Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue declined by 9.2%, slightly better than previous guidance, with a 5% decline excluding political impacts and comparisons to the Daily Wire and Dan Bongino [4][19] - EBITDA for the quarter was $22.4 million, with net income down approximately 20% [19][21] - Digital revenue increased by 20% year-over-year, with the Digital Marketing Services (DMS) business growing by 38% [19][10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The DMS business now represents roughly 50% of total digital revenue, reflecting strong growth and performance [19] - Local digital marketing services business outperformed, growing at a rate nearly double that of radio peers and more than four times the expected growth rate of the digital ad market [8][10] - Broadcast advertising faced headwinds, particularly among national advertisers, with network revenue down 20% due to various factors including comparison issues and reduced inventory [12][21] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The overall market environment continued to pressure national spot and network revenue channels, with local spot showing slight improvement compared to national [11][32] - Key performing categories in spot included travel and financial, while pharma and insurance led in network [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on digital growth areas while continuing to reduce fixed costs, having achieved $175 million in fixed cost reductions over the past five years [5][15] - There is an emphasis on leveraging AI for business efficiencies and growth opportunities across all functions [5][16] - The company aims to surpass a $100 million run rate in DMS early next year, with increasing contribution margins expected [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that macro pressures are expected to persist in the short term, but they believe the company will continue to outperform peers in controllable areas [4][17] - The company ended the quarter with $97 million in cash, including a $55 million draw on its ABL revolver, providing significant flexibility [5][17] - Management expressed confidence in the core assets of the company and its ability to drive new areas of growth despite high leverage and market challenges [18] Other Important Information - The company has seen a positive culture survey with high employee engagement scores, indicating strong internal morale [18] - Non-core asset sales are expected to generate nearly $14 million by the end of the year [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: Is there an expectation for improvement in national advertising pacing? - Management indicated that while a lower interest rate environment should generally benefit advertising channels, there has not been a significant improvement in pacing at this time [25][26] Question: What is the impact of declining referral search engine traffic on digital marketing services? - Management noted that referral search is a small part of their digital business and they are not heavily dependent on it, focusing instead on geo-targeting and other strategies [28][29] Question: Are there any advertising categories showing signs of stabilization? - Management highlighted that professional services, home products, automotive, financial, and entertainment are key categories, with slight improvements in local spot versus national [31][32]

Core Insights - Cumulus Media reported a challenging advertising environment for legacy media but managed to outperform radio peers, gaining market share across all broadcast spot revenue channels and achieving a 38% year-over-year increase in digital marketing services [2][4][7] - The company executed $5 million in annualized cost reductions, totaling $175 million over the last five years, indicating a disciplined focus on optimizing performance despite capital constraints [2][4][7] - The financial results for Q2 2025 showed a net revenue of $186.0 million, a decrease of 9.2% year-over-year, with a net loss of $12.8 million, which is an improvement from a net loss of $27.7 million in Q2 2024 [4][6][7] Financial Performance - For the three months ended June 30, 2025, Cumulus Media reported net revenue of $186.0 million, down 9.2% from $204.8 million in the same period of 2024, with an Adjusted EBITDA of $22.4 million, a decrease of 11.3% year-over-year [4][6][9] - For the six months ended June 30, 2025, net revenue was $373.4 million, a decline of 7.8% from $404.9 million in the same period of 2024, with an Adjusted EBITDA of $25.9 million, down 23.0% year-over-year [5][8][28] - Digital revenue for Q2 2025 was $38.8 million, a decrease of 1.4% year-over-year, but a 20% increase when excluding the impact from discontinued relationships [7][9] Revenue Breakdown - In Q2 2025, total broadcast radio revenue was $118.4 million, down 13.0% from $136.1 million in Q2 2024, with spot revenue decreasing by 10.5% and network revenue decreasing by 20.5% [9][28] - For the six months ended June 30, 2025, total broadcast radio revenue was $243.3 million, a decline of 11.8% from $275.8 million in the same period of 2024 [8][28] Balance Sheet and Debt - As of June 30, 2025, Cumulus Media had cash and cash equivalents of $96.7 million, reflecting a $55.0 million draw on the revolving credit facility, with total debt reported at $723.7 million [7][10][28] - The company reported net debt less total unamortized discount of $600.4 million, indicating a focus on managing leverage and evaluating the balance sheet [7][28]

Longboat Key, FL, Aug. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rumble (NASDAQ:RUM), the high-growth video-sharing platform and cloud services provider empowering creators and brands, and Cumulus Media (OTCQB: CMLS), one of the largest audio creators and distributors, today announced a multi-pronged strategic partnership that recognizes the evolution of podcasting and video in today’s media landscape. This collaboration will unlock new opportunities across Cumulus Media radio stations, Westwood One, the Cumulus Podcas ...

Core Insights - Cumulus Media reported a net revenue of $187.3 million for Q1 2025, reflecting a 6.4% decrease compared to Q1 2024, alongside a net loss of $32.4 million, which is a significant increase in losses from $14.2 million in the previous year [4][7][25] - The company emphasized its focus on mitigating macroeconomic impacts, including a 30% growth in digital marketing services and $7.5 million in annualized cost reductions [2][4] Financial Performance - Net revenue for Q1 2025 was $187.3 million, down from $200.1 million in Q1 2024, marking a 6.4% decline [4][8] - The net loss increased to $32.4 million in Q1 2025 from $14.2 million in Q1 2024, representing a 128.7% increase in losses [4][7] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $3.5 million, down 58.1% from $8.4 million in Q1 2024 [4][7] Revenue Breakdown - Digital revenue reached $36.6 million, a 6.1% increase year-over-year, and represented 20% of total revenue [7][8] - Broadcast radio revenue decreased by 10.6%, with spot revenue at $80.9 million and network revenue at $43.9 million [8] - Podcasting revenue decreased by 13%, but increased by 39% when excluding the impact of the Daily Wire relationship [7] Cost Management - The company executed actions resulting in $7.5 million of annualized fixed cost reductions [2][7] - Total operating expenses for Q1 2025 were $202.1 million, down from $210.5 million in Q1 2024 [25] Balance Sheet and Debt - As of March 31, 2025, total debt was reported at $670.2 million, with net debt less total unamortized discount at $589.4 million [7][9] - The company ended the quarter with $52.7 million in cash [7][9]