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The Future of AM Radio Depends on Reinvention, Not Nostalgia

Bob Lawrence
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The Future of AM Radio Depends on Reinvention, Not Nostalgia

For decades, AM radio was the heartbeat of America. From the early 20th century, we got virtually all our news and entertainment via AM radio. The “Day of Infamy” speech was delivered on countless AM radios by FDR on December 8, 1941. Neil Armstrong’s famous first words on the moon were heard by tens of millions over AM radio in July 1969. Many of us grew up on legendary Top 40 AM stations like WABC, WLS, and CKLW.

We all receive breaking news, political talk, and live sports in the days when AM radio was dominant in American homes. It became a fixture on our vehicle dashboards, and often controlled the national conversation. I certainly don’t need to tell you where AM sits on the spectrum today. However, I do think the perceptual differences between how broadcasters and consumers view AM radio are where any potential solutions may lie.

To most broadcasters, the AM band has always represented something intrinsically and deeply valuable. I have always been a diehard fan. When I served as VP of Programming for Saga, I made a cross-country trek from San Diego to Detroit. Along the way, I listened to WNAX. This powerhouse AM station in Yankton, South Dakota serves the largest mass of land in the U.S. across five Midwestern states, generating a sizable amount of revenue for the company.

AM Can Be Unique

When I got to Kansas, I was blown away by the incredible amount of truly compelling local content. What surprised me most was an afternoon show called the Five State Trader. A swap, buy, and sell program that covers all five states and features listeners giving out their personal phone numbers to sell items.

Who needs Facebook Marketplace, right?

The station also features multiple farm reports throughout the day that serve the region’s massive farming community. I must credit WNAX PD and morning show co-host Steve Crawford as the tremendous force and talent behind that AM station’s success.

I also recall RKO Radio’s incredibly bold and risky decision to turn Top 40 station 610 KFRC into a game-show format. The once-legendary station did something never done before. The games were block-formatted throughout the day and used local listeners as contestants. It never seemed to catch on. But it may have been a format created ahead of its time.

My point is that there are still ways for AM radio to create value for listeners.

There are obviously many station owners and programmers who see AM as essential community infrastructure. Broadcasters know that AM signals reach farther than FM signals. In particular at night, making them important for rural coverage and emergency communication.

During hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, floods, and other disasters, AM stations often remain among the few—if not the only—reliable sources of information. Especially when internet and cellular systems fail or become unavailable. AM stations continue to air local talk shows, high school sports, church programming, ethnic programming, and regional news that larger digital platforms ignore.

With the loss of CBS News Radio, there are even fewer options available to audiences.

However, there’s a clear divide between how listeners and broadcasters judge the industry. Younger audiences have grown up in a world dominated by streaming audio, podcasts, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and on-demand content. According to data, many listeners under 40 feel AM radio is outdated.

The Car Matters

The automobile has become the center of the debate.

Earlier in May, even President Trump stepped in and said that the desire to remove AM radio from vehicles is “ridiculous.” He vowed to stop automakers from dropping the technology. We all see the car dashboard as the last stronghold for AM radio listening.

But listeners increasingly view the dashboard as a digital entertainment center connected to smartphones and streaming apps.

Consumers, meanwhile, have barely noticed the disappearance of AM radio. Many have already shifted their listening habits elsewhere or never listened to begin with. I recall conducting one-on-one research sessions with young listeners and broaching the topic of AM radio. Some of them had the “deer-in-the-headlights” look and no idea what AM radio even was.

My own daughter didn’t know what it was after she started driving at 19 years old. That was 10 years ago.

Opportunity is There For the Taking

The major challenge is, once again, perception. Broadcasters often see AM as trusted, familiar, and community-oriented. Many listeners associate it with political polarization, aging audiences, and stale programming. Although AM radio still serves millions of loyal listeners, the industry has struggled to modernize its image and sound.

The good news is that AM radio does have many successful, proven options. The future may depend less on preserving AM radio’s past. Instead, it depends more on reinventing formats for modern audiences through hyper-local programming. Also, the narrative that highlights the enormous value of the AM band.

We must create content that becomes indispensable to a local market.

