Beasley Media Group announces 1450 WCTC-AM & WCTC-X1 W228DY 93.5 has officially launched FOX Sports New Jersey. The new format went into effect at midnight on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
The station, licensed to New Brunswick, NJ, will air the entire FOX Sports Radio lineup, apart from a few hours on the weekend, in which it will feature local programming. During the respective seasons, FOX Sports New Jersey will continue to air Rutgers football and basketball games plus The Somerset Patriots baseball games.
The new M-F on-air line-up will feature:
6am-9am ET – 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe with LaVar Arrington, Brady Quinn and Jonas Knox.
9am-12pm ET – The Dan Patrick Show
12pm-3pm ET – The Herd with Colin Cowherd
3pm-6pm ET – The Doug Gottlieb Show
6pm-7pm ET – Straight Outta Vegas with R.J. Bell
7pm-10pm ET – The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker
10pm-2am ET – The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon
2am-6am ET – The Ben Maller Show
“1450 WCTC is a heritage radio station serving Central New Jersey for 75 years,” said Beasley Media Group Senior Vice President and Regional Market Manager Dan Finn. “In 1947, WCTC began airing Rutgers Football and this has continued to this day. In addition, 21 years ago, we started airing the Somerset Patriots baseball franchise which is now a AA New York Yankees affiliate. It really made sense to dedicate the rest of our programming to sports and FOX Sports Radio is the best sports programming out there. In addition, 1450 WCTC just began simulcasting on 93.5 FM expanding our coverage area. It’s a very exciting time for WCTC, especially during our 75th anniversary.”
“For decades, some of the most popular content on WCTC has been local sports programming and we’re now excited to offer our audience the best possible 24/7 sports content,” said Beasley Media Group Chief Content Officer Justin Chase. “FOX Sports has an amazing line-up of hosts like Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, Doug Gottlieb and more and we know the sports fans in New Jersey will enjoy them as much as we do.”
“The opportunity to partner with a historic station in a region full of passionate sports fans excites us greatly,” said Don Martin, Senior Vice President of Sports Programming for Premiere Networks and Scott Shapiro, FOX Sports Radio Vice President of Sports Programming in a joint statement. “It’s an honor to join WCTC during its celebratory 75th anniversary!”
All current fulltime WCTC employees will remain with the station.
MSNBC staffers are panicking over the direction of the left-leaning news network under newly-minted President Rashida Jones, fearing that she’s gearing up for a costly and potentially disastrous battle with CNN, reports The NY Post.
Staffers say recent meetings with Jones and her boss, NBCUniversal news chief Cesar Conde, have focused on hard news — with the execs boasting of ratings wins over CNN on breaking stories, such as this summer’s congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Rashida Jones
That makes some employees nervous that MSNBC isn’t adequately focused on shoring up its primetime lineup of opinion-focused shows that draw in the most loyal viewers. The issue burst into the open last month when news leaked that Rachel Maddow, the network’s star, had been negotiating a new contract and had threatened to leave.
“Rashida’s love is in hard news,” an insider said, pointing to the exec’s past roles guiding MSNBC’s daytime news coverage and NBC News’ coverage. “She doesn’t really get what primetime does.”
Maddow ended up inking a broader deal that was worth a whopping $30 million a year through 2024, according to the Daily Beast, which cited anonymous sources. It will let her develop projects across the network and also allow her to step aside from hosting her 9 p.m. primetime show within the next year.
Still, that leaves the big question of who will fill Maddow’s shoes. Network insiders told The Post they worried that the hard-news focused Jones doesn’t have the contacts or the drive needed to find someone to replace Maddow — and fill out the rest of MSNBC’s schedule.
“Rashida has a lot of good qualities, but I don’t think she is someone who corrals big talent,” said an MSNBC insider. “She isn’t creative — and that concerns me.”
Insiders described Jones, who succeeded longtime MSNBC President Phil Griffin in February, as “buttoned-up,” “young” and “lacking a creative vision” for the network, which is known for news analysis from talking heads like Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell and Brian Williams.
Frank Somerville, anchor for Fox Bay Area news affiliate KTVU, has been pulled off air by the network over a behind-the-scenes dispute concerning coverage of the Gabby Petito missing persons case.
According to The Mercury News, Somerville wanted to add a tagline to a segment about the Petito case pointing out the disparity in coverage of missing persons cases of white women relative to women of color. The disparity has become part of the national conversation surrounding the Petito case after MSNBC host Joy Reid brought it up on her show “The ReidOut” this past Monday.
“The Petito family certainly deserves answers and justice,” Reid said. “ But the way this story captivated the nation has many wondering why not the same media attention when people of color go missing? Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White Woman Syndrome, the term coined by the late and great Gwen Ifill to describe the media and public fascination with missing white women like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway while ignoring cases involving of people of color.”
The Mercury News said that Somerville, who has an adopted Black daughter, pushed back after the tagline was refused, though there was no information on how heated the discussion got. His indefinite suspension comes just six weeks after ending a previous leave of absence for health issues when he struggled to read his teleprompter and slurred his words during a broadcast in May.
TheWrap has reached out to KTVU for additional comment.
Petito, 22, had been reported missing earlier this month while on a camping trip and was found dead in Wyoming last week. An arrest warrant has been issued by the FBI for Petito’s fiance, Brian Laundrie.
There has never been a better time for audio, especially integrated audio that incorporates over-the-air radio, digital audio and podcasts. Audacy has just released their State of Audio e-book that details integrated audio's power to track, reach and engage consumers that is backed up by advanced and cutting-edge research and data, according to MediaVillage.
According to the book, Audio has the capacity to, "stir emotions like no other medium." It goes on to explain that "via podcasts, sports, news or music, the auditory-neuro sensory embrace draws us in, makes us feel --really feel! -- and drives us to action. Personal audio (the kind we enjoy alone through our earbuds, smart speakers and talkable tech) is a bigger part of our daily lives than ever before."
The result is increased usage by listeners and increased ad spend by advertisers.
The pandemic has changed the way consumers use media, leading to a new normal and boon for audio. According to the research, there was substantial year-to-year growth in listening at home (+44%), via smart speakers (+43%) and via podcasts (+26%). At the same time, screen fatigue became a stress factor as both work and school locked consumers in front of their various screens. Audio with its mobile fluidity offers consumers the opportunity to de-stress, "and, even briefly, shut out the outside world … Audio just puts us in a good mood," the e-book notes.
