Radio History: Jan 19

➦In 1903..the first Transatlantic Radio broadcast took place. King Edward VII and President Theodore Roosevelt spoke with one another in a coded radio transmission between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Cornwall, England.

➦In 1905...Anne Hummert Schumacher born  (Died  at age 91 – July 5, 1996) was the leading creator of daytime radio serials or soap opera dramas during the 1930s and 1940s, responsible for more than three dozen series.

With her husband Frank she produced some of radio’s most memorable melodramas, including Our Gal Sunday, The Romance of Helen Trent, Mr Keen Tracer of Lost Persons, Betty & Bob, and Backstage Wife.  The Hummerts also produced several simple down-home musical series, like Waltztime and The American Album of Familiar Music. Their “radio factory” produced as many as 125 series, 61 of them soap operas.

➦In 1908...comic singer Ish Kabibble was born Merwyn Bogue in rural Pennsylvania.  He sang and played trumpet with Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge on radio & record in the 30’s and 40’s. His dim witted characterization was said to be a later inspiration for Jerry Lewis. He died June 5, 1994 at age 86.

➦In 1922..Radio, TV Actor Guy Madison born Robert Ozell Moseley( Died at age 74 – February 6, 1996) was an American film, television, and radio actor. He is best known for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958.  During his career, Madison was given a special Golden Globe Award in 1954 and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

George Klein

➦In 1923...WMC 790 AM in Memphis, Tennessee signed-on. WMC was first owned by The Memphis Commercial Appeal and its call letters reflect the M and C from its owner's initials. In the 1930s, WMC carried the NBC Radio Red Network, while rival WMPS, owned by the Memphis Press-Scimitar, aired the NBC Blue Network. Starting in the 1930s, the station used a riverboat whistle as its sounder, a nod to Memphis' location on the Mississippi River—a practice that continued well into the 1990s.  The station currently airs ESPN and Fox Sports Radio.

In addition to sports talk shows, WMC-AM features longtime Memphis disc jockey George Klein's weekly tribute program to Elvis Presley. Klein and Presley were close friends and confidantes during the latter's lifetime and the former's long stint on WHBQ-AM.

Now, airing sports the license is currently held by Audacy Inc, which it purchased from CBS in September 2006.

➦In 1927...KGRC-AM (now KONO) San Antonio signed-on. KONO is the fourth-oldest radio station in San Antonio, officially signing on in January 1927. KONO began as a hobby for Eugene Roth in a room over his garage in downtown San Antonio. As the broadcasting industry grew, Eugene Roth's son, Jack Roth, began working with his dad, later inheriting the station. At first, KONO was powered at only 100 watts, broadcasting on 1370 kilocycles and having to share time on the air with other stations. It later moved to AM 1400 before relocating to its current home on AM 860.

Trump 'Most Likely' To Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension

President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview Saturday that he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban in the U.S. after he takes office Monday.

Trump said he hadn’t made a final decision but was considering a 90-day extension of the Sunday deadline for TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell to a non-Chinese-buyer or face a U.S. ban.

“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said in the phone interview.

“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said.

A 90-day extension under specific conditions is explicitly allowed for in the bipartisan law passed last year. But an extension Monday may not be enough to avoid the app going dark for at least a day, because the current deadline for compliance is Sunday.

Trump says he will 'most likely' give TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban https://t.co/dphOC6VMJZ via @nbcnews

— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) January 18, 2025

The fate of TikTok is one of the subjects that has consumed the final days of the Biden administration, and many of the app’s millions of U.S. users are eagerly awaiting a resolution.

TikTok To ‘Go Dark’ on Sunday

TikTok said late Friday that its service would “go dark” for its 170 million American users on Sunday because of a ban in the United States over fears that its Chinese ownership poses a threat to national security.

The NYTimes reports the company said in a statement that “unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19” unless the Biden administration assures Apple, Google and other companies that they would not be punished for delivering TikTok’s services in the United States.

The statement was TikTok’s latest attempt to pressure the administration to grant it a reprieve from a law, upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, that would effectively ban its service starting Sunday.

The law says that app stores and major cloud computing providers cannot deliver TikTok to U.S. consumers unless the company is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to a non-Chinese owner.

TikTok did not detail what would happen on Sunday, including whether it would voluntarily shut itself down or simply cease to function because it would lose access to services it needs to stay online.

The Biden administration had earlier signaled that federal officials would not immediately take action against Apple, Google and the other companies under the law.

President Biden signed the TikTok ban bill into law in April after it passed Congress with bipartisan support. Lawmakers said Beijing could pressure ByteDance to extract sensitive data on American users or influence TikTok content to serve the Chinese government’s interests.

TikTok has said the Chinese government has no role in the company and that it has spent billions of dollars to address U.S. security concerns. ByteDance has headquarters in Beijing and is subject to China’s control.

Trump 2.0: Inauguration Ceremony Moved Inside Capitol Rotunda

Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address will be moved inside the U.S. Capitol due to the freezing cold temperatures forecast for Washington on Monday, scrambling the tightly choreographed event days before the president-elect is set to take office.

Trump announced the plans on his social-media platform, citing the “Arctic blast sweeping the Country.” 

Official Trump Inauguration Photo

“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump posted, warning of dangerous weather conditions in Washington. 

The inauguration could be one of the coldest since Ronald Reagan’s in 1985, when the swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures are expected to hover around 20 degrees Fahrenheit around noon, with 8-degree wind chills. 

