiring?

The resulting stories from the first two questions were fun and, in some cases, pure serendipity. Many never knew that they wanted a career in media. In other cases, they wanted to do whatever it took to “make it.” Just ask the namesake of this website about his start!

WKU is not an “elite” school, although I have referred to it as “The Harvard of South Central Kentucky.” One cool aspect is that WKU caters to first-generation college students — that is, many students are the first in their families to have attended college.

To me, where you went to school is less important than what’s in your head, how badly you want to succeed (better known as passion), and your willingness to learn. For those of us who went to college, it was helpful, but even as a Big Ten snob (two of my degrees are from Michigan State), I learned far more on the job than I did in the classroom. One other factor: these job candidates are all digital natives. They aren’t fazed by new technologies.

Here’s my request: if you have an entry-level position open, or if you want to build up a pool for openings that may appear later, consider my BCOM 360 crew. Any medium, any position, any location. Sure, most are from Kentucky, Tennessee, or other nearby states, but I haven’t heard any of them say, “I’m not willing to move somewhere for a gig.”

I know you’re busy, but do an interview, and afterwards, let me know how it went. Was the person impressive, mediocre, or a dud? If they’re good but you don’t have an opening, you may know someone that does — and you’ve also added to a student’s fledgling network.

Your feedback will help me talk to the faculty about what can be improved in terms of turning out high-quality graduates ready to take on the media world. While I’m involved with WKU and our student radio station, WWHR, Revolution 91.7, I want to help turn out quality grads, but that requires feedback. If you’ve learned something from reading my column over the past three years, consider this request as a favor in return.

Get in touch. My email is always posted at the end of this column, or you can use my WKU email: edward.cohen@wku.edu.

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.

SiriusXM, iHeartMedia Hold Merger Talks: Report

BNM Staff
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SiriusXM, iHeartMedia Hold Merger Talks: Report

SiriusXM and iHeartMedia have held exploratory talks about a potential merger, a new report from Bloomberg suggests.

In the report authored by Ashley Carman, Lucas Shaw, and Michelle F. Davis, talks between the satellite radio and terrestrial radio/digital audio giants have been had.

According to the report, $12 billion in sales is currently held between the two.

iHeartMedia owns more than 850 terrestrial radio stations. Meanwhile, SiriusXM currently has 33 million subscribers, according to its latest financial results.

Additionally, iHeartMedia often ranks as the most successful podcast publisher in the nation in both the Podtrac and Triton Digital rankings.

This would not be the first time talks about a potential merger between the two companies have been held. In 2018, Liberty Media — the parent company to SiriusXM — purchased nearly 40% of iHeart. At one time, it was the largest shareholder of the organization.

However, it sold more than $150 million shares in iHeartMedia in October 2021.

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.

NBC Sports Early NBA Playoff Viewership Delivering Big Numbers

BSM Staff
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NBC Sports Early NBA Playoff Viewership Delivering Big Numbers

NBC Sports’ first six playoff games averaged 4.9 million viewers from April 19–21. That figure marks a 38% jump over comparable coverage from last year.

It’s also the best performance for the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday playoff nights since 1994.

Sunday set the tone immediately. Trail Blazers-Spurs Game 1 drew 5.7 million viewers, the most-watched game of the 2026 playoffs so far. Magic-Pistons Game 1 averaged 5.0 million and peaked at 6.7 million. NBC won Sunday night in all key demos.

Monday kept the momentum rolling. Hawks-Knicks Game 2 averaged 4.7 million viewers, up 43% year-over-year. Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 2 followed with 4.4 million — the best late primetime First Round Game 2 since 2012.

Monday’s combined average of 4.6 million topped last year’s Day 3 numbers by 35%.

Tuesday delivered more milestones. Trail Blazers-Spurs Game 2 peaked at 6.7 million, tying Sunday’s Magic-Pistons for the best peak of the playoffs. Rockets-Lakers Game 2 averaged 5.2 million — the most-watched First Round Game 2 since 2011.

Tuesday’s two-game average of 4.9 million ranks as the best First Round Game 2 day since 1998.

Through four games, NBC and Peacock combined to average 5.0 million viewers. That’s the strongest opening Sunday-Monday performance since 1995.

A star-powered postseason featuring LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Jalen Brunson clearly drove casual viewers back to the broadcast. NBC’s 24-year absence from the NBA made this a genuine television event — and the audience responded accordingly.

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.

