Radio History: Aug 30

➦In 1903...Arthur Godfrey was born (Died: March 16, 1983). Godfrey is probably best known for his "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout" and was one of if not the most popular radio personalities of his day.

Arthur Godfrey

On leaving the Coast Guard, Godfrey became a radio announcer for the Baltimore station WFBR (now WJZ (AM)) and moved the short distance to Washington, D.C. to become a staff announcer for NBC-owned station WRC the same year and remained there until 1934.

Recovering from a near-fatal automobile accident en route to a flying lesson in 1931 (by which time he was already an avid flyer), he decided to listen closely to the radio and realized that the stiff, formal style then used by announcers could not connect with the average radio listener; the announcers spoke in stentorian tones, as if giving a formal speech to a crowd and not communicating on a personal level. Godfrey vowed that when he returned to the airwaves, he would affect a relaxed, informal style as if he were talking to just one person. He also used that style to do his own commercials and became a regional star.

➦In 1931...gossip columnist Walter Winchell began his long distinctive radio career with a quarter hour Tuesday nights coast-to-coast on CBS, after a 3-month trial run on the local New York affiliate WABC.

➦In 1934...KEX 1180 AM moved studios from the "Terminal Sales Building" to "The Oregonian" bldg. with KGW

➦In 1963...“American Bandstand” aired for the final time as a daily show on ABC-TV, it became a weekly show on Saturdays for another 26 years

NY Times Story

➦In 1966...WOR 98.7 FM changed to rock.

It was nation’s first  free-form progressive rock format. Some legendary NYC disc jockeys, including Scott Muni and Murray “The K” Kaufman, were among the original WOR-FM staffers.

WOR-FM became popular on college campuses and the station racked up impressive ratings for an FM station in those days.

But owner RKO wanted to play just the hits.  It tweaked the format in 1967 to target a traditional Top 40 audience.  Consultant Bill Drake brought a version of his “Boss Radio” format, which had been popular on other RKO stations around the nation, to WOR-FM.  New York City’s version of the format was more oldies- and adult-oriented.

Today, the station is owned by Emmis Communications and leased by ESPN airing sports  as WEPN.

➦In 1984...Elected in the Sportscasters Hall of Fame were President Ronald Reagan, radio pioneers Red Barber, Bill Stern, Graham McNamee, Don Dunphy and Ted Husing.

➦In 2011…Richard "Cactus" Pryor died (Born - January 7, 1923). He was a broadcaster and humorist. He received his nickname after the old Cactus Theater on Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, which was run by his father, "Skinny" Pryor.

Pryor was first heard on Lady Bird Johnson's radio station KLBJ 590 AM, though his face became as well known as his voice once he moved to television broadcasting on Austin television station KTBC.

In addition to his work in radio and television, Pryor also appeared in two movies, Hellfighters and The Green Berets with John Wayne. He was the author of a 1995 collection of some 40 essays entitled Playback. At KTBC, Pryor had served as programming manager and had hosted a variety of shows. He had conducted interviews with celebrities such as Arthur Godfrey and Dan Blocker and narrated behind-the-scenes programs about KTBC.

Al Brady Law

➦In 2012...Programmer Al Brady Law died at age 67.

He had three stints in New York radio from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. His work was varied, from air personality to programmer. His start in New York took place as WOR-FM evening jock in 1969. A year later, even though he bolted for Miami, Law was heard filling in on WWDJ, primarily on nights.

After some work in Denver, Law was back at WWDJ on a full-time basis as the station’s program director. Following the short gig at ‘WDJ, Law appeared at WXLO where he was hired solely as the “99X” program director.

However, Law’s dual hats would return in a big way at WNBC 660 AM. In 1974, he was named a joint assistant program director and air personality. Later that year, Law took over as program director but only briefly before resuming his APD/weekend air work. He remained at the NBC flagship until 1976.

R.I.P.: Ron Parker, Veteran GA. TX , NYC, Chicago Personality

Ron Parker, a veteran American radio personality whose warm, easygoing style carried listeners through decades of Top 40, oldies, and classic hits, died Friday evening, following a brief illness. He was 74.

His last air shift was in May 2026 on SiriusXM’s 60s and 70s channels, where he had been a familiar voice for many years. An Atlanta native, Parker fell in love with radio as a teenager. In 1970, at age 15, he passed his third-class FCC exam and was soon spinning Top 40 and rock records at WPLO in Atlanta. 

