Good Morning! Here's Your Briefing From the Pulse for Oct 22

Radio Broadcasting

Atlanta Promotion: Cox Media Group Atlanta has named Abby Jessen director of branding and programming for adult contemporary B98.5 (WSB-FM). MORE

FCC Urged to Keep Caps: Two longtime radio industry opponents have urged the FCC to preserve existing local radio ownership limits and market subcaps, meeting with an agency official as the Commission’s long-delayed 2022 Quadrennial Review continues. MORE

Flex Brawl At Knicks Game: Funkmaster Flex and former Hot 97 colleague TT Torrez (and her husband, music executive Shadow Stokes) have given sharply conflicting accounts of a physical altercation that took place inside the Delta Lounge at Madison Square Garden on the night of October 20, 2026.⁠ MORE

Media Industry

FNC Gains: FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of October 12th with over 2 million weekday primetime viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC nabbed over 1.7 million viewers, delivering an eight percent week-to-week growth in total viewers. Fifth Episode of CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ Down 14% in Total Viewers and 12% in the 25-54 Demo Year-over-Year MORE

WNT Dominates: “World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.356 million), Adults 25-54 (1.133 million) and Adults 18-49 (843,000) during the week of Oct. 12, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research. MORE

Record Earnings: Meta Platforms reported record third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion and said it will create a new class of nonvoting shares to help fund its artificial-intelligence investments while preserving founder Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control.⁠ MORE

U-S News

People Power: Rising electricity bills are forcing many Americans to tighten their budgets, with about one‑in‑five cutting grocery spending and one‑in‑four reducing heating or air‑conditioning. A Consumer Reports survey links higher costs to utility profits, data‑center demand, and infrastructure expenses, and highlights widespread distrust of regulators.

Michigan Face-Off: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly anchored Republican Mike Rogers to the sinking popularity of President Donald Trump during their second debate Oct. 21 for Michigan's open Senate seat. The two rivals faced off for the second time in as many weeks, in one of the tightest midterm elections that could determine which party controls the Senate.

Meta Fined: Meta was ordered by a New Mexico jury to pay a record $25 billion fine after being found liable for deceiving users about privacy, stemming from the Cambridge Analytica data‑harvest scandal.

TV Ratings: FNC Continues to Post Week-to-Week Growth

• Fifth Episode of CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ Down 14% in Total Viewers and 12% in the 25-54 Demo Year-over-Year

FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of October 12th with over 2 million weekday primetime viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC nabbed over 1.7 million viewers, delivering an eight percent week-to-week growth in total viewers. 

In Monday – Sunday total day, FNC notched 1.1 million viewers, posting a three percent week-to-week growth in total viewers. Markedly, the network also saw growth in the 25-54 demo in both Monday-Sunday primetime (eight percent) and total day (four percent). Notably, on October 18th, the fifth episode of CBS’ 60 Minutes continued to mark year-over-year declines, posting a 14 percent loss in total viewers and a 12 percent loss in the 25-54 demo.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

The Five dominated cable news with total viewers, securing nearly 2.8 million viewers. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier garnered nearly 2.1 million viewers and at 7 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle claimed almost 2 million viewers. During the 8 PM/ET hour, Jesse Watters Primetime drew nearly 2.4 million viewers while Hannity saw almost 1.9 million viewers in the 9 PM/ET hour.

TV Ratings ABC's WNT Wins Total Viewers and Prime Demos

“World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.356 million), Adults 25-54 (1.133 million) and Adults 18-49 (843,000) during the week of Oct. 12, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (6.642 million, 1.018 million and 755,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+26%/+1.714 million), Adults 25-54 (+11%/+115,000) and Adults 18-49 (+12%/+88,000).

Atlanta Radio: Abby Jessen Named Brand Manager At CMG's B98.5

Cox Media Group Atlanta has named Abby Jessen director of branding and programming for adult contemporary B98.5 (WSB-FM), effective immediately.

Jessen will lead the station’s programming, brand strategy, and audience growth while continuing her midday airshift. She’ll also keep hosting middays on three other CMG stations: Easy 102.9 in Jacksonville, 106.1 WNGC in Athens, and Hits 105.3 in San Antonio.

FCC's Gomez Says Disney Will Win FCC License Battle

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez predicts ABC will likely win its First Amendment lawsuit against the agency, praising Disney for pushing back against what she describes as regulatory pressure aimed at reshaping the network’s news, comedy, and programming.⁠

According to Axios, the lone Democratic commissioner at the FCC made the comments Tuesday at Axios’ Media Trends Live event in New York City. ABC and its parent company, Disney, sued the FCC in August, arguing that the agency’s unprecedented early review of licenses for eight ABC-owned stations amounts to retaliation for editorial decisions the administration dislikes.⁠

“I can tell you that I’m very glad Disney found its courage because I’ve said this time and time again: Capitulation breeds capitulation, but courage inspires courage,” Gomez told Axios. “And Disney speaking up for the First Amendment and for its free speech rights, for its editorial decisions, is very important. They clearly saw that it was in their interest, and they are committed.”⁠

Coalition Urges FCC To Keep Radio Ownership Caps In Place

Two longtime radio industry opponents have urged the FCC to preserve existing local radio ownership limits and market subcaps, meeting with an agency official as the Commission’s long-delayed 2022 Quadrennial Review continues.

