March 30, 2026
Welcome to The L@B Report
Welcome to this month’s issue of The L@B Report from GSG, where we track news and insights at the intersection of digital media and public affairs. In this edition, we examine the continued decline of print newspapers, what veteran podcasters exiting their shows signals about the audio landscape, and why owned media is becoming more critical in an AI-driven information ecosystem.
This issue of The L@B Report was compiled by Ryan Alexander.
In the News
Print Newspaper Circulation Continues to Fall
The long decline accelerates.
New data reported by Press Gazette shows that U.S. newspaper circulation continued its steep decline in 2025, with major outlets like The Washington Post seeing print circulation drop by more than 20% in a single year. The trend reflects a broader shift away from physical newspapers as audiences continue migrating to digital platforms and alternative sources of news.
Takeaway
The decline of print is no longer a slow fade—it’s a rapid contraction.
While many publishers have invested heavily in digital subscriptions, those gains have not fully offset losses in print revenue and circulation. At the same time, shrinking newsroom resources mean fewer reporters covering local and international beats, further accelerating the erosion of traditional journalism’s reach and influence.
As traditional outlets lose both audience and capacity, the information vacuum continues to widen. For public affairs professionals, this means fewer predictable entry points for earned media and greater reliance on alternative channels to reach key audiences.
Veteran Podcasters Step Away
A maturing medium faces turnover.
According to The Wall Street Journal, several high-profile podcast hosts are stepping away from their shows, signaling a shift in a medium that has defined digital media over the past decade. While podcasts remain widely popular, the departures highlight the demands of constant content production and the challenges of sustaining long-running shows.
Takeaway
Podcasts, once a frontier medium, are now an established, crowded marketplace. The exit of veteran voices creates both risk and opportunity: audiences are up for grabs, but attention is harder to earn.
The podcast ecosystem is also becoming more competitive. New entrants, including media companies, influencers and celebrities, and AI-assisted creators, are flooding the space, making it harder for established voices to maintain audience share. As a result, the medium is entering a new phase defined less by early adopters and more by institutional players and evolving formats.
Communicators should continue to invest in podcast outreach, while recognizing that the landscape is more fragmented and competitive than ever.
Owned Media Becomes Essential in the AI Era
If you don’t control it, you can’t optimize it.
A new Axios report highlights a growing shift among communications professionals: increased investment in owned media (such as an organization’s website or blog) as AI tools and large language models reshape how information is discovered and consumed.
The shift also reflects the declining reliability of traditional referral channels like search and social, both of which are being disrupted by algorithm changes and AI intermediaries.
Takeaway
As AI systems increasingly summarize content rather than link directly to sources, organizations are placing greater value on content they control—from blogs and newsletters to data hubs and proprietary research. These assets are more likely to be surfaced and cited by AI tools, giving organizations more influence over what information gets seen and how it’s framed.
In this environment, owned media is now foundational rather than optional. Organizations with credible, well-structured content are more likely to show up in AI-generated results and shape what audiences take away.
More from GSG
GSG has been named to the 2026 PRovoke Media SABRE Awards shortlist, recognizing standout work across our portfolio. This includes our partnership with Talkspace to expand access to mental health care while helping define what responsible AI in the space should look like; our campaign with NewDay USA, which transformed a direct-response brand into a compelling narrative around Veteran homeownership; and our latest analysis on shifting media consumption trends, uncovering how audiences are finding, trusting, and engaging with information in an increasingly fragmented landscape.
We’re proud to be part of work that breaks through and honored to have it recognized. Congratulations to our teams and partners who made it possible.