While attending the University of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, he worked at Athens-area stations including WDOL, WRFC, and WFOX. He landed a major early break at legendary Atlanta Top 40 outlet WQXI in 1973, then moved to Z-93 (WGZC).

His career took him through some of the country’s most prominent stations and markets. He held on-air and programming roles at WLCY and WCKX in Tampa Bay, KFRC in San Francisco, KKBQ and KLDE in Houston—where he served as program director and morning personality and oversaw a station rebrand—WCBS-FM in New York, and WLS-FM in Chicago. He also worked with the Satellite Music Network and ABC Radio Networks in Dallas, with his work heard on stations nationwide.

In 1983, Electronic Media magazine named him one of America’s five best Top 40 announcers. He was a 1989 Billboard nominee for Program Director of the Year and was later cited among the nation’s top ten program directors. Colleagues and listeners remembered him as a personality who made the music feel personal—smart, fun, and connected to both the era and the moment.

Parker was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2019. He was also honored by the Friends of Georgia Radio. In later years he divided his time between satellite radio and regional work, including Georgia Gold Saturday Night on TGC Radio, while living in South Texas.

On SiriusXM he became a weekend and fill-in mainstay on the 60s and 70s channels, bringing the same conversational ease he had shown in Houston, New York, and Chicago. Listeners who first heard him on local AM and FM stations later found him again on satellite, a through-line across more than fifty years behind the microphone.

He often said he still loved the work. From a high-school studio in Atlanta to national satellite channels, Ron Parker treated the job as conversation with friends who happened to share a love of the records.

He is survived by his wife and children.

Radio Doubles Down On Dolly's Music

U.S. radio stations more than doubled down on Dolly Parton after her Aug. 25 death, spinning her recordings more than 13,300 times in the week through Aug. 27 — a jump of more than 2,000% from about 620 plays the week before, according to Mediabase.

Her music aired on more than 930 monitored terrestrial stations, up from about 135, as programmers abandoned regular playlists, reached deep into her catalog and, in some cases, turned entire airwaves over to her.

In Nashville, iHeartMedia’s WSIX dropped its format after the announcement and played 62 Parton songs in a row, plus more through the night and into Wednesday, iHeartCountry executive vice president Rod Phillips said. Other iHeartCountry stations increased her presence to multiple songs an hour. The company also launched a #GoodDeedsForDolly campaign.

Billboard's Country Airplay reporters played 66 different Parton titles in the days after her death, from 1967’s “Dumb Blonde” to 2023’s “Wrecking Ball” with Miley Cyrus. “9 to 5” led with 799 spins on 135 stations, followed by “Jolene” (725 spins, 134 stations) and “I Will Always Love You” (665 spins, 133 stations).

On Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, launched in 1990, Parton had 28 lifetime entries, including two No. 1s. On the longer-running Hot Country Songs chart she accumulated 113 titles and 25 No. 1s — the most of any woman in the list’s history.

Billboard reports stations from Dallas, Knoxville and Austin to Charleston, W.Va., Birmingham and Mobile leaned heavily into her music, with the strongest response across the South and Appalachia and airplay stretching from Portland, Maine, to Anchorage, Alaska. 

SiriusXM launched a dedicated Dolly Parton Tribute Channel featuring her songs, collaborators and listener memories.  “After more than 35 years in radio,” Phillips said, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a reaction like we are experiencing with Dolly’s passing.”

Judge Pauses Firings of Stars and Stripes Journalists

A federal judge on Friday delayed for one week the Pentagon’s planned firing of three Stars and Stripes journalists who sued, claiming the Defense Department is retaliating against them for warning that the military newspaper is losing its editorial independence.

The one-week reprieve for reporter Lara Korte, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer was announced during a hastily convened hearing in Washington on a lawsuit they filed Thursday. The suit argues that dismissing them would violate the First Amendment.

All three remain on administrative leave. 

Their lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden for a temporary restraining order that would keep them in that status while the case proceeds. McFadden, a Trump appointee, did not immediately grant the order.

Termination notices sent a week earlier cited comments Korte and Slavin made last month on “CBS Sunday Morning” about feared interference with Stars and Stripes’ longstanding independence. Lederer was told he would be fired for refusing to dismiss the other two and for his own public remarks.

