President Donald Trump faces potential backlash from influential podcaster Joe Rogan, a key 2024 supporter, over his administration's aggressive mass deportation operations and a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
Rogan, who endorsed Trump and hosted him for a pivotal pre-election interview, sharply criticized the tactics on his podcast this week. During a nearly three-hour discussion with Sen. Rand Paul that aired Tuesday, Rogan called the January 7 shooting death of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent "horrific" and a "terrible tragedy."
He questioned whether the response was justified, asking if there was "no other way to handle this" even if Good appeared mentally unwell or impeded agents (official accounts claim she used her vehicle as a weapon, though contested by video analyses and local officials).
Joe Rogan on ICE:
"You don't want militarized people in the streets roaming around, snatching people up, many of which turn out to be U.S. citizens that just don't have their papers on them. Are we really gonna be the Gestapo, 'Where's your papers?' Is that what we've come to?" pic.twitter.com/mLsaP0Jof9
On Thursday, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and send in the military if local leaders did not curb what he called attacks on ICE "patriots."
A White House official responded that the administration stands by ICE officers while maintaining "ongoing discussions with a variety of new media outlets" and an "open dialogue."
The Wall Street Journal notes Rogan's shift echoes the 1968 moment when CBS anchor Walter Cronkite turned against Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam War assurances, influencing public sentiment.
Political consultant Doug Schoen called Rogan a modern "weathervane" of national mood in a divided era—once a crucial Trump ally, now voicing misgivings that could signal broader conservative or centrist unease with the immigration crackdown.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is signaling strong momentum toward modernizing—or potentially rolling back—outdated broadcast ownership limits for radio and TV stations, framing it as a key "win" for empowering local broadcasters in a competitive media landscape dominated by streaming giants.
Carr has repeatedly highlighted deregulation as a 2025 priority and achievement. In his year-end summary of FCC "wins" released in late December 2025, he emphasized actions to "empower local broadcasters" through rule eliminations, streamlined licensing, and support for localism—positioning ownership reform as essential for stations to invest, innovate, and compete against unregulated digital platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and podcasts.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has been a vocal advocate, arguing that current caps—unchanged in many respects since the early 2000s—fail to account for massive shifts in audience and advertising toward streaming services. NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt has praised Carr's leadership, noting in statements throughout 2025 that modernizing these rules would "level the playing field" and help local radio and TV stations sustain trusted news, sports, and community service.
The NAB launched a "Modernize the Rules" campaign and secured support from bipartisan lawmakers, conservative coalitions, and former congressional leaders who called the restrictions "arcane" and harmful to local journalism.
A pivotal moment came this month at the House Energy and Commerce Committee oversight hearing (following a December 2025 Senate Commerce Committee session), where ownership modernization featured prominently.
Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) backed Carr's deregulatory efforts, stressing the need to remove legacy burdens for investment and resilience. Carr defended reducing regulatory hurdles, including ownership caps, as vital for competition and emergency communications. NAB echoed this during the hearing, expressing gratitude for congressional support in urging the FCC forward.
Critics, including Democratic commissioners and some lawmakers, have raised concerns about potential impacts on media diversity, localism, and competition, but the trajectory under Carr points to significant changes ahead to preserve the viability of local stations amid digital disruption.
The number of licensed radio stations in the U.S. edged slightly higher at the end of 2025, according to the latest FCC year-end broadcast totals.
As of December 31, 2025, the FCC reported 4,342 licensed AM stations—a decrease of 41 from the prior year (down approximately 0.9%). This marks another year of shrinkage for the AM band, driven primarily by license surrenders, economic pressures on smaller operators, rising interference and noise issues, limited modern receiver support in vehicles and devices, and competition from digital audio alternatives like streaming.
Key drivers of the net increase include:
Noncommercial (educational) FM stations surged by 278 to reach 4,755—a 6.2% jump in just one year. This growth stems largely from a recent FCC application window that enabled new sign-ons, particularly among faith-based and Christian broadcasters.
Low-power FM (LPFM) stations rose 1.3% to 1,994, adding 26 new outlets and reflecting continued community and niche interest in the class.In contrast, commercial segments contracted modestly:AM stations dropped to 4,342, down 41 (about 0.9%) from 2024, as economic pressures and technical challenges prompt more owners to surrender licenses.
