Cox Media Group, commonly referred to as CMG, is a major American media organization with operations spanning television, radio, streaming, digital media and advertising. The company combines traditional broadcast properties with digital platforms, audience analytics and marketing services across multiple U.S. markets.
CMG says its media network reaches more than 60 million Americans each week through 17 television brands operating in nine markets, 45 radio stations across nine markets, streaming and digital platforms, and local, regional and national advertising operations.
The company’s business therefore extends well beyond traditional broadcasting.
Through businesses such as CMG Local Solutions, the company offers advertisers marketing services that incorporate data, analytics and multiple media channels. These services are designed to help businesses identify audiences, reach potential customers and measure advertising performance.
As a result, CMG increasingly operates at the intersection of local journalism, television, radio, digital media, advertising technology, audience analytics and data-driven marketing.
Its history, however, reaches back more than a century.
The Cox family media organization traces its origins to 1898, when James M. Cox purchased the Dayton Evening News, which was subsequently renamed the Dayton Daily News. Over the decades, the organization expanded from newspapers into radio, television and other communications businesses.
The corporate structure behind today’s Cox Media Group took shape much more recently, particularly following a major transaction involving Cox Enterprises and Apollo-affiliated investment funds in 2019.
What Is Cox Media Group?
Cox Media Group is an integrated American media company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Its current portfolio includes:
- Television stations
- Radio stations
- Streaming platforms
- Digital media properties
- Local news brands
- Entertainment programming
- Digital advertising
- Audience analytics
- Marketing services
- Data-driven advertising products
- Local, regional and national advertising solutions
CMG currently describes its television portfolio as consisting of 17 TV brands across nine markets. Its radio operation includes 45 stations across nine markets.
The company’s advertising operations are designed to connect businesses with audiences through television, radio, digital media, streaming and data-supported marketing.
That business model makes CMG substantially different from a traditional broadcaster whose primary business is simply selling commercial airtime.
CMG increasingly combines the reach of conventional media with the targeting, measurement and optimization capabilities associated with modern digital advertising.
Cox Media Group’s History
The roots of Cox Media Group can be traced to James M. Cox’s 1898 purchase of the Dayton Evening News.
The newspaper was later renamed the Dayton Daily News, creating the foundation for what would eventually become Cox Enterprises.
The Cox organization subsequently expanded into radio and television.
In Atlanta, the Cox family acquired The Atlanta Journal in 1939 along with radio station WSB.
In September 1948, WSB-TV began broadcasting in Atlanta. Cox Enterprises describes that broadcast as the first television broadcast in the South and among the earliest television broadcasts in the United States.
Over the following decades, the Cox organization expanded into additional communications and business areas, including cable communications, automotive services, radio and television.
The media assets eventually became associated with the Cox Media Group name.
That long history is significant because today’s CMG is part of a much older media organization, even though its current ownership and corporate structure are the result of more recent transactions.
The 2019 Apollo Transaction
A major turning point in CMG’s modern corporate history occurred in 2019.
Cox Enterprises entered into an agreement involving funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management to acquire a majority interest in Cox Media Group’s television stations and certain other media properties.
The transaction ultimately expanded to include Cox’s radio portfolio and national advertising businesses.
The transaction closed in December 2019.
Following the deal, Cox Enterprises retained a minority interest while Apollo-affiliated funds became the majority owners of the reorganized Cox Media Group.
The company continued operating under the Cox Media Group name and remained headquartered in Atlanta.
The transaction therefore changed CMG’s ownership structure without eliminating the Cox Media Group identity or the longstanding brands associated with the organization.
Who Owns Cox Media Group?
Cox Media Group is majority owned by investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, while Cox Enterprises retains a minority interest.
This structure connects CMG to both the historic Cox family media organization and the larger investment platform associated with Apollo.
The 2019 transaction brought together Cox’s television and radio properties with other media and advertising operations under the current CMG structure.
