Detroit Radio: Matt Shepard Returning To WDFN

More than seven months after the plug was pulled on his longtime, sports-talk radio show, Matt Shepard is preparing for a comeback on iHeartMedia's WDFN 1130 AM.

According to The Detroit News, Shepard will relaunch his show, “Shep, Shower ‘N’ Shave,” this Monday, and it will air weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. The goal is to eventually get the show on stations all across the state, and there are discussions about a statewide television component, too.

“We’re excited to have Matt back on WDFN,” said Tony Travatto, senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia/Detroit, in a statement released Thursday. “Nobody in Detroit sports radio has more access to what’s really happening in the locker rooms than Matt.”

Shepard began hosting his morning show on WDFN in 2001, before it was canceled in late April amid a deep round of iHeartMedia budget cuts.

Since, Shepard has launched a podcast — that’s where the show’s new name comes from — with his son, Chad, that aired three days a week. He also has continued his work on Fox Sports Detroit, and as the radio voice of Michigan basketball and Eastern Michigan football, among other ventures, including with the Big Ten Network.

WDFN 1130 AM (50 Kw-D, 10 Kw-N, DA2)

Shepard’s niche is sticking almost exclusively to sports, while the competition — namely, at 97.1 The Ticket, the only round-the-clock sports station in the Detroit market — often drifts away from sports.

BuzzFeed To Miss Budget By $70M

Digital publisher BuzzFeed is on track to miss its revenue target this year by a significant amount, the latest sign that troubles in the online-ad business are making it tough for new-media upstarts to live up to lofty expectations.

BuzzFeed, one of several digital-media outfits that have grown quickly in recent years, had been targeting revenue of around $350 million in 2017 but is expected to fall short of that figure by about 15% to 20%, people familiar with the matter said. BuzzFeed said in a statement that it would still show revenue growth for the year and had made steady gains in increasing its audience.

The Wall Street Journal reports other digital-media companies also are struggling to meet investor expectations in an increasingly fierce advertising environment. Though digital advertising is growing, the competition has intensified. Vice Media, the biggest in the emerging sector by revenue, also is expected to miss its revenue target of more than $800 million this year, people close to the company said.

Mashable, a site known for tech and pop-culture content, agreed on Thursday to sell itself to trade publisher Ziff Davis for $50 million, people familiar with the matter said, a fraction of the $250 million valuation it received in its last investment round in March 2016.

Across the industry, digital-media companies are finding that lines of business that caught fire for them early on—like creating custom content for brands—are becoming harder to scale up. Meanwhile, with each passing year, Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. are tightening their grip on the online-ad market.

That “duopoly” is expected to command a combined 63% of U.S. digital-ad spending in 2017, according to eMarketer, boosting competition among everyone else for what is left.

At BuzzFeed, some investors have become worried about the company’s performance and rising costs for expansions in areas like news and entertainment.

L-A Radio: Senator Franken Apologizes To KABC Anchor

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) faced swift condemnation and bipartisan calls for an ethics investigation Thursday after he was accused of forcibly kissing and groping a broadcaster and model while traveling overseas in 2006.

The Washington Post reports the allegations against Franken by Leeann Tweeden, who traveled with him on a USO trip to the Middle East before he was elected to the Senate, comes amid a growing swell of accusations of sexual misconduct by men in powerful positions.

Beloved by liberals for his fierce attacks on President Trump, Franken found few defenders as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) called for the ethics committee to investigate his actions.

“Sexual harassment is never acceptable and must not be tolerated,” Schumer said in a statement.

In an online essay published Thursday morning, Tweeden wrote that Franken had forced his tongue in her mouth during a rehearsal for a skit and then groped her while she was sleeping during a flight home — a moment that was captured in a photograph.

“You knew exactly what you were doing,” she wrote. “You forcibly kissed me without my consent, grabbed my breasts while I was sleeping and had someone take a photo of you doing it, knowing I would see it later and be ashamed.”


After initially issuing a brief apology for his behavior, Franken released a lengthier statement expressing contrition.

“I’m sorry,” said the senator, who skipped a series of votes Thursday. “I respect women. I don’t respect men who don’t. And the fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed.”

Tweeden said she accepted Franken’s apology.

“Yes, people make mistakes, and, of course, he knew he made a mistake,” she said at a news conference in Los Angeles, where she works as a radio news anchor for KABC 790 AM. She said she would leave any disciplinary action up to Senate leaders and was not calling for Franken to step down. “That’s up to them. I’m not demanding that.”

