Good Morning! The Pulse Starts Thursday, Aug 20

Radio Broadcasting

Gen Z Is Listening: New data from iHeartMedia and Critical Mass Media shows broadcast radio reaches 90% of teenagers monthly and dominates Gen Z’s ad-supported audio time, challenging the common claim that no one under 40 listens to the radio. The research, released Wednesday, finds that Gen Z’s desire for community and belonging is fueling a resurgence in radio engagement. 

Stop License Review: Disney sues the FCC, becoming the first major broadcaster to take the Trump-era commission to court over alleged retaliation for its editorial decisions. The company is asking a federal judge to immediately halt accelerated license reviews, arguing the FCC is improperly using its regulatory power to punish constitutionally protected speech and pressure ABC into changing its programming

It's National Radio Day: Though we typically attribute the invention of the radio to Gugliemo Marconi in the 1890s, Nikola Tesla was reportedly first to demonstrate radio in 1893. Nonetheless, the process spanned decades, with many scientists making small but significant contributions to the understanding of electromagnetic induction, electric conduction, and radio waves.

Media Industry

FNC Tops Weekday Prime: FOX News Channel (FNC) concluded the week of August 10th with 2.4 million weekday primetime viewers and 229,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, dominating all of television and outpacing NBC (2.4 million viewers), ABC (2.3 million viewers) and CBS (1.8 million viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. 

MS NOW is launching DTC Streaming Service: MS NOW Membership, on Sept. 9, lets viewers watch Rachel Maddow and other hosts without a traditional pay-TV subscription.

PSKY's Economic Impact: A Los Angeles County report on the economic impact of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and the numbers are startling.  If the deal were to go through, the study says, LA County would take an economic hit of $2.78 billion, while the region would lose 4,500 film and TV jobs between 2027 and 2030.

RIP: Telemundo executive José Alberto Suárez died in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya. Suárez was the president and general manager for Telemundo stations in Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa. The crash, which had no survivors, is currently under investigation by Kenyan authorities. Five Americans were among the seven people killed in the incident.

U-S News

Economic D-Day: President Trump vowed to unleash what he called “ECONOMIC D-DAY” on Iran as frustrations mount over lack of progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz or reaching a deal to end the nearly six-month war. Trump said on Wednesday evening he would launch a major economic campaign against Iran and any entity that does business with the regime.

House Ethics Probe: A California Democratic congressman, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, is accused by a woman of sexual assault and harassment, prompting a House Ethics Committee investigation amid a broader Capitol Hill ethics reckoning affecting members of both parties.

On the Move: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly moving back to the United Kingdom this month, with their children Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) set to start school there in September, after six years in the United States.

CMM: Gen Zers Are Listening to Radio

iHeartMedia has unveiled new consumer research, fielded through Critical Mass Media, examining Gen Z's relationship with audio and the surprising resilience of broadcast radio among younger audiences. The study reveals that Gen Z's desire for community and belonging is driving a surprising resurgence in radio engagement, with the medium continuing to serve as a key source of music discovery, social connection and shared cultural experiences for young listeners.

According to Nielsen, broadcast radio reaches 90 percent of teenagers (13–19) monthly, ahead of YouTube (75 percent), TikTok (58 percent) and ad-supported Spotify (26 percent). Crucially, radio dominates Gen Z's ad-supported audio time with 47 percent, according to Edison Share of Ear, outpacing 31 percent for streaming music and 21 percent for podcasts.

"While Gen Z is conventionally thought to want everything on-demand and tailored to their needs, the data shows that teenagers are gravitating to the safety and anonymity of radio to create community," said Lainie Fertick, President of Insights for iHeartMedia. "In a world where young people often feel pressure to curate how they present themselves online, radio offers a shared experience where identity isn't being evaluated and personal taste isn't on trial."

The new study explains why Gen Z connects with radio:

Fear of Judgment Is Shaping Gen Z Behavior - Growing up in an era defined by social media, mobile technology and AI has created a heightened sensitivity to judgment among younger consumers. 40 percent of Gen Z say they have decided not to post something they care about on social media because they worried peers might use it to embarrass them. Additionally, 44 percent say they have actively reduced their social media usage, while 43 percent of teens report feeling pressure to only post content that makes them look good to others. More than one-third (37 percent) feel pressure to share only content that will generate a high number of likes or comments, and 45 percent have deleted posts that received too little validation from others.