The research and data bears this out. When compared to screens, audio listeners pay more attention, spending more time with audio than social media (+60%), broadcast TV (+54%), cable TV (+49%) and video streaming (+42%).
"In a world where screen time has reached a new and sometimes uncomfortable peak, it's the ears, not the eyes that have always connected most deeply," explained J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer, Audacy. "It's the ears that are generating the most excitement and energy in media today."
The Opportunity for Advertisers
At the core of audio's benefits for advertisers are trust and immersion. The State of Audio guide explains that "Audiences trust the messages they hear from the voices they know. Host endorsements, whether live reads or as part of an ad, drive listeners to buy. A lot." Immersion is a blend of attention and emotional connection. Audio delivers on this behavior with the highest immersion index of any media -- whether AVOD, digital video, linear TV or social media.
Perhaps the most profound and valuable aspect of audio for advertisers is its ability to be accessed anywhere and at any time from a range of sources. Whether cleaning the house, walking the dog, driving the car or shopping, audio is everywhere. The study revealed a resurgence of radio listening in the home, facilitated by the new and growing technology of smart speakers, Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones that makes it far more mobile than ever before.
The research revealed that all three audio platforms deliver for advertisers. The overall strength of broadcast radio (which commands an audience at least twice the size of pure-lay services), along with the impressive growth of podcasting, especially among younger listeners (83% of whom say their favorite podcasters feel like friends), as well as innovative digital audio (which offers customized experiences), has engendered greater enthusiasm for audio content and, by extension, advertising messages.
Advertisers can take advantage of these attributes in a variety of ways. "Brands are embracing the speaker-as-touchpoint phenomenon, adding voice-triggered ads to their audio campaigns. That paves the way for some amazing new opportunities with shoppable audio interactions."
In addition, advertisers can access the power of audio influencers who can deeply engage their listeners. Audio campaigns have been proven to increase lift in sales conversions (+68%), lift in web visitation (+44%) and lift in in-store visitations (+45%).
Audacy's e-book offers a step-by-step guide that provides insight into the power and value of each audio platform, the most impactful way to develop and launch the ad message, and the best ways to measure campaign impact through first party data.
Apple claimed its TV+ service had less than 20 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada as of July, allowing it to pay behind-the-scenes production crew lower rates than streamers with more subscriptions, according to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, a union that represents TV and movie workers who perform jobs like operating cameras and building sets.
CNBC reports Apple has never revealed subscriber numbers for its Apple TV+ streaming service, which launched in the fall of 2019. Analysts are reluctant to offer estimates, but many say that its scale pales in comparison to services like Netflix, which claimed 209 million subscribers as of Q2, and Disney+, which claimed 116 million.
The fact that Apple can pay a discounted rate despite being the most valuable publicly traded company in the world highlights some of the issues facing Hollywood workers as streaming supplants linear TV and movies, and is raising ire among union members who are deciding whether to strike for better pay and working conditions.
Under the current contract, high-budget productions intended for streaming can offer lower rates to workers if the streaming service has less than 20 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, which is determined on July 1 every year. Apple told IATSE that it had less than 20 million subscribers, a union spokesman said.
The union is currently in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over a new contract. Apple is a member of the alliance, but the alliance negotiates for all of its members, and doesn’t create carve-outs for specific companies, according to a spokesperson for the industry group.
An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on subscriber numbers but said the company pays rates in line with leading streaming services.
Under the current contract, productions made for streaming services are governed under less strict labor terms than traditional TV shows or movies because streaming profitability is “presently uncertain” and productions needed greater flexibility, according to a copy of the contract reviewed by CNBC.
But union leaders argue that streaming is no longer a particularly new form of media, and companies that bankroll streaming productions should pay rates closer to traditional media productions.
IATSE is gearing up for a strike, its spokesman said, and ballots allowing the union’s 150,000 members to authorize a strike will be sent out on October 1.
Federal investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are looking for the cause of an Amtrak derailment in northern Montana Saturday afternoon that left three people dead and seven others hospitalized. The Empire Builder train was heading from Chicago to Seattle when it derailed near a switch in the middle of farmland near the small town of Joplin. There were 141 passengers and 16 crew members on the 10 cars, eight of which derailed, some of them tipping over. A BNSF Railway spokesman said that section of track was last inspected on Thursday. Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said they are working with the NTSB, Federal Railroad Administration and local law enforcement on the probe.
Jacob Cordeiro describes his experience during the Amtrak train derailment: "All of a sudden, it was like this extremely violent force...picked me up and threw me from my chair into the wall, and then from that position, into the other wall." https://t.co/LoV5DaPAPx
➤PFIZER TO SUBMIT DATA TO FDA ON COVID VACCINE FOR CHILDREN WITHIN 'DAYS': Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on ABC's This Week yesterday that the pharmaceutical company will submit trial data about its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11 to the Food and Drug Administration very soon, saying, "It's a question of days, not weeks." The FDA will then have to decide whether or not to approve it. Pfizer announced last week that the results from its trials in children, who were given a smaller dose than adults, showed the vaccine to be safe and effective for them.
➤GERMANY'S CENTER-LEFT PARTY BEATS MERKEL'S CENTER-RIGHT BLOC IN ELECTION: Germany's center-left Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc in the country's parliamentary election yesterday. Merkel is leaving office after leading Germany for 16 years. Because of the close result, there might be a long process before the next government is formed, with AP reporting who becomes the new leader will likely depend on whom the environmentalist Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats decide to join in government. Merkel and her government will remain in office until a successor is sworn in, which could potentially take weeks or months.
➤MOURNERS PAY RESPECTS TO PETITO IN NEW YORK: Lines of mourners turned out in Holbrook, New York, yesterday to pay their respects to 22-year-old Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito, some of them strangers who hadn't known her, but were touched by her story that's drawn national media attention. Petito was reported missing on September 11th by her parents after she hadn't responded to calls and texts for days. She and her fiance, Brian Laundrie, had set out months earlier on a cross-country van trip. Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1st with the van, but without Petito, and refused to talk to her family or police. Petito's body was discovered in a remote area of Wyoming last Sunday and her death was classified as a homicide. Laundrie, who's been named a person of interest in the case, went missing days before her body was found, and an ongoing manhunt is looking for him.
