A report from British tabloid The Sun claims that Howard Stern and SiriusXM are not likely to agree to a contract extension before his current deal concludes later this year, leading to his exit from the company.
“Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment,” a source told The Sun about the contract negotiations between the two.
Howard Stern joined the company in 2006 after a 20-year run at WXRK in New York, where his show was nationally syndicated with more than 60 affiliates. His star has only risen since joining the satellite broadcaster, leading to his appearance as a judge on the NBC reality show America’s Got Talent for three seasons, in addition to authoring several books.
Stern’s contract is slated to expire later this fall. The current five-year deal pays him a reported $100 million per year. Sources at The Sun claim that while the satellite radio brand is planning to offer him a new deal, it does not expect Stern to accept the offered terms.
As the report surfaced, many in the news media reacted to the news. Some argued that it was a long time coming, noting that Stern’s work schedule wasn’t in line with his high-figure salary. Others argued that Stern is a shell of his former self and has fallen from his perch as “The King of All Media.”
First Colbert, Now WOKE Howard Stern. Because they stopped being entertainers and became activists. Anti-Trump activists. And that's not profitable. "SiriusXM, Howard Stern Not Expected to Reach Contract Extension | Barrett Media https://t.co/auN3TWu65C
Not for nothing, but Howard Stern became unlistenable. I tried to ignore the political and woke stuff but it infected every aspect of the show. A sad conclusion(?) to a broadcast legend who, 30 years ago, would have made fun of the broadcaster he became.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 6, 2025
2024: Howard Stern says he hates Trump supporters and told them to stop listening to his SiriusXM show.
Last year, Howard Stern said he "hated" anyone who voted for Donald Trump and demanded they stop listening to his Radio Show. They did and his audience shrunk. I heard he was down to 160,000 subscribers from millions. Go woke, go broke.
Howard Stern got WOKE to shield himself from getting cancelled. He knew years of sexism, racism & more was all cataloged via his show. A multitude of things could’ve gotten him cancelled. He used his platform to say all the right things and be an ally of the woke mob. It’s one of…
WOKE Howard Stern cancelled? I am not surprised. He completely abandoned his audience. Mocked the very working class he once entertained. He didn't just turn on Trump. He turned on his supporters…the people that used to listen to his show and MADE him a star.
Howard Stern humiliated Dana Plato on air by mocking her sobriety and letting callers viciously insult her. She died the next day. It was exploitation disguised as entertainment and remains deeply disturbing. pic.twitter.com/De727sKGkP
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In a sweeping move that reshapes its digital media strategy, The Walt Disney Company announced that it will fully integrate Hulu into Disney+ by 2026, creating a unified streaming platform aimed at delivering broader entertainment options and operational efficiencies.
The announcement comes on the heels of Disney finalizing its acquisition of Comcast’s remaining one-third stake in Hulu this past June.
“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said during the company’s quarterly earnings call. “This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.”
The forthcoming app, built on a single technology platform, is expected to deliver a more seamless user experience, reduce subscriber churn, and provide new advertising and bundling opportunities. Disney executives highlighted that the integration will also produce cost synergies, opening the door for reinvestment into the company’s content and tech infrastructure.
“By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization,” the executives noted. “This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies.”
Internationally, Hulu will take on a more prominent role. Beginning in the fall of 2025, Hulu will replace the Star tile as the general entertainment brand on Disney+ in global markets. At the same time, enhancements to the Disney+ app—including a more personalized homepage and other tech upgrades—are expected to roll out in the coming months according to Iger.
In a separate but related development, Hulu’s live TV subscribers will eventually be transitioned to Fubo, through a proposed joint venture that will be majority-owned by Disney.
The integration marks a significant evolution for Disney’s streaming division, which has steadily moved toward a consolidated content strategy. Earlier this year, the company began incorporating full Hulu content into the Disney+ app in the U.S., aiming to convert single-service users into bundle subscribers.
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ESPN and WWE, two dominant forces in the sports and entertainment worlds, officially announced a new multi-year partnership Wednesday morning that will bring WWE’s biggest premium live events—including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and the Royal Rumble—to ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming platform starting in 2026.
Paul Levesque, better known to wrestling fans as ‘Triple H’ and now WWE’s Chief Content Officer, joinedGet Up for a live interview shortly after the deal was made public, calling the move “incredible” and the “perfect marriage” between two global brands.