Another opportunity is personality-driven talk and storytelling. How about having local residents participate in creating and performing old-time radio-style shows. Similar to local community theater productions? Podcasts have proven that audiences still love spoken-word content. AM stations could embrace long-form interviews and local true-crime stories. Also regional history, business spotlights, and interactive call-in programs. All designed for digital distribution alongside traditional broadcasting.

Sports betting and niche sports programming have begun to provide growth opportunities.

Then there’s dedicated local sports analysis, fantasy sports, and sports wagering content. These may attract younger male audiences and create strong advertiser interest. In fact, Audacy CEO Kelli Turner recently said that sports content is one of the most resilient and relevant formats.

That said, when was the last time the industry saw a campaign to market the “brand power” of AM or FM radio?

Moreover, when was the last digital ad you saw for a radio station outside of its own social media channels or website?

I am a firm believer that when you sell a service, you should use it to tout the strength of your own products. The AM band being one of those strengths.

AM radio may never return to its former dominance. But its survival will depend on becoming more local, more authentic, and more creatively connected to the digital habits of modern consumers while reminding audiences of the platform’s strengths.

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.

Adult Contemporary Radio Needs More Than a Great Playlist

Kevin Robinson
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Adult Contemporary Radio Needs More Than a Great Playlist

The clock is ticking – and not in a good way – for traditional music stations. Over the previous decades, music formats have surrendered strategic hills to keep their music position alive and top-of-mind. Adult Contemporary, as an example, was once a full-service offering with long-tenured morning teams and a solid morning drive news and information platform.

However, consultants and researchers peeled away a good portion of the spoken-word content from music formats to solely focus on the music position. That audio content was the glue for the listener but was sacrificed for the good of branding.

This might all seem obvious to the reader, and some might feel the ship for adding new funds to rescue a format has already sailed. Add to that the exponential rise of digital media and ever-changing listener habits, and all music stations face huge challenges in attracting new ears and retaining current audiences.

Mostly found in smaller markets, one strategy that music stations are adopting is to invest in spoken-word elements in programming. Small-market daily newspapers are nearly extinct. Our clients have intentionally added custom local news and sports in ALL dayparts, along with other spoken-word benchmarks including artist interviews, behind-the-scenes stories about songs, and opinion pieces that are unique and valuable to certain listeners.

Nielsen Numbers Don’t Lie: Radio Audiences Are Shrinking

Music brand evolution is urgent in the face of rapidly declining ratings. Nielsen’s Audio Today report for 2020 (also Covid-assisted which opened the door to at-home podcasting), radio’s weekly audience declined 11% in five years, and those who listen to radio primarily in-car shrank 16%.

Readers who have music brands in smaller markets already know much of the following. It’s the music brands in larger markets that need to set aside traditional research and walk out on the branches.

Clusters that have taken the lead in adding non-music elements outside AM drive are having success with local top-of-the-hour news, at times followed by national news headlines.

High School Sports Is an Untapped Revenue Giant

Local high school sports is also a winner. Traditional football, basketball, and baseball lead the way. Today, girls’ volleyball is a sleeping revenue giant.

Artist vignettes have also demonstrated traction. Voiced by the late Nick Michaels, 97.1 The Drive in Chicago constructed compelling long-form stories behind-the-music that creates lean-forward radio.

A quick list of all sorts of music formats knee-deep in spoken-word audio inside their music brands:

How Portland’s KINK-FM Built Loyalty Streaming Can’t Touch

KINK-FM built their legendary reputation as an AAA music station. They galvanized listener loyalty by heavily investing in local personality, artist interviews, acoustic concerts, community engagement, and local event exposure. The station became known for sounding distinctly “Portland,” rather than simply functioning as a music jukebox. Its localism helped separate it from streaming competitors.

KYMN Northfield: The Hybrid Music-Information Model That Works

Located just outside the Minneapolis–St. Paul market, KYMN is a great example of a hybrid music-and-information station. In addition to their well-curated playlist, it also delivers extensive local news, weather, and community-focused programming, along with high school sports.

WLEN Adrian: Full-Service AC Done Right in a Small Market

The award-winning WLEN in Adrian, Michigan, is a solid example of a “full-service” Adult Contemporary brand. Music is core to the brand, but the station emphasizes local news, community event coverage, and local sports. The station describes itself as placing an “emphasis on local news, weather and sports,” while maintaining its live-local AC format.

