Radio History: Dec 13

➦In 1897...Andrew Russell Pearson born (Died at age 71  – September 1, 1969). He was one of the best-known American columnists of his day, noted for his syndicated newspaper column "Washington Merry-Go-Round," in which he criticized various public persons.

From 1935 to 1936, Pearson and Robert S. Allen broadcast a 15-minute program twice a week on the Mutual Broadcasting System. They continued with a 30-minute music and news show, Listen America, in 1939–40, ending this partnership in 1941.

Drew Pearson

Pearson continued alone on NBC with Drew Pearson Comments from 1941 to 1953. His commentary was broadcast through 1968 on the now-defunct Intermountain Network.

In addition to radio, Pearson appeared in a number of Hollywood movies. In 1952 and 1953, Pearson hosted The Drew Pearson Show on the ABC and DuMont TV networks.

The "Merry-Go-Round" column started as a result of the Pearson's anonymous publication in 1931 of the book, Washington Merry-Go-Round, co-written with Allen, the Washington bureau chief for The Christian Science Monitor. The book was a collection of muckraking news items concerning key figures in public life that challenged the journalistic code of the day.

According to his one-time partner, Jack Anderson, Pearson saw journalism as a weapon to be used against those he judged to be working against the public interest.When forced to choose between a story's accuracy and Pearson's desire to pursue a person whose views he disliked, Pearson had no qualms about publishing the story anyway. He faced 50 libel suits during his 40 year career, but lost only one.

➦In 1924...KOA-AM, Denver, Colorado, signed-on. KOA was originally owned by General Electric. The station started with 5,000 watts, and in 1927, increased to 12,500 watts. In the early 1930s, power was raised to the current level of 50,000 watts. KOA is the dominant clear-channel station on 850 AM.

At night the signal can be heard in over 30 states of the U.S. and over most of Canada and Mexico. KOA sometimes can be picked up in California, and is usually picked up in Central Washington state, both locations are west of the Rocky Mountains, an obstacle that prevents most east coast radio stations from traveling west of the Rockies. KOA is frequently heard in northern Europe, Australia and Japan, and is one of the most frequently reported stations worldwide.

John Stroebel

➦In 1926...WWVA Wheeling signed-on.  WWVA began broadcasting at 2 a.m. when John Stroebel threw the switch that sent power to a home-built 50-watt transmitter in the basement of his home. One week earlier, the Federal Radio Commission had granted a broadcast license on 860 kHz to the radio station WWVA. In its first year of operation, it broadcast to listeners with home-made crystal sets, principally from Stroebel's own home.

Through the years, WWVA has been granted several power increases. In May 1941, the FCC moved WWVA to 1170, and in August of that same year, granted it the highest power for AM stations: 50,000 watts. With the increase, WWVA became the most powerful AM station in the entire state of West Virginia.

WWVA has changed hands many times over the years. Past owners include Fidelity Investments, West Virginia Broadcasting Corporation, Storer Broadcasting, Basic Communications, Screen Gems Radio - a division of Columbia Pictures, Coca-Cola, Price Broadcasting, Osborn Communications, Atlantic Star Communications, AMFM Inc., and Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia.

➦In 1926...KXL 400 meters (749.6 K.C.) signed on the air with 250 watts.  KXL’s inaugural broadcast hit the airwaves on December 13, 1926 from the top floor of the Mallory Hotel, beginning with a concert from the Mallory Orchestra. The second hour began with dance music presented by the Lyle Lewis Orchestra.

iHeartRadio Launches Revised 'Radio' App

iHeartMedia today announced the debut of its next-generation iHeartRadio app, redesigned with industry-first mobile features and access to exclusive content. 

The new app interface — iHeartRadio’s most significant product update since its initial launch in 2011 — embraces the ease and simplicity that listeners want and have come to expect with broadcast radio in the car -- bridging the gap between the traditional car radio experience and mobile streaming. Drawing from extensive user research and feedback, the redesigned iHeartRadio app reflects iHeartMedia’s commitment to delivering a seamless and simplified radio listening experience tailored to the express needs of a modern audience using all the technology tools available today.