Music may define Gen Z's identity, but radio helps them connect without judgment: For Gen Z, music is far more than entertainment, it's a reflection of personal identity. Nearly all Gen Z listeners (96 percent) say the music they choose says something about who they are, and 68 percent update their playlists daily or weekly, compared to 44 percent of all listeners. Yet that self-expression comes with pressure: seven in 10 worry about being judged for what they play, more than double the rate of listeners age 35 and older.

Radio offers an alternative. Rather than putting young listeners in the position of selecting the soundtrack for a group, radio removes that responsibility and the potential criticism that can come with it. 85 percent of Gen Z respondents say they feel less likely to be judged when listening to radio with others, while 77 percent say radio feels safer or less risky to play in a group setting. Eight in 10 consider it appropriate for virtually any audience, including friends, parents, coworkers and children. This dynamic helps explain why 84 percent default to radio when riding in a car with others and 60 percent say it's simply easier to enjoy as a group, making Gen Z the biggest co-listening generation to date.

Co-listening is a Gen Z behavior, not a legacy one: This co-listening trend is unique to Gen Z. 63 percent listen to radio with others frequently or nearly always, versus 42 percent of all radio listeners — a 50 percent higher likelihood than any other age group. Compared to all listeners, they over-index on listening with friends (59 percent vs 36 percent) parents (59 percent vs 14 percent) and siblings (39 percent vs 13 percent). Unlike older generations who typically listen in the mornings, Gen Z’s co-listening time is concentrated in the late afternoon and evening when they’re often around others. For 57 percent of respondents, co-listening happens naturally when friends are together, and that’s often in the car (93 percent), running errands (61 percent), road trips (57 percent) and commuting (54 percent).

Airplay converts to conversation, and conversation moves product: An added bonus of co-listening is that it leads to more discussions between groups influenced by the shared experience. In the study, 80 percent of Gen Z respondents say they like to talk to others about what they hear on the radio, whether that’s songs, artists, news headlines, DJ bits and content, and even advertisements. Overall, 91 percent say radio gives their social circles something to talk about and 90 percent say hearing it together sparks conversation afterward. In addition, 81 percent say they’re more likely to talk about what they hear when listening with others than alone -- and 6 in 10 say mentioning a song, artist, brand or product out loud makes them more likely to search for more information about it.

Atlanta Radio: “Chuck & Chernoff” Ends After More Than 25 years

“Chuck & Chernoff” ends after more than 25 years on Atlanta radioThe long-running afternoon sports talk show “Chuck & Chernoff” aired its final episode Tuesday on 680 The Fan and 93.7 FM, ending a pairing that defined Atlanta sports radio for a quarter-century.

Hosts Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff closed their run with an emotional farewell that mixed laughs, memories and guests, including Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. The atmosphere felt more like saying goodbye to familiar voices than the end of a radio program.

Oliver chose to step away because he could no longer balance the four-hour afternoon show with his separate two-hour college football program, which he has hosted for more than a decade. He will focus more heavily on the college football show while remaining involved with 680 The Fan in other roles. 

Chernoff is staying at the station and will take over the afternoon slot beginning Aug. 31 with longtime Atlanta radio personality John Kincade, who is returning after several years in Philadelphia.

“To Chuck, and I say this tongue-in-cheek, but sincerely, it’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had,” Chernoff said during the final sign-off. 

“Is it bumpy at times? Yes. But you work with somebody for two plus decades, it’s going to be bumpy. But I’ll say this, when this show was at its best, I’ll put it up against any show — not just in sports talk — but in radio.”

He described their listeners as the most “loyal, invested fan base listenership” in radio and called working with Oliver a “blessing.”

The duo first teamed up in the early 2000s at the now-defunct 790 The Zone. Chernoff joined 680 The Fan in 2008; Oliver followed. They moved into afternoon drive in 2011 and became one of Atlanta’s most recognizable sports radio pairs.

TV Ratings: Fox News Channel Dominates Weekday Primetime

FOX News Channel (FNC) concluded the week of August 10th with 2.4 million weekday primetime viewers and 229,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, dominating all of television and outpacing NBC (2.4 million viewers), ABC (2.3 million viewers) and CBS (1.8 million viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. 

During Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC secured nearly 2.1 million viewers, and in Monday – Sunday total day, FNC landed 1.3 million viewers. FNC continued to outrank NBC, ABC and CBS, surpassing the broadcast networks from summer to date (6/21/26 - 8/13/26). 

