Companies iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia (IHRT): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $13,924,693FY2023
- $12,948,720FY2024
- $12,971,814FY2025
CEO total pay was $12,971,814 in fiscal 2025, up from $12,948,720 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $1,800,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $8,000,002 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Pittman | $1,800,000 | $0 | $8,000,002 | $0 | $2,867,400 | $0 | $304,412 | $12,971,814 |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Richard Bressler | 1,800,000 | 0 | 8,000,002 | 0 | 2,867,400 | 0 | 124,969 | 12,792,371 |
| President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Michael McGuinness | 925,000 | 0 | 1,000,000 | 0 | 818,625 | 0 | 0 | 2,743,625 |
| Executive Vice President, Finance and Deputy Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Pittman | $12,971,814 | $12,948,720 | $13,924,693 | ↑ +23,094 |
| Richard Bressler | 12,792,371 | 12,618,203 | 13,614,745 | ↑ +174,168 |
| Michael McGuinness | 2,743,625 | 3,598,507 | 2,844,831 | ↓ −854,882 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
The Company's executive compensation program is designed to support iHeartMedia's strategy, reinforce accountability, and align the interests of executives with those of long-term stockholders, while retaining proven leadership and maintaining a rigorous pay-for-performance program.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | FW Cook |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 99,206 | — | — |
| Richard Bressler | RSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 375,319 | — | 2,337,702 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 624,681 | — | — |
| Michael McGuinness | RSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 114,679 | — | 500,000 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 624,681 | — | — |
| Robert Pittman | RSU | 2025-02-20 | — | — | 375,319 | — | 2,337,702 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael McGuinness | $500,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
| Richard Bressler | 2,337,702 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Robert Pittman | 2,337,702 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael McGuinness | Option | 15,600 | 8.98 | — |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 60,466 | — | 251,539 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 85,239 | — | 354,596 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 92,343 | — | 384,145 |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 116,668 | — | 485,338 |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 166,130 | — | 691,100 |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 229,358 | — | 954,130 |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 288,750 | — | 1,201,200 |
| Michael McGuinness | PSU | 297,618 | — | 1,238,090 |
| Robert Pittman | Option | 461,500 | 8.98 | — |
| Richard Bressler | Option | 461,500 | 8.98 | — |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 486,619 | — | 2,024,335 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 486,619 | — | 2,024,335 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 746,668 | — | 3,106,138 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 746,668 | — | 3,106,138 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 1,284,404 | — | 5,343,121 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 1,284,404 | — | 5,343,121 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 1,336,984 | — | 5,561,854 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 1,336,984 | — | 5,561,854 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 2,931,412 | — | 12,194,674 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 2,931,412 | — | 12,194,674 |
| Robert Pittman | PSU | 3,120,000 | — | 12,979,200 |
| Richard Bressler | PSU | 3,120,000 | — | 12,979,200 |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James A. RasuloIndependent | $242,500 | $150,000 | — | — | $0 | $392,500 |
| Cheryl MillsIndependent | 180,000 | 150,000 | — | — | 0 | 330,000 |
| Samuel E. EnglebardtIndependent | 25,000 | 299,999 | — | — | 0 | 324,999 |
| Graciela MonteagudoIndependent | 165,000 | 150,000 | — | — | 0 | 315,000 |
| Kamakshi SivaramakrishnanIndependent | 162,500 | 150,000 | — | — | 0 | 312,500 |
| Robert MillardIndependent | 26,250 | 262,499 | — | — | 0 | 288,749 |
| Brad GerstnerIndependent · Departed during FY | 12,500 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 12,500 |
| Robert W. PittmanEmployee director · Board Chair · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Richard J. BresslerEmployee director · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $150,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 25,000 / 20,000 / 20,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $500,000 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $813,750 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $1,162,498 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,976,248 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names iHeartMedia as a peer
Companies that benchmark against IHRT
11 companies name IHRT as a compensation peer
- AMC Global Media Inc.AMCXFY2025
- ENTRAVISION COMMUNICATIONS CORPEVCFY2025
- Graham Holdings CoGHCFY2025
- GRAY MEDIA, INCGTNFY2025
- MATTEL INC /DE/MATFY2025
- NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP, INC.NXSTFY2025
- Paramount GlobalPARAFY2024
- Paramount GlobalVIACFY2024
- Sinclair, Inc.SBGIFY2025
- STARZ ENTERTAINMENT CORP /CN/STRZFY2025
Each company listed discloses IHRT in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named IHRT in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Peer reciprocity
Of the companies iHeartMedia, Inc. names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.
Reciprocity shown where the peer’s own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer’s filing. A dash means the peer’s current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including iHeartMedia, Inc..
