Activity Stream

From Radio Insight: Colorado Public Radio’s 91.5 KRCC Colorado Springs CO Station Manager Jeff Bieri will retire on December 31. Bieri has been with KRCC since 1989 starting as a volunteer music host. During his tenure he hosted in every daypart including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, was Music Director, and then Program Director from 2004-2020. Upon the station’s partnership with Colorado Public Radio in 2020, he became Station Manager. He commented, “?It has been a profound honor to work at KRCC and serve this community, and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our listeners and supporters. As I step away, I hope they will continue to champion KRCC and recognize the vital role it plays in our lives.? CPR President/CEO Stewart Vanderwilt added, “As KRCC came into the CPR family of services, Jeff was the key connector and ambassador to elevate our service to Colorado Springs and to share the stories of southern Colorado across the state. His voice and presence will be missed, and he leaves a lasting legacy at the station.? more

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia has announced it is adopting The Trade Desk’s Unified ID 2.0, the privacy-focused, open-source identity framework for digital audio advertising tagging. iHeart says UID2 allows advertisers to connect more effectively with addressable, privacy-compliant audiences across iHeartMedia?s extensive range of media channels and allow advertisers to take full advantage of the marketing opportunities from the company. The tag makes it possible for advertisers to leverage authenticated user data, enhancing addressability across iHeartMedia?s platforms, including its podcasting business and iHeartRadio?s digital streaming services across platforms as part of its goal to make broadcast listening, which it says still accounts for nearly 70 percent of all ad-enabled audio consumption, to become fully programmatic and addressable. iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group CEO Conal Byrne said, “iHeartMedia is setting a new standard in digital audio by combining our robust, first-party data with Unified ID 2.0?s scalable identity framework. Our listeners are at the heart of everything we do, and with UID2, we?re taking another leap forward to ensure that brands can reach them in more relevant, personalized, and privacy-safe ways.? The Trade Desk VP/Inventory Development Verna De Jesus added, “As audio becomes a central part of digital advertising, iHeartMedia?s move to Unified ID 2.0 provides advertisers with the precision and scale they need to connect with key audiences. This collaboration reinforces the growing commitment to privacy-conscious identity solutions that still enable impactful targeting and measurement.? more

From Radio Online: vCreative, a provider of media workflow software for the radio industry, has entered into a partnership with Orbyt Media for ad sales and affiliate representation across Canada. Under the agreement, Orbyt Media will serve as vCreative's market development partner in the region, promoting its suite of tools More...

From Radio Online: Big Rob Lewis is named Program Director of KIMN-FM (Mix 100) in Denver. He succeeds Steve Marshall, who departed the Hot AC outlet in October to join crosstown Bonneville AC KOSI as a morning co-host. Most rectly, Lewis was Brand Manager and afternoon host at Hot AC KKPL (99.9 The Point) in Fort Collins, CO, More...

From Radio Online: Veteran Rock programmer Dave Rossi is out as Program Director of heritage WKSM-FM (99Rock) in Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL due to Cumulus cutbacks. He joined the company in May, 2021 from iHeartMedia in Nashville where he was Program Director for Classic Rock WNRQ-FM (105.9 The Rock) and Alternative More...

From Radio Online: Apple has unveiled three new live global radio stations on Apple Music: Apple Musica Uno, Apple Music Club and Apple Music Chill. These additions join Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, and are available for free without a subscription through Apple Music Radio. "Apple Music Radio More...

From Radio Online: Beasley Media's WKLB-FM (Country 102.5) in Boston elevates Ben Beaulieu to Music Director and afternoon host. Beaulieu, a recent graduate of Merrimack College, has been with the Country outlet since 2021 as a part-time on-air talent. Since May, he has been filling in as the afternoon host following the More...

