Katie Zacharia Is Apparently Out As WH Press Spox

Katie Zacharia

Katie Zacharia is leaving her role as White House press secretary after only seven days, a senior official confirmed Friday, after President Donald Trump publicly urged her to reconsider the position amid mounting scrutiny of her legal credentials and a rocky debut before the press corps.⁠

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn as he departed for a rally in Georgia, Trump recounted telling Zacharia, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to… I think you should reconsider.” He added, “Maybe it’s not for her,” while insisting he had not fired her. “No no. I want her to have a good life,” Trump said. “She’s been brutalized by the media.”⁠

🚨 NEW: President Trump says he's leaving Katie Zacharia's future as White House press secretary up to her, acknowledging that the media has been "nasty" in covering her and that Sean Hannity and Fox & Friends had asked her tough questions. “I said to her ‘you don’t need this’,” adds Trump. https://t.co/iNwvAo8dGn

— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) October 16, 2026

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that Zacharia is now “transitioning out” of the role. Multiple news organizations, including The New York Times and CNN, reported she had been fired after less than a week on the job.

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Zacharia was named to the position on Oct. 9, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who had left in August. She stepped behind the White House podium for her first—and only—press briefing on Oct. 13. The session lasted about 14 minutes; she took questions from just three reporters, all from outlets generally viewed as favorable to the administration.⁠

Her brief tenure was defined by questions about her professional background. Although Trump described her as “an attorney” when announcing the appointment and Zacharia has referred to herself as a lawyer, she confirmed during a Thursday appearance on “Hannity” that she failed the California bar exam in 2011 after graduating from Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law and never obtained a U.S. law license. She has said she practiced international transaction law while living in China for several years, where only Chinese nationals can be licensed as attorneys, and maintained that she was careful in how she described her credentials.⁠

Critics focused on both the credentials issue and her performance in the briefing room, where she appeared uncomfortable, made verbal stumbles, and kept the session unusually short. Zacharia later defended her debut by noting she had very little preparation time after being on the job only hours.⁠

A California native and mother of four, Zacharia previously worked as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group (the parent company of Truth Social), served briefly earlier in 2026 as a deputy assistant secretary and spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security, and appeared frequently as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax. Her rapid exit has drawn comparisons to Anthony Scaramucci’s 11-day tenure as White House communications director in 2017.⁠

Cumulus Completes Chapter 11 Reorganization

Cumulus Media Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from the Chapter 11 reorganization process, following receipt of all required approvals, including from the Federal Communications Commission.

The restructuring was completed on an accelerated timeline consistent with the Company's original expectations, and Cumulus continued to operate in the ordinary course throughout the process, with no disruption to operations, audiences, or advertisers.

 

Mary Berner

Mary G. Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cumulus Media said, "I am grateful to our lenders and noteholders for their collaboration throughout this process, and to our employees, vendors, affiliates, customers, and partners for their continued trust and support. Emerging with a significantly stronger balance sheet, we are more committed than ever to providing engaging content across our national footprint, serving as a lifeline and voice for the local communities we serve, driving meaningful growth for our advertising partners, and delivering value for our new shareholders."

 
Upon completing its restructuring and emerging from Chapter 11 as a privately owned company, Cumulus has appointed a new Board of Directors and will remain under the leadership of its existing management team.

As previously announced, Cumulus and certain of its subsidiaries commenced a prepackaged Chapter 11 process in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on March 4, 2026, pursuant to a comprehensive restructuring support agreement with a group of its lenders. Under the terms of the Company's confirmed plan of reorganization, Cumulus has canceled 100% of its existing funded indebtedness — approximately $600 million — in exchange for 100% of the Company's reorganized equity and $50 million of new convertible notes issued to former lenders. The Company also amended and restated its asset-based revolving credit facility to provide continued liquidity going forward.