We are no longer competing with in-market stations. The battle is waged inside an entire ecosystem of digital streaming platforms, podcasts, social media noise, and personalized audio services.

If radio as we know it continues to coast with a focus solely on a refined playlist, we risk becoming increasingly replicable — listener “wallpaper.” Brands that survive in the coming decade will be the ones that evolve now.

The addition of interesting spoken-word content inside music brands, local engaged personalities, and extensive community coverage with real human interaction are exactly the ingredients to create an environment that streaming algorithms cannot replicate.

The window to adapt is open — but it will not stay open forever.

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 Local Radio Sales Reps Deserve More Than a Golf Clap

David Hill
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Why Local Radio Sales Reps Deserve More Than a Golf Clap

We’ve all seen this sales award photo before. Maybe not this exact one, but some version of it.

A sales rep. A manager. A plaque. A lobby wall with station logos. Everybody smiling like they just hit 110% of billing in a down month.

Below is Michele Merkle, April Sales Superstar at Connoisseur Dayton, with Brett Beshore. And this photo is exactly why I wrote this.

And if you’ve worked in radio sales long enough, you’ve probably been in one of these photos too.

Here’s what I know after years in this business. That moment matters more than we sometimes let on.

Brett Beshore (Social Media)

I’ll be honest — I spent most of my career on the programming side. But I did a year or so in sales, and that year gave me a perspective I didn’t have before. It’s a different world over there. You’re not just selling airtime. You’re selling belief. Belief in your stations, your audience, your market, and yourself — every single day, whether you feel like it or not. That kind of sustained confidence is a skill most people never develop because they never have to.

I also crossed paths with Brett Beshore for a short time — and I do mean short — but long enough to recognize something real. He’s the kind of manager who actually means it when he stops to recognize someone. And not checking a box. He understands that the moment after the win matters just as much as the push toward it. That’s not nothing. In this business, that’s actually pretty rare.

And to every sales person I gave a hard time to when I was a programmer — I get it now. I’m sorry. You were carrying a lot, and I didn’t always appreciate what that looked like from your side of the building. I thought I did. I didn’t.

The Grind is Real

Because sales is a grind. A real one. Everyone in a radio building works hard, but sales carries a particular kind of pressure. Pacing reports. CRM updates. Another conversation about pending business. The clock never really stops, and neither does the expectation.

So when somebody pauses long enough to say, “Hey, you did good work,” that carries real weight.

Especially in local media.

The rep in that picture may have spent six months building that relationship. They fought through cancellations, budget freezes, bad ratings books, no-show calls, digital confusion, and a client who changed creative seventeen times. That little plaque represents survival as much as success.

And for managers, these moments are an opportunity. The best ones understand something our business occasionally forgets — culture is built through recognition.

Not participation trophies. Not hollow gestures. Real acknowledgment of real work.

The ones people remembered most were usually peer-driven. Because recognition means something different when it comes from the people who watched you do the work. They saw the no-show calls. They heard the tough conversations through the cubicle wall. When they stand up and clap, it lands differently.

Celebrating wins publicly creates momentum privately. That’s not a soft idea — that’s how you build teams that last. It’s also how you keep the good ones from quietly updating their LinkedIn on a Tuesday afternoon.

People want to feel seen. They always have.

20 Year Later

Especially now, when this business has spent 20 years asking people to do more with less. More platforms, meetings, revenue streams and Fewer humans.

So maybe the plaque itself isn’t the point. Maybe the point is that somebody stopped, looked another person in the eye, and said, “You mattered here.”

And to my programming friends — remember that the next time you golf clap at a sales award.

That’s not just leadership — that’s how you keep people.

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 News/Talk Radio Program Directors Should Stop Playing It Safe

Peter Thiele
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Why News/Talk Radio Program Directors Should Stop Playing It Safe

News/talk radio needs the next big thing and innovation. So does music, TV, movies, and seemingly every other form of entertainment. Is that next thing here and we just haven’t realized it yet? What will that next big thing be like? Are the people who are the gatekeepers too worried about the next quarter that they are missing the giant star in their midst?