Gabby Petito's close friend on Brian Laundrie search: "He's good with nature. So, my first thought was — he's in the woods" https://t.co/Paf1M3Wx5J
➤TWO-YEAR-OLD, MOTHER FALL TO DEATH AT PADRES STADIUM, POLICE SAY APPEARS 'SUSPICIOUS': A two-year-old boy and his 40-year-old mother fell to their death at the San Diego Padres' Petco Park on Saturday, and the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that police say they don't know whether it was an accident or not, but it, quote, "appeared to be suspicious." The boy's father was at the ballpark too. The names of the victims weren't released. Witnesses reported that that boy fell first and then his mother also fell when she tried to catch him. They plunged down from a third-level concourse at a concessions area, about six stories up. The incident happened shortly before the Padres game against the Atlanta Braves, which went on as scheduled. The Padres said in a statement Sunday, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life at Petco Park last evening." They said they wouldn't comment further as the police investigation is ongoing.
➤REP LIZ CHENEY SAYS SHE WAS WRONG TO OPPOSE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: Saying they were wrong isn't something politicians like to do, but Rep. Liz Cheney did in an interview on CBS' 60 Minutes that aired last night, stating that she was wrong to have opposed same-sex marriage. The stance by the Wyoming Republican had once been a divide in her family since her sister, Mary Cheney, is a lesbian and is also married. Back in 2013, Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, broke with her family by opposing gay marriage during her failed U.S. Senate run. She told 60 Minutes, "I was wrong. It’s a very personal issue -- and very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right. And my sister and I have had that conversation . . . Freedom means freedom for everybody." Cheney has become a lightning rod of controversy in her party and lost her House Republican leadership post for her staunch opposition to former President Donald Trump in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.'
➤STUDY..PANDEMIC CUT LIFE EXPECTANCY BY MOST SINCE WORLD WAR TWO: A study out today from Oxford University says that the Covid-19 pandemic cut life expectancy in 2020 by the largest amount since World War Two. The study looked at 29 countries that spanned Europe, the U.S. and Chile, and found that life expectancy dropped in 27 of them, and declined by more than six months compared to 2019 in 22 of them. Men had greater declines in life expectancy than women in most countries, with the largest seen in the U.S., where men had their life expectancy drop by 2.2 years compared to 2019.
🛫THIS IS WHEN YOU SHOULD BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY FLIGHTS: If you’re hoping to get a deal on holiday airfare, you’ll want to book soon. Flight-tracking experts at Hopper say the lowest prices are very likely available right now, especially for Christmas. When it comes to fare prices, Hopper says for Thanksgiving, you should expect domestic airfare of around $300/round-trip, which is up 23 percent from 2020, but down 11 percent from 2019. They predict Thanksgiving fares will spike after Halloween, and cost about $400 round trip leading up to Thanksgiving. International travelers can expect to pay about $620 round-trip, and waiting until the last minute will drive that price up about $200 more per ticket. Meanwhile, prices are higher for Christmas travel. Domestic travelers can expect to pay an average of $430 round-trip, while international travelers can expect to pay an average of $969. Hopper recommends booking Christmas travel no later than Thanksgiving, as over the course of December prices are expected to rise as much as $230.
➤STUDY: INSULIN RESISTANCE DOUBLES RISK FOR DEPRESSION, EVEN WITHOUT DIABETES: Suffering with insulin resistance can make you more than twice as likely to develop major depression, even if you haven’t developed full-blown diabetes. Stanford University researchers found that initially healthy people who later developed prediabetes were 2.6 times more likely to come down with major depression during a nine-year follow-up period. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about one in three U.S. adults are estimated to have prediabetes, a condition where insulin resistance and blood sugar levels are increasing, but there’s still time to ward off the development of type 2 diabetes.
➤POLL..3 IN 5 SHOULD END DATE, BREAK-UP OVER ANNOYING EATING HABITS: Annoying eating habits are apparently a bigger dating deal-breaker than you might think, with a new survey finding that three in five people said they'd end a date early or break up with someone if they had an irritating eating habit. In the OnePoll survey of 2,000 Americans, men were nearly twice as likely as women by 42 percent to 25 percent to end a date or relationship because of bad eating habits, but were also more likely to admit to having the same bad habits themselves. So what habits are most annoying? Of those surveyed, 68 percent named talking with your mouth full, chewing loudly was named by 64 percent, and 63 percent said chewing with your mouth open. What justifies ending a first date early? There were 52 percent who said slurping food, 49 percent who said dropping food on the floor and then eating it, and 42 percent said chewing with your mouth open. There was a difference by age groups, with Millennials being the most likely to say they'd politely ask the other person to stop and also most likely to end a date or relationship over an annoying eating habit, while Gen Z respondents were most likely to say they'd ignore a food habit that annoyed them.
🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 3:
Buffalo Bills 43, Washington Football Team 21
Cleveland Browns 26, Chicago Bears 6
Baltimore Ravens 19, Detroit Lions 17
Tennessee Titans 25, Indianapolis Colts 16
Los Angeles Chargers 30, Kansas City Chiefs 24
New Orleans Saints 28, New England Patriots 13
Atlanta Falcons 17, New York Giants 14
Cincinnati Bengals 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
Arizona Cardinals 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 19
Denver Broncos 26, New York Jets 0
Las Vegas Raiders 31, Miami Dolphins 28 (OT)
Los Angeles Rams 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
Minnesota Vikings 30, Seattle Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers 30, San Francisco 49ers 28
Tonight's Monday Night Football game on ESPN: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (8:15 p.m. ET)
🏈RAVENS BEAT LIONS ON NFL-RECORD 66-YARD FIELD GOAL: The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Detroit Lions 19-17 yesterday on an NFL-record 66-yard field goal as time expired. The ball kicked by Justin Tucker hit the bottom crossbar and bounced through the uprights. Tucker's kick topped the previous field goal record of 64 yards set by the Denver Broncos' Matt Prater against the Tennessee Titans in 2013.
