Warshaw Urges FCC to Ease Radio Ownership Limits

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, June 12, 2026 | 3:18pm CT

Jeffrey Warshaw

Connoisseur Media CEO Jeffrey Warshaw is urging the Federal Communications Commission to move quickly to relax local radio ownership restrictions, arguing that broadcasters need greater scale to compete with rapidly growing digital media rivals.

According to an ex parte filing submitted June 10, Warshaw met with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on June 8 to discuss issues tied to the Commission's ongoing 2022 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules. During the meeting, Warshaw warned that without significant regulatory reform, local radio could face a future similar to that of the newspaper industry.

Warshaw told Carr that over-the-air radio should no longer be viewed as operating in a separate market, noting that broadcasters now compete directly with digital audio and other local media outlets for both audience and advertising revenue. He said radio's share of listening and local advertising has been cut in half over the past decade while out-of-market digital competitors have dramatically increased their share of both.

The filing states that time spent listening to digital audio now exceeds traditional radio listening and that digital media companies command a far larger share of local advertising revenue than radio broadcasters.

Warshaw argued that radio ownership limits, which were adopted roughly 30 years ago, prevent broadcasters from achieving the scale necessary to compete effectively in today's audio marketplace. He asked the Commission to allow radio groups to expand their market presence in order to better challenge what he described as digital giants that now dominate the industry.

According to the filing, Warshaw maintained that achieving greater scale would help provide broadcasters with a stable economic foundation and enable them to continue delivering the local service the FCC expects from radio stations.

The meeting comes as the FCC continues its review of broadcast ownership regulations, a process required every four years. Connoisseur Media owns and operates more than 200 radio stations across dozens of U.S. markets.