Attendees will be able to watch the ceremony via live video feed from the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington. The venue will also host the presidential parade, which was previously scheduled to snake through downtown Washington. Trump said he would also make an appearance at the arena.

Dignitaries and special guests of the president will watch the ceremony from inside the Capitol, Trump said. The event will take place under the Capitol rotunda.

Plans for Trump’s inauguration have been in the works for months and require close coordination between the president-elect’s team, the White House, Congress, and city and federal officials. Security measures like temporary fencing, concrete barricades and checkpoints have been installed ahead of events around Washington.

Inauguration Day Could Be Coldest In Decades

Frigid arctic air due to a polar vortex is about to send temperatures plunging for millions of Americans across the U.S., and that could lead to one of the coldest Inauguration Days seen in decades.

President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in for his second term Monday, and the FOX Forecast Center expects temperatures to be well below average when he takes the oath of office.

Inauguration Day could be coldest in decades as arctic air plunges millions across US into deep freeze https://t.co/LnvuGpbD2m #FoxWeather

— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) January 17, 2025

Computer forecast models show temperatures in the 40s on Saturday. By Sunday, temperatures will be hovering right above the freezing mark with some rain and snow. That could be the warmest day for at least the few days following Inauguration Day.

Temperatures could fall into the teens on Sunday night, and by Monday temperatures aren't expected to rise above freezing.

Here's Who's Performing at Trump's Inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office on Monday, has announced a lineup of high-profile musical artists, many of whom have Nashville roots, who'll perform at his inaugural events.

Earlier this week, country singer Carrie Underwood announced she would be singing "America the Beautiful" at the swearing-in ceremony, where tenor Christopher Macchio will sing the National Anthem.

"God Bless The U.S.A." singer Lee Greenwood will also perform at the ceremony, a Trump Vance inaugural spokesperson confirmed to The Tennessean.

Other performers across the inaugural events include some familiar Nashville faces: Country singers Jason Aldean, Parker McCollum, Billy Ray Cyrus, singer and rapper Kid Rock, and the country music trio Rascal Flatts.

The "Y.M.C.A." band, The Village People, singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw and Liberty University’s Praise Choir will also hit the stage.

“The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee is proud to announce that some of our nation’s most iconic musicians will be participating in the inaugural celebrations," Trump Vance Inaugural Committee Co-Chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler said in a press release.

"This monumental weekend will commemorate President Trump’s historic victory and the 60th Presidential Inauguration with a celebration of music, unity, and patriotism, ushering in America’s new Golden Age."

Here's who will be performing at which inaugural events:

The Swearing-in ceremony

• Carrie Underwood – “America the Beautiful”
• Tenor Christopher Macchio – National Anthem
• Singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood 

The Make America Great Again Victory Rally

• Singer-songwriter Kid Rock
• American disco band The Village People
• Singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus
• Lee Greenwood
• Liberty University’s Praise Choir 

The Liberty Ball

• Country singer Jason Aldean
• The Village People
• Surprise musical guest 

The Commander-in-Chief Ball

• Country music band Rascal Flatts
• Country music singer Parker McCollum 
• The Starlight Ball 
• Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw

Americans Expectations Of Trump Administration 2.0

Gallup conducted a survey on what Americans think the Trump administration will accomplish over the next four years.

It found that nearly seven in ten respondents (68 percent) said that the incoming administration will control immigration. Respondents were least likely to say that Trump would be able to heal political divisions in the country (33 percent said his administration would be able to).

Anna Fleck at Statista writes around six in ten respondents thought that Trump will reduce unemployment, keep the country safe from terrorism and improve the economy. Just over half (54 percent) think he will cut U.S. taxes and (51 percent) reduce the crime rate. Meanwhile, only around a third (35 percent) of respondents said that the Trump administration will be able to improve the quality of the environment. A majority of respondents also said he will not be able to improve race relations, improve education, substantially reduce the federal budget deficit, improve conditions for minorities and the poor or reduce the prices of groceries and other items.

As this chart shows, a similar set of questions was asked to U.S. voters in 2016 about their expectations the first time Trump was in office. Between the two survey waves, the biggest change was in response to the question of whether the government would keep the nation out of war (17 p.p. increase). While the population answered far more favorably this time round, only just over half of respondents (55 percent) consider this to be the case now. The biggest drop in optimism was over whether Trump would be able to improve the healthcare system. Where 52 percent of respondents had thought he could in 2016, only 40 percent thought the same in 2024 (-12 p.p.).

CNN Settles Defamation Lawsuit

CNN agreed on Friday afternoon to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by security contractor Zachary Young, who argued that his reputation and business were destroyed after he was featured in a November 2021 segment on the network about the high costs of evacuating Afghans from the country after the Taliban took power.

The Washington Post reports the settlement was announced just four hours after a Florida jury had found the network liable for defamation and awarded Young $5 million for lost business opportunities as well as pain and suffering. The jury also had found Young deserving of punitive damages and was expected to deliver a verdict later Friday on how much the network would have to pay.

Because punitive damages are intended to punish the network and deter future defamatory statements, Young’s team was planning to ask for millions of dollars in damages. The monetary size of the settlement was not announced by the parties.

