TWH Bars CNN From Travelling With Trump on Air Force One

The White House blocked CNN from accompanying President Trump on a Saturday trip to Tennessee, a network spokeswoman confirmed Friday night, the latest escalation in a weeklong standoff with the Washington press corps.

The decision immediately raised whether the television pool would cover the trip. The rotating group of networks that film the president’s daily activities had boycotted those duties this week after Trump first barred CNN from the pool.

A Friday night White House email laying out Saturday logistics listed no primary television pool representative. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Associated Press is reporting CNN was replaced by Real America’s Voice News, a conservative network, for the president’s trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance. Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday Saturday.

The news came just after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from the White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organizations a reprieve.

The dispute began last Friday when Trump posted on Truth Social that he was banning three outlets from the White House for “constantly” writing negatively about his administration.

On Thursday a federal judge ordered the White House to restore the journalists’ credentials “immediately.” On Friday the White House allowed CNN to film Trump and Xi at an event at the National Archives in Washington; the TV pool then resumed coverage.

The outlets’ lawsuit asked the White House to restore the access they had before the ban. 

TWH Press Ban: It's Not Over, Until The Judge Says It's Over

President Donald Trump's administration complied on Thursday with a judge's order to restore White House access to three media ​outlets he had banned last week — CNN, Politico, and MS NOW — but litigation over the ban is not over yet.

Here is what ‌to know about the next steps in the lawsuit filed by the three media outlets. according to Reuters.

DID THE JUDGE ISSUE A FINAL RULING?

No. The judge assigned to the case, US District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, issued a temporary order that reinstated the outlets’ access for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeded.

In his ruling, Kelly said legal precedents make clear that once White House press credentials ​are issued to journalists, they have a right to "notice and an opportunity to be heard" before those credentials are revoked.

Get Smart...Get An App for Your Station

Younger listeners now use their phones more than the dashboard radio in the car. Edison Research’s latest Share of Ear data shows Americans ages 13–34 spend 46% of in-car audio time on a mobile device and 43% on a traditional AM/FM receiver, the first time phones have taken the lead in that age group. 

The crossover did not happen overnight. In 2015, radio receivers held a 47-point advantage in the car among 13- to 34-year-olds, 66% to 19%. Radio’s share fell to 58% by 2018 and 46% by 2021 as mobile climbed to 38%. The lines crossed in 2025, when mobile edged ahead 44% to 43%, and the gap has widened slightly since. 

The finding measures the device, not the content. Some of that phone time is still AM/FM — streamed through a station app, CarPlay, or Android Auto. That distinction matters: Edison recently found AM/FM still accounts for 70% of ad-supported in-car listening among the same 13–34 group, far ahead of podcasts and ad-supported streaming music. Radio content is not disappearing. The tuner is. 

That is the strategic warning. If the industry treated “app-first” as a slogan instead of a product standard, it is now paying for the delay. The audience radio most needs to replace older listeners already treats the phone as the default audio remote, including behind the wheel.

Where Things Stand: AM Drive At NYC's Classic Hits WCBS-FM

Longtime New York radio personality Race Taylor told listeners Friday morning he would be leaving the morning show at Audacy Classic Hits 101.1 WCBS-FM. The station has not announced who will take over the 6–10 a.m. slot.

Whoever hosts next, chances are the WCBS-FM will continue its strategy to maintain its position in the market.

WCBS-FM’s morning strategy has been consistent even as the hosts have changed: protect a heritage classic-hits brand in New York’s most expensive daypart by putting a familiar local voice in front of the music, then handing the later morning to a long commercial-free music sweep that competes with playlists and iHM's WLTW Lite FM. 

That approach sits on three pillars.

Brendan Carr 'Deeply Concerned' About Parental Rights

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he is “deeply concerned” that more than 60 House Democrats are opposing what he described as parents’ right to know when children’s television shows include gender-identity themes. 

In a Sept. 22 letter responding to lawmakers led by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., Carr wrote that the Democrats’ stance would leave families “in the dark” about programming rated as suitable for young children. He called the position “extreme” and said it comes amid what he characterized as a surge of children’s shows that include transgender or nonbinary themes without disclosure. 

“I am deeply concerned by the position that you and over 60 of your Democrat colleagues in the House of Representatives are taking regarding the right of parents to know whether their sons or daughters are being exposed to controversial gender identity ideologies including the promotion of transgender and gender non-binary programming, in television shows that are rated as appropriate for young children,” Carr wrote. 

