Nielsen Wants SCOTUS To Hear Its Antitrust Case

Nielsen has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a high-stakes antitrust fight over how radio ratings are sold, seeking to overturn lower-court rulings that treat its national audience data as a monopoly product used to force broadcasters to buy local ratings they do not want. The petition targets decisions that blocked Nielsen’s 2024 “Network Policy” and limited what it can charge for a standalone Nationwide report. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York granted Cumulus Media a preliminary injunction in late 2025, finding the policy likely an illegal tie under the Sherman Act. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed that injunction on July 13, 2026, and later denied rehearing. 

Nielsen argues those rulings clash with Supreme Court precedent on bundling, pricing, and a firm’s right to choose customers and terms. At the core is Nielsen’s unique Nationwide report—the only complete national radio ratings product in the United States. Courts found Nielsen holds 100% of that market. 

Local ratings are a separate product; Eastlan competes in some metros. Cumulus, owner of hundreds of stations and the Westwood One network, wanted Nationwide while shifting some local markets to Eastlan. 

Nielsen’s policy withheld local markets from the national report unless the broadcaster bought Nielsen local data everywhere it owned stations. After Cumulus threatened suit, Nielsen offered a standalone Nationwide price that the district court said was about 10 times what Cumulus had been paying and well above what other networks paid. Judges called that a “constructive tie”: a price so high it coerced the bundle. 

TWH Media Ban Faces Long Odds in Court

Trump’s White House ban of CNN, MSNOW and Politico likely violates U.S. bans on government viewpoint discrimination and faces an immediate court test, legal experts say.

President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement that he would bar CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House for what he called “FAKE NEWS” is the latest effort by his administration to restrict press access and part of a broader campaign against coverage he dislikes. He said Saturday he might ban more outlets.

Four legal experts told Reuters the justification for the ban may be its undoing. U.S. courts have long held that once the government opens a space to the media, it cannot condition access on favorable coverage.

“They don’t have to allow anyone in, but once they do, they cannot decide who gets in based on viewpoint or content,” said University of Maryland journalism professor Lucy Dalglish.

On Monday the three outlets sued in Washington federal court, calling the ban unlawful retaliation for First Amendment-protected speech and a due-process violation. “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” they said. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who blocked Trump from banning a CNN reporter in his first term, scheduled a Wednesday hearing on their request for a temporary restraining order.

The White House said the outlets can still report from outside the building. “The Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President’s Oval Office. The lies they smear are a disservice to the American public and tear at the very fabric of our Democracy,” it said.

The press does not have unlimited White House access. Presidents have more discretion over tightly controlled, limited-capacity spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. The White House has long chosen pool reporters who travel with the president and share coverage; CNN is in the TV pool, which suspended coverage Monday.

A D.C. appeals court held in June 2025 that Trump likely could bar the Associated Press from some spaces, including the Oval Office, but not White House press facilities generally. That dispute, over the AP’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico, is still awaiting a final ruling.

Country Dominates Racially Diverse American Pop Culture

Country music and TV westerns are dominating American pop culture even as the country grows more urban, more foreign-born, and more racially diverse—an apparent contradiction that may itself explain the boom.

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has spent 21 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, outlasting landmark runs by Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” 

In the first week of August, country singles occupied the entire top five of the Hot 100 for the first time. Taylor Swift’s latest release, a pop-leaning track tied to Toy Story 5, has been sold as a country song—an implicit bet that the genre she left in 2014 now carries commercial advantage.

On television, Nielsen’s multi-platform ratings put westerns and neo-westerns such as Landman and Dutton Ranch among four of the season’s top 10 shows. 

PSKY's Threat To Exit California Was The Pressure Point

Fear that Paramount would follow through on a threat to leave California helped drive California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom toward a settlement that cleared David Ellison’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, sources familiar with the talks say. 

The Monday agreement ended a 12-state antitrust lawsuit that Bonta had led since July and removed the last major legal obstacle to closing the deal. Bonta said the settlement was “not a vote of support for this merger.” Ellison, hours later, declared the combined company would stay headquartered in Los Angeles. Bonta noted there is no requirement in the decree that the headquarters remain in the state. 

TV Ratings: Mixed Story For '60 Minutes' Episode 2

“60 Minutes” drew 6.77 million viewers Sunday for its second episode of the season, down 15% from its premiere but up 5% from the same episode a year ago, Nielsen Big Data + Panel figures released Tuesday showed.

The CBS newsmagazine also pulled 1.08 million viewers in the 25-54 demographic, a 31% week-to-week decline. The drop came without a national NFL lead-in. Last year, the second episode fell 36% from the season premiere.

Joe Buck Has New ESPN Deal, How About Sidekick Troy Aikman?

Troy Aikman has no new ESPN deal in place after Joe Buck signed a six-year, $108 million extension — and sources warn a matching Aikman contract is not next in line, at least not soon. The questions started as soon as news of Buck’s deal broke: What’s up with Aikman? The former Cowboys quarterback and Buck have been paired since 2002, spent 20 years together at Fox, and moved as a team to ESPN in 2022 to take over Monday Night Football. 

Their profile has only grown. Many consider them the NFL’s best current booth.

That history made a simultaneous renewal seem obvious. Both men are represented by CAA. Buck’s contract, reported by The Athletic, locks him in through 2031. Aikman is in the final year of a five-year, $90 million deal that pays $18 million a season. “The big question to me: Why wasn’t Troy renewed at the same time as Joe?” one source told Front Office Sports.

