CompBrief BY VELARION

Companies Audacy

Audacy (AUD): executive pay, fiscal 2022

Free brief. Every figure links to the company’s own filing.

Audacy no longer files a proxy statement; its last pay data is FY2022.

All products and prices

CEO total pay$2,769,525CEO David Field · source
Say-on-pay support83.19%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers11th pct.Of 12 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio41:1To the median employee · source

CEO pay, last three years

  • $2,251,863FY2020
  • $2,511,305FY2021
  • $2,769,525FY2022

CEO total pay was $2,769,525 in fiscal 2022, up from $2,511,305 in fiscal 2021.

FY2022: salary $1,349,255 · bonus $0 · stock awards $1,360,250 · option awards $0

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at Audacy in fiscal 2022?
As disclosed, David Field (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) was the highest-paid executive at Audacy in fiscal 2022, with total compensation of $2,769,525.
How does Audacy's chief executive pay compare to its disclosed peer group?
As disclosed, David Field's total compensation ranked at the 11th percentile of Audacy's disclosed peer group.
What is Audacy's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio?
As disclosed, Audacy's CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 41:1.
How did shareholders vote on Audacy's executive compensation?
As disclosed, 83.19% of shareholders supported Audacy's executive compensation in the latest say-on-pay vote.
How much does Audacy spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2022?
As disclosed, Audacy reported total board compensation of $1,997,894 for fiscal 2022.

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 officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
David Field$1,349,255$0$1,360,250$0$0$0$60,020$2,769,525
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Richard Schmaeling815,692091,1130183,610037,2701,127,685
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Susan Larkin750,000076,338062,500017,385906,223
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
J.d. Crowley700,000054,175075,000025,484854,659
President - Podcast and Streaming and Chief Digital Officer
Andrew Sutor609,676035,206081,250026,111752,243
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

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 officerFY2022 totalFY2021 totalFY2020 totalΔ FY2021→2022
David Field$2,769,525$2,511,305$2,251,863↑ +258,220
Richard Schmaeling1,127,6851,661,6441,056,036↓ −533,959
Susan Larkin906,2231,219,663925,516↓ −313,440
J.d. Crowley854,6591,336,888—↓ −482,229
Andrew Sutor752,243884,9701,194,695↓ −132,727

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

Our compensation policy has been to provide competitive compensation while also seeking to align the financial goals of our executives with those of our shareholders. The Compensation Committee selectively utilizes equity awards to further this alignment, with 100% of executives’ long-term incentive compensation denominated in company stock.

CEO STI target (% of salary)200%
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantExequity LLP
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2022

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
J.d. CrowleyRSU2022-05-10——27,500—$54,175
Susan LarkinRSU2022-05-10——38,750—76,337
Richard SchmaelingRSU2022-05-10——46,250—91,112
Andrew SutorRSU2022-05-10——17,871—35,205
David J. FieldRSU2022-05-10——4,050,000—325,000

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
J.d. Crowley$54,175$0$00.0%
Susan Larkin76,337000.0%
Richard Schmaeling91,112000.0%
Andrew Sutor35,205000.0%
David J. Field325,000000.0%

% 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 2022

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
J.d. CrowleyRSU165,026—$37,956
Andrew SutorRSU175,041—40,259
Susan LarkinRSU243,955—56,110
Richard SchmaelingRSU331,747—76,302
FieldPSU750,000—172,500
FieldRSU862,500—198,375
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Joel HollanderIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit · Executive · Nominating / Corporate Governance (Chair)$140,000$116,453$0$0$0$256,453
Joseph M. FieldNot independent · Executive0116,45300132,345248,798
David J. BerkmanIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) · Executive125,000116,453000241,453
Sean R. CreamerIndependent · Audit (Chair)115,000116,453000231,453
Mark R. LaNeveIndependent · Compensation95,000116,453000211,453
Susan K. NeelyIndependent · Nominating / Corporate Governance90,000116,453000206,453
Monique L. NelsonIndependent · Compensation · Nominating / Corporate Governance90,000116,453000206,453
David LevyIndependent · Departed during FY82,472116,453000198,925
Louise C. KramerNot independent80,000116,453000196,453
David J. FieldEmployee director · Board Chair · Executive (Chair)—————0

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$80,000
Annual equity retainer$120,000
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)35,000 / 25,000 / 15,000
Stock ownership guideline—

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2022
Cash retainers and fees$817,472
Equity awards (grant-date value)$1,048,077
All other compensation$132,345
Total cost of the board$1,997,894

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

Peer group, and who names Audacy as a peer

Companies that benchmark against AUD

1 company names AUD as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses AUD 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 AUD 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 2022

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 Audacy 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 Audacy.

