Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Reach Media, 300 Entertainment Team For Song Competition


Radio One Vice President of Programming, Colby Tyner, today announced the launch of "The Song" Contest a music competition, presented by Reach Media's nationally syndicated show, The Morning Hustle and 300 Entertainment. 

"The Song" Contest offers up-and-coming, independent artists an opportunity to create an anthem that addresses the current climate in the country. It seeks to create the soundtrack for right now through music, which is at the heart and soul of the black community. Listeners may submit tracks to win a $5,000 cash prize and a distribution deal for the song on all streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Google Play and Spotify.  The deadline for submissions is September 7, 2020.

"We are excited to hear from the great talent that exists across the country as we seek to find 'The Song,'" said Colby Tyner. "This is the perfect moment for a new anthem.  Our community needs to hear a voice of acknowledgment and encouragement, and Radio One can be a vehicle for that expression."

"Hip Hop has always been a platform that gave a voice to the voiceless, and we felt it was time for voices to be given a chance to be heard," added Headkrack, On-Air Personality, The Morning Hustle, Reach Media.

Contest participants must be unsigned artists who produce original music that addresses the current ills in the country, including the COVID-19 pandemic, police brutality, the economy, and racial injustice and unrest.  They will document their creative process and submit the finished music for consideration.  A panel of judges, which includes CEO of 300 Entertainment, Kevin Liles, will select the winner based on the song's message, originality, quality, and composition.  The winner will be announced on September 25, 2020 and will be featured in an unplugged performance on YouTube provided by 300 Entertainment.

"We are looking for that special song that makes you feel a certain way and makes us proud," said Kevin Liles, CEO, 300 Entertainment.

To learn more about "The Song" Contest visit https://themorninghustle.com/141567/thesong.

SESAC, RMLC Announce New Agreement

SESAC and the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) have announced a new license agreement that sets the rates payable by the majority of America’s commercial terrestrial radio stations to publicly perform works in the SESAC repertory, effective Jan. 1 2019 through Dec. 31, 2022.

The agreement rolls forward rates and terms from the prior license, including a blanket license fee of 0.2557% of net revenue, and an all-talk rate of .0575% of revenue. As before, the agreement applies to stations’ over-the-air broadcasts, simulcast streams and HD signals.

The RMLC represents the vast majority of the nation’s radio stations, and SESAC represents more than 1 million songs and some 30,000 songwriters, composers and music publisher affiliates.

SESAC President and COO Kelli Turner said, “As a performing rights organization, we remain focused on bringing value to our songwriters and publishers—which has become increasingly important during these uncertain times. We appreciate the RMLC’s cooperation to once again reach an agreement that will enhance the livelihoods of the creative community.”

RMLC Chairman Ed Atsinger said, “We are pleased to carry forward the terms of the prior agreement with SESAC, which is an efficient path forward for both sides in a music licensing landscape that has become increasingly complex.”

NAB Leadership Foundation Unveils Service to America Award Winners


The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation presented the 2020 Service to America Awards, recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. Winners were announced during the Celebration of Service to America Awards program, which aired tonight on hundreds of stations nationwide.

“Over the past year, America’s local radio and television stations have demonstrated unparalleled devotion to helping families and communities in need,” said NAB Leadership Foundation President Michelle Duke. “We are pleased to honor these exceptional stations and to celebrate this year’s winners with viewers and listeners during the first ever broadcast of the Celebration of Service to America Awards.”

The 2020 Service to America Awards winners are:

➤Service to Community Award for Radio - Ownership Group:

Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, "Miracles for Kids Radiothon"

Raising awareness and money for the University of Missouri’s Children Hospital is personal for the Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group, considering members of the staff have needed this hospital for their own children. Radio stations KCLR, KTXY, KATI and KSSZ came together to host the 13th annual Miracles for Kids Radiothon to tell the hospital’s story and raise money to benefit sick kids in mid-Missouri. The 2019 event raised $309,000, bringing the total amount raised for this local hospital to $2.81 million. The team at Zimmer Radio is committed to doing their part to make sure kids have the best doctors, nurses, staff and equipment when it comes to battling illness.

➤Service to Community Award for Television - Ownership Group

Gray Television, "Measure of Hate"

Gray Television’s “Measure of Hate” campaign exposed significant flaws and omissions in the FBI’s annual hate crime report, ultimately leading the FBI to overhaul policy and ending the agency’s decades-long illegal practice. Through the investigation, Gray Television discovered that the FBI wasn’t accurately reporting its own hate crime cases and that national statistics were based on voluntary reports from local agencies. Throughout 2019, several “Measure of Hate” stories aired in newscasts on all 93 Gray Television stations. Gray also aired a 30-minute “Measure of Hate” documentary. Due to this investigation the FBI, public officials and law enforcers were required to change their reporting procedures and reevaluate the information and data available to accurately measure hate crimes across this country.

➤Service to Community Award for Radio – Major Market

KIRO-AM Seattle, Wash., "710 ESPN Seattle and Coaching Boys Into Men"
Bonneville International

With a goal of ending domestic violence, KIRO decided to take the issue back to where it starts, focusing on homes, schools and role models within a local community. In partnership with Coaching Boys into Men, this campaign aimed to prevent domestic violence by teaching high school coaches and athletes how to be community leaders. The station hosted a training program for winter sports coaches, offering incentives for those who completed the program. Through this partnership, KIRO has reached more than 33,000 students with a 42% implementation rate throughout the Seattle area. Thanks to the team at KIRO and the Coaching Boys into Men training, this local community is closer to developing leading examples of role models and athletes for the next generation and putting an end to the cycle of domestic violence.