Notably, CBS Evening News delivered its second consecutive week with under four million total viewers, with the latest week drawing 3.8 million viewers. CBS Mornings also posted its 12th consecutive week with under 300,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, seeing 274,000 viewers.

The Five led cable news with total viewers, averaging 3.2 million viewers and 285,000 in the 25-54 demo. During the 6 PM/ET hour, Special Report with Bret Baier nabbed 2.4 million viewers and 193,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 7 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle notched 2.3 million viewers and 179,000 in the 25-54 demo. During the 8 PM/ET hour, Jesse Watters Primetime, featuring guest hosts throughout the week, drew 2.4 million viewers and 196,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity saw 2.3 million viewers and 216,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.

Ratings Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

FNC’s Gutfeld! (10 PM/ET) claimed the top spot among late-night programs, garnering 2.6 million total viewers, beating ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.4 million viewers), NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1.3 million viewers) and the airings of CBS' Comics Unleashed (729,000 viewers).

TV Ratings: ABC's WNT Holds Lead During Summer

For the 18th straight week, “World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.436 million) on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports) during the week of Aug 10, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• “World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.436 million), Adults 25-54 (1.162 million) and Adults 18-49 (829,000).
• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” by double digits (6.611 million, 999,000 and 703,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+28%/+1.825 million), Adults 25-54 (+16%/+163,000) and Adults 18-49 (+18%/+126,000), turning in its largest Adults 25-54 lead in nearly 4 months — since w/o 4/20/26.

TV Ratings: Meet The Press No.1 Across The Board

Meet the Press with Kristen Welker is the #1 Sunday public affairs show across the board, winning among total viewers, A25-54 and A18-49 demo viewers this past Sunday, August 16, according to Nielsen.

Meet the Press averaged 391,000 A25-54 viewers, leading ABC by +54,000 (+16%), marking its fourth consecutive week at #1.

Additionally, Meet the Press averaged 255,000 A18-49 viewers, leading ABC by +13,000 (+5%) and marking the third consecutive week at #1.

Nielsen To Introduce Additional Measurement Enhancements

Nielsen will roll out seven enhancements to its Big Data + Panel TV ratings methodology effective August 31/September 1, 2026, just ahead of the fall sports and broadcast seasons, aiming to deliver more accurate audience measurement—particularly for live sports events. 

The updates refine how the company captures co-viewing, adjusts universe estimates, improves weighting of panel and big data sources, and enhances demographic and Hispanic household representation. Nielsen emphasizes that the changes prioritize greater accuracy with no guarantee of higher ratings numbers. 

Key among the enhancements for sports is improved co-viewing measurement. It better incorporates data from Nielsen’s proprietary wearable devices—worn on panelists’ wrists like smartwatches—that passively capture audio from TVs and other screens. This reduces reliance on manual logging and provides a fuller picture of group viewing in households, a common pattern for live sports. 

Nielsen has more than 80,000 of these devices in the field and previously piloted the approach on major events including Super Bowl LX, where co-viewing contributed an average lift of about 4.2% across tested programming.

Disney Wants FCC To Stop ABC License Review Now

Brendan Carr

Disney sues the FCC, becoming the first major broadcaster to take the Trump-era commission to court over alleged retaliation for its editorial decisions.

The company is asking a federal judge to immediately halt accelerated license reviews, arguing the FCC is improperly using its regulatory power to punish constitutionally protected speech and pressure ABC into changing its programming. This marks a notable shift from other media organizations and reflects Disney’s more combative posture in recent months, including a viewer awareness campaign about the issue.

For new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who assumed the role in March, the lawsuit represents a sharp reversal from the more accommodating approach under predecessor Bob Iger. 

“Disney has a far stronger case against Carr than Carr has against Disney,” Blair Levin, a New Street Research analyst and former FCC chief of staff, told TheWrap. 

“I doubt any court would uphold Carr’s failure to renew Disney’s license.” Experts say a Disney victory could embolden other companies to resist FCC threats, while a loss could deepen the chilling effect already felt across the industry.

Charlotte Radio: Longtime Beasley MM Mac Edwards Sets Retirement

Beasley Media Group Vice President and Charlotte Market Manager Mac Edwards will step down September 4, ending a 35-year career with the company.  Edwards oversees Beasley’s six-station Charlotte cluster. 

The company has not yet named a successor.

A five-time recipient of Beasley Media Group’s Market Manager of the Year award and a multiple-time finalist for Radio Ink’s Radio Wayne Award for Best Manager, Edwards has also served on executive committees for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, as well as community and charitable groups in the markets where he worked.

