A new report released by Audacy looks to convey just how passionate sports-talk radio listeners are. Titled 2026 State of Audio: Sports Fandom, the report explores the evolution of the sports fan’s attention.

Its bottom line: In a packed sports calendar year like 2026, sports fans are craving places for discussion beyond a three-hour game, and they consistently seem to be seeking out audio.

The report cites several studies as sources, including the “State of Sports Media” from Crowd React Media, Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” and Nielsen-Scarborough’s USA+ study.

Audacy operates some of the highest-profile sports-talk radio outlets in the U.S., including New York’s WFAN (AM/FM), Chicago’s WSCR(AM) and its newly added Chicago 104.3 FM signal, Philadelphia’s WIP(FM) and Washington, D.C.’s WJFK(FM).

In fact, eight of the top 10 most sports-obsessed markets are Audacy markets, according to a Nielsen-Scarborough study from 2025 cited in the report. In order of “avid fan index,” those markets are Kansas City, Buffalo, Atlanta, Austin, Des Moines/Ames, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Columbus and Denver.

“These are the markets where fandom shows up everywhere,” Audacy said in the report. You can read its entire findings here.

The report coincides with a massive year in the sports calendar, which includes the World Cup, Winter Olympics and World Baseball Classic, not to mention coverage of the four major U.S. sports.

Study findings

As sports viewing scatters across multiple platforms, the most devoted fans are concentrating their daily habits on audio, Audacy said.

“Audacy now ranks #1 in sports talk reach across radio and TV, surpassing ESPN and FS1,” the company said in a release, citing the Nielsen-Scarborough study.

Passionate fans engage long after the final whistle, according to the report. During the offseason, 72% of fans monitor trades and deals, according to the Crowd React Media study. Diehard fans are also 1.4 times more likely to tune into pre- and post-game shows on radio than TV, according to a Vision Insights study from this past August through October.

Podcasts, naturally, have played a significant role. According to Edison Research’s Share of Ear from Q3 2025, the share of listening to podcasts for sports content has increased by 71% in the last five years.

Approximately 79% of fans said that sports make them feel part of a community. The study cited fans who mute national broadcasts to capture their own city’s emotion and history via local radio.

Gen-Z fans are just as passionate, Audacy said, but consume content differently. They are more likely to watch clips or analysis on Twitch and participate in daily fantasy leagues or sports betting, according to the Vision Insights study.

That’s where Audacy said sports radio has been ahead of the curve.

“Long before video podcasts became a headline, sports radio shows were already streaming live on YouTube, Twitch and social platforms,” the report said.

It may not be a drastic surprise that NFL fandom is the highest among audio listeners. According to the study, 81% of avid NFL fans are sports talk radio listeners.

Audacy said the passion transfers digitally, too.

“Sports audio drives measurable results beyond traditional categories, with web traffic lifts on air days vs. off-air days: +105% for financial services, +42% home improvement, +22% grocery, +10% automotive,” the report said.

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Audacy and Sonos have a new partnership.

Sonos is an audio tech company that makes an ecosystem of wireless speakers, home theater systems, headphones, architectural components and other home audio products.

Audacy broadcast stations have been available on Sonos devices since 2020. Now Audacy becomes the U.S. sales and distribution representative for Sonos Radio’s streaming inventory. Sonos Radio will join the Audacy Digital Audience Network, and its stations will be distributed on the Audacy platform.

Audacy said it has been working to create alliances with “high-performing brands that deepen listener engagement and expand advertiser opportunities.” It pointed to recent distribution collaborations with iHeartMedia and TuneIn, a sports content deal with Jomboy Media and a sports marketing agreement with MOGL.

“Adding Sonos Radio to this roster reinforces Audacy’s commitment to building a robust ecosystem of premium audio experiences across platforms, audiences and content formats,” according to the announcement, which was made by Audacy President of Digital Sales Michael Biemolt and Sonos Radio Director, Product Management Jack Rutledge.

Listeners will be able to find Sonos Radio stations on the Audacy app and web, with Sonos Radio featured alongside Audacy’s owned-and-operated brands,” they said in their joint announcement. Audacy will also distribute Sonos Radio stations across platforms including Google Home, Alexa and Apple Music.

[Related: “With Reliability Restored, Sonos Focuses on Customer Advocacy”]

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Digital ad revenue is playing an important role in stabilizing overall industry sales for the U.S. commercial radio business.