“Our listeners have made it clear that they want a streaming audio platform that’s intuitive and familiar, reflecting the simplicity of the car radio while embracing the full capabilities of streaming technology,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. “The redesigned iHeartRadio app does just that, bringing together the best features of the car radio and the mobile app. We are excited to offer this new and improved iHeartRadio app just in time for Christmas – it’s our special gift to our listeners.”

The updated iHeartRadio app design combines all the features of the car radio that listeners know and love with innovative digital technology enhancements, including:Presets: In an audio-industry first and drawing inspiration directly from the car dashboard, custom presets allow listeners to save up to 15 of their favorite radio stations, playlists, podcasts and artist radio stations — the ones they love listening to the most and come back to most often. The presets will be available throughout the app.

• Scan Button: In another audio-industry first, listeners can discover new stations with scan, and seamlessly sample nationwide radio stations, or filter by city or genre. It’s a brand-new way for app users to navigate iHeartRadio’s unparalleled broadcast radio dial, ensuring their new favorite stations are never out of reach – and they can discover new ones that they’ll love.
• Live Radio Dial: This new app feature enables listeners to easily explore the best live stations across the country. This experience mimics the same car radio experience that listeners know and love, but has the added benefit of being organized by genre and location for ease of discovery.
• What’s Trending Rankers: Users will have access to an innovative discovery feature that allows them to see what’s trending at that moment among other listeners across Top Podcasts, Top Playlists and Top Artist Radio stations, as well as features that are trending on iHeartRadio.
• Lyrics: The most requested new listener feature, iHeart is now the only digital radio app to offer lyrics for the song users are listening to on live radio. Users will also be able to follow lyrics karaoke style for tracks on artist radio and playlists.

In addition to these new features, exclusive editorial content produced by iHeartMedia stations across the country is now accessible from inside the iHeartRadio app. It’s the ultimate artist fan hub with the latest news about the biggest artists, all of iHeartRadio’s exclusive in-studio interviews and the one-tap, enter-to-win contests that iHeart is so famous for that fans can now easily explore inside the app while listening to their favorite music and podcasts.

“The new iHeartRadio app further underscores iHeartMedia’s mission to use the power of audio to build companionship and connection,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeart Digital Audio Group. “This experience blends the familiarity of the car radio with digital innovation to enable users to easily find the stations, artists and podcasts they know and love, fostering the fun, spontaneous discovery and connection that comes with live car radio – all through their phones, anywhere they go.”

Initial rollout of the new iHeartRadio app begins today and will be available to all listeners on Android and iOS by December 17. Download the iHeartRadio app today from the App Store or Google Play to explore the next era of digital listening.

WBD Restructures, Spins Off CNN Network

 
Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s corporate parent, announced Thursday, it is establishing a new corporate structure that splits its cable networks off from its growing streaming business.

The restructuring is not a spinoff of cable assets, as Comcast recently announced, but it may ultimately have the same effect.

Warner said Thursday it will merge the unit that currently houses its Max and Discovery+ streaming services as well as HBO with another division that includes its Warner Bros. movie and TV production operations. 

That streaming and studios unit would sit alongside the legacy cable unit, which includes networks such as TNT, CNN, TBS, Food Network and HGTV. 

The company said the changes will take effect by mid-2025. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rose 7% in premarket trading after the restructuring was announced.

The new structure will give Warner Bros. Discovery more “flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities across an evolving media landscape,” CEO David Zaslav said in a press release.

Wall Street analysts have been anticipating merger and acquisition activity across the cable television industry contracts in the streaming era, particularly as President-elect Donald Trump takes office with a deregulation agenda.

CNN Loses Out To the Food Network

CNN is continuing its downward slump in the ratings, as it was overtaken by the Food Network and History Channel last week.

The Daily Mail US reports the cable news network struggled to gain momentum despite a busy news cycle that comprised the point-blank assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the ensuing manhunt for his killer, news related to President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks and a rebel group gaining ground in Syria.

Its primetime shows, Anderson Cooper 360, The Source with Kaitlan Collins and CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip only averaged 367,000 viewers for the week, Fox News reports.

By comparison, Fox News Channel averaged 2.5million total primetime viewers. 

CNN's audience was also smaller than TNT, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark Mysteries, TLC, TBS, History, HGTV, USA, MSNBC, the Hallmark Channel and ESPN.

