TV Specials Mark The 50th Anniversary

Nov. 22, 1963: At 1:48 p.m. (Eastern), CBS News interrupted the soap opera "As The World Turns" for Walter Cronkite to announce that President John F. Kennedy was seriously injured in a shooting in Dallas, Texas.

A whole crop of new TV specials have been created and aired pegged to this year's 50th anniversary of the assassination. The ones airing today include:

•  Where Were You? (NBC, 9 p.m. ET) -- This special hosted by former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw combines archival footage with first-person accounts of people who lived through it. It will include comments from former CBS anchor Dan Rather, who gave an interview to Brokaw about his experiences as a young CBS reporter in Dallas on the day of the assassination, including being the one to give CBS Radio the news that Kennedy was dead and being among the first to see the famous Zapruder film of the assassination days later. Because of Rather's fallout with CBS over a questionable 2004 story about President George W. Bush's National Guard service, he wasn't invited to participate in their coverage. He told AP, "I held off doing anything for anybody else for a while, thinking I may be asked to do something [for CBS]. I can't say I had any reason for that hope."
• JFK Assassination: The Definite Guide (History Channel, 8 p.m. ET) -- Includes polling results of thousands of Americans to discover what they do and don't believe about the assassination and who was responsible. The network said it uncovered 311 different conspiracy theories in the process.
• Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours to Live (History Channel, 10 p.m. ET)
• CBS News will stream its original news broadcasts minute-by-minute in real time today on CBSNews.com, just as they were originally delivered. The streaming will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET, the same time the first CBS breaking news bulletins went on the air, and will, of course, include the famous moment when Walter Cronkite announced the president was dead. The coverage of historic newscasts will continue through the weekend, following the four days from the assassination through Kennedy's funeral.

JFK Assassination: Case Study In Live News Coverage

Fifty years ago, word of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy reached many Americans by television, a relatively new and unproven medium for news coverage. 

The events in Dallas, as reported by those covering the tragedy, became a case study for all television news organizations.

The Kennedy Assassination On Radio 11/22/63

More than three hours of KLIF 1190 AM audio from November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination.

Coverage begins at 11:30 AM (Dallas time) on 11/22/63, with Joe Long of Dallas radio station KLIF reporting live from Love Field Airport as President Kennedy arrives in "Big D".

Today 1190 AM is the home of KFXR.

Kennedy coverage as heard on WBAP 820 AM Fort Worth:




Also, from WCCO 830 AM Minneapolis/St. Paul:


And From The Big One, WLW 700 AM Cincinnati (then an NBC Affiliate):

This is the initial bulletin heard on the NBC Radio Network about the shooting of President Kennedy in Dallas. Robert MacNeil reports live from a telephone located inside the Texas School Book Depository Building, which is where the gunshots came from.

This is the line feed from the ABC Radio Network News in the initial moments of the coverage of the JFK Assasination. Included is the ABC Log Book notes on what they were airing. Someone in ABC Master Control had to log literally everything that was broadcast each day. Also included UPI and AP wire copy which you can see the network anchors are relying on for information.

And Bulletin coverage from KILT 610 AM Houston:

November 22 In Radio History

In 1899…Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America registered in New Jersey

In 1906…the "S-O-S" distress signal was adopted at the International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin.

In 1963…Many U.S. Radio stations suspended regular programming following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The Number One song that week was 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs.

1963…In the UK, the Parlophone label released the Beatles' second album, "With the Beatles," and the single, "Roll Over Beethoven." Capitol Records in Canada issued the album as "Beatlemania! With the Beatles," which has the distinction of being the first Beatles album ever released in North America. Most of the songs from the album were not released in the United States until January 20, 1964 when Capitol Records issued "Meet the Beatles!"

In 2011…Stan Case, a 25-year CNN Radio news anchor, was killed in an car accident at age 59.

Survey: Millennials Indifferent To AM Radio

In a study of under-35′s by Mark Kassof & Co., they  wanted to know what Milennials feel and think about AM.