NEW: Jury finds CNN liable for defaming U.S. Navy veteran who helped with Afghanistan evacuation. pic.twitter.com/RfJM6luR4c

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) January 17, 2025

“We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are very happy we cleared our client’s name, obtained a punitive damages verdict against a media defendant, and then resolved the case so our client can move on,” said Devin “Velvel” Freedman, a lawyer representing Young. “These are the sort of things trial lawyers love.”

Zachary Young

Throughout the two-week trial in Panama City, jurors heard from a parade of CNN reporters, producers and executives who sought to explain the reporting process that led to the segment, which described Young’s work coordinating paid evacuations of Afghans and the high prices he quoted to extricate people who feared for their lives.

Young testified last week that there was “a very immediate and devastating impact on [his] life” after the network aired the story. His lawyers argued to the jury that CNN had accused him of criminal activity because an on-screen graphic referred to “black markets” while Young’s face and messages appeared on-screen, even though the term was not used in the story itself. Various CNN employees testified that they viewed the term to mean unregulated markets.

The primary reporter on the story, CNN chief national security correspondent Alexander Marquardt, testified on Monday that he had no intent to harm Young and did not produce a “hit piece.” All along, CNN employees told the jury that they had exercised care in producing, editing and publishing the story, which was approved by the network’s multitiered internal review process.

Throughout the trial, CNN’s employees and witnesses faced tough questioning from jurors who submitted often-critical queries to be asked by the judge that indicated some disapproval of the network’s reporting methods. “Do you feel that Americans are obligated to speak to CNN?” one juror asked reporter Katie Bo Lillis after she finished her testimony Wednesday afternoon. “Do people have a right not to be named in a news story?” asked another.

From the beginning, legal observers speculated that the jury pool might be unfavorable to CNN. About 73 percent of Bay County, where the trial was held, voted in the November presidential election for Donald Trump, who has demonized CNN as “fake news.”

CNN’s Net Worth Sliced in Half Over 2 Years

CNN’s net worth was nearly sliced in half between 2021 and 2023, according to financial metrics shared at the network’s defamation trial on Friday.

The network’s net worth went from $4.4 billion in 2021 to $2.3 billion in 2023 — a drop of 47.7% — according to what the company shared.

CNN’s annual revenue also dropped from $2.2 billion to $1.8 billion from 2021 to 2023, per the company’s internal metrics.

Free Beacon’s Jessica Costescu shared a CNN revenue graphic from the courtroom on X:

The financial metrics put a spotlight on CNN’s conspicuous decline in recent years. And following the 2024 election, the network, along with MSNBC, has seen its ratings take a major hit. TheWrap reported in November that CNN’s viewership declined 27% in the weeks following Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, with CNN averaging 367,000 total viewers post-election.

CNN’s finances were reported after a Florida jury on Friday found that CNN defamed a U.S. Navy veteran when it implied he illegally profited from helping Afghans flee the country during a 2021 segment on “The Lead With Jake Tapper.” The network was ordered to pay Zachary Young $5 million in compensatory damages for libel, and the jury is still deciding on how much the network must now pay in punitive damages.

CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit

Paramount Global have held internal discussions about settling a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over a News interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, according to people familiar with the situation, a sign of larger efforts to dial down tensions with the incoming president.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount, owner of CBS, its namesake studio and several cable channels, has a major piece of business in front of the new administration: its planned merger with Skydance Media. It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval, people familiar with the situation said.

Incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr gave Paramount executives a warning to that effect at a reception late last year following the taping of the Kennedy Center honors in Washington, according to people familiar with the exchange, and he has echoed the message in public remarks.

The FCC has the authority over the transaction because it would involve the transfer of broadcast-TV licenses held by local CBS-owned stations.

Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, which seeks $10 billion in damages, alleges that the network committed election interference by editing portions of an interview with Harris, favoring her campaign for president. Trump claimed CBS aired one version of the interview on “60 Minutes” and another version on its show “Face the Nation,” each containing different answers about Israel. CBS has said it aired a more succinct version of Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes.”

There was no indication that Paramount had approached Trump’s team about a settlement, but executives at the company were gaming out options to reduce friction with the incoming administration.

SLC Radio: Joyce Wirthlin New Market President For iHM

iHeartMedia has announced that Joyce Wirthlin has been named Market President for Salt Lake City, effective immediately. iHeartMedia Salt Lake City is home to six iconic stations featuring music, talk and news formats on both broadcast and digital platforms.

In her new role as Market President, Wirthlin will oversee all aspects of operations in Salt Lake City, including sales, promotions and programming. She will report to Nick Gnau, Division President for iHeartMedia.

Joyce Wirthlin

“I am very excited to have Joyce leading this team in Salt Lake City. Since the day I started working with Joyce, I was impressed with her leadership, the culture she has built with her team and the deep knowledge of the market. I have no doubt that she will propel this team to the next level!” said Nick Gnau, Division President.

Wirthlin joined the company in 1998 as Vice President of Sales. Over the years, she advanced within the organization. Most recently she served as the Senior Vice President Sales, where she played a pivotal role shaping sales strategies, fostering team development and strengthening the company’s presence in the market.

“I am deeply honored to be appointed Market President of iHeartMedia Salt Lake City and grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this exceptional team,” said Wirthlin. “The people here are the core of our success. Together, we are eager to build upon our achievements and continue to shape the future of media in Salt Lake City.”

Fox News Digital Finished 2024 As Top News Brand

FOX News finished 2024 as the top news brand with multiplatform views and minutes while seeing yearly growth across all metrics, according to Comscore.