From Radio Insight: Nielsen continues its releases of the November 2024 diary surveys today. Today’s markets include monthly ratings for Albany/Schenectady/Troy and Syracuse. The next three releases will feature: On Wednesday, December 11: Monthly ratings for Dayton, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Metro Fairfield County, Tucson, and Tulsa. On Thursday, December 12: Monthly ratings for Albuquerque, Allentown/Bethlehem, El Paso, Fresno, Honolulu, Knoxville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. On Friday, December 13: Monthly ratings for Akron, Bakersfield, Charleston SC, Harrisburg/Lebanon/Carlisle, and Omaha/Council Bluffs. more

From Radio Insight: Beasley Media’s “Country 102.5” WKLB-FM Waltham/Boston MA has promoted Ben Beaulieu to Music Director and afternoon host. Beaulieu, who graduated from Merrimack College earlier this year, has worked at the station as a part-time host since 2021 and has been filling-in afternoons since the exit of Jackson Blue in May. He also programs webcaster TNNRadio.com as part of his Rebel Media Group. Beaulieu shared on Facebook, “This incredible opportunity means the world to me because I grew up listening to this station – it’s been the soundtrack to so many moments in my life. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way ? I couldn’t have done this without you!” more

From Radio Online: KUPL (98.7 The Bull) in Portland, OR dedicated two days of its programming to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, raising more than $307,000 during a radiothon on December 5th and 6th. This marks another record-breaking year for the More...

From Radio Online: CHR KRBE/Houston successfully hosted its third annual "Houston's Little Heroes" fundraising event, raising $164,012.32 to support Texas Children's Hospital. The event, held on Thursday, December 5, brought together the Houston community in a collective effort to benefit the renowned More...

From Radio Online: WIOD (NewsRadio 610 AM) in Miami names Ryan Gorman and Dana McKay as morning hosts, effective immediately. Gorman and McKay will helm "The Ryan Gorman Show" from 6-9am, followed by The Manny Munoz Show, which will expand to air from 9am-12pm. Gorman and McKay are joined by veteran news anchor More...

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From Radio Insight: After a little over three years as Brand Manager and afternoon host at Townsquare Media Hot AC “99.9 The Point” KKPL Cheyenne WY/Fort Collins CO, ‘Big Rob’ Lewis is departing to join KSE Radio Hot AC “Mix 100” KIMN Denver as Program Director. Rob commented, “Having grown up listening to radio in Denver, including the legendary Mix 100, this is like a dream come true. To have the opportunity to work with this outstanding live and local airstaff, I could not be more excited about the future of Mix 100. If this is a dream, please don?t wake me.? He will also hold an undisclosed on-air shift. KSE Radio SVP/General Manager Dave Fleck said, “I could not be more excited to have Big Rob leading the Mix 100 programming initiatives. We are fortunate to already have a group of talented individuals and Rob will be the perfect complement to our team. I am confident that his leadership, fresh ideas, and overall passion for the radio business will take Mix 100 to new heights, making it a ?Favorite Button? on your radio dial.? Lewis joined KKPL in November 2021 after a sixteen year run at iHeartMedia where he programmed CHR ?96.1 Kiss-FM? KSME Greeley and AC ?Star 97.1? KYWY Cheyenne as well as hosted nights at “95.7 The Party” KPTT Denver. He also serves as the in-arena host for the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth owned by KSE and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Rob also had been serving as the national afternoon drive voicetracker for Townsquare’s CHR stations including WPST Trenton NJ and WJBQ Portland ME and Brand Manager of Alternative “94.3 The X” KMAX-FM Wellington/Fort Collins. Big Rob fills the PD role that had been held by Steve Marshall until his jump to Bonneville AC 101.1 KOSI as morning co-host in October. more

From Radio Online: The Connecticut Broadcasters Association (CBA) has announced that Jennifer Parsons will assume the role of President, effective January 2. Parsons, a veteran broadcaster and former General Manager of WZBG-FM in Litchfield, CT, succeeds Michael Ryan, who is retiring after a 12-year tenure marked by advocacy More...

