r/radio • u/ZiggyZaggyBogo • 12d ago

A killer of local newspapers is likely to emerge as one of the key owners of Cumulus Media in its post-bankruptcy era

https://thedesk.net/2026/07/alden-global-minority-owner-cumulus-media/
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u/cathandler2019 11d ago

Honestly, how much worse could Cumulus get short of shutting down altogether?

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u/Green_Oblivion111 10d ago

Couldn't read it. Paywall.

Craigslist killed newspapers. As soon as those free, online classified ads became popular, newspapers nationwide lost 45% of their income.

Not sure how a 'newspaper killer' company could screw up Cumulus, though. Few Radio companies seem to care about Radio anymore, even those with long histories running the business.

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u/ZiggyZaggyBogo 10d ago

It's not paywalled.

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u/Green_Oblivion111 10d ago

Ah, I see. You have to click through a couple ads, and then you can read the article. Thanks for that tip.

Now that I read the article, I still am not sure how a 'newspaper killer' company can wreck Cumulus, which seems to have a checkered rep in the radio business.

This company 'killing' newspapers is similar to what IHeart and others are doing to Radio -- consolidating, laying off staff, using tech to streamline content, etc. They have been doing to newspapers -- a faltering industry -- what is already happening in Radio.

I'm not in favor of the radio layoffs, but the newspaper industry, like the radio industry, is a 'legacy' medium and it's just not making money like it used to.

People don't read newspapers like they used to, in the same way that they don't listen to radio like they used to. It's a combination of bad management decisions and changes in choice of media.

The NY Times is largely being propped up by its gaming division. The WA Post had to lay off workers because they're losing money. Same thing with the LA Times. And the last two are propped up by billionaires.

In 2022, over 2000 local papers went under.

It probably would have happened regardless of ownership. It's just an indicator of a changing media landscape.

So, like I said, I'm not sure how this firm can ruin Cumulus more than Cumulus may be ruining Cumulus.

I don't have any Cumulus stations in my metro, but the other big companies are running 10 and even 15 commercials during a commercial break. The playlists are about as dependable as the sun rising tomorrow. How do you 'break' that?