For the year, FOX News Digital secured 41 billion total multiplatform minutes (up 11% vs. 2023), 21.1 billion total multiplatform views (up 5% vs. 2023) and averaged 110.7 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors per month.* 

Comparatively, CNN saw declines despite the historic presidential race with multiplatform views (down 4% vs. 2023), minutes (down 3% vs. 2023) and unique visitors (down 7% vs. 2023). 

Additional highlights include:

• The FOX News Mobile App reached an average 6.2 million unique visitors per month in 2024, while seeing year-over-year growth.**

On YouTube, FOX News saw a 20% increase with video views compared to 2023 and a 3% increase compared to the last presidential election year in 2020 according to Shareablee. FOX News commanded over 2.8 billion YouTube views for the calendar year peaking in November when the country went to vote.

FOX News was once again the most engaged brand on social media in the competitive set in 2024, driving 404.4 million total social interactions, up 34% from the year prior, according to Emplifi. FOX News drove 126 million interactions on Facebook, 247 million Instagram interactions and 33 million X interactions. From June – December, FOX News generated 1.14 billion views on TikTok. FOX Business drove 10.5 million social media interactions during 2024.

In December, FOX News was also the top news brand with multiplatform minutes (3.3 billion) and views (1.7 billion).* With total digital multiplatform unique visitors, FOX News commanded 104 million surpassing CNN’s 91 million. Notably, CNN saw lows dating back to 2015 with multiplatform views and minute in December.

FOXBusiness.com drove 2 billion multiplatform views in 2024, surpassing brands including CNN Business, WSJ Online, MarketWatch and Forbes. Additionally, the business site delivered 2.9 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 25.3 million multiplatform unique visitors per month.***

The Rise of News Influencers

The 2024 presidential campaign that resulted in the re-election of Donald Trump was unique in many ways. One thing it demonstrated is the increased power that individual voices, first and foremost on social media, have in comparison to the actual “fourth power”, the news media. And it’s not just mega influencers like Elon Musk or Joe Rogan, people with tens of millions of followers on social media, who shape the political views of many, especially young people these days, but also thousands of smaller-scale news influencers.

These are people with large social media followings, who regularly post about politics and current events but are, more often than not, unaffiliated with an actual news organization. As trust in news organization has eroded in recent years, news influencers have become more popular for those seeking independent voices outside the often-maligned “mainstream media”.

According to a Pew Research Center report commissioned by the Pew-Knight Initiative, 21 percent of U.S. adults regularly get news from news influencers, with young adults significantly more likely to do so than older ones. 37 percent of 18 to 29- year-olds regularly get news from influencers versus just 15 percent of 50 to 64-year-olds and 7 percent of those aged 65 and above. While it would be easy to assume that people mostly seek out news influencers who’s views closely align with their own, that doesn’t necessarily appear to be the case. According to Pew’s findings, 61 percent of those wo regularly get opinions from news influencers say that they see opinions they agree and disagree with about equally. 30 percent see mostly opinions they agree with, while very few (2 percent) mostly see opinions from influencers they disagree with.

So why do people lean on news influencers to get informed? According to Pew, 65 percent of news influencer followers said that they helped them better understand current events and civic issues. More than 70 percent said that news influencers offered news that are extremely/very different (23 percent) or somewhat different (48 percent) from the news they get elsewhere. And one final aspect is likely trust: while the news media has lost trust in recent years, influencers have it in abundance, often built through years of social media “relationships” with their followers. What they often lack compared to traditional news outlets is an actual journalistic background, meaning that the trust they enjoy from their followers may not always be backed up by their actual understanding of often complex matters.

As our chart shows, X (formerly Twitter) is the most popular platform among news influencers, with 85 percent of the 500 sampled influencers active on the platform acquire b Elon Musk in 2022. Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are also very commonly used, while TikTok is surprisingly far down the list with only 27 percent of the sampled influencers active on the platform.

Radio History: Jan 18

➦In 1913...comedian/actor Danny Kaye was born David Daniel Kaminski in Brooklyn.

While most of his impact was on the big screen, he had his own radio show in the 1940’s, and his own TV show in the 60’s.  Surprisingly, he has only two appearances listed for the Ed Sullivan Show.  As a partner in Kaye/Smith Broadcasting he was a co-owner of KJR AM/FM in Seattle & KJRB, Spokane.

He died Mar 3, 1987 at age 74 after a heart attack.

➦In 1914...announcer/actor Rod O’Connor was born in Houston.

In Chicago he became announcer for both Don McNeill‘s Breakfast Club and The First Nighter Program. While serving in WWII he met comedian Red Skelton, who offered O’Connor an announcing gig on his Raleigh Cigarette Program in 1945.  He stayed on when Skelton went to television.  O’Connor also worked with some of the biggest names in radio including Art Linkletter, Dennis Day, Rudy Vallée and Danny Thomas.

He died June 5, 1964 at age 50 after losing a battle with cancer.

➦In 1929...“New York Daily Mirror” columnist Walter Winchell made his debut on radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip to “Mr. and Mrs. America…” His quick-jabbing, penetrating manner became his trademark. And so did his fedora hat.

Walt Winchell

He began his career in journalism by posting notes about his acting troupe on backstage bulletin boards. Joining the Vaudeville News in 1920, Winchell left the paper for the Evening Graphic in 1924, and in turn was hired on June 10, 1929 by the New York Daily Mirror where he finally became the author of what would be the first syndicated gossip column, entitled On-Broadway.