➤Service to Community Award for Television - Large Market

WKMG-TV Orlando, Fla., "Driving Change: Florida’s Texting and Driving Law"
Graham Media Group

After WKMG-TV news anchor Matt Austin was hit and seriously injured by a texting driver, the station initiated a relentless multi-faceted, multi-year campaign led by Austin to strengthen Florida’s texting and driving law. WKMG gathered stories from viewers, created partnerships with law enforcement and legislators and confronted those lawmakers who were creating roadblocks to a piece of legislation designed to save lives on Florida's roadways. After three years of work, on July 1, 2019, those efforts resulted in a new law, making texting and driving a primary offense. In the end, many legislators, including those who were originally against a more robust law, credit WKMG with being a major factor behind its passage. 

➤Service to Community Award for Radio - Medium Market

WSGW Saginaw, Mich., "WSGW’s Sharing Hope Radiothon"
Alpha Media

To help curb increasing homelessness in the area, 100.5 and 790 Newsradio WSGW hosted the 14th annual Sharing Hope Radiothon to raise money for the Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan and its local shelters. With cross promotion from sister station 94.5 The MooseWCEN, this 12-hour campaign exceeded its fundraising goal and raised more than $47,000 while also educating the community. To show continued support for their sister station, WSGW partnered once again and helped raise awareness and donations for the two-day St. Jude Kids Radiothon to raise another $83,250. These two campaigns strengthen the ties of local radio and continue to better the community through the sharing of hope and resources.

➤Service to Community Award for Television - Medium Market

WNDU-TV South Bend, Ind., "Never Again: Preventing Bus Stop Tragedies"
Gray Television

After the tragic deaths and critical injuries of four children trying to cross the highway to get on the school bus, WNDU went beyond news coverage to advocate for stronger school bus safety and awareness. WNDU not only covered a tragedy but aimed to increase awareness around school bus stop safety and encourage the Indiana General Assembly to pass the MAXSTRONG School Bus Safety bill into law. The bill was signed by the Indiana governor in May 2019, but the station did not stop there. As children went back to school in districts across the DMA, WNDU launched a back-to-school safety campaign using yard signs, news coverage, PSAs and social media support all in an effort to make sure Hoosier children were headed back to school with a safer way to get there.

➤Service to Community Award for Radio - Small Market

WKXW-FM Trenton, N.J., "New Jersey Judges"
Townsquare Media

In July 2019, WKXW launched a series of reports highlighting misconduct within the New Jersey Family Court regarding rape and sexual assault cases. These investigative reports included the shocking details of local judges blocking prosecutors’ requests to try juveniles as adults as well as a pattern of victim blaming. This news series encouraged the community and local lawmakers to respond to these injustices. As a result of this series of investigative reports, the state Supreme Court accepted the resignation of one of the judges, took action to remove another from the bench and implemented mandatory sex crime training for all judges.

➤Service to Community Award for Television - Small Market

WJHG-TV Panama City, Fla., "Remembering the Forgotten"
Gray Television

On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael hit an area of the Florida Panhandle nicknamed “The Forgotten Coast.” By 2019, the area seemed to live up to its name. More than six months after the hurricane wiped out parts of this community, no federal relief aid – so critical for recovery – had arrived. As locals began to wonder when things would return to normal, WJHG got to work educating the community at large about how long it had been waiting for federal relief funds and what needed to be done to grab lawmakers’ attention. Through social media, daily coverage of local suffering and national media outreach, this team made sure lawmakers heard the outcry for support. Finally, 236 days following Hurricane Michael, a Federal Disaster Relief package passed and this area was one step closer to not feeling so forgotten.

The annual Celebration of Service to America Awards, hosted by the NAB Leadership Foundation, highlight and honor exceptional community service exhibited by local radio and television stations across the U.S. The 2020 event, produced in partnership with Trailer Park Group, distributed by Disney Media Networks and measured by Nielsen, premiered August 22 as a one-hour televised program featuring high profile guests and award presentations in eight categories.

Sports Betting Network VSiN Expands Line-Up


VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, announced Monday an expanded lineup, new shows and additional talent heading into the most anticipated sports betting season in years. Beginning this fall, the 24/7 sports betting network will begin broadcasting nearly 100 live linear hours each week, adding several new shows and top industry talent.

Further strengthening an already impressive lineup, VSiN is adding Tim Murray, former host of NBC Sports' The Daily Line, former professional football player and sports broadcaster, Mike Pritchard, journalist and $1 Million Super Contest winner, James Salinas, and Danielle Alvari, from the NFL Network. Pritchard and Salinas will team up to co-host Betting Across America, while Murray will help anchor weekend coverage by joining the Betting Across America broadcast team and co-hosting VSiN's new THE Pre-game Show, and Alvari joins the My Guys in the Desert broadcast team. Additionally, the network is bolstering its entire team with key additions to its content and production teams.

"VSiN has experienced incredible growth over the past 18 months, significantly expanding distribution, advertising sales, and industry partnerships, while enhancing our product across channels," said Brian Musburger, VSiN founder and CEO. "We're excited to build on that momentum by launching new shows and introducing new talent. This new programming will allow us to cover sportsbooks around the country and provide unique and valuable insights to our growing audience of sports bettors."