If I knew what that next big thing was, I would be making wagers on Polymarket. I just know that anyone in a decision-making capacity in the standard entertainment venues of the past 70 years has been missing that big thing for the last 20 years or so.

There have been big music acts — but have these individuals changed what we expect from our music listening or concert experience? That answer is no.

Innovation is Always Key

I am a Gen X guy. There was a period in the late ’80s and as the ’90s launched — it was heavy metal power ballads. Everyone was playing them. Musicians signing with the labels were molded into that very successful template. Obviously, Guns N’ Roses breathed a little life into that metal genre, which was dominating MTV, radio, and CD sales. Overnight, the heavy metal power ballad was dead when one simple song by Nirvana hit the airwaves and MTV. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a nuclear bomb in the music industry.

Record companies, radio executives, and MTV dropped the metal bands seemingly overnight.

The innovation had arrived and the people loved it. Did radio and the record company execs love it right off the bat? Most did not, because people fear change. Most of the music pumped out by the record industry almost sounds exactly the same. Is it what the people want, or has this been a successful formula that has been creating profit? New songs tend to be very short, almost going back to days before any of us were born. Are short songs a ramification of PPM? Please help me out in the comments.

Movies are also in the same boat. The major movie studios have purchased legacy brands like Star Wars, DC, and Marvel. These movies had a real run for a long time, but now they are tired. These films use the same plots and characters, and the people are getting tired of it. Where is the innovation? In 2012, Disney paid a little over $4 billion for the Star Wars franchise. In movie box office alone, Star Wars movies have generated $5.9 billion in revenue since the purchase by Disney.

Now, Disney doesn’t get all that money — the studio has to split movie revenue with theaters, and there are other costs that eat into profits. Disney has generated about $2.5 billion from the Star Wars franchise, with other revenue streams — Disney+, on-demand rentals, and more — bringing in additional money. This being said, Disney’s whole deal is providing delightful and innovative experiences for those consuming their products. Great movies are still being made, but providing an innovative experience seems to be a huge challenge.

Plain old network TV. The profit game has changed for the medium. Reality TV, which has been around for 25 years with shows like American Idol, Survivor, The Bachelor, and other programs, is essentially all the same with a different backdrop and cast. Same story line. Being transparent, I watched the first two seasons of Survivor. I loved the show, but I dropped out in the middle of season three. Are there like five or so versions of NCIS running at the same time? What the heck? Try something new — don’t be frightened to fail.

The Road Ahead for News/Talk Radio

Then there is radio. News/talk radio has been following the Rush Limbaugh approach for almost 40 years. With PPM and knowledge of predictive listening trends, that Limbaugh template has run its course. It was amazing, but it is tired and quite frankly doesn’t connect anymore.

Also worth realizing is that most hosts are unable to produce an impactful and compelling 50-minute monologue every day. These are the facts. Who is the next innovator? Here is a message for program directors, market managers, and senior executives: encourage experimentation and don’t jump down the throat of the host who tries something that fails.

Also, hire talent above anything else. In my first program director gig, the station owner was focused on talent and upside. He encouraged me to hire people who needed to be told “no.” The station owner’s philosophy was simple — it is easier to tell someone no than to kick them in the ass. I didn’t get it at first, but I eventually realized that he was right. Hiring for talent first is super risky. Sometimes the talent needs serious handholding, or they will risk blowing themselves up or damaging the station and the company. This takes serious managers who are patient and allow for mistakes.

There are many factors why legacy media is struggling in the “what’s next” game — corporate debt, fear of short-term revenue loss, and having to explain to superiors why an idea failed. There are many reasons why experimentation is being squelched. Obviously, innovation is now online. YouTube is just dominating the innovation and failure game. YouTube has democratized creativity.

There are terrible ideas being created and there are awesome ideas. Looking at the success of YouTube-originated ideas like Kill Tony, MrBeast, Joe Rogan, and The King of DIY should work as an example. News/talk radio needs to innovate and not just play protect-the-platform strategies. Focusing on content and the imagination of experimenting is key. You are smart. You have great ideas. Try them out. If it fails, it is still a win.

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.

Newsmax ‘National Report’ Anchor Shaun Kraisman Exits

Garrett Searight
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Newsmax ‘National Report’ Anchor Shaun Kraisman Exits

Newsmax is making changes to its daily lineup. National Report anchor Shaun Kraisman has exited the network.