Cox Enterprises itself remains a family-owned company with roots extending back to James M. Cox’s acquisition of the Dayton newspaper in 1898.
Understanding this ownership history helps explain why CMG has both a longstanding local-media identity and a modern corporate structure shaped by private-equity investment.
Cox Media Group’s Television Business
Television remains one of CMG’s most significant operations.
The company currently identifies 17 television brands operating across nine markets.
These television properties provide programming that can include:
- Local news
- Weather
- Traffic
- Investigative journalism
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Community reporting
- Public-service programming
Among the prominent CMG television brands are:
- WSB-TV in Atlanta
- Boston 25 News
- KIRO 7 in Seattle
- WFTV in Orlando
- WSOC-TV in Charlotte
- WPXI in Pittsburgh
- WHIO-TV in Dayton
- WFOX-TV in Jacksonville
- Other television properties serving regional markets
CMG’s television operations increasingly extend beyond the broadcast signal itself.
Station brands can also distribute content through websites, mobile products, streaming services and social media.
This allows CMG to monetize and engage audiences across multiple platforms rather than depending exclusively on conventional television advertising.
CMG Radio
Radio is another major component of Cox Media Group.
CMG currently lists 45 radio stations across nine markets.
Its radio properties reach audiences through traditional terrestrial broadcasting as well as streaming, podcasts, social platforms and other digital channels.
The portfolio includes news, talk, sports, music and entertainment formats.
The company’s approach also reflects the broader transformation taking place throughout the radio industry. Radio is no longer limited to a broadcast-only model. Audio audiences can now be reached through streaming services, podcasts, mobile applications, social platforms and other digital environments.
In July 2026, CMG announced that Phil Becker would become Vice President of Audience & Content Growth for CMG Radio.
The newly created position focuses on expanding audiences across broadcast, streaming, podcasting, social media and emerging platforms.
The appointment illustrates how CMG is treating radio as part of a broader multi-platform audio strategy.
Streaming and Digital Media
CMG’s media operation extends beyond traditional television broadcasts and terrestrial radio.
Its brands distribute content through:
- Websites
- Mobile platforms
- Streaming video
- Streaming audio
- Podcasts
- Social media
- Digital news products
- Other emerging platforms
The company increasingly treats broadcast, streaming and digital distribution as interconnected parts of the same media ecosystem.
That approach reflects how audiences consume media today.
A viewer might watch a report on television, read the related story on a station website, receive a mobile notification, watch a video clip through social media and later listen to a podcast covering the same subject.
CMG’s multi-platform structure gives its brands the ability to reach that audience throughout those different environments.
CMG Local Solutions
One of the most commercially important components of CMG is CMG Local Solutions.
The business provides advertising and marketing services for organizations seeking to reach consumers through television, radio and digital channels.
CMG describes Local Solutions as providing customized marketing programs supported by data and analytics.
Its publicly described services can include:
- Television advertising
- Radio advertising
- Digital display advertising
- Digital video
- Streaming and OTT advertising
- Digital audio
- Search engine marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Paid social
- Lead generation
- Website development
- Conversion optimization
- Programmatic advertising
- Audience targeting
- Campaign analytics
- Multi-touch attribution
This makes CMG Local Solutions substantially broader than a conventional local television or radio advertising sales department.
Instead, the business operates as an integrated marketing ecosystem in which traditional media can be combined with digital advertising, targeting and performance measurement.
Data and Analytics in CMG’s Advertising Model
Data plays an increasingly important role in CMG’s advertising operations.
The company’s advertising materials describe services involving consumer reporting, analytics and audience engagement.
Its digital-sales operations also reference targeted display, digital video, digital audio, programmatic buying, analytics, attribution and other digital marketing technologies.
The significance is that CMG is not simply selling advertisers access to television or radio audiences.
It is also offering tools intended to help advertisers identify, target, measure and optimize audiences.