With new shows launching over the coming weeks, VSiN's complete lineup, including all of its new shows and personalities, launches September 7 across its distribution channels. Sports fans and betting enthusiasts can access VSiN content on SiriusXM Radio (204), Comcast Xfinity, fuboTV, Sling TV, Rogers' Sportsnet, NESN, MSG Networks, Marquee Sports Network, VSiN.com and on more than 100 terrestrial radio stations around the country as part of The BetR Network, as well as TuneIn. See the full broadcast schedule on the VSiN website.

VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, is the first sports media company dedicated to providing news, analysis and proprietary data to the millions of Americans who bet on sports and make gambling a multibillion-dollar industry.

August 25 Radio History


➦In 1921...Radio-TV host Monty Hall was born in Winnipeg.  He began his career at local radio station CKRC while still in school, then moved to Toronto in 1946, where at CHUM he hosted the nationally syndicated quiz Who Am I.   Moving to New York he guest hosted several TV game shows, hosted the Saturday night portion of NBC Radio’s Monitor, and was hockey radio analyst for the N.Y. Rangers. Then off to L.A. where he co-created & hosted the flamboyant TV game with which he will forever be identified, the original Let’s Make a Deal (1963-91.)   He suffered heart failure and died Sept. 30 2017 at age 96.


➦In 1949…NBC Radio debuted the sitcom "Father Knows Best."  The series was set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as the General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson), and Kathy (Norma Jean Nilsson). Others in the cast were Eleanor Audley, Herb Vigran, and Sam Edwards. Sponsored through most of its run by General Foods, the series was heard Thursday evenings on NBC until March 25, 1954.

The Father Knows Best TV series premiered on October 3, 1954 and starred Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, and Lauren Chapin.

Dick Clark
➦In 1962...The radio bug bit Dick Clark again - as he announced plans to syndicated a radio series for Top-40 stations.

The two-hour program would be broadcast five days a week and would be produced and distributed by Dick Clark Radio Productions and Mars Broadcasting Inc.

Dick Clark says the show will feature artist interviews and records and will be taped at Mars Broadcasting in Stamford, Conn. Clark was a Disc Jockey at WFIL 560 AM in Philadelphia when he landed the job as host  of TV's “American Bandstand.


➦In 1962...Detroit radio personality Fred Wolf celebrated 12 years as the morning man on WXYZ 1270 AM


He started with the station in 1950 and stayed until 1965 when he left the after refusing to play some rock and roll records.

➦In 1962...Paul Sherman, 1010 WINS, New York replaced Bob (Bob-A-Loo) Lewis on its Saturday and Sunday “Freedomland” remote broadcasts. He would soon join rival 77WABC.

➦In 1966...WNBC 660 AM New York canceled the syndicated “Joe Pyne Show” after debuting last March. WNBC gives no reason for the cancellation. Discharged from the Marines at the end of World War II, Pyne attended a local drama school to correct a speech impediment. While studying there, he decided to try radio. He worked briefly in Lumberton, North Carolina, before he was hired at a new station, WPWA, in Brookhaven, PA.

However, he argued with the owner and was fired. Next, he got a job at WILM (AM) in Wilmington, Delaware, the first of three times he would work at that station. He moved to WVCH, a new station in Chester, which went on the air in March 1948. Seeing little chance to advance his career in Chester, Pyne left after a year and a half. He moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was hired at WLIP, owned by local station owner William Lipman (hence the call letters). After six months of hosting innocuous programs such as Meet Your Neighbor from various grocery stores, he quit during a confrontation with WLIP management in which he threw Lipman's typewriter against a wall. Pyne worked at several stations in Atlantic City, NJ, and began to change his style of broadcasting.

Pyne gradually tired of being a disc jockey who made comments about politics and current events. He developed his on-air persona as an opinionated host who knew something about everything. He returned to WILM, where he debuted as a talk show host in 1950.

By the early 1950s, television was replacing radio as America's main medium. In 1954, Pyne moved to television with The Joe Pyne Show, broadcast by WDEL-TV in Wilmington. In 1957, he moved to Los Angeles. His initial show was unsuccessful, and he returned to Wilmington. He hosted a TV talk show on WVUE, which was also seen in Philadelphia, and received positive reviews from critics. In the late 1950s the local black press generally praised him for inviting black newsmakers on his show to discuss issues of concern to their community. By 1960, he was hosting a radio show on KABC (AM). The acerbic Bob Grant took over Pyne's show in 1964, and Pyne continued on KLAC. This led to a television show on KTTV.

R. Peter Strauss
➦In 1966...R. Peter Straus, president of  WMCA 570 AM New York - appeared on a program on rival station - WNEW 1130 AM. He was interviewed by Richard Doan on a weekly series titled “The Truth About Radio.”

Straus was told that he probably was one of those broadcasters “who peddles rock ‘n’ roll all day and who refuses to call it by that name,” that maybe he was ashamed of the practice. Straus denied he was ashamed and asserted that WMCA programmed for the largest possible audience so that its commercials and community messages of substantive content would be exposed to the largest number of people.



➦In 1971....Former 93 KHJ Los Angeles night DJ Humble Harve Miller, who affirmed his guilt in court, was sentenced for a term of five years to life for killing his wife, Mary.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder – the unlawful killing of a human being with malice, but without premeditation on Aug 2. His seven-year marriage was described as “stormy and tempestuous” and Mrs. Miller as “domineering and literally a witch.”


