NPR announced Thursday a $113 million windfall from two charitable donors, including $80 million from billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer — the largest gift from a living donor in the organization’s history. An anonymous donor contributed the remaining $33 million.
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Friday, April 17, 2026
NPR Receives $113 Million in Major Private Donations
NPR announced Thursday a $113 million windfall from two charitable donors, including $80 million from billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer — the largest gift from a living donor in the organization’s history. An anonymous donor contributed the remaining $33 million.
US Teens Heavily Rely on Social Media for Fun
A major survey of American teenagers reveals that nearly 9 in 10 use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat primarily for entertainment. The findings highlight both the central role these apps play in teen social life and emerging concerns about their impact on daily routines, particularly sleep.
The data paints a picture of social media as both a primary source of leisure and connection for today’s teens, while also flagging potential health trade-offs. Snapchat stands out for daily engagement, with more than half of respondents using its messaging features on a regular basis. TikTok, meanwhile, shows a clear link to sleep problems for more than one-third of users—likely due to endless scrolling and late-night content consumption.
Baseball Streaming Rights See Federal Antitrust Scrutiny
Regulators are probing Major League Baseball’s streaming-rights distribution as part of a wider federal review of how professional sports leagues deliver games to online platforms, officials and reports say.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told Bloomberg he has heard complaints from baseball fans about where to watch games and that regulators are examining leagues beyond the NFL. The investigation follows a Wall Street Journal report that the Department of Justice is probing whether the NFL’s practice of splitting broadcast privileges is anticompetitive.
NBC News Now Expands to 14 Live Hours a Day
NBC News Now will expand weekday live coverage to 14 hours, running 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, and add a new two-hour program this summer anchored by Christine Romans, the network said Wednesday.
Romans was promoted to chief business correspondent and will helm the new show beginning this summer. The streamer also plans to relocate its headquarters to Studio 3A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC News editorial president Rebecca Blumenstein and programming EVP Janelle Rodriguez told staff.
Blumenstein and Rodriguez said the expansion responds to growing interest in economic and breaking news, noting NBC News Now’s “most-watched” quarter in a year and its strongest month since June 2025, with recent coverage of the Artemis landing delivering the channel’s largest Friday primetime audience on record.
The executives said the expanded schedule will deliver “more original programming than any other streaming news service” and strengthen NBC News Now’s position for live, breaking coverage.
Romans joined NBC News in October 2023. Her prior roles include hosting On the Money, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Street Sweep and CNN’s Early Start.
Xperi Launches DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal Premium Tier
Xperi today launched DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal Premium, a new tier that upgrades its broadcaster portal to deliver the most comprehensive, timely radio listening analytics available. The premium features go live April 16 and will be showcased at Xperi’s NAB Show Las Vegas booth (#C2259), April 18–22.
Built on the DTS AutoStage platform — now integrated into more than 16 million vehicles worldwide and producing over 34 million hours of U.S. radio listening data per month — the new Premium tier gives stations near real-time competitive station rankings by daypart and expanded, exportable music charts.
“We knew the Broadcaster Portal was capturing unique audience insights,” said Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president of commercial strategy and partnerships at Xperi. “The Premium tier advances that visibility, giving broadcasters of every size the granular, actionable intelligence they need to see where they rank in their markets and neighboring markets at any hour.”
Since its 2023 launch, the Broadcaster Portal has analyzed more than 12 billion data points monthly and is used by thousands of U.S. stations. Vehicle coverage samples span major and small markets — for example: New York City 247,000; Cleveland 46,312; Birmingham, AL 19,211; Jackson, MS 7,117; Kokomo, IN 1,464 (early April).
D’Angelo added: “Sixty-six percent of U.S. adults listen to AM/FM radio daily, mostly in cars — yet traditional analytics capture only a sliver of that audience. Premium opens a far wider window into where, when and how audiences listen, enabling smarter programming, stronger audience connections and new monetization opportunities.”
Key Premium features Daypart station rankings:
- Market and adjacent-market rankings broken down by overnight, morning drive, midday, afternoon drive and evening.
