Ad agency holding company WPP and iHeartMedia have launched a new partnership intended to raise the bar and encourage more experimentation in audio creativity. Dubbed Project Listen, the venture spans broadcast radio, digital streaming, podcasts, smart speakers and live events with a goal of helping marketers mine audio data for insights to be used for creative strategy and media planning and implementation. Read more

Beasley Media Group rebrands KOAS Las Vegas from “Old School 105.7” to “Jammin’ 105.7” and returns the Premiere Networks-syndicated Steve Harvey to mornings. Paco Lopez joins for afternoon drive as the station moves into the urban AC lane with the addition of current R&B titles alongside old school favorites. Read more

KCRW Los Angeles (89.9) is the latest public radio outlet to vote to recognize SAG-AFTRA as its labor union. The new bargaining unit will cover 90 employees of the influential radio station. KCRW joins NPR, WNYC, KPCC, WBEZ and a number of other public media outlets that have recently joined the union. Read more

The top three podcasts remained the same in May according to Podtrac. The New York Times-produced morning news “The Daily” remained the most listened-to podcast, based on U.S. unique monthly audience. It was followed by “This American Life” and iHeartRadio’s “Stuff You Should Know.” Podtrac’s ranker also includes a rarity: the on-demand version of a broadcast radio morning show. In this case it’s the Premiere Networks’ syndicated “The Breakfast Club.” Read more

Triton Digital’s a2x programmatic marketplace for streaming audio and podcast inventory is securing a spot in Centro’s Basis, a demand side platform where advertisers and agencies go to purchase digital ad inventory. The alliance puts Triton’s inventory in front of digital buyers while for Centro, it bolsters Basis capabilities for executing global, targeted, non-skippable, and brand-safe audio ad buys through both open marketplace and private marketplace deals. Read more

Just prior to heading to prison Craig Carton posts message about redemption… Premiere Networks-syndicated host Delilah adopts another child… Todd Graffagnini now play-by-play announcer for New Orleans Pelicans… Van Harden and Bonnie Lucas are inducted into Iowa Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Read more

Nielsen is out with its latest Audio Today report and it offers a familiar narrative: radio reaches more Americans each week (92% or 272 million people aged 6+) than any other platform. But with digital giants like Google and Facebook continuing to siphon off local ad dollars, the new report also compares radio’s monthly reach to various website and app functions. Read more

Country once again rules the roost as radio’s most listened to format. What has become America’s definitive genre sits at the top of the ranker in every demo except teens, where CHR has the lead. Country commands a 13.2 share of all radio listeners aged 12+ in Fall 2018 numbers released by Nielsen today (June 17), edging out news/talk, which netted a 12.0 when its commercial and non-commercial stations are combined. Read more

The Department of Justice has formally asked the FCC to “defer action” on a petition filed by Cumulus Media to increase its foreign ownership level to as much as 100%. The request isn’t out of the ordinary, since as part of what’s known as the Team Telecom review process it will allow the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense to weigh-in on potential national security, law enforcement, and foreign policy issues. Read more

Never mind a court-appointed mediator, the radio industry and Global Music Rights will try to work out their differences themselves. That’s what the Radio Music License Committee and GMR told a federal judge in Los Angeles, who is trying to get broadcasters and the performance rights organization to come up with a solution to their competing antitrust claims against one another. Read more

SiriusXM has been hit with another lawsuit over the satellite radio company’s alleged use of robocalls. In the latest filing, Cole Stoker-Lusby of Cass County, MI claims he received approximately 60 calls from representatives of SiriusXM in an attempt to collect a debt, in an alleged violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Read more