From Radio Insight: By almost any measurement, ?Die With a Smile? by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars was a smash from the moment of its release on August 16. Like Sabrina Carpenter?s ?Espresso? a few months earlier, it reached the point where people who don?t follow today?s hit music somehow knew it, or where you might encounter somebody singing along to it in public. Two weeks ago, when Ross on Radio looked at the various measurements that determine a hit song, ?Die With a Smile? was one of only four songs that had a story in all three of the metrics that the industry looks at ? TikTok, Spotify (as a measurement of streaming overall), and Shazam ? as well as one recently made available in this column, the weekly requests for the nationally syndicated LiveLine show.* What ?Die With a Smile? hadn?t become, at least at that moment, was a consensus power-rotation song at Top 40 radio. Even when ?Die? went to No. 1 on the CHR chart, it was only in power ? defined here as more than 100 spins a week or in a station?s top three most-played songs ? at about 60 stations, or about a third of Mediabase?s Top 40 panel. In the top 10 markets, where local callout research usually factors into those decisions, it was an obvious hit in some markets ? San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles ? but not all of them. The last few years have shown the challenges of callout writ large ? as the Top 40 music audience becomes increasingly passive, with the format?s reach diminished, callout is more static than ever, and with it the charts. Yet, two weeks ago, the David Guetta reworking of Alphaville?s ?Forever Young,? a song that has grown stealthily over the years since 1984, debuted at No. 1 on Coleman Insights? Intergr8USA?s syndicated national callout.* All of this sends us back to some ongoing questions: What does callout mean now?* What should power rotation on your radio station be?* What sort of stories should you be looking at in determining whether a song belongs on the radio station? All of those questions sum up to the bigger one: ?What is a hit in 2024?? In early summer, the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 aligned surprisingly well with what Top 40 was playing. This week, we?re back to the top 10 being seven just-released Kendrick Lamar album cuts (some of which will indeed follow ?Not Like Us? to radio), Mariah Carey?s ?All I Want for Christmas,? a summer holdover (Shaboozey), and Gaga/Bruno. For years, power rotation comprised the nine biggest songs on your radio station ? then seven, then five, then three or two as rotations increased and consensus hits narrowed. For the most part, those songs carried some measure of both strength and excitement. When a song wouldn?t stop researching power, or bounced back into power, it meant that song was a unicorn, not that every other available song was weak.* By 2019, that paradigm had already been pretty well demolished. By then, power rotation at major-market stations was already heavily recurrent-driven. That might line up with some programmers? notion of ?just play the hits,? but CHR has been largely a format of low-rated radio stations ever since. We let our most passive listeners drive and they fell asleep at the wheel. Even with other choices for music discovery, I still believe that the promise of exciting new music is essential to Top 40 and other current-based music formats. In the 10-minute listening occasion that has become our average, I would hope to hear one consensus smash, one exciting new song, and one oldie ? preferably a creatively chosen one. If I heard that, and something exciting between the songs, I might even give you 20 minutes. What we call ?power? now has increasingly become ?power recurrent? (or ?stash? or ?stay-current,? as programmers of a bygone age called them). I believe those records are absolutely important for providing three minutes of guaranteed strength on your radio station. Play them 85x a week in their own rotation and they?ll do what they?re supposed to. Fill your real powers with five such songs and play them 113x a week and you will be stale. ?Power? to me still needs to carry some reasonable combination of strength and excitement. I would not load up a 3-5 song rotation with only songs that don?t yet test like ?Die with a Smile? or a song that might never test like ?Hot to Go!? In general, though, I feel that most powers are visible a few weeks earlier than we adopt them, and songs like Gaga/Bruno that matter in every other conceivable way sometimes can be powers. The third most important rotation on a station is, for me, ?Power New? ? the equivalent of the new-releases bin at a record store (or atop a streaming portal or iTunes Music Store). It?s the rotation that needs the most curation from programmers, who don?t have much time for music enterprise these days. But if I was trying to break a song, I would give it at least a week in ?power new? to make sure it got heard, since starting a song in nights/overnights only does not. The hardest songs for me to judge are the ones that see their initial excitement slow to a more middling momentum. In recent weeks, the Weeknd?s ?Dancing in the Flames? and Tate McRae?s ?It?s OK I?m OK? have started to justify the many weeks in rotation that radio gave them after the initial new-artist excitement slowed down. But there are a lot of songs like that between No. 9 and No. 25 now that have neither strength or freshness, and it?s hard to know which deserve your continued support. It would be easier, as consultant Guy Zapoleon has noted, if radio would give new songs more spins sooner.* I?ve been a music researcher for the last 20 years, and I still absolutely believe in callout, when used correctly. The Alphaville-type stories that it unearths are the most fun. If the Guetta record is benefitting from the familiarity of the original. I don?t regard that as a false positive, because I believe it means that people will enjoy the Guetta song when they hear it. (And, by the way, we?ve had a ton of remakes and extrapolations in the last two years, and the remake factor blesses very few of them.) The best use of any type of research has always been using it as a tool to empower programmers to put songs on the radio, not just to take them off. Until radio has too many hits to find room for all of them, it?s fine to take a shot on a song that has just one or two stories. If there?s any way of confirming your gut, it?s even OK if one of those stories is just ?this sounds like a hit to me.?* more