MS Now Launching DTC Streaming Service

MS NOW is launching its first direct-to-consumer streaming service, MS NOW Membership, on Sept. 9, letting viewers watch Rachel Maddow and other hosts without a traditional pay-TV subscription.

The Versant-owned channel’s offering will include a live stream of its TV programming plus additional digital content and opportunities to interact with the network’s contributors and analysts. It will cost $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, with an introductory rate of $39.99 annually available through Sept. 30.

“Our mission has always been to inform, engage and empower our audience,” MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said in a statement. “Our Membership is the first step in a long-term strategy to deepen our relationship with audiences in ways that build on what they already value about MS NOW, while addressing what consumers told us was missing from the news experience.”

Like other cable networks, MS NOW faces declining pay-TV subscribers, a major revenue source. The channel, formerly known as MSNBC, has never before been available without a traditional subscription. 

CNN has offered its own streaming service since October for $6.99 a month, while Fox News is available through parent company Fox Corporation’s Fox One platform for $19.99 a month.

MS NOW is part of Versant, the new company formed from NBCUniversal cable channels spun off by Comcast. Versant is working to reduce its reliance on the shrinking pay-TV business as viewers shift to streaming.

The network already reaches large digital audiences, reporting 3.2 billion subscribers across YouTube and TikTok in 2026 and more than 80 million podcast downloads. Comscore data shows less than 10% overlap between its TV and digital viewers.

Audacy Announces Partnership With MeidasTouch Network

Audacy announced a strategic partnership with the MeidasTouch Network, the fast-growing independent media company founded by brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordan Meiselas. Audacy will become MeidasTouch's exclusive audio partner for sales and distribution, expanding and fortifying Audacy’s lineup of newstalk content.

The Meiselas brothers host “The MeidasTouch Podcast,” the No. 1 most downloaded and viewed podcast in America, consistently ranking ahead of leading programs in every major podcast category.*

The MeidasTouch Network will join Audacy on September 1, 2026, streaming everywhere podcasts are available. The shows will also continue to be available on YouTube. New episodes of “The MeidasTouch Podcast” are released every Tuesday and Friday morning, along with breaking news updates posted multiple times per day.

Clay Travis Lands 'The Next Round' For New Nat'l Platform

“The Next Round,” the popular Birmingham-based digital sports show hosted by Jim Dunaway, Ryan Brown and Lance Taylor, has signed a three-year, multimillion-dollar agreement with Clay Travis’ Sport & State platform, the show announced Wednesday.

The deal elevates the long-running program to a national stage while keeping its Alabama-centric focus and independent digital format. Financial terms were not disclosed beyond the multimillion-dollar, multi-year commitment.

Ryan Brown credited the show’s dedicated following for making the partnership possible. “More than anything, this is a testament to our audience really,” Brown told AL.com. 

NYC Radio: Pair Of ESPN 880 Shows To Simulcast On MSG Network

ESPN New York Radio 880’s “DiPietro and Rothenberg” morning show and “Don, Hahn and Rosenberg” afternoon show will be simulcast on MSG Network starting in September, under an expanded partnership announced Wednesday.

The exact September launch date, full simulcast schedule and platform availability will be announced later. The morning program, hosted by Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg, airs from 6-10 a.m. The afternoon show, hosted by Don La Greca, Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg, airs from 3-7 p.m.Knicks and Rangers games will continue to be carried on 880.

“Building upon our existing long-time relationship with ESPN New York was an inherently seamless fit for MSG Networks as we continue to enhance our programming,” said Kevin Marotta, MSG Networks senior vice president of content and marketing. “Delivering viewers additional opportunities to see and listen to game reactions from ESPN New York shows through the same platform as they are consuming Knicks and Rangers game broadcasts offers great continuity and a convenient extension of the viewing experience.”

Hahn, a Long Island native and Knicks analyst on MSG, said: “We’re all beyond excited to simulcast on MSG Network, which will give our shows an even bigger platform and audience to reach and entertain. Each of us has a personal and unique connection to all of the teams on the network — especially Don and me. That makes this partnership a perfect fit.”

La Greca also serves as the play-by-play announcer for Devils games on MSG.

NFL Network Signs Jason Kelce In Analysts Role

Jason Kelce will make his regular-season NFL game analyst debut this coming season, joining play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner in the booth for four of NFL Network’s seven games. 

The former Philadelphia Eagles center, who has served as a studio analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown since retiring after the 2023 season, will expand into live game commentary as part of ESPN’s handling of the NFL Network package. 

