Atlanta Radio: Cumulus Fires Q99.7 Staffers

Morning Crew

Atlanta-based Cumulus Media laid off on-air staff at 99X on Friday amid major financial challenges facing the radio company.

The cuts were first reported via a social media post Friday night by Steve Barnes, a key “Morning X” host from the station’s 1990s heyday as a Gen X hub for alternative acts including Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt. Barnes, who returned to lead mornings for the station’s late-2022 revival, titled the post “The End.”

“Thanks to all the listeners that made history bringing back a historic brand for an unprecedented second run,” he wrote. “It’s never been done before like this.” He added: “It’s a brutal business and everyone knew that when they came back.”

Brian Philips, Cumulus chief content officer who helped launch 99X in 1992, had rehired several 1990s-era talents including Barnes, Leslie Fram, Steve Craig, Will Pendarvis, Matt Jones, Christopher “Crash” Clark and Jill Nelson. The status of midday host and program director Craig, weekend host Jones and afternoon host Pendarvis remained unclear.

Rodney Ho at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Craig and Jones did not respond to texts, while Pendarvis said Saturday he had heard nothing from management. Philips declined to comment Friday on the cutbacks or the station’s future.

The moves followed job losses at sister station Q99.7, where afternoon host Kristin Klingshirn was let go, along with night host Laura Dickerson and promotions director Jake Bennett, who oversaw Cumulus’ Atlanta cluster (including New Country 101.5 and classic hip-hop OG 98.9). 

Cumulus owns nearly 400 stations nationwide and ranks as the second-largest U.S. radio group behind iHeartMedia. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in March; a judge approved a reorganization plan weeks later that reduced some of its debt.

Jimmy Baron, a 1990s morning-show partner of Barnes who now works in real estate and occasionally rejoined the show, said 99X drew solid Nielsen ratings among older men until Cumulus stopped paying for the service in January. 

“This was not a 99X ratings problem but a systemic problem,” Baron said. “The music sounded great. The marketing sounded great. But the business model isn’t tenable anymore. Back in the 1990s, advertisers recognized radio was one of the best ways to get their messages out. That’s simply not the case anymore.”

Beleaguered Cumulus Responds To Greg Papa Backlash

Greg Papa

Cumulus Media has fired legendary Bay Area broadcaster Greg Papa from KNBR after his three-month hospital stay for leukemia treatment, drawing widespread outrage. In a statement responding to the backlash, the company that owns the station said it could not comment on the specifics of his departure. 

It added that “our respect and gratitude for everything Greg has given to KNBR, its listeners and its team runs deep” and that it is “exploring ways we can bring his voice back to the station.” 

Cumulus praised Papa as “one of the defining voices of Bay Area sports radio,” noting that “his knowledge, passion and connection with his listeners helped shape KNBR into what it is today, and his contributions to the station will not be forgotten.”

Papa, 63, the longtime radio voice of the San Francisco 49ers and co-host of the weekday midday “Papa & Silver” show since 2019, was let go Wednesday along with co-host Greg Silver. The show will be replaced by longtime Bay Area host John Lund, who is returning to KNBR after being fired from the station in November 2024.

Papa returned home in July after a life-saving bone marrow transplant and treatment for lung failure at UCSF Medical Center. He spent 78 days in the hospital following his leukemia diagnosis last year and missed most of the 49ers’ games. He had expressed optimism about resuming the radio show from his home studio, as he did during chemotherapy, while acknowledging that returning to the 49ers broadcast booth would be more difficult.

Fans reacted angrily on social media. One X user wrote, “You let go of a guy with cancer who is fighting for his life. F— you.” Another commented, “Just because we axed the guy in cancer treatment doesn’t mean we can’t miss him!”

Cumulus Media's Week From Hell

Cumulus Media endured a tumultuous week of widespread layoffs in early August 2026, cutting on-air talent, programmers, sales staff, and podcast network roles across multiple markets nationwide while the company awaits final FCC approval to emerge from its Chapter 11 restructuring. 

The reductions, described as a broader organizational realignment amid ongoing financial pressures and debt reduction efforts, hit stations from San Francisco to Detroit, Little Rock, Mobile, Columbia (SC), Shreveport, Albuquerque, Peoria, and elsewhere. 