The journalists say the real trigger was an earlier Stars and Stripes story about deteriorating mental health among sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln while the carrier was deployed in the Persian Gulf.

During the roughly 30-minute hearing, Justice Department lawyers and the journalists’ attorneys clashed over whether a restraining order was warranted and whether Korte and Slavin were speaking in their official capacity. McFadden noted they obtained superiors’ approval before the CBS interview, which he said could mean the comments were official speech and therefore unprotected under Supreme Court precedent. “They did get sign-off,” the judge said.

A lawyer for the journalists replied that they were simply following Pentagon rules for media interviews.

ESPN Restructures News Division, Top Editor Exits

Roxanna Scott is out as ESPN’s top editor after fewer than 10 months, sources told Front Office Sports. Her SVP and editor-in-chief role was eliminated this week in a reorganization of the network’s news division.

ESPN will adopt a new editorial structure that executives believe will better support its newsgathering needs, a source said. Scott’s departure is not being described as part of a new round of layoffs. An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.

Scott was named to the job last December after being hired by former ESPN EVP Dave Roberts. Roberts retired earlier this year, and Mike Foss was promoted to EVP, executive editor, sports news and entertainment.

Scott previously spent years at USA Today and had a brief stint at The Athletic

.The move follows earlier editorial shakeups at ESPN last year, when several editors left amid an investigation into HR complaints. The nature of those complaints was not specified. Former executive editor Cristina Daglas now works in the front office for the Wizards and Mystics. Elizabeth Baugh, who was sidelined during the investigation and was seen as a Daglas ally, left before it concluded and went to Ring magazine. Former NFL editor Heather Burns also departed and later joined USA Today.

Report: The View Would Like Karoline Leavitt At The Table

ABC’s The View wants outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as a permanent panelist and has already invited her on as a guest, two sources told the Daily Mail. 

Leavitt is considering the idea, and President Donald Trump and other White House officials have enthusiastically backed it.

Thursday was Leavitt’s last day in the job. 

The 29-year-old announced earlier this month that she would leave at the end of August to spend more time with her newborn daughter, Viviana, and her 2-year-old son, Nicholas.

Karoline Leavitt

Producers want her on soon after she leaves as a test run but are serious about adding her to the all-female daytime lineup, one source said. A second source said official talks have not started, though ABC representatives have made their interest clear to people close to Leavitt.

Leavitt declined to comment. ABC also declined. 

The show’s 30th season begins this fall with all six current hosts returning: Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

Discussions of future media jobs while still in government are legally sensitive. Officials cannot negotiate private-sector opportunities while in office. Under President Joe Biden, then-press secretary Jen Psaki drew criticism for lining up an MSNBC role before announcing her White House exit.

Adding Leavitt — widely seen by MAGA supporters as Trump’s strongest communicator — would mark a sharp shift for The View, which has long struggled to land an authentic conservative foil for its largely liberal panel. 

CNY Radio: Talker Bill Keeler Finds New Radio Home

Graphic Courtesy of CNYRadio.com

Bill Keeler will return to morning radio on 92.7 The Drive (WXUR) on Tuesday, Sept. 8, airing live weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m.

The announcement was first reported CNYRadio.com. He will be joined by former WIBX colleagues Davey Smith and Jeff Monaski, plus Jay Aiello. The show will also stream live on Keeler’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Live 365 and The Drive’s website.

Keeler was let go earlier this month from Townsquare Media’s 950 WIBX, along with Smith and Monaski. WXUR is dropping the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Show” to make room for the local program.

Keeler said local ownership was a deciding factor. “Local radio works when it’s actually local,” he said. “It means the people making decisions live here, work here, know the businesses, know the charities, know the important players and, most importantly, know the people listening.”

He added that the new show will include “everything we did at IBX, plus all the things they wouldn’t let us do.” He also noted he is returning to studios he built 20 years ago and will work with Program Director “Genesee” Joe Trisolino and station owner Mindy Barstein.

Barstein, WXUR’s GM and owner, said the hire returns radio to “entertaining, informing and serving the local community.” With Keeler in the morning and Genesee Joe in the afternoon, she said The Drive will be “the only full time live radio station playing music you won’t hear anywhere else.”

