Happy Friday: Here's The Pulse Briefing For Oct 9

Radio Broadcasting

Radio's Secret Sauce: Radio Consultant Has Theory as to why NBC TODAY is winning the breakfast battle with ABC's GMA. MORE

New Deal: Joe Rogan and Spotify have agreed to a new multi-year deal that keeps “The Joe Rogan Experience” on the platform, extending a partnership that began in 2020. MORE

Discounted Politicals: FCC Gets More Time To Respond Lower Court Order Concerning Lowest Units Rates. MORE

Media Industry

CNN, CBS News: David Ellison and Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz said Thursday that CNN and CBS News will remain separate businesses with independent editorial operations. MORE

TWH Press Ban: A federal judge on Thursday temporarily extended his order blocking President Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, saying he would decide by next week whether to keep the outlets’ access in place for a longer period. MORE

Podcast Sources: Video podcasts are not replacing audio, new research from SiriusXM Media and Edison Research finds. MORE

U-S News

Visas Paused: The administration is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and several tech recruiting companies from a program that lets H-1B visa holders apply for green cards, citing what officials call widespread abuses of the visa system. MORE

Streaming Execution: The Pentagon said Thursday that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed. MORE

Get ICE Out: An ICE officer shot a man near a child Thursday, prompting Mayor Zohran Mamdani to call President Trump to demand the removal of ICE from New York. MORE

Warnings Posted: Hurricane Isaias strengthened as it trekked toward the U.S. Gulf Coast Thursday night, with landfall expected late Friday as a dangerous hurricane. MORE

TV Ratings: Radio's Secret Sauce Helping NBC TODAY Win

NBC’s TODAY won the broadcast morning-show ratings crown for the week of Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, finishing ahead of second-place ABC’s Good Morning America in total viewers and in the adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 demographics.

The win kept TODAY No. 1 across the measures networks and advertisers use to rank the 7 a.m. competition. Good Morning America placed second. CBS Mornings, formerly CBS This Morning, finished third.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

The weekly result extends a broader lead for the NBC program. TODAY closed the 2025-26 season as the top morning show in both total viewers and adults 25-54 for the first time in 14 years, averaging about 2.94 million viewers and leading GMA by roughly 114,000. It also finished September as No. 1 in total viewers and the key demo, its largest September advantage over GMA in 15 years, according to NBC.

In the adults 25-54 demo, the audience most valued by advertisers, TODAY’s season and September margins over GMA were substantially wider than its total-viewer edge. Season figures also showed TODAY ahead of GMA in adults 18-49.

CBS Mornings remained well behind both rivals in total viewers and the key demos, continuing a long-running gap in the morning race.

Longtime radio consultant Gary Berkowitz gives the personality 'chemistry' nod to the talent on TODAY.  

Gary Berkowitz

Berkowitz notes the faces on “Today” have changed over the years, but one thing has remained consistent: the show has always understood the importance of putting people on the screen that viewers want to spend time with. And what has always amazed me about “Today” is that everyone on the show seems to genuinely enjoy being together. Savannah, Craig, Al, Jenna and Carson make it feel like they actually hang out together. They laugh together, react to each other, and seem to enjoy being in the same room. Is that always true once the cameras are turned off? I have no idea. And frankly, it does not matter. That is how it comes across on the air."

However, “Good Morning America” feels very different to Berkowitz. "Robin, George and Michael sometimes come across as if they have a stopwatch running, telling them exactly how much longer they have to sit next to each other before they can leave. Again, I have no idea what is really happening behind the scenes. But to me, it sure seems like they do not like each other, maybe even bordering on massive dislike."

He concludes "But that is not the point. What matters is what the audience feels. And that brings us directly to radio. Listeners can feel chemistry. They can feel warmth. They can feel when people genuinely sound like they enjoy being there. They can also feel when they do not."

Joe Rogan, Spotify Renew $250M Podcast Deal

Joe Rogan and Spotify have agreed to a new multi-year deal that keeps “The Joe Rogan Experience” on the platform, extending a partnership that began in 2020.

The renewal is for similar terms to Rogan’s previous deal with the streaming service, which allowed “The Joe Rogan Experience” to be distributed broadly and for an estimated earnout of $250 million, according to The Wall Street Journal citing to people familiar with the matter.

FCC Gets More Time To Respond Lower Court Order

Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday paused a federal appeals court order that would have forced the FCC to decide by noon Friday whether broadcasters must extend election-season discounted ad rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees.

The administrative stay came hours after the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to block the deadline. Responses are due by 5 p.m. Saturday. The pause leaves the commission’s expanded discount policy in place while the justices consider the request.

Skydance CEOs Again Say CNN, CBS News Remain Separate

David Ellison and Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz said Thursday that CNN and CBS News will remain separate businesses with independent editorial operations, even as they left open the possibility of operational efficiencies between the two news organizations.

Appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Kreiz rejected the idea that combining newsgathering would be a cost-cutting move. “This isn’t about cost savings in this case,” he said. “We look to keep the businesses run in parallel with independent editorial operation.” He called CNN and CBS News “two separate businesses.”

Ban On White House Press Ban Gets an Extension

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily extended his order blocking President Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, saying he would decide by next week whether to keep the outlets’ access in place for a longer period.

Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the short extension would give him time to review the arguments. The outlets asked that their access continue while the lawsuit proceeds, a process that could take months. The government countered that the president has the authority to bar them and should be allowed to reinstate the ban while the case continues.

Audio Maintains Slim Lead As Preferred Podcast Format

Video podcasts are not replacing audio, new research from SiriusXM Media and Edison Research finds. In the past month, 90% of monthly podcast consumers listened to an audio-first show and 89% consumed a video podcast — nearly identical shares, with both formats growing.

Seven in 10 did both. Only 10% listened exclusively, and 20% watched exclusively. Nearly half said they are consuming more audio than a year ago, and nearly half said the same about video. “Video isn’t growing because people have suddenly stopped listening and discovered video,” Edison Research Vice President Megan Lazovick said. “Audio is growing alongside it.”

Trump Admin Hits Pause on Tech H-1B Visa Holders

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the administration is suspending Microsoft, Adobe and several tech recruiting companies from a program that lets H-1B visa holders apply for green cards, citing what officials call widespread abuses of the visa system.

Vance’s antifraud task force took the action the same day President Trump recognized Microsoft’s CEO and other tech leaders at a Washington event. Vance said no other company has abused the system more than Microsoft, accusing it of laying off U.S. citizens and replacing them with foreign workers on H-1B visas.

FOX Weather to Simulcast on FOX News, FOX Business

FOX Weather will present continuous live coverage of Hurricane Isaias beginning at 5 AM/ET on Friday, October 9th through Saturday night, October 10th. Helmed by FOX Weather’s expert meteorologists the special coverage will also be simulcast on FOX News Channel overnight Friday into Saturday from midnight-6 AM/ET and on FOX Business Network from 4 AM - 9 AM/ET Saturday.

Anchoring the coverage from FOX Weather’s New York headquarters will be meteorologists Ian Oliver, Ari Sarsalari, Britta Merwin, Craig Herrera, Bob Van Dillen, Steve Bender, Kiyana Lewis, Melanie Black, Bayne Froney, Marissa Torres and Jane Minar. Renowned FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross will also provide exclusive analysis on the storm throughout its duration.

Pentagon Plans To Live Stream Firing Squad Execution

The Pentagon said Thursday that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be “public.”

Hegseth told Real America’s Voice News on Wednesday that Hasan will be executed at Fort Hood on Dec. 3. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Texas military base. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said.

Radio History: Oct 9

➦In 1890...Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson born (Died – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or simply Sister, was a Canadian-American Pentecostal evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s, famous for founding the Foursquare Church.

McPherson has been noted as a pioneer in the use of modern media, because she used radio to draw on the growing appeal of popular entertainment in North America and incorporated other forms into her weekly sermons at Angelus Temple, one of the first megachurches.

In her time she was the most publicized Protestant evangelist, surpassing Billy Sunday and her other predecessors. She conducted public faith healing demonstrations before large crowds; testimonies conveyed tens of thousands of people healed.  McPherson's articulation of the United States as a nation founded and sustained by divine inspiration continues to be echoed by many pastors in churches today.

News coverage sensationalized her misfortunes with family and church members; particularly inflaming accusations she had fabricated her reported kidnapping, turning it into a national spectacle. McPherson's preaching style, extensive charity work and ecumenical contributions were a major influence on Charismatic Christianity in the 20th century.

NYC Radio: WCBS-FM Unveils New Morning Show

Trey and Loren

101.1 WCBS-FM, the most-listened-to Classic Hits station in America, announces a new morning show featuring Trey Morgan and Loren Raye. “The Morning Show with Trey and Loren Raye” can be heard weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ET.

“Trey and Loren love radio. They love connecting with people, and each brings a very different take on life to the microphone. Put those personalities in a room, and you’ve got the makings of great conversations and something worth turning up,” said John Foxx, Brand Manager, 101.1 WCBS-FM. “I’m excited for our listeners to get to know them and find a little of themselves in the show every morning."

“There are very few opportunities in radio that feel this special. WCBS-FM has an incredible history and a unique relationship with New York, and I’m grateful for the chance to build this show with Loren Raye,” said Morgan. “I’ve been fortunate to have learned from great mentors and am excited to continue learning from John Foxx, Jim Ryan, and Chris Oliviero. My goal is to make a show Loren and I are proud of, have a lot of fun and earn our place in people’s mornings.”