They included the ouster of key podcast leaders (such as SVP of Marketing and Podcasting Carolyn Chauncey and VP of Podcast Operations Jay Soderberg), though Cumulus denied reports that it had eliminated the entire Cumulus Podcast Network team and affirmed the network remains operational. 

KNBR's Greg Papa

The most high-profile and controversial cut involved legendary Bay Area sports broadcaster Greg Papa at KNBR (Sports 680/104.5). Papa, the longtime radio voice of the San Francisco 49ers and co-host of the midday “Papa & Silver” show, was let go along with co-host Greg Silver. The show was replaced by returning host John Lund. 

The decision came shortly after Papa, 63, returned home from a grueling 78-day hospital stay at UCSF Medical Center involving a life-saving bone marrow transplant for leukemia and treatment for lung failure; he had missed most of the prior 49ers season and expressed hope of resuming the radio show from a home studio. 

The Papa firing sparked intense public outrage given his health battle and decades as a defining voice in Bay Area sports radio. Facing the backlash, Cumulus Media was forced to issue a statement via KNBR acknowledging the situation. The company said it was “not able to comment on the specifics of his departure” but emphasized deep “respect and gratitude for everything Greg has given to KNBR, its listeners and its team.” It called him “one of the defining voices of Bay Area sports radio,” credited his contributions with helping shape the station, stated it is “exploring ways we can bring his voice back,” and wished him strength, healing, and a full recovery. 

The combination of broad staff cuts and the highly criticized handling of Papa’s exit defined a particularly rough stretch for the radio giant.

More Cumulus Trouble Ahead As Predator 'Vulture' Looms

Heath Freeman, president of Alden Global Capital, is poised to become one of the largest stakeholders in a reorganized Cumulus Media after its Chapter 11 restructuring, holding a 31.86% voting interest through Next Gen Radio Enterprises LLC.

The stake is detailed in Transfer of Control Amendments filed with the FCC last month and remains pending regulatory approval. 

Industry observers warn the arrangement could pave the way for significant job cuts at the major radio group, consistent with Alden’s history of deep staff reductions at newspapers it has acquired.

Heath Freeman

Alden, founded in 2007 by Randall D. Smith as a distressed-debt investor, entered the media business in 2010 by acquiring MediaNews Group out of bankruptcy. It went on to control titles including the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Boston Herald, New York Daily News, Orange County Register and dozens of other daily and weekly papers, consolidating most under Tribune Publishing, which it fully acquired in 2021.

Critics have long labeled Alden a “vulture” fund for its approach of buying distressed papers, selling real estate and other assets, slashing staff to restore margins, and investing little back into newsrooms. 

On the day it completed the Tribune acquisition, NPR noted its signature pattern of deep newsroom cuts. NewsGuild reported that Alden offered buyouts across Tribune newsrooms within days, reducing news staff by roughly 20%. NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss has said the firm cut nearly three-quarters of its newspapers’ combined workforce between 2012 and the end of 2020. Nieman Lab has described the same consistent strategy across Alden’s holdings.

What To Expect From 'Most-Feared' Owner In Journalism

Alden Global Capital’s media strategy centers on acquiring distressed newspaper companies at low cost, aggressively cutting expenses (especially newsroom staff), monetizing real estate and other assets, and extracting high short-term profits with minimal reinvestment in journalism. 

The New York-based hedge fund, founded in 2007 by Randall D. Smith as a distressed-debt investor and led by managing director/president Heath Freeman, entered the media business around 2010. It gained control of MediaNews Group (later operated as Digital First Media or MNG Enterprises) out of bankruptcy and built a large portfolio. With the full acquisition of Tribune Publishing in 2021, Alden became the second-largest U.S. newspaper owner by circulation (behind Gannett), controlling more than 200 papers including the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Boston Herald, New York Daily News, Orange County Register, San Jose Mercury News, and many others.

Core Playbook

Alden’s approach is consistently described across reporting as a form of “distress investing” or “strip-mining”:

Acquire cheaply: Target debt-laden or struggling chains, often through bankruptcy proceedings, opportunistic stakes, or last-minute higher bids that pressure sellers (e.g., attempts on Lee Enterprises and a 2025 bid for The Dallas Morning News after a Hearst deal was announced).

Slash costs aggressively: Implement deep staff reductions—frequently via buyouts and layoffs shortly after taking control—often at rates higher than industry peers. NewsGuild-CWA has reported that Alden cut nearly three-quarters of its newspapers’ combined workforce between 2012 and the end of 2020. Examples include significant reductions at the Denver Post (from hundreds of journalists to a fraction) and roughly 20% news staff cuts soon after the Tribune deal.