NAB To Welcome New Legal Officer and Consolidate

The National Association of Broadcasters will lose its Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Rick Kaplan, at the end of 2026 after more than 14 years of service, as the group consolidates its Government Relations and Legal teams under President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt.

Shawn Donilon

Effective January 1, 2027, Executive Vice President of Government Relations Shawn Donilon will assume the newly created role of Chief Advocacy Officer. Donilon has been with the NAB since March 2013. The combined structure is intended to strengthen coordination of the association’s work on Capitol Hill, with the Trump Administration, and at the Federal Communications Commission, reflecting the close intersection of congressional and regulatory decisions in Washington. Kaplan and Donilon will work together to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities.

In announcing the departure, which was not labeled a retirement, the NAB credited Kaplan with a track record of high-impact successes. 

He led the association through a decade of critical court victories, including a unanimous Supreme Court win that removed outdated restrictions on broadcast ownership. He also secured a major victory for radio stations before the Copyright Royalty Board that sharply lowered streaming rates and later enabled a landmark settlement in the most recent webcasting proceeding. Kaplan additionally handled complex issues involving ATSC 3.0, retransmission consent, the FCC’s broadcast spectrum incentive auction, music licensing, sponsor identification rules, and efforts that reduced broadcasters’ regulatory fees by millions of dollars annually.

Radio Is Best Platform For Reaching Consumers

Radio reaches more American consumers each month than any other measured media platform, according to Nielsen’s new report, “Everyone. Everywhere. See Audio Differently.”

First-half 2026 data show radio reaching 92 percent of U.S. adults—more than 242 million people. That exceeds the monthly reach of TV-connected devices (90 percent), smartphones (87 percent) and live or time-shifted television (85 percent).

Reach remains high among key groups. Radio reaches 87 percent of adults ages 18–34 each month, 92 percent of Black adults and 93 percent of Hispanic adults.

The report also highlights advertising performance. Nielsen’s Global Compass benchmarks found radio delivering a weighted return on investment of $2.00 for every advertising dollar spent, second only to social media at $2.22 and ahead of television, display, search and connected TV. Marketers nonetheless ranked radio last among ten channels in perceived effectiveness, underscoring a gap between perception and measured results.

Radio continues to dominate in-vehicle listening, where more than 80 percent of ad-supported audio time goes to AM/FM. Sixty-five percent of adult radio listening occurs outside the home, rising to 73 percent during weekday drive times. A May 2026 Nielsen/iHeartMedia study found roughly half of recent and prospective vehicle buyers would refuse a car without AM/FM radio, while more than seven in ten said it should be standard equipment. A separate analysis ranked radio second only to smartphone integration in its influence on vehicle purchase decisions.

Americans spend nearly four hours a day with audio. Of the ad-supported portion of that time, radio and podcasts together account for 82 percent, compared with 16 percent for streaming music services. The report stresses the value of planning broadcast radio and podcasts together.

ESPN Unveils NBA Commentator Roster

• Mike Breen, Tim Legler, Richard Jefferson and Lisa Salters return for second season as ESPN and ABC's lead NBA broadcast team
• Inside the NBA presented by Eli Lilly headlines ESPN's studio coverage alongside NBA Countdown
• Jason Kidd and Jeremy Lin join ESPN's commentator lineup

ESPN has announced a robust lineup of play-by-play voices, analysts and reporters for its milestone 25th consecutive season of NBA game coverage. The industry-leading roster includes eight NBA Champions and five Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honorees.

R.I.P.: Chatty Hatty, Longtime N-C Radio Personality

Hattie Massey Leeper, the pioneering Charlotte radio personality known to generations as “Chatty Hatty” and recognized as North Carolina’s first Black female radio announcer, died Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at her home in Fort Mill, S.C. She was 98.

Troy Aikman Confirms He'll Be A Free Agent

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman will become a free agent at the end of the year once his ESPN contract expires after Super Bowl LXI, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and “Monday Night Football” analyst confirmed Thursday.

