For Listeners: Connection is Big, Politics, Not So Much

 When asked Listeners still choose radio for connection — plus convenience, live humans, and information they can hear without looking at a screen. That finding sits at the center of “The Listener Truth,” a qualitative study from Coleman Insights presented as a webinar laat week by VP/Consultant Jay Nachlis. 

Researchers interviewed 10 listeners ages 24 to 46 who each tune to at least one FM morning show weekly. Participants came from CHR, Hot AC, Rock, Alternative, Country, and Urban formats, with quotas so no single market dominated. Questions were drawn from Morning Show Boot Camp attendees.

Convenience came up often. “I don’t want to be on my phone and driving, having to flip through songs, and you can only skip so much on Spotify if you don’t pay for it,” one listener said. “I don’t mind the radio.”

Alex called radio “the most important medium that we have, at least in my opinion,” citing reliability in a crisis: “That is the best way to get instant information. Like when, God forbid, the grid goes down or something, they’ll always be able to get radio waves one way or another.”

Jesus said he picks stations by mood — contemporary Christian when he wakes up feeling down, Hot AC when he wants to stay upbeat.

Several said they specifically avoid news and politics. “During the time of elections, everybody had their point of view, and that made me stop listening to a lot of radio stations,” one said. “It gets a little far, you know? It makes people tune out.” 

Jay Nachlis

Another quit a station over political content: “I used to listen to that religiously every morning, and then I just couldn’t deal with the onslaught.” A third called trivia and bad-date stories an “escape from the horrors that exist out here.”

Despite near-universal smartphone use, listeners said they still trust radio more than apps for weather and traffic. “You can’t really rely solely on our phones, and sometimes there’s a lot of inaccuracy with weather,” one said. “Having that individual out there checking is better than me just going off my phone and then getting caught in the rain.” 

Another liked that the information “comes through my ear” instead of a screen. A third noted that older listeners and people less comfortable with technology depend on hearing weather rather than looking it up.

On content, several preferred lighter, story-driven material. “I’m really big on celebrity gossip,” one said. “I’m not too big on the news, because a lot of the times I think they’re a little dramatic.” Trivia drew consistent praise: “They do make me listen, especially trivia. I would never call in, but I love playing along in the car.” Politics remained a turnoff: “I wish they talked a little bit less about politics, I’ll be honest. I like when people talk about the everyday stuff.”

Every listener raised song repetition as a frustration. “Twice in the same hour, if it’s different songs, I can handle it. When it’s the same song, and it gets spammed over and over, that’s when I turn completely away from that station for the day,” one said. 

Trump Wants FCC To Punish NBC's Meet the Press Program

Trump and Welker

President Donald Trump said Sunday he is reporting NBC News’s Kristen Welker to the FCC for “rebuke and punishment” after she described his record of endorsing Republican primary candidates as having “mixed results.”

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social minutes after Welker’s comment on Meet the Press. 

He said his 2026 endorsement success rate is in the high 90s and called her characterization a “purposeful inaccuracy.”

“Kristen Welker, the Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House, recently and over the longterm,” Trump wrote. 

WW1 Ending Airing Of America In the Morning

Westwood One has informed affiliates that it will end its long-running syndicated news magazine America in the Morning on Friday, September 18, after nearly 42 years on the air. 

The one-hour weekday program, hosted by John Trout, currently airs locally from 5 to 6 a.m. on Federal News Network (1500 WFED) in Washington. The network will replace it the following Monday, September 21, with The Bongino Report AM, a new one-hour show hosted by Dan Bongino. The program is slated to feed from 5 to 6 a.m. ET, with affiliates able to air it later in the morning. 

Westwood One President Collin Jones framed the move as doubling Bongino’s presence on the network after the recent launch of The Bongino Report PM. It is not yet known whether WFED will carry the new Bongino morning program. 

Earlier this week, sister Cumulus station WMAL added The Bongino Report PM to its lineup, carrying Bongino’s two-hour evening segment on weeknights. 

Jim Bohannon

America in the Morning debuted September 17, 1984, on the Mutual Broadcasting System with Jim Bohannon as host. Bohannon anchored the show for more than 31 years before Trout took over in December 2015. Bohannon continued contributing features, including the popular “Offbeat” segment, until his death in November 2022. 

The program mixed overnight news from AP Radio, AccuWeather forecasts, CNBC market previews, sports scores, and analysis, and won a 2018 New York Festivals Radio Award for news magazine. A weekend companion, America This Week, has also been available from Westwood One. 

The cancellation closes one of the longest-running network newsmagazines in radio. Westwood One is shifting the 5 a.m. hour from a traditional news-magazine format toward commentary-driven talk built around Bongino’s brand.