He added that the lawmakers “come out swinging against both transparency and common sense.” The dispute traces to an April 2026 FCC public notice asking whether the voluntary TV Parental Guidelines should flag “gender identity themes” in programs rated TV-Y, TV-Y7, or TV-G. The agency said some parents had complained that industry ratings treat such content as appropriate for young children without telling families it is present. 

It Was The Week That Was for Media Unity

Media outlets staged a rare show of unity this week against the Trump administration, with TV pools refusing to air footage of the president’s events and CNN’s Brian Stelter even citing Fox News as an ally.

The Columbia Journalism Review’s Susie Banikarim, writing in Laurels and Darts, was not convinced the solidarity would force the White House to back down. “Whether this incredible display of fellowship will force the White House to stand down remains to be seen,” she wrote. A cynic, she added, might conclude the effort had “less to do with principle and more to do with a recognition that appeasement buys no protection from the Trump administration.”

CJR still awarded a laurel to “everybody who showed up to support their colleagues this week.” Banikarim expressed hope that “the show of unity won’t be needed again soon.”

Townhall and Salem Radio Network host Larry Elder took the opposite view of Trump’s press restrictions. “What took so long?” he asked. Elder said Trump is “angry at the blatantly biased and Trump-despising legacy media,” blames them for poor poll numbers, and that “his bitterness is more than justified.” Even with “a lot of good news” about the administration, Elder argued, legacy coverage “stands in stark contrast with the breathless drum-beating coverage of the Russia-Trump collusion hoax.”

Whether this week’s episode has lasting effect is unclear. The Trump news cycle moves quickly; by next week the media ban may already feel like old news.

Cleveland Radio: iHM Super Sizes NBA Cavs Broadcast Deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named iHeartMedia Cleveland their official exclusive radio partner Friday, ensuring every game airs only on iHeart-owned stations and keeping the NBA team on heritage News/Talk WTAM 1100 AM/106.9 FM and Rock station 100.7 WMMS. 

For the first time, all 82 regular-season games, preseason contests and playoff games will be broadcast live exclusively across a 19-station Rock Entertainment Sports Network serving Ohio and nearby markets, including Akron, Canton, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown, Erie, Pa., and Parkersburg, W.Va. Fans can also stream games through the Cavs App and the iHeartRadio app. Cavaliers EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Kaiser said the deal delivers “the most accessible broadcast we’ve had in years,” pairing wider reach with an enhanced product. 

iHeart Area Senior Vice President of Programming Keith Kennedy said the company is excited to bring every game to one of the NBA’s most passionate fan bases “from Cleveland to communities across the state.” 

Play-by-play announcer Tim Alcorn returns for his eighth season on every game, joined on select national broadcasts by Cavaliers reporter Serena Winters. Studio host Mike Snyder is back for his 35th year on pregame, halftime and postgame coverage; analyst Brad Sellers enters his 17th season on the postgame show.  Each broadcast opens with Snyder’s “Tip-off Show” 30 minutes before tipoff. 

Baltimore Radio: Fox Sports Net Replaces BIN News On WQLL-AM

FOX Sports Radio has launched on 1370 AM in Baltimore, bringing a nationally syndicated sports-talk lineup to WQLL-AM and giving the market another around-the-clock sports option. 

WCBM Maryland Inc. flipped the Pikesville-licensed station to “FOX Sports 1370 AM” this week, replacing iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network after a five-year run. 

The weekday schedule now features “Two Pros and a Cup of Joe” with LaVar Arrington, Brady Quinn and Jonas Knox from 6 to 9 a.m., followed by “The Dan Patrick Show” until noon, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” until 3 p.m., “Stugotz & Company LIVE” from 3 to 5 p.m., and “Covino & Rich” from 5 to 7 p.m. VSiN sports-betting programming fills nights, overnights and weekends. 

Additional weeknight and weekend details have not yet been announced, and the station has no local shows at launch. 

WNBA Ratings: Best Regular Season Ever For ESPN

ESPN delivered its most-watched WNBA regular season ever in 2026, as the league celebrates its 30th season. It also marks the third straight year ESPN has delivered its most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks’ most-viewed WNBA regular season on record. ESPN presented 17 games this season, averaging 1.24M viewers, up 32% year-over-year, while 12 games on ABC averaged 1.56M viewers, up 9% year-over-year.

Non-Indiana games averaged 984K viewers, up 24% year-over-year. WNBA Countdown averaged 595K viewers, up 27% year-over-year.

The record-setting season was highlighted by five games averaging more than 2M viewers.