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.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Nexstar Media Group, Inc.2025Perry Sook$3,000,000$29,584,405$0$4,085,072$39,509,740
2AMC Networks Inc.2025Adam Aron1,557,6927,381,28206,000,00014,975,072
3iHeartMedia, Inc.2025Robert Pittman1,800,0008,000,00202,867,40012,971,814
4Gray Television, Inc.2025Hilton Howell1,531,0006,506,75603,279,96611,472,138
5Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.2025Christopher Ripley1,000,0006,761,54302,079,65210,824,228
6Cinemark Holdings, Inc.2025Sean Gamble1,000,0006,499,96803,200,00010,815,407
7Sirius XM Holdings Inc.2025Jennifer Witz2,000,000006,000,0008,012,795
8Townsquare Media, Inc.2025Bill Wilson1,450,0002,502,135005,897,214
9Cumulus Media Inc.2024Mary Berner1,450,0001,743,75101,458,5934,655,794
10Urban One, Inc.2025Alfred Liggins III1,250,00015,202004,117,336
11Audacy2022David Field1,349,2551,360,250002,769,525
12Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.2025Caroline Beasley1,205,96000375,0001,617,062

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

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
Audacy0%RSU 100NoExequity LLP
AMC Networks Inc.not disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedKorn Ferry
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.not disclosedRSU 100not disclosednot disclosed
Cinemark Holdings, Inc.200%PSU 60 · RSA 40NoPearl Meyer
Cumulus Media Inc.not disclosedRSU 50 · CPU 30 · PRSU 20not disclosedFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Gray Television, Inc.215%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoMeridian Compensation Partners, LLC
iHeartMedia, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedFW Cook
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.113%RSU 50 · PSU 50Yes — Relative TSR vs Peer GroupMeridian
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Sirius XM Holdings Inc.102%not disclosedNoMeridian Compensation Partners, LLC
Townsquare Media, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosedWillis Tower Watson PLC
Urban One, Inc.not disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed

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 yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20232023-05-2498,018,87019,808,1874,685,47383.19%Passed
20202020-05-05129,428,5298,350,031406,79593.94%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 yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20232023-05-2483.19%a
20202020-05-0593.94%b

a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

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)41 : 1
CEO total compensation$2,769,525
Median employee compensation$67,513
Insider trades since the proxy

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

Sources (48 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, David Field. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 2,769,525. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Richard Schmaeling. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,127,685. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Susan Larkin. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Named Executive Officers”. As printed: 906,223. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, J.d. Crowley. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 854,659. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Andrew Sutor. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Named Executive Officers”. As printed: 752,243. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, J.d. Crowley RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Susan Larkin RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Richard Schmaeling RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, Andrew Sutor RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 03, David J. Field RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS TABLE” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
  • Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 41 : 1. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Joel Hollander. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 256,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Joseph M. Field. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 248,798. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, David J. Berkman. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 241,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Sean R. Creamer. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 231,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Mark R. LaNeve. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 211,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Susan K. Neely. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 206,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Monique L. Nelson. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 206,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, David Levy. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 198,925. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Louise C. Kramer. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 196,453. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, David J. Field. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2023 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2023-05-26. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 83.19% (votes for as printed: 98,018,870). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2020 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2020-05-07. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 93.94%. 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 817,472 + equity 1,048,077 + all other 132,345 = 1,997,894, 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 ↗
  • AMC Networks Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-08-10. CEO total compensation as printed in AMC Networks Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 14,975,072. View filing ↗
  • iHeartMedia, Inc., 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 ↗
  • Gray Television, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-26. CEO total compensation as printed in Gray Television, 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 ↗
  • Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-01. CEO total compensation as printed in Cinemark Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 10,815,407. 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 ↗
  • Townsquare Media, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-27. CEO total compensation as printed in Townsquare Media, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,897,214. View filing ↗
  • Cumulus Media Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-04-25. CEO total compensation as printed in Cumulus Media Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,655,794. View filing ↗
  • Urban One, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-05-08. CEO total compensation as printed in Urban One, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,117,336. View filing ↗
  • Audacy (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2023-04-04. CEO total compensation as printed in Audacy's own proxy. As printed: 2,769,525. View filing ↗
  • Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-05-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,617,062. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, AMC Networks Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. AMC Networks Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Cumulus Media Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Cumulus Media Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Gray Television, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Gray Television, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, iHeartMedia, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. iHeartMedia, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Townsquare Media, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Townsquare Media, Inc. names Audacy in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Urban One, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Urban One, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Cinemark Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Cinemark Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Nexstar Media Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. 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 Audacy. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Audacy. View filing ↗