Speaking on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas, Aikman, who is represented by CAA Sports’ Matt Kramer, said he will finish the current season before exploring his options. “I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens,” he said. “I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot may be.”

Trump Halts Plans for Execution Livestream

President Donald Trump on Thursday overruled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and said the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, will not be livestreamed. The decision followed bipartisan criticism of the plan.

In a social media post, Trump called Hasan “a very bad and evil man” and acknowledged that a public livestream “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to see how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan.” He added that “many good and very well meaning people would rather not watch him die.” The execution, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, will not be streamed, though immediate family members of the victims may watch in person.

TV Ratings: Fox News Channel Wins Cable Race

• FNC Leads All of Cable in Total Day and Total Viewers for 39th Consecutive Week
• CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ Posts Lowest-Rated Episode of the Season, Draws Smallest 4th-Episode Audience in 25 Years

FOX News Channel (FNC) concluded the week of October 5th with over 1.9 million weekday primetime viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC secured 1.6 million viewers and, markedly, delivered week-to-week growth in the 25-54 demo. 

In Monday – Sunday total day, FNC drew nearly 1.1 million viewers. FNC also led all of cable in total day and total viewers for the 39th consecutive week. Notably, on October 11th, CBS’ 60 Minutes posted its lowest-rated episode of the season and smallest 4th-episode audience in 25 years, delivering under 6.1 million total viewers and 767,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.

Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

The Five led cable news with total viewers, claiming 2.6 million viewers. During the 6 PM/ET hour, Special Report with Bret Baier saw 1.9 million viewers and at 7 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle secured 1.8 million viewers. In the 8 PM/ET hour, Jesse Watters Primetime averaged 2.3 million viewers and at 9 PM/ET, Hannity delivered 1.7 million viewers.

FNC’s Gutfeld! (10-11 PM/ET) nabbed wins in late-night, averaging 2 million total viewers, and outranking NBC’s The Tonight Show (1.2 million viewers), NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers (855,000 viewers) and the airings of CBS’ Comics Unleashed (704,000 viewers).

FNC’s daytime programs continued to make gains on the broadcast competition. The Will Cain Show (4 PM/ET) garnered nearly 1.6 million viewers, surpassing ABC’s GMA3 and NBC News Daily, which posted 1.4 million viewers for ABC’s GMA3 and 1.5 million viewers for NBC News Daily. America’s Newsroom (9-11 AM/ET), Outnumbered (12-1 PM/ET) and The Story with Martha MacCallum (3 PM/ET) all delivered 1.4 million viewers. The Faulkner Focus (11 AM/ET) and America Reports (1-3 PM/ET) each notched 1.3 million viewers, surpassing NBC’s Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.

Juvenile Sues CBS News for $20M

A 15-year-old Maryland high school student has sued CBS for more than $20 million, alleging a June “CBS Evening News” report falsely portrayed him as a suspect in the vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.⁠

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against CBS Broadcasting and CBS Interactive, was brought by the teen (identified as JV) and a parent. It claims defamation and false-light invasion of privacy.

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Finally Friday: The Pulse Has Your Morning Briefing For Oct 16

Radio Broadcasting

Radio Reaches Consumers Best: Radio reaches more American consumers each month than any other measured media platform, according to Nielsen’s new report, “Everyone. Everywhere. See Audio Differently.” MORE

NAB Slims Down: The National Association of Broadcasters will lose its Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Rick Kaplan, at the end of 2026 after more than 14 years of service, as the group consolidates its Government Relations and Legal teams. MORE

RIP: Hattie Massey Leeper, the pioneering Charlotte radio personality known to generations as “Chatty Hatty” and recognized as North Carolina’s first Black female radio announcer. MORE

MNF Off To Best Five-Week Start of ESPN Era

ESPN’s Monday Night Football viewership is off to its strongest start of the ESPN era through five weeks, further bolstered by a Bills-Rams overtime thriller in Week 5. 