The hasty condemnations of Franken’s behavior by fellow Democrats underlined the tinderbox atmosphere surrounding allegations of sexual harassment by influential figures.

Second Woman Recalls Franken 'Creepy' Harassment

Melanie Morgan

In response to the disturbing allegations made against U-s Senator AlFranken, Media Equalizer and Media Equality Project Co-Founder Melanie Morgan has come forward to recall her own frightening encounter, sparked by a seemingly-mundane and even obscure topic of political disagreement.

Morgan, who was a ABC Radio talk show host for KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco at the time, appeared August 19, 2000 on ABC’s late night show Politically Incorrect.

Morgan and Franken had a dispute over the OMB’s budget numbers.

"I made a statement about the budget numbers, Franken challenged me, I challenged him back. It was about spending priorities, actually just a mundane discussion. But he obsessed over it.”

After the show, Morgan said Franken wouldn’t leave her alone, insisting on continuing the argument.

“He approached me backstage, angrily called me out on those numbers and insisted he would prove he was right. He wouldn’t leave me alone, he kept following me. As a woman, his presence and proximity to me felt very threatening and intimindating.

“I didn’t realize his creepy behavior after the show meant it would continue in the days to come.

“He approached Carol, the show’s producer and demanded my home phone number, which was a clear violation of network protocol. I had thought that was the end of the story and was shocked when he started calling my home, badgering me repeatedly.

“By the third phone call I was outraged and terrified, as he is really disturbed,” Morgan recounted.
Morgan said Franken finally left her alone, but only after she pushed back and threatened “to call the police and make a report that he was harassing me.”

NPR Chairman Steps Down

Roger LaMay

On Wednesday, National Public Radio Board Chairman Roger LaMay announced that he was stepping down at the end of his second one-year term. LaMay, who remains on the board, said he needed to devote more time to running the popular Philadelphia public radio music station WXPN, where he is general manager.

However, according to an NPR news story, LaMay is the subject of a complaint filed with NPR alleging past inappropriate behavior. Few additional details are currently known.

"I finished my second term and chose to not run again," LaMay said in a statement. "I did not make this decision based on a third party story about my personal life over a decade ago. I welcome any Board Committee review."

NPR's public relations staff did not directly respond to questions about LaMay. The network said it "encourages people to come forward with concerns they have about situations that have made them feel uncomfortable" and that it takes "both the allegations and their consequences seriously."

NPR's David Folkenflick writes NPR's problems with sexual harassment are seen as especially disheartening because of the feminist legacy of its founding. The network was built in part on the foundation created by trailblazing female journalists such as Nina Totenberg, Linda Wertheimer, Cokie Roberts and Susan Stamberg.

"It's really prided itself on being a place where women and men are treated equally and fairly. That's at the core of who we are," said Rachel Martin, a host of the NPR show Morning Edition. "Because of that, this cuts deeper. We have thought of ourselves — perhaps naively — as exempt from something like this."

Women have served as CEO, board chair, news chief, general counsel and chief operating officer, as well as the heads of all major shows and reporting desks at NPR.

Conversations with two dozen NPR female journalists suggested some fissures lie along generational lines. Desire for swift action against employee misbehavior and the executives who did not immediately punish it, strong among younger staffers, seemed less pronounced among some of those with more years under their belt at the network.

Taylor Swift Releases Song To Country Radio

Hot on the heels of her CMA Awards win, Taylor Swift is giving country radio another go.

According to The Tennessean, the pop star's label, Big Machine Label Group, has just serviced her song "New Year's Day" to country radio stations nationwide.

It's been three years since Swift last charted on country radio: "Shake It Off" peaked at #58 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart in 2014.

"New Year's Day," a spare piano ballad, is the final track on Swift's new album, "Reputation."

Earlier this week, she performed it on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."


While the hip-hop-flavored "Reputation" finds Swift worlds removed from country music, she's had surprising success in the genre this month.

On Nov. 8, she won the CMA Award for Song of the Year for "Better Man," which she wrote for country group Little Big Town.

And geographically speaking, Swift still has a presence in Nashville. Earlier this week, she popped up at a Nashville-area Target store to purchase a copy of "Reputation" — a tradition she's had since the start of her career.

St. Louis Radio: WARH, WIL Team For Emergency Radiothon

New Country WIL 92.3 and WARH 106.5 The Arch are hosting an emergency one-day Radiothon – “Cash For Kids” – to raise money for the St. Louis Shriner’s Hospital For Children today.