Radio History: Sep 26

➦In 1887…Inventor Emile Berliner was granted his first patent for what he called the "Gramophone". The patent described recording sound using horizontal modulation of a stylus as it traced a line on a rotating cylindrical surface coated with an unresisting opaque material such as lampblack, subsequently fixed with varnish and used to photoengrave a corresponding groove into the surface of a metal playback cylinder.

In practice, Berliner opted for the disc format, which made the photoengraving step much less difficult and offered the prospect of making multiple copies of the result by some simpler process such as electrotyping, molding or stamping. Soon Berliner was using a more direct recording method, in which the stylus traced a line through a very thin coating of wax on a zinc disc, which was then etched in acid to convert the line of bared metal into a playable groove.

Ted Weems band on set of Fibber McGee & Molly - 1937

➦In 1901...Bandleader Ted Weems born in Pitcairen, PA (Died at age 61 - May 6, 1963). His work in music was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Weems moved to Chicago with his band around 1928. The Ted Weems Orchestra had chart success in 1929 with the novelty song "Piccolo Pete", which rewarded him with his second Gold Record, and the #1 hit "The Man from the South". The band gained popularity in the 1930s, making regular radio broadcasts. These included Jack Benny's Canada Dry program on CBS and NBC during the early 1930s, and the Fibber McGee & Molly program in the late 1930s.

In 1936, the Ted Weems Orchestra gave singer Perry Como his first national exposure; Como recorded with the band (on Decca Records), beginning his long and successful career.

The first season of the Beat the Band radio show on the NBC Red Network (1940–1941) included Weems and his orchestra as part of the cast.

In 1940, Weems and his orchestra were featured on Beat the Band on the NBC-Red radio network.

➦In 1908...Saturday Evening Post ad for a Victor 'talking machine'.

➦In 1919...Actress Barbara Britton born Barbara Maurine Brantingham (Died from pancreatic cancer at age 60 – January 17, 1980). She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television and radio series Mr. and Mrs. North.

➦In 1960…John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in the first televised presidential debates in American history. The debates were staged at the studios of WBBM-TV in Chicago. The Kennedy-Nixon debates not only had a major impact on the election’s outcome, but ushered in a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential ingredients of a successful political campaign. They also heralded the central role television has continued to play in the democratic process.

NYC Radio: Race Taylor Exits AM Drive At WCBS-FM

Longtime New York radio personality Race Taylor told listeners Friday morning he is leaving the morning show at Audacy Classic Hits 101.1 WCBS-FM. 

The station has not announced who will take over the 6–10 a.m. slot. Taylor, a fixture in the New York market since 1999, moved into mornings at WCBS-FM only in June 2025 after five years in middays. He joined the classic hits station in July 2020 following two decades at Cumulus Hot AC 95.5 WPLJ, where he was on the air for the station’s final broadcast and sign-off in May 2019.

During his tenures with Cumulus and Audacy, Taylor also voiced tracked shifts in other markets.

WCBS-FM has not outlined next steps for mornings. Taylor’s on-air goodbye came without a publicly named successor or a stated reason for the exit.

Taylor’s New York run spanned the last years of WPLJ as a contemporary station and the later classic-hits era at CBS-FM, giving him a long relationship with Tri-State listeners across formats. 

Industry accounts have also noted his voice work for ABC-TV promotions and other national radio and television projects alongside his local air shifts.

Who's The Bad Guy? Dolly's Sisters Insist 'No Family Feud'

Danny Nozell and Bryan Seaver

A Tennessee court has barred Dolly Parton’s nephew from her business operations after her manager’s company accused him of threats and demands for money — while family members insist there is no inheritance fight and a source claims the manager wants relatives sidelined. 

She’s Alive LLC, the entity Parton created to protect her brand after death and run by longtime manager Danny Nozell, obtained a temporary restraining order this week against Bryan Seaver. A Nashville chancellor ordered Seaver to stay at least 1,000 feet from estate employees and partners, stay off estate property, and stop alleged harassment ahead of an Oct. 7 hearing. 

Court filings say Seaver, Parton’s head of security for more than 20 years and the relative who announced her Aug. 25 death at age 80, mounted a campaign of intimidation that began weeks before she died of cancer. 

The company alleges he threatened to “destroy the entire brand,” start a podcast to ruin partnerships unless paid, and invoked a military-contractor background, weapons access, and statements such as “I’m a killer” and “All I do is warfare.” Some employees reportedly quit or feared coming to work. The estate values the empire — Dollywood, hotels, catalog, and other holdings — at about $450 million.