Telecom Act: 20 Years Later

The Hot AC sound is gone from 96.5 in Philadelphia, replaced by Country music's current stars. The new US 96.5 arrives with a commercial-free launch window, a full weekday lineup on the way, and a direct rival in Beasley's 92.5 XTU waiting for the same audience.

A top ten market is among four that have lost the industry's seal of approval for Nielsen's PPM ratings. The Media Rating Council revoked accreditation in a September decision, adding another strain to a currency already under review after a pause on the accreditation of Nielsen's diary service.

The frequency stays the same, but everything on it just got louder. Fredericksburg's Classic Rock station has a new identity rooted in Civil War history and a playlist that now reaches well beyond the classics, thanks to a relaunch that ended a weekend of stunting.

Carter Alan is saying goodbye after 47 years in Boston radio. The midday host on iHeartMedia's WZLX joined The Chuck Nowlin Morning Show earlier Monday to announce his decision to retire, with a farewell broadcast set for later this year.

As terrestrial radio continues its battle on Capitol Hill to maintain reception in the dashboard. Stingray, the Canadian broadcaster now behind TuneIn, just planted a flag in Ford and Lincoln vehicles, with co-branded streaming radio apps joining select models.

Rod Calarco, who led WCBS-FM through its climb to number one and spent 28 years at CBS Radio, has died. His career also included positions at ABC Television, WCAU-AM in Philadelphia, KRQR in San Francisco, and the CBS National Sales Rep Firm in Chicago.

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio is about to show what AI looks like inside a real morning show, a music brand, and a digital-first shift with a free webinar later this month, seeking to give content creators a guide to the tools and habits they can actually use.

Holiday shoppers will let AI hunt for the deal, but they want to be the ones who buy it. That boundary, plus a stubborn deal-overload problem, shapes the pitch radio sellers can make to retail clients heading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to YouGov data.

The most valuable podcast listeners are showing radio where ad dollars are headed. New research on podcasting’s heaviest spenders points to trusted hosts, overlooked genres, and frequency across touchpoints, lessons stations selling personalities and local audiences can put to work right away.