The network fared even worse among the 25 to 54-year-old demographic, which advertisers weigh heavily. It received a measly 67,000 viewers in the category, finishing behind networks like TV Land, MTV and Comedy Central.

The statistics spell trouble for the legacy network, which has been on a downward spiral since its presidential election coverage.

It then suffered its lowest-rated week among total viewers since June 2001 during the week of November 25, with only an average of 268,000 viewers. The dismal numbers set off infighting among the network's stars as they try to figure out who is to blame for CNN's failure.

Former producer Carper Dulmage, who now works for KABC in Los Angeles, even quipped 'CNN is no longer significant,' as critics on both sides of the political spectrum claim that the channel caters to the other.

Meanwhile, Puck reports Fox News continues to thrive in the post-election season. The latest data point: The Five, the network’s most popular show, has averaged more than 4 million viewers every single day since November 6. That is nearly 4x the current average audience for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and 10x the current average audience for CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

CNN Poll: Majority of Americans Approve Trump's Transition Moves

Most Americans expect President-elect Donald Trump to do a good job upon his return to the White House next month (54%) and a majority approves of how he’s handling the presidential transition so far (55%), according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

Trump won the presidency last month amid broad disapproval of President Joe Biden’s handling of the job and deeply negative feelings about the state of the country and the economy. Almost 7 in 10 Americans in the new poll think Trump will be able to bring change to the country (68%), though only about half of Americans (48%) say they think it will be change for the better.

The findings suggest the president-elect has earned a honeymoon period with the public as he prepares to return to the White House after being voted out four years ago amid broadly negative approval ratings of his own. But the poll finds positive sentiment toward Trump often trails the level that greeted other recent incoming presidents, even when he outperforms his own previous transition numbers.

The country’s mood appears to have lifted somewhat following Trump’s win, at least in part due to the type of shifting partisan sentiments often seen in the wake of elections where the presidency changes partisan hands. Most overall still say that things in the country are going badly (61%), but the share who say things are going “very badly” stands at just 15%, the lowest in CNN polling since May 2018. The 38% who say things in the country are going well is the highest since December 2021.

That change has not come uniformly across party lines. Republicans have grown more positive about the state of the country post-election: 30% say things are going well now, up from 14% at the start of 2024 and higher than at any point during Biden’s time in office. Independents are also more bullish on the country’s direction: 43% say things are going well, 56% badly. That’s the largest share of independents to say things are going well since January 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Among Democrats, though, positive feelings are on the decline following their party’s loss of both the White House and control of the Senate in the November election, with just 40% saying things are going well now. That’s down from 62% at the start of 2024 and the worst since the summer of 2022, following a Supreme Court ruling which overturned Roe v. Wade and upended federal protections for abortion.

Cable Cord Cutting Forcing ESPN To Pivot

Jimmy Pitaro

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and his team are gearing up for a significant shift with the launch of their direct-to-consumer platform next fall. This new ESPN Flagship platform will allow consumers to access network programming without needing a traditional cable subscription.

Pitaro emphasizes the importance of surrounding himself with talented individuals and encourages his team to challenge him, fostering a culture of discussion, debate, decision, and alignment. This approach has been instrumental as they prepare for the disruptive move to direct-to-consumer services, which aims to adapt to the declining traditional TV ecosystem.

Pitaro acknowledges that while ESPN has done much to protect the traditional ecosystem, the ongoing decline in pay TV subscriptions necessitates a shift. The new platform will provide a more personalized and interactive sports experience, leveraging direct access to consumer data.

Over the past decade, the pay TV penetration rate has significantly declined as more households opt for OTT streaming services. According to Nielsen Media Research, ESPN is now distributed in under 68 million homes, down from its peak of 100 million homes a decade ago.

Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, explained that while continuing to invest in the traditional ecosystem might seem safe, it would be short-sighted. ESPN is not deprioritizing traditional distribution but is making its networks available à la carte to adapt to changing paradigms.

Pitaro highlighted that there are currently 50 to 60 million households not subscribing to the traditional ecosystem, presenting a significant opportunity for direct-to-consumer services. By eliminating the middle person, ESPN can access valuable data on what sports fans are consuming, allowing them to offer a more personalized and interactive digital sports experience.