Networks Warned To Not Mix Nielsen Measurement Ratings

Nielsen told television networks they may not mix its ratings with internal or third-party data when making comparative audience claims in the press, a reminder issued as the measurement firm rolls out major methodology changes ahead of a packed sports season.

The agency said “mixing internal or third-party data with Nielsen metrics to make comparative statements in the press is not permissible.” 

Front Office Sports reports the rule is not new, but networks have often blended figures when reporting live sports audiences.

NBC has regularly used Total Audience Delivery numbers that combine Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurements with Adobe Analytics digital data. The issue sharpened during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, when Fox released strictly Nielsen figures while NBCUniversal-owned Telemundo used the TAD blend and highlighted growing appeal among non-Spanish speakers. Nielsen has since increased scrutiny of competitive claims built on mixed data.

NBC did not immediately comment. 

Its NFL releases have not typically used TAD for comparisons. Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill welcomed the directive, writing that he hoped the “clear, fair policy will be rigorously enforced during football season” as NFL rights holders compete for viewers.

On Monday, Nielsen begins large-scale measurement changes, including an expanded co-viewing methodology — its third major shift in less than two years. The changes arrive as college and pro football, MLB and WNBA playoffs, and the new NBA and NHL seasons get underway.

The NFL called Nielsen’s latest moves “overly rushed” and said it is working more with rival measurement firms. “Our concern is that this is going to make measurement for the upcoming season muddled,” NFL senior vice president of data and analytics Paul Ballew said last week.

The policy and methodology changes will matter most around the NFL, still the most-watched programming on U.S. television.

Fox News Closes-In A CNN Web Traffic

According to Press Gazette’s analysis of Similarweb data covering July 2023 to July 2026, traffic to the biggest U.S. news websites rose into a 2024 peak and then fell sharply. 

Combined monthly visits to the 50 largest U.S. news sites climbed from about 4 billion in July 2023 to a three-year high of 4.9 billion in July 2024 — a 23% increase. By July 2026 that total had dropped to 3.1 billion, down 37% from the peak. The ten largest sites in July 2026 were down 18% from three years earlier, 32% from July 2024, and 15% from a year earlier. 

Four of those ten still posted three-year gains: The New York Times (up 0.48% to 406.3 million visits), People (up 10% to 126.6 million), the BBC (up 3% to 96.9 million), and Substack (up 179% to 95.9 million). Substack’s figure includes all publications hosted on its domain. 

Sites ranked 11th to 20th were down 20% versus July 2023, 36% versus July 2024, and 14% over the past year. Compared with 2023, Associated Press was up 28%, The Guardian’s U.S. audience was up 14%, and The Wall Street Journal was up 11%. USA Today surged in 2023–24, peaking at 203.5 million visits in November 2024, then fell to 89.9 million by July 2026. 

Search traffic followed the same arc. Across the top 10, organic search visits were down 11% over three years, 31% over two years, and 16% in the latest year. CNN’s search traffic fell 61% from its 2024 level. Search still accounted for about 30% of referrals in July 2026, little changed from 31% in 2023. 

Generative AI referred only about 0.4% of traffic on average. Press Gazette attributed the post-2024 slump to Google’s AI Overviews rollout in the U.S. in May 2024, weaker social referrals, and audience shifts toward individual creators and AI chat tools. Monthly rankings through mid-2026 show the same pattern: most of the top 50 sites were down year over year, with consistent exceptions including Substack and, at times, Al Jazeera and The Hill.

On Second Thought: CBC Changes Foolish Guidance

Canada’s public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada said Friday it will make an exception to its long-standing policy against calling specific attacks “terrorism” and will use that term for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, after a staff memo restating the rule drew sharp criticism from U.S. and Canadian officials.

Like The Associated Press and other news organizations, CBC’s journalistic standards normally require reporters to attribute the word “terrorism” to officials or other sources rather than use it in the news organization’s own voice. A memo reminding staff of that practice circulated ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

The reminder prompted a wave of criticism. FBI Director Kash Patel, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Republican members of Congress and Canada’s Conservative Party all condemned the approach after media reports about the memo.

Basem Boshra, CBC’s senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, said in a late Friday blog post that the public broadcaster would treat 9/11 as an exception. A “leaked excerpt” of the language policy had created confusion that CBC needed to address, he wrote.

“We are doing so to remove what has unfortunately (and unintentionally) become an impediment to clarity and public understanding,” Boshra said. For future politically or ideologically motivated attacks, he added, CBC will continue attributing motives to officials and experts.