🏈PACKERS GET 30-28 WIN ON FINAL DRIVE WITH 37 SECONDS LEFT: The Green Bay Packers pulled out a 30-28 win over the San Francisco 49ers last night on a final drive that began with just 37 seconds left on the clock and no remaining timeouts. After taking over at the 25 yard line, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed two passes of 25 yards and 17 yards to Davante Adams, setting up a 51-yard field goal that was successfully made by Mason Crosby on the final play of the game.
🏈RAMS WIN SNAPS TAMPA BAY'S 10-GAME WINNING STREAK: The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24 yesterday, handing the reigning Super Bowl champions their first loss of the season and snapping the Tom Brady-led team's 10-game regular season and playoff winning streak. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 343 yards and four touchdowns as L.A. improved its record to 3-0. Brady didn't get the win, but after throwing for 432 yards and two touchdowns he joined Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks to throw for more than 80,000 yards.
⚾CARDINALS DOWN CUBS 4-2 FOR 16TH STRAIGHT WIN: The St. Louis Cardinals downed the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Sunday for their 16th straight win. The Cardinals’ franchise-record winning streak is the longest in MLB since the Cleveland Indians won 22 games in a row in 2017, and the best in the National League since the New York Giants won 16 straight in 1951. St. Louis is now in position for the second NL wild card, ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds by six games.
🏌U.S. GETS DOMINATING RYDER CUP WIN OVER EUROPE: The U.S. team had a dominating Ryder Cup win yesterday (September 26th), at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, handling Europe its worst-ever loss by a half-point at 19-9 since it became part of the Ryder Cup in 1979. Among the accomplishments of the 12-player team led by captain Steve Stricker: the U.S. didn't lose a session for the first time in 44 years; Dustin Johnson became the first American to go 5-0 since 1979; and the six rookies scored more points than all of the European players combined, with a 14-4-3 record. Europe had won nine of the last 12 Ryder Cups.
The Detroit Lions have found some truly astonishing ways to lose over the years, and Sunday’s Week 3 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens was no exception, according to USAToday.
They managed to lose in a way that no other team had lost before … to a 66-yard field goal.
With three seconds to go in the game and Detroit up a point, the Ravens had no choice but to send star kicker Justin Tucker out to attempt a kick from a record 66 yards. And every Lions fan knew exactly how that was going to end.
Tucker’s kick sent the Ford Field crowd on a cruel, emotional roller coaster as the ball bounced off the crossbar, hung in the air and went through. It was a ridiculous kick — a literal historic kick.
You can hear that soul-crushing disbelief in the call from play-by-play announcer Dan Miller on the Lions’ radio broadcast.
The Dallas Mavericks have announced their 2021-22 local television schedule, which includes 72 regular season games on Bally Sports Southwest.
Bally Sports Southwest’s coverage of the 2021-22 season tips off on Oct. 23 when the Mavericks will travel north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors at 6:30 pm CT. The broadcast will also include a 30-minute Mavs Live pregame show beginning at 6 p.m. CT.
Bally Sports Southwest will carry all four of Dallas’ games against the Los Angeles Clippers (11/21, 11/23, 2/10, 2/12), the team’s playoff opponent each of the past two years. The network will also televise two of the Mavericks’ meetings with the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns (11/17 and 11/19) and two of the club’s showdowns with the Utah Jazz (2/25 and 3/7), the team with the best record in the NBA from a season ago (52-20, .722).
Dallas’ road games against the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks (12/23) and Brooklyn Nets (3/16) will also be featured on Bally Sports Southwest.
Bally Sports Southwest is widely available on providers throughout the region. Additionally, all Mavericks games on Bally Sports Southwest are streamed on the Bally Sports app and BallySports.com, for fans who sign in through their pay TV provider.
Mark Followill returns for his 17th season as television play-by-play announcer for all telecasts. Former Mavericks great Derek Harper is back for his 11th full season on the telecast as the team’s TV analyst, while Jeff “Skin” Wade enters his 13th season as an analyst. Bally Sports Southwest’s comprehensive coverage includes Mavs Live pregame and postgame shows, as well as a bi-weekly Mavericks Insider show.
The Mavericks’ radio flagship station is moving to KEGL 97.1 The Eagle for the 2021-22 season.
The Mavs’ move to 97.1 KEGL ends a lengthy era. Their games have aired on 103.3 ESPN since the 2001-2002 season, which was that station’s inception.
Chuck Cooperstein returns for his 17th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Mavericks, where he will again be joined on the broadcast by former Mavericks great Brad Davis. Each game will also include 30 minutes of pregame coverage and at least 30 minutes of postgame coverage led by studio host Mike Peasley.
Under the new broadcast agreement, Dallas Mavericks basketball will also be available via live stream on iHeartRadio.com and the app.
Univision KFZO 99.1 FM will be the home of the Mavericks’ Spanish radio broadcast for the 2021-22 campaign. Victor Villalba returns for his 17th year as the team’s Spanish play-by-play announcer.
WCBM 680 AM has announced a brand the addition of The Rob Carson Show.
Carsons’s show will air weekdays noon-3PM. Rob is the host of one of America’s premiere and only political comedy shows: Rob Carson’s “What in the World?” on Newsmax.
Bruce Elliott will once again join Sean Casey on ‘The Morning Drive With Casey & Elliott’ and ‘The Derek Hunter Show’ will return to the 9AM-Noon slot!
WCBM’s New Weekday Schedule!
Coast to Coast (1AM – 5AM)
The Todd Starnes Show (5AM – 6AM)
The Morning Drive With Casey & Elliott at (6AM-9AM)
Veteran Chattanooga talk radio host Jeff Styles is back doing "drive-time" programming, but now the format is as a podcast, reports The Free Press Times.
Beginning in October, he will host "The Chattanooga Drive In Show" and will be joined by three of his former co-workers from his preious gig at WPLZ 92.7 FM. Jen Lambert is co-host, Bryan Stone is producing and contributing on-air commentary and Russell Stroud, news director at NoogaRadio, will provide news.
Jeff Styles
In addition, former WGOW 102.7 FM sports on-air personality Dave Hooker will provide sports updates and Jeff Greenspan will be a regular contributor discussing a variety of topics. Taft Sibley is the show's business manager.
