Update In Brief: Check the Pulse For Tuesday, Oct 27

Radio Broadcasting

St. Louis Approval: FCC regulators approved the $20M acquisition of six stations—including heritage news/talk KMOX-AM/FM—rejecting an informal objection that raised concerns about media consolidation, editorial independence, and local journalism. The FCC called the claims speculative. MORE

Promotion In Omaha: SummitMedia has appointed Aaron Wilborn as Market President of its Omaha operations, where he will oversee the company’s radio stations, digital platforms, and events business. MORE

Ravens Report: The Baltimore Ravens and WBAL NewsRadio announced Monday the Nov. 9 premiere of “Ravens Daily,” a two-hour, year-round weekday radio show hosted by “Voice of the Ravens” Kyle Youmans and former Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce. MORE

Media Industry

Skydance Buyouts: Company mandates five-day in-office workweek and is giving some employees a one-time voluntary buyout option. Eligible staff will receive personalized terms and a window to decide whether to accept the offer. MORE

Microsoft Buyout: Microsoft is extending voluntary buyout offers to roughly 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K., the company. MORE

Podcasts: Netflix has tapped former Apple executive Steve Wilson to lead its podcasting division, as the streamer expands its slate of licensed and original audio and video podcasts. MORE

U-S News

Comey Facing Charges: Former FBI Director James Comey is facing a third criminal case brought by the DOJ, which alleges he mishandled sensitive national defense information. Comey has denied all allegations, while the legal developments follow a recent judicial ruling regarding his daughter's unlawful firing.

Brew Crew Wins: The Brewers are one win away from history. With a 3-0 World Series lead, the dominant 103-win club is on the doorstep of the first championship in franchise history, 44 years after their last trip to the Fall Classic. MNF: The Eagles defense conceded a season-high 416 yards to the Dak Prescott-led Cowboys offense, powering their division rivals to a 38-21 victory.

Aikman Talks Career: Troy Aikman is involved in one of the most high-profile broadcasting dramas of the NFL season, as his contract standoff with ESPN – not to mention his feud with longtime partner and friend Joe Buck – has become one of the talking points of the season. MORE

St Louis Radio: FCC Clears Hoffmann’s Purchase of Audacy Cluster

FCC regulators approved the $20 million acquisition of six stations—including heritage news/talk KMOX-AM/FM—rejecting an informal objection that raised concerns about media consolidation, editorial independence, and local journalism. The FCC called the claims speculative. 

The deal marks Hoffmann’s first entry into radio broadcasting; the company already has significant newspaper and digital interests through Lee Enterprises and Hoffmann Media Group.

Hoffmann’s Audacy St. Louis acquisition is the first concrete step in a deliberate national strategy to build a large-scale, multi-platform local media company by pairing newspapers with radio stations in the same markets.

Key Details of the St. Louis Acquisition

The portfolio includes:

• KMOX (1120 AM / 104.1 FM) — the longtime “Trusted Voice of St. Louis” and flagship for St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
• KFTK-FM (97.1) — News/Talk.
• Music outlets: KYKY (Y98, Hot AC), KEZK (102.5, Adult Contemporary), WFUN (96.3 R&B), and WHHL (Hot 98.7, Hip-Hop/R&B).

Troy Aikman Says Broadcasting Could Be 'Taken Away From Me'

Troy Aikman said he is realizing how much he values broadcasting as he enters the final year of his ESPN contract, expressing hope that his role is not taken away from him.

Speaking on Dallas Cowboys insider Mike Fisher’s YouTube show ahead of calling the Cowboys’ “Monday Night Football” game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 26, the three-time Super Bowl champion said the possibility of losing the job has sharpened his appreciation for the work.

Skydance Offers Voluntary Buyouts

• Company also mandates five-day in-office workweek

Skydance is giving some employees a one-time voluntary buyout option as it combines Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery following the close of their $110 billion merger. Eligible staff will receive personalized terms and a window to decide whether to accept the offer.

Buffalo Radio: Country Goes Classic On WUSW

Radio One Buffalo has launched US Country on WUSW in Buffalo, N.Y., introducing a Classic Country format featuring hits from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. The station, which targets listeners throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario, is branded as “US Country – Buffalo’s Country Favorites.”

Omaha Radio: Summit Names Aaron Wilborn as Market President

SummitMedia has appointed Aaron Wilborn as Market President of its Omaha operations, where he will oversee the company’s radio stations, digital platforms, and events business.

Wilborn joins SummitMedia from Dick Broadcasting Company, where he has served as President since 2018, leading the company’s radio group as well as its digital and events divisions. 

Steve Wilson To Lead Podcasts For Netflix

Netflix has tapped former Apple executive Steve Wilson to lead its podcasting division, TheWrap has learned, as the streamer expands its slate of licensed and original audio and video podcasts.

The appointment, first reported Monday by Bloomberg, comes just over a week after Peter Rice replaced Bela Bajaria as Netflix's chief content officer.