From Radio Online: KIRO (Newsradio 97.3 FM and Seattle Sports 710 AM) have launched the 36th Annual Holiday Magic Fundraiser, a tradition supporting Treehouse, a Washington-based nonprofit that provides education and enrichment opportunities for children and youth in foster care. The campaign aims to provide each child in the More...

From Radio Online: Philadelphia's WOFL-FM (BIG 98.1) has demonstrated its dedication to the community, raising $241,253 during its 23rd annual "BIG 98.1 Loves Our Kids Radiothon." The funds will support the Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department at Children's Hospital of More...

From Radio Online: iHeartMedia News/Talk 1130 WISN in Milwaukee has announced its new daytime lineup for 2025, effective January 2. "The Jay Weber Show" continues from 6-9am, followed by "The Benjamin Yount Show" from 9-11am, Premiere's "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton" from 11am-2pm, "The Vicki McKenna Show" from 2-3pm More...

From Radio Online: Country WXTU-FM in Philadelphia is teaming up with the Camden County Board of Commissioners to host its 25th Annual Toy Truck Parade on Saturday, December 14. This festive event aims to collect toys for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Camden County, bringing holiday cheer to children in need. Listeners are More...

From Radio Insight: Apple Music is doubling up on the amount of its 24/7 radio streams with the launch today of Apple M?sica Uno, Apple Music Club, and Apple Music Chill. The three new channels join the existing Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, which are all available without a subscription to Apple Music. Apple Vice President of Music, Sports, and Beats Oliver Schusser said, “Apple Music Radio is the beating heart of our service, representing the intersection of exceptional human voices and curation with cutting-edge technology that shapes and influences culture. We put a lot of time and care into making sure these new radio stations are really bespoke, highly curated, and hosted by some of the world?s best music commentators with unique programming that we know our listeners will love.? The first new channel, “Apple M?sica Uno” will focus on Latin music genres including M?sica Mexicana, reggaet?n, tropical, Latin pop, and more. Becky G is the launch host of the station and Rauw Alejandro and Grupo Frontera will host specialty shows. Evelyn Sicairos and Lechero will be the lead personalities for the station hosting daily shows with Sicairos anchoring “La Oficial Radio” and Lechero taking over “?Dale Play! Radio”. Additional programming will include Puro Pop Radio, informed by the beloved playlist of the same name, while weekend programming will take cues from Cumbia Pa? La Fiesta, Canciones Caras, and Por Siempre Hits. Apple M?sica Uno will launch with Bad Bunny’s new single ?EL CL?B.?. All program hosts will speak Spanish and English. “Apple Music Club” will focus on dance and electronic music and club culture. Tim Sweeney and NAINA will be “guides”, providing context around each mix, which will cover a full spectrum of sounds, from the festival circuit to the underground with all of them available as on demand DJ Mixes on Apple Music. The station will launch with Inner City’s “Big Fun” and have exclusive new mixes from Honey Dijon, Jamie xx, FKA twigs, and Nia Archives as well as sets from Apple Music curators Circoloco, Tomorrowland, The Warehouse Project, fabric, H? Ibiza, and Stone Island Sound. “Apple Music Chill” is described as “an escape, a refuge, a sanctuary in sound ? a place listeners can turn to throughout their day.” The channel will have “tastemakers like Brian Eno, Stephan Moccio, and Zane Lowe expertly taking them through stories of calm and wellbeing in their own hosted shows”, while Apple Music?s Sabi will act as station guide throughout the week. It will launch with Beck’s cover of George Harrison?s ?Be Here Now?. Coinciding with the launches, Apple Music is introducing a dedicated radio tab that will feature all six stations as well as interviews and shows hosted by artists across all stations easier to discover. Apple Music Global Creative Director and lead anchor Zane Lowe said, “Music is crucial to our health and happiness, and what Apple Music Radio brings is a sense that your music is always there for you, always on, and waiting for you to just tap in. In a world of AI and algorithms, Apple Music Radio is live. It?s real people, it?s a shared event, and I?m so excited to be broadening that experience to listeners worldwide with three new stations.? more

