Matt Stockman is stepping down as chief programming officer of Pillar Media after six years, effective Aug. 31, according to Radio & Television Business Report. Stockman, who guided programming at five stations in Denver, Cincinnati and Northern New Jersey, will devote himself to his consulting practice that serves nonprofit radio stations.

YouTube is bidding for ad dollars that would have gone to social, television and other channels, The Wall Street Journal reports. Speaking at the streaming giant’s upfront sales event on Wednesday, YouTube executives also announced new AI-powered advertising bundles and “creator partnerships,” where brands can turn a video creator’s material into ads.

Maryland’s new law requiring that state agencies spend at least 50% of their advertising budgets on local media is protectionist and pro-incumbent, critic J.H. Snyder argues in an opinion piece in MarylandMatters.org. Snyder contends that the bill passed on the last day of the 2026 legislative session will corrupt independent media and that local news media in Maryland and much of the rest of the United States “already receive massive public subsidies and incumbent protections.”

Broadcaster Gray Media has named two senior executives to new roles as it expands its local news operations and accelerate its digital transformation, The Desk reports. James Finch was promoted to senior vice president of news services and Joanie Joanie Vasiliadis will join as the senior vice president for transformation in June.

Red Owl Boxing, an independent sports platform, has formed a partnership with Yoruba Media Labs to drive cross-platform storytelling, Fight News reports. The firms will develop premium spots and culture-driven content across streaming, digital, music, live events and creator ecosystems. 

Instructure, the company that operates the Canvas learning system, has made a deal with hackers to delete data they took in a cyberattack, ABC News reports. No details were provided on the agreement. A group called ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for last week's attack, which disrupted colleges and other institutions nationwide. Ir threatened to leak data on nearly 9,000 schools worldwide and 275 million individuals if schools did not pay a ransom by May 6.

The Wall Street Journal was subpoenaed in March in a Justice Department probe of leaks regarding the Iran war, The Washington Post reports. The subpoenas were dated March 4 and concerned a February 23 article that described internal Pentagon fears about extended action in Iran, prior to the war’s start. Acting Attorney General Todd Blance defended the action, saying prosecuting leakers is a “priority for the administration.” A Dow Jones spokesperson said the subpoenas “represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.”

Cate Blanchett has co-founded RSL Media, a non-profit firm to help provide a consent framework for use of creative work, name, image and likeness by artificial intelligence, Variety reports. In June, the  company will launchRSL Human Consent Standard, a free, public registry that will allow individuals to declare their AI permissions. The effort is supported by numerous Hollywood stars. “AI technologies are expanding rampantly, essentially unchecked and unregulated,” Blanchett says. “In order for humans to remain in front of these technologies, consent must be the first consideration.”

IHeartMedia, riding its strongest quarterly growth in five years during Q1, has made programmatic advertising a centerpiece of its strategy going forward,Inside Radio reports. The company sees programmatic as one of its biggest long-term opportunities as it integrates its broadcast inventory into the same buying systems it uses for digital campaigns, CEO Bob Pittman says. The company expects programmatic revenue to reach roughly $200 million in 2026, up about 50% from the roughly $135 million the reported in 2025. 

Most marketers expect their 2026 budgets will increase or stay the same, according to a survey by iSpot, Martech Cube reports. Of those polled, 31.5% expect to boost their spending, while 41.5% will hold steady. On average, they plan to allocate more than 37% of their 2026 TV budgets to Upfront buying, and 37% expect Upfronts to take up at least half of their budgets. And, 50% anticipate spending increases in Social Video and Streaming/National CTV.