The in-person meeting gave the two sides a platform to argue that current ownership restrictions should remain in place. Their position stands in contrast to a joint effort earlier this year by seven radio broadcasting companies that called on the FCC to modernize its rules and eliminate what they described as “archaic regulatory burdens that restrict radio’s ability to compete in the modern marketplace.”

NBA Opens Season With Historic Tripleheader on NBC

The NBA opened its 2026-27 season Tuesday with a historic tripleheader of marquee games broadcast live on NBC and Peacock, as the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder all won their openers.

The afternoon tip featured the Pistons defeating the Boston Celtics 121-113. In the most anticipated matchup of the day, the 76ers spoiled the New York Knicks’ season debut with a 106-100 victory at Madison Square Garden. The nightcap saw the Thunder top the San Antonio Spurs 116-104.

It marked the first time a network has ever aired three NBA Tip-Off games on the traditional late-October Tuesday start date. The broadcasts are part of the second year of the NBA’s 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.

Meta Reports Record 3Q Earnings

Meta Platforms reported record third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion and said it will create a new class of nonvoting shares to help fund its artificial-intelligence investments while preserving founder Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control.⁠

The company said revenue rose 26% from a year earlier and topped analysts’ expectations. Net income fell to $9.8 billion, well below the roughly $17.2 billion analysts had forecast, primarily because of a $9.9 billion legal charge tied to the settlement of social-media harm lawsuits. Shares rose about 4% in after-hours trading.⁠

Survey: Local TV News Led Sources During Hurricane Isaias

A survey of nearly 800 people affected by Hurricane Isaias found that 81% considered local broadcast station news assets the leading source of storm information, according to results released by TVB, a television advertising advocacy group.

The survey, conducted by Dynata after the storm, was the only hurricane to hit the U.S. East Coast in 2026. It struck the Florida Panhandle and parts of Alabama and Georgia. Of the 795 respondents, 55% reported losing electricity, 13% experienced flooding or property damage, and 9% were forced to evacuate.

NYC Radio: Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex Gets Into Fight at Knicks Game

Funkmaster Flex and former Hot 97 colleague TT Torrez (and her husband, music executive Shadow Stokes) have given sharply conflicting accounts of a physical altercation that took place inside the Delta Lounge at Madison Square Garden on the night of October 20, 2026.⁠

The incident occurred prior to the New York Knicks’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers—a night that also featured the raising of the Knicks’ 2025-26 NBA championship banner. Video of the scuffle quickly circulated on social media.⁠

R.I.P.: John Anderson, Country Music Hall of Fame Singer

John Anderson, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee known for hits including “Seminole Wind,” “Straight Tequila Night,” “Black Sheep” and “Swingin’,” died Wednesday at his home in Smithville, Tennessee. He was 71.⁠

Anderson’s family confirmed his death in a statement posted to Instagram Wednesday evening. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and best friend,” they wrote. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.⁠

Radio History: Oct 22

Parker Fennelly

➦In 1891...Parker Fennelly born in Maine (Died – January 22, 1988). He was an actor and playwright who appeared in ten films, numerous television episodes and hundreds of radio programs.

He was a longtime member of Allen’s Alley on NBC’s Fred Allen Show, portraying Titus Moody with a strong “Down East” accent. 

He was much in demand for numerous radio series based in New York, and over a 20 year span on various radio networks.

He died at age 96 on Jan. 22, 1988.

➦In 1939...the first televised pro football game aired from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. NBC’s flagship, W2XBS, carried the action. Brooklyn beat Philadelphia, 23-14. NBC later changed those experimental call letters to WRCA, and even later, to WNBC.

➦In 1961... In the midst of a growing “twist” craze, Chubby Checker was on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show, performing his original hit from the previous year, “The Twist,” along with his followup “Let’s Twist Again.” The resulting attention helped boost “The Twist” back to #1 by early 1962, marking the only time the same recording has hit the top spot on Billboard’s singles chart in two different years.

➦In 1969…Paul McCartney appeared in public to deny rumors of his death.

➦In 1986...NY Personality/Traffic Reporter Jane Dornacker died in a helicopter accident while working for WNBC 660 AM Radio in New York City (which became WFAN in 1988).