Radio used to have a monopoly on entertaining and informing individuals.
For those who return to earlier than the appearance of tv, radio was actually the one approach to get stay information and leisure. Even after tv grew to become the dominant medium, radio had a spot in individuals’s automobiles and after they had been on the go, the place being audio-only was a bonus.
Streaming music companies and podcasts have eaten into that benefit.
Because the Sixties, each automotive had a radio, and that gave the trade a captive viewers. That has modified.
“Podcasts have formally overtaken AM/FM discuss radio because the extra fashionable medium for spoken-word audio in the US,” in accordance with Edison Analysis’s Share of Ear survey.
Radio has misplaced floor shortly, and never simply in spoken content material.
“Between April and June of 2024, listeners gave 67% of their each day time with ad-supported audio to radio, 19% to podcasts, 11% to streaming audio companies, and three% to satellite tv for pc radio,” Nielsen shared in its The Report: Q2 U.S. audio listening developments report.
Radio nonetheless has a sizeable viewers, but it surely’s a lot smaller than it as soon as was which has led to quite a lot of Chapter 11 filings, together with an April 8 submitting by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), first reported Inside Radio.
SBS is a multimedia firm serving the greater than 60 million individuals comprising the $4 trillion U.S. Hispanic market, the world’s fifth-largest financial system, in accordance with the corporate’s web site. Prime radio manufacturers and mass attraction personalities within the largest U.S. metro areas embody Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco/San Jose, Orlando, Tampa, and Puerto Rico, together with La Mega in New York Metropolis.
The corporate operates AIRE Radio Networks, the Mega TV Community, the LaMusica digital ecosystem, together with the LaMusica and HitzMaker cellular apps and the CTV platform LaMusica TV, in addition to its stay occasions and promotional arm, SBS Leisure.
In March, the corporate entered a forbearance settlement with its key debtholders as a part of an ongoing dialogue about its debt.
“SBS disclosed way back to its second-quarter 2025 earnings that it lacked adequate money to repay the $310 million in notes and had no agency dedication for refinancing, triggering a going concern warning,” Radio Ink reported.
The forbearance interval and discussions have led the corporate to a pre-packaged Chapter 11 chapter.
“Spanish Broadcasting System is shifting ahead with a prepackaged Chapter 11 chapter submitting below a Restructuring Help Settlement with a gaggle of main lenders, a step the corporate says will strengthen its steadiness sheet and place it for long-term progress,” in accordance with Radio Ink.
SBS shared some particulars of the submitting in a press launch.
The settlement is backed by funds and accounts managed by Brigade Capital Administration, subsidiaries of Man Group, and Bayside Capital, which collectively maintain greater than 72% of the excellent principal on SBS’s 9.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2026.
Below the phrases of the deal, these noteholders will obtain 100% of the fairness within the reorganized firm, topic to a brand new administration incentive plan and the issuance of latest secured notes.
“SBS stated the restructuring will ‘considerably’ cut back debt, decrease curiosity expense, and prolong the maturity of its obligations by greater than 4 years, whereas additionally bettering liquidity. The corporate expects the streamlined capital construction to release assets for reinvestment throughout its core enterprise,” Inside Radio reported.
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Radio’s decline has been gradual and regular. The drop in market share for spoken-word content material illustrates that.
“In 2015, AM/FM radio accounted for 75% of the time Individuals spent with spoken-word audio sources. AM/FM radio was not solely essentially the most dominant spoken-word audio listening platform, but it surely was absolutely sixty-five proportion factors increased than podcasts, which accounted for 10% of listening time again then,” in accordance with the Edison Analysis report.
These numbers proceed to drop, which has contributed to the numerous trade chapter filings.
“Quarter by quarter and yr over yr, time spent utilizing AM/FM radio to hearken to spoken-word audio has declined considerably and shifted to time spent with podcasts,” the information confirmed.
Radio has misplaced market share to podcasts and streaming music.Shutterstock
Promoting drives the radio enterprise and that has been shrinking, in accordance with a report from S&P World.
“The U.S. radio trade is present process a bifurcation, with conventional spot advert income both flat or declining, whereas digital avenues reminiscent of podcasting, streaming, and linked gadget integration are driving progress…. Nevertheless, the nationwide and native spot advert markets are anticipated to say no over the forecast interval,” the information confirmed.
Cumulus Media, Chapter 11 (March 5, 2026): Cumulus Media, one of many largest U.S. radio broadcasters with round 395 stations and the Westwood One community, filed for Chapter 11 within the Southern District of Texas below a prepackaged restructuring assist settlement, with lenders to eradicate about $592 million of debt and proceed operations, in accordance with court docket filings on Pacer Monitor.
Audacy, Inc., Chapter 11 (January 7, 2024): Audacy, the most important U.S. radio operator proudly owning greater than 220 stations, filed prepackaged Chapter 11 in early 2024 to scale back practically $1.9 billion in debt by about 80%, enabling collectors (together with main buyers) to take possession stakes. The plan was confirmed by the chapter court docket as a part of its reorganization, in accordance with paperwork on PacerMonitor.
Earlier Chapter 11 filings embody:
iHeartMedia. Chapter 11 (ended 2019): In contrast to the others above, IHeartMedia underwent a serious 15‑month Chapter 11 from 2018 to 2019, decreasing debt and rising from chapter, a big radio trade restructuring, in accordance with court docket paperwork filed on Kroll.
AMFM Broadcasting, Inc., Chapter 11 (2018): Filed Chapter 11 in March 2018 as a broadcast radio/tv entity; case closed by 2019, reported The Wall Road Journal.
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This story was initially printed by TheStreet on Apr 9, 2026, the place it first appeared within the Retail part. Add TheStreet as a Most well-liked Supply by clicking right here.