This is a central feature of the modern media industry.
As advertising shifts toward measurable and data-supported campaigns, traditional media companies increasingly compete with digital advertising agencies and technology platforms.
CMG’s Audience Targeting
Audience targeting allows advertisers to attempt to reach specific categories of consumers instead of delivering identical advertising to everyone.
Depending on the product, campaign and underlying data sources, targeting can involve information such as:
- Geographic location
- Demographic characteristics
- Online activity
- Interests
- Browsing behavior
- Consumer behavior
- Advertising interactions
- Purchase-related information
- Inferred interests
CMG’s privacy policy describes the collection and use of various categories of personal information and explains that information may be used for advertising and interest-based content.
The policy also discusses relationships with third-party advertising and technology providers.
These practices are important for understanding how CMG’s traditional media operations connect with its modern digital advertising business.
What Information Does CMG Collect?
CMG’s privacy policy states that information collected through covered CMG websites, applications and services may include various categories of personal information.
Those categories can include:
- Name
- Address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Account information
- Demographic information
- Social-network profile information
- Purchase and consumption information
- Browsing history
- Search history
- Interactions with websites and advertisements
- Location information when authorized
- User-generated content
- Inferences concerning interests and preferences
- Device information
- IP address
- Browser information
- Operating system information
- Mobile carrier information
- Device identifiers
- Email interaction information
The policy states that information may be obtained directly from users, automatically through technologies such as cookies, and from third parties.
Those third parties can include advertisers, sponsors, social networks and other business partners.
Importantly, the existence of these categories in a privacy policy does not mean that every CMG property collects every category of information from every individual user. The specific information collected can depend on the website, application, service and circumstances involved.
CMG and Third-Party Data
CMG’s privacy policy also addresses third-party data collection and advertising technologies.
The company states that it may work with third-party service providers and advertising networks that use information collected across websites, devices and mobile applications to provide interest-based advertising.
The policy explains that third parties may use their own technologies to collect information about users on CMG websites as well as on third-party websites and applications.
According to the policy, those third parties may associate collected information with personal information or use information concerning online activity over time and across different services to deliver targeted advertising.
This is important to understanding CMG’s place within the broader digital advertising ecosystem.
Modern advertising can involve publishers, advertisers, ad networks, analytics companies, technology providers and data companies interacting with consumer information.
CMG’s privacy disclosures provide context for how its own properties participate in that larger ecosystem.
CMG’s Privacy Policy
CMG maintains a formal privacy policy covering information collected through the CMG Network Sites addressed by the policy.
According to the company’s website, the policy was last updated on February 26, 2024.
The policy explains how CMG collects, uses and shares information and describes certain choices available to users.
It also addresses:
- Personal information collection
- Automatic data collection
- Third-party data
- Interest-based advertising
- Advertising partners
- Data technologies
- Analytics
- Social-media integrations
- California privacy rights
- Access and correction requests
- Opt-out mechanisms
- Data security
The policy also states that CMG does not respond to browser-based “Do Not Track” signals.
Because privacy policies can change and individual CMG properties may maintain additional or separate privacy disclosures, users should review the notice applicable to the particular website or service they use.
Interest-Based Advertising
CMG’s privacy policy specifically addresses online behavioral and interest-based advertising.
Under the policy, CMG may work with third-party providers that use information gathered from interactions across websites, devices and mobile applications to generate advertising-related predictions.
The objective of this type of advertising is generally to make advertisements more relevant to a person’s interests or behavior.
For example, repeated interaction with particular categories of online content can potentially result in a user being associated with an advertising audience related to those interests.
CMG’s privacy disclosures explain that third parties may use data technologies for advertising customization, auditing, research and reporting.
The 2024 “Active Listening” Controversy
One of the most significant privacy-related controversies associated with CMG emerged publicly in 2024.
Reports circulated concerning an advertising product referred to as “Active Listening.”