Trisolino called Keeler “a local radio legend” and said the move gives the station a fully local lineup. “This is why WE DARE TO BE DIFFERENT,” he said.

MN Radio: Connoisseur Media To Shed Four More Stations

Connoisseur Media has agreed to sell four Minnesota radio stations serving Austin and Albert Lea to Hometown Broadcasting of Austin and Albert Lea, LLC.

The deal covers NewsTalk KAUS-AM and KAUS-FM in Austin and Countrty KATE-AM and A/C KCPI-FM in Albert Lea. It is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close in early fall.

Connoisseur said the sale is part of an effort to refine its station portfolio and focus resources on markets where it believes it can have a greater impact. The move continues a strategy adopted after Connoisseur acquired Alpha Media’s stations in September 2025.

Jeff Warshaw

“The Austin and Albert Lea market area was not a market where we felt Connoisseur could make a meaningful difference with the focus and approach we bring to radio,” said founder and CEO Jeff Warshaw.

Warshaw said the company looks for strong local operators when a market does not fit its strategy. He said Connoisseur had been talking with Hometown Broadcasting CEO Greg Jensen for some time and was impressed by Jensen’s commitment to the communities and desire to return to radio.

“We look forward to serving our communities and surrounding areas with hometown ideas, local broadcasting and a commitment to being an active part of the communities we serve,” Jensen said. “We also look forward to hearing from our listeners and community members and building these stations together.”

CBC Tells Journalists To Avoid Calling 9/11 'Terrorist' Attacks

CBC News has defended an internal memo telling reporters and editors not to describe the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as “terrorist attacks,” saying the guidance reflects its longstanding practice of attributing politically and emotionally loaded terms rather than applying them independently.

CBC Public Affairs Director Kerry Kelly told Fox News Digital that the network “exercise[s] extreme caution before using the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism.’” She said the memo was “a reminder of the longstanding practice that favors the use of these terms with attribution in our reporting.”

The memo, written by Basem Boshra, CBC News’ senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, surfaced ahead of the attacks’ 25th anniversary. Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella first reported it and said it was addressed to CBC News staff. 

It instructed: “Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.” It instead described the events as hijackings that led to passenger-jet crashes in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Manhattan and said the World Trade Center was destroyed.

Critics condemned the language. New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino called the guidance “outrageous and insulting” and said it showed “callous disregard for the memory of those who perished on 9/11” and a “deliberate effort to undermine the fundamental truth of what happened that day.” 

Conservative Canadian MP Rachael Thomas called it “absolutely shameful,” saying CBC was “choosing to redefine terrorism in a way that downplays the atrocity of 9/11” and that “9/11 was an act of terrorism. Full stop.” 

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said describing the attacks as “hijackings that led to crashes” sanitized history and marked a “collapse of journalistic standards.”

Howard Loses Archive Channel, As SiriusXM Revamps Channel Settings

SiriusXM has dropped Howard Stern’s Howard 101 channel from its lineup, adding weight to reports that Stern will cut back his schedule when he returns from summer break.

The change takes effect Sept. 1 as SiriusXM updates channel numbers across sports, entertainment, comedy, news, talk and music. Radio Andy will move from Channel 102 to Channel 101. Howard 100 will stay on Channel 100. Howard 101 will leave the lineup.

Among the changes, Audacy sports stations will fill the following channels

• WFAN New York (channel 94)
• 
  KSPN Los Angeles (channel 95)
• WSCR Chicago (channel 96)
• WEEI Boston (channel 97)
• WIP Philadelphia (channel 98)
• KRLD-FM Dallas (channel 99)
• KDKA-FM Pittsburgh (channel 169)
• WXYT-FM Detroit (channel 170)
• KGMZ San Francisco (channel 171)
• WKRK-FM Cleveland (channel 172)

Howard 101 originally carried programs Stern selected, including “Bubba the Love Sponge” and sports talker Scott Ferrall, then became a home for Stern archives and extra programming.

The shutdown follows two rounds of layoffs affecting about 50 employees tied to “The Howard Stern Show” and its SiriusXM channels. Reports say many of those laid off worked mainly on Howard 101.The staffing cuts and channel removal come as questions grow about Stern’s longer-term role. He signed a three-year contract in December 2025 that runs through 2028.

Stern is also reportedly reducing his live schedule from two days a week to one. That would lessen the need for a second dedicated channel, with Howard 100 able to air archived shows, interviews and clips.