The warehouse storing toys and blankets for the upcoming Shriner’s Christmas Party was destroyed by a massive fire Wednesday. The Shriner’s Christmas Party is scheduled for December 10th. Shriners said that 1,500 children were sent invitations.

The Hubbard Radio St. Louis stations’ goal is to raise $10,000 between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm on Friday, November 17. And it is easy for the general public to help.

Listeners are encouraged to click the link at www.NewCountry923.FM or www.1065TheArch.com and give what they can.

Both stations will update the total raised at the beginning of EVERY HOUR on New Country 92.3 and 106.5 The Arch!

Hubbard Radio St. Louis Program Director Scott Roddy notes, “NO child should be without this Christmas. Please help our stations with this important fundraising effort.”

November 17 Radio History

➦In 1970…Elton John, backed by Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson, performed at A&R Recording Studios in New York City for a live radio broadcast on WABC-FM (now WPLJ) which was later released as his "11-17-70" album.

➦In 1979...DJ George Michael did his last show on WABC, New York.


➦In 1982...announcer/actor Bill Baldwin died nine days short of his 69th birthday.  He was a highly regarded commercial announcer in network radio who transitioned easily to early TV.  He also played numerous bit parts in episodic TV, frequently portraying radio and track announcers & the like.


➦In 1990...Stan Z. Burns 1010 WINS NYC died.



Burns, whose clear voice was instantly recognizable to thousands of New Yorkers as a radio anchorman at the all-news station WINS-AM, died Friday in New York. He was 63. The cause of death was not disclosed. Burns began working at the station in 1944. During his 40-year career, Burns covered major news events, including the New York blackouts and transit strikes.

He went to work for WINS as a staff announcer in May 1944, when the station was known for its music and was one of the first disc jockeys in the United States to play a Beatles record when WINS was a Top40 station.

➦In 2003... Rush Limbaugh returned to his syndicated talk show after spending a month in rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers.

➦In 2007…Veteran Philadelphia disc jockey (WIBG, WDAS, WSNI/WPGR, WOGL-FM) Hy Lit, who hosted the nationally syndicated "Hy Lit Show" seen on television in 30 markets, died of kidney failure at the age of 73.

Hy Lit

Lit dominated AM radio from the late 1950s through the 1960s as one of WIBG's "Good Guys," as his Hall of Fame show drew a 71 market share (unheard of before or since.) He released several successful LP "Hall of Fame" collections of music he played on the show, the last of these when he joined WPGR in 1981. Around 1978, Lit moved to California after a brief but successful stint with the Harlem Globetrotters before once more returning to the Philadelphia area. In 1977, when WIBG went off the air forever, he was the last DJ on the air.

Lit moved to WOGL-FM in 1989, hosting the highly rated "Top 20 Countdown" on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in addition to his weekday afternoon shift.

In the mid-1990s, it was revealed that Lit was suffering from the beginnings of Parkinson's disease. Just after the death of Hy's wife Maggie (Russo) Lit in 2000, WOGL and Infinity/CBS Broadcasting management significantly reduced Lit's radio hours, along with a significant decrease in salary. In 2002, a lawsuit was filed against the media conglomerate, CBS Broadcasting, which for a second and concurrent time decided to reduce Lit's radio time and salary and this time cancel his health insurance.

In December 2005, Lit, station WOGL, and CBS Broadcasting settled the three-year health and age-discrimination lawsuit, under the condition that Hy Lit would (reluctantly) retire from the station. Lit did his last Hy Lit Hall of Fame Show radio show on December 11, 2005. However, WOGL management would not permit Lit to reveal he would be leaving the airwaves and abandoning thousands of listeners left to wonder what happened to the legendary Hy Lit.

FCC Rolls Back Media Regulations

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday reversed longstanding limits on local ownership of TV stations as well as radio stations and newspapers, opening the door to a new wave of consolidation.

The vote was three to two, along party lines, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ajit Pai

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican who led the charge for the overhaul, said that “few of the FCC’s rules are staler” than the broadcast media ownership rules. “It’s about time” that the agency overhauled them to make sense in the digital-media age, he added.

In a statement, Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn predicted that new media consolidation could come “at the expense of localism, competition and viewpoint diversity.”

Television station owners have long complained that the federal rules, enacted over the years to ensure diversity of views, have become an impediment to their ability to compete, particularly at a time when online rivals are disrupting their markets.

The local TV business has been consolidating rapidly in recent years because of the pressures, leading to the emergence of super groups such as Sinclair Broadcast Group .