The terminology generated considerable public attention because it appeared to suggest that audio captured from consumer devices could be used to inform advertising.
CMG responded publicly on September 27, 2024.
The company stated that its businesses had never listened to conversations and did not have access to anything beyond third-party aggregated, anonymized and encrypted datasets that could be used for advertising.
CMG also stated that the materials referenced in the reporting related to an outdated product that CMG Local Solutions no longer sold.
According to the company’s response, the product had been discontinued, in part because CMG wanted to avoid misunderstanding or misperception concerning what the service did.
What CMG Said About the Active Listening Reports
CMG’s response is significant because the company directly rejected the implication that its businesses were secretly listening to consumer conversations.
According to CMG, the broader advertising industry can receive datasets from digital publishers and applications, with information potentially being collected under the terms and conditions presented to users by those platforms.
CMG stated that voice-related and other information could be collected by platforms and devices, transformed into anonymized information and subsequently made available to advertising companies.
The company’s stated position was therefore that the relevant advertising ecosystem did not involve CMG itself secretly accessing or listening to private conversations.
That distinction should be preserved when describing the controversy.
Reports about an “Active Listening” product do not, by themselves, establish that CMG secretly listened to people’s conversations.
At the same time, CMG’s response should be identified as the company’s own position rather than characterized as an independent finding by a regulator or court.
Why the Active Listening Issue Matters
The controversy illustrates a broader challenge confronting the modern advertising industry.
Digital advertising increasingly depends on information generated through:
- Smartphones
- Mobile applications
- Websites
- Connected devices
- Social platforms
- Voice-enabled technologies
- Advertising networks
- Data brokers
- Digital publishers
Consumers may not always know which organization originally collected a particular piece of information, which entity processed it, which company packaged it for advertising purposes or which organization ultimately used it.
That complexity makes transparency increasingly important.
CMG’s own response acknowledged the existence of a broader third-party advertising data ecosystem while denying that its businesses had listened to conversations.
The issue therefore illustrates a larger question concerning the chain of data collection and use within modern advertising rather than establishing that CMG itself secretly intercepted consumer conversations.
CMG’s Consumer Privacy Choices
CMG’s privacy materials provide users with mechanisms for making certain choices concerning targeted advertising.
The company’s privacy policy directs users toward industry opt-out mechanisms relating to interest-based advertising.
CMG’s website also provides a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” option through its privacy interface.
California residents may receive additional privacy disclosures and rights under applicable California law.
The availability and scope of particular privacy rights can depend on several factors, including the user’s location, the specific CMG service involved and the applicable legal framework.
Consumers should therefore review the privacy notice and available controls associated with the particular CMG property they are using.
CMG’s Advertising Technology Strategy
CMG’s current business strategy reflects a clear movement toward integrated advertising.
Rather than treating television, radio and digital advertising as entirely separate businesses, CMG increasingly combines them into broader marketing programs.
An advertiser may potentially combine:
Television + Radio + Digital + Streaming + Audience Data + Analytics
This creates a broader proposition for advertisers.
For a local business, the attraction can be the ability to purchase and manage multiple advertising channels through one media organization.
For CMG, the strategy creates additional opportunities to monetize its audience beyond traditional broadcast advertising.
Digital Advertising Services
CMG’s digital advertising operation encompasses a broad range of services.
Its publicly described capabilities include:
- Targeted display
- Digital video
- OTT and streaming
- Digital audio
- Search engine marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Paid social
- Website development
- Lead generation
- Programmatic advertising
- Analytics
- Multi-touch attribution
- Conversion optimization
These offerings position CMG alongside digital marketing agencies and advertising technology companies rather than limiting the organization to conventional broadcasting.
The combination of media reach, digital distribution, audience information and analytics is increasingly central to CMG’s commercial strategy.
CMG and Local Businesses
Local businesses represent an important audience for CMG’s advertising operation.