Based on 303 online interviews conducted last week with 13-34 respondents, AM has more likes than dislikes. But, not surprisingly, Millennials’ affection for AM doesn’t come close to that of FM, and their #1 response is indifference — nearly a third neither like nor dislike AM.

Positive feelings for AM have a male skew (the opposite of FM’s skew)…42% of males either like (31%) or love (11%) AM, while only 29% of females do. Broken out by age groups, the youngest and oldest Millennials share pretty much the identical view of AM.

The survey asked those who dislike or hate AM: Why?

Millennials’ reasons for disliking (or even hating) AM radio reflect what they think about it. When we asked respondents: What is the very first thing that pops into your mind when you think of AM radio?, their #1 response was  ”talk shows” (16%), followed by “boring” (10%), “old/outdated”  (8%), “sports” (7%) and news (7%).

Woman Knocked-Out By His Rear-End Sues Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield

80s rock star Rick Springfield has taken the stand this week in a lawsuit by a woman who says he injured her during a concert in 2004, according to
cnycentral.com.

Springfield, known for the 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl”, was performing at the State Fair’s Chevy Court in 2004 when he allegedly slipped and hit a woman, causing her injuries. The woman, 43-year-old Vicki Calcagno of Liverpool, filed a civil suit in 2007 seeking damages as a result of the incident.

On the stand, Calcagno said Springfield stood on her folding chair at the concert and she has no memory of what happened for 10-30 minutes after the singer's rear end hit her head. One of the exhibits entered into evidence was a close up photo of Springfield's rear end that Calcagno says she took just moments before she was knocked out. On cross examination, Calcagno admitted she did not report any injuries to anyone at the state fair that night or for two days afterwards. She said she continued to take pictures of the concert after she regained consciousness.

NYC Radio: A-Rod Walks And Talks With WFAN

He’s had enough.

Alex Rodriguez walked out of his grievance hearing Wednesday after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz refused to order baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to testify.

He later showed up at the WFAN 660 AM  / 101.9 FM studios to talk to host Mike Francesa about it. And during that conversation he dropped a gigantic bombshell on a saga that’s been filled with one page-turning headline after another.

Rodriguez vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the case, including saying that he’s not used PEDs at all since 2003. He also denied having leaked documents about Ryan Braun to Yahoo! Sports, calling that accusation by Major League Baseball “laughable” and “disgusting.” Finally, he denied any obstructing of justice during the course of this case, one of the several reasons given by MLB to give Rodriguez the biggest drug-related suspension of all-time.

Listen To WFAN Audio: Click Here.

Study: How CableTV News Covered Two Big Stories

In a week dominated by two mega-stories—the continuing travails of Obamacare and the devastating typhoon in the Philippines—America’s hypercompetitive cable news outlets exercised very different news judgments, according to Pew Research Center.

The health insurance saga took a dramatic turn when President Obama announced a change in the law to prevent individuals from having coverage cancelled. And frantic relief efforts continued in the Philippines, where the official death toll from Typhoon Haiyan reached the 4,000 mark as of Wednesday.

A clear pattern in how four major cable news networks handled the competing stories emerged from a Pew Research Center analysis of 80 hours of programming from Nov. 11-15. The analysis studied one hour of midday and three hours of prime-time each day.

The two channels with strong ideological identities in prime-time—liberal MSBNC and conservative Fox News—spent far more time on the politically-charged health insurance story than the overseas disaster.

The differences in the amount of coverage of each story on Fox News and MSNBC were striking. In the sample studied, MSNBC devoted three hours and eight minutes to the issues surrounding Obamacare, about four times as much as the Philippines typhoon garnered (41 minutes). On Fox, the differences were even greater. In the sample studied, the channel devoted almost eight hours to the health care drama and six minutes to the aftermath of the typhoon. That translates into nearly 80 times more coverage of the health insurance story than the typhoon.