The matchup featuring the NFL’s two most recent MVPs averaged 19.8 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes (Oct. 12, 8 p.m. ET), ranking as the second most-watched Week 5 game of ESPN’s Monday Night Football era, behind only last season’s Chiefs-Jaguars matchup.

Nantz First Public Comments On Tony Romo

Jim Nantz said Tony Romo will “unquestionably” work again in broadcasting after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS Sports mutually parted ways earlier this month.

In his first public comments on the split, Nantz spoke on the “Traina Thoughts” podcast with Jimmy Traina. “I think unquestionably he will work again,” Nantz said. “I don’t know if it’s calling games or being in studio, but he’s got a lot of talent. He’s got a lot of people who like him, and he’s a star. He’s got a personality that, it’s different, and that’s a good thing. He’s a bigger-than-life personality.”

Sports Personality Not Expecting Barstool Extension

Kirk Minihane said Wednesday he does not expect Barstool Sports to re-sign him when his contract expires next fall, and he plans major changes to his show when it returns full-time in January.

The longtime host, who joined Barstool in 2019 after leaving WEEI, made the comments during an extended update on the podcast for The Kirk Minihane Show. “I would love to stay here, but I don’t think I’ll get re-signed,” Minihane said. “My gut tells me no. I could be wrong… but I don’t think I’ll get re-signed.” He added that he has not begun contract discussions with the company and does not expect talks to start until February or March.

CNN, Axios, Others Join Multi-Year Content Deal w/Google

CNN, the Financial Times, Axios and more than 400 other publishers have joined Google’s AI news program, licensing their content for generative AI features while seeking new ways to drive audience engagement.

Google said Thursday that the program, which began as a pilot last year with partners including The Washington Post, has expanded globally. Under the agreements, publishers grant enhanced content rights that allow Google to develop new AI tools, and Google pays the news organizations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Musk Settles "Sweepstakes" Lawsuits

Tech billionaire and Republican megadonor Elon Musk settled the two remaining lawsuits stemming from his $1 million voter giveaways during the 2024 election, according to court filings Thursday, ending a two-year legal saga.

CNN reports the settlements resolve proposed class-action civil fraud claims filed by voters in battleground states against Musk and his super PAC, America PAC. Both have denied wrongdoing. The plaintiffs alleged they were misled into believing they had a fair chance at the daily $1 million prizes if they registered as voters and shared personal data with the pro-Trump organization.

During the final weeks of the 2024 presidential campaign, America PAC ran the sweepstakes for registered voters in key states while Musk publicly urged support for Donald Trump. Musk had said the winners would be selected “randomly.” His lawyers later acknowledged in court that recipients were “not chosen by chance” and were instead selected based on their potential to serve as effective spokespersons for the PAC.

Radio History: Oct 16

➦In 1923...Prolific songwriter Bert Kaempfert born in Hamburg, Germany. He wrote "Strangers in the Night" for Frank Sinatra, "Spanish Eyes" by Al Martino, "Danke Schoen" for Wayne Newton, "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole, and many others) and performed "Wonderland By Night" in 1960 and signed The Beatles to a recording contract.

➦In 1939...Listeners first heard "The Right to Happiness” to the NBC Blue Network. The 15-minute daytime drama turned out to be one of the longest-running radio shows of its kind. It moved over to CBS in 1941, then back to NBC in 1942. Fourteen years later “Right to Happiness” returned to CBS where it stayed until its final days in 1960

➦In 1951...Singer Richard Penniman, known as Little Richard, made his first recordings for RCA Camden at the studios of WGST Radio in Atlanta. It took another four years and working in New Orleans' French Quarter to turn him into a rock 'n' roll star.

➦In 1954...Elvis Presley made his famous first radio appearance on the KWKH Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, LA. He appeared weekly for $18. His sidemen, Bill Black and Scotty Moore, were paid $12 each.