Some critics say the changes also could help conservative-leaning Sinclair in its pending merger with Tribune Media, which is currently under consideration by the FCC. Aides to Mr. Pai have said that most of the changes have no impact on the proposed merger. The changes that might didn’t go as far as broadcasters requested, they added.

Commissioner Clyburn

The changes will end or loosen several basic ownership limits in the FCC’s rules.

One revision eliminates the longstanding rule that generally prohibits a single individual or company from possessing a daily newspaper and a radio or TV station in the same market. A second change eliminates a similar rule regarding cross-ownership of radio and TV stations.

Other alterations make it somewhat easier for a company to own two TV stations in a single market. For instance, Mr. Pai’s plan eliminates a rule known as the “eight-voices test” that says a station owner can buy a second station in the same market only if there would be eight independently owned stations following the purchase.

Still another change would eliminate the prohibition on owning two of the top four stations in a market. But the FCC will review deals combining two top-four stations on a case-by-case basis.

The FCC also reversed course from its previously released draft and tweaked its ownership limits in embedded markets. While not granting a wholesale change in the way the agency counts stations in embedded markets, the Commission voted to take a presumptive waiver approach that would bring more certainty to the marketplace. Groups that had sought a revamp of the formula the Commission uses to count stations in embedded markets will need to wait until the next quadrennial ownership review.

Also eliminated from the FCC’s rulebook are the radio-television cross-ownership rule and several media ownership regulations targeting the television industry—including eliminating the attribution rule for TV joint sales agreements and eliminating the so-called eight voices test. The Commission also voted to launch a rulemaking for determining how an incubator program that would “encourage greater diversity” in broadcasting can be crafted.

Court Challenge Looms

InsideRadio reports the public interest group Free Press said the Commission’s decision will “weaken the standards” on a variety of media regulations including the rules which prevented a single company from owning radio stations, TV and a daily newspaper in the same market. It’s vowing to take its fight to federal court.

The National Association of Broadcasters has dismissed allegations that the FCC is playing favorites. NAB president Gordon Smith said the rule changes are “broader than any one company” pointing out the broadcast industry has asked the FCC to modernize its media ownership rules for decades.

L-A Radio: KABC News Anchor Accuses Senator Franken

Leeann Tweeden, a news anchor for KABC 790 AM in Los Angeles, is accusing Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., of inappropriate sexual behavior that included grabbing her breasts while she was asleep.

In a first-person column for KABC published Thursday, Tweeden recalled a 2006 incident in which she was on a USO tour in the Middle East with Franken, who was not a senator at the time, and others.

Leeann Tweeden

According to the Washington Examiner, she said the entertainment lineup prepared for the U.S. troops included a skit written by Franken that involved him kissing her.

She said he insisted on practicing the kiss before the performance and that when he did, he aggressively pressed his lips against hers and pushed his tongue into her mouth.

"I immediately pushed him away with both of my hands against his chest and told him if he ever did that to me again I wouldn’t be so nice about it the next time," Tweeden said. "I walked away. All I could think about was getting to a bathroom as fast as possible to rinse the taste of him out of my mouth."

She said that on the return trip home to the U.S., Franken also put his hands on her breasts while she was asleep.

"I couldn’t believe it," she wrote. "He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep. I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated."

Included in Tweeden's online story is a photograph that appears to show Franken smiling at the camera with his hands on Tweeden, who is wearing a helmet that has her name on it. She has her eyes closed and appears to be asleep.

Franken was elected to the Senate in 2008. Over the last few weeks and months, he has tweeted several times about the importance of fighting sexual harassment.

In a statement to reporters, Franken said he doesn't remember the forced kissing, but said he shouldn't have conducted his behavior as he did in the photo.

"I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann," Franken said. "As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn't. I shouldn't have done it."

Shareholders Okay Entercom-CBS Radio Merger

Entercom Communications Inc. shareholders on Wednesday approved a merger with troubled CBS Radio that will transform the Philly-Bala Cynwyd company into the nation’s No. 2 radio operator. The deal is expected to close on Friday.

David and Joseph Field

According to philly.com, only four people attended the meeting that was chaired by Joseph Field, 85, the company founder whose son, David, now heads Entercom.

Entercom has said it will cut about $100 million in costs as part of the merger. In interviews on Wednesday at the Hotel Sofitel, Field said that “we will not take one cent away from the quality of the listener experience or the value we provide to advertisers.”