"The world has changed," Styles said in a news release. "We have changed. America's, and Chattanooga's, media consumption habits have changed. But most traditional radio and TV morning shows haven't. That's a problem that needs to be fixed not enough information stretched over too many hours of mindless fluff. We present a solution — 'The Chattanooga Drive-In Show.'"
Styles said the one-hour podcasts will be posted on all podcasting platforms at 5 a.m. each weekday "just in time for morning drive-time."
"Of course, it's a podcast, so people can listen whenever they want, but we fully intend to compete and eventually take over people's drive-time listening," he said.
The show will follow a similar format to what Styles has done for much of his career, almost three decades of which was spent doing live talk and news at WGOW-FM 102.3.
The show will feature guests, plus regular segments focusing on music, world news, local calendar events and discussions on the news topics of the day, according to organizers.
"This is very exciting, and I get more excited about it every day," Lambert said.
Audacy announces THE RUN: 2016 CHICAGO CUBS, its first original podcast in partnership with Major League Baseball.
The show, part of Audacy’s newly launched 2400Sports podcast studio, will relive the twists and turns of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series campaign, game-by game, controversy-by-controversy, heartbreak and triumph. THE RUN: 2016 CHICAGO CUBS will launch on Monday, September 27, everywhere podcasts are available. New episodes will be available Mondays. Listen to and follow the seriesHERE.
This new documentary podcast, from executive producer Jody Avirgan, will be hosted by comedian and “The Daily Show” correspondent Roy Wood Jr. and baseball analyst and 670 The Score (WSCR-AM) host Matt Spiegel. Dropping two episodes per week, Wood and Spiegel will relive some of the best moments from the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
Joined by life-long Cubs fans, executives, players and journalists who covered the historic run including Joe Maddon, David Ross, Theo Epstein, Katie Rich, Pat Hughes and Tom Verducci, the series relives the on-field heroics from that momentous championship run and combines it with enlightening storytelling about the cast of characters that came together to make it possible. Listeners will get to know the guests and what they were going through not just on the field, but in the clubhouse, between games and after they clinched the title of World Series champions.
“I covered the Cubs run on the radio and was in the stands,” said Spiegel, “but I’m learning all sorts of new things as we’ve been doing this series. And Roy thinks he has the best Game 7 story, but I’ve got one in my pocket that will blow him away.”
“I’m not sure if Matt truly understands.” added Wood. “I wore a Cubs bathrobe the entirety of 2016. By Game 7 it was filthy. It still reeks of beer, Cleveland rainwater, and sweet, sweet victory. We’ll see whose story is better.”
“If I can confess something – I’m not that big of a baseball fan. But like most of America, I was riveted by the entire Cubs run, staying up late into the night during that rain delay and Game 7 comeback,” said Avirgan, Executive Producer, The Run. “The whole concept of ‘The Run’ is to treat a sports postseason as if it were a season of a TV show or movie, and recap it the way a pop culture podcast would. The 2016 Cubs are a perfect fit – so much drama on and off the field, so many amazing characters and stories. The fall of 2016 was…an interesting time, but it’s been a joy to revisit this team and this moment when sports showed how magical the world can feel. Cheesy, I know, but true.”
“We’re thrilled to build on our partnership with MLB and have “The Run” kick off the newest addition to our robust podcast business – 2400Sports,” said J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer, Audacy. “This show is the first of many podcasts where we’ll offer an intimate look into the fan and player experience, giving our audience behind-the-scene looks at some of baseball’s most memorable moments. I can’t think of a better subject than the Cubs’ magical journey and what went in to breaking a 108-year curse.”
“The 2016 World Series was one of the most memorable in our history, not just for Cubs fan but for baseball fans everywhere,” said Nick Trotta, Senior Director, Global Media, Major League Baseball. “Reliving that championship through this podcast documentary will allow listeners to experience the events and understand the people that made this historic season come together. We’re excited to start our partnership 2400Sports with this momentous and exciting story.”
Stone Canyon Media’s news-talk station KBTK 97.1 FM The Big Talker- Flagstaff, AZ added a new frequency K300DZ 107.9 FM-Prescott, AZ
Stone Canyon Media’s Market Manager, Mike Jensen stated: “This is very exciting for all of us. This expansion gives people in the Prescott area another way to discover our station and listen to our lineup, to have 97.1FM the big talker expand it’s frequency to 107.9FM, makes us the biggest news-talk station in Northern Arizona. That’s great news for listeners and advertisers who want to extend their reach.”
KBTK 97.1 FM (5 Kw)
The new transmitter, located atop Badger Mountain overlooking downtown Prescott, will increase the reliability of the signal and the availability of the national talk radio format to an eager and expanding audience.
KBTK-FM currently boasts a weekday lineup of national talk radio stars including Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and the newly introduced Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show which succeeded the late Rush Limbaugh. KBTK also features one of Northern Arizona’s only locally produced talk radio programs, The Jeff Oravits Show, hosted by businessman and former Flagstaff City Councilman Jeff Oravits.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is already known for his One Bite Pizza Reviews series on YouTube, and now his sports and lifestyle media brand is branching out beyond podcasts, TV and sports forging deeper into the world of food. Barstool is teaming up with Happi Foodi to launch the One Bite Frozen Pizza. The pizza will be available in Wal-Mart stores across the U.S., according to Inside Audio Marketing.
“I’m taking over the frozen game,” said Portnoy in a video about the product launch. His review of their product delivered a 10 out of 10 rating.
Barstool Sports is also teaming up with Virtual Dining Concepts to join the food delivery business. Barstool Bites will be a delivery-only restaurant, offering a lineup of items including chicken wings, sliders, 14-inch subs, buckets of popcorn and fries. In other words, food someone might consume while watching a game.
Barstool Bites will be available in 300 cities nationwide. Virtual Dining Concepts relies on so-called “ghost kitchens” that use local restaurants to pack and deliver food using third-party apps like DoorDash and Grubhub for various brands.
Barstool Bites may also be expanding into physical restaurants and Barstool food trucks. “We’re going to experiment with giving our fans the ability to order the types of food we eat when we’re sitting on our couch watching football on Saturdays and Sundays,” CEO Erika Nardini told Bloomberg.
The delivery-only restaurant model has taken off during the pandemic. NPD Group says from June 2020 to June 2021, delivery-only restaurant orders increased by two-thirds. That compares to a 39% decline for in-restaurant dining. Bloomberg notes the industry is already crowded since they allow entrepreneurs to launch a restaurant without the large investment a physical location requires.