Commercial FM stations fell by 36 to 6,589, marking continued shrinkage amid slow transaction activity and few new launches.
AM licenses have fallen by 342 stations, or about 7% overall.
Other related figures from the FCC data highlight mixed trends in supporting infrastructure:
FM translators and boosters dipped slightly to 8,867 (down 13 year-over-year), though they remain significantly higher over the past decade due to policies allowing AM stations to use them for better coverage.
Industry observers note that while the total station count ticks up thanks to noncommercial momentum, the commercial radio sector's contraction underscores challenges like competition from streaming, advertising shifts, and regulatory hurdles.
The NFL Divisional Round (the second round of the 2025-26 playoffs) is taking place this weekend, following a dramatic Wild Card Weekend filled with comebacks, upsets, and defensive stands. Media coverage has been intense, with outlets highlighting surprise storylines like resurgent teams (e.g., the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears), quarterback developments, and high-stakes rematches or first-time postseason appearances for some squads.
The eight remaining teams are: AFC: Denver Broncos (No. 1 seed, bye), Seattle Seahawks? Wait, no—top seeds with byes were Denver and Seattle? From sources, AFC: Denver Broncos (hosting), New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans. NFC: Seattle Seahawks (No. 1? sources indicate Seattle hosting), Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams.
Key matchups for this weekend include:
Saturday: Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos — 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS (also streaming on Paramount+)....San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks — 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX
Sunday: Houston Texans at New England Patriots — 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC....Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears — 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC (also streaming on Peacock)
Storylines:
Patriots' revival and home energy.
Broncos seeking revenge after past playoff loss to Bills.
Bears hosting their first divisional home game in years.
FOX News Digital saw its best year in history in 2025 with 143 million average total digital multiplatform unique visitors in 2025, according to Comscore.** Additionally, FOX News Digital led all news brands with 23 billion multiplatform views and 47 billion multiplatform minutes for the year, seeing increases over the prior year.*
Notably, 2025 was FOX News Digital’s second best year ever with multiplatform views behind only 2020. Meanwhile, CNN once again saw double-digit declines across the board sinking to its worst year since 2015 with multiplatform views and minutes.
**Additional highlights include:FOX News Media closed out 2025 as the top news brand in the competitive set with YouTube video views for the full year, securing its best year in history, according to Emplifi. Delivering 4.5 billion video views in 2025, FOX News grew 69% compared to 2024, besting all news brands and broadcast networks for the year, including MS Now (3.7 billion views), CNN (2.3 billion views),
NBC News (1.8 billion views), ABC News (1.4 billion views) and CBS News (675 million views). FOX Business also led business news brands on YouTube posting 840 million views, outpacing CNBC (144 million views), The Wall Street Journal (155 million views) and Bloomberg Business (84 million views), according to Shareablee.
The FOX News Mobile app averaged 6.5 million unique viewers each month leading the CNN mobile app which saw 4.6 million unique viewers.** This was the FOX News app’s best year since 2021.
In 2025, FOX News led all news brands on social media driving 1.5 billion social media interactions across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and X, according to Emplifi.
This marks the 11th consecutive year where FOX News has led all news brands with social interactions, seeing a 247% increases year-over-year.****
On Facebook, FOX News nabbed 875 million interactions, 307 million on Instagram, 62.8 million on X and 363.8 million on TikTok.