➦In 1977....Record executive Irving Azoff announced he would be serving as executive producer on a movie called “FM.” Azoff coordinated the soundtrack – to include a blend of rock standards, current hits and original compositions written for the movie and take charge of a live rock concert which will be filmed for inclusion in the film.



The movie was to be  about the going’s on  - at a major market FM rock music station and the music business.


➦In 1989...KLOS-FM Los Angeles morning show hosts Mark and Brian aired a no-no. Equipped with hidden mics, they took listeners on an aural Graceland tour for the 12th anniversary of Elvis’ death, but they were caught. Graceland says you’re not supposed to be broadcasting from the premises. They called the duo incredibly rude and distasteful.

Glenn Beck
➦In 1999...KLOS Los Angeles apologized for a Mark & Brian stunt after they announced plastic gardening tools called “Black Hoes” would be given out.

➦In 2009...Glenn Beck returned to Fox News Channel after a vacation with fewer advertisers, part of the fallout from calling President Barack Obama a racist.

A total of 33 Fox advertisers, including Walmart Stores Inc., CVS Caremark, Clorox and Sprint, directed that their commercials not air on Beck's show, according to the companies and Color of change, a group that promotes political action among blacks and launched a campaign to get advertisers to abandon him. That's more than a dozen more than were identified a week ago.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Claudia Schiffer is 50
  • Actor Sean Connery is 90. 
  • Actor Tom Skerritt is 87. 
  • Jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter is 87. 
  • Singer Walter Williams of The O’Jays is 77. 
  • Actor Anthony Heald (“Boston Public”) is 76. 
  • Singer Henry Paul of BlackHawk (and The Outlaws) is 71. 
  • Actor John Savage is 71. 
  • Bassist Gene Simmons of Kiss is 71. 
  • Singer Rob Halford of Judas Priest is 69. 
  • Keyboardist Geoff Downes of Asia is 68. 
  • Musician Elvis Costello is 66. 
  • Director Tim Burton is 62. 
  • Actor Christian LeBlanc (“The Young and the Restless”) is 62. 
  • Actor Ashley Crow (“Heroes”) is 60. 
  • Country singer-actor Billy Ray Cyrus is 59. 
  • Actor Ally Walker (“Profiler”) is 59. 
  • Actor Joanne Whalley is 59. 
  • Guitarist Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard is 58. 
  • Actor Blair Underwood is 56. 
  • Actor Robert Maschio (“Scrubs”) is 54. 
  • DJ Terminator X of Public Enemy is 54. 
  • Singer Jeff Tweedy of Wilco is 53. 
  • Actor David Alan Basche (“The Exes”) is 52. 
  • TV chef Rachael Ray is 52. 
  • Actor Cameron Mathison (“All My Children”) is 51. 
  • Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 50. 
  • Model Claudia Schiffer is 50. 
  • Actor Nathan Page (“Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”) is 49. 
  • Actor Eric Millegan (“Bones”) is 46. 
  • Actor Alexander Skarsgard (“Big Little Lies,” ″True Blood”) is 44. 
  • Actor Jonathan Togo (“CSI: Miami”) is 43. 
  • Actor Kel Mitchell (“Kenan and Kel”) is 42. 
  • Actor Rachel Bilson (“Hart of Dixie,” “The O.C.”) is 39. 
  • Actor Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”) is 33.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Former Sports Talker Craig Carton Files for Bankruptcy

Sports radio host Craig Carton, who duped investors with a multi-million-dollar fraud based on non-existent concert tickets, wants protection from his creditors, reports The Camden Courier-Post.

A filing in federal bankruptcy court is the latest development in a saga that took Carton, the New Rochelle, Westchester County, native, from fame to federal prison and, until recently, a halfway house in Newark.

Carton, a one-time host for WFAN in NYC and WIP-FM in Philadelphia, reports assets of almost $1 million in Friday’s filing, with most of that value coming from his 14-room home in Chester, Morris County.

But the filing notes liabilities of $9.4 million, including a court judgment demanding restitution of $4.8 million for the fraud’s victims.

In addition, casino operators want more than $1.5 million, including $350,000 owed to the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.

The 51-year-old radio host has said a gambling addiction played a role in his downfall, according to the website for Street Smart Video, a New York firm that’s employed Carton for the past month.

The website notes the firm has produced an upcoming documentary on Carton, described as “one of the most dominant voices on morning radio” as the co-host of Boomer & Carton on New York’s WFAN.

Carton's 10-year stint on the show ended abruptly in September 2017 when he was arrested on federal charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy.

NYC Radio: Hot 97's Paddy Duke OUT Over Involvement In Death

Paddy Duke
HBO’s Storm Over Brooklyn documentary highlighting the 1989 murder of Yusef Hawkins has resulted in the firing of  WQHT Hot 97 employee Paddy Duck (real name Pasquale Raucci), reports hiphopdx.com.

On Sunday (August 23), the 31st anniversary of Hawkins’ murder, the station announced in a statement they’d fired longtime executive Paddy Duke for his involvement in the murder.

“After watching HBO’s Storm over Brooklyn, HOT97 was shocked and took swift action,” the statement read. “Paddy Duke is no longer employed by HOT97. The march for social justice continues.”

Duke was among a mob of White men who crowded Hawkins and three other Black teens and attacked them in Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian-American section of Brooklyn. The mob thought they were part of a different group of Black teens headed to a party at the home of a local girl the mob believed had begun dating a Black man.