Monetize assets: Sell real estate (downtown headquarters, printing plants), equipment, and other holdings. Proceeds help generate cash for investors.
Centralize and minimize reinvestment: Outsource functions, raise subscription prices, rely more on wire services and shared content, and run lean operations focused on short-term margins rather than long-term journalistic capacity. Papers often become “ghost newspapers”—still publishing under historic names but with greatly reduced local reporting.

Heath Freeman

Extract value: Achieve higher operating profit margins than many peers by prioritizing cash flow. Critics say the strategy treats newspapers like any other commodity for extraction rather than as civic institutions.  Heath Freeman and Alden have defended the model, arguing they step in to prevent liquidation and put papers on a path to sustainability through necessary efficiencies when traditional owners cannot or will not. Public engagement from the principals is minimal; the firm is notably secretive.

Observers (including Nieman Lab, The Atlantic, and others) argue the approach accelerates the decline of local journalism, contributes to “news deserts,” and prioritizes investor returns over public-interest reporting on government, schools, and communities. Documentaries and books have examined the pattern extensively. Some note a secondary “Alden effect”: the vacuum created has spurred nonprofit and independent local news startups in affected markets.

Expansion into Radio: 

In 2026, the strategy appears to be extending beyond print. FCC filings related to Cumulus Media’s Chapter 11 restructuring show Heath Freeman set to hold a 31.86% voting interest in the reorganized, debt-reduced radio company through Next Gen Radio Enterprises LLC (pending regulatory approval). This would make him one of the largest post-bankruptcy stakeholders in one of the nation’s biggest radio groups.

Radio industry observers have expressed concern that elements of the newspaper playbook—further cost discipline, consolidation, or asset focus—could influence Cumulus, though radio’s economics differ (Cumulus has already sold many tower assets in prior years). The stake comes as Cumulus itself conducted layoffs amid its reorganization.

Let's Not Forget: The Cumulus Beef With Nielsen

The latest: A federal appeals court in July 2026 upheld a preliminary injunction against Nielsen that bars the ratings giant from forcing radio broadcasters to purchase local market data as a condition of buying its exclusive national “Nationwide” radio ratings product.

The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a decision from the Southern District of New York in a lawsuit filed by Cumulus Media in October 2025. Cumulus accused Nielsen of illegal monopolization and unlawful tying under antitrust law. Nielsen is the sole provider of national radio ratings data. 

According to the complaint, the company required broadcasters seeking access to the Nationwide product to also buy local ratings data across all markets. Cumulus contended this practice artificially raised costs for radio stations, blocked potential competitors such as Eastlan from gaining traction in local markets, and overall harmed the radio industry.

The district court responded by issuing a preliminary injunction that prohibited Nielsen’s tying policy and also barred the company from charging “commercially unreasonable” standalone rates for the Nationwide product. Nielsen has maintained that a subsequent new offer brought it into compliance, rendering continued enforcement of the injunction moot. The company has also filed counterclaims, including allegations that Cumulus improperly shared ratings data.

The antitrust dispute added to Cumulus’s broader financial pressures and was referenced in the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings. Litigation remains active, though the bankruptcy proceedings have introduced procedural complications.

Clay Travis Soon Launching New Sports Media Website

Clay Travis is launching a new sports media website expected to debut before the college football season begins Aug. 29, Front Office Sports has learned.

The site will operate separately from OutKick, the platform Travis founded in 2011 and sold to Fox in 2021. His syndicated talk radio program, The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, is expected to serve as a cornerstone. The show airs in the former Rush Limbaugh noon-to-3 p.m. ET slot, reaches more than 550 stations, and already produces three hours of daily video for digital platforms and YouTube.

Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow’s Hutton & Withrow radio show/podcast is also expected to join the new venture. The Nashville duo left OutKick in May with their Hot Mic program and recently teased a major announcement during SEC media days. “We will be a part of a media platform that will be massive,” Hutton said.

No official name has been announced. Travis filed a trademark application in April for “Sport & State,” describing a website offering “news, information, and commentary in the fields of sports and politics.” The application remains pending.