Meta Is Providing Ray-Ban Meta Glasses To Blind Veterans

Meta is donating Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to every legally blind veteran in the United States, a program the company says will reach more than 130,000 eligible recipients. 

The glasses are free. Meta and partners, led by the Blinded Veterans Association, are also providing hands-on training so veterans can use the devices to read documents, identify objects, describe their surroundings and move through daily life with more independence. Eligible veterans can request a pair at bva.org/glasses. Veteran organizations can apply through TechSoup. 

Meta announced the program June 12, 2026, under the slogan “The Future Is for Everyone.” Company officials framed the gift as a way to honor veterans who lost their sight in service. Retail prices for the glasses typically range from about $200 to $800, depending on the model. 

The effort was inspired by U.S. Army veteran Don Overton of the 82nd Airborne Division, who lost his vision in a Desert Storm bunker explosion and later worked with Meta’s wearables team on features for blind users.  “When I lost my eyesight in Desert Storm from a bunker explosion, I also lost my independence. The moment I put on my Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I got my independence back,” Overton said. 

Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick said Overton’s collaboration showed the company it needed a path to every blind veteran in America. CTO Andrew Bosworth called the donation “a profound honor” and said it underscored why Meta builds the technology. Mark Zuckerberg said Meta AI on the glasses can describe what is around a wearer, read documents and help with navigation. 

Partners include the Blinded Veterans Association, Tunnel to Towers, Homes for Our Troops, Lighthouse Guild, American Council of the Blind, National Industries for the Blind and Oscar Mike. Training includes guides, monthly webinars and in-person events. The BVA has said it aims to finish shipping glasses by the end of September 2026. Some reports note BVA membership may be required to request a pair through the association’s site.

Radio History: Aug 29

➦In 1892...Broadcast Pioneer Harry Read was born in Seattle, WA.. He was a co-founder  of KXL Portland OR. Read was Secretary-Treasurer of KXL Broadcasters and, General Manager & Chief Technician KXL Radio.  Today KXL is known as KXTG 750 AM and airs a sports talk format.  It's sister-FM station uses the KXL calls and airs news/talk. Both are now owned by Alpha Media Group.

➦In1914...Radio actor Willard Waterman (right) was born in Madison Wisconsin (Died at age 80 - February 2, 1995).  He was versatile supporting actor. He replaced Harold Peary, on "The Great Gildersleeve," radio program after Peary was unable to convince sponsor and show owner Kraft Cheese to allow him an ownership stake in the show.

He began his radio career at WIBA in Madison, singing in a quartet that performed "musical interludes between programs." and moved to NBC in Chicago in early 1936.

➦In 1936...ABC news anchor Peter Jennings was born in Toronto (Died was age 68 - August 7, 2005). The son of a CBC newsman/exec he had his own half-hour Saturday radio program at age 9.  Before his 30th birthday he anchored briefly for CTV and ABC TV, but was considered too young with insufficient gravitas.  After much reporting from world hot spots he became sole anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight in 1983, an assignment he continued until just before his death from lung cancer.

➦In 1943...summertime replacement show 'Paul Whiteman Presents' was heard on NBC radio for the last time. The hostess was Dinah Shore, and Whiteman led a 35-piece orchestra. His well-known theme song was Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

➦In 1946...Bwana Johnny (left) was born in Oregon (Died at age 59 in 2005).  Bwana, whose real name was Richard Johnson, had been a popular disc jockey at the old 1260/KYA back in the late 1960s. Most recently, he had worked in production with Jones Radio Networks in Seattle before his illness forced him into a care facility.

Before coming to the Bay Area in 1969, "Beautiful Bwana" worked at KLOG/Kelso, Wash., WUBE/Cincinnati and KJR/Seattle.

He moved on to WWDJ/New York as music director and afternoon-drive jock (1971-1973) and spun records for a year at WFUN/Miami before returning to his hometown, Portland, Ore., as "Crazy Dick Simms" on the Rose City's legendary KISN in 1975.

➦In 1957...The ABC radio network purchased KQV 1410 AM in August 29, 1957 for $700,000. ABC hired two executives from Storz Broadcasting to launch the top 40 format in Pittsburgh  They hired Dale Maudy who had been an executive engineer for the Stroz group and Ralph Beaudin, who had been a KOWH sales executive, as the KQV general manager.

