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- As Four Villanova Seniors Graduate, They Leave a Radio Legacy
Four years go by pretty fast. College students certainly know that. It seems like yesterday they were dropped off by family members on campus, away from home for the first extended time. Student-led media organizations probably feel the velocity of change more than most. I became intertwined with Villanova University’s 89.1 WXVU(FM) as a nontraditional student — in my 30s, mind you — in 2019, when the station’s advisor at the time, Deena Leh, came and spoke with my audio production class. It rekindled my love for radio — and smooth jazz, to the dismay of the students subjected to our automation — and it is a large reason I am doing what I do today for Radio World. As many institutions of higher learning hold their graduations this month, I thought I’d reflect on four members of Villanova’s graduating class I had the great privilege of watching with a front-row seat, from four years ago as freshmen when they each became involved with the station, up until today. Cat Coyle works in Villanova’s office of student involvement, which consists of approximately 250 student organizations, including WXVU. Coyle is the assistant director of student media programs, and she advises WXVU, along with The Villanovan, the student newspaper, and the school’s other media organizations. Every staff is different, Coyle said, and each year itself brings a set of challenges. “When you work with students, you know from the start that you only have four years with them, so institutional memory is always limited,” she said. Checkered past Today, I help advise the station on technical matters, and I also work with Dr. Carol Weingarten’s nursing students to help them produce public service announcements that are noncommercial-compliant and ready for the airwaves. Radio itself has a long history at Villanova, dating back to the 1920s as a radio club, which the school’s Falvey Library profiled. Alums from the 1960s and 1970s like Joe Gallagher, from the station’s carrier-current days as “WKVU,” still get together faithfully on campus every June. There are many stories — Gallagher once recounted when the banana was stolen off WFIL(AM)’s station car during its appearance on Villanova’s campus. It is still talked about around Villanova’s “quad.” The university would secure an FCC license in 1992 and the 100-watt WXVU was born through a timeshare agreement with Cabrini University’s WYBF(FM). WXVU had its broadcast share on Tuesday, Thursdays, Saturdays… [TheTopNews] Read More.45 mins ago - Report: Comedy and Sports Lead Podcast Growth
When it comes to podcasts, the ones that make us laugh are also the most popular, while series geared toward children and families are seeing growth. Triton Digital’s Q1 2026 U.S. Podcast Ranker also found that listeners to business- and technology-themed podcasts have the most purchasing power. Its rankings show that, by genre, comedy placed 47 shows in the top 200, taking the top spot. You can view the Q1 2026 data here. In a release, Triton cited comedy podcasts like “Smosh Reads Reddit Stories” and “Distractible” as driving listenership through storytelling focused on internet trends from platforms like Reddit. Comedy was followed by the news category and then the society & culture category. The iHeart Audience Network was the number one sales network by average weekly downloads for the quarter, followed by Audioboom and the Cumulus Podcast Network. (Those rankings only include sales networks measured by Triton.) The top podcasts by average weekly downloads are “Pod Save America” on the Audioboom network, followed by “Stuff You Should Know” on iHeart and “The Dan Bongino Show” on Cumulus. Other trends the report noted: A surge in sports: The sports genre led the way for new entries into the Triton top 200 this quarter, driven by the growth of daily talk formats and athlete-led shows. Two series highlighted in the report are “7PM in Brooklyn,” hosted by Carmelo Anthony, and “The Pivot Podcast,” led by Ryan Clark and fellow former NFL players. Family-friendly growth: The kids & family genre saw 9% growth from Q4 2025, which Triton believes is attributable to podcasting becoming more of a fixture in everyday family life. High-earning listeners: Approximately 51% of technology podcast listeners hold over $250K in investable assets, according to Triton. The business and technology categories also lead in business travel intent, which the firm believes positions such offerings as “premium channels” for reaching decision-makers and professionals with purchasing power. Niche audiences: Science podcasts attract affluent, business-oriented listeners, Triton said, while fiction is an entry point for Gen Z and multicultural audiences, particularly Hispanic listeners. Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics measurement service is produced in collaboration with Signal Hill Insights. It is drawn from Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics download data combined with survey data from an annual poll of approximately 12,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and over who listen to podcasts. [Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite… [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - Prince Celebration Marks 10 Years With Five-day Minneapolis Event
Prince’s estate is turning the 10th anniversary of his passing into a five-day rights-and-legacy showcase, with the 2026 Prince Celebration set for June 3 through 7 at Paisley Park and around downtown Minneapolis. For publishers, songwriters, artists, and estate stakeholders, the event is a reminder that Prince’s catalog, archive, and [TheTopNews] Read More.5 hours ago - Connoisseur Clears FCC Hurdle in Bay Area Station BuyoutFor broadcasters, this is another clear sign that ownership limits are under pressure at the FCC, and Connoisseur Media is acting like the rules may keep loosening. The company has now closed on its purchase of four Bonneville International stations in the Bay Area after securing a local radio rule [TheTopNews] Read More.5 hours ago
- Mediaco Digital Revenue Surges to Half of Q1 SalesMediaCo’s latest quarter matters to publishers, songwriters, and rights holders because the company’s revenue mix has shifted sharply toward digital, even as its audio business weakened and its losses widened. For a multicultural broadcaster with major stations and networks in key markets, that split tells a clear story: digital is [TheTopNews] Read More.5 hours ago
- Disney+ and Hulu Expand Global Livestream Access to Major FestivalsFor publishers, songwriters and rights holders, the real news here is simple: three of Live Nation’s biggest festivals are getting wider digital reach at the same time Disney+ and Hulu deepen their live music strategy. Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival will livestream across both platforms for the [TheTopNews] Read More.5 hours ago
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