Happy Wednesday: Check The Pulse For Sept 23

Radio Broadcasting

Antitrust Case: SCOTUS Nielsen has asked Supreme Court to review a high-stakes antitrust fight over how radio ratings are sold, seeking to overturn lower-court rulings that treat its national audience data as a monopoly product used to force broadcasters to buy local ratings they do not want. MORE

New Hot 100 Champ: Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” made Billboard history Tuesday, logging a 23rd week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and overtaking Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the most weeks ever atop the chart. MORE

Heart Procedure: Lionel Richie underwent a successful heart procedure for atrial fibrillation and has canceled upcoming tour dates, though he remains scheduled for a Las Vegas residency later in October and November. MORE

ARK Radio: Blacksun to Acquire Broadcast Industry Group Stations

Broadcast Industry Group LLC has agreed to sell three Arkansas AM stations and three FM translators to Blacksun Private Equity Inc. for $2 million, according to an FCC assignment application filed Monday.

The stations are 

• KLRG-AM/Sheridan (880), 
• KASZ-AM/White Hall (1190, formerly KJJI)
• KCAT-AM/Pine Bluff (1340), plus translators K255AX and K224FN in Pine Bluff and K233BF in Greenbrier. 

An asset purchase agreement dated Aug. 18, 2026, covers substantially all station assets—licenses, equipment, towers, buildings and contracts. 

Trump's 'Disfavored Expression' Battle with NPR, PBS Ends

NPR-PBS funding case closes. The legal fight over President Trump’s 2025 executive order cutting federal funding to NPR and PBS ended quietly. The parties dismissed remaining claims in July; the administration did not appeal. That leaves in place Judge Randolph Moss’s March ruling that the order’s main funding bans were viewpoint discrimination and violated the First Amendment.

And We Have A New Hot 100 Champ!

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” made Billboard history Tuesday, logging a 23rd week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and overtaking Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the most weeks ever atop the chart.

The country smash now stands as the longest-running No. 1 in the 68-year history of Billboard’s flagship singles chart. The milestone also cements the song as one of the decade’s biggest hits; it is already 6-times platinum, according to the RIAA.“Choosin’ Texas” first reached No. 1 the week of Feb. 14. 

On The Mend: Lionel Richie Has AFib Heart Operation

Lionel Richie, 77, underwent a successful common procedure for atrial fibrillation (AFib) and is doing well, a representative confirmed Tuesday.  He will take time off to recover and return to the stage soon.

“Lionel underwent a common procedure for Atrial fibrillation (AFib),” the statement to USA TODAY said. “The doctor said everything went perfectly. Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”

Engagement Cuts Churn

Viewers who treat a streaming service as their default — the first app they open when they want to watch something — are far more loyal and far less likely to cancel, according to Hub Entertainment Research’s 2026 “Decoding the Default” study.

The finding matters because not all subscribers are equally valuable. Higher engagement predicts who stays and who churns, and frequent cancel-and-resubscribe behavior drives up marketing and retention costs.Hub found that default status is the clearest signal of that engagement. 

Across paid streaming, free ad-supported platforms and live TV, default services are the last ones cut, often remain in households for years, and are the ones viewers are most likely to personalize.

FOX News Books To Publish Sequel Entitled "The Angels Among Us"

FOX News Books author and FOX News Channel senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel returns with his latest book, “The Angels Among Us: How God’s Messengers Play a Role in Healing.” Set to publish on November 17, Dr. Siegel shares riveting accounts of people who found themselves at a crossroads and relied on an angelic presence to guide them in the right direction. “The Angels Among Us” follows Dr. Siegel’s #1 New York Times bestseller, “The Miracles Among Us,” which has sold nearly 250,000 copies.

Radio History: Sep 23

➦In 1949...Bruce Springsteen born in Long Branch, NJ. He received critical acclaim for his early 1970s albums and attained worldwide fame upon the release of Born to Run in 1975.

During a career that has spanned five decades, Springsteen has become known for his poetic and socially conscious lyrics and lengthy, energetic stage performances, earning the nickname "The Boss". He has recorded both rock albums and folk-oriented works, and his lyrics often address the experiences and struggles of working-class Americans.

Springsteen has sold more than 135 million records worldwide and more than 64 million records in the U-S, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists.

Eddy Arnold does a live radio show on WGNS in Murfreesboro, TN (circa 1955)

➦In 1950…"The Eddy Arnold Show" debuted on network radio (NBC). In 1934, at age 16, Arnold made his debut on WTJS-AM in Jackson, TN. In 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was one of its most popular performers. He soon left WMPS for KWK-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, followed briefly by a spot at WHAS-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.

He performed for WSM-AM on the Grand Ole Opry during 1943 as a solo artist. In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, and with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who would later manage Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored number five on the country charts in 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all ranked in the top 10, including 19 number-one successes.

Arnold began working for television in the early 1950s, hosting The Eddy Arnold Show. The summer program was broadcast successively by all three television networks, replacing the Perry Como and Dinah Shore programs.

➦In 1956...Mickey Dolenz began his television career in NBC’s “Circus Boy” series. He became a star ten years later when he was hired for the "drummer" role in NBC's The Monkees.

➦In 1968...Harry Harrison does first morning show at 77WABC NYC.

Buried in Print: 2 Surprises In Paramount Mega Deal

Key Takeaways:

• The Deal Expires In 5 Years
• No Requirement That PSKY Remains In California

California AG Rob Bonta “caved across the board” in a sudden Monday settlement with Paramount that handed David Ellison a clear victory, sources close to the talks say — and Bonta appeared close to tears as he announced a deal he still said should never have happened.

Players on Bonta’s side were shocked by the outcome. Sources close to the negotiations told Page Six Hollywood they were caught off guard when the settlement dropped Monday morning.

“There’s almost nothing in here with all the filings, statements, and law on their side that reflects they got anything,” an astonished insider said of the attorney general. “They caved across the board and I don’t know why. Clearly someone pressured him to do this.”