Jason Kelce

The Pasch-Warner-Kelce trio is scheduled to call the Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders matchup in London on Oct. 4, the Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars also in London on Oct. 11, the New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris on Oct. 25 (the NFL’s first game in France), and one of the two Week 16 games on Dec. 26. 

The remaining three NFL Network contests will be handled by Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick: Texans-Jaguars in London on Oct. 18, Bengals-Falcons in Madrid on Nov. 8, and the other Dec. 26 game. 

Kelce has built a prominent media presence since leaving the field, co-hosting the popular New Heights podcast with his brother Travis and appearing regularly on ESPN programming. Pasch and Warner share prior chemistry from Warner’s playing days with the Arizona Cardinals, when Pasch served as the team’s radio voice. 

The assignment allows Kelce to call an Eagles game for the first time in his broadcasting career and reflects ESPN’s continued investment in him during the final year of his current three-year contract.

The End of An Era

Columbia House will stop accepting new mail-order orders after Sept. 15, 2026, effectively ending its decades-long business.

The company’s website now notifies customers that no new purchases will be processed after that date. Its catalog is already sparse, listing just 12 “new releases,” most several years old—including the 2023 Owen Wilson comedy Paint, offered at an introductory price still higher than typical Amazon rates.

Columbia House, long known through its Columbia Record Club, built its reputation on aggressive introductory deals—most famously a dozen CDs for a penny—paired with negative-option billing that required members to buy additional titles at full price or navigate complicated cancellation rules. The practice generated significant revenue while expanding many Americans’ music collections, particularly among budget-conscious teenagers and their parents, but also drew widespread criticism.

The company reached its peak in the mid-1990s before online retailers such as Amazon undercut its model by offering straightforward purchases without ongoing commitments. It later shifted focus exclusively to movies. Its corporate history traces back to 1955 and entities that became Sony Music Entertainment, followed by multiple bankruptcies, ownership changes, and the current operation by Edge Line Ventures, which licenses the Columbia House name from Sony.

The shutdown arrives amid renewed consumer interest in physical media, a shift some observers note could have presented an opportunity to revive the brand.

Radio History: Aug 20

1893..It's National Radio Day. Though we typically attribute the invention of the radio to Gugliemo Marconi in the 1890s, Nikola Tesla was reportedly first to demonstrate radio in 1893. Nonetheless, the process spanned decades, with many scientists making small but significant contributions to the understanding of electromagnetic induction, electric conduction, and radio waves. For example, Heinrich Rudolph Hertz discovered radio waves in the 1880s, which helped prove a theory of electromagnetism put forth by James Clerk Maxwell in 1873. 

It took quite a bit of time after the discovery of the radio for the technology to be used as communication — this was both because the inventors hadn’t yet realized the practical and life-changing applications of their development and because there were many more components needed to transmit and detect electrical waves.

Public radio broadcasting has its own inventor and that’s Lee de Forest. He transmitted the first public radio broadcast, which featured the voices of opera stars, in 1910. De Forest’s Radio Telephone Company went on to manufacture the first commercial radios which could pick up a signal from miles away. 

Obviously, radio was huge for music and changed the landscape of the industry immediately. News took to the radio, as well, and announcers could quickly hop on air to deliver the happenings of the day to a massive audience. The first radio news program was broadcast on August 31, 1920, out of Detroit — at a station that survives today as WWJ. In the early 20th century, radio also began to be used for broadcasting sports, aiding telephone services, and even navigating by airplane. 

With the digital revolution and the wireless era, radio changed and adapted. Today, though radio is used for a variety of functions, it no longer holds its former top slot in entertainment and news media. With television, the internet, and more, it’s hard for radio to compete in that space – but people still love it, and it doesn’t look like radio is going away anytime soon. In fact, we appreciate radio even more these days for its old-school vintage.

Appeals Court Declines To Reconsider Nielsen Ruling

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday declined to reconsider its earlier ruling that bars Nielsen from bundling sales of its local and national radio audience data, locking in a significant victory for financially strained Cumulus Media.

The decision leaves intact a lower-court injunction that prevents the dominant ratings provider from forcing radio stations and advertisers to buy both datasets as a package. Cumulus, one of the largest radio operators in the United States, had challenged the practice as anticompetitive, arguing it inflated costs and limited choice in a struggling industry.

By refusing to rehear the case, the three-judge panel effectively ended Nielsen’s bid to revive the contested sales strategy.