Food ventures are the latest in brand extensions for Barstool. It has also signed a multiyear branding rights deal with the Arizona Bowl. The move means the Dec. 31 game will air on Barstool platforms, not broadcast television. Barstool is also expanding its Barstool Golf Classic brand.
Pop and country performed Sue Thompson died Sept. 23. She was 96.
Born Eva Sue McKee she is best known for the million selling hits "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" and "Norman", both pop hits in the early 1960s and her 1965 hit "Paper Tiger".
During World War II, she worked at a defense plant. She married when she was 17, and had a daughter at 20, but the marriage failed and she and her husband split up after three years. To keep supporting herself after her divorce, she returned to the nightclub scene in California. In San Jose, she won a talent contest, thus catching the attention of a bandleader and radio/TV host named Dude Martin, who invited her to sing with his band. This led to their marriage. They recorded duets together, including "If You Want Some Lovin'", which helped her get a solo contract from Mercury Records in 1950.
Sue - 2015
Within a year, she divorced Martin to marry Hank Penny, a comedian and singer. Penny and Thompson hosted a TV show in Los Angeles together before eventually moving to Las Vegas. Thompson recorded separately and also with her husband for Decca Records. However, none of their songs were successful.
In 1960, Thompson signed on with Hickory Records. In 1961, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" became a No. 5 hit on the pop charts, and she followed this up successfully with "Norman," which reached No. 3. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John D. Loudermilk. They both sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs. Both were also chart successes in Australia, reaching #3 and #8 respectively.
In 1962, "Have a Good Time" was a Top 40 hit and in 1963, "Willie Can" was a minor hit. Her early 1960s' hits made Thompson, then in her late-thirties, a favorite among the teenage crowd and briefly a rival to the much younger Connie Francis and Brenda Lee. Two additional hits, also written by Loudermilk, were "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)" and "Paper Tiger."
"Paper Tiger" in 1965 was her last Top 30 hit.
Sue also appeared on American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, The Buddy Deane Show, and The Lloyd Thaxton Show (1966 visit and performance of Paper Tiger).
Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster has died aged 72 following a battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Lancaster’s friend, entertainment reporter Craig Bennett, confirmed the news of his death on Facebook.
Bennett wrote: “[I] am heartbroken to announce the passing of Alan Lancaster, British born music royalty, guitar God and founding member of iconic band, Status Quo,
“Despite having MS and issues with his mobility, Alan participated in hugely successful reunion tours… He bravely played to thousands of adoring fans..and loved being back with the band and his loyal Quo army.”
Mr Lancaster died in Sydney, Australia, where he has been living for 45 years.
He is survived by his wife, Dayle, whom he met on tour with Status Quo in Australia in 1973, their children, Alan, Toni and David, and five grandchildren.
Lancaster formed Status Quo in 1962 with his then-schoolmate, Francis Rossi.
Lancaster appeared on 15 Status Quo albums until 1985 and played on classic tracks Whatever You Want and Down Down.
His final performance as a full-time member of Status Quo was at Wembley Stadium in July 1985 for the opening of Live Aid.
In a statement his widow Dayle said: “We are all heartbroken. Alan had a wonderful wit and a fabulously dry sense of humour. He was a devoted and adoring husband, father and grandfather. Family was always his focus.”
➦In 1920...William Conrad born (Died from heart failure at age 73. – February 11, 1994). His career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he starred in the detective series Cannon (1971–1976).
Conrad estimated that he played more than 7,500 roles during his radio career.
Most prominently, Conrad's deep, resonant voice was heard in the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS Radio's gritty Western series Gunsmoke (April 26, 1952 – June 18, 1961). The producers originally rejected him for the part because of his ubiquitous presence on so many radio dramas and the familiarity of his voice, but his impressive audition could not be dismissed, and he became the obvious choice for the role. Conrad voiced Dillon for the show's nine-year run, and he wrote the June 1953 episode "Sundown." When Gunsmoke was adapted for television in 1955, executives at CBS did not cast Conrad or his radio costars despite a campaign to get them to change their minds.
In January 1956, Conrad was the announcer on the debut broadcast of The CBS Radio Workshop.
➦In 1933..."Waltz Time" debuted . It remained on the NBC Radio network until 1948. The show features Abe Lyman (August 4, 1897 – October 23, 1957) and his band, which was popular from the 1920s to the 1940s. He made recordings, appeared in films and provided the music for numerous radio shows, including Your Hit Parade.
➦In 1938...Comedian Bob Hope introduce a new song, "Thanks For The Memory". It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. In the film, Ross and Hope's characters are a divorced couple who encounter each other aboard a ship. Near the film's end, they poignantly sing one of the many versions of this song, recalling the ups and downs of their relationship (then they decide to get back together).
➦In 1985...The Howard Stern Show aired for the last time on 66 WNBC NYC.
The show developed in 1979 when Stern landed his first morning shift at WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut, four years into his professional radio career. He continued as a morning personality at WWWW in Detroit, Michigan in 1980, and was paired with Quivers in 1981 at WWDC in Washington, D.C. In 1982, Stern's success in Washington led to a spot at WNBC in New York City, where he hosted the city's top afternoon show until his firing.
That year, the show began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City where it aired on a total of 60 markets across the United States and Canada and gained an audience of 20 million listeners at its peak. In the New York area, the show was the highest-rated morning program consecutively between 1994 and 2001.
➦In 1995...Radio personality Alison Steele died (Born Ceil Loman - January 26, 1937). She was also known by her air name, The Nightbird. She amassed a large and loyal following on her night shifts on WNEW 102.7 FM in New York City during the late 1960s and 1970s. Her show featured progressive rock and artists associated with the counterculture of the time, combined with listeners' calls and Steele's own unique brand of mellow DJ patter, peppered with poetry and mysticism. Her original Nightbird show ran from 1968 to 1979.