Stu Burguiere on ‘Predictible’ Debut: Media Still Trying to Figure Out How to Handle Prediction Markets

BNM Staff
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Stu Burguiere on ‘Predictible’ Debut: Media Still Trying to Figure Out How to Handle Prediction Markets

After departing The Glenn Beck Program earlier this year, Stu Burguiere has officially released the first episode of his Predictible show.

On the debut episode, which is focused on prediction markets, Burguiere noted that many media outlets are still constructing how they’re covering the expanding space.

“The media is kind of now trying to figure out what prediction markets are and how they’re going to handle them,” he shared. “It’s interesting to watch. You’ll see all these reports that are almost grandmotherly. They’re scolding you for all the people that go on prediction markets and do things that are bad. That’s important to talk about.”

Stu Burguiere added that recent negative stories about prediction markets play into why he believes a program dedicated to the space matters.

“It is important to understand exactly why those things happen,” said Burguiere. “It’s funny to watch them. At the same time, they’re scolding you or scolding the world about the casinoization of America. Half of these networks are taking money from these prediction markets because they’re sponsoring stuff. There is real value there. If you don’t know anything about prediction markets, that’s totally fine. You’re still going to get something out of this program.”

Stu Burguiere worked on The Glenn Beck Program for 28 years. He departed the show to focus specifically on the Predictible show. He is still working as a member of Beck’s Blaze Media organization, however.

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.

SNY Mets Broadcaster Keith Hernandez Expects To Return May 4

BSM Staff
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SNY Mets Broadcaster Keith Hernandez Expects To Return May 4

Keith Hernandez is coming back. SNY confirmed the beloved Mets analyst will return to the broadcast booth on May 4 in Colorado.

The Mets open a series against the Rockies that day. It marks Hernandez’s first appearance since undergoing back surgery on April 14.

The procedure was no minor fix. According to the New York Post, Hernandez endured a four-hour operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Doctors repaired a bulging disc that had been causing severe nerve damage.

The 72-year-old didn’t sugarcoat his condition.

“It was causing me all my grief, my pain, which was on the right side of my body,” Hernandez told Sports+. “Literally, my right quadricep was like a light switch turned off, I had no strength.”

The nerve damage was debilitating. “The nerve had just shut down the quad,” he said. “I couldn’t walk up a step with the right quad.” He admitted falling twice before the surgery.

Hernandez had already missed five games earlier this season due to back issues. He returned briefly, then the pain forced him into the operating room. He’s currently in year one of a new three-year deal with SNY. The contract reduced his workload from roughly 110 games to about 95.

Mets fans have noticed his absence. Hernandez remains one of the most distinctive and candid voices in regional sports television.

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.

Rebecca Kutler: MS NOW Must Create Digital Home for Its Non-Cable Fans

BNM Staff
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Rebecca Kutler: MS NOW Must Create Digital Home for Its Non-Cable Fans

MS NOW is thinking beyond its cable news channel. The network is developing a direct-to-consumer product aimed at two distinct audiences — and President Rebecca Kutler says the strategy reflects years of watching viewer habits shift in real time.

Kutler laid out the vision during an appearance at Axios Live, speaking with Axios media reporter Sara Fischer. The conversation centered on how MS NOW is approaching its next chapter in a fragmented media landscape.

“My thinking has evolved, frankly, over the years, as audience habits have evolved,” said Kutler. “So when we think about our upcoming DTC products, we think about really two groups of fans. We have our current group of what we call our super fans. MS NOW has several million people who are engaging with us nine hours a week. That’s a very high number for linear television. Those are our super fans, and we want to over-deliver for them with this product. We want to give them more engagement and more community.”

But the DTC push isn’t just about rewarding loyal viewers. Kutler made clear the network is equally focused on reaching an entirely different group — one that may never find MS NOW through a cable subscription.

“We have many million more fans that I like to call our future fans,” Kutler said. “They are currently consuming our content in spaces that are not linear television. I’ll just give you one little factoid on YouTube: NBC News, CBS News, and ABC News combined have fewer views than MS NOW. So we’ve built a very, very large audience on a platform like YouTube. We’ve also built a large audience on TikTok.”

The challenge, as Kutler sees it, is converting that digital reach into something more permanent — a destination MS NOW controls.

“We need a place in the digital space to take that audience,” the MS NOW President shared, “because we need to be honest — that audience is not necessarily going to find us on traditional cable, but we should build something that brings them into our community.”

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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