Chicago Radio: Judge Dismisses Defamation Suit Against Hubbard

Former Morning Host Eric Ferguson

A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit stemming from alleged sexual misconduct by former WTMX  radio personality Eric Ferguson.

The Chcago Sun-Times reports the suit had been filed by Cynthia DeNicolo against her former employer, Hubbard Radio Chicago, the company that brings “The Mix” to the airwaves at 101.9-FM.

The defamation suit stems from a separate, and still pending, lawsuit filed in 2021 in which DeNicolo alleged Ferguson used his position as her boss to coerce her into a sexual relationship that he lorded over her in humiliating fashion.

Ferguson, DeNicolo

Her pending suit alleges Ferguson would say he “needed a backrub” as code words for unwanted demands for oral sex.

The accusations against its morning radio star prompted Hubbard Radio to state that it found no evidence to corroborate allegations of illegal workplace conduct.  DeNicolo’s defamation claim against the radio company claimed its statement amounted to calling her a liar.

U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama, in an opinion filed Nov. 28, disagreed with DeNicolo and found that Hubbard’s statement did not defame her. The judge wrote the company’s statement “did not address DeNicolo’s conduct as an employee or reflect on her job as a radio producer” and do not fall in the category of “actionable defamation.”

Biden Team Asked CBS News To Keep Held Griner Release Quiet

CBS News said it learned last week of the US-Russian prisoner swap that set WNBA star Brittney Griner free on Thursday but held off on reporting it at the request of the White House.

Margaret Brennan, the moderator of the Sunday morning show “Face the Nation,” appeared on the network’s morning show on Thursday to break the news of Griner’s release from Russian captivity.

Griner, 32, returns to the US after the Biden administration agreed to send back Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who was serving a sentence in federal prison.

Disney+ Streaming Service Launches With Major Advertisers

The ad-supported version of the Disney+ service launched Thursday, attracting major advertisers from different sectors, bringing in new revenue as Walt Disney Co strives to push its streaming business into profitability, reports Reuters.

Disney Advertising President Rita Ferro said more than 100 brands, from Mattel Inc to Marriott Hotels & Resorts, are participating in the launch, which Disney has been promoting to marketers and ad buyers since its May.

The company is under pressure to turn a profit on its streaming business, which posted a $1.5 billon loss in the company's most recent quarter. Investor unhappiness about deepening losses hammered the company's stock and helped set the stage for the ouster last month of Chief Executive Bob Chapek, and return of longtime Disney leader, Bob Iger.

Advertising introduces a second source of revenue for Disney+, to supplement subscription fees. The company's other streaming services, Hulu and ESPN+, already have commercials.

A $3-a-month price increase also took effect Dec. 8, bringing the price for the ad-free version of Disney+ to $10.99. Disney+ with ads costs $7.99. Researcher Kantar projects that one out of four Disney+ subscribers could switch to the less-expensive version of the service with advertising.

R.I.P.: Jerry Thomas, Former Cincy Radio Personality, Programmer

Jerry Thomas (1939-2022)

Jerry Thomas woke up Greater Cincinnati radio listeners with "punch lines you missed" and quips from his "Granny" character for four decades on WKRC–AM, and helped build sister station WKRQ-FM (Q102) into a rock powerhouse with the hiring of a young programmer named Randy Michaels.

He died Thursday morning at age 83.  Cincy Media Watcher John Kiesewetter at WVXU. org reports the news was announced by his son Brian Thomas, who took over the WKRC-AM morning show after his father's retirement in 2006.

"Dad passed away early this morning. He was a wonderful father and husband," he wrote.

The 1957 Elder High School graduate was a WKRC-AM fixture for 44 years, including when his morning show was No. 1 for most of the 1980s — a significant accomplishment considering the station broadcasts on 5,000 watts, compared to WLW-AM's 50,000 watts, with an AM sound quality inferior to FM radio.

Thomas survived by adapting with the industry, playing hits by Madonna on the radio in the 1980s, then going home and listening to Stan Kenton and other jazz artists.

After retiring in 2006 at 67, Thomas continued to be heard voicing commercial endorsements on Cincinnati radio for years, often on his son's morning show.

"I believe he was the best pitch man in the business," says John Phillips, the longtime traffic reporter and radio personality who started his career at WKRC in 1974. "He related so well to the listener. If Jerry said it was worth it, you could take it to the bank."