The station was one of the oldest in the U-S and went silent on December 31, 2017 For more on KQV: Click Here.

➦In 1966...The Beatles played what would prove to be their last concert before a paying audience at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, to a sold-out crowd of 25,000. John and Paul, knowing what the fans do not (that this will be the last concert ever) brought cameras on stage and took pictures between songs. (Their lone remaining public performance was the 1969 rooftop appearance in London).

Baltimore Radio: WBAL Radio Cuts Local Shows

WBAL NewsRadio in Baltimore said Thursday it is dropping two local weekday talk shows and filling midday hours with nationally syndicated programs from Premiere Networks. 

Local midday host T.J. Smith is leaving the 10 a.m.–2 p.m. slot. Glenn Beck will air from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show from noon to 3 p.m. 

Afternoon host Angelette Aviles, who joined the station a little more than a year ago, is also departing. 

The station will air The Sports Lounge from 3 to 5 p.m., then WBAL News Now with longtime anchor Robert Lang from 5 to 7 p.m. WBAL has not named a Sports Lounge host or explained the exits. 

CNN Uses Photo of Vegas Impersonator To I-D Dolly Parton

CNN has apologized to Dolly Parton’s family after airing a photo of Las Vegas tribute artist Kelly Vohnn instead of the country star during a report on Parton’s death.

R.I.P.: Paul Stagg, MN Hall of Fame Broadcaster

Paul Stagg ('43-'26)

Paul Stagg, a former WCCO Radio and television announcer and 2017 Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, died Sunday at the Montevideo Veterans Home. He was 83. 

Stagg, born Paul Steigerwald, spent more than six decades on Minnesota airwaves in roles ranging from on-air talent to station owner. Colleagues remembered his baritone delivery and professional presence across markets large and small. 

Funeral arrangements remain pending. 

He spent 18 years at WCCO in Minneapolis as a staff announcer, music director and program director, reading news and weather and later serving as general manager of WCCO-FM. Under his leadership the station became WLTE, now country station KMNB (102.9 The Wolf). 

SCOTUS May Get Request To Rule On Lowest Unit Charge

National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local broadcast stations in opposite directions after a federal appeals court this week struck down an FCC policy that would have given political parties and related groups the same discounted broadcast ad rates as individual candidates, Axios reported. 

How stations respond could determine which party’s money buys more airtime in the closing stretch of the 2026 midterms and, with it, the fight for Congress. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the “lowest unit charge” required by federal law applies only to legally qualified candidates, not to party committees or joint fundraising committees that include non-candidate members. The court set aside a March FCC Media Bureau notice that would have extended those discounts beginning Sept. 4, the start of the 60-day pre-election window. 

Outside groups often pay several times what candidates pay for the same spots. The ruling favors Democrats’ typical fundraising pattern. Democratic candidates generally raise more directly; Republicans have been stronger at the party-committee and super PAC level. Combined with a June Supreme Court decision that lifted caps on coordinated party spending, Republicans had hoped to flood the airwaves at candidate rates. 

The 4th Circuit blocked that path unless the Supreme Court intervenes. 

Good Moring!! It's Friday And The Pulse Has Your Aug 28 Briefing

Radio Broadcasting

Lowest Unit Rates:  National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local broadcast stations in opposite directions after a federal appeals court this week struck down an FCC policy that would have given political parties and related groups the same discounted broadcast ad rates as individual candidates

WBAL Drops Most Local Shows: WBAL NewsRadio in Baltimore said Thursday it is dropping two local weekday talk shows and filling midday hours with nationally syndicated programs from Premiere Networks. 

Dolly Spins Surge: Spotify reports songs by Dolly Parton they jumped 2,320% the day she died compared with her average over the prior week; globally, they rose 1,260%. 

RIP: Paul Stagg, a former WCCO Radio and television announcer and 2017 Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, died Sunday at the Montevideo Veterans Home. He was 83.

Fox Corp, News Corp Considering Re-Merger

Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch are considering a remeger of Fox Corp. and News Corp., a combination that would reunite the family’s television and publishing businesses and tighten their hold on what remains of the media empire, newly unsealed Nevada court records show. The discussions surfaced in documents and testimony unsealed in recent weeks from the family’s 2023–25 succession fight. 