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nexstar Media Group, Inc. | 2025 | Perry Sook | $3,000,000 | $29,584,405 | $0 | $4,085,072 | $39,509,740 |
| 2 | Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. | 2025 | Michael Rapino | 3,000,000 | 10,000,368 | 0 | 17,372,522 | 32,552,324 |
| 3 | IAC, Inc. | 2025 | Joseph Levin | 273,077 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17,601,042 |
| 4 | Warner Music Group Corp. | 2025 | Robert Kyncl | 2,000,000 | 10,675,719 | 0 | 0 | 15,909,250 |
| 5 | Sphere Entertainment | 2025 | James Dolan | 230,000 | 0 | 13,027,275 | 378,994 | 14,284,275 |
| 6 | iHeartMedia, Inc. | 2025 | Robert Pittman | 1,800,000 | 8,000,002 | 0 | 2,867,400 | 12,971,814 |
| 7 | AMC Networks, Inc. | 2025 | Kristin Dolan | 2,000,000 | 4,231,553 | 0 | 6,030,288 | 12,525,644 |
| 8 | Gray Media, Inc. | 2025 | Hilton Howell | 1,531,000 | 6,506,756 | 0 | 3,279,966 | 11,472,138 |
| 9 | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. | 2025 | Christopher Ripley | 1,000,000 | 6,761,543 | 0 | 2,079,652 | 10,824,228 |
| 10 | Sirius XM Holdings, Inc. | 2025 | Jennifer Witz | 2,000,000 | 0 | 0 | 6,000,000 | 8,012,795 |
| 11 | The E.W. Scripps Company | 2025 | Adam Symson | 1,350,000 | 3,945,077 | 0 | 1,792,125 | 7,239,619 |
| 12 | Tegna, Inc. | 2024 | Michael Steib | 392,308 | 6,000,000 | 0 | 0 | 6,977,504 |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iHeartMedia, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | FW Cook |
| AMC Networks, Inc. | 101% | not disclosed | No | ClearBridge |
| Gray Media, Inc. | 215% | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | No | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| IAC, Inc. | not disclosed | RSU 100 | not disclosed | Compensia, Inc. |
| Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. | 102% | not disclosed | No | The Croner Company |
| Nexstar Media Group, Inc. | 113% | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | Yes — Relative TSR vs Peer Group | Meridian |
| Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Sirius XM Holdings, Inc. | 102% | not disclosed | No | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| Sphere Entertainment | 123.33% | not disclosed | No | ClearBridge Compensation Group LLC |
| Tegna, Inc. | not disclosed | PSU 55 · RSU 45 | No | Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC |
| The E.W. Scripps Company | 88.5% | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | No | Korn Ferry |
| Warner Music Group Corp. | 107% | RSU 68 · PSU 32 | No | Frederic W. Cook & Co. |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-04 | 83,318,864 | 15,393,581 | 750,265 | 84.41% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-13 | 68,566,011 | 25,004,190 | 15,844 | 73.28% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-04 | 84.41%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-13 | 73.28%b |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “3: To approve, on an advisory (non-binding) basis, the compensation of our named executive officers Majority of votes cast Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “3: To approve, on an advisory (non-binding) basis, the compensation of our named executive officers Majority of votes cast Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect.”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 206 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $13,924,693 |
| Median employee compensation | $67,449 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (43 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Robert Pittman. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 49. As printed: 12,971,814. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Richard Bressler. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 49. As printed: 12,792,371. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Michael McGuinness. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 49. As printed: 2,743,625. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Michael McGuinness PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Richard Bressler RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Richard Bressler PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Michael McGuinness RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Robert Pittman PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Robert Pittman RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2024-04-25. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 206 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, James A. Rasulo. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 392,500. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Cheryl Mills. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 330,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Samuel E. Englebardt. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 324,999. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Graciela Monteagudo. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 315,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 312,500. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Robert Millard. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 288,749. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Brad Gerstner. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 12,500. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Robert W. Pittman. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Richard J. Bressler. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-04. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 84.41% (votes for as printed: 83,318,864). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-05-19. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 73.28% (votes for as printed: 68,566,011). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 813,750 + equity 1,162,498 + all other 0 = 1,976,248, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Nexstar Media Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 39,509,740. View filing ↗
- Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 32,552,324. View filing ↗
- IAC, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-06-01. CEO total compensation as printed in IAC, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 17,601,042. View filing ↗
- Warner Music Group Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-01-20. CEO total compensation as printed in Warner Music Group Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 15,909,250. View filing ↗
- Sphere Entertainment, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-28. CEO total compensation as printed in Sphere Entertainment's own proxy. As printed: 14,284,275. View filing ↗
- iHeartMedia, Inc. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in iHeartMedia, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 12,971,814. View filing ↗
- AMC Networks, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in AMC Networks, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 12,525,644. View filing ↗
- Gray Media, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-26. CEO total compensation as printed in Gray Media, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 11,472,138. View filing ↗
- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 10,824,228. View filing ↗
- Sirius XM Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Sirius XM Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,012,795. View filing ↗
- The E.W. Scripps Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-20. CEO total compensation as printed in The E.W. Scripps Company's own proxy. As printed: 7,239,619. View filing ↗
- Tegna, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in Tegna, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,977,504. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. names iHeartMedia, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include iHeartMedia, Inc.. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Sirius XM Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Sirius XM Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include iHeartMedia, Inc.. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Gray Media, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Gray Media, Inc. names iHeartMedia, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. names iHeartMedia, Inc. in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
- Section 10a, The E.W. Scripps Company reciprocity. DEF 14A. The E.W. Scripps Company's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include iHeartMedia, Inc.. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Warner Music Group Corp. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Warner Music Group Corp.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include iHeartMedia, Inc.. View filing ↗