Steele also worked in television for many years in a variety of roles including performer, writer, and producer. She returned to WNEW in 1982 for another three years, and then joined New York's WXRK in 1989 for another six. Steele was honored with the Billboard award for FM Personality of the Year (1976), and she was the first woman to receive it. Years later, the same magazine established a new award in her honor, The Alison Steele Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Steele developed her career by working for various New York City television and radio stations, eventually becoming a production assistant and associate producer. Along the way she worked for bandleader Ted Steele's television show, The Ted Steele Show, on WOR-TV, and by 1954 she was a regular cast member. At the age of 19, she married Steele and got her first taste of radio broadcasting with their husband and wife music show, Ted and the Redhead. The couple's marriage ended in divorce.
In 1966, the newly launched station, WNEW-FM sought to distinguish itself from its competitors by establishing an all-female disc jockey lineup. Out of the 800 women who applied, Steele was one of the team of four who were hired. Steele worked the 2–7pm slot, Sunday through Friday. In doing so, she became one of the first woman disc jockeys in the country.
When WNEW abandoned the format after the eighteen-month trial to the increasingly popular progressive rock format, Steele was the only host who was asked to stay at the station. On January 1, 1968, WNEW placed Steele in the overnight "graveyard shift" which granted her more creative freedom, leading her to develop her on-air personality and rapport with her listeners.
➦In 2012...Radio personality Chuck Crane died at age 58 in Sarasota, FL. Crane was the mid-day guy at WHTZ Z-100 back when they first went on the air in August of 1983. On-air, he used the name Dr. Christopher Reed. He also became the operations director in January of 1984.
In June of 1984, he left Z-100 and traveled to Chicago where he became the program director of WLS 890 AM. Then on September 29, 1986, he returned to New York to become the program director at WYNY. This was during their AC years and he would leave WYNY right before the switch to country.
Randy Bachman is 78
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor Kathleen Nolan is 88.
Actor Claude Jarman Jr. (“The Yearling”) is 87.
Singer-guitarist Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 78.
Singer-actor Meat Loaf is 74.
Actor Liz Torres (“Gilmore Girls”) is 74.
Actor A Martinez (“LA Law,” ″Santa Barbara”) is 73.
Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (“Pearl Harbor”) is 71.
Actor-opera singer Anthony Laciura (“Boardwalk Empire”) is 70.
Avril Lavigne is 37
Singer-actor-director Shaun Cassidy is 63.
Comedian Marc Maron (“Maron”) is 58.
Singer-guitarist Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is 57.
Actor Patrick Muldoon (“Melrose Place”) is 53.
Singer Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd is 51.
Actor Gwyneth Paltrow is 49.
Actor Indira Varma (“For Life”) is 48.
Singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down is 43.
Bassist Grant Brandell of Underoath is 40.
Actor Anna Camp (“The Mindy Project,” ″True Blood”) is 39.
Rapper Lil’ Wayne is 39.
Singer Avril Lavigne is 37.
Bluegrass musician Sierra Hull is Actor Sam Lerner (“The Goldbergs”) is 29.
➦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 was 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.
Moderated by newsman Howard K. Smith, the debate was seen on TV by more than 69 million people, while another 17 million heard the debate on radio.
➦In 1962...Talk-Music radio formats was most-preferred according to a survey released by the CBS radio network released a yearlong survey on the most popular radio features of the day. The survey noted news, interviews, discussions, talks, sports and also had a minimum-to-moderate interest in music but do not tune in primarily for music. It also concluded that rock'n'roll listeners have the lowest education and income levels of all listener groups.
Gary Owens
➦In 1962...L-A Radio personality Gary Owens started at KMPC 710 AM. Owens had been at Top40 KFWB and KMPC played more middle-of-the rod music as in Frank Sinatra.
He replaced previous host Johnny Grant and remained for the next two decades working the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift, M-F.
A gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. Among his trademarks were daily appearances by The Story Lady (played by Joan Gerber); the Rumor of the Day; myriad varieties of "The Nurney Song"; and the introduction of the nonsense word "insegrevious", which was briefly included in the Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.
His regular on-air radio terms included "krenellemuffin," as in, "We'll be back in just a krenellemuffin." Gary always credited his radio engineer at the end of his broadcast: "I'd like to thank my engineer, Bob Jones, for creebling at the turntables." He also created the previously non-existent colors "veister" and "krelb".
➦In 1968...Progressive rock radio was making waves with Bill (Rosko) Mercer on the 7p to midnight shift for WNEW 102.7 FM in NYC. Rosko was getting 4 shares on his show and the third highest ratings among teens in the area (WABC and WMCA are #1 - #2).
Says Rosko - “On a progressive rock program, it’s extremely important to think of the programming. Think before you do it, the same as any job requires. People are hungry for proper presentation of music. They don’t want “Ten Years After” or the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” thrown at them. They want it prepared for them. Anyone can play a stack of records at home. It’s a presentation that counts to a large extent.”
Gosden and Correll
➦In 1972...Radio actor Charles Correll died from a heart attack at age 82. He was the creator & voice of Andy Brown in the radio show “Amos ‘n’ Andy”, and the voice of the Colonel in the TV cartoon Calvin and the Colonel. His Amos ‘n’ Andy co-star, Freeman Gosden, would live another ten years.
For 34 years Amos and Andy held a very singular place in the American old-time radio experience.In its early prime, the early 1930s, it was common for entire towns to be listening to the show. Stores would close, even movie theaters would stop the film while the Amos and Andy show was played instead for the movie audience. The national audience was estimated at 40 million, and that very large audience was made up of Americans of many races and national backgrounds.
➦In 1983... KMET-FM Los Angeles, once the darling of album rock radio was falling apart. Seems that rival KROQ’s ascendance in the ratings has hurt the station. Gone was longtime program director Sam Bellamy. She believed that KROQ’s New Wave music and format would not have been accepted by her KMET audience even if she had chosen that direction.
Ross and Wilson
➦In 1983...Talk Radio 77WABC split its morning team of “Ross and Wilson,” as Ross Brittain was fired. At the time. he said his firing came as a complete surprise. “Now I’m a member of the Dan Ingram Home For Unemployed Disk Jockeys.”
In the fall of 1977, Ross Brittain, and Brian Wilson were working at different stations in Baton Rouge, met for lunch at the Frost Top Inn. Two weeks later, the "Nearly-Famous Ross & Wilson Show" debuted in AM Drive on WJBO. A mere eight months later – July 10, 1978 - after taking Baton Rouge radio and the entire city by storm, they did their first morning show for Atlanta's CHR powerhouse, Z-93. Then, just 29 months later, Ross & Wilson were hired to take over Morning Drive on WABC.