Using connections in the entertainment, social, and governmental realms, he would expose exciting or embarrassing information about celebrities in those industries. This caused him to become very feared, as a journalist, because he would routinely impact the lives of famous or powerful people, exposing alleged information and rumors about them, using this as ammunition to attack his enemies, and to blackmail influential people. He used this power, trading positive mention in his column (and later, his radio show) for more rumors and secrets.

He made his radio debut over WABC in New York, then a CBS affiliate, on May 12, 1930.

His newspaper column was syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers worldwide, and he was read by 50 million people a day from the 1920s until the early 1960s. His Sunday-night radio broadcast was heard by another 20 million people from 1930 to the late 1950s.

Aunt Jenny

➦In 1937...CBS radio introduced listeners to “Aunt Jenny’s Real Life Stories” for the first time. A complete story was told in five, 15-minute episodes which aired Monday thru Friday each week. Aunt Jenny was played by Edith Spencer (pictured) and later, by Agnes Young. The show continued on radio until 1956 and was sponsored over the years by Spry shortening and Lux soap. Aunt Jenny’s whistling canary, for those of you ready to inquire, was played by animal imitator, Henry Boyd.

➦In 1948... Ted Mack came to television as “The Original Amateur Hour” debuted on the DuMont network. The program continued on different networks for a total 22-year run.  The original, “Original Amateur Hour”, on radio, was hosted by Major Bowes. In the TV version, Mack introduced many up-and-coming stars who later claimed great fame in show biz. Teresa Brewer and Pat Boone are just two of those discoveries.

➦In 1964..Fifty-one years ago today, the Beatles appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time.

The band's breakthrough, and ultimately, pop culture-redefining, first U.S smash, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 45.

The issue was dated Jan. 18, 1964.

The following week, the song rocketed to No. 3. It became the Beatles' first of 20 No. 1s the following week (Feb. 1, 1964).

Jury Finds CNN Liable In Defamation Trial

UPDATE FRIDAY 12:45PM:   A jury found that CNN committed defamation against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and is responsible for punitive damages on Friday after more than eight hours of deliberation. 

The jury ruled Young is awarded $4 million in lost earnings, $1 in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said that punitive damages are warranted against CNN.  The jury will now proceed to phase two of the trial to determine punitive damages. Lawyers on each side will have a chance to present evidence to determine punitive damages. 

Earlier story....

CNN has spent nearly two weeks in court defending itself against defamation allegations by a U.S. Navy veteran who helped evacuate people from Afghanistan in 2021. 

The network’s newsgathering practices are in focus, but the trial is playing out against a backdrop of intensifying distrust in the legacy news media, writ large. 

The jury began deliberations Thursday afternoon in a case that could leave CNN on the hook for millions of dollars in damages and send ripples through the industry. 

“Send a message that our news organizations must be held accountable,” Devin Freedman, a lawyer for plaintiff Zachary Young, told jurors.

“I’m not gonna ask you today to send a message. I’m gonna ask you to find the truth,” CNN’s lead counsel, David Axelrod, told jurors in his closing argument. “You all didn’t come and sit in this jury to deliver a message to big media.”

The five-minute segment at the center of the dispute aired in November 2021 and told viewers about the exploitation of Afghans trying to escape Taliban rule after the U.S.’s chaotic withdrawal.

The back half of the story focused on Young, an Austria-based security and intelligence consultant who had stints in the Navy and the Central Intelligence Agency. Young, CNN’s story said, posted messages on LinkedIn offering road evacuations from Kabul to Pakistan for $75,000 a vehicle, or $14,500-per-person flights to the United Arab Emirates.

A headline on screen read: “Afghans trying to flee Taliban face black markets, exorbitant fees, no guarantee of safety or success.”

Young, who sued CNN in 2022, claimed that the story’s portrayal rendered him an unemployable pariah in his industry and sent him into a spiral of depression and panic attacks.

The story, first airing on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” and narrated by its chief national security correspondent, Alex Marquardt, included a response from Young saying that his services were for Afghans with sponsors that could bear the costs. 

WATCH LIVE: Day Nine of the $1 billion defamation trial against CNN - Jury is in deliberations - New stream started on order of Judge following accidental sharing of confidential information to media pool https://t.co/9IYjLIe0IK

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 16, 2025

Young alleged that CNN painted him as a villain illegally preying on people desperate to escape. The network, he said, failed to make it clear that his clients were corporations and nonprofits and that his prices reflected complex evacuation logistics. He said he conducted several operations—on behalf of Bloomberg, Audible and two nongovernmental groups—and found safe haven for nearly two dozen stranded Afghans.

Six jurors will decide whether CNN should be held liable and also whether Young can recover punitive damages, which can far exceed damages for financial losses. 

SCOTUS OK’s TikTok Shutdown

The Supreme Court unanimously upheld a federal law requiring TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell or shut down the social-media app by Jan. 19, siding with Congress’s national-security concerns over the platform and its users’ claim that the ban violates the First Amendment.

The Wall Street Journal reports the ruling on Friday means the platform could go dark—at least temporarily—on Sunday, depriving millions of teenagers and other TikTok users of their daily fix of short-form videos that keep them glued to their phones. 

President-elect Donald Trump and his allies are trying to find a political path forward to assuage security concerns and rescue the app. Biden administration officials have signaled they don’t intend to enforce the ban before leaving office, but that hasn’t been enough to give TikTok comfort. 