Culture Minister Marc Miller praised the change on social media as a “welcome change to what was a piece of pedantic and foolish guidance that caused legitimate anger.” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree issued a statement shortly before Boshra’s post, saying the Canadian government “has always recognized 9/11 as the deadliest terrorist attack in history.”

Boshra also rejected claims that CBC had denied the attacks were terrorism. He said the network “has never said what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, was not terrorism” and had reported the findings of police, governments and the 9/11 Commission, but with attribution.

The controversy began after Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella reported that staff were told “do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.” Patel responded Thursday: “Any agency in Canada th doesn’t publicly reject this bastardization of history, and an insult to the souls lost during our largest terrorist attack in U.S. history will no longer have friend in this FBI.”

Calif's 'Nick Shirley Law' In Hands of Courts Or Washington

Republicans and congressional allies are asking the Justice Department to block California’s newly signed AB 2624, the privacy law they call the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” saying it will chill investigations of alleged fraud at immigrant-serving nonprofits. 

Democrats and Gov. Gavin Newsom say it only extends an existing confidentiality program to workers facing threats and doxxing. Newsom signed the bill Aug. 22. It takes effect Oct. 1, 2027.

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio coined the nickname and asked DOJ to intervene; nine House Republicans followed with a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche. Last week, YouTuber Nick Shirley rallied with GOP lawmakers at the Capitol, arguing Democrats created a “protected class” after his videos alleged fraud in Minnesota day cares and California hospices. A scuffle produced two arrests. 

The measure passed on party lines. Author Mia Bonta said service workers “are living in fear.” Newsom’s office said the law “has nothing to do with Nick Shirley.” 

Critics note she introduced it after Shirley’s reporting; supporters cite rising threats amid immigration politics. AB 2624 lets documented-threat victims use a substitute address on public records and allows civil suits for posting images or personal data with intent to incite imminent harm. It does not name journalists. 

Opponents still say the mix of secrecy and penalties will deter video investigations; Democrats say that claim is a smear. 

The fight now runs through courts and Washington.

Talk Host's NEPO Daughter Pleads Guilty To Fraud Charges

Laura Owens pleaded guilty Friday to fraud charges after faking a pregnancy with former Bachelor star Clayton Echard. The 36-year-old daughter of former KGO San Francisco radio host Ronn Owens admitted two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, one count of perjury and one count of taking another person’s identity. 

The Daily Mail reports 10 of 14 felony charges were dropped under the plea deal. She faces probation on three counts and either probation or up to 12½ years in prison on the remaining count when she is sentenced Oct. 23.

Owens was indicted in May 2025 on fraud, forgery and perjury charges tied to the alleged fake pregnancy. In August 2023 she filed a paternity petition in Phoenix court claiming Echard, 33, fathered twins after a one-night stand. Echard denied intercourse occurred, saying the pair only had romantic contact.

That November, Owens testified she was 24 weeks pregnant with twins. Prosecutors said she submitted a doctored sonogram and a fake pregnancy video. She later dropped the lawsuit and said she had miscarried.

Attorney Gregg Woodnick, who represents Echard and Owens’s ex-boyfriend Gregory Gillespie, said the guilty plea “is a step in the right direction towards acknowledging the significant harm that her crimes caused her victims and the community.”

Echard, who starred on Season 26 of The Bachelor and now works as a Scottsdale realtor, previously said the claims “turned his life upside down” and that Owens became “obsessed” after he ended contact. 

He said he felt “vindicated” when she was charged and has suggested her mother, former radio reporter Jan Black, enabled the conduct. Black denied that and has insisted the pregnancy was real, saying her daughter has been “tormented” online and selectively prosecuted.

Earlier this month, A federal bankruptcy court has dismissed the Chapter 11 case of Owens and his wife, Elizabeth Naylor, and barred them from filing a new bankruptcy petition for at least two years after finding that more than $130,000 in GoFundMe donations solicited amid Owens’ cancer diagnosis were largely spent on non-medical expenses.

Streamers Squeezing More Out Of Subscribers

Apple TV raised its prices immediately on Friday, lifting a monthly subscription to $14.99 from $12.99 and an annual plan to $119.99 from $99.99 — the streaming service’s fourth increase in four years.

Apple One individual bundles that include Apple Music, Apple Arcade, iCloud storage and other services also rose $2, to $21.95 a month. 

Unlike several rivals, Apple TV does not offer a cheaper ad-supported tier.

The move follows a wave of industry price hikes as streamers try to offset rising programming costs. Netflix recently increased its most expensive plan to $27 a month. Peacock raised its ad-supported tier to $12.99 and its premium plan to $19.99 earlier this month. ESPN will lift its unlimited plan to $31.99 a month in September. Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube Premium also raised prices earlier this year.

