Section 5 of 5
The Groups
The commercial groups and public broadcasters whose corporate and regulatory histories shaped the landscape.
The piece this section is about
2019
iHeartMedia: The Debt, the Chapter 11, and What Emerged in 2019
A company that earned its way through the cycle filed for bankruptcy anyway — because the debt, not the business, was the problem.
The angle is the arithmetic: the company was profitable at the operating level throughout and the filing was a balance-sheet problem, not a revenue problem.
Photo: Magda Ehlers / PexelsThe rest of The Groups
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2024The Groups
Audacy Files: The Second Large-Group Bankruptcy in Five Years
Describes Audacy's January 2024 Chapter 11 filing — the debt structure inherited from the Entercom-CBS Radio merger, the pre-packaged plan negotiated with senior creditors, and the court's confirmation — drawing on PACER court filings and Audacy's own SEC disclosures.
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1973The Groups
Bauer and Global: How Two Groups Came to Carry Most of UK Commercial Radio
Traces the acquisition histories of Bauer Media (Absolute Radio, Magic, KISS, Heat Radio) and Global (Capital, Heart, LBC, Classic FM) that concentrated UK commercial radio ownership into two dominant groups — drawing on Ofcom ownership reports and CMA merger decisions.
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2010The Groups
RTVE and the Spanish Públicas: Funding Without a Licence Fee
Describes RTVE's funding model — which has operated without a household licence fee since 2010 under a levy on commercial broadcasters and telecoms operators established by Ley 8/2009 — and how that model has affected Radio Nacional de España's budget and output.
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1985The Groups
Radio Martí: What the Public Record Shows About a State-Funded Broadcaster
Documents Radio Martí — the US government-funded Spanish-language broadcaster aimed at Cuba, operated by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting under the United States Agency for Global Media since 1985 — drawing on USAGM annual reports, GAO audits, and Congressional appropriations records.
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