Radio dealmaking continued to show momentum in August, although the latest numbers suggest smaller transactions are driving much of the activity as the number of stations changing hands surged even as dollar volume declined from July.
BIA Advisory Services says 70 radio stations were involved in transactions announced during August, nearly three times the 26 stations that traded in July. Yet those August deals were worth a combined $23.68 million, down from the $29.48 million recorded a month earlier.
Through the first eight months of 2026, BIA has counted 292 radio stations involved in transactions worth a combined $165.67 million.
The August results extend the pickup that began as the second half got underway. July and August together produced nearly $53.2 million in announced radio transactions involving 96 stations. Those two months account for nearly one-third of the dollar value of all radio transactions BIA has tracked so far this year.
The composition of the August activity was notably different from July. The number of stations involved increased by 44 on a month-over-month basis, or 169%, while total deal value declined by about 20%. That points to smaller transactions and multi-station packages accounting for a larger share of the month’s activity. It also builds on the improvement seen since the relatively quiet end to the first half.
BIA’s latest numbers also show the year-to-date station count has risen rapidly. The dollar totals nevertheless continue to reflect a radio transaction market dominated by relatively modest deals rather than a wave of blockbuster acquisitions. Even with the stronger activity of the past two months, the average value represented by each station involved in August transactions was substantially below July’s level.
BIA counts transactions when they’re announced rather than when they’re completed.
The biggest deal during August was an $8 million deal struck between K-Love and Beasley Media Group, which will see the religious broadcaster buy two FMs in Charlotte and Las Vegas.
The downsizing by another big group, Cumulus Media, was also among the big-ticket sales. Cumulus spun-off FMs in Fayetteville, AR and Savannah, GA to religious broadcaster Radio Training Network in a $2.05 million deal. Nearly as large, at $2 million, was a deal by Blacksun Equity Partners to buy several stations from Broadcast Industry Radio in Arkansas.
The television deal market moved sharply in the opposite direction during August. Only two TV stations were involved in transactions during the month, worth a combined $4.5 million, according to BIA. That follows an unusually active July when five television stations were involved in deals worth $52.55 million.
Through August, BIA has recorded a total of 46 television stations involved in transactions valued at $135.93 million.
Radio has consequently widened its lead over television in both transaction value and station volume. Through the first eight months, announced radio deals totaled $165.67 million vs. $135.93 million for television. And 292 radio stations have been involved in transactions, more than six times television’s 46-station total.