What We Know: Shaun Kraisman has spent the past six years working at Newsmax. Most recently, he had been paired with Emma Rechenberg anchoring National Report. The show airs from 9 AM to Noon ET. In a post on social media, Kraisman announced his departure.

What They Said: “After more than six incredible years, my time at Newsmax has come to an end. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities, the experiences, and the people I’ve had the privilege to work alongside during an unforgettable chapter of my career. From helping launch the network’s cable news division to creating our New Year’s Eve coverage from Times Square, it’s been an amazing ride, one I’ll always be proud of. To the viewers: thank you for welcoming me into your homes and supporting me along the way. Your loyalty and connection meant more than you know. And while this chapter is closing… the next one is just getting started.” -Shaun Kraisman

What Remains Unclear: Who will replace Kraisman as anchor of the show. Recently, Rechenberg has been absent while on maternity leave. She previously shared that her role would look different upon her return to Newsmax. It is also unclear what Kraisman’s future holds. He did not announce any immediate plans.

What It Means: Newsmax has invested heavily in solidifying its primetime lineup. Now, it appears as if its putting the focus on its dayside lineup. Kraisman becomes the latest host in the daytime lineup to depart the network. Chris Salcedo also saw his show exit the lineup earlier this year.

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.

How Audio Companies are Shifting Their Advertiser Base in 2026

Sponsored Post
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How Audio Companies are Shifting Their Advertiser Base in 2026

Audio advertising is changing its tune. From years of running on a familiar rhythm, audio media stepped into 2026 as one of the most dynamic advertising channels. No longer are broadcasters, streaming platforms, and podcast networks relying on a traditional roster of consumer brands. They’re expanding the sphere of their advertiser base to include everything from gaming to health tech, and even sweepstakes casinos. 

The diversification of this field is not a chase for revenue. But rather, aligning with the way audiences consume content today, delving into brands they trust. 

Why the Need To Diversify?

A big question is what is behind the shift. And it’s safe to say that it isn’t something that happened by accident. For many years, radio and audio advertising leaned heavily on retail, fast food,m and automotive. While these are still of great importance today, the modern listener is expecting something relevant and on par with their digital lifestyle. 

The economic uncertainty during the early 2020s has encouraged diversification to expand revenue flow for radio and podcasts, even when the main advertisers step out. It helps to reduce dependency on only a handful of advertisers and instead taps into industries with bigger marketing budgets. It also helps to match ad content to younger, mobile-based audiences. 

Podcast networks, especially, have become a great option for niche advertisers. Find a health-focused show and place an ad for a wellness app, or link to sweepstakes casinos and esports platforms from popular gaming podcasts. 

Sweepstakes Stepping into Audio

One of the most impressive examples of audio expansion is sweepstakes casinos stepping into the audio field. They’ve gone about it in a clever way by sponsoring podcasts and lifestyle shows. While there are plenty of ways to learn about what Jackpota offers, hearing it from a well-known podcaster is one of the best.

Jackpota and other sweepstakes sites aren’t just promoting platforms, but they’re making themselves part of the cultural conversation focused on entertainment and digital play. 

Their smart moves have been an eye opener, showing audio media companies that gaming brands are ready to spend. And that audio is a cost-effective way for sweepstakes casinos and iGaming platforms to build trust. 

One endorsement from a podcast host can go a long way. As it feels personal, and the trust built between the podcaster and their audience leads to instant credibility. Making a brand stand out in an otherwise overcrowded market. 

New Categories and Strategies

It’s also a great time for traditional broadcasters to experiment with advertiser diversification. Which is why you suddenly find FM and digital radio stations running campaigns for things like Fintech apps offering micro-investments or health platforms promoting telemedicine. 

There is one clear strategy in place, turning audio companies into the go-to channel for any industry looking to thrive in digital adoption. 

The Advantage of Podcasts

Podcasts, in general, are the most flexible audio format when it comes to advertiser diversification. With networks having the opportunity to tailor ad slots to specific niches. This is highly attractive to brands looking for precision targeting. 