Despite the decline in linear TV distribution, ESPN's ratings for studio programming, live game broadcasts, and digital ventures continue to grow. Pitaro noted a shift in thinking, with record numbers of households watching diverse programming within ESPN's portfolio.

TV Ratings: Georgia Most-Watched College Football Team

During the regular season, Georgia was the most-watched team in college football, averaging 8.6 million viewers per game when playing on Nielsen-rated networks. The Bulldogs’ Oct. 19 win at Texas was the most-watched game of the regular season, drawing 13.2 million viewers on ABC.

Front Office Sports reports the SEC had eight of the 10 most-watched teams this season, with the Big Ten’s Ohio State and Michigan the only non-SEC schools to crack the list revealed by Nielsen on Wednesday.

Georgia’s 22–19 overtime victory against Texas in the SEC championship game drew higher TV ratings than any other conference title matchup last weekend.

As conference championship games took on new meanings ahead of the first 12-team College Football Playoff, 16.6 million people watched Georgia-Texas on ABC on Saturday afternoon, according to Nielsen ratings. 

That’s down 5% from Alabama-Georgia on CBS last year when the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs were fighting for one of four CFP spots. This year, both Georgia and Texas were virtually guaranteed to make the CFP, even with a loss.

The Big Ten championship, which also featured two eventual Playoff teams, saw a viewership bump from 2023, as 10.5 million viewers tuned in to see Oregon’s 45–37 win over Penn State, making it the second-most-watched title game this season.

In the Nielsen report, team rankings were limited to schools that appeared in at least four televised games across networks. Because not all conference-specific networks are currently measured, all were excluded to keep comparisons equal.

Boston Radio: FCC Levies $200K In Fines Against Pirate Radio Operators

Pirate radio operators in the Boston area must pay a combined $200,000 in fines for illegally operating FM radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission made the announcement Wednesday.

"Pirate radio poses public safety risk, including causing harmful interference to licensed radio stations, which transmit public safety emergency alert messages," FCC officials said Wednesday while announcing the fines.

The FCC issued a $120,000 forfeiture against Renold David for operating an unauthorized radio station on 101.9 MHz that he called "Lotnivo FM" that was based in Brockton, Mass.

The FCC also fined Djovany Pierre and Mario Turner $40,000 for running an unauthorized radio station that the pair called "Radio Tele Brockton 96.5" and "Brockton Heat" at 96.5 MHz in Brockton.

Joao Vieira likewise was fined $40,000 for operating an unauthorized FM radio station out of Brockton that he called "Brockton FM" and was located at 102.1 MHz.

The financial penalties are due to violations of the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act of 2020, which commonly is referred to as the PIRATE Act.

The FCC defines pirate radio broadcasting as the unauthorized transmission of radio frequency signals on frequencies found on or near AM and FM radio bands.

KC Radio: Sports WHB 810 Adds New FM Signal

Kansas City-area owned Union Broadcasting announced Wednesday that it will simulcast Sports Radio 810 WHB AM programming on 103.7 FM starting at 6 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12.

Union Broadcasting President and General Manager Chad Boeger said the move to include distribution on the FM dial was a "strategic extension" of 810's brand across Kansas City and the Midwest.

"This move provides yet another way for our dedicated listeners to connect with the biggest games, breaking news and the hosts and teams they love, from national headlines to local favorites, all from Kansas City’s sports media destination," Boeger said.

103.7FM is owned by Cumulus Media.

"We are excited to partner with Sports Radio 810 WHB to bring this powerful simulcast to 103.7 FM," Donna Baker, regional vice president for Cumulus Media in Kansas City, said Wednesday.

41 KSHB reports WHB radio’s weekday programming lineup will continue to showcase New Day with Steven St. John from 6 to 10 a.m., The Zone with Jason Anderson from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and The Program with Soren Petro from 2 to 6 p.m.

"Sports Radio 810 WHB is more than just a radio station, it’s a community," Boeger said. "We are owned by Kansas Citians, for Kansas Citians, and we remain dedicated to delivering the very best in sports coverage to our listenings and viewers as we are truly powered by fans."

Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms Donate To Trump Inaugural Fund

Meta Platforms has donated $1 million to president-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, the latest step by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to bolster his once-fraught relationship with the incoming president.

The Wall Street Journal reports the donation, confirmed by the company, is a departure from past practice by Zuckerberg and his company, and comes after an election campaign in which Trump threatened to punish the tech tycoon if he tried to influence the election against him. 

The contribution and efforts to court the incoming administration are emblematic of the balancing act for technology CEOs whose companies have often been the target of ire from Trump and other Republicans and whose workforces tend to lean strongly to the left.

Now, with Republicans set to take control of the White House and both houses of Congress and calling for new regulation of tech, some executives are adopting a new posture toward Trump.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, long a foe of the president-elect, congratulated Trump on X after the election for “an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” and said this month that he’s “actually very optimistic this time around.” Speaking at a New York Times conference, he said: “What I’ve seen so far is that he is calmer than he was the first time and more confident, more settled.”

CNBC Plans Streaming Service Debut In 2025

It looks like another linear cable channel is adding a streaming-friendly plus to its name. Variety reports that CNBC will launch CNBC+ in the first quarter of the new year, bringing the NBCUniversal-owned business network to a streaming menu near you.

According to Brian Steinberg, CNBC+ will launch without any original programming, instead offering a “global feed” that will make its existing shows—including Squawk on the Street and Closing Bell—available to viewers both in and outside of the U.S. Reached by TVNewser, CNBC declined further comment.

The launch of CNBC+ follows NBCUniversal’s blockbuster announcement that both CNBC and MSNBC would be cleaved from NBCUniversal News Group by the end of next year. 

Both networks are joining SpinCo, the working title for the spin-off company led by NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Mark Lazarus and NBCUniversal CFO and Comcast EVP of corporate strategy Anand Kini that will house other soon-to-be ex-NBCU cable outlets, including Syfy and the USA Network.

CRS 2025 New Faces Line-Up Unveiled

The Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has unveiled the lineup for the New Faces of Country Music® Show at CRS 2025. This year's showcase will feature performances by Drew Baldridge (Lyric Ridge/BMG/Stoney Creek), Ashley Cooke (Big Loud/Back Blocks), Dasha (Warner Records), Zach Top (Leo33), and Warren Zeiders (Warner Records).

For over five decades, the New Faces of Country Music® Show has been a standout event at the Country Radio Seminar. It serves as a platform to showcase five emerging artists who have achieved notable success on Country Radio during the qualification period, which spans from November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024, for the 2025 edition.

Co-partnered by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the New Faces of Country Music Show will take place during CRS 2025, to be held from February 19 to February 21, 2025. The New Faces of Country Music® Show has played a pivotal role in the careers of nearly every major country star since its inception in 1970. It continues to be a must-attend event for industry insiders.

Miami Radio: WFLA' Ryan Gorman Adds Wake-Up Duty At WIOD

iHeartMedia Miami’s NewsRadio 610 AM-WIOD have announced Ryan Gorman and Dana McKay have been named Morning Show Hosts, effective immediately. 

Gorman and McKay will helm “The Ryan Gorman Show” from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by The Manny Munoz Show, which will expand to air from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

iHeartMedia Miami has a strong cross-platform presence and includes several iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing more than seven stations comprised of music, talk, and news formats. “The Ryan Gorman Show” will cover the biggest news stories of the day, politics and current events with a focus on South Florida news, traffic and weather. Gorman and McKay are joined by veteran news anchor Nathalie Rodriguez, Ron Hersey with traffic and the Weather Channel’s Ray Stagich.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan Gorman and Dana McKay as new co-hosts of our morning show,” said Shari Gonzalez, iHeartMedia Miami/Fort Lauderdale Market President. “Ryan, Dana and Manny’s dynamic presence and understanding of our South Florida community make them the perfect fit to WIOD’s morning lineup.”

Ford Frick Award Goes to Guardian's Tom Hamilton

Tom Hamilton heard the words "Hall of Famer” and immediately burst into tears.

“Well, whoever had under 15 seconds before he cries, you won,” Hamilton said, laughing to stop his eyes from welling.

It had been nearly an hour since he got the news, yet it still hadn’t hit him. But it was true, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that Hamilton, the longtime voice of Cleveland baseball, is the 2025 Ford C. Frick Award winner. 