Entercom will “reinvest tens of millions of dollars into brand and into our data analytics,” Field said. He said that iconic CBS Radio was not “broken” as a company but had been “under managed.” He said Entercom has the right to use CBS Radio branding for a year after the deal closes.

Field has said that the Entercom and CBS Radio merger will create a national platform for advertisers, particularly for its sports shows. He called radio “the most undervalued medium in the U.S.”

The Entercom-CBS Radio will own and operate 235 radio stations in 48 of the top 50 markets, reaching 100 million listeners.

The only larger radio operator is iHeartMedia. Field said they would continue to look to acquire radio stations.

Farewell CBS Radio

The CBS Radio legacy ends Friday

CBS Radio is one of the oldest units within CBS Corporation, and has been around since 1928.

William S. Paley

However, the actual CBS Radio Network (now CBS Radio News) was launched in 1927, when CBS itself was known as United Independent Broadcasters. Columbia Records later joined in and that company was renamed the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System. In September 1927, Columbia Records sold the company to William S. Paley and in 1928, Paley streamlined the corporate name to Columbia Broadcasting System.

The company that would become CBS Radio was founded in 1972 as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus, with the acquisition of KOME, an FM radio station that served the San Francisco Bay Area. It became a publicly traded company twice, in 1986, and again in 1992.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which acquired CBS, Inc. in 1995, acquired Infinity Broadcasting in July 1997. Westinghouse, which established modern broadcasting on November 2, 1920, with KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, would later change its name to CBS Corporation, and reorganize all of its radio properties (including its own Group W stations), as well as its outdoor advertising business, under the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation name. Westinghouse acquired American Radio Systems in September 1997. In 1999, CBS Corporation was merged into Viacom. On December 14, 2005, Viacom spun out its motion picture and cable television assets, with the remainder maintained as CBS Corporation In anticipation of this, Infinity Broadcasting was reorganized as CBS Radio.

In August 2006, CBS Radio announced the sale of its 15 radio stations in Cincinnati, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; and Rochester, New York to Entercom Communications. This group deal was granted FCC approval in mid-November 2007 after it faced regulatory review and numerous challenges for over a year, and officially closed on November 30. Several other stations, most in smaller markets, have also been sold to companies like Border Media Partners and Peak Media Corporation.

On April 30, 2008, CBS Radio and AOL entered a partnership. The AOL Radio player powered by CBS Radio features over 200 CBS Radio stations, along with over 200 AOL Radio stations, combining two of the largest online radio networks and giving millions of listeners unlimited and free access to a diverse array of music and programming including news, sports and talk.

In 2008, CBS started the process of paring down its station holdings, with a particular focus on ridding itself of stations in mid-sized markets, and markets where there are no television stations for synergistic advantages. On July 31, 2008, CBS Radio announced that it would sell 50 more radio stations in 12 mid-size markets., however some companies like RBC Capital Markets said CBS Radio is a "melting icecube" and that CBS Corporation would be better off selling the entire radio unit rather than "waiting a couple of years and selling the rest for less."

On December 15, 2008, CBS Radio and Clear Channel Communications reached an agreement to swap seven stations. In this deal, Clear Channel acquired WQSR in Baltimore, Maryland, KBKS in Seattle, Washington, KLTH and KXJM in Portland, Oregon, and KQJK in Sacramento, California; and CBS Radio would get KHMX and KLOL in Houston, Texas. The deal closed on April 1, 2009. On December 20, 2008, CBS Radio announced that it would sell the entire Denver cluster (this includes three radio stations) to Wilks Broadcasting for $19.5 Million, including KIMN, KWOF, and KXKL.

CBS Remote 1937

On August 10, 2009, CBS Radio announced that it would sell the entire Portland cluster (this includes four radio stations) to Alpha Broadcasting for $40 Million. The stations included in the sale are KCMD, KINK, KUFO, and KUPL.

On February 4, 2010, all CBS Radio stations, as well as AOL Radio and Yahoo! Music Radio have restricted all non U.S. listeners from streaming online content. CBS Radio redirects to sister property Last.fm.

2011 saw the biggest AC format removal of the company dropping AC for hot adult contemporary on Washington, D.C.'s WIAD in March, followed by New York City's WWFS on October 12. On August 1, WCFS-FM Chicago removed its AC format for all-news to simulcast WBBM (AM). By November 2011, WLTE in Minneapolis/St. Paul removed the AC format for Christmas music, only to transition to country music as KMNB on December 26.

