Top 3 Radio Owners by Revenue 2022 EST. 2022
2022 RANK
1
2 3
OWNER
iHeart Media Audacy
Cumulus Media Holdings Inc. SOURCE: BIA Advisory Services, LLC
One big reason why it’s unclear what direction George Soros’ talk radio investments will take: Last June, Soros handed over control of Open Society and his $25 billion in holdings to his 38-year-old son, Alex.
their backs on Democrats and their socialist priorities.” But in November 2022, the FCC approved the deal
anyway. Dania Alexandrino, a colleague of Ubieta and a conserva-
tive Radio Mambi talk show host herself at the time, knew right away that her days at the station were also numbered. “My principles, my values, would not have allowed me to
receive a single penny from that [man], indirectly or directly,” says Alexandrino, who works today for Salem Media. “I don’t sell my principles and values to the highest bidder.” Ubieta, meanwhile, landed on her feet and reestablished
herself as a host at Audacy, the second-largest radio network by revenue, after industry leader iHeart. Audacy boasts 235 stations, many in major markets nation-
wide, including influential news and conservative talk outlets. For a while it appeared that she had put the whole Soros
episode behind her, but there was more to come. In January, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pro-
tection, detailing a $1.9 billion debt. That led a new company to step in, offer $415 million for the debt, and assume control of the entire network. That company: none other than Soros Fund Management. That’s when Ubieta realized she hadn’t escaped the long
arm of Soros after all. Radio industry insiders report Soros executives have con-
tacted other struggling radio networks as well, including Cumulus, to gauge their interest in cutting a deal to come under the Soros ownership umbrella. Cumulus is ranked No. 3 by revenue. It owns more stations
than Audacy, but many of them are in smaller markets. In April, L. Brent Bozell III, president and founder of the conservative Media Research Center watchdog group, filed a petition with the FCC protesting the Soros takeover bid.
REVENUE (000) $2,225,025 $1,369,225 $493,325
“There is no question that George AM/FM
STATIONS 866 230 404
Soros and his affiliated businesses are looking to control these radio stations to advance their particular brand of activism,” his petition stated. Whether Bozell’s objection becomes
anything more than a minor speed bump for the Soros takeover remains to be seen. When Newsmax contacted Ubieta to discuss the left-leaning bil- lionaire’s growing inroads into the talk radio universe, she initially seemed to welcome a conversation. But when she forwarded the News-
max interview request to Audacy’s public relations department, the door slammed shut. “Please note that Audacy is not cur-
rently engaging in interview oppor- tunities around this topic,” they declared, refusing to further discuss
the Soros takeover bid. The executives behind the Soros move into radio report-
edly have said it’s purely a financial play, not a political maneuver to influence content. Conservative talker Alexandrino has no doubt about his
true objective. “They did it because they want to control the narra-
tive,” Alexandrino tells Newsmax. “They’re never gonna admit it, obviously. But, you know, that’s ultimately what the goal is.” She adds that her heart goes out to her former colleague
Ubieta, calling her situation “very sad.” “Lourdes has to face this situation yet again,” she says,
“where George Soros is putting in his money in trying to silence conservatives.” Alexandrino is far from alone in her suspicions that the
real Soros objective is swaying U.S. political outcomes. His Open Society Policy Center donated over $138 mil-
lion to liberal causes and activist groups in 2020, according to CNBC. He poured in another $140 million in the run-up to the midterm elections in 2022. One big reason why it’s unclear what direction Soros’ talk
radio investments will take: Last June, Soros handed over control of Open Society and his $25 billion in holdings to his 38-year-old son, Alex. Alex, who has expressed support for abortion and trans-
gender equity, told The Wall Street Journal he is actu- ally “more political” than his father. No doubt one of Soros’ greatest antagonists over the years — the late great “El Rushbo,” Rush Limbaugh — would find that hard to believe. In August 2016, Limbaugh declared, “George Soros’
objective is to agitate and vibrate the United States into a crumbling state of disrepair.”
JUNE 2024 | NEWSMAX 43
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
