HOFer Terry Bradshaw Knows His TV Career Is 'Coming to End'

Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw said this week that his long television career as an NFL broadcaster is nearing its end.

“I realize my time on television as a sports broadcaster is coming to an end,” the 78-year-old said on “NBC News Daily” while discussing his new memoir, “Looking for Terry.”

CNN To Fight WH Ban 'To The End'

CNN’s Mark Thompson vows to fight White House press restrictions “to the end” after judge blocks ban as likely unconstitutional.

CNN Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Mark Thompson said Wednesday the network will resist President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit its access to the White House “to the end,” following a federal judge’s finding that the administration’s ban on the network and two other outlets likely violated the First Amendment.

Trump Wants His Way, Appeals Ruling on WH Ban

The Trump administration formally appealed Wednesday a federal judge’s ruling that blocked President Donald Trump from banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from the White House.

Justice Department attorneys filed a notice of appeal challenging U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly’s preliminary injunction issued Tuesday. The case now moves to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where the administration will seek to overturn the order protecting the three outlets’ White House press credentials while their lawsuit proceeds.

BBC Asks Judge To Force Trump To Sit For Deposition

The BBC has asked a federal judge in Florida to order President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, after his lawyers canceled an agreed-upon date and proposed delaying it until after the discovery deadline.

In a Tuesday filing, the BBC said the two sides had scheduled the deposition for Friday, but Trump’s lawyers informed them on Sept. 28 that he was “no longer available… due to other matters of national importance.” 

Among Cord-Cutters, Many Return Within Six Months

Pay-TV penetration has stabilized after years of decline, holding at 57% of all U.S. households and in the low-to-mid 50% range among internet households, even as SVOD adoption exceeds 90% and the average subscription TV household now takes more than six video services across pay TV and streaming.

Consumers are managing these larger portfolios without materially increasing overall entertainment spending, intensifying competition for wallet share, according to Parks Associates. “Consumers still value live sports, news, and events, but they increasingly reject the traditional large-channel bundle,” said Michael Goodman, Director, Entertainment Research, Parks Associates.

Good Morning! The Pulse Has Your Morning Briefing For Oct 15

Radio Broadcasting

Political Rates: SCOTUS has blocked a lower court order and allowed the FCC’s policy that lets political parties receive the same low broadcast advertising rates as candidates to remain in effect. MORE

Radio Matters: New research from Audacy, conducted with YouGov and MRI-Simmons, highlights the role of AM/FM radio in reaching commuting voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. MORE

Radio Listeners Respond: Cumulus' KMJ In Fresno has raised$400K+ For Food Bank. MORE

SCOTUS Blocks Quick Review of Party Ad Discount Policy

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration, blocking a lower court from forcing the FCC to quickly resolve Democratic objections to a policy that lets political parties buy campaign ads at the same discounted rates required for candidates.

The unsigned order extended a prior pause, saying federal law does not require the FCC to act on a fixed timetable and that judges would violate the separation of powers by intervening in the agency’s process. “The Commission may exercise its discretion to set its own procedures and schedule for resolving such applications,” the majority wrote. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

A divided appeals court had accused the FCC of “gamesmanship” aimed at shielding the policy from judicial review before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The high court had previously blocked the same appeals court from halting the policy while the FCC finished its internal review.

Taxpayer Funded Ad Ban Extended

A federal judge has extended a temporary ban on taxpayer-funded television ads praising President Trump until November 8, ensuring the ads stay off the air past Election Day, and scheduled a November 4 hearing on whether to make the restriction permanent.

ESPN Reports Sixth Straight Year of Viewership Growth

• ESPN networks capture 31% of all sports viewing despite World Cup and Winter Olympics competition 
• Female viewership rises 14%, accounting for more than one-third of network audience 
• Average monthly reach grows to 239.4 million users across linear, digital and social platforms 

ESPN continued its momentum in fiscal year 2026, delivering a 10% year-over-year increase in total viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC and marking the sixth consecutive year of linear television growth. The gains came during a highly competitive sports media landscape that included the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics on competing networks.

TV Ratings: WNBA Hits Record High

Viewing figures for the WNBA hit record highs on ABC, CBS and ESPN this season, the league said Wednesday, citing the addition of two expansion teams as a key factor.

ABC averaged 1.56 million viewers, up 9% from 2025, while CBS averaged 1.27 million, also up 9%. ESPN averaged 1.24 million viewers, a 32% increase from the previous year.

Shareholders Okay Fox Acquisition of Roku

Fox and Roku shareholders approved the companies’ $22 billion merger in preliminary tallies from special meetings held Wednesday, clearing a key hurdle for the deal that remains subject to U.S. regulatory review.

Full vote results will be disclosed later in Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Department of Justice issued a “second request” for more information in September, extending the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act waiting period until 30 days after both sides substantially comply, unless the DOJ ends the review early or the companies agree to a further extension.

Netlifx Cuts 1000 Staffers

Netflix is cutting roughly 1,000 jobs, or about 6% of its workforce, as the streaming giant contends with slowing growth.

The layoffs, concentrated in the product, technology, legal, and human-resources teams, were announced Wednesday by co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters in an email to staff.

Fresno Radio: KMJ Raises $400K+ For Food Bank

Cumulus Media Fresno’s NewsTalk 580/105.9 KMJ recently teamed with local agriculture company Gar Inc. for the 2026 Annual Feeding Families Fund Drive, to raise funds for the Central California Food Bank - and WOW did KMJ listeners respond! 

During a day-long broadcast on September 18th at The Market, KMJ listeners came through with amazing generosity, donating nearly $300,000. Fresno Madera Farm Credit/CoBank chipped in an additional $30,000 while Gar Inc. added a whopping $100,000 - bringing the total raised for the Central California Food Bank to $428,492. That equates to more than 1.7 million meals for the less fortunate in California’s San Joaquin Valley.  

Radio History: Oct 15

➦In 1878....Thomas Edison and a group of investors formed the Edison Electric Light Company.

➦In 1909...Radio, TV news anchor Robert Trout was born Robert Albert Blondheim (Died at age 91 November 14, 2000). He is best remembered for his radio work before and during World War II for CBS News. He was regarded by some as the "Iron Man of Radio" for his ability to ad lib while on the air, as well as for his stamina, composure, and elocution.

Radio Matters With Commuting Voters

With Election Day approaching, Audacy’s Haley Teare-Lombardo and Ray Borelli spoke with Campaigns & Elections about a growing challenge for political advertisers: reaching more of the voters who matter without simply paying to reach the same people again.

In the interview, they share new Audacy research conducted with YouGov and MRI-Simmons that explains why commuters are a particularly valuable audience for the 2026 midterms—and how radio can help campaigns extend beyond traditional TV and digital buys.

Spotify Making A Strategic Bet On Joe Rogan

Spotify’s multi-year renewal with Joe Rogan is less about locking down an exclusive and more about securing the right to sell the show and its advertising.

Writing in Media, Built, Steve Raizes frames the deal as a licensing and ad-sales arrangement rather than a pure content exclusivity play. Spotify has not disclosed the financial terms, though The Wall Street Journal reported they are similar to Rogan’s 2024 agreement, which was valued at up to $250 million. Unlike his original Spotify contract, the new deal is not exclusive: Rogan continues to publish episodes on Apple and YouTube.