Cumulus Media

24% of Cumulus radio streams are on smart speakers; and interesting ad campaign results

Posted on by Brad Hill

“Smart speaker ownership soars and brings AM/FM back into the home,” writes Pierre Bouvard in a new Westwood One blog post. A key statistic from the parent company backs this up: 24% of stream listening to Cumulus radio stations happens on smart speakers. Cumulus booked an interesting smart speaker preroll campaign with a consortium of Ford dealerships. Click through for more context, a chart, and link to more. Continue Reading →

Jeff Umbro: Staring Down the Barrel of 2020 (Podcast Lists)

Posted on by Jeff Umbro

by Jeff Umbro

In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro unleashes an epic list of lists — 32 media brands which released end-of-year “best podcasts of 2020” roundups. From Esquire to Vanity Fair. From Town & Country to Teen Vogue. Dive in now; thank Jeff later. (Or blame him; your choice.) Continue Reading →

Jeff Umbro: Courses, Webinars, and Learning Opportunities

Posted on by Jeff Umbro

by Jeff Umbro

In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. In this edition, a rundown of four online courses and webinars for getting a better understanding of podcasting issues and skills. Also — Sirius XM and Howard Stern. Continue Reading →

Cumulus Q3: Podcasting up nearly 50%, 102M September downloads

Posted on by Brad Hill

A few interesting notes related to podcasting from Cumulus Media in the company’s Q3 earnings report. Cumulus owns Westwood One and the Westwood One Podcast Network, although neither entity was mentioned by name in the earnings call remarks by CEO Mary Berner and CFO Frank Lopez-Balboa. Podcasting provided a bulward during trouble performance of streaming and local digital marketing. Continue Reading →

Cumulus Media: Emphasis on digital growth and redefinition as “audio-first media company”

Posted on by Brad Hill

In the Q1 earnings report from Cumulus Media, digital and podcasting took starring roles even as Covid-19 damaged quarterly results for the company as a whole. The Westwood One Podcast Network is part of Cumulus. CEO Mary Berner defines the business as “audio-first media company.” Digital is driving growth. Podcasts are soaring. Continue Reading →