If it lost at the Supreme Court, TikTok has been planning to shut down the app in the U.S. to comply with the law and avoid exposing companies that sell or distribute the app to legal liability. It has also been exploring other maneuvers and courting Trump.

The ruling set off a new last-minute round of scrambling. The White House made clear it intended to take no action when the law takes effect Sunday, given Trump’s inauguration the next day. “This administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. 

The Justice Department said it welcomed the decision but offered no specifics on what happens now. “The next phase of this effort—implementing and ensuring compliance with the law after it goes into effect on January 19—will be a process that plays out over time,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.

Who Likes TikTok The Most, By Demos

In recent years, TikTok has surged in popularity in the U.S. and across the globe, captivating users with easily consumable content. 

With its innovative short-form video format, TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon, influencing trends in music, dance, comedy and beyond. Its algorithm-driven content recommendation system has proven highly effective in keeping users engaged, inspiring other social media platforms to lean heavily into algorithm recommendations as well (hello Instagram!).

According to Statista Consumer Insights, 4 in 10 U.S. adults aged 18 to 64 regularly used TikTok in 2024, making it the fourth most popular social media platform in the U.S., trailing only Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. That’s up from just 14 percent in 2020, showing how quickly TikTok has established itself as a key player in the social media landscape following its arrival in the United States in 2018. As our chart shows, the app is particularly popular among younger users with almost 60 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds using it regularly. 

It is also the most popular social media platform for U.S. teens according to another recent survey, which is why some lawmakers fear it could be used by the CCP to “indoctrinate” the American youth.

Red Apple To Syndicate Cousin Brucie

Red Apple Music Networks, the music radio unit of Red Apple Audio Networks, has expanded its national syndication with one of America’s most popular, trusted, and beloved music radio personalities Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow. Cousin Brucie‘s Rock & Roll Party airs live on Saturdays from 6-10pm ET and is the second music radio program from the network, whose flagship is the iconic 77WABC.

Cousin Brucie has a long and storied career with 77WABC, where he was on the air during the early days of rock & roll and introduced fans to The Beatles, Motown, 60s Soul, surf music, and more. He even interviewed The Beatles when they first came to the U.S. in 1964!

Fast forward to 2020... John Catsimatidis purchases 77WABC and brings Cousin Brucie, who had been on SiriusXM, back to radio and his legions of fans. Last year, when Now and Then, a new Beatles song that used AI to fill in John Lennon’s voice, Paul McCartney recorded a personalized message for Cousin Brucie to play on his Rock & Roll Party.

The Iconic Cousin Brucie

“We are giving radio stations across America the opportunity to experience the success we have had with Cousin Brucie in New York,” said Catsimatidis. “Brucie is passionate about his show, the music, and his listeners and that is a large part of why his fans are so loyal.”

“Cousins, being on radio again, playing the best music, and connecting with listeners is as exciting for me now as it was in 1964,” said Morrow. “The magic of radio, the beauty of theater of the mind is unduplicated. I'm looking forward to the fun we’re going to have on radio stations across America!”

Morrow has 80,000 followers on Facebook where he interacts directly with his listeners throughout the week. Every Saturday, he posts a video to share with fans who his special guest will be that evening. Guests have included rock & roll superstars such as, Ringo Star, Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons, Darlene Love, Dion DiMucci of Dion & The Belmonts, Mike Love of The Beach Boys, Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, and Darlene Love.

“The goal with our networks is to deliver top-quality programming and nationally recognizable talent like Cousin Brucie to radio stations across the country,” stated Chad Lopez, President of Red Apple Media and WABC Radio. “Brucie has unparalleled access to the artists who performed the biggest hits of the 50s and 60s, bringing listeners closer to the music they love.”

Cousin Brucie was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001

Since the launch of Red Apple Audio Networks in 2021, the network has gained industry-wide recognition for delivering the biggest names in broadcasting, entertainment, news, politics, finance, business, and more. Red Apple Music Networks also syndicates Sundays with Sinatra with Joe Piscopo.

Report: CNN To Shuffle Chairs On The Titanic

Ratings-challenged CNN will reportedly move veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer to a new slot in the mornings as part of a wider reshuffle by the embattled cable news pioneer’s boss Mark Thompson.

The 76-year-old Blitzer, one of the network’s longest-tenured anchors and current host of “The Situation Room” at 6 p.m., will be teamed with Pamela Brown on a new morning show, sources told Status newsletter on Thursday.

The shakeup could also include frequent Donald Trump antagonist Jim Acosta being bounced as anchor of “CNN Newsroom” at 10 a.m., the sources said.

Thompson, the former BBC and New York Times head honcho who was brought in by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav to right the ship at CNN, may also shift pre-dawn anchor Kasie Hunt to the afternoons, according to the newsletter, written by former CNN media analyst Oliver Darcy.

Blitzer recently signed a new multi-year deal with CNN, while Brown currently leads CNN’s 11 a.m. programming during the week.

It is unclear whether the new Blitzer-Brown pairing in the morning will adopt Blitzer’s signature “Situation Room” branding or debut under a different name.

Nonetheless, the reported change means Blitzer’s screen time will increase by an hour each day.

The rearranging of the anchor chairs is part of Thompson’s plan to pave the way for a new generation of on-air talent, according to Darcy.