From Radio Insight: iHeartMedia Conservative Talk 1130 WISN Milwaukee is debuting a new daily lineup starting Thursday, January 2. Coinciding with Mark Belling’s transition from afternoons to a podcast, WISN’s 9-11am host Dan O?Donnell will move to afternoons from 3-6pm. O’Donnell has been with WISN since 2013 after previously spending nearly 12 years at 620 WTMJ in multiple news and hosting roles. Succeeding O’Donnell in the 9-11am slot will be WISN News Director Benjamin Yount. Yount joined WISN in 2020 from WRPW Bloomington IL and has been serving as the station’s primary fill-in host in addition to News Director. The remainder of WISN’s lineup remains the same with Jay Weber from 6-9am, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton from 11am-2pm, Vicki McKenna from 2-3pm, Sean Hannity from 6-9pm, and Mark Levin 9pm-12am. iHeartMedia Wisconsin Area President Jeff Tyler said, “WISN is one of the great success stories in the radio industry over the past decade, in terms of both ratings and overall influence. We are confident that this latest evolution of WISN?s powerful lineup will meet and exceed the expectations of our listeners and our sponsors.? more

From Radio Insight: SmileyAudioMedia Black Talk 1580 KBLA Santa Monica/Los Angeles has announced it is adding new daily shows hosted by Dr. Cornel West and Jesse Jackson Jr. The new lineup will take effect on Monday, January 6 with “Truth Time” hosted by West and former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner taking the 12pm hour currently featuring “The Millionaire?s Roundtable” with Lynn Richardson. Jackson Jr. will host the 1pm hour, with ?A More Perfect Union? with Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey moving from 1-2pm to 4-6pm. KBLA will continue to feature “First Things First” with Dominique Diprima from 6-9am, owner Tavis Smiley’s syndicated show from 9am-12pm, and Reach Media’s DL Hughley Show from 2-4pm. Smiley said, “I am both humbled and deliciously proud that Dr. Cornel West, Nina Turner and Jesse Jackson Jr. have decided to join us at KBLA Talk 1580 as we continue to build the most innovative and empowering Black talk media platform in the nation. No talk station in America can match the intellectual firepower that we will be launching on Monday, January 6th. KBLA Talk 1580 is proud to have more Black women hosts than any talk station in the country including Dominque DiPrima, the first Black woman to host her own radio talk show in L.A. morning drive, and Adrianne Shropshire, Executive Director of BlackPAC. After all the bickering about Black men during the recent presidential campaign, now is the time to pass the mic to more Black men of different generations to facilitate conversations you won?t find anywhere else. It?s going to be a rough four years. This is what resistance looks like.” more