On April 9, 2012, CBS Radio announced that it was selling its West Palm Beach cluster of stations to Palm Beach Broadcasting for $50 Million.

On December 1, 2014, CBS Radio traded 14 stations—its Charlotte, North Carolina and Tampa Bay clusters as well as WIP-AM (now WTEL (AM)) in Philadelphia—to Beasley Broadcast Group in exchange for WRDW-FM (now WTDY-FM) and WXTU in Philadelphia and WKIS, WPOW, and WQAM in Miami.

CBS aired 'War of the Worlds" in 1938

On March 15, 2016, CBS Corporation CEO Leslie Moonves stated that the company was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale or spin-out of CBS Radio. Cumulus Media had been named as one of the potential buyers.

In July 2016, CBS Radio filed for a planned IPO, which would have spun out the subsidiary as a separate, publicly-traded company. On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Entercom, currently the fourth-largest radio broadcaster in the United States; the sale will be conducted using a Reverse Morris Trust so that it will be tax-free. Following the purchase, Entercom will be the second-largest owner of radio stations in the United States in terms of revenue.  The transaction is expected to be completed on November 17, 2017. Entercom plans to divest 14 stations to comply with federal ownership limits.

The CBS News Radio and CBS Sports Radio networks would not be included in the sale.

D/FW Radio: Cowboys' Jones Scoffs At Detractors

The National Football League accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of trying to sabotage its contract negotiations with commissioner Roger Goodell, calling his conduct “detrimental to the league’s best interests.”

The Wall Street Journal reports the tension has grown so severe that the topic of removing Mr. Jones has been discussed by at least some owners, according to people familiar with the matter. That type of drastic action would require the league showing conduct detrimental to the league—which is exactly the language the league used in a letter sent to Jones’s attorney, David Boies, on Wednesday.

The letter, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, says Jones’s “antics, whatever their motivation, are damaging the League.”

That letter was shared with all of the league’s 32 owners. It was in response to a Tuesday letter from Boies, who wrote that “Mr. Jones is in possession of a document that shows that certain statements made about those negotiations are not accurate.”

In a radio interview Tuesday on CBS Radio's KRLD 105.3 FM The Fan, Jones described any chatter about his ouster “ridiculous.” A spokesman for the Cowboys didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.



The conflict marks a dramatic reversal for Mr. Jones, who in a matter of weeks has gone from being one of football’s most influential figures to one who is effectively ostracized from the league. It also raised the specter of a protracted civil war within the league, which has been largely unified since a series of legal battles with the late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis a generation ago.

Throughout the season, Mr. Jones has sharply criticized Mr. Goodell’s discipline of Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott over violations of the league’s personal conduct policy related to alleged domestic violence. Mr. Jones and the NFL Players Association have called the suspension unfair and criticized how the investigation was conducted.

Viacom Beats Revenue Estimates

Viacom Inc, owner of MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount, reported mixed quarterly results Thursday as higher-than-expected revenue in its film unit and improved domestic ad sales offset lower revenue from U.S. cable TV operators and online distributors.

Like other media companies, Viacom has struggled to boost ratings and advertising as viewers increasingly watch their favorite shows on electronic devices and phones, reports Reuters.

Revenue from Viacom’s film unit, which includes theater and licensing revenue, grew 2 percent to $789 million from a year earlier.

However, domestic affiliate revenue fell 3 percent to $948 million in the quarter. Analysts had expected a 1.8 percent drop, according to financial data and analytics firm FactSet.

Domestic ad sales were flat at $936 million, while analysts had expected a two percent increase. Still, U.S. domestic ad sales were Viacom’s strongest since 2014, according to a Jefferies report on Thursday.

Chief Executive Bob Bakish, who took the helm late last year, has made improving relations with cable and satellite companies a priority.

Last month, Viacom reached a deal with Charter Communications (CHTR.O) to put eight of its most popular networks in Charter’s cheapest U.S. cable bundle. Under the deal, which was announced Wednesday, Viacom will also create original content for Charter’s Spectrum customers and all its channels will remain available.

Net profit attributable to Viacom rose to $674 million, or $1.67 per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter ended Sept.30, from $254 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier.

The quarter included a $127 million gain from an asset sale. Total revenue rose 2.9 percent to $3.32 billion.

Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “In the fourth quarter and full year, we made strong progress against our plan to fundamentally stabilize and revitalize Viacom, with top line gains in both Media Networks and Filmed Entertainment segments driven by continued execution on our strategic priorities.