Reuters reports Probate Commissioner Edmund Gorman released findings at the end of July. An attorney for Lachlan argued in a June hearing that merger-related material should stay sealed or redacted because a deal “still could happen in the future.” 

A combined company would bring together Fox News, the Fox broadcast network (including NFL games), The Wall Street Journal, The Sun and the New York Post. 

Rupert Murdoch

In June, Fox, led by Lachlan, agreed to buy streaming platform Roku for about $22 billion to reach more than 100 million households as traditional TV shrinks. That deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027. 

Court files show Rupert, then chairman of both companies, revived the idea of putting them back together in 2022, less than a decade after he split them. He drafted a letter telling both boards that the family trust would not “vote in favor of any alternative sale, merger or similar transaction involving either company.” 

Fired Stars & Stripes Staffers Sue the Pentagon

Three Stars and Stripes staffers — publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte — sued the Defense Department on Thursday in federal district court in Washington, arguing that their firings last week for “insubordination” were retaliatory, illegal under federal administrative law and a violation of their First Amendment rights. 

They asked a judge to halt the dismissals.

The Pentagon official Andrew Brey had emailed Lederer last week and directed him to fire Slavin and Korte after they participated in a CBS News interview. Lederer refused and instead submitted retirement plans. All three were fired on Friday, with the dismissals set to take effect after five business days. Lederer later confirmed he was fired for refusing to carry out the order.

Spotify Reports Surge In Dolly Parton Songs

Dolly Parton, the country music icon, died Tuesday at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives confirmed. Her nephew and head of security, Bryan Seaver, first announced the news in a video posted to her social media accounts. Streams of her catalog surged immediately. 

On U.S. Spotify, they jumped 2,320% the day she died compared with her average over the prior week; globally, they rose 1,260%. 

• “Jolene” climbed 1,225% in the United States and 630% worldwide. 
• “9 to 5” rose 1,030% in the U.S. and 630% globally.

Jesse Watters Interview With Progressive Rated Highest

Jesse Watters Primetime drew 3.3 million viewers Monday and led all of television in primetime, beating ABC, NBC and CBS.

The Aug. 24 episode of Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters Primetime, featuring Watters’ interview with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, averaged 3.3 million total viewers at 8 p.m. ET. 

In the key 25-54 demographic, the hour delivered 295,000 viewers.

Katz: Radio Remains King In the Connected Car

AM/FM radio still accounts for 55% of all in-car listening time, more than three times the share of streaming services, Edison Research finds.

Drivers have more audio options than ever in connected cars, but they have not abandoned the dashboard habit. Edison Research’s Q1 2026 Share of Ear study shows broadcast radio captures 55% of every minute spent listening in the car—more than half of in-vehicle audio time.

Streaming services account for 16%. Podcasts, YouTube, SiriusXM and owned audio combined still fall well short of radio’s share.

The study frames the result as current consumer behavior, not nostalgia: more choices have expanded the in-car menu, but AM/FM remains the clear leader.

Creator Video Outpaces TV For Daily Attention

Americans spend an average of 3 hours and 54 minutes a day with YouTube, TikTok and other social video—more than the 3 hours and 20 minutes they spend with live TV and streaming services combined—according to Attest’s 2026 Attention Economy Report. 

The study, based on surveys of 1,000 U.S. and 1,000 U.K. adults plus five years of tracking data, concludes that creator content is now more popular than streaming or traditional television. “YouTube hasn’t just become an alternative to TV, it’s already ahead of it,” the report states. Twenty-three percent of Americans primarily watch YouTube on their televisions.

ESPN Digital & Social 2026: No. 1 in July

Throughout a busy month across the sports media landscape in July, ESPN Digital & Social was once again No. 1 in the U.S. Sports Category with 227.5 million unique users, up 21% YoY and reaching 83% of U.S. adults across digital, YouTube and social media platforms, according to recently released Comscore data.

The ESPN App also remained No. 1 in July, reaching 27.8 million unique users, more than the next 10 non-ESPN apps combined and nearly 4.5 times its closest competitor in the Mobile Sports App category.

The ESPN Fantasy App was No. 1 among fantasy sports apps in July with 4.4 million unique users.

ESPN Social reached 900 million engagements in July, roughly 29 million per day. ESPN.com was No. 1 across the web in July with 58.5 million unique visitors, up 20% YoY.