The 16-year-old Hawkins was considered a leader amongst his peers and had dreams of possibly becoming an engineer.

Hawkins and company were in Bensonhurst inquiring about a used 1982 Pontiac advertised in the newspaper for $900. Soon, Hawkins and his three associates were being followed by a group of 10 White men that soon swelled to 30 men. Some held bats and begun yelling racial slurs at the group

Soon, gunshots rang out. Hawkins was shot twice in the chest and later died at the hospital. Five members of the mob were arrested in connection with Hawkins’ murder, including Duke. Although he was found not guilty of manslaughter or second-degree murder, Duke was convicted on eight lesser counts and sentenced to three years probation and a $200 fine.


Duke’s ousting from the station has raised questions concerning the station’s hiring of Duke as well as whether knowledge of his prior crimes had been known by execs who’d given him a job.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he’d served as the producer of Angie Martinez’s show and was an on-air DJ at the station from 1994 until 2003 before he became the commercial production director.

Insights: Podcast Ads Drive Brand Equity For Marketers

This week’s Westwood One blog highlights multiple case studies conducted by Signal Hill Insights, proving that podcasting can no longer be dismissed for lack of measurement.


One of the leading experts on audio content measurement and listening trends, Signal Hill Insights has built a strong reputation for podcast advertising brand equity measurement. 
  • No longer can marketers assert podcast advertising cannot be measured as there is a robust and experienced set of firms that are measuring search and site traffic as well as podcast brand effect. 
  • Awareness is important because it drives sales: A brand must be known before they are needed. According to Nielsen, unaided awareness is responsible for 60% of all brand considerations and 90% of all auto purchase intentions. 
  • Billie: Razors and personal grooming products for women: Compared to those who did not hear Billie’s ads, those exposed to the podcast ads had +117% greater unaided awareness, +42% greater aided awareness, +21% greater “love/like” brand favorability, and were +21% more likely to take an action.
  • HelloFresh: Recipe box service: Those exposed to the podcast ads represented a +164% increase in unaided awareness and a +44% growth in aided awareness. Among those exposed, brand favorability grew +51%. There was a +16% lift in those that said they would take an action. 
  • Chanel: Famous fashion brand: Comparing those unexposed and exposed to the Chanel ad saw an outsized lift in unaided awareness (+206%) and virtually no growth in aided awareness. When you’re one of the most famous global fashion brands, it’s hard to improve on an aided awareness that is nearly 100%. Those exposed to the podcast ads had +7% greater brand favorability. Among those exposed there was a +13% lift in taking action. 
  • Talkspace: Online mobile therapy service: Podcast advertising grew unaided awareness by +150% and aided awareness by +14%. Brand favorability increased +14% and those that would take action was up +10%.

Shepard Smith Debut On CNBC Set for Sept 30

Shepard Smith’s nightly CNBC newscast will premiere on Sept. 30, with Sanford Cannold as senior executive producer and Sally Ramirez as executive producer.

The NY Post reports the 7 p.m. program (eastern) will broadcast from CNBC’s headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The network announced in July that Smith would be joining the network, after 23 years at Fox News. He also serves as chief general news anchor and chief breaking general news anchor and as executive editor of the newscast.

Cannold has 19 years of experience with CNBC, most recently as executive producer of “The Exchange” and “Power Lunch” and, before that, as executive producer of “Squawk Box.” Ramirez comes to CNBC from KHOU in Houston, Texas, a CBS affiliate, where she was executive news director.

The newscast marks an effort by CNBC to gain a newsier following in the evening hours, which are dominated by runs of reality programming like “Shark Tank.”

Dan Colarusso, CNBC’s senior VP of news, said in a statement that the show “will deliver the day’s news that goes well beyond headlines and political punditry. We are going to tell stories and show images that make sense of an increasingly complicated world.”

Smith said that “there has never been a better or more critical time to launch a non-partisan, fact-based evening newscast.” He said that the program “will be bold, we will be direct and we will deliver the truth to our viewers.”

The Rundown: Trump Unveils Plasma Treatment For COVID Patients

President Trump yesterday announced emergency authorization to treat coronavirus patients with convalescent plasma, which comes from people who have recovered from Covid-19. The authorization makes it easier for some patients to get the treatment, but isn't the same as full FDA approval.


While Trump called the treatment a "breakthrough," health experts say more study is needed, with the evidence so far not conclusive as to whether or not it works, when to give it to patients, and the appropriate dose. FDA chief scientist Denise Hinton said in a letter about the emergency authorization that convalescent plasma, quote, "should not be considered a new standard of care" for Covid-19 patients, as saying that there are ongoing clinical trials. Trump alleged during yesterday's press conference that he believed there'd been a, quote, "logjam" at the FDA in granting the emergency authorization, baselessly alleging a politically-driven delay. A day earlier, Trump had tweeted a similar accusation, alleging that the, quote, "deep state" at the FDA was holding up testing vaccines and therapeutics, and making the unfounded accusation: "Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd," which is Election Day.
  • There have been more than 176,800 deaths in the U.S. as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 5,703,000 confirmed cases.

Weather.com 8/24/20

➤GULF COAST RESIDENTS EVACUATING AS TWO STORM SYSTEM AT SAME TIME POSSIBLE: Some residents of the Gulf Coast were evacuating Sunday as the region readied for the possibility of two hurricanes hitting one right after the other, one from the Gulf of Mexico and the other from the Caribbean. The potential danger zone stretches from Texas to Alabama. Tropical Storm Marco grew into a hurricane Sunday as it moved up from the Gulf of Mexico toward Louisiana before being downgraded again last night, and Tropical Storm Laura was battering the Dominican Republic and Haiti as it was on track for the same area of the Gulf Coast with the potential to grow into a hurricane.