Businesses can potentially use CMG’s services to promote themselves through local television, radio and digital campaigns.
This can be particularly relevant for businesses whose customer bases are geographically concentrated.
Potential examples include:
- Restaurants
- Automotive businesses
- Healthcare providers
- Retailers
- Home-service companies
- Law firms
- Financial businesses
- Real estate companies
- Local professional services
- Regional businesses
CMG’s sales infrastructure combines local market knowledge with centralized digital marketing capabilities.
That combination allows the company to offer businesses both traditional local-media exposure and newer digital advertising services.
CMG’s Use of Analytics
Analytics represent another major component of CMG’s advertising model.
The company’s digital-sales materials describe campaign measurement and data-driven insights as important elements of its services.
Analytics can help advertisers evaluate:
- Audience reach
- Engagement
- Campaign performance
- Conversion activity
- Return on advertising investment
- Customer acquisition
- Cross-channel performance
The emphasis on measurement represents one of the major differences between today’s media environment and the traditional broadcast model.
Advertisers increasingly want to know not only how many people potentially saw an advertisement but also how audiences interacted with campaigns and whether those interactions contributed to measurable business outcomes.
CMG’s Journalism Operations
Advertising is only one part of Cox Media Group.
The company also operates major local journalism organizations.
Its television and radio properties produce content including:
- Breaking news
- Investigative journalism
- Weather coverage
- Traffic reports
- Local politics coverage
- Public-service journalism
- Sports coverage
- Community reporting
- Entertainment programming
CMG continues to emphasize local journalism as an important component of its identity.
In June 2026, the company announced that four of its news operations had received Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The recognized organizations included WSB-TV, WHIO Radio, WOKV-FM and KIRO 7.
The recognition included categories involving breaking news and newscasts.
These awards reflect the continuing role of CMG’s local news organizations alongside its commercial advertising operations.
CMG and Community Engagement
CMG also promotes community-oriented initiatives through its television and radio properties.
The company describes CMG Gets Real as an initiative intended to create community conversations around important issues and amplify people’s voices.
Its stations also conduct fundraising campaigns and other local initiatives.
For example, CMG reported that its WSB Care-a-Thon raised more than $2.3 million for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in July 2026.
These activities form part of the company’s broader effort to maintain strong local relationships while its media operations continue moving toward digital and multi-platform distribution.
Current CMG Leadership
As of 2026, CMG identifies Daniel York as its President and Chief Executive Officer.
York oversees CMG’s media platforms and the company’s broader strategic priorities.
CMG states that York has approximately 30 years of experience in media, content, distribution and operations.
Before joining CMG, he held senior leadership roles at AT&T and DIRECTV, including Chief Content Officer and Senior Executive Vice President.
Other members of CMG’s current leadership team include:
- Steven J. Pruett, Executive Chairman
- Daniel York, President & CEO
- Marian Pittman, President, Content and WSB-TV
- Rob Babin, President, CMG Radio
- Mary Ellen Marcilliat-Falkner, EVP, Chief People & Administrative Officer
- Eric D. Greenberg, EVP, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
- Brad Smith, EVP and Chief Financial Officer
- Darren Moore, SVP, Chief Sales Officer, CMG Television and General Manager, Orlando TV
Recent CMG Developments in 2026
CMG continued expanding its digital and audience-focused operations during 2026.
In May 2026, the company announced the appointment of Lauren Smith as Senior Director of Digital Sales.
The role is intended to strengthen digital revenue growth, support local sales teams and improve implementation of CMG’s digital advertising strategy across its television and radio markets.
In July 2026, CMG announced the appointment of Phil Becker as Vice President of Audience & Content Growth for CMG Radio.
His role focuses on audience development across broadcast, streaming, podcasting, social media and emerging platforms.
Together, these appointments demonstrate CMG’s increasing emphasis on digital revenue, audience development and multi-platform distribution.
CMG’s Local Sports Expansion
CMG has also continued developing its sports-content business.