Wake-Up Call: TWH..It Was Griner Or No One

The Swap

Joe Biden’s move to exchange a notorious arms dealer for WNBA Star Brittney Griner, without a deal for former US Marine Paul Whelan, was celebrated by much of his party while opening the president to criticism the deal was lopsided and risks detentions of more Americans abroad. Biden announced the deal Thursday, saying Griner was on a flight home after the US swapped Viktor Bout, the so-called “merchant of death,” whom Russia has been working for years to free.

See Brittney Griner appearing apprehensively "happy" during her U.S.-Russian prisoner swap. https://t.co/Gv2jtXwfo7 pic.twitter.com/IqU8B0rHXC

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 8, 2022

Tiffanie Drayton: Perhaps not surprisingly, the basketball star’s release was also met with (another) round of backlash. - @NBCNewsTHINK https://t.co/TNbcZw46aL

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 9, 2022

 The Kremlin quickly characterized the swap as an example of Russian President Vladimir Putin one-upping Biden, with human rights ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova calling Bout’s return “a true Christmas present.” Putin could also point to Griner’s release as a humanitarian gesture even as his military assault on Ukraine continues. Kevin McCarthy, who is in line to become Speaker of the House next month, said that trading Bout without getting Whelan is an “unconscionable” move and a “a gift to Vladimir Putin.”

Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer nicknamed the "Merchant of Death," has been released by the U.S. in a one-for-one prisoner swap that freed women's basketball star Brittney Griner, who'd been imprisoned in Russia since February. https://t.co/1Nqv2lU5Mp

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 9, 2022

➤WORRIES INCREASE ABOUT SAFETY OF INFRASTRUCTURE: Shots were fired near a Duke Energy Corp. hydropower plant in Ridgeway, South Carolina, Wednesday evening — the second incident in the past week of gunfire at a US power facility after armed attacks on two substations knocked out electricity for about 45,000 homes and businesses in neighboring North Carolina. Law enforcement agencies are investigating at least eight incidents in four states in the past month, an unusual uptick of violence for power plants, which don’t typically see many physical attacks. Jon Wellinghoff, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said he couldn’t recall another month with this many physical threats to the US electric grid.  “The attacks continue to demonstrate the grid is vulnerable and we haven’t adequately protected it from physical attacks,” Wellinghoff said.  As of now, it’s unclear whether the shots fired in different states are in any way connected. Richard Maness, the sheriff’s office chief deputy for Moore County, North Carolina, said investigators are looking into all the national incidents for any possible links. His office is also working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said. 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosted 40 OneWeb broadband relay satellites into orbit Thursday, helping the London-based company expand its fleet. https://t.co/CU3nuQWU42

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 9, 2022

👥SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RIGHTS BILL CLEARS CONGRESS: House lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that would cement same-sex marriage rights into federal law, a Democratic-led measure that has moved through Congress with some Republican support despite misgivings among conservatives. The vote was 258 to 169, with all Democrats present joined by 39 Republicans in backing the measure. It now goes to President Biden for his signature. Supporters said the proposal marks the most significant gay-rights measure to pass in Congress since lawmakers agreed in 2010 to repeal the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which required gay service members to keep their sexual orientation to themselves.

Twitter Files 2.0: Suits Controlled 'Visibility Filtering'

The second installment of Elon Musk’s “Twitter Files” dropped Thursday night and reveals how the social media giant was secretly “blacklisting” conservative tweets and users.

The NY Post reports independent journalist Bari Weiss detailed in a series of posts how Twitter used so-called “shadow banning” to limit the visibility of tweets coming from far-right users.

Conservative talk show host Dan Bongino, Stanford University’s anti-COVID lockdown advocate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk were among the users targeted for suppression by Twitter, according to Weiss.

The former New York Times and Wall Street Journal writer said that the blacklists were built “in secret” and “without informing users.” 

She notes that the company strayed from its original mission of giving “everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers” by developing the methods to suppress specific individuals. 

Dr. Bhattacharya’s account, for example, was flagged as being on a “trends blacklist,” according to Weiss, who shared an image of his account from Twitter’s point-of-view with the yellow tag indicating the restriction. 

Indy Radio: Dan Dakich OUT At Sports WFNI

Dan Dakich in an undated photo

Dan Dakich, the often controversial midday sports radio host on WFNI 107.5 The Fan is no longer with the station, reports The Indy Star.

