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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1

                          INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

The Board of Directors
Cumulus Media Inc.:

         We consent to incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement
on Form S-8 of Cumulus Media Inc. of our report dated March 14, 2001, relating
to the consolidated balance sheet of Cumulus Media Inc. and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 2000, and the related consolidated statements of operations,
stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related
financial statement schedule, which report appears in the December 31, 2000
Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cumulus Media Inc.


/s/ KPMG LLP
Chicago, Illinois
June 5, 2001


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