The 10 finalists included: Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims, John Sterling and Hamilton.

Hamilton will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 25-28, 2025. Hamilton becomes the 49th winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 16-member Frick Award Committee.

San Antonio Radio: WOAI, KTSA Financial Adviser Facing Federal Charges

Brooklyn Willy

Embattled San Antonio investment adviser and financial radio show host Brooklynn Chandler Willy remained behind bars Wednesday after being arrested by IRS agents at her Stone Oak office.

The Express-News reports the arrest Tuesday came six days after a federal grand jury indicted her on three charges including obstruction of justice and aggravated identity theft. It’s the latest in a string of legal and regulatory trouble she’s faced in recent years.

Willy, restrained in shackles, made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth “Betsy” Chestney set a detention hearing for Friday to determine whether Willy, 45, can be released on bond.  Chestney said prosecutors asked that she remain in custody because she poses a “substantial risk for obstructing justice.”

According to the indictment, which was unsealed late Tuesday afternoon, the FBI and IRS began a criminal investigation in November 2023 into an investor fraud scheme involving Willy. A federal grand jury has issued subpoenas as part of the investigation, which is ongoing. The investigation started less than 10 days after the San Antonio Express-News reported on multiple lawsuits against her.

Willy, owner of Queen B Advisors LLC, which does business as Texas Financial Advisory, is charged with impeding the federal grand jury proceeding by providing a false revolving line of credit agreement in response to a subpoena.

If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison on the obstruction charge. Making a false statement carries a prison sentence of up to five years, while identity theft is a minimum of two years in prison — to run consecutively with any other sentence. Each charge also carries a maximum penalty of $250,000.

Willy appears on the radio Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings on WOAI-AM and Sunday afternoons on KTSA-AM/FM offering financial advice to listeners.

Tensions Mount Over Upcomng CNN Defamation Trial

The next big trial in media and entertainment will be Zachary Young’s libel case against CNN. 

Puck News reports Young, a military vet, helped evacuate Afghans fleeing the Taliban, only to find himself featured in a CNN segment about “black markets” in Afghanistan that were allegedly exploiting locals after Biden’s troop withdrawal. In Florida, Circuit Judge William Henry has ruled that CNN lacked evidence that Young did anything illegal, greenlighting a trial to begin on January 6 and allowing Young to pursue punitive damages.

As trial day approaches, tensions have escalated. Young’s legal team, led by Velvel Freedman, deposed CNN anchor Jake Tapper on his salary and his views of Trump. Freedman also raised the $787 million penalty Fox News paid Dominion to settle the voting machine vendor’s defamation case. Seemingly intent on drawing parallels between the Dominion case and Young’s, Freedman asked Tapper whether such a punishment would be enough to deter CNN from further defamatory conduct. 

At a court hearing last week, CNN’s attorney Charles Tobin blasted the deposition as a “total freak show,” adding, “This was very clearly an ambush deposition … designed to get Mr. Tapper to say something in a nice tight colloquy that they could play to a jury.” 

CNN has now moved to exclude mentions of Trump, Fox News, or the Dominion settlement at trial, arguing these subjects could inflame sensitivities among jurors in Florida’s deep-red Bay County. 

R.I.P.: George Kresge, Famed Mentalist 'The Amazing Kreskin'

George J. Kresge, who as the entertainer the Amazing Kreskin used mentalist tricks to dazzle audiences as he rose to fame on late-night television in the 1970s, died on Tuesday in Wayne, N.J. He was 89, according to The NY Times.

A close friend, Meir Yedid, said the death, at an assisted living facility, was from complications of dementia.

George Joseph Kresge Jr. was born in Montclair, N.J., on Jan. 12, 1935, and became known professionally as either the Amazing Kreskin or just Kreskin. As a child he was drawn to both magic and psychology, he said, and by the time he was a teenager he was performing mentalist tricks for audiences.

His star rose in the 1970s and early 1980s when he was a regular guest on the talk show circuit. He made dozens of appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” — 88 according to some sources — and was also seen on “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Late Night with David Letterman,” among other shows. (In the 21st century, he appeared on “The Tonight Show” when Jimmy Fallon was the host.)