An email sent to employees Thursday by operations manager David Wood read: "Today was Dan Dakich's last day with Radio One. We wish him well in their future endeavors."

Dakich, a former Indiana University basketball player, assistant coach and one season interim head coach, has hosted The Dan Dakich show for 14 years. He also has a show called "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" on Outkick, which describes itself as a "fearless sports media company founded by Clay Travis." 

Dakich tweeted a statement Thursday afternoon. 

D/FW Radio: Kurt Rongey Names APD At Classical WRR

KERA has announced  Kurt Rongey as Assistant Program Director of WRR 101.1 FM. As Assistant Program Director, Rongey will help lead the classical music station’s overall sound, as it converts to an all-classical, noncommercial format under the management of KERA.

“There couldn’t be a better time to welcome Kurt back to WRR,” says Christopher Wagley, KERA’s Chief Operations Officer. “KERA and WRR’s future has never been brighter, as we together deepen the classical music format and our connection to North Texas audiences. The whole team is excited to bring back Kurt’s familiar voice and exceptional enthusiasm for classical music programming.”

Longtime listeners of WRR will recognize Rongey, who previously worked at WRR for 17 years. In addition to serving as Operations Manager for 10 years, Rongey was the longtime host of the Going Home Show, and developed and produced many different programs and features, including the popular “Road Rage Remedy.”

“Since returning, I’ve been so impressed by the organization-wide effort that KERA has put forward to ensure WRR’s future, both as a radio oasis for classical music and as a catalyst for the creative arts in North Texas,” says Rongey. “We’ll be able to move forward with more classical music than ever, and with far less interruptions. I’m extremely excited by the opportunities to expand and diversify the WRR audience that this partnership with KERA offers. The listeners will truly be getting more of what they love best about the station.”

Premiere Networks Promotes Annie Zidarevich

Premiere Networks announced Thursday the promotion of Annie Zidarevich to Senior Vice President, West Coast Operations, effective immediately. Based in Los Angeles, Zidarevich will continue to report to Julie Talbott, President of Premiere Networks.

In her new position, Zidarevich will continue to oversee all programming operations for the West Coast, optimizing the company’s resources to best serve its industry-leading roster of national radio shows and services. As part of her role, Zidarevich manages Premiere’s team of broadcast engineers, not only at her home base in Los Angeles, but also in various cities across the country. She also oversees all aspects of the company’s Network Operations Center and staff for the 24/7 operation. Additionally, she manages Premiere’s Los Angeles-based technical producers and associate producers.

December 9 Radio History

➦In 1902...Brace Beemer born  (Died from a heart attacked at age 62 – March 1, 1965). He was a radio actor and announcer at radio station WXYZ-AM, Detroit.

He is best known as the radio voice of the Lone Ranger.  Beemer became the third radio voice of the Lone Ranger on April 18, 1941, and remained so until the series' last new episode on September 3, 1954. During the 13 years and 3,000 episodes that Beemer played the title character, he was required by contract to restrict his radio acting to that one role until the program left the air.

The experienced and popular Western film actor, Clayton Moore, was chosen to take over the role for the TV series. Although Beemer had the right voice and had made many public appearances as the Ranger, he had no experience as a film actor, as he preferred live action to television. However, Beemer's voice as the character was so familiar that Moore imitated his sound in the earliest TV episodes.

Beemer also portrayed "Sergeant William Preston" of the Yukon on Challenge of the Yukon, for a brief time after the Lone Ranger series ended.

Beemer's last TV appearance, was an interview in 1965 with former film actor, Bill Kennedy on his "At the Movies" show on CKLW TV9 from Windsor, Ont., Canada. Brace Beemer died the very next day.

➦In 1921...Ted Rogers Sr., who would later invent the first alternating-current vacuum radio tube, and give birth to Toronto’s CFRB Radio, became the first amateur radio operator in Canada to successfully transmit a signal across the Atlantic. He was taking part in a competition sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

➦In 1933...Talk show host Morton Downey Jr. was born in Los Angeles.  Unsuccessful as a pop & country singer, in the 1960’s he turned to deejaying at radio stations in Bakersfield, San Diego, and Miami as “Doc Downey the DJ.”

He perfected the abrasive, right-wing populist style of talk radio at Sacramento’s KFBK before transferring it to TV out of New York. (He was replaced at KFBK by Rush Limbaugh.)