Wilson spent nearly 15 years at Apple, from 2006 to 2020, and was among the earliest members of the Apple Podcasts team. He later served as chief strategy officer at Daylight Media, formerly QCODE, from 2020 to 2026.

Microsoft Offers Voluntary Buyouts

Microsoft is extending voluntary buyout offers to roughly 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K., the company said Monday. The time-limited program, available to select workers, includes financial support and career planning resources.

Eligible employees will receive an email with their individual offer details within hours, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said in a message to staff. “The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter,” she wrote.

Six Americans Sue Trump Over WH Press Access Limits

Six Americans sued President Donald Trump on Monday, arguing that his administration’s restrictions on White House press access violate the public’s First Amendment right to independent reporting on the government.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York by Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute and Yale Law School’s Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic, challenges the policy of excluding news organizations over coverage the president considers false or unfavorable. It seeks protections for the entire press corps, saying the threat of lost access discourages critical reporting.

Record College Football Viewership Propels ESPN

• ESPN networks are averaging 2.2 million viewers through Week 7, the second-best start to a college football season since 2011 
•  ESPN and ABC have aired eight of the season’s 10 most-watched games across all networks and a record eight telecasts with at least 8 million viewers through Week 7 
• College GameDay is on pace for its most-watched season ever, averaging 2.8 million viewers with six of the nine most-watched regular-season episodes in the show’s history

College football on ESPN is delivering its second-best start since 2011, with viewership up 15 percent over two years. Through Week 7, the sport is on pace for unprecedented viewership across linear windows, with ABC’s Saturday prime window posting its highest per-game average on record and College GameDay recording six of its nine most-watched regular-season episodes in history.

Baltimore Radio: ‘Ravens Daily’ to Debut on WBAL NewsRadio

Michael Pierce, Kyle Youmans

The Baltimore Ravens and WBAL NewsRadio announced Monday the Nov. 9 premiere of “Ravens Daily,” a two-hour, year-round weekday radio show hosted by “Voice of the Ravens” Kyle Youmans and former Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce.

The program will air live Monday through Friday from 3–5 p.m. on WBAL NewsRadio and multiple Ravens digital platforms, offering specialized analysis and conversation both during the season and throughout the offseason.

Official: Jay-Z To Headline S-B Halftime Show

Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show, ESPN announced Monday night, ending weeks of speculation about whether the rapper would perform himself.

The announcement came in a short black-and-white clip aired during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys–Philadelphia Eagles game. Jay-Z appeared seated in a stadium stand beneath the words, “Goat’s out of the bag.”

The show is scheduled for February 14 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Jay-Z said the performance would mark a milestone in his career: “From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey. Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”

R.I.P.: Norman Feuer, Longtime Broadcast, Radio Executive

(1938-2026)

Norman Feuer, a longtime broadcaster and radio executive who led stations and companies across the country over a career spanning more than five decades, died Oct. 19 after a three-year battle with dementia. He was 88.

Feuer’s career included leading Triathlon Broadcasting as president and CEO from 1995 to 1999, when the publicly traded company expanded to 32 stations in mid-sized and smaller markets. Capstar acquired Triathlon in 1999 for $200 million.

He also led major station turnarounds. 

R.I.P.: Donnie Iris, Pittsburgh-Based Singer/Songwriter

Donnie Iris (1943-2026)

Pittsburgh music legend Donnie Iris died at age 83, just two weeks after announcing his retirement from performing.

Iris had been battling cancer for several years. Iris, born Dominic Ierace, was famous for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry in the 1970s and for his solo career with the Cruisers in the 1980s. 

Radio History: Oct 27

➦In 1920...Westinghouse's radio station in East Pittsburgh, KDKA was issued the first-ever commercial radio license.  But it would be another week before it took to the air .. with the Harding-Cox election returns Nov. 2.   The audience was approximately 1,000 people.

KDKA's roots began with the efforts of Westinghouse employee Frank Conrad who operated KDKA's predecessor 75 watt 8XK from the Pittsburgh suburb of Wilkinsburg from 1916. Conrad, who had supervised the manufacturing of military receivers during WWI, broadcast phonograph music and communicated with other amateur radio operators via 8YK. On September 29, 1920, the Joseph Horne department store in Pittsburgh began advertising amateur wireless sets for $10, which could be used to listen to Conrad’s broadcasts.

Layoffs On the Table as Comcast Transitions

Comcast is launching the largest cost-cutting transformation in its history, an overhaul expected to cost more than $1 billion in the next fiscal quarter while delivering substantially greater long-term savings, executives said on an earnings call Thursday.

The changes center on redesigning the organization, simplifying its structure, investing in technology including expanded AI for customer experience, and adding technology leadership to accelerate innovation. Chief financial officer Jason Armstrong told analysts, “We are fundamentally redesigning our organization. We’re simplifying our organizational structure to move faster, improve execution, and operate more efficiently.”