Weather.com 8/24/20


Experts say the combined effects of the two storms in succession could bring two feet of rain to parts of Louisiana and several feet of potentially deadly storm surge.

LA Times 8/24/20
➤FORECAST BAD NEWS FOR CREWS BATTLING CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: Firefighters battling three huge wildfires in Northern California raced Sunday to make preparations ahead of forecasted weather conditions that could make the fires worse, including high winds and more lightning strikes, which is what caused many of the blazes there and in other parts of the state.

LA Times 8/24/20
There was another fatality discovered from the fires, the seventh in California in the last week. Two of the wildfires in Northern California, one north of San Francisco and the other southeast of the city, are among the three largest in state history, both burning more than 500 square miles.

➤WHITE HOUSE, SENATE REJECT EMERGENCY POSTAL AID PACKAGE PASSED BY HOUSE: The White House and Republican-led Senate on Sunday rejected an emergency funding bill for the U.S. Postal Service passed by the Democratic-led House in a rare Saturday session a day earlier. The bill would provide $25 billion for the Postal Service and block operational changes made by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, amid complaints about mail delays and concerns about being able to vote by mail during the pandemic after operational changes ordered by DeJoy. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called the legislation a "political statement," and said President Trump would only consider money for the Postal Service as part of a broader coronavirus relief package. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell charged the legislation was part of what he called a postal, quote, "conspiracy theory." But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the Senate to act, saying, "The public is demanding action on this now."

USAToday 8/24/20
➤REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION BEGINS TODAY: The four-night Republican National Convention that will nominate President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for re-election begins today. Like the Democrats, the Republicans' original convention plans were dashed because of the coronavirus pandemic, with it first planned to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then in Jacksonville, Florida.

But while the Democrats' convention was all virtual, and much of the Republicans' will be, the marquee speeches of Trump, Pence and First Lady Melania Trump will be delivered before an audience, albeit much smaller than usual. Trump will speak from the South Lawn of the White House, which has drawn criticism from Democrats and ethics groups for using the Executive Mansion in that way for political purposes. Similarly, Melania Trump will speak from the White House Rose Garden. Pence will speak from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, which inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814.

Breaking from usual practice, in which the president speaks only on the final night when he gives his acceptance speech, Trump will speak each night. Broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC will air an hour of coverage each night at 10 p.m. ET, and the cable news networks will provide more extensive nightly coverage.

➤NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round playoff games yesterday:
  • Boston Celtics 110, Philadelphia 76ers 106 -- Boston wins series 4 games to 0
  • Toronto Raptors 150, Brooklyn Nets 122 -- Toronto wins series 4 games to 0
  • Dallas Mavericks 135, L.A. Clippers 133 (OT) -- Series tied at 2-2
  • Utah Jazz 129, Denver Nuggets 127 -- Utah leads series 3 games to 1
➤NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round playoff games yesterday :
  • Boston Bruins 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 -- Boston leads series 1 game to 0
  • Vegas Golden Knights 5, Vancouver Canucks 0 -- Vegas leads series 1 game to 0

➤SATO WINS INDIANAPOLIS 500: Takuma Sato won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, the second Indy 500 victory of his career, winning under caution after teammate Spencer Pigot crashed with five laps remaining. Scott Dixon was second.


The iconic race was held in an Indianapolis Motor Speedway without fans for the first time in 104 runnings because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sato became the first Japanese winner of the Indy 500 in 2017.

➤DONCIC HAS TRIPLE-DOUBLE, WINNING OT SHOT AT BUZZER FOR MAVERICKS: Luka Doncic had a big night for the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, scoring 43 points as part of a triple-double and nailing the winning three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to beat the L.A. Clippers 135-133 and tie their first-round series at 2-2.


It wasn't clear until game time if the 21-year-old Doncic would even be playing because he hurt his ankle in Game 3, but he had a stellar performance, getting 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double.

➤JOHNSON WINS NORTHERN TRUST BY 11 SHOTS, REGAINS NUMBER 1 RANKING: Dustin Johnson won The Northern Trust by 11 shots at the TPC Boston golf course in Massachusetts Sunday, earning a return to the world's Number 1 ranking. Johnson's 11-stroke victory was the largest margin of victory since Phil Mickelson won by 13 at the TPC Sugarloaf in 2006, and his 30-under 254 finish made him only the third player in PGA Tour history to finish at 30 under or better.

➤NFL HAD 77 APPARENTLY FALSE-POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS TESTS: The NFL had 77 positive coronavirus tests from 11 teams that were apparently false-positives, after they all came back negative after being re-examined. The league asked BioReference's New Jersey lab to investigate the results, and the 77 tests are being re-tested one more time to make sure they were false positives. The NFL uses BioReference for all its coronavirus testing, but five labs throughout the country handle them so that teams get results as quickly as possible. Only the New Jersey lab had this weekend's false positives.

➤CAPITALS FIRE HEAD COACH REIRDEN: The NHL's Washington Capitals fired head coach Todd Reirden Sunday, just days after losing their playoff series to the New York Islanders, getting eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row. Reirden was promoted two years ago after four years as assistant coach with the Capitals.