The decision to shift Blitzer, who was recently mocked on social media for his outdated television setup, to mornings allows CNN to keep one of its most respected anchors on air while also gradually transitioning him out of the evening lineup.

But the change means CNN will have to tweak the rest of its lineup by cutting an hour of programming.

One scenario being considered under discussion is moving Hunt, the former MSNBC anchor and Associated Press scribe, from early mornings to 4 p.m. — a move that would elevate her profile significantly.

Hunt, who currently pulls down a salary north of $1 million per year, hosts “CNN This Morning,” which airs daily from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Trump Nominates Olivia Trusty To Be FCC Commissioner

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Olivia Trusty, a staffer for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), to fill the fifth spot on the FCC. 

Olivia Trusty

Trusty will work with the new FCC Chairman, Brendan Carr, to cut regulations, protect free speech, and ensure affordable and fast internet access for all Americans, according to the President-elect. Donald Trump.. 

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel plans to step down on Monday, leaving the FCC with a 2-2 split between Democrats and Republicans until the Senate confirms Trusty.

Trusty is currently the policy director on the Senate Commerce Committee and she previously worked as an aide to U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio). She also served on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection. Earlier in her career, Trusty worked as a consultant for Verizon and as a policy representative at Qwest. 

She holds a master’s degree in American government from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Philly Radio: iHM Recent Layoffs Included Staffer On Maternity Leave

Bex, Formerly with WIOQ

Bex, the co-host of Top 40 radio station WIOQ Q102’s afternoon drive show, was laid off by parent company iHeart Media while on maternity leave.

Bex, whose real name is Rebekah Maroun, revealed her departure from the station on social media, and a spokeswoman for San Antonio-based iHeart Media confirmed that she “exited the company” on Nov. 4.

The Philly Business Journal reports Maroun had been co-host and executive producer of the "Bex & Buster" afternoon show since July 2021. According to her LinkedIn page, prior to that, she was co-host and executive producer of a morning show at iHeart in Boston from 2018 to 2021. She also worked at Audacy-owned New 96.5 (WTDY-FM), a Philadelphia station with a similar format to Q102, from 2013 to 2017.

With Bex’s departure, Buster, whose real name is Brandon Scott, is now working the afternoon drive shift solo from 3 to 7 p.m. The rest of the station’s programming lineup includes New York-based Elvis Duran during morning drive, Rach on the Radio middays and Nico Oso evenings.

During an Instagram live Q&A last week, Bex told her followers that, “I was actually laid off while on maternity leave in November! Will eventually speak on it but getting everything squared away!! Miss being on the air for sure but grateful for the time with the little ones!! ... And love Buster dearly! This has nothing to do with him. … Just how corporate America works. Appreciate you listening always!!!”

Maroun declined a request for further comment.

The radio industry veteran was part of company-wide layoffs at iHeart implemented on Nov. 4 that impacted dozens of employees. In Philadelphia, radio industry trade publications had already identified two others impacted by the cuts — both from Q102. They are evening host Sam "Nugget" Dababneh and Mike Kaplan, program director for both Q102 and modern rock station Alt 104.5 WRFF-FM.

A source said several sales professionals in Philadelphia were also laid off.

Fox News Media Plans Extensive Inauguration Coverage

FOX News Media will present extensive, multiplatform live programming for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, beginning Sunday, January 19 through the inauguration and its surrounding events on Monday, January 20.

On Sunday, FNC will present live programming originating from Washington, D.C. with weekend editions of FOX & Friends (6-10 AM/ET) featuring co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy, Lawrence Jones and Brian Kilmeade followed by America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino from 10 AM-12 PM/ET, Outnumbered from 12-1 PM/ET, America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith from 1-3 PM/ET, The Story with Martha MacCallum from 3-5 PM/ET and The Five (5 PM/ET).

On FOX Network, Shannon Bream will helm FOX News Sunday (check your local listings) live from FNC’s special coverage set. Kicking off evening programming at 6 PM/ET, Bret Baier will anchor Special Report followed by The Big Weekend Show (7 PM/ET), Life, Liberty & Levin (8 PM/ET), Hannity at 9 PM/ET and Sunday Night in America at 10 PM/ET. FOX News @ Night will be live at 11 PM/ET from Washington.

On Inauguration Day, (January 20) FNC’s live Washington-based programming will kick off with FOX & Friends, America’s Newsroom and The Faulkner Focus followed by Inauguration of Donald Trump, from 11:30 AM-5 PM/ET. Chief political anchor Special Report’s Bret Baier and anchor and executive editor of The Story Martha MacCallum will helm the special as the 47th president and vice president of the United States are sworn into office. FNC’s Dana Perino, chief political analyst Brit Hume, The Five’s Harold Ford Jr., and anchors Harris Faulkner, Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith will contribute to the network’s coverage. 

Additionally, Outnumbered co-host Kayleigh McEnany, The Five’s Jessica Tarlov, Sunday Night in America’s Trey Gowdy and FOX & Friends Weekend co-host Charlie Hurt as well as FNC contributors Karl Rove, Kellyanne Conway, Ben Domenech and Marc Thiessen will break down the developments throughout the day.

WaPo Pivots From Darkness To Storytelling

After Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, The Washington Post adopted a slogan that underscored the newspaper’s traditional role as a government watchdog: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

This week, as Mr. Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, the newspaper debuted a mission statement that evokes a more expansive view of The Post’s journalism, without death or darkness: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”

The NYTimes reports the statement is meant to be an internal rallying point for employees, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. Executives are not planning to replace its more strident public slogan. Suzi Watford, The Post’s chief strategy officer, has been previewing it to some employees this week.