Downey died from lung cancer Mar 12, 2001 at age 67.

➦In 1940...the radio panel show that originated with joke-telling sessions at the Friar’s Club, 'Can You Top This' debuted on WOR New York.  It would hit the networks 22 months later, and run on first NBC, then Mutual, ABC, and then NBC again, until 1954.

Report: BBC Preparing To Go Online-Only Over Next Decade

The BBC is preparing to shut down its traditional television and radio broadcasts as it becomes an online-only service over the next decade, according to the director general, Tim Davie.

“Imagine a world that is internet-only, where broadcast TV and radio are being switched off and choice is infinite,” he said. “A switch-off of broadcast will and should happen over time, and we should be active in planning for it.”

The Guardian reports Davie said the BBC was committed to live broadcasting but Britons should prepare for the closure of many standalone channels and radio stations by the 2030s: “Over time this will mean fewer linear broadcast services and a more tailored joined-up online offer.”

The future will involve “bringing the BBC together in a single offer”, possibly in the form of one app combining everything from television programs to local news coverage and educational material. This could ultimately see the end of distinct brands such as BBC One or BBC Radio 4, although the programs they currently air could continue online.

L-A TV: Five Newscasters Making Mass Exit From KNBC Channel 4

KNBC-TV Channel 4 is losing five popular newscasters, including Chuck Henry, the evening news co-anchor.

Henry, along with veteran reporters Beverly White, Vikki Vargas, Kim Baldonado and Angie Crouch, have accepted “voluntary early retirement” buyouts and will be leaving the station at the end of this month, according to two station insiders who were not authorized to comment. Vargas announced her retirement on social media Wednesday night, reports The L-A Times.

Company-wide, NBCUniversal has been offering incentives to encourage some longtime staff members to exit amid a dramatic round of cost-cutting. Television companies industrywide have been bracing for a lean 2023 because of an advertising downturn, fears of a possible recession and rising programming costs, including increases in sports rights fees.

Chuck Henry

Earlier this fall, KNBC-TV management told staff members that it hoped enough volunteers would accept the buyouts to reduce the number of layoffs at KNBC-TV and its sister Telemundo station, KVEA-TV Channel 52, according to three people familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. Despite the five prominent broadcasters volunteering for early retirement last month, it wasn’t enough to spare the station from the layoffs, the sources said.

On Wednesday, several executives and staff members learned they were part of the layoffs, according to the sources.

It was not immediately clear who will replace Henry, the affable, Emmy-winning anchor who has worked alongside co-anchor Colleen Williams for more than a decade. Williams is expected to stay on.

For KNBC viewers, the departures of so many familiar faces at the same time could be jarring and upsetting. The exits come two years after one of KNBC’s most distinctive and beloved personalities, meteorologist Fritz Coleman, retired after providing weather reports for the station for 39 years, and a year after longtime reporter Patrick Healy signed off after 37 years.

NBC News' Ben Collins Repeatedly Attacks, Ridicules Elon Musk

NBC News senior attack dog Ben Collins has repeatedly and openly criticized Elon Musk and his handling of Twitter, raising questions into whether he can report impartially on the topic. 

Ben Collins

Fox News Digital reports the left-leaning Collins covers "disinformation, extremism and the internet," according to NBC News’ website. He describes his job as covering the "dystopia beat" on his Twitter bio, and Collins has emerged as a chief antagonist of Musk’s Twitter leadership and has repeatedly scolded him during TV appearances and on his own social media.

Recent NBC News reports headlined, "There’s an exodus of Twitter executives, including the head of trust and safety, as Musk’s chaotic reign continues," "Musk fires Twitter engineers after critical posts on Twitter and Slack" and "Should I delete my DMs? What Twitter has on you, and what you can and can't do about it" were either written by Collins, or he contributed to them. 

The scandal here is that Elon Musk discovered who his company's deputy general counsel was six weeks after he purchased it. pic.twitter.com/vGgKrHcOHv

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 7, 2022

But while NBC News bills itself as a nonpartisan source of trusted information, Collins hasn't bothered to hide his disdain for Musk, whose poking of the media, digs at political correctness and dalliances with right-wing figures online have made him into a villain on the left. On Tuesday night, Collins mocked the Tesla mogul for declaring he recently found out Twitter hired a former FBI attorney to serve as in-house counsel before he purchased the tech giant.