- Near real-time trends: View and trend data by day, week, month or quarter to react quickly to seasonal spikes, live events or schedule changes.
- Expanded music charts: Weekly top 100 song rankings by total listening sessions, with spins, average sessions per spin and week-over-week movement.
- Full data export: Exportable reports for market share, daypart activity, music charts and ranking position for use in sales and advertiser materials.
- Combined listening heatmaps: Unified listening heatmaps that combine FM, HD and translator frequencies, with weekly and monthly views across expanded markets.
DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal Premium is available to all radio stations broadcasting in analog and digital.
Good Morning: Here's The Pulse Briefing For Friday, April 17
Radio Broadcasting
Analytics Upgrade: Xperi today launched DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal Premium, a new tier that upgrades its broadcaster portal to deliver the most comprehensive, timely radio listening analytics available. Built on the DTS AutoStage platform — now integrated into more than 16 million vehicles worldwide and producing over 34 million hours of U.S. radio listening data per month — the new Premium tier gives stations near real-time competitive station rankings by daypart and expanded, exportable music charts.
Christmas In April: NPR announced Thursday a $113 million windfall from two charitable donors, including $80 million from billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer — the largest gift from a living donor in the organization’s history. An anonymous donor contributed the remaining $33 million.
The Kids Want Entertainment: A major survey of American teenagers reveals that nearly 9 in 10 use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat primarily for entertainment. The findings highlight both the central role these apps play in teen social life and emerging concerns about their impact on daily routines, particularly sleep. According to the Pew survey, about 90% of US teens cite entertainment as a key reason for using the three dominant short-form and messaging platforms.
Hastings To Exit Netflix Board, Revenue Jumps 16 Percent
Netflix Chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings will leave the company’s board when his term expires in June, the company said Thursday, saying he will not stand for re-election so he can focus on philanthropy and other pursuits.Shares fell more than 8% in after-hours trading after Netflix issued disappointing guidance alongside its quarterly report. The results, Netflix said, were its first earnings since abandoning a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and HBO Max.
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| Reed Hastings |
For the quarter, Netflix reported revenue of $12.25 billion, up 16.2% year over year, and net income of $5.28 billion, up nearly 83%, driven by subscriber growth, higher pricing and increased advertising revenue. In March, Netflix raised U.S. subscription prices: the ad-supported plan to $8.99, standard to $19.99 and premium to $26.99.
Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany Accuses Liberal Nets of Hypocrisy
Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany sharply criticized MSNBC and CNN on Wednesday for failing to cover recent sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., despite those networks’ strong past advocacy for the #MeToo movement.
🚨 NEW: Fox’s Kayleigh McEnany CALLS OUT liberal media who championed 'MeToo' but wouldn’t cover Swalwell claimant’s allegations.
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 16, 2026
“When that young woman was making her claim yesterday you looked over at MSNBC: not covering. You looked over at CNN: not covering.”
“It’s a shame… pic.twitter.com/ncw295Rk61
Mediaite Suspends Founding Editor Over Multiple Reporting Errors
Mediaite has suspended its founding editor Colby Hall after an investigation revealed more than a half-dozen serious errors in his One Sheet newsletter, including fabricated stories, invented quotes, misattributions, and apparent plagiarism.
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| Colby Hall |
QVC Group Expects to File for Bankruptcy
Philly-based QVC Group announced Wednesday it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying in its annual SEC filing that it expects to seek court protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas while continuing to operate its businesses.
The Philly Inquirer reports, the company, owner of QVC and HSN, disclosed in the filing that it had delayed the annual report twice and recently warned there was “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” QVC Group reported more than $5 billion in debt at the end of 2025 and nearly $1.5 billion in cash or cash equivalents.
As of Thursday morning, an online court records search for “QVC Group” showed no filings yet. The company said Chapter 11 would allow debt reorganization rather than a shutdown, and that it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy within months.
The Star Is Born Again
NOTUS will relaunch as The Star in the first week of June and expand its Washington coverage, Editor in Chief Tim Grieve said Thursday.