Popcast: How Merchandise Bundles Undid Billboard's Album Chart


Approximately half the albums that have topped the Billboard album chart since the beginning of 2019 have been made available as part of a bundle, in which it is offered as an add-on sale to a more expensive item, typically an article of clothing or a concert ticket.

As a result, the album itself has been steadily devalued — at times, it can verge on an afterthought. Some artists, like Travis Scott and Taylor Swift, have turned the merchandise bundle into its own art form. And Billboard is constantly playing whack-a-mole with new attempts to game the sanctity of its chart, only to see new tricks emerge.

On this week’s NY Times Popcast, a conversation about the history of bundling, and how it has contributed to the reassessment of the album’s value. Plus, a discussion about whether in this era, an album-only chart is even the most useful and revealing way to assess popularity, relevance and success.

Guest:  Ben Sisario, The New York Times’s music business reporter

NBC Hockey Voice In Hot Water for Sexist Remark

Mike Milbury
NBC Sports analyst Mike Milbury is stepping away from broadcasting the rest of the playoffs after being widely criticized for his on-air comment that there were no women in the league’s bubble setup to disrupt players’ concentration.

The Associated Press reports the former NHL player, coach and general manager released a statement through NBC Sports on Saturday saying: “I do not want my presence to interfere with the athletes as they try to win the greatest trophy in sports.”

An NBC Sports spokesman said it was Milbury’s decision to leave and he remains employed by the network.

The comment was made during Thursday’s game between the Islanders and Capitals in Toronto during a discussion about the environment in the bubble. The postseason is being staged entirely in access-limited arenas and hotels in Toronto and Edmonton.

Note: Volume of audio extremely soft....


“If you think about it, it’s a terrific environment with regard to — if you enjoy playing and enjoy being with your teammates for long periods of time, it’s a perfect place,” play-by-play announcer John Forslund said.

Milbury responded, “Not even any woman here to disrupt your concentration.”

NBC Sports said it was disappointed and addressed the situation with Milbury, 68. The league said it condemned the “insensitive and insulting” comment that “did not reflect the NHL’s values and commitment to making our game inclusive and welcoming to all.”

Milbury apologized in a statement: “It was not my intention to disrespect anyone. I was trying to be irreverent and took it a step too far. It was a regrettable mistake that I take seriously.”

R.I.P.: Jack Sherman, Guitarist For Red Hot Chili Peppers

Guitarist Jack Sherman
Jack Sherman, a guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers who was featured on their debut album, has died. He was 64, reports the L-A Times.

A cause of death was not disclosed.

The news was confirmed by the band on its Instagram account on Friday.


Sherman replaced founding guitarist Hillel Slovak on the band’s 1984 debut, “The Red Hot Chili Peppers.” According to Variety, he helped write songs for the band’s next album, “Freaky Styley,” but had been replaced by a returning Slovak by the time it came out in 1985; Sherman also contributed to 1988’s “The Abbey Road EP” and 1989’s “Mother’s Milk.”

Billboard noted in its obituary that when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, Sherman was left out — and peeved.

“It’s really painful to see all this celebrating going on and be excluded,” he told Billboard at the time. “I’m not claiming that I’ve brought anything other to the band ... but to have soldiered on under arduous conditions to try to make the thing work, and I think that’s what you do in a job, looking back. And that’s been dishonored. I’m being dishonored and it sucks.”

Following his time with the Chili Peppers, Sherman played on albums by other artists, including Bob Dylan.

R.I.P.: Justin Townes Earle, Americana Singer-Songwriter

Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle, an award-winning Americana singer-songwriter and son to country-rock troubadour Steve Earle, has died at age 38, reports the Tennessean.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin," said a message posted Sunday evening to Justin Townes Earle's verified Facebook page. "So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys."

A cause of death was not given.

Born Jan. 4, 1982, Justin Townes Earle — named after folk songwriter and his father’s friend, Townes Van Zandt — was raised in Nashville by his mother, Carol Ann Hunter.

Earle intentionally carved an Americana sound that stood apart from his father's defined songwriting, per a 2019 interview with country music website The Boot. The two played "five shows together in 13 years since I started making records," Justin Townes Earle said.

"... even though it was tough, nobody will ever say that I rode my daddy’s coattails," he told The Boot, adding: "We separated it hard from the beginning, because he wanted me to stand on my own.”

Like his father, however, Justin Townes Earle struggled openly with addiction throughout much of his career. He began using drugs at age 14 and “by the time I was 16 I was completely off the rails,” he told No Depression.

During his solo career, Earle earned a decade of clean life before relapsing twice and finding sobriety again, per a 2017 interview with Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett. On Schiflett’s podcast “Walking The Line,” Earle said that “I got all my craziness out of the way as a coffeehouse musician and a roadie.”

August 24 Radio History


➦In 1911...Durward Kirby born (Died at age 88 – March 15, 2000).  He was a radio, TV announcer/host, best remembered for The Garry Moore Show in the 1950s and Candid Camera, which he co-hosted with Allen Funt from 1961 through 1966.

Durward Kirby
By 1936, Kirby was an announcer for WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1937, an Associated Press news story reported that Kirby "made a name for himself" with his reporting on the Ohio River flood of 1937. He also worked at radio stations in Chicago and Indianapolis before the war.

Following the war, Kirby hosted Club Matinee in Chicago with Garry Moore on the NBC Blue radio network before moving to television in 1949 as an announcer. He also worked on Meet Your Navy and Honeymoon in New York on network radio.