Bob Bakish

"We saw significant ratings increases across the portfolio, which drove sequential improvement in domestic advertising; our international business continues to expand, delivering double-digit revenue increases; and Paramount is demonstrating growth across multiple revenue streams as it rebuilds the theatrical slate and continues to grow its TV production business. Additionally, we have completed several multi-year renewals of major distribution contracts - including our recent agreement with Charter - which secure broad, long-term carriage of Viacom's networks for subscribers and expand our relationships with distributors through new, forward-looking advanced advertising and content production partnerships. We realized these achievements and established a stable base while reducing debt, improving free cash flow and strengthening our balance sheet.

“Viacom is stronger and our momentum continues to build. To accelerate our transition to long-term, sustainable growth, we are ramping up the evolution of Viacom's media business to better serve next generation platforms and solutions while continuing to diversify our business and strengthen our global portfolio of flagship brands. In the coming year, we will continue to focus on unleashing the full creativity and energy of Viacom to create greater value for our shareholders and audiences.”

L-A Radio: KSWD Goes Silent Today

As of 1pm (Local) today, KSWD 100.3 FM will end airing its Classic Rock format.

The Sound will be replaced by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), which plans to play syndicated contemporary Christian music.

The new station will be called K-Love, not to be mistaken for Univision's 107.5 K-Love FM, a separate station already broadcasting in Los Angeles, California. K-Love joins fellow contemporary Christian station KFSH 95.9 FM in the Los Angeles FM market.

The Sound is one of four radio stations in Los Angeles that focuses on classic rock, and has been on the air since 2008. The station has also given back to the community on multiple occasions by raising money for music in schools, for the families of firefighters lost to brush fires, and for the families of those who were killed by renegade police officer Christopher Dorner.

Dave Beasing

“We won a Crystal Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, it is a coveted award that they give out to about 10 stations a year for their community service,” PD Dave Beasing told The Corsair. “We really did take community service seriously.”

For some of The Sound's DJs, this station has been their favorite gig yet. 'Uncle Joe' Benson has been a DJ on The Sound for five years, having been on the air continuously since October 1968 and in Los Angeles since October 1980. “The Sound has given us the most latitude and my specialty is music, knowing the stories behind it," Benson said. "The Sound has been very great, having a vast library to deal with and playing something that makes sense.”

“We care about the music as much as they [the listeners] do,” said Gina Grad, another DJ and co-host of morning show "Andy and Gina." “That is what this station is all about, that’s the main character of the show… This community we’ve created and we’ve fostered all these years is 100 percent because of the love of this particular music.”

The Sound makes a clear effort to prioritize its listeners. “We care, we do. We care about music and we care about them [the listeners],” said Beasing. “It’s been really cool that by having this music in common, we’ve been able to be part of a community and bring people together… As this has been announced that we are leaving, the outpouring of love has really been touching. We will miss all of these people.”

Syracuse Radio: 'Big Mike' Fiss Retiring From WZUN

Longtime Syracuse radio personality "Big Mike" Fiss is retiring after 40 years on the airwaves.

According to syracuse.com, Galaxy Communications announced his retirement Wednesday morning; he'll host his final on-air show next Wednesday, Nov. 22 on WZUN 102.1 FM Sunny. Big Mike has been the host of the morning show on the Galaxy-owned radio station for the past 16 years.

"A while ago I decided this would be my last year doing morning radio. Wow, it's been 40 years!" Fiss said in a statement.

Mike Fiss

"Amazing to think I've actually made a good living announcing the time, temperature and having fun! I have many great memories, so the decision to retire comes with mixed emotions. No doubt I will miss the on-air laughs with co-workers, guests and especially listeners. I am grateful to all. With no long goodbye, my last morning show comes up in a week on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I sure have a lot to be thankful for. I love the people of Central New York and my plan is to do more as a community volunteer, and also sleep in a little later!"

Fiss also thanked Galaxy, his many listeners, and his wife Willie "for putting up with me for all these years."

"She now has the burden of being my entire audience, as every morning over coffee I will tell her the time, temperature and try to be funny," he joked.

Galaxy CEO Ed Levine thanked Fiss for his time and generosity -- "Big Mike has been a one man goodwill machine" -- and said he hopes he'll remain a part of the company's family.

His first job in radio was in Bangor, Maine making $22 a week at WABI. Years later, as a morning show jock on Y94FM (WYYY), 'Big Mike' Fiss would be recognized three times as Billboard Magazine's Personality of the Year.