Travis, a longtime college football commentator, has been recruiting staff and lining up partners and sponsors in recent months. Sources say some are likely to come from the sports betting industry, given his background as a co-star of FS1’s Lock It In (later Fox Bet Live) and his positioning as a sports gambling expert since founding OutKick.

He remains tied to Fox: he became a Fox News contributor in June, continues hosting a weekly show on FS1, and is expected to stay on Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff. His prior deals with Fox, iHeartMedia, and OutKick were set to expire after 2025. 

OutKick, now under Fox News Digital and overseen day-to-day by managing editor Gary Schreier, drew 10.6 million unique visitors in June, according to Comscore. Travis has continued supporting the site, including a recent appearance on Dan Dakich’s show.

The NFL season opens Sept. 9.

Left-Wing Media Is Powering Progressive Candidates

Progressive candidates are winning Democratic primaries across the U.S. by leveraging a growing left-wing media ecosystem of websites, podcasts, YouTube shows and livestreams that lets them build national profiles, raise money and mobilize grassroots support while bypassing traditional Democratic establishment gatekeepers.

On Tuesday, progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Haley Stevens, the party establishment’s preferred candidate, in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Despite being massively outspent on television ads by tens of millions of dollars from pro-Israel and other outside groups, El-Sayed prevailed in a swing state that Republican President Donald Trump carried in 2024. 

A former state health official and rising star in left-wing media, he advanced views long underrepresented in Washington, including support for universal healthcare, abolishing ICE and cutting military aid to Israel. Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, a Democratic socialist, similarly prevailed in a recent congressional primary against a more moderate rival. Appearances on programs such as “The Majority Report with Sam Seder” and “Breaking Points” were key to his breakthrough. 

“It helps me increase my visibility, validation and ability to raise money,” Rabb said, calling it “a Venn diagram of success.”

According to Reuters, this fast-growing network—blending opinion journalism and activism—gives candidates sympathetic platforms for in-depth policy discussions rarely seen on cable news, direct voter engagement and shareable social media clips. New media entrepreneurs say they fill a void left by declining reach and trust in traditional outlets. “There is an audience and a demand and a hunger for different viewpoints,” said Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC host who launched Zeteo in 2024. 

“The same energy that enabled us to be a success as a media entity has enabled a lot of political candidates to be successes.”

Audience metrics underscore the reach: Zeteo has 700,000 Substack subscribers (up 50% from a year ago); “The Majority Report” exceeds 2 million YouTube subscribers, with roughly 75% of listeners under 55; progressive commentator Hasan Piker has more than 3 million Twitch followers. 

Candidates often cycle through the same shows, allowing discovery via trusted ideological allies, said Democratic operative Jesse Lehrich, co-host of the podcast “Nobody Knows Anything.” In turn, rising progressive stars help media figures build their brands. “It’s interconnected,” Hasan noted. “I don’t think one is necessarily leading the other.”

Sam Seder of “The Majority Report” said the platforms generate early enthusiasm among activists, organizers and legislative staffers. While smaller and less funded than right-wing media, the left’s independent creators are increasingly shaping primary campaigns, fundraising and organizing. Analysts caution, however, that the dynamic risks deepening fissures within the Democratic Party and alienating moderates in the coalition.

College Sports Bill Delayed Until September

The Protect College Sports Act failed to reach a Senate vote during an all-night pre-recess session that ended early Saturday, though Majority Leader John Thune scheduled it for consideration next month after the chamber returns from summer break.

The bipartisan measure aims to place guardrails on the escalating spending spree in college sports as the industry adapts to a model allowing teams to pay players. 

“College sports is something that needs to be fixed. They have a good solution,” said Thune, R-S.D. “We got it teed up for next month.”

Co-sponsor Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he and colleagues “have worked hard to end the chaos” surrounding the sport and predicted support from 60 or more senators. Co-sponsor Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., thanked Thune for the calendar placement and said the bill “is how we protect women’s and Olympic sports,” expressing hope for passage in September.

Introduced in late May, the bill initially lacked support from the Big Ten and SEC. Those conferences later signed on after negotiations late last month, briefly reviving it. It then faced skepticism from SEC-state lawmakers including Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Opposition also came from the Congressional Black Caucus and AFL-CIO, while unrelated amendments surfaced.

A crowded agenda—including a short-term funding bill and the narrow confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general—pushed the Protect College Sports Act toward the back of the queue.

Even if it clears the Senate, the bill faces a steep path in the more narrowly divided House, which repeatedly failed to advance the less athlete-friendly SCORE Act.