CNN had the closest balance between the two stories, spending slightly more than three-and-a-half hours on Obamacare and just under five hours on the typhoon. The fledgling Al Jazeera America network devoted three hours and 10 minutes to the typhoon, more than twice as much airtime as health insurance commanded (one-and-a-half hours).

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Ft. Myers Radio: Trey Radel Takes Leave Of Absence

Trey Radel

U.S. Rep. Trey Radel said Wednesday night he will take a leave of absence for an unspecified time and donate his salarym according to CNN.

"I have no excuse for what I have done. I have let down our country," he said at a news conference.

Radel spoke to reporters after returning home to southwest Florida, hours after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession.

The 37-year-old first-term Republican from Florida said he will enter an inpatient drug treatment program.

The cocaine possession charge came after authorities said he bought a small amount of cocaine in a sting in the nation's capital last month.

The plea and sentence were part of a deal that Radel's attorney struck with federal prosecutors. He could have received a maximum sentence of 180 days imprisonment or a $1,000 fine, or both. Instead, he was placed on one year probation, and if it is "successfully completed," his guilty plea will be cleared from his record.

He is a former journalist and TV news anchor, having worked for WINK and a morning radio host for Fox Newsradio WFSX 92.5 FM  in Fort Myers, Florida. He also owned and eventually sold the Naples Journal newspaper, according to a biography on his congressional website.

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Tribune Company Announced More Layoffs

Tribune Co. announced a restructuring of its publishing business Wednesday to focus on its digital efforts and streamline operations, resulting in nearly 700 job losses across the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and six other daily newspapers.

The plan, which was outlined for Tribune Co. employees in a memo, seeks to integrate business units such as advertising, marketing, manufacturing and digital media under common leadership. It is aimed at offsetting annual publishing revenue declines of $75 million to $100 million without diminishing editorial content, according to executives.

But publishing staff positions accounting for about 6 percent of Tribune Co.'s workforce were being eliminated beginning Wednesday, and the effect of those cuts remains to be seen. Most of the layoffs will be in technology, marketing and other noneditorial functions.

Under the publishing realignment, which will go into effect Jan. 1, the company plans to "invest more concertedly" in digital growth, according to Liguori. He announced that Tribune Publishing's digital unit will be headed by Bill Adee, currently senior vice president of digital development and operations at the Chicago Tribune.

Tribune Co. emerged Dec. 31 from a four-year stay in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company owns 23 television stations, including WGN-Ch. 9; national cable channel WGN America; WGN-AM 720; eight daily newspapers and other media assets.

Tribune Co. has been exploring the possible divestiture of its newspapers since February. In July, it announced plans to spin off its publishing division into a separate company.

While the publishing division continues to operate in the black, advertising revenue declined by $84 million last year, a trend that shows no sign of slowing.

Tribune Co. eliminated about 800 publishing positions last year.

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Layoffs Hit Rdio

The music streaming business can be tough, with market leaders like Spotify growing like weeds but still loss-making. Wednesday, some bad news from competitor Rdio, the music streaming service startup from Skype co-founder Janus Friis. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that it is laying people off.

“Rdio confirmed making across-the-board workforce reductions today to improve its cost structure and ensure a scalable business model for the long-term,” a spokesperson said today.

The company did not offer any further specifics on the layoffs. One person who first alerted us to them alleges that they affect 35 people. Techcrunch reports they’ve have had other tips that say this works out to between one-fifth and one-third of the workforce, with significant cuts in engineering.

Indeed, at least two people affected by the layoffs are both engineers that focus on mobile and web apps.

But, according to TechCrunch,  it’s notable that the company has not released any user numbers in a while. As a point of comparison, earlier this month Deezer reported passing the 5 million mark for paying users — and that’s without any entry into the U.S. market. Spotify last reported 6 million paying users in March 2013.

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Rush Ends Call After Past Drug Issue Mentioned

Rush Limbaugh decided to prematurely cut off one of his radio show callers Wednesday after the man brought up some troubling stories from the host’s past.