The outlet plans to add local news and sports coverage, increase reporting on Congress and the White House, and grow its newsroom from about 45 staffers to roughly 95 by year’s end. The rebrand—chosen for simplicity—follows accelerated expansion plans after major cuts at The Washington Post.
Founded in 2023 under the Allbritton Journalism Institute with a $20 million grant from Robert Allbritton, NOTUS (News of the United States) was created to train political journalists. Grieve said the relaunch aims to fill a gap left by The Post’s February layoffs of more than 300 journalists and reductions to metro and local sports coverage.
The Post said it remains committed to essential journalism, including local and sports reporting. The Star’s new name also echoes a family connection: Joe Allbritton, Robert’s father, once owned The Washington Star, a daily that folded in 1981.
Radio History: April 17
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| Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake |
Far from being upset about being typecast, Lake continued to embrace the role of Dagwood in a short-lived 1957 Blondie TV series, then even into the 1960s and beyond; he would often give speeches to Rotary clubs and other civic organizations, eagerly posing for pictures with a Dagwood sandwich.
➦In 1922...KPO San Francisco signed-on. Now known at KNBR 680 AM, KPO began broadcasting as a100-watt station owned by the Hale Brothers department store. In 1925, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper bought half-interest in the operation. Originally located in the department store at 901 Market between 5th and 6th, its horizontal wire antenna on the roof was so efficient, it immediately attracted the attention of audiences all over the Pacific Coast.
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| KPO Studio -1922 (Courtesy of Bay Area Radio Museum) |
In 1927, KPO became an affiliate of the new NBC radio network. In 1933, KPO was sold to NBC's parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and its operation was consolidated into that of its co-owned KGO. From there, NBC operated its West Coast network, feeding dozens of stations and operating a news bureau to serve NBC. As NBC's flagship station on the West Coast, it had a full-time orchestra, five studios, and produced many live shows. During the rise of Hollywood, NBC's radio operation was moved to Los Angeles.
During World War II, KPO's news bureau was the major source of NBC of news about the war in the Pacific, and operated shortwave radio stations serving the world. It was at the KPO (RCA) shortwave facility that the message was received that Japanese emperor Hirohito had surrendered, ending World War II.On November 23, 1947, NBC changed KPO's call sign to KNBC to strengthen its identity as an NBC station (and the only radio station NBC ever owned on the West Coast). This change lasted until fifteen years later, when the network decided to move the KNBC identity to its television station in Los Angeles. NBC had asked the FCC to restore the KPO call letters to the San Francisco radio station but later withdrew that request and 680 AM was renamed KNBR on November 11, 1962.
KNBR evolved into a Middle of the road music format mixing in Adult Standards with Soft Rock cuts by the early 1960s. The station continued to be a news intensive format with personalities in the foreground and music in the background. Personalities included Frank Dill, Les Williams, Dave Niles, and Jack Hayes. Until January, 1975, KNBR carried NBC's long-running weekend show, Monitor. By the mid-1970s, KNBR evolved musically into a straight ahead adult contemporary music format and continued as such into the 1980s.
In March 1989 NBC sold KNBR to Susquehanna Radio Corporation; it was the last radio property held by NBC, which two years earlier made the decision to sell off its radio division following General Electric's 1986 acquisition of RCA. The station soon added some sports talk in evenings, and took a full-time sports format in 1990 with the lone exception of The Rush Limbaugh Show, which KNBR carried from 1988 until 2000.
KNBR carried programs from ESPN Radio and KTCT aired shows from both ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio until 2013, when both stations switched to the Cumulus-distributed CBS Sports Radio.
In 2015, KNBR's studios were relocated from 55 Hawthorne Street to 750 Battery Street after parent Cumulus Media consolidated its San Francisco radio stations in one building.
➦In 1923...Harry Truman Reasoner was born (Died at age 68 – August 6, 1991). He was a journalist for ABC and CBS News, known for his inventive use of language as a television commentator, and as a founder of the 60 Minutes program.
Over the course of his career, Reasoner won three Emmy Awards and a George Foster Peabody Award in 1967.