Investigative Reporter Off the Hook for Daily Fine

Judge Cooper, Catherne Herridge

Ex-Fox News investigative reporter Catherine Herridge no longer faces an $800-a-day contempt fine after a federal judge reversed course Friday, ruling she does not have to keep paying while she seeks review by the Supreme Court. 

She will also be reimbursed the $14,400 she has already paid over the past two weeks.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the pause on the daily sanction, giving Herridge breathing room as she prepares to ask the nation’s highest court later this month to take up her First Amendment fight over confidential sources. The fine had been imposed for her refusal to identify those sources.

The case arises from Herridge’s 2017 reporting at Fox News on Yanping Chen, a Chinese-American scientist who became the target of an FBI counterintelligence investigation. Prosecutors and lawyers in related civil litigation have sought the identities of Herridge’s confidential sources; she has steadfastly refused, citing the journalist’s privilege and First Amendment protections for newsgathering.

Herridge, a veteran investigative journalist known for her national-security and intelligence reporting, was held in civil contempt after declining to name her sources. The daily fine began roughly two weeks ago. Cooper’s Friday order suspends further payments pending the outcome of her planned Supreme Court petition and directs that the checks she has already written be returned.

Yanping Chen

Legal observers view the temporary relief as a significant procedural win that keeps financial pressure from mounting while the higher courts consider whether journalists can be compelled to reveal confidential sources in this context. Herridge’s legal team is expected to file a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court later this month, asking the justices to clarify the scope of reporter’s privilege and First Amendment safeguards against forced disclosure.

The underlying dispute traces to coverage of Chen, who has maintained she was unfairly targeted. Herridge’s stories examined aspects of the FBI’s interest in Chen. Courts have so far rejected her privilege claims in the lower proceedings, leading to the contempt finding and the accumulating fines that Cooper has now paused.

Herridge has framed the fight as essential to protecting the ability of journalists to report on sensitive national-security matters without fear that sources will be exposed. Supporters of robust press protections argue that compelling disclosure would chill investigative reporting; critics of absolute privilege contend that courts must balance those interests against the needs of civil litigants and the judicial process.

With the daily fine lifted and reimbursement ordered, attention now shifts to whether the Supreme Court will agree to hear the case and, if so, how it will address the long-standing tension between the free flow of information and the demands of litigation.

 

ESPN Believed Behind Lifting Of Caitlin Clark Suspension

The WNBA quickly rescinded Caitlin Clark’s eighth technical foul of the 2026 season hours after it was assessed during Indiana’s 90-86 win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday, allowing the Fever star to avoid an automatic one-game suspension and play in Tuesday’s high-profile home matchup against the New York Liberty. 

Some fans and observers believe ESPN influence played a role in the rapid reversal, citing the network’s interest in protecting viewership for the Tuesday game, which was expected to draw strong ratings with Clark available. 

Social media comments and posts speculated that ESPN contacted the league or that the broadcaster’s stake in a Clark-featured primetime or national telecast (often on ESPN or ABC) drove the decision to keep the league’s biggest draw on the floor. The technical came in the third quarter when Clark, driving the baseline and bumped by Sky defender Natasha Cloud, lost her balance, went out of bounds, and made contact with an official. 

Caitlin Clark received her 8th technical, she will now be automatically suspended vs the Liberty Tuesday if it is not rescinded pic.twitter.com/rPZTuGsYNI

— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) August 8, 2026

Officials ruled the contact intentional; Clark and Fever coach Stephanie White strongly disagreed, calling it incidental. White received a technical of her own for arguing. Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe postgame that she had already reviewed the play on tape, insisted it was unintentional with no words exchanged, and expressed hope it would be rescinded, adding she expected to see Rowe on Tuesday. 

The Fever appealed almost immediately. Multiple reports, including from ESPN’s Kareem Copeland and USA Today, confirmed the league office rescinded the foul less than two hours after the game, dropping Clark back to seven technicals. Under WNBA rules, an eighth technical triggers an automatic one-game suspension and fine; further technicals bring additional penalties. 

Clark entered the game with the league lead in technical fouls and had previously appealed others (with mixed results earlier in the season). She finished Saturday with 26 points and 11 assists. The Tuesday game against the Liberty pits two contending teams and features one of the league’s top rivalries and marquee attractions. Clark’s presence has consistently driven elevated national interest and ratings for the WNBA.