With other famous guests, he played psychological tricks that looked like magic: asking people to put their fingers on objects that would seem to move, for example, or guessing what card had been pulled from a deck.

Radio History: Dec 12

➦In 1896...Guglielmo Marconi gave the first public demonstration of radio at Toynbee Hall, London.

➦In 1901...Marconi sends first Atlantic wireless transmission

Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less.

The message--simply the Morse-code signal for the letter "s"--traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Signal Hill in Newfoundland, Canada.

Born in Bologna, Italy, in 1874 to an Italian father and an Irish mother, Marconi studied physics and became interested in the transmission of radio waves after learning of the experiments of the German physicist Heinrich Hertz. He began his own experiments in Bologna beginning in 1894 and soon succeeded in sending a radio signal over a distance of 1.5 miles. Receiving little encouragement for his experiments in Italy, he went to England in 1896.

He formed a wireless telegraph company and soon was sending transmissions from distances farther than 10 miles. In 1899, he succeeded in sending a transmission across the English Channel. That year, he also equipped two U.S. ships to report to New York newspapers on the progress of the America's Cup yacht race. That successful endeavor aroused widespread interest in Marconi and his wireless company.

Marconi's greatest achievement came on December 12, 1901, when he received a message sent from England at St. John's, Newfoundland. The transatlantic transmission won him worldwide fame.

Ironically, detractors of the project were correct when they declared that radio waves would not follow the curvature of the earth, as Marconi believed. In fact, Marconi's transatlantic radio signal had been headed into space when it was reflected off the ionosphere and bounced back down toward Canada.

Much remained to be learned about the laws of the radio wave and the role of the atmosphere in radio transmissions, and Marconi would continue to play a leading role in radio discoveries and innovations during the next three decades.

In 1909, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in physics with the German radio innovator Ferdinand Braun. After successfully sending radio transmissions from points as far away as England and Australia, Marconi turned his energy to experimenting with shorter, more powerful radio waves.

He died in 1937, and on the day of his funeral all British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stations were silent for two minutes in tribute to his contributions to the development of radio.

➦In 1913...Longtime CBS correspondent Winston Burdett was born in Buffalo NY.  He was one of the original “Murrow’s boys” who covered Eastern Europe, North Africa and Italy during WWII and afterwards, for 22 years based in Rome. He died May 19, 1993 at age 79.

➦In 1915... Frank (Francis Albert) Sinatra was born in Hoboken, N.J.  As well as an illustrious recording & broadcast career, he won an Oscar in 1953 for his supporting role in “From Here to Eternity.” He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1965. Sinatra died May 14 1998 suffering from a combination of heart & kidney disease, and bladder cancer.  He was aged 82.

➦In 1937...the Federal Communications Commission was upset with NBC radio over a Sunday skit on the Charlie McCarthy Show that starred Mae West.

The satirical routine was based on the biblical tale of Adam and Eve and, well, it got a bit out of hand by the standards of the day. So, following the wrist-slap by the FCC, NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15 years. Even the mere mention of her name on NBC was a no-no.

➦In 1957...KEX, Portland, Oregon Disc Jockey Al Priddy, was fired for playing Elvis Presley's rendition of "White Christmas." He violated the radio station's ban against the song. The station had banned Presley’s interpretations of Christmas carols.

➦In 1968...Actress Tallulah Bankhead died of pneumonia at 65.  She was hostess of NBC Radio’s 90-minute Big Show 1950-52, and the following year, was one of the rotating hosts on NBC-TV’s All-Star Revue.  Her last screen appearances were as the Black Widow on TV’s Batman in 1967.

➦In 1971...The man who headed Radio Corporation of America and put National Broadcasting Company together, David Sarnoff died at age 80.

Throughout most of his career he led the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his retirement in 1970.

TV Ratings: FOX News Channel Dominates Cable News

During the week of December 2-8, FOX News Channel (FNC) commanded 71% of the primetime cable news share, while MSNBC and CNN continued to shed viewers following the election. 

FNC continued to lead all of cable with primetime and total day viewers during the final regular season week of college football. In primetime (8-11 PM/ET), FNC earned 2.5 million viewers and 280,000 in the 25-54 demo, commanding all of cable news across the board. 