FOXBusiness.com drove 2.7 billion multiplatform minutes in 2025, finishing fourth in the business competitive set. Additionally, the business site delivered 1.6 billion multiplatform views and averaged 23.8 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors throughout the year.***
Average Total Digital Multiplatform Unique Visitors
FOX News Digital – 142,647,000 (up 29% vs. 2024)
CNN.com – 88,982,000 (down 21% vs. 2024)
CBSNews.com – 174,540,000 (up 35% vs. 2024)
NYTimes.com – 71,087,000 (down 7% vs. 2024)
NBCNews.com – 99,707,000 (up 11% vs. 2024)
ABCNews.com Sites – 62,947,000 (down 18% vs. 2024)
Multiplatform Total Views\
FOX News Digital – 22,590,000,000 (up 7% vs. 2024)
NYTimes.com – 17,565,000,000 (down 6% vs. 2024)
CNN.com – 10,154,000,000 (down 29% vs. 2024)
CBSNews.com – 4,542,000,000 (down 6% vs. 2024)
NBCNews.com – 3,166,000,000 (down 8% vs. 2024)
ABCNews.com Sites – 1,812,000,000 (down 5% vs. 2024)
Multiplatform Total Minutes
FOX News Digital – 46,522,000,000 (up 13% vs. 2024)
NYTimes.com – 15,096,000,000 (down 21% vs. 2024)
CNN.com – 14,822,000,000 (down 34% vs. 2024)
CBSNews.com – 11,924,000,000 (up 3% vs. 2024)
NBCNews.com – 8,226,000,000 (down 18% vs. 2024)
ABCNews.com Sites – 4,818,000,000 (down 4% vs. 2024)
Streaming shattered records on Christmas Day 2025, capturing 54% of all U.S. TV viewing — the second time ever it surpassed 50% in a single day, according to new Nielsen data.
Axios was first to report historic NFL games on Netflix and Amazon, plus Netflix's drop of new "Stranger Things" Season 5 episodes, drove the surge.
Netflix's broadcast of the Lions-Vikings matchup became the most-streamed NFL game in U.S. history, averaging 27.5 million viewers. It peaked over 30 million, with Snoop Dogg's holiday halftime show averaging 29 million. The Cowboys-Commanders game on Netflix averaged 19.9 million viewers.
Amazon's Prime Video Chiefs-Broncos game set a record for the platform, averaging about 21 million viewers.
Combined, Netflix and Prime Video accounted for 22.5% of total TV viewership that day.
Streaming generated 55.1 billion viewing minutes on Christmas — up 8% from the previous Christmas record in 2024.The only prior day streaming exceeded 50% was December 13, 2025 (50.4%).
This milestone highlights how Big Tech and streamers are gaining ground through exclusive sports rights, original hits, and holiday programming.
A new study by the TVB analyzing Nielsen data shows that broadcast television delivers significantly larger NFL audiences than streaming for both postseason and regular-season games, despite Amazon Prime Video's recent promotion of its January 10 Packers-Bears playoff matchup as the most-watched NFL game ever on a streaming platform.
The Amazon telecast posted a national Live+1 rating of 9.82 among people 2+, delivering 31.6 million impressions. This total includes local over-the-air viewership in the home team markets (Green Bay and Chicago).
In the Chicago DMA alone, the game drew an 18.4 Live+Same Day rating, equating to about 1.73 million impressions. Subtracting just the Chicago local broadcast audience drops Amazon's estimated streaming-only audience to roughly 29.87 million impressions (Green Bay local data is not yet available).
By comparison, the highest-rated NFL game that weekend—on broadcast Fox—achieved a 12.73 rating and 40.97 million impressions using the same Live+1 metrics for people 2+.
Broadcast continues to dominate regular-season viewership as well. CBS's Thanksgiving Day NFL game delivered a 17.81 rating and 57.33 million impressions, while Fox's September 14 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles rematch earned a 10.5 rating and 33.81 million impressions.
The TVB study underscores that while streaming platforms are growing, broadcast remains the most powerful platform for reaching the largest NFL audiences.
➦In 1903...Radio game show host and actor Warren Hull was born in Gasport NY.
A movie actor in the 30’s, he turned to radio in the 40’s with announcer/host roles on such shows as Your Hit Parade and Vox Pop. Hull was also the emcee of Spin To Win, only the second game show created by the team of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman.
The next two decades he hosted TV game shows Strike It Rich, Top Dollar, Who In the World and Beat the Odds.
“Strike It Rich” was a wildly successful CBS radio‐television show of the 1950s that ‘was part quiz and part give‐away and offered the public the spectacle of often despondent people relating their hard‐luck stories to Mr. Hull.
Participants were able to win a few hundred dollars by correctly answering a few questions, in addition to which the program featured a “heart line” through which pitying viewers could telephone offers of cash, clothing, merchandise and jobs.
He died of heart failure Sept 14 1974 at age 71.