According to Mediaite, the call began under the guise of advocating for Limbaugh to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom, but before long the caller was talking about that time the host “exchanged shoe boxes of cash for narcotics.”

In an attempt to highlight similar honors Limbaugh has received in the past, the caller brought up a bust of the host that now resides in the Hall of Famous Missourians. “That, and you can correct me if I’m wrong,” the caller said, “came after you exchanged shoe boxes of cash for narcotics in Florida, something that most people go to jail for–decades for mandatory minimums. They gave you a statue! I mean, you imported drugs into America with the Viagra deal down in Florida…”

At this point, Limbaugh cut his caller off, saying, “Oh, no sir. See you are a victim of, once again, totally distorted media reporting.” He commended the “first half of your call,” during which the man highly praised the host, as “exactly right.” But as for the accusations about drugs, that portion was “filled with the usual leftist, bigotry, hatred and gibberish. And you don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about!” 

And, that was the end of that call.

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Madonna Tops Forbes' Highest Earning Musicians List

Madonna was this year's top earning musician, according to Forbes' annual report that was released Wednesday.

The Queen of Pop rakes in $125 million before taxes, agents and managers fees, the financial magazine estimated. The majority of her income came from her MDNA Tour, which grossed $305 million, as well as merchandise sales, her Material Girl clothing line and Truth or Dare fragrance.

Following with $80 million was Lady Gaga, who grossed $160 million on her latest tour before a hip injury forced her to cancel dates. Forbes estimates had she been able to finish that tour, she would have raked in more than $200 million. Her recent album ARTPOP, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 this week is expected to push Gaga to the top seat next year with a successful set of concerts in support.

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Judge Orders Chris Brown Back Into Rehab

Chris Brown

Musician Chris Brown has been ordered to return to rehab for three months to deal with anger management issues, according to the BBC.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Brandlin also said he must do at least 24 hours of community service a week and be tested for drugs.

The singer agreed to the terms, which were suggested by probation officers overseeing his sentence for beating his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

He left rehab earlier this month after throwing a rock through a window.

After a joint counseling session with his mother on November 10, where she suggested he needed to remain in treatment, Brown threw the stone through the window of her car.

Brown was kicked out of the rehab centre because he had signed a contract agreeing to refrain from violence while in treatment.

He had gone to the facility voluntarily on 29 October having been arrested in Washington DC days earlier. A man accused Brown of punching him after he tried to get in a photo with the singer.

The event could still be considered a probation violation and result in further punishment for the singer. He is due to appear in court in Washington DC on Monday.

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Listeners To Rate Super Bowl Radio Commercials

Westwood One is launching WestwoodOne's Super Bowl Audio Index, the first-ever consumer-driven index ranking the most creative audio commercials aired during Super Bowl XLVIII.

The index will be comprised of all commercials aired on the 700+ radio stations which broadcast WestwoodOne’s exclusive, play-by-play coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII.

Each of the commercials will be available for consumer voting through on February 2, 2014. Two awards will be announced across WestwoodOne’s on-air and online broadcast network.

• Listener’s Choice: selected by consumers through an online voting process that can also be leveraged by marketers through social media, and activated through SoundHound to create even more engaging experiences for listeners.
• Media Choice: selected by an advisory council comprised of leading advertising, media and creative executives across multiple consumer categories. 

“For brands wanting to engage a captive audience with the largest reach, there is no comparison to the Super Bowl,” said Paul Caine, CEO of WestwoodOne. “We created the Index as a new way for all brands to leverage the power of sound and capitalize on this massive advertising moment. The index enables marketers to engage more intimately with 26 million+ listeners, expanding their campaigns and maximizing their marketing dollars.”

WestwoodOne’s coverage of the Super Bowl is broadcast across terrestrial radio, on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, NFL.com/audiopass, NFL Mobile from Verizon subscribers, in the stadium during the game, and on the American Forces Radio Network.