In August 2026, the company announced two NBA broadcast partnerships involving the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.
The agreements were described as part of CMG’s broader strategy to deliver valuable content through broadcast and other platforms while creating opportunities for audiences and advertisers.
Sports rights can be particularly valuable to local broadcasters because live sports continue to attract substantial audiences at a time when traditional television viewing is becoming increasingly fragmented.
For a company with both broadcast and digital distribution capabilities, sports content can also provide opportunities to reach viewers across multiple platforms.
Why CMG’s Business Model Is Changing
The traditional television business could be described through a relatively simple model:
Create programming → attract viewers → sell commercial time
The modern CMG model is considerably more complex.
It increasingly resembles:
Create content → build audiences → distribute across platforms → collect performance information → develop audience insights → sell targeted advertising → measure results
Radio is undergoing a similar transformation.
Instead of:
Broadcast → audience → advertising
the modern model increasingly resembles:
Broadcast + Streaming + Podcasts + Social + Digital → Audience Data → Advertising → Analytics
This transformation is central to understanding Cox Media Group’s current business strategy.
The company is no longer simply distributing content through television and radio. It is building audiences across multiple platforms and connecting those audiences with advertisers through increasingly data-driven systems.
CMG Is Both a Media Company and an Advertising Business
Describing CMG simply as a television or radio company understates the breadth of its operations.
The company operates across several interconnected areas.
Media
Television, radio, news, entertainment and local programming form the traditional foundation of CMG.
Digital
Websites, streaming, podcasts, mobile experiences and social platforms extend those media brands into digital environments.
Advertising
Television, radio, digital, streaming and local marketing campaigns provide commercial opportunities for advertisers.
Data and Analytics
Audience targeting, campaign measurement, consumer insights and advertising optimization connect the media and advertising sides of the business.
These divisions reinforce one another.
CMG’s media properties attract audiences. Those audiences create advertising inventory. Digital platforms create additional engagement and measurement opportunities. Data and analytics can make advertising campaigns more targeted and measurable.
The resulting advertising revenue supports the broader media operation.
The Privacy Question Around Modern Media Companies
CMG’s privacy practices illustrate a broader challenge facing modern media organizations.
A single company can simultaneously function as:
- A news publisher
- A broadcaster
- A streaming provider
- A website operator
- An advertising seller
- A data-driven marketing business
Each role can involve different types of information.
A consumer may visit a news website to read an article, listen to a radio stream, watch a video, participate in a promotion or click an advertisement.
Those interactions can generate information that has potential value to advertisers and marketing partners.
The important question is therefore not simply whether a media company “collects data.”
More useful questions include:
- What information is collected?
- Where does it come from?
- How is it used?
- Who receives it?
- How long is it retained?
- What third parties have access?
- Can consumers opt out?
- What rights apply under state privacy laws?
CMG’s privacy policy provides disclosures addressing many of these issues.
What Consumers Should Understand About CMG
Consumers interacting with CMG’s digital properties should understand that the company’s privacy policy permits the collection of various categories of information and describes relationships with third-party advertising providers.
That does not mean that every CMG website or service necessarily collects every listed category of information from every user.
CMG’s privacy materials explain that different websites, services and affiliates may have separate privacy statements or practices.
For that reason, consumers should review the privacy notice associated with the specific CMG property or service they use.
This is particularly important when users are concerned about targeted advertising, third-party tracking, location information, device identifiers or other forms of digital data collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cox Media Group?
Cox Media Group is an American integrated media company operating television, radio, streaming, digital media, local journalism and advertising businesses.
Who owns Cox Media Group?
CMG is majority owned by investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, while Cox Enterprises retains a minority interest following the 2019 transaction.
Where is Cox Media Group headquartered?
Cox Media Group is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
How many television stations does CMG operate?
CMG currently describes its television portfolio as consisting of 17 television brands across nine markets.