The new mission statement comes amid turmoil in the newsroom. Since June, The Post has been reeling from a series of crises that has resulted in widespread dissatisfaction with Will Lewis, the company’s chief executive. On Wednesday, more than 400 employees sent a letter to Jeff Bezos, the paper’s billionaire owner, requesting a meeting to discuss leadership decisions that they said “led readers to question the integrity of this institution” and that “prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave.”

Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has made comments in line with the new mission statement in conversations with Post journalists in recent years, according to two people familiar with those discussions. Mr. Bezos has expressed hopes that The Post would be read by more blue-collar Americans who live outside coastal cities, mentioning people like firefighters in Cleveland. He has also said that he is interested in expanding The Post’s audience among conservatives, the people said.

The Post has already begun to consider ways to sharply increase the amount of opinion commentary published on its website, according to two people with knowledge of the talks. 

Atlanta Radio: Laura Dickerson Named APD/Midday Host At Q99.7

Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted Laura Dickerson to Assistant Program Director and On-Air Host, Middays, on Top 40 powerhouse Q99.7 Atlanta (WWWQ-FM). 

She can be heard on Q99.7 weekdays from 11:00am-3:00pm. Dickerson, based in Atlanta, will continue to serve as Music Director for Cumulus Houston Top 40 station, 104.1 KRBE, and will continue to host “H-Town Nights with Laura” Monday through Friday from 7:00pm-Midnight.

Dickerson joined Cumulus Media and 104.1 KRBE in 2021, as On-Air Host, Weekends, and earned Music Director stripes for the station in 2022. Prior to that, she was Midday Host for Houston Top 40 station Radio Now 92.1 (KROI-FM) and rose to Music Director in 2019. She was also on-air in Phoenix from 2012-2017 at Hot 97.5/103.9 Hot AC (KMVA-FM). Dickerson holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Arizona State University and started her career at Boston Top 40, Kiss 108 (WXKS-FM).

Laura Dickerson

Leslie Whittle, VP, CHR, Hot AC and Rhythmic CHR, Cumulus Media, and Regional Content Director, Cumulus Houston and Atlanta, said: “It was obvious the day I met Laura four years ago that she's a star. Her pop culture fandom is unparalleled, as is the energy, knowledge, enthusiasm, and creativity she brings to any team she is a part of. She's always looking for "what's next,” and this is a huge, much deserved "what's next.” I'm beyond excited to continue to partner with Laura in Houston and to launch our Atlanta journey together.”

Laura Dickerson commented: “I am thrilled to step into this new role at such a legendary brand as Q99.7. I can't wait to get to know Atlanta, while continuing to build upon the strong foundation Leslie Whittle and I have created together at 104.1 KRBE in Houston. It truly feels like the best of both worlds!”

Dickerson added: “Thank you to Brian Philips for this incredible opportunity to grow within Cumulus Media, and to Alex Cadelago and Melissa Forrest for their collaborative efforts during this transition to what will be a dynamic and prosperous partnership between both markets.”

📻For more information or to stream Q99.7, visit: https://www.q997atlanta.com/. To stream 104.1 KRBE, visit: https://www.krbe.com/.

Atlanta Radio: CMG Appoints David Abel, VP/MM

 Cox Media Group announced Thursday David Abel has been named VP & Market Manager of CMG Atlanta Radio – effective February 17.

Abel brings a wealth of experience from within CMG and the radio industry. Abel began his radio career in New Orleans. He spent 11 years as a leader with Cox Radio in Birmingham, Orlando, and Greenville before becoming a VP/GM with Apex Broadcasting, ultimately working as its Chief Operating Officer. He joined Griffin Communications as VP of Radio and came back to CMG in 2019 as VP & Market Manager for CMG San Antonio Radio, one of the highest-rated radio clusters in the country, with 5 stations consistently ranked within the top 8 in the market, regularly the top revenue performer, and a team that has earned numerous industry awards including NAB Marconi Awards, Crystal Awards, CMA Awards, and many others.

David Abel

“It’s always rewarding to promote from within CMG,” said Rob Babin, CMG’s EVP of Radio. “I’m confident that David’s experience and expertise will help us achieve new milestones and drive our vision forward while we work daily to serve our audiences, clients, and talented employees at CMG Atlanta.”

Abel is a dedicated broadcaster actively involved in his community and with industry boards including the Texas Association of Broadcasters and San Antonio Sports Association. He was awarded the 2024 Breakie Legacy Award from the Texas YES Project, which is focused on improving resources to achieve educational equality.   

“My journey with Cox Media Group started nearly 25 years ago, and it has been a privilege working alongside the many talented and dedicated team members in San Antonio and throughout our company,” said Abel. “I am looking forward to working with CMG’s flagship radio brands and serving our team, listeners, customers, and communities throughout Atlanta.”

CMG Atlanta and its top-performing radio stations (WSB-AM, WSB-FM, WALR-FM, WSRV-FM) are an integral part of Atlanta’s media landscape and have provided consentient leadership and service to the community for 102+ years. CMG Atlanta distinguishes itself from its competitors through a combination of factors including its historical legacy, local programming, proven advertising resources, and incredibly talented team of employees.