From Radio Insight: SiriusXM has announced an updated strategic plan to focus on its subscription and advertising business and the appointment of Wayne Thorsen as EVP/Chief Operating Officer. Thorsen joins SiriusXM from security tech company ADT where he has spent the past two years as EVP/Chief Business Officer. He has previously been VP/Devices and Services Business Development for Google and held roles at SoFi, Viacom, Telef?nica Digital, and Microsoft. In his new role, Thorsen will oversee SiriusXM’s product and technology functions and be responsible for aspects of the Company’s commercial activities, business development including automotive and streaming distribution arrangements, certain consumer marketing activities such as subscriber acquisition, and corporate strategy. He will lead the company’s efforts to closely monitor the return on marketing and technology investments to drive greater operational efficiency and enhance the listener experience. CEO Jennifer Witz said, “We are pleased to add Wayne to the SiriusXM team at this pivotal time for the Company. Wayne is a seasoned leader who brings significant experience driving business development and innovation, and he is well-positioned to help guide the Company through this next chapter as we sharpen our focus on delivering meaningful results alongside greater efficiency. While at Google, where Wayne led business development for the devices and services division, Wayne was a wonderful partner for SiriusXM, and I look forward to working closely with him to drive SiriusXM forward.” Thorsen commented, “As a long-time SiriusXM subscriber myself, I have always admired SiriusXM’s platform and its commitment to providing listeners with unmatched content. It is an honor to join this Company as it enters its next phase. This is an important time for SiriusXM, and strong execution will be critical as the Company implements its new strategy. I’m excited to work alongside Jennifer and the rest of the SiriusXM leadership team to turn the company’s vision into results-driven, efficient action, and capture the opportunity ahead.” Joseph Inzerillo, who served as Chief Product and Technology Officer, has stepped down from the company to pursue other opportunities. The appointment comes as the company released its updated strategic plan to investors. Witz commented, “At SiriusXM, we are focusing on the strengths that set us apart ? including our strong core subscriber base, our unique position in vehicle, and our unrivaled, curated content — and taking steps to drive profitability and cash flow as we face marketplace headwinds impacting the company’s growth trajectory. We have a clear path forward and are confident we can deliver for our stockholders.” Sharpening Strategic Focus on the Company’s Strengths & Differentiators to Drive Stockholder Value SiriusXM’s premium offerings stand alone in audio entertainment, and the Company is highlighting key actions it will take to lean into its differentiated position as it charts its path forward. Doubling Down on SiriusXM’s Core Automotive Subscriber Segment: SiriusXM’s position in-vehicle remains unrivaled in audio entertainment, reflected in its leading in-car share of ear1. As 90% of SiriusXM’s subscribers have the service embedded in-car today, the Company is focusing its resources on increasing retention and capturing additional growth opportunities within this valuable segment that underpins its scaled subscriber base. As a part of this effort, the Company will shift marketing and other resources away from high-cost, high-churn audiences in streaming to focus resources on core revenue-generating segments. Utilizing Streaming as a Companion to the Company’s Core Automotive Offering: The investments the Company has made over the past two years have expanded the service’s reach and engagement in and out of the vehicle, and SiriusXM will continue to highlight the value-added benefits of the app to its core subscribers. SiriusXM will also utilize the streaming platform for automotive distribution where beneficial, both in support of the Company’s growing population of IP and satellite enabled vehicles with 360L and as evidenced by its recent inclusion in the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update. By integrating SiriusXM’s streaming solution into Tesla’s IP-enabled operating system, SiriusXM is rapidly expanding access to its service to more than two million vehicles already on the road, opening up a valuable new segment of its core audience in some of the most popular vehicles in North America. Curating Unrivaled Content: SiriusXM’s biggest competitive advantage remains its premium, exclusive, live and on-demand content from its roster of top talent and subject-matter experts. The Company will continue cultivating deep connections between fans and hosts, with future investments centered on the major differentiators that resonate with its core, including: its human curated and hosted music channels, unmatched depth and breadth of live sports, extensive bench of leading audio talent, and growing podcast network. Leveraging the Company’s Advertising Strength: The Company will leverage its leadership position in ad-supported audio, both within Pandora and podcasting, to monetize ad-based experiences in its flagship SiriusXM service, and will prioritize adtech investments that simplify campaign planning, purchasing, and measurement for advertiser campaigns across its portfolio. Additionally, long-term, the Company plans to capitalize on its automotive expertise and prowess to launch first-to-market, integrated, addressable in-car ad experiences. Increasing Efficiency: Following the successful implementation of cost-reduction efforts across various business units as well as a period of high re-investment in product infrastructure, SiriusXM is further optimizing efficiencies in key areas across the business. The Company is scrutinizing the lifetime value of subscribers, optimizing marketing efforts for higher returns, aligning content investments with its strategic and profitability goals, and closely monitoring the return on technology investments to drive greater operational efficiency and enhance the listener experience. To date, the Company has delivered an aggregate of approximately $350 million of run rate savings in 2023 and 2024, and will target an initial incremental $200 million of annualized savings exiting 2025. Capital Allocation Priorities to Drive Stockholder Returns The Company’s strategic actions are focused on preserving its strong balance sheet, maintaining leading margins, and optimizing free cash flow. These actions will enable SiriusXM to prioritize deleveraging in the near-term while simultaneously enhancing stockholder returns. Continuing Planned Deleveraging: Following the retirement of 12% of its outstanding common stock and the addition of $1.7 billion of debt as a result of the Liberty Media split-off transactions, the Company remains committed to its leverage target of low-to-mid 3 times adjusted EBITDA. Without giving effect to any opportunistic share repurchases, SiriusXM expects to reduce its debt by approximately $700M in 2025 and achieve a leverage ratio of 3.6x by year end 2025. Maintaining Dividend: The Board of Directors of SiriusXM remains committed to its current quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, or $1.08 per share annually, currently returning more than $350 million to stockholders per year. Stock Buyback Authorization: The Board authorized $1.166 billion common stock repurchase program remains in place. The timing and amount of any shares repurchased will be determined based on SiriusXM’s evaluation of market conditions and other factors and the program may be discontinued or suspended at any time. Repurchases will be made in compliance with all SEC rules and other legal requirements and may be made in part under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, which permits stock repurchases when SiriusXM might otherwise be precluded from doing so. 2025 Outlook In conjunction with today’s update, SiriusXM is providing 2025 guidance for total revenue of $8.5 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $2.6 billion, and free cash flow of $1.15 billion. This follows the Company’s reaffirmation of its 2024 guidance for total revenue of approximately $8.675 billion, adjusted EBITDA of approximately $2.7 billion, and free cash flow of approximately $1 billion. Aligned with its enhanced focus on free cash flow, the Company expects free cash flow conversion, free cash flow as a percentage of EBITDA, to increase from approximately 37% in 2024 to approximately 44% in 2025. Additionally, the Company is targeting free cash flow of $1.5 billion in 2027. The Company excludes from adjusted EBITDA the impact of other income (expense), gain on extinguishment of debt, impairment, restructuring and other costs, other non-cash charges such as share-based payment expense, and legal settlements and reserves (if applicable). Similarly, free cash flow does not include certain items that do not relate to the on-going performance of the Company’s business, such as cash flows related to acquisitions, strategic and short-term investments, including tax efficient investments in clean energy. Free cash flow may also be negatively impacted by legal settlements which are excluded from adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures. The Company has not provided a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to projected net income (loss) or free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities because full-year net income (loss) and net cash provided by operating activities will include special items that have not occurred and are difficult to predict with reasonable certainty. Due to this uncertainty, the Company cannot reconcile adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow to their comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable effort. more