Apple launched Apple TV+ in 2019 at $4.99 a month as a low-cost perk for device owners and still offers a free three-month trial with a new Apple product purchase. The company has since positioned the service around high-end originals, now numbering more than 300 movies and series, including “Ted Lasso,” which returned for a fourth season this month, and “Severance.”

Apple TV also carries Formula 1 races in the United States plus Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games. Several of its shows have drawn awards attention: “The Studio” won 13 Emmys last year, and “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” are nominated for 19 and 18 awards this year.

Dolly Gets A Grand Ole Opry Send-Off With Songs and Videos

Carly Pearce and Jelly Roll closed the Grand Ole Opry’s official tribute to Dolly Parton on Saturday, Aug. 29, leading a sold-out crowd in “9 to 5” before the night ended with a video of Parton singing “I Will Always Love You.”

The country icon died Aug. 25 at age 80 after an undisclosed battle with cancer. Opry senior vice president and executive producer Dan Rogers called her “the most beloved human being in the world.” 

The evening mixed fond memories and heartfelt covers in a collective outpouring of love rather than heavy grief, according to The Tennessean. 

Parton’s presence was felt from the start. Fans lined up around flower beds of butterflies—her longtime symbol—before doors opened. Many women wore gowns and carried flowers; others wore Dolly T-shirts, cowboy hats and boots. Inside, a letter-writing station and a giant mural of Parton drew crowds.

Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

Videos of Parton’s Opry history played between performances. The most sentimental moment came from her niece Jada Star, who sang her original song “The Orchard” from the Parton family’s 2024 album Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables. Star told the crowd her family had “seen your tributes” and thanked them: “We couldn’t share Dolly with you any more than you could share the moon or sun with someone.”

Pearce invited the audience to sing as “9 to 5” began. Jelly Roll, a Nashville native who had posted an emotional tribute after Parton’s death, joined as the chorus kicked in. Performers returned to the stage, locked arms, and let Parton have the last word through footage of her 50th Opry anniversary performance.

“It's been a wonderful life for me and I appreciate all of you, and this song kind of sums up how I feel about you,” Parton said in the video. “So thank you so much, and I will always love you.” The crowd stood for the farewell.

Radio History: Aug 31

➦In 1916...Journalist Daniel Schorr born (Died at 93 – July 23, 2010). He covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR). Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his television journalism. Born in the Bronx, NY, he began his journalism career at the age of 13, when he came upon a woman who had jumped or fallen from the roof of his apartment building. After calling the police, he phoned the Bronx Home News and was paid $5 for his information.

Following several years as a stringer, in 1953 he joined CBS News as one of the recruits of Edward R. Murrow (becoming part of the later generation of Murrow's Boys).   Schorr died from an apparent "short illness" on July 23, 2010, at a Washington, D.C. hospital. He was 93 years old. Schorr's last broadcast commentary for NPR aired on Saturday, July 10, 2010.

➦In 1920...The first news program to be broadcast on radio was aired. The station was 8MK in Detroit, MI.

Circa 1920

8MK soon became WWJ and was founded by The Detroit News; the mixed letter/number calls were assigned to the station by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation, the government bureau responsible for radio regulation at the time. The 8 in the call sign referred to its location in the 8th Radio Inspection District, while the M in the call sign identified that the station operated under an amateur license. It is not clear why the Detroit News applied for an amateur license instead of an experimental license. As an amateur station, it broadcast at 200 meters (the equivalent of 1500 AM).

8MK was initially licensed to Michael DeLisle Lyons, a teenager, and radio pioneer. He assembled the station in the Detroit News Building but the Scripps family asked him to register the station in his name, because they were worried this new technology might only be a fad, and wanted to keep some distance. Later that year, Michael and his brother Frank, also assembled the first radio in a police car in Toledo, Ohio (with Ed Clark who started WJR 760 AM in Detroit). They captured a prowler using the radio, making national headlines. RCA got the contract to install radios in police cars across the country.

➦In 1941... Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee & Molly debuted on NBC. The show continued to air to 1957.

➦In 1942...'The Adventures of Superman', the long-running radio serial which started in 1940 on WOR NYC, moved to the Mutual Broadcast System. It aired as a 15-minute serial, running three or, usually, five times a week. From February 7 to June 24, 1949, it ran as a thrice-weekly half-hour show. The series shifted to ABC Saturday evenings on October 29, 1949, and then returned to afternoons twice a week on June 5, 1950, continuing on ABC until March 1, 1951. In all, 2,088 original episodes of The Adventures of Superman aired on radio.