➦In 1983...Jim Nettletown retured to 56WFIL Philadelphia formornings on the oldies-based station.
Here's an aircheck of WFIL 56 and WIBG 99, spaning the years 1970 thru 1983. A ton of great Philly personalities including George Michael, Long John Wade, Don Wade, John Records Landecker, Don Cannon, Chuck Knapp, Hy Lit, Joe Niagra, Tony Mann, Dick Fennessy, & Jim Nettleton. (Courtesy of Ellis B. Feaster WPOZ Orlando).
Nettleton died in 2009 from cancer.
➦In 1984…WCAU-TV Philadelphia news and NFL films narrator John Facenda died of lung cancer at the age of 71.
Olivia Newton-John is 73
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Country singer David Frizzell is 80.
Actor Kent McCord (“Adam 12”) is 79.
“The Weakest Link” host Anne Robinson is 77.
Singer Bryan Ferry is 76.
Actor Mary Beth Hurt is 75.
Singer-actor Olivia Newton-John is 73.
Actor James Keane (“Bulworth,” TV’s “The Paper Chase”) is 69.
Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is 67.
Country singer Carlene Carter is 66.
Melissa Sue Anderson is 59
Actor Linda Hamilton is 65.
Singer Cindy Herron of En Vogue is 60.
Actor Melissa Sue Anderson (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 59.
Singer Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl is 59.
TV personality Jillian Barberie is 55.
Guitarist Jody Davis of Newsboys is 54.
Actor Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ”) is 53.
Actor Tricia O’Kelley (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 53.
Actor Ben Shenkman (“Royal Pains,” “Angels in America”) is 53.
A new national poll commissioned by musicFIRST shows that the American public backs bold action to ensure that artists are treated with respect and paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, according to a press release.
Dominant corporate broadcasters like iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media have refused to pay artists. While these corporations use music creators’ work to fill their airwaves, and in turn bring in advertisers, they claim they cannot afford to give compensation to the artists.
The musicFirst release states this is exploitation of the tens of thousands of working-class singers and musicians.
musicFIRST states these same broadcasters then turn to their lobbyists at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to do their dirty work on Capitol Hill to maintain the unjust status quo, claiming that providing fair compensation to artists for their work would harm “local radio.” The truth is that the six largest broadcast conglomerates have wiped out local jobs at the 2,000 radio stations they own across the country.
While most Americans are unaware of these injustices playing out between broadcasters and music creators, once they learn of this issue they not only agree it is unfair, and that music creators deserve to be paid when their music is played, but they support artists and advertisers taking strong action — up to and including boycotting AM/FM radio stations or supporting artists from withholding their music — to force broadcasters to do the right thing.
musicFIRST is supporting the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Ted Deutch and Darrell Issa in June of this year. If passed, the AMFA would require broadcasters to, would finally, fairly compensate artists when they play their songs on their radio stations, while protecting truly local radio stations by exempting small and noncommercial broadcasters.
One key reason that broadcasters have been able to get away without paying artists for so long is that most Americans simply don’t know it’s happening, according to the musicFIRST poll.
In this survey, only 30% of Americans said they were aware that artists aren’t paid when their music is played on AM/FM radio. Meanwhile, over half reported that they knew that streaming services like Spotify and Pandora do pay artists for streams.
The NAB is banking on the public remaining in the dark on this issue, according to musicFIRST. Because once they do become aware, Americans overwhelmingly believe it’s unfair that music creators and artists are not paid when their music is played on the radio — by a 2-to-1 margin, 54%-22%. Once average people start speaking up, standing, alongside leading artists and voices in the music industry, the pressure to finally provide fair compensation may be too much for corporate broadcasters to withstand.
By a more than 40-point margin (60%-16%), survey respondents say that artists should be able to withhold their music and not allow radio stations to play their songs if they’re not being paid for it.
In response to polling conducted by musicFIRST regarding a performance royalty on local broadcast radio stations for music airplay, NAB released the following statement on behalf of President and CEO Gordon Smith:
“NAB strongly opposes a performance fee on broadcast radio, and we applaud the more than 200 bipartisan members of Congress who are standing up for their local radio stations and listeners. Not only would a performance fee upend the century-long symbiotic relationship between radio and the music industry, but it would devastate thousands of radio stations across the country.
“As musicFIRST is well aware, NAB’s door remains open to continue discussions around a holistic solution to this issue that grows the partnership between the music and broadcast industries for another hundred years. It is unfortunate that the record labels’ focus is on gimmicky press conferences and questionable Survey Monkey polling rather than serious conversation.”
Rudy Giuliani has been banned from Fox News for almost three months. As if the sting of that weren’t painful enough, the “9/11 mayor” learned of his banishment … on the eve of Sept. 11, reports Politico.
Giuliani was slated to appear on “Fox & Friends” to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack. But the night before, host Pete Hegseth called Giuliani to say he’d been cut from the show and apologize.
The ban extends not just to Giuliani, but also to his son Andrew, who has not been on Fox News since he launched his campaign for governor of New York in May despite many requests to go on the network. His team has been frustrated that rival GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin is a frequent guest.
But bookers have told both Giulianis the ban comes from the top, sources said. The former New York City mayor had been a fixture on the network.
“Rudy is really hurt because he did a big favor for Rupert (Murdoch),” a source close to Giuliani said. “He was instrumental in getting Fox on Time Warner so it could be watched in New York City.” In 1996, Giuliani’s administration advocated for Time Warner to carry the newly launched Fox News Channel, intervening in a dispute between Murdoch and the cable provider.
Dominion Voting Systems has separately sued Giuliani and Fox News for allegedly defaming the company with false election claims — in the case of Fox, for allowing guests like Giuliani to make the claims on its network. Fox News has filed to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Dominion failed to show the network acted in malice, the legal standard for proving defamation. Giuliani has argued his claims about Dominion were “substantially true,” while acknowledging he didn’t understand how the company’s voting software works, according to Business Insider.
In a 2018 FBI deposition that became public last month, Giuliani admitted he would push lies about Hillary Clinton on Fox News, referring to it as “throwing a fake.”