From Radio Insight: Flagler Broadcasting has launched “101.3 The Light” W267BX St. Augustine/105.5 WBHU-HD3 St. Augustine Beach FL. Flagler Broadcasting President/CEO David Ayers said, ?We wanted to give northeast Florida a full-service contemporary Christian radio station with local DJs, news, weather, traffic, and support for local churches and other non-profits.” Set to flip to Christian AC after the holidays, the station is running Christmas music until then. Longtime cluster programmer, John ‘JT’ Thomas will serve as PD and on-air for the station. He said, “You won?t hear us preaching or asking listeners for money. We just want to be a positive local radio station where our Christian messages are in our music.? Flagler Broadcasting purchased W267BX in September for $50,000. more

From Radio Online: WDOK-FM (Star 102) in Cleveland raised $200,116 during its 22nd annual Rainbow Radiothon, benefiting University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies andamp; Children's Hospital. The fundraising event, held on December 6, brought the station's total contributions to over $5.6 million since the More...

From Radio Online: Northwestern Media's KJNW (Life 88.5) Kansas City celebrated a successful year of community outreach by collecting 10,139 pounds of food during its Terrific Tuesday events. The food drives made nine stops across the Kansas City metro area, benefiting local food pantries and More...

From Radio Online: For 24 years, The Johnjay and Rich Show has been spreading holiday cheer to families in need through its nonprofit #LOVEUP Foundation. This holiday season, the Premiere Networks-syndicated program delivered a heartwarming Christmas wish to Dawn, a mother of five who is a registered nurse, community volunteer More...

From Radio Online: KNX News went live from its new studio on L.A.'s Miracle Mile at 11am on Sunday. L.A.'s Morning News co-anchor Mike Simpson was the first anchor behind the mic in the station's new Studio 1 at Audacy Los Angeles, after nearly 20 years in facilities on a different floor. The More...

From Radio Online: News/Talk WBAP in Dallas has seen two prominent departures from its morning news program as part of broader cuts by Cumulus Media. Sports Director Steve Lamb (pictured) and anchor Nicole Osei are no longer with the station, marking the end of long-running tenures for both. Lamb had been with WBAP since More...