RAIN Notes: June 30
Gaining advantages (Jacobs Media)
Take Me Out To The Broadcast (JStreamGuys)
Return of the 60s (Bridge Ratings Media Research) Continue Reading
Follow the creator
In a recent audience study conducted by Sounds Profitable, a key finding reveals that most podcast listeners would follow podcast creators across formats. The finding is perhaps more surprising than it seems at first glance. Continue Reading
Savings gained, personalities lost in iHeartMedia restructuring
This week saw a nationwide layoff sweep at iHeartMedia, reportedly removing over 100 on-air and programming jobs across the country. Some details are leaking out from employees. An in-company memo stresses “faster is better” which iHeart says will deepen relationships with listeners, and provide better support for the company’s ad sellers. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: June 25
Doubling down (The Atlantic)/
Figuring it out (Jacobs Media)
Four billion streams and other facts (Rina Chandran) Continue Reading
NAB offers AI lessons for broadcasters
Trade group NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) has mounted an AI training program for broadcasters. It’s free, and promises practical knowledge for more efficient team work, strengthened reporting and storytelling, and a better product for audiences. “Artificial intelligence is rapidly… Continue Reading
Class action vs. Spotify dismissed by judge
A class action lawsuit filed against Spotify in November 2025 by was dismissed. The case involved music by Drake, although Drake himself was not involved and was not named as a defendant. It’s about bot farms and Spotify’s “streamshare” royalty payment system. Continue Reading
In cars they trust: Radio and listener routines
A newly released study commissioned by Katz Radio asks this question: “What makes a favorite radio station?” The inquiry is driven by a compelling engagement statistic. Continue Reading
Penske acquires key Vox Media properties, becoming world’s largest digimedia company
Penske Media Corporation (PMC) has agreed to acquire seven media brands belonging to Vox Media, as well as Vox’s digital ad marketplace and first-party data platform. Continue Reading
Best ROI podcasts in Oxford Road ranker
Podcast advertising agency giant Oxford Road has released its unique ranker: Top Performing International Podcasts, an evaluation and grading based on return on investment for advertisers. That crucial metric replaces the usual download-based ranking criterion of listenership. As such, the data outputs drill straight to what is most important to advertisers: ROI. Click for results. Continue Reading
Cumulus / Signal Hill release latest Podcast Download Report
Signal Hill Insights and Cumulus Media have released the Spring 2026 edition of Podcast Download Spring 2026 Report. It’s the sixteenth edition of the bi-annual dataset, produced by Signal Hill and Cumulus Media. It is free to download in exchange for name and contact info. Click for linkage. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia launches AudioGraph, developed by Triton Digital
A new ad tech platform called AudioGraph, developed by Triton Digital, has been launched by iHeartMedia. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between traditional radio and digital meda — which might be considered a key industry mission across audio… Continue Reading
One decade; 386% growth
That startling growth metric comes from Edison Research in its latest Weekly Insight feature, taken from Edison’s ongoing Share of Ear research project. It’s about weekly time spent listening to podcasts. Click for the graphic. Continue Reading