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| Harry Reasoner |
After going into radio with CBS in 1948, Reasoner worked for the United States Information Agency in the Philippines. When he returned to the US, he went into television and worked at station KEYD (later KMSP) in Minneapolis. He later joined CBS News in New York, in 1956, where he eventually hosted a morning news program called Calendar from 1961 to 1963, on top of doing commentator and special news narration duties
In 1968, Reasoner teamed up with Mike Wallace to launch 60 Minutes, a new news magazine series. On 60 Minutes and elsewhere, he often worked with producer and writer Andy Rooney, who later became a well-known contributor in his own right.
In 1970, Reasoner was hired away from CBS by ABC to become an anchor on the network's newly revamped nightly newscast. After a stay of several years in the '70s at ABC. Reasoner returned to CBS and 60 Minutes where he remained until his retirement on May 19, 1991.
➦In 1934...WLW Cincinnati licensed to operate at 500kW.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Federal Bankruptcy Judge Okays Cumulus Reorganization Plan
A federal bankruptcy judge has confirmed Cumulus Media’s prepackaged Chapter 11 plan, allowing the Atlanta-based radio company to restructure approximately $660 million in debt, wipe out existing shareholders, and emerge as a privately held company with CEO Mary Berner staying in her role.
- Holders of the 2029 secured claims (approximately $168.6 million) will receive 95% of the reorganized company’s new common stock plus $50 million in exit convertible notes.
- Holders of other funded debt claims — including 2026 notes, 2026 term loans, and 2029 deficiency claims (totaling roughly $494.5 million) — will receive the remaining 5% of new equity.
- Existing shareholders will receive nothing.
- SoundExchange receiving carve-outs that preserve its statutory royalty audit rights for 2017–2022, with limitation periods tolled during the bankruptcy.
- Assumption without modification of the NFL’s audio rights agreement with Westwood One.
- Amended employment agreements for the current CEO and CFO, who will remain in their positions.
- A new board of directors, selected by the 2029 secured claim holders, to take control on the effective date.
TV Ratings: Fox News Channel Leads All TV In Weekday Prime
FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of April 6 leading all of television in weekday primetime with nearly 3.6 million viewers, outpacing broadcast networks CBS (3,555,000 viewers), ABC (3,000,009 viewers), and NBC (2,962,000 viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.
FNC also outperformed ABC and NBC in Monday - Sunday primetime, with 3,050,000 viewers, while ABC saw 2,626,000 and NBC saw 2,601,000 viewers. In Monday - Sunday total day, FNC drew 1.8 million viewers outpacing NBC (1.7 million viewers). Notably, FOX News Saturday Night (Saturdays, 10PM/ET) marked its highest rated program in history with nearly 1.8 million viewers.
The Five continued to dominate the afternoon averaging nearly 3.9 million viewers and 340,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew over 3 million viewers and 284,000 in the 25-54 demo. Additionally, Tuesday’s program delivered over 3.8 million viewers, outpacing CBS Evening News (3,739,000 viewers). The Ingraham Angle at 7PM/ET averaged 3.1 million viewers and 309,000 in the 25-54 demo. Jesse Watters Primetime commanded 4.1 million viewers and 401,000 in the 25-54 demo at 8 PM/ET, marking its highest rated week of the year. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity averaged 3.5 million viewers and 367,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher at 11PM/ET posted 1.9 million viewers.On Friday, FNC drew 5 million viewers from 7:30PM/ET - 8:30 PM/ET during the Artemis II return, outpacing NBC (4 million viewers) and CBS (4.6 million viewers). FNC delivered its highest Friday primetime since October 2020 and its highest rated Friday in the 25-54 demo since September 2025.
FNC’s late-night hit Gutfeld! (weekdays, 10 PM/ET) averaged nearly 3.1 million viewers and delivered 363,000 in the 25-54 demo, continuing to lead all late-night competition in total viewers and the 25-54 demo. It also continued to overtake the broadcast competition including CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2,097,000 viewers; 280,000 A25-54) and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1,814,000 viewers; 266,000 A25-54)






















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