Kirby also appeared as a host, announcer, or guest on other television programs, including serving as one of NBC Radio's Monitor.


➦In 1917...Dennis James born (Died  of lung cancer at age 79 – June 3, 1997). He was a TV personality, philanthropist, and commercial spokesman. Up until 1976, he had appeared on TV more times and for a longer period than any other television star. Often referred to as "The Dean of Game Show Hosts", he is credited as the host of television's first network game show, the DuMont Network's Cash and Carry (1946). James was also the first person to host a telethon (raising over $700,000,000 for United Cerebral

Dennis James
Palsy throughout his career), the first host to appear in a television commercial, first to emcee a variety show, and first to appear on video tape.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, James began his career in radio with WNEW (now WBBR) and moved to television in 1938, working for the soon-to-become-DuMont Television Network station WABD (now WNYW), which helped to found the DuMont network in 1946. James became the host of many game shows, such as the ABC version of Chance of a Lifetime (1952–53) and served as commentator for DuMont's wrestling and boxing shows, such as Boxing From Jamaica Arena (1948–49) and other DuMont boxing and wresting shows such as Amateur Boxing Fight Club (1949–50). He hosted the DuMont daytime variety show Okay, Mother (1948–51) with Julia Meade.

➦In 1950...the summer replacement radio show for Suspense, titled "Somebody Knows", was heard for the final time on CBS Radio. The program offered a reward of $5,000 for information that led to the solving of crimes. Somebody Knows began with the introduction, “You out there. You, who think you have committed the perfect crime — that there are no clues, no witnesses — listen. Somebody knows.”

➦In 1999...actress Mary Jane Croft, who frequently appeared in Lucille Ball’s TV & film projects, died of natural causes at age 83. She was a much-in-demand Hollywood radio regular from the 1940′s through the 70′s, with supporting roles in dozens of series such as One Man’s Family, Suspense, Sam Spade, Our Miss Brooks and Sears Radio Theatre.

➦In 2012...Bruce Dale Sommers died (Born - November 26, 1943). He was best known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo" and for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers.
Dale Commers

Sommers hosted the overnight show from Cincinnati, Ohio-based clear-channel station WLW from 1984 to 2004, and it was carried by a small network of similarly high-powered stations across the United States. Sommers discontinued playing music on his nightly show, focusing on general and truck news, and talk from his listeners. Sommers announced his retirement from radio in 2004, but XM Satellite Radio was successful in getting him to do an afternoon truck show.

Born Glen Council in Humboldt, Tennessee, Sommers moved to Cincinnati with his family at the age of 15. The next year (1959), be began working for WAEF. Sommers worked for other local radio stations in Cincinnati, as well as in Evansville, Indianapolis, Seattle, San Diego, Miami, and Kansas City, before settling back at WLW in 1984.

Jay Thomas
➦In 2017...Jay Thomas died from throat cancer (Born Jon Thomas Terrell -  July 12, 1948).  He was an actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976-79 on Top 40 station 99X, and later on Rhythmic CHR station WKTU, and in Los Angeles beginning in 1986 on KPWR "Power 106", where he hosted the station's top-rated morning show until 1993.



His notable television work included his co-starring role as Remo DaVinci on Mork & Mindy (1979–81), the recurring role of Eddie LeBec, a Boston Bruins goalie on the downside of his career, on Cheers (1987–89), the lead character of newspaper columnist Jack Stein on Love & War (1992–95), and a repeat guest role as Jerry Gold, a talk show host who becomes both an antagonist and love interest of the title character on Murphy Brown. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 and 1991 for portraying Gold.

In film, he co-starred in Mr. Holland's Opus as a high school coach with a flair for theatrics, and portrayed the Easter Bunny in The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3. He was also an annual guest on The Late Show with David Letterman during the Christmas season, where he told a story about how he met Clayton Moore, who portrayed the title character on The Lone Ranger.  Beginning in 2005, he hosted The Jay Thomas Show on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, which aired every Friday afternoon on Howard 101.




➦In 2018... Chuck Brinkman, a KQV 1410 AM mainstay in the 1960s who became one of Pittsburgh’s most popular Top 40 DJs, died. He was 83.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Kristyn Osborn is 50
  • Guitarist Mason Williams is 82. 
  • Singer Marshall Thompson of The Chi-Lites is 78. 
  • Keyboardist Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) is 75. 
  • Actor Ann Archer is 73. 
  • Actor Joe Regalbuto (“Murphy Brown”) is 71. 
  • Actor Kevin Dunn (“Samantha Who?”) is 65. 
  • Actor Steve Guttenberg is 62. 
  • Actor Jared Harris (“The Crown,” ″Mad Men”) is 59. 
  • Talk show host Craig Kilborn is 58. 
  • Singer John Bush (Anthrax) is 57. 
  • Actor Marlee Matlin is 55. 
  • Newsman David Gregory is 50. 
  • Country singer Kristyn Osborn of SheDaisy is 50. 
  • Director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) is 48. 
  • Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 47. 
  • Actor James D’Arcy (“Agent Carter,” “Dunkirk”) is 47. 
  • Actor Carmine Giovinazzo (“CSI: New York”) is 47. 
  • Actor Alex O’Loughlin (“Hawaii Five-0″) is 44. 
  • Actor Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill,” ″A Cinderella Story”) is 39. 
  • Drummer Jeffrey Gilbert (Kutless) is 37. 
  • Actor Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter”) is 32.