In total day (6AM-6AM/ET), FNC posted 1.7 million viewers and 208,000 in the 25-54 demo. Notably, FNC secured 99 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the week. Additionally, through the week FNC crushed CNN by 426% with total day viewers and 579% with primetime viewers and trounced MSNBC by 269% with total day viewers and 294% with primetime viewers. The FOX Nation Patriot Awards, which aired on Sunday on FNC at 10 PM/ET, delivered over 1 million viewers, far outpacing CNN Heroes by 263% on the same night.

• For the week, MSNBC and CNN reached a number of historic lows. Its programs including Alex Wagner Tonight (595,000 P2+), Inside with Jen Psaki (651,000 P2+) and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (61,000 A25-54) along with CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins (77,000 A2-54) all suffered their worst week ever.
• Since the election, FOX News occupied 73% of the cable news audience in primetime as the majority of those watching the genre are turning into the network while MSNBC and CNN’s viewership drop-offs continue. In primetime, MSNBC has seen 62% of its A25-54 audience flee the channel with the network delivering only 56,000 in A25-54 and 603,000 in viewers (-55%). CNN has lost over half of its audience in primetime in the A25-54 demo in primetime, averaging 78,000 (-51%) in A25-54 and 401,000 in viewers (-46%). Audiences have continued to dwindle in total day for MSNBC and CNN with MSNBC losing over half of its audience in A25-54 with 43,000 (-53%) and down nearly fifty percent in viewers with 455,000 (-47%) and CNN dropping 41% in A25-54 with 57,000 viewers and 330,000 in P2+ (-35%). 

Ratings Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• For the week, The Five averaged 4.1 million viewers and 431,000 in the 25-54 demo, leading cable news with viewers. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 3.1 million viewers and 344,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 2.9 million viewers and 326,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 3.5 million viewers and 383,000 in the 25-54 demo, making it the top show in cable news primetime in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 2.9 million viewers and 333,000 with A25-54. At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 1.6 million viewers and 244,000 in the 25-54 demo.
• FNC also saw a number of its daytime programs outrank the broadcast competition. Most notably, Outnumbered (weekdays, 12 PM/ET; 2,221,000 P2+) and Harris Faulkner’s The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 2,111,000 P2+) outpaced CBS Mornings (2,096,000 P2+). The Story with Martha MacCallum (weekdays, 3 PM/ET; 2,053,000 P2+), America’s Newsroom with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 2,045,000 P2+), America Reports with Sandra Smith and John Roberts (weekdays, 1-3 PM/ET; 1,972,000) and FOX & Friends (1,430,000 P2+) all outpaced NBC’s Today with Hoda and Jenna (1,396,000 P2+), ABC’s GMA3 (1,361,000 P2+), CBS’ The Talk (1,269,000 P2+) and NBC News Daily (1,210,000 P2+).

• On Saturday: FOX & Friends Weekend (weekends, 10 AM/ET) was the most-watched show of the day with 1,554,000 viewers and 149,000 in the 25-54 demo. Cavuto Live (weekends, 10 AM -12 PM/ET) followed with 1,519,000 viewers and 145,000 in the 25-54 demo. Life, Liberty & Levin (weekends, 8 PM/ET) was the most-watched show in primetime with 1,432,000 viewers.
• On Sunday: Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures (Sunday 10 AM/ET) was the top show of the weekend with 1.7 million viewers and 159,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 10 PM/ET, the FOX Nation Patriot Awards secured over 1 million viewers and 106,000 in the 25-54 demo. CNN Heroes, which also aired in primetime on Sunday night, struggled to only grab 276,000 viewers and 46,000 in the 25-54 demo. Life, Liberty & Levin was the most-watched show in primetime with 1.3 million viewers.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 12-2-24 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.

A trio of MSNBC programs hit all-time viewership lows last week as the network continues to struggle on the heels of President-elect Donald Trump’s Election Day victory.  "Alex Wagner Tonight," "Inside with Jen Psaki" and "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" all hit rock bottom last week despite a busy news cycle that included the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the ensuing manhunt for his killer, a slew of news related to Trump’s Cabinet picks, the fallout from President Biden announcing he would pardon his son, Hunter, and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad being ousted from power.