That’s according to RAB’s 14th Annual Digital Benchmarking Report, produced by Borrell Associates Inc.

The report takes heart from the trend line for digital. Its findings are against a backdrop of revenue totals that are much smaller than 10 or 20 years ago.

The report finds that radio’s digital advertising reached a record in 2025 of $2.3 billion. It also states that digital sales accounted for 24.4% of total revenue nationwide.

That would put overall revenue of the U.S. commercial radio industry last year at $9.4 billion.

For context, in 2005 the radio industry’s revenue was $21.5 billion, according to Radio World’s reporting of RAB data at the time. In 2016, the year RAB said digital ad revenue first surpassed $1 billion, radio’s total that year was about $17.4 billion. (Those were not Borrell-based numbers but give a sense of how the radio revenue picture has shrunk.)

“Borrell forecasts digital revenue will grow slightly faster this year — 9.5% versus 7.8% in 2025 — reaching $2.5 billion,” RAB states in the new release.

“The average station generated $511,873 in digital revenue in 2025, and the average market cluster made $2,263,431.”

RAB President/CEO Mike Hulvey was quoted saying, “Advertisers are recognizing the digital services and products that exist as part of broadcast radio’s marketing toolbox and are taking advantage of it.”

According to RAB, the report finds that “strong and sustained digital growth has largely offset declines in core radio advertising. Since 2022, digital revenue has grown at a compound annual rate of 8.3%, while core radio advertising has declined 2.2%.”

It quoted Borrell Associates CEO Gordon Borrell pointing out that three-fourths of radio buyers are not yet taking advantage of radio’s digital products.

Marketron CEO Jimshade Chaudhari said, “Digital is now the primary driver of revenue stability and growth in radio.”

Another finding: Local advertisers value radio’s “branding power and return on investment,” but many view it as difficult to measure.

“As a result, budgets are flowing toward media that combine radio’s branding with accountability, particularly streaming audio, streaming video and digitally measurable campaigns,” RAB stated.

The report also found rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools in radio sales organizations but said many managers express concern that AI-driven media recommendations may not favor radio “unless stations strengthen their digital positioning and measurement capabilities.”

The report, which is available to RAB members, is based on ad revenue data from approximately 3,800 radio stations; surveys of advertisers, agencies and radio managers; and market-level digital revenue estimates in 513 U.S. markets.

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Fans of top 40 and of the San Francisco radio scene will be interested to learn that Don Sainte-Johnn has issued a memoir.

It’s called “San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey.” The title refers to his tenure at KFRC, where he said he was the last working top 40 disc jockey before the format disappeared from that market.

According to Sainte-Johnn, the book is about “live breaks, control-room decisions, audience responsibility, mentorship and the pressures of performing without a safety net.” 

“The book explores the moment when personality-driven top 40 radio gave way to more tightly formatted playlists and corporate consolidation, fundamentally changing how radio sounded and operated.” It also delves into shifts including automation and algorithm-driven music selection.

He said that as stations abandoned the top 40 identity in favor of CHR, KFRC emerged as the last major holdout in San Francisco. 

“Rather than nostalgia, the book offers an insider’s account of how the shift toward automated and formatted programming gained momentum in the late 1980s and early 1990s, marking a new chapter in American radio.”

His radio career included stops in Sacramento, Calif., San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco, St. Louis and Yuma, Ariz. He has worked on the air as well as in production, programming and operations and he is an inductee of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. 

Today he is a consultant, writer and teacher.

The book is available in paperback and ebook formats via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers.

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MediaCo has launched a multicultural audio network called Sigma Audio Networks LLC.

It said multicultural audio buying typically has been fragmented and difficult to scale nationally. “Despite radio’s proven ability to deliver reach and frequency, the infrastructure has not kept pace with how modern agencies plan and buy media,” according to its announcement.

“As the United States continues to grow more diverse, MediaCo’s longstanding leadership in serving Hispanic, Black and bicultural audiences has positioned it at the forefront of multicultural media. Through legendary brands like WBLS-FM, HOT97, the Estrella Network, Que Buena Los Angeles and the Don Cheto Radio Network, MediaCo delivers unmatched cultural relevance, trusted voices and consistent daily connections with millions of listeners nationwide.”

It said Sigma Audio Networks will build on that national reach, the company’s credibility in the communities it serves and its content ecosystem. The network will offer advertisers reach to Hispanic, Black, Asian American and bicultural audiences through a single buy. 