With available stats and data on listeners, there’s no longer the excuse of a wide audience base. Instead, everything in a podcast can be micro-focused and funneled towards the right crowd. 

A sweepstakes casino, for example, can align with gaming and entertainment shows, see Jackpota as an example. And a fintech app can pop up on business and finance podcasts. The level of alignment is nearly perfect. And easier to achieve than in traditional broadcasting. 

No Risk, No Reward

At the end of the day, diversification does not come without any challenges. For audio companies, it requires balancing advertiser demands with audience trust. You don’t want the platform to start feeling like an ad segment. If you add too many gambling or betting ads to a gaming podcast, it might alienate listeners and corrupt the trust the host has built. 

The same goes for all niche sites. Even a Yoga YouTube channel can become annoying when the host spends 2 minutes promoting an organization like Better Help for therapy and care. Slots should be planned carefully and fit the topic or conversation. Sometimes an ad really feels like an ad, and listeners will tune out. 

But with the right plan and structure, it forms part of the conversation and directs listeners towards brands effortlessly. This, in turn, creates a resilient revenue model that doesn’t just collapse when one industry starts spending less.  

What’s Next for Audio Advertising?

Audio media companies are clearly showing that diversification is not just a survival strategy but a way to thrive in a digital sphere that can quickly feel overpopulated. 

Going forward, we can expect more brands to step into the space, broadening the advertiser base. And we can look forward to more digital and listener-aligned ads. 

The future of audio advertising looks promising, with more companies embracing new categories and not being afraid of experimenting with new or foreign formats. 

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.

Hubbard Radio Announces Rebrand Of ‘Media That Connects’

John Mamola
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Hubbard Radio Announces Rebrand Of ‘Media That Connects’

Hubbard Radio is rebranding. CEO Ginny Hubbard made the announcement during a companywide town hall meeting on Monday that the company is entering the ‘media that connects’ era.

What We Know: Hubbard Radio will now operate as Hubbard – Media That Connects. The company, founded in 1923 with a single AM radio station, has built a 103-year legacy in media. Today, it operates 50 radio stations across 12 markets, national digital agency 2060 Digital, and the Gamut Podcast Network — recently ranked among America’s Top 10 podcast networks. Together, these divisions reach more than 12.5 million consumers weekly.

What They Said: CEO Ginny Hubbard: “With today’s announcement we acknowledge the deliberate but gradual evolution of how we fulfill our mission of connecting with communities and helping advertisers grow their businesses. For over 100 years now we have connected with local audiences to make the communities we serve and their businesses stronger.”

Ginny Hubbard: “This repositioning doesn’t speak to or prioritize any of our businesses over one another. We are not radio, podcast or digital first. At Hubbard we are listener and customer first regardless of how they engage with our content or which medium or platform best meets the needs of our clients. We connect with communities and audiences with compelling talent, news, information and entertainment on multiple platforms and connect those audiences with our marketing partners. We also connect our marketing partners with digital advertising strategies to help them to grow their businesses.”

What Remains Unclear: The rebrand signals a broader strategic shift, but some specifics remain vague. It’s unclear whether any operational changes will accompany the new brand identity. Additionally, how Hubbard’s individual divisions. Radio, 2060 Digital, and Gamut — will market themselves under the unified brand hasn’t been detailed publicly.

What It Means: The shift from Hubbard reflects a wider industry trend. Legacy radio companies are repositioning themselves as multi-platform media organizations. For Hubbard, the new brand acknowledges what the business has already become. Ultimately, the message is clear — radio is still central, but it’s no longer the whole story.

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.

Worldwide News Network Launches With Radio.Cloud Technology Expansion to North America

Garrett Searight
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Worldwide News Network Launches With Radio.Cloud Technology Expansion to North America

Radio.Cloud and the Worldwide News Network have shared details on a partnership that has the network up and running. It began after the end of CBS News Radio.

What We Know: Red Apple Audio Networks launched the Worldwide News Network on Saturday, May 23. It is using the NewsCloud platform developed by Radio.Cloud. The launch marks the North American debut of NewsCloud. It is a newsroom system designed to streamline news production and distribution. Radio.Cloud says NewsCloud combines newsroom workflows into a single platform. The system supports live newscast distribution through the NewsCloud Player and connects multiple news sources through its editorial interface.