According to cnyradio.com, Fiss grew up in The Bronx, spending the first 21 years of his life in a New York City housing project. While earning his Bachelor's degree at City College of New York, he picked up spare change as a cabbie, bank teller, Chinese food deliveryman, toy demonstrator at Macy's, musician, and worked some at Yankee Stadium.

After his first foray into radio in Maine, he worked as an investigator with the NYS Department of Labor during the 1970s while honing his radio chops part-time in Plattsburgh (WIRY), Albany (WOKO) and Hudson (WHUC). Big Mike in the Morning debuted in Fort Pierce, Florida at WOVV in 1977. Two years later he brought the show to 94 Rock (WSYR-FM) in 1979 where he worked through the station's format change from AOR to A/C and the birth of Y94FM (WYYY) in 1983.

After being let go from the station in 1990, Fiss went to Columbus, Ohio (WSNY) for three years and returned to Y94FM in 1993. In September 2001 he moved to his current morning gig at Sunny 102 (WZUN).

Murdoch Says His Newspapers Are Struggling

Rupert Murdoch say News Corp is not looking to expand its newspaper empire, conceding digital advertising “has been tremendously damaging to print” and some of his papers were struggling.

According to The Guardian, Murdoch, speaking at News Corp’s annual general meeting in Los Angeles on Wednesday, praised chief executive Robert Thomson for challenging digital giants Google and Facebook for allowing free access to the company’s content.

Rupert Murdoch

“So far I think we have done pretty well in replacing lost advertising revenue in the major papers, but it continues to be a big problem,” Murdoch told shareholders.

The meeting took less than 30 minutes, a far cry from past AGMs. Murdoch faced just three questions.

In response to a question about the company potentially purchasing more newspapers, the 86-year-old News Corp executive chairman said: “Not really. No. Our hands are pretty full making our existing papers viable.

“I think the big three successes we have are the three big national papers: the Wall Street Journal, the Times in London and the Australian.

“The other papers, a lot of them are still very viable, but they are struggling.”

News Corp publishes Australian newspapers including the Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun and Courier Mail; as well as the New York Post and, in the UK, the Sun.

Murdoch, his sons Lachlan and James, and other News Corp directors seeking re-election received “a majority” of electoral votes from shareholders according to the preliminary report, Murdoch said.

The final results will be released in a US securities and exchange commission filing.

Martha MacCallum: Fox Hosts Aren’t "Blonde Barbies"

Fox News host Martha MacCallum defended female hosts on the network Wednesday, saying they are "serious women with outstanding resumes" and aren't "blonde Barbies."

In a piece for Time magazine's opinion section, "Motto," MacCallum took exception to the Los Angeles Times's David Horsey not directly apologizing to her or other current Fox anchors after he characterized network employees as "blond Barbie dolls in short, tight skirts" in a Nov. 1 column.

According to The Hill,  the columnist initially made the remark while taking a shot at White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, arguing she isn't the type of woman President Trump wouldn't normally call upon to "represent his interests."

MacCallum noted in the op-ed Wednesday that the columnist had expressed remorse about the "Barbie" comments when pressed by former network host Megyn Kelly on her NBC morning program last week, but only did so in general terms.

“The women of Fox News — commodified as ‘Blonde Barbie Dolls’ — also deserve a public apology,” MacCallum wrote.

“Our success is not about hair color or skirts. It’s about elbow grease, dedication and sacrificing time with our families and friends. We are fine with that, it goes with the territory,” she said.

Horsey initially commented on Fox News anchors when writing about Trump's top spokeswoman.

"Much like [former Fox News Chairman and CEO] Roger Ailes when he was stocking the Fox News lineup with blond Barbie dolls in short, tight skirts, the president has generally exhibited a preference for sleek beauties with long legs and stiletto heels to represent his interests and act as his arm candy," wrote Horsey, who also described Sanders as looking "more like a slightly chunky soccer mom."

After considerable blowback, Horsey apologized for the remark about Sanders.

MacCallum, a former CNBC host and Wall Street Journal television reporter, pivoted in her op-ed to also discussing sexual harassment issues at Fox News that dominated headlines after numerous allegations led to the dismissal of Ailes, Bill O'Reilly and Eric Bolling within the span of 13 months.

"The Fox News that I know and work in is a team of producers, technicians, photographers, truck operators and production managers who barely have time to eat lunch, much less engage in bad behavior," she wrote.

MacCallum was awarded her own 7 p.m. ET program, "The Story," in May.