Betty White 1953 and 2019
➦In 1922...Comedic Actress Betty White was born. A pioneer of early television, with a career spanning over eight decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment industry and being one of the first women to work both in front of and behind the camera. She was the first woman to produce a sitcom (Life with Elizabeth) in the United States, which contributed to her being named honorary Mayor of Hollywood in 1955. White is often referred to as the "First Lady of Television", a title used for a 2018 documentary detailing her life and career.
After World War 2, her first radio jobs included reading commercials and playing bit parts, and sometimes even doing crowd noises. She made about five dollars a show. She would do just about anything, like singing on a show for no pay. She appeared on shows such as Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve, and This Is Your FBI. She was then offered her own radio show, called The Betty White Show. In 1949, she began appearing as co-host with Al Jarvis on his daily live television variety show Hollywood on Television, originally called Make Believe Ballroom, on KFWB and on then KLAC-TV (now KCOP-TV) in Los Angeles.
After making the transition to television from radio, White became a staple panelist of American game shows, including Password, Match Game, Tattletales, To Tell the Truth, The Hollywood Squares, and The $25,000 Pyramid; dubbed "the first lady of game shows", White became the first woman to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for the show Just Men! in 1983. She was also known for her appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, Boston Legal, and The Carol Burnett Show. Her biggest roles include Sue Ann Nivens on the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–1977), Rose Nylund on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992), and Elka Ostrovsky on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015). She gained renewed popularity after her appearance in the 2009 romantic comedy film The Proposal (2009), and was subsequently the subject of a successful Facebook-based campaign to host Saturday Night Live in 2010, garnering her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
White earned a Guinness World Record for "Longest TV career by an entertainer (female)" in 2014 and in 2018 for her lengthy work in television. White received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was a 1995 Television Hall of Fame inductee. White died December 31, 2021, six days after suffering a stroke.
➦In 1949... after 18 years on radio, “The Goldbergs” starring Gertrude Berg, began its seven-year run on TV.
➦In 1964...the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was “There! I’ve Said It Again” by Bobby Vinton. This song was the last No. 1 song before the British invasion. After four weeks at No. 1, Vinton gave way to the Beatles and their first U.S. hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
➦In 1986...Longtime Chicago radio personality Joel Sebastian died at age 53. He began his radio career in his native Detroit at station WXYZ, moved to Chicago in 1966, after working at stations in Dallas, New Haven, Conn., and Los Angeles.
Over the last 20 years, he had been a disc jockey and morning on-air personality at eight Chicago radio stations, including WCFL, WLS, WGN, WMAQ and, most recently, WJMK-FM (104).
He began his Chicago career at WCFL as a talkative morning disc jockey. He would open each show with the greeting ''Good morning Chicago, baby,'' while playing Jack Jones` rendition of ''My Kind of Town.''
Sebastian performed a variety of radio roles, reflecting both the wide range of his abilities and the whimsical nature of the business. He was program director at WCFL, rock DJ at several stations and, in the late 1970s, an all-night classical music show host at WGN.
He survived a purge at WMAQ when the station switched to country music in 1975. Most of the on-air staff, including Mr. Sebastian, was fired. But he was rehired a short time later as production chief and weekend personality.
He also worked at WNEW, WKHK, WHN and WNBC in New York City, returning to Chicago in June 1983 to WJMX.
➦In 1989...Scott Shannon last show at WHTZ Z100 NYC. Shannon founded the "Z Morning Zoo" ensemble and he was the driving force in helping Z100 become the top-rated FM station in New York City within a mere 74 days of signing on the air.
WBAP midday host Casey Bartholomew has announced his departure from Cumulus Media's Dallas news/talk station WBAP (820 AM/93.3 FM), effective immediately following a phone call from management informing him he was being let go to "pursue other opportunities."
Bartholomew shared the news on social media, describing the situation as unexpected and abrupt: “After almost 4 years, and raising the ratings over 300% in some areas, I was informed that I was leaving my job to pursue other opportunities. I didn’t even know I was looking at other opportunities. I wanted to ask them what they were, but they got off the phone before I could. (Yes. They did it over the phone.)”