The announcement was made by MediaCo President/CEO Albert Rodriguez, Chief Revenue Officer Brian Fisher and Sigma Audio President/CEO Elisa Torres.

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Cumulus Media is rating it as a big win. A federal judge has granted Cumulus a preliminary injunction preventing Nielsen from implementing its “network tying” policy, which is at the center of a lawsuit between the companies.

Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled on Dec. 30 that Cumulus has supported its claim of irreparable harm and said the company will likely succeed with the antitrust claims it has brought against Nielsen. She also slammed a lid on how much Nielsen can charge the company for its national radio ratings.

The judge decided that Cumulus had demonstrated that a preliminary injunction was necessary to prevent irreparable harm.

“Cumulus has a strong likelihood of succeeding on the merits in this case … the balance of hardships weighs toward Cumulus, and … the public interest weighs in favor of a preliminary injunction,” she wrote.

Nielsen also is prohibited from charging a “commercially unreasonable rate for its national ratings report as a complete, standalone product.” The order sets a rate that is equal to or lower than the highest annual 2026 rate Nielsen charges any broadcaster, whether network or local, for nationwide ratings.

The order will remain in effect for the duration of the litigation, as Cumulus’ antitrust case goes forward.

Monopoly claims

The legal fight is putting a spotlight on the relationship between U.S. radio broadcasters and the industry’s most prominent ratings provider. Cumulus is the second-largest radio broadcaster in the United States by station count and the third-largest by revenue, according to BIA Advisory Services.

The suit was filed by the broadcaster in October in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

It claims that Nielsen holds a monopoly over national radio ratings and has a policy that will force broadcasters also to purchase local radio ratings from Nielsen rather than from a ratings competitor.

Cumulus argues in the suit that Nielsen’s new “tying policy” is illegal because it forces its local stations to buy Nielsen’s local radio ratings data, which Cumulus says are overpriced, instead of another service.

According to Cumulus, Nielsen’s tying policy works this way: Any radio operator with local stations that also owns a national network must purchase Nielsen’s local radio ratings data for all those local markets in order for the network to receive credit in Nielsen’s comprehensive national data.

Cumulus owns approximately 400 stations in 84 radio markets in the United States. Westwood One is the national-facing network arm of the company.

Cumulus claims that Nielsen has mandated the purchase of separate local ratings in order to access national broadcast radio analytics, and Cumulus says this violates federal and state antitrust laws.

“Such tying is a classic abuse of monopoly power and a clear-cut violation of the antitrust laws,” Cumulus argued, “and violates section two of the Sherman Act.”

Cumulus has stopped buying local ratings for some diary markets, including all markets measured twice a year and even some continuously measured diary markets, according to a report in Inside Radio.

The broadcaster has won several victories in its case against Nielsen. First, the judge approved a motion to fast-track the discovery process and set several early deadlines. She also ruled that the identities of third-party radio companies testifying in the case could be with withheld amid fears of potential retaliation.

At a hearing in early December, Nielsen described the matter as a “run-of-the-mill pricing dispute” and defended the tying policy.

“There is no data for nationwide without the local reports,” the company wrote. It told the judge its policy ensures Nielsen’s revenue is aligned with costs so its audio measurement service remains “sustainable.”

In a filing, Nielsen claims “the plaintiff is earning $700 million in revenues but wants to renew its contract with Nielsen but pay 50% for the same services.”

Nielsen has said it gave Cumulus several options, including giving the broadcaster standalone national ratings and local products without the tying policy that brought on the suit.

Cumulus argued that Nielsen is a monopoly, citing “clear and uncontested evidence that Nielsen is the only provider of national radio ratings data in the United States. Without comprehensive national ratings data, a national network cannot effectively compete for advertising business or generate revenue.”

Not including Westwood One in national ratings in markets where Cumulus doesn’t buy local ratings, it says, harms the network’s ability to sell ad inventory, jeopardizing relationships with clients and ultimately hurting affiliate stations, according to previous Cumulus filings.

Cumulus further supported its monopoly claims by saying Eastlan Ratings, another provider of local radio ratings data, is foreclosed by Nielsen’s anticompetitive tactics from entering new markets.

However, Nielsen says in a filing that argument “is belied by Eastlan’s recent growth and its ability to enter a market with just one customer.”

Eastlan is adding markets “reasonably well,” Nielsen says, adding 18 new markets in 2025 and securing the business of multiple former Nielsen customers.

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