What They Said: “Given our very aggressive deployment timeline, NewsCloud was the best choice for launching the Worldwide News Network. It has been super customized for our operation and will allow us to provide a level of service to affiliates that no other network has ever been able to provide. Our new staff was able to master NewsCloud very quickly.” -Worldwide News Network VP Lee Harris

“For us, this is an exciting milestone. While Radio.Cloud has supported hundreds of affiliates across the United States with cloud-native radio automation for many years, this marks the North American debut of NewsCloud, our newsroom platform. NewsCloud brings the entire newsroom workflow into one unified platform, replacing the many separate tools traditionally used for news production and enabling broadcasters to produce, localize, manage, and distribute news content faster and more efficiently.” -Radio.Cloud CEO and founder Christian Brenner

What Remains Unclear: Potential expansion plans for NewsCloud following the North American launch with the Worldwide News Network remain undisclosed.

What It Means: The expansion of NewsCloud is an important one for Radio.Cloud. With many companies looking into cloud-based operations, having a test case can show off its capabilities. It’s also a benefit to the Worldwide News Network to help structure its operations without major changes to its infrastructure.

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.

Grace Watson Earns VP Title at Black River Entertainment

David Hill
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Grace Watson Earns VP Title at Black River Entertainment

Black River Entertainment has promoted Grace Watson. She now holds the title of Vice President, Commercial Partnerships & Digital.

What We Know: Watson joined BRE in 2023 after working at Universal Music Group/Capitol CMG. Over the past decade, she has helped drive projects to the top of multiple Billboard charts. Those include the Billboard 200, top 40, country, R&B/hip-hop, Christian, and Gospel albums charts. Additionally, she contributed to Kelsea Ballerini’s first No. 1 top country album and Chris Young’s debut Black River project.

What They Said: EVP Rick Froio made his enthusiasm clear. “We hired Grace three years ago and she has been a fantastic addition to BRE. She is a great leader who has the best relationships with our revenue partners, artist managers, and The Orchard. Grace has earned this promotion!” Watson, likewise, welcomed the expanded responsibility. “I’m grateful for the opportunity from Gordon and Rick to step into this role and continue building impactful relationships and sales initiatives for our artists and label across the commercial and digital space,” she said.

What Remains Unclear: BRE has not detailed the structural scope of Watson’s new role. It’s also unknown whether her former Sr. Director position will be backfilled. No additional team announcements have accompanied the promotion.

What It Means: Watson’s Kansas City roots and Belmont University training shaped a career built on cross-format success. Her background spanning Christian, country, and pop markets gives BRE a uniquely versatile commercial leader. Moreover, her existing relationships with revenue partners and The Orchard strengthen the label’s digital footing considerably. This promotion, therefore, signals BRE is thinking boldly about its next chapter.

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.

2026 Midterm Political Advertising Outpacing 2022 By 47% as California Governor Race Balloons

Garrett Searight
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2026 Midterm Political Advertising Outpacing 2022 By 47% as California Governor Race Balloons

Political advertising has continually soared in recent years. That’s true during the 2026 midterm elections, with the help of the California governor’s race, according to AdImpact.

What We Know: The California governor’s race has continued to balloon in spending. In fact, according to AdImpact, the race is now the fifth-highest spending non-presidential election on record. The only races surpassing it are Senate races in Ohio (2024), Georgia (2020, 2022), and Pennsylvania (2024).

What the Numbers Show:

State Total Democrats Republicans
California $315.8 Million $311.3 Million $4.5 Million
Market Spending
Los Angeles $132.7 Million
San Francisco $53.9 Million
Sacramento $36.8 Million
San Diego $23.8 Million

What Remains Unclear: How the spending levels will change following Tuesday’s primary election. The field will narrow considerably. However, that doesn’t mean that the political advertising levels will decrease considerably. Tom Steyer has spent the considerable bulk of the political advertising. Of the $315.8 million spent, his campaign has purchased $201.4 million. An additional $31.6 million has been spent on opposition ads specifically targeted against Steyer.

What It Means: Media entities in California should be rooting for Steyer to remain in the race following Tuesday’s primary. With the advertising glut from his campaign, the race could continue to climb the all-time rankings.

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