How many radio stations does CMG operate?
CMG currently lists 45 radio stations across nine markets.
What is CMG Local Solutions?
CMG Local Solutions is the company’s advertising and marketing business. It provides television, radio and digital marketing solutions supported by data, audience information and analytics.
Does Cox Media Group collect personal information?
Yes. CMG’s privacy policy describes the collection of categories that can include contact information, online activity, location information, device information, commercial information and certain inferences.
The exact information collected can vary depending on the particular website, service or interaction.
Does CMG use third-party advertising companies?
CMG’s privacy policy states that the company works with third-party service providers and advertising partners and describes the use of third-party technologies for interest-based advertising.
Did Cox Media Group secretly listen to people’s conversations?
CMG has publicly denied that its businesses listened to conversations.
In its September 2024 response to reporting concerning an “Active Listening” product, the company stated that its businesses had never listened to conversations and said that the product referenced in the reporting had been discontinued.
That is CMG’s stated position and should not be presented as an independent regulatory or judicial finding.
What was the “Active Listening” controversy?
The controversy concerned reports about an advertising product described as “Active Listening.”
CMG responded that the materials involved an outdated product, that the product had been discontinued and that CMG businesses did not listen to customers’ conversations.
Who is the CEO of Cox Media Group?
As of 2026, Daniel York is identified by CMG as its President and Chief Executive Officer.
Is Cox Media Group still connected to Cox Enterprises?
Yes. Cox Enterprises retains a minority interest in CMG following the 2019 transaction that brought Apollo-affiliated funds into majority ownership.
What does Cox Media Group do besides television?
CMG operates radio, streaming, digital media, local journalism, advertising, audience analytics and marketing services in addition to television.
Conclusion
Cox Media Group has evolved considerably from the newspaper, radio and television organization created by the Cox family more than a century ago.
Its roots extend back to James M. Cox’s 1898 purchase of the Dayton Evening News, while its current corporate structure largely reflects the 2019 transaction that placed Apollo-affiliated funds in majority control while Cox Enterprises retained a minority interest.
Today, CMG combines television, radio, digital media, streaming, journalism, advertising, audience targeting and analytics.
Its commercial strategy increasingly depends on connecting local audiences with advertisers through multiple channels. Traditional television and radio advertising remain important, but the company’s offerings also include digital video, streaming, digital audio, programmatic advertising, search, social media, lead generation, analytics and other marketing services.
Privacy is therefore an important part of understanding the modern CMG business.
The company’s published privacy policy describes numerous categories of information that may be collected through covered digital properties and discusses the role of third-party advertising technologies in interest-based advertising.
The 2024 Active Listening controversy provides additional context for examining those practices. CMG publicly denied that its businesses listened to conversations and stated that the product involved in the reporting was discontinued.
That controversy should be distinguished from the company’s broader digital advertising and data practices, as well as from any independent regulatory or judicial finding.
As CMG continues developing digital advertising, streaming, podcasting, audience growth and data-supported marketing capabilities, its identity increasingly spans two major industries: media and advertising technology.
That combination is likely to remain central to how Cox Media Group reaches audiences, serves advertisers and generates revenue as the media industry continues to evolve.
Sources and References
This article is based primarily on Cox Media Group’s official website, corporate history and leadership materials, CMG’s privacy policy, published statements concerning its discontinued Active Listening product, advertising materials, careers information and corporate transaction information published by Cox Enterprises and Apollo Global Management.
Where the article discusses the Active Listening controversy, ownership structure or privacy practices, the discussion distinguishes CMG’s own statements from independently established corporate history and does not present the company’s statements as independent findings by a court or regulator.
Disclaimer
This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, investment, privacy or compliance advice.
Information concerning CMG’s ownership, advertising practices, privacy policies, products, leadership and business operations may change over time. Readers should consult CMG’s current policies, corporate disclosures and applicable government or regulatory sources when making decisions based on this information.