“For what we consider the worldwide leader in sports entertainment to be with the worldwide leader in sports, there’s no bigger opportunity for us than this right now,” Levesque said. “And on top of that, to be in the Disney family—we’re thrilled and can’t wait to get rolling.”
The deal comes as ESPN prepares to launch its direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21. This agreement will bring WWE’s signature shows to the platform, signaling a major content expansion as ESPN continues evolving in a changing media landscape. While the full scope of the WWE content has yet to be revealed, Levesque hinted at elevated production and spectacle for longtime fans.
“Nick [Kahn] and I have been thinking about this for a long time. It is the right home for it,” said Levesque. “It’s something we’ve been trying to work through for a long time. Jimmy Pitaro [ESPN Chairman] made it happen.”
The announcement followed a massive SummerSlam weekend at MetLife Stadium, which hosted back-to-back nights of action in front of over 113,000 fans. Levesque called it a “massively successful event” that represented WWE’s current momentum and cultural relevance.
“When we get together, events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble are going to be bigger than ever,” he said. “They’re going to be more of a spectacle than they’ve ever been before. We’re going to light the world on fire.”
Levesque also teased the return of Brock Lesnar, calling him a generational figure who “does whatever the hell he wants,” and didn’t rule out future crossovers with ESPN personalities—joking that former NFL linebacker Bart Scott might have a shot in the WWE ring.
With WWE’s developmental pipeline strong and mainstream popularity surging, the partnership with ESPN is the latest sign that professional wrestling continues to evolve into a major player in the broader sports media ecosystem.
“We see the ecosystem—NFL, NBA—and we’re right there,” Levesque said. “People just want to be entertained, and we feel like we do that better than anybody else.”
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SiriusXM is turning up the volume on its rock offerings with the launch of Maximum Metallica. A new, full-time channel dedicated exclusively to the iconic heavy metal band.
Lars Ulrich broke the news live on The Howard Stern Show this morning. Announcing that the channel will officially debut Friday, August 29, on Channel 42 and the SiriusXM app.
“The Most Metallica Anywhere” is how SiriusXM is branding the new offering, promising a nonstop mix of the band’s hits, deep cuts, rare recordings, exclusive interviews, and fan-favorite live performances.
The channel will also feature behind-the-scenes stories and personal commentary from the band members themselves.
To celebrate the launch, Metallica will perform a rare intimate show at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY, on Thursday, August 28. The venue, which holds just a few hundred people, is a sharp contrast to the stadiums the band has been packing on its M72 World Tour. Select SiriusXM subscribers will attend the invite-only event.
The concert will premiere on Maximum Metallica Monday, September 1, at noon ET, and will be rebroadcast throughout the week. It will also air on Howard 101, Stern’s SiriusXM channel, on Friday, September 5, at 7:00 pm ET and PT.
SiriusXM says the new channel will be available to all listeners, including non-subscribers, in SiriusXM-equipped vehicles through September.
Metallica joins a list of artists who’ve played the Talkhouse for SiriusXM, including Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, and The Killers.
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Nielsen and Edison Research have unveiled a strategic partnership aimed at streamlining how advertisers plan and compare cross-platform media campaigns.
The companies will launch Nielsen Podcast Fusion powered by Edison Research, a tool that integrates podcast consumption data with Nielsen Media Impact.
The platform will enable advertising agencies and marketers to evaluate podcasts alongside traditional channels like TV, radio, digital, and social media.
By unifying podcast metrics with Nielsen Media Impact’s proprietary planning tools, the offering gives marketers a complete view of audience behavior across media.
“We know that young people are consuming podcasts as a huge part of their media diet,” said Nielsen Audio Managing Director Rich Tunkel. “Nielsen continues to be at the forefront of media measurement so that advertisers can create their plans with confidence. This new collaboration further extends that confidence to audio and podcasts.”
The move addresses a longstanding challenge in media planning: integrating emerging formats like podcasts into broader cross-media campaign strategies.
“Nielsen Media Impact is a critical tool for cross-platform media planning, and we are excited to bring our best-in-class podcast measurement data to this ecosystem,” added Edison Research Senior Vice President Melissa Kiesche. “Our strategic partnership will help advertisers better understand the power of podcasting and its role in the broader media landscape.”
NPR and Ocean Media are already listed as early adopters.