July’s most-engaged-with post across ESPN’s X account drove 29.2 million views, 144 thousand likes, 4.4 thousand saves, and 29 thousand reposts.

ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. 

CRS Has Released Video Of August's Webinar

Country Radio Seminar has released a new CRS360 webinar that shows music and radio professionals how to turn vague AI requests into usable, high-quality results. 

The session, “Prompt Me Like You Mean It: From Vague Requests To Powerful AI Conversations,” features Stan Marczewski, Director of National Promotion at Stoney Creek Records. It is now available to stream online and is aimed at professionals at every level of AI experience, from first-time users to people already folding generative tools into daily work. Marczewski focuses on prompt writing as a practical skill, not a technical specialty. 

The webinar walks through how clearer instructions can improve efficiency, communication, creativity and everyday workflows across promotion, programming and related music-business jobs. Rather than treating AI as a replacement for radio promotion, he frames it as a complement to the human relationships, judgment and instincts that still drive the format. 

Radio History: Aug 28

➦In 1922...In February, the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) announced it planned to begin establishing stations that would be dedicated to selling their airtime to interested parties, which AT&T called "toll broadcasting".

Its primary station, WEAF in New York (now WFAN), aired its first paid $100 for a 10-minute radio commercial on August 28, 1922 for the Queensboro Corporation, advertising a new apartment complex in Jackson Heights, Queens, near the just-completed #7 subway line.

Based on a series of industry cross-licensing agreements, AT&T initially claimed that its patent rights gave it a monopoly on commercial radio transmissions. Although the courts upheld this contention, the practice was widely disliked, and AT&T soon came up with a licensing scheme to allow individual stations to begin selling airtime.

➦In 1954...Elvis Presley got Memphis airplay on his first official release “That’s All Right (Mama)” b/w “Blue Moon of Kentucky”.  Local DJ Dewey Phillips had debuted the single on his “Red Hot and Blue” radio show on WHBQ.

➦In 1961...Cousin Brucie Morrow started at 77WABC. 

Morrow's first stint in radio was in Bermuda at ZBM-AM, where he was known as "The Hammer."

Morrow began his stateside career at New York Top 40 station WINS in 1959. In 1960, he moved to Miami for a brief stint before returning to the New York airwaves the following year on AM 770 powerhouse WABC, another Top 40 outlet. Morrow's return to New York City came at the precise moment that rock and roll music was exploding across the Baby Boom demographic and Morrow found himself on the most powerful radio station on the East Coast. His main competition came from his previous station WINS, which featured "Murray the K."

"Cousin Brucie" quickly became a success on WABC's teen-oriented evening shift in the 6:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. slot. Morrow became a commercial radio powerhouse and household name through his ability to maintain a rapport with his listeners while smoothly mixing the diverse musical genres of the time (Motown soul, pop, hard rock, surf music, novelty records), and then seamlessly segueing into commercials for youth-oriented sponsors and events such as concerts and drag-strip races.

He served at WABC for 13 years and 4,014 broadcasts until August 1974, when he jumped to rival station WNBC.

➦In 1966...the Beatles played Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was their next-to-last live performance.  The Beatles performed before 45,000 people in Los Angeles. Tickets were priced at $3, $4.50, $5.50 and $6. The cheapest were reserved for members of the US Army.

The support acts for the concert were The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes. The Beatles performed a set consisted of 11 songs: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer and Long Tall Sally.

➦In 1967...WCBS 880 AM flipped to all news.

'Astounding Coincidence': Tropical Storm Dolly Forms

Tropical Storm Dolly formed Thursday morning in the central Atlantic, becoming the fourth named storm of the 2026 hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was located about 1,555 miles east of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday, moving west at 24 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Forecasters said it organized overnight but is expected to be short-lived. Hostile environmental conditions beginning Friday, Aug. 28, are likely to prevent further development.

The name Dolly comes from a rotating World Meteorological Organization list used for Atlantic storms and has no connection to singer Dolly Parton’s death on Aug. 25. 

Retired NOAA meteorologist Roger Edwards called the timing an “astounding coincidence.”

AccuWeather meteorologists said Atlantic conditions this season have generally limited tropical storm growth. Lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said that if the system held together long enough, it could become worth watching for the U.S. East Coast, though that assessment was issued before the storm was named.