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                                                                       EXHIBIT 5

                           JONES, DAY, REAVIS & POGUE
                           303 Peachtree Street, N.E.
                              3500 SunTrust Plaza
                             Atlanta, Georgia 30308

                                  June 7, 2001

Cumulus Media Inc.
3535 Piedmont Road, Building 14, 14th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia  30305

         Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have acted as counsel to Cumulus Media, Inc., an Illinois
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the registration by the Company
of 2,750,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Common
Stock"), to be issued in accordance with the Company's 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
(the "Plan") pursuant to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Registration Statement") to
which this opinion appears as Exhibit 5.

         As counsel for the Company, we have examined such documents, records
and matters of law as we have deemed necessary for purposes of this opinion. We
have assumed, without independent verification, the genuineness and
authorization of all signatures and the conformity to the originals of all
copies submitted to us or inspected by us as certified, conformed or photostatic
copies. Based on such examination, we are of the following opinion:

         The shares of Common Stock, when issued in the manner contemplated by
the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         In rendering the foregoing opinion, our examination of matters of law
has been limited to the laws of the State of Illinois and the federal laws of
the United States of America, as in effect on the date hereof.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5 to the
Registration Statement.

                                             Very truly yours,


                                             /s/ Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue

                                             JONES, DAY, REAVIS & POGUE