“Integrating podcast data with Nielsen Media Impact marks a pivotal step in how the industry approaches cross-media planning,” said NPR Audience Insights Director Susan Leland. “With podcasts now a key player in the advertising ecosystem, this collaboration will empower advertisers to harness detailed insights and optimize their campaigns effectively across all major media types.”
“For our clients, seamless podcast planning alongside other audio and video channels is vital,” added Ocean Media Associate Director of Planning & Insights Marcela Wilfong. “The integration of podcast metrics into NMI makes this a reality, allowing us to evaluate and develop more intelligent, cross-platform media strategies for our brands. We see this as a pivotal advancement.”
Nielsen said subscribers will be able to filter by podcast networks and genres to refine their media plans more effectively. The company added that advertisers must have “sophisticated tools and data to effectively plan” across all formats in today’s fragmented media landscape.
In the findings from The Podcast Consumer 2025, data from Edison Research shows that overall time spent listening to podcasts has grown a whopping 355% since 2015.
The addition of podcast metrics from Edison Research comes on the heels of news that podcast listening has increased dramatically in the last decade.
In 2015, the company shared that roughly 170 million hours per week were spent listening to podcasts. That figure grew to 770 million hours per week, or an increase of 603 million hours per week over the past decade. Only 46 million users labeled themselves as monthly podcast consumers in 2015. In 2025, that number has increased to 115 million.
Furthermore, in 2015, only 27 million Americans called themselves weekly podcast consumers. In 2025, that figure has risen to 115 million, according to Edison Research.
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The Country Music Association (CMA) has set Monday, September 8, as the date for announcing nominees for The 59th Annual CMA Awards and this year’s CMA Broadcast Awards finalists. The announcement will stream live on CMA’s official Facebook and YouTube channels.
This marks an annual key moment in Country music, as the nominations highlight standout performers, radio talent, and industry leaders who’ve made a measurable impact over the past year.
Voting for the second ballot in the CMA Awards process is now underway. CMA Professional members have until Monday, August 18, at 6 p.m. CT to finalize their selections. This phase helps determine the final nominees in all 12 categories, maintaining the peer-voting tradition.
The 59th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on ABC Wednesday, November 19, with a next-day stream on Hulu. The show will once again bring together top artists, emerging talent, and radio professionals for one of the format’s most-watched events of the year.
Tickets for the live event go on sale Friday, September 5, at 10 a.m. CT here.
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The July podcast charts from Podtrac have been released, and there is positive news for The Tucker Carlson Show.
During the month, the top three positions on the Top Podcasts by U.S. Unique Monthly Audience chart remained unchanged. NPR News Now, The Daily, and Up First from NPR took home the top three spots.
Fox News Hourly Update moved up one position to fourth, surpassing Dateline NBC, which dropped to fifth.
The Shawn Ryan Show and Pardon My Take finished in sixth and seventh, while Stuff You Should Know rose two places to eighth, while Today, Explained was ninth, and This American Life fell two spots to 10th.
The back half of the top 20 saw the most movement. The Tucker Carlson Show jumped up six places to finish the month as the 18th show on the chart. Meanwhile, The Ezra Klein Show vaulted two places to earn 15th place. The Tim Dillon Show also moved into the top 20, finishing in 19th, an improvement of three positions.
Planet Money jumped 11 spots to earn the final place in the top 20 podcasts in July.
Other notable podcast finishes during the month include The Ben Shapiro Show finishing in 13th, mimicking the placement during June’s rankings. Additionally, 48 Hours was 12th, while 20/20 dropped two positions to 16th.
Those companies were joined in the top 10 by The Walt Disney Company, Vox Media, Fox Audio Network, Podcast One, and Paramount in positions six through 10, respectively.
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105.7 WAPL in Appleton, WI, tapped into the power of its rock audience to make a difference. The station raised $1,800 for the Wisconsin Parkinson’s Association through a special listener-driven auction held on Monday, July 28.
Branded Auction for Ozzy, the on-air and online event, was hosted by “WAPL Mornings with Laura Lee & Cutter” and centered around a unique piece of memorabilia: a 1999 Ozzy Osbourne “Bark at the Moon” collectible doll.
The rare 18-inch figure, complete with an audio clip and printed lyrics, generated strong interest among fans eager to own a piece of rock history and support a meaningful cause.
Bidding was promoted across WAPL’s platforms, from on-air promos to a dedicated web page and social media outreach. Listeners placed bids via text, phone, and Facebook, with Jack Van Iten of Greenleaf submitting the winning offer of $1,800.