His show, The Casey Bartholomew Show, aired weekdays from 9-11 a.m. CT, blending talk on current events, pop culture, politics, humor, and topics affecting everyday listeners. No replacement or future plans for the daypart have been announced by WBAP, with afternoon host James Parker temporarily covering the slot following the exit.
Bartholomew joined WBAP in August 2022, taking over the 9-11 a.m. shift after Ernie Brown moved to mornings. He came to the station from Cumulus Media's KFRU-AM/FM in Columbia, Missouri, where he served as program director.
His career in news/talk radio spans multiple markets and stations, including on-air roles at New Jersey 101.5 (WKXW), KFI AM-640 in Los Angeles, The Big 550 KTRS in St. Louis, WDBO in Orlando, and others. Known for his engaging, entertaining style that mixes insightful commentary with lighthearted takes on life, fatherhood, and pop culture, Bartholomew had previously extended his contract with WBAP in 2024 for two more years after boosting ratings significantly in the timeslot.
The departure marks the end of a successful run at the legacy Dallas-Fort Worth station, where Bartholomew built a following with his relatable approach to talk radio. He has expressed openness to new opportunities in the industry.
Shelli Sonstein, a New York radio veteran of nearly five decades and longtime co-host with Jim Kerr on iHeartMedia's classic rock station Q104.3 (WAXQ), has retired from the morning show.
Kerr announced the news emotionally on air today, revealing that Sonstein told him just days ago of her decision to step away permanently. She has been on leave since September following the death of her daughter, Dina Sonstein Berman.
After nearly 49 years working together, Kerr said he had anticipated Sonstein's return in the new year, making her retirement unexpected. "We’ve spent the better part of 49 years in a small room... with Shelli," he told listeners, describing their bond as deep friendship beyond professional partnership, with both treating their audience as friends too.
Kerr reflected on Sonstein's distinctive personality—her annual carefully planned cheeseburger and steak, love of plain bagels, grinding her own coffee at work, and sharing oversized home-grown vegetables with staff—calling these quirks part of what made her beloved.
He highlighted her journalistic legacy, including staying on air for a full week during Superstorm Sandy, sleeping on a couch to provide hourly storm and recovery coverage. A multiple Gracie Award winner, Sonstein earned numerous honors for her reporting and her public affairs program "Sonstein Sunday."
Kerr also praised her community activism, notably raising over $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the 1990s and driving WAXQ's involvement in Tunnel to Towers events, including the annual World Trade Center stair climb and 5K."She was always a firm believer in using the power of the radio to do good," Kerr said, calling her career "an amazing run" and thanking her for decades of partnership, service, and friendship. Her impact on the station, New York radio, and the community will endure, he added.
Spotify is raising prices on its Premium subscription plans in the United States, its largest market, with the individual plan increasing by $1 per month to $12.99 starting in February 2026. The change affects all major tiers:
Individual Premium: from $11.99 to $12.99 per month
Student: from $5.99 to $6.99 per month
Duo (for two accounts): from $16.99 to $18.99 per month
Family (up to six accounts): from $19.99 to $21.99 per month
Existing subscribers will see the new rates on their next billing date beginning in February and will receive an email notification in the coming weeks with details. New subscribers already encounter the updated pricing on Spotify's site.
This marks the third price increase for U.S. users in under three years—following hikes in July 2023 (to $10.99) and June 2024 (to $11.99)—after more than a decade of stable $9.99 pricing since the U.S. launch in 2011.
The company attributes the adjustments to the need to "keep delivering a great experience," invest in platform improvements, support artists, and adapt to changing market conditions, including recent additions like music videos for Premium users in the U.S., AI-powered features, and lossless audio support.
Spotify, the Swedish streaming giant with over 281 million paid subscribers worldwide (as of late 2025), has implemented similar increases in dozens of other countries over the past year, including the UK, Switzerland, Australia, and various regions in Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. The U.S. hike also applies in Estonia and Latvia.
The move comes amid ongoing pressure from inflation, rising operational costs, competition from services like Apple Music and YouTube Music (which charge $10.99 for individual plans), and the need to boost revenue. Analysts have suggested such increases could add hundreds of millions in annual revenue for Spotify. Despite frequent adjustments, the company has reported steady subscriber retention in previously affected markets.