No official statements from the WNBA or ESPN have confirmed any network involvement in the decision. The league framed the rescission as a review of the play after the Fever’s appeal. Fan speculation about media or ratings pressure reflects broader ongoing debates about officiating consistency, Clark’s high profile, and the commercial value she brings to the league and its broadcast partners.

More Taylor Swift Songs Removed From Trump Posts

Taylor Swift songs have been removed from social media videos posted by President Donald Trump’s campaign and the White House, which used two of the singer’s tracks over the past week.

Reuters reports the Trump campaign featured the songs on its TikTok page. One video played on her lyrics with the caption “Red (Donald Trump’s Version). Red (Taylor Swift Wrote A Whole Album About Republicans). Donald Trump. Everything Has Changed (At Our Southern Border). Donald Trump. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (The Biden Harris Administration). Donald Trump. The Last Time (An Autopen Runs The Country).” In June, the campaign posted another video using Swift’s “Toy Story 5” song “I Knew It, I Knew You,” captioned “Nobody loves our country & the American People more than @President Donald J Trump.” 

It showed Trump interacting with children at the White House, dancing at a UFC match and appearing at a rally. This marked the third time the Trump administration or his campaign had used one of the Grammy-winning artist’s songs in recent months. 

Dozens of artists, including Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, have called on the Trump administration not to use their songs. Swift has not spoken recently about Trump. She endorsed his 2024 Democratic rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. 

During the 2020 campaign, she posted that Trump was “WELL AWARE we do not want him as our president.” Trump has repeatedly criticized Swift. 

After her Harris endorsement, he wrote on social media, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Last year he posted: “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” The White House and a representative for Swift did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Staffers Not Allowed To Speak To Howard Stern

Howard Stern’s staffers allegedly operated under strict, unusual rules in what sources describe as a “cultish” workplace at SiriusXM, where speaking to the radio host at company events could cost employees their jobs.

People were explicitly warned before any company parties not to approach or speak to Stern, with the added caution that individuals had actually been fired for doing so, an insider claimed to the US Sun. 

The SiriusXM section devoted to Stern’s show in New York City was characterized by sources as feeling “cultish,” marked by an intense hierarchy centered on the host’s approval.

One source alleged that the men who work for Stern appear desperate for his attention, saying, “All of these men [who work for Stern] are so desperate for Howard’s attention, it’s like they all just like want Daddy’s approval so bad.” 

These accounts paint a picture of a tightly controlled environment in which access to the longtime radio personality was tightly restricted and personal validation from him carried outsized weight among the staff.

The claims, reported by the US Sun, focus on the internal culture surrounding Stern’s long-running program rather than on-air content or public persona. No further specifics on the number of firings, the exact nature of other rules, or responses from Stern or SiriusXM were detailed in the initial reports.

Americans Are Moving: But Not Necessarily In The Same Direction

Older generations are relocating to the South while Gen Z migrates to major cities with colleges, entry-level jobs and apartments, according to U-Haul’s latest migration trends report.

The report, released July 29, examined 52 weeks of one-way customer moves from July 2025 through June 2026 and organized results by generation, noting that life stage strongly influences destinations.

Baby Boomers showed the strongest net gains in the Southeast, led by South Carolina and North Carolina, followed by Florida, Arizona and Alabama—regions popular with retirees and seasonal residents.

Gen X and Millennials both favored Florida and Texas as their top two net-gain states. After that, Gen X preferred the Southeast and Mountain West (South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama), while Millennials selected California, Ohio and Idaho.

Gen Z concentrated on dense urban centers. The top five net-gain cities for the generation were New York City, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles; Austin, Charlotte, Denver and Seattle also ranked in the top 10.

Florida was the only state to post a top-10 net gain across all four generations. Texas ranked highly for three generations (all except Baby Boomers), and Idaho appeared in the top 10 for three generations (all except Gen Z).

Philly Radio: Auction Winner Calls An Inning Of Phillies Game

Broadcasters Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke  and Kalb

A 73-year-old retiree paid $22,000 for one inning behind the Philadelphia Phillies radio microphone Wednesday night and delivered a smooth, experienced call that surprised the regular announcers.

Lewis Kalb of Medford Lakes, N.J., won the team’s annual Phillies Phanatic Auction and handled play-by-play when the Washington Nationals came to bat in the top of the third at Citizens Bank Park. 