All funds go directly to the Wisconsin Parkinson Association. They provide care, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s disease.
The auction served as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on July 22 at age 76 following a long battle with Parkinson’s.
“It was a moving tribute to a rock icon and a reminder of the impact local radio can have in bringing people together to do good,” the station shared.
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Townsquare Media has released its 2025 second-quarter financial results, and while the total revenue for the company was down overall, it pointed to an increase in digital revenue as cause for optimism.
Total revenue declined 2.3% year-over-year during April, May, and June. That figure drops to 1.6% when political advertising during the unprecedented 2024 election cycle is excluded.
Broadcast radio revenue dropped 9.2% for the company, in line with what was expected and shared on a previous earnings call.
However, the largest gains for Townsquare Media was in the digital realm. The sector saw a 9.4% year-over-year profit increase. Townsquare Ignite — the company’s digital advertising arm — saw a 2.4% increase in revenue, while Townsquare Interactive — the subscription digital marketing division — saw revenue of 1.4%.
Overall, the company shared that 55% of its total revenue and its total segment profit comes from the digital sector.
“We are proud that our business model gives us the ability to deliver solid and consistent results, while also producing strong cash flow, which we have been applying towards organic investment in our business and debt paydown, and which we will continue to do for the remainder of the year,” said CEO Bill Wilson.
During the quarter, Townsquare Media retired $10 million of its outstanding debt. The company’s Adjusted EBITDA rose to $26.4 million, exceeding the forecast from the first quarter.
Additionally, the company’s board of directors approved a $0.20 per share quarterly dividend. Townsquare also noted that it’s full-year forecast now projects between $435-$440 million in revenue, with an adjusted EBITDA of $90-$94 million.
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Cumulus Media’s 104.5 The Zone in Nashville has announced a multi-year renewal of its long-standing partnership with the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The extension continues its role as the flagship station for Vols athletics in Middle Tennessee. As part of the expanded partnership, 104.5 The Zone morning co-host and former NFL lineman Ramon Foster will join the Tennessee Football gameday radio team alongside longtime “Voice of the Vols” Mike Keith.
Foster brings firsthand experience, deep insight, and unwavering Big Orange pride to every broadcast. Foster, who co-hosts Ramon & Will weekday mornings on 104.5, said joining the gameday crew is a personal and professional honor.
“The partnership between 104.5 The Zone and the Vols is something I’m incredibly proud to be part of — from Monday through Saturday,” said Foster. “The Zone’s commitment to delivering top-tier Vols coverage, and now games with me this fall, is something special. GBO!”
Moreover, the station will continue airing full-game broadcasts for Tennessee football. It will also house broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball, and other marquee events including National Signing Day and the Spring Game. Weekly programs like Big Orange Rewind and The Mike Keith Show will also remain key elements of the content slate.
“For 15 years, 104.5 The Zone has been the proud Home of the Vols in Nashville,” said Glenn Thackston, Executive Director of Learfield/Vol Network. “Being on one of the top sports stations in the country is a perfect fit and VFLs like Ramon Foster and Ron Slay make it must-listen radio for fans of the Big Orange. We look forward to continuing our long partnership with 104.5 The Zone in the state capital as we embark on a new era with the Vol Radio Network.”
Mike Keith, Tennessee Assistant AD for Broadcasting, noted the relationship dates back nearly 15 years.
“I believed then and now that 104.5’s ability to connect with fans throughout the region is unmatched,” said Keith. “With their University of Tennessee connections up and down their talent lineup, 104.5 The Zone is the destination for the best Vol information and conversation.”
Brandon Parks, General Manager for Learfield/Vol Network, called the extension a critical move for regional coverage.
“We look forward to a new chapter and future together in providing premier network and local content and coverage to Tennessee fans and alumni in Middle Tennessee,” said Parks.
Paul Mason, Programming Operations Manager at 104.5 The Zone, echoed that sentiment.
“This partnership is more than just broadcasting games — it’s about celebrating the spirit of Tennessee,” said Mason. “We’re proud to continue bringing Vol Nation the coverage it deserves, with passion, energy, and a whole lot of orange.”
The extended agreement runs through the 2028 season.
Big Orange Nation, Get Ready!
We are happy to share some great news!
WGFX and The @VolNetwork have announced a multi-year extension keeping Vol Football, Basketball, and other athletics on @1045TheZone for years to come.
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