The longtime Phillies fan and substitute teacher had called more than 3,000 recreational and school-league games over three decades and treated the opportunity as a professional assignment rather than a novelty.

“It was almost surreal. It was all a blur,” Kalb told The Athletic. He prepared by studying player-name pronunciations and building a position grid, though rain left his notes soggy. About 30 seconds after regular announcer Scott Franzke introduced him, Kalb settled in. Franzke said it was clear immediately that Kalb had broadcast experience. 

“He knew what he was doing; it was pretty obvious.” Kalb acknowledged minor errors—a miscalled count and a mispronunciation of Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile’s name—but his natural delivery stood out from typical auction winners.

73-year-old substitute teacher Lewis Kalb won a Phillies charity auction to join the broadcast for an inning

He fulfilled his "lifelong dream" by calling the third inning, and he CRUSHED it 🔥

(via @Phillies)pic.twitter.com/Qc8FFiXpgt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 7, 2026

The auction, launched in 2013 with SportsRadio 94WIP, had previously drawn winning bids as low as $6,000. Kalb, who had bid unsuccessfully in earlier years, went higher than expected after treating the chance as a bucket-list item shared with his small community. 

Kalb’s résumé includes disc-jockey work in Atlantic City, freelance radio reporting in the Philadelphia area in the 1980s and ’90s, three seasons appearing with Howie Rose on Mets Extra, and an unsuccessful audition for the 76ers radio job that led him to call youth games and build a local following. 

“For the rest of my life, I’m always able to say I was a big-league announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies,” he said. “Nobody knows whether it was one inning or 10 seasons; I’m still in that group.”

Radio History: Aug 10

Ted Husing

➦In 1962...Edward Britt "Ted" Husing died from complications of a brain tumor at age 60 (Born - November 27, 1901).  He was an early radio sportscaster and was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting.

At age 16, he joined the National Guard and in World War I was assigned to stand watch over New York's harbor. Following the war, he floated between jobs such as carnival barker and payroll clerk.

After he won an audition over 500 other applicants for announcer at New York City radio station WHN, Husing found his life's calling. He was schooled under the tutelage of pioneer broadcaster Major J. Andrew White. There he covered breaking news stories and political conventions and assisted White during football commentaries.

By 1926, Husing was working at WJZ, which made him "its specialist in announcing dance programs." A newspaper article reported that Husing was selected for the job "out of 610 applications for the position of announcer at station WJZ."

As an announcer, his use of descriptive language combined with a commanding voice made his broadcasts must-listen events. By 1927, he was voted seventh most popular announcer in a national poll. Following a pay dispute, he moved to Boston, where he broadcast Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) baseball games.

Later in 1927, he returned to New York and helped his mentor, J. Andrew White, start the new CBS chain. After cigar mogul William S. Paley bought the cash-strapped network in 1928, Ted Husing rose to new heights of glory and fame.

At CBS, Husing took on a wide variety of events. In 1929, he was named studio director of WABC (the CBS flagship station) in addition to continuing his work as an announcer for the network.

He was the original voice of the popular March of Time program and an announcer for shows such as George Burns and Gracie Allen. Above everything, his work on sports gave Husing the greatest prominence. He covered events as diverse as boxing, horse racing, track and field, regattas, seven World Series, tennis, golf, four Olympic Games, Indianapolis 500 motor racing, and especially college football.

In addition to his sports preeminence, Husing also did news/special events coverage for the CBS Radio Network. In the 1930s, he gave early tutelage to a budding CBS Radio announcer, Mel Allen, who, like Husing, would become a legendary sportscaster.

In 1946, Husing moved from CBS to WHN (later WMGM) to pursue a career as a disk jockey. Husing's popular music show the Ted Husing Bandstand ran from 1946 to 1954. He continued to busy himself with sports assignments, including boxing on CBS and DuMont television, one year (1950) as the radio voice of New York Giants football, and as host of DuMont's Boxing From Eastern Parkway from May 1952 to March 1953. Perhaps he was best known as the voice of Army football from 1947 to 1953. By that time, Husing's yearly salary was close to half a million dollars.

In the spring of 1954, an operation to treat a malignant brain tumor left him blind and forced him to retire.   In 1963, Husing became the second inductee of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.  In 1984, Husing was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame’s inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Red Barber, Don Dunphy, Graham McNamee and Bill Stern.