Ellison Makes First Major Executive Choice For Paramount

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has chosen HBO content chief Casey Bloys to run streaming operations for the combined company after Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to people familiar with the matter. Paramount streaming head Cindy Holland is leaving immediately, clearing the way for Bloys.⁠

The appointment is Ellison’s first major executive decision ahead of the planned deal, which values WBD at about $81 billion in equity and $110 billion in enterprise value and would put HBO and HBO Max under Paramount. Holland, the former Netflix programming executive Ellison installed about a year ago to run Paramount+ and related direct-to-consumer platforms, told staff Tuesday was her last day. In a memo she wrote that Ellison was “optimizing for HBO stability” in the next chapter and that she fully supported the choice. Ellison praised her as “a force of nature whose impact on Paramount over the past year has been significant.”⁠

Casey Bloys

The choice ends months of industry speculation over whether Bloys or Holland would lead the merged streaming business or whether they would share it. People familiar with Bloys’s thinking said he was not interested in a co-leadership arrangement. Ellison was concerned that losing Bloys would damage the HBO brand, a central piece of the combined company’s streaming strategy. Bloys has led HBO programming since 2016 after joining the network in 2004 and is associated with series including Succession, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Veep, Euphoria, and Hacks. Holland was a principal architect of Netflix originals such as Stranger Things, House of Cards, and The Crown; at Paramount she oversaw subscriber and engagement gains, live-sports deals, and a Pluto TV overhaul.⁠

Ellison has said Paramount+ and HBO Max will eventually be combined into a single service with more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, though no timeline has been set. Discovery+ would also sit under the same corporate roof. The companies have discussed consolidating technology stacks and cutting costs while keeping HBO creatively distinct.⁠

The leadership change comes as Paramount awaits a federal judge’s approval of last week’s settlement with 12 Democratic state attorneys general who had sued to block the merger on antitrust grounds.

AI Techies Sign-Up for Self-Policing

President Donald Trump and leading technology executives signed a voluntary, “morally binding” accord on artificial intelligence safety at the White House on Tuesday after a lunch with industry leaders including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Trump said the companies should regulate themselves rather than face new government rules.

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“There’s a belief that there should be tremendous self-regulation and we automatically have regulation with the Department of Justice, the FBI, all of that,” Trump told reporters. “But the self-regulation’s very important.” He later described the document as having a “tremendous self-policing aspect” and compared it to “almost like a constitution.” 

NY State Radio: Pamal Broadcasting to Acquire Galaxy Media

Pamal Broadcasting has agreed to buy Galaxy Media, the Syracuse- and Utica-based radio group founded by Ed Levine, for an undisclosed price, pending FCC approval.

The Albany-area company will take over day-to-day operations of Galaxy’s stations on Oct. 1 under a local marketing agreement, running programming and management while the sale moves through the FCC. Galaxy operates about 10 stations — often counted as a larger cluster of signals when simulcasts and translators are included — in the Syracuse and Utica-Rome markets. 

Those brands include K-Rock in both cities, classic rock TK99/TK105, classic hits Sunny 102, Mix 102.5, variety-hits Tony FM, and ESPN Radio outlets in Syracuse and Utica.-Rome.

Pamal, a family-owned group based in Latham and led by President and CEO Jim Morrell, already owns clusters in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, Glens Falls and Rutland, Vermont. 

Morrell said the deal would stretch the company’s footprint from New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey through the Hudson Valley and Capital District to Lake George, and now into Utica and Syracuse. “We have had a few meetings with the Galaxy employees, and we are excited to work with them, learn from them, and continue in the strong tradition of supporting our communities, entertaining our listeners and helping our advertising partners grow their businesses,” he said.

Morning Show Topic: McDonald's Using AI to Set Prices

McDonald’s is using an artificial-intelligence pricing engine to recommend “optimal” prices for menu items at individual restaurants across the United States and some overseas markets, a system that estimates how much local customers are willing to pay and has widened price gaps between nearby stores, Reuters reported Tuesday.⁠

The tool analyzes millions of daily transactions from nearly 14,000 restaurants and generates location-specific prices for items ranging from Big Macs to senior coffee discounts. Screenshots of the franchisee interface reviewed by Reuters include messages such as “Your restaurant is showing MEDIUM SENSITIVITY to Price,” based in part on “customer willingness to pay in your area.” The platform also pulls public menu prices from nearby competitors such as Wendy’s and Burger King.⁠

NFL Ratings: Sunday's Rio Game Sets A Record For CBS

CBS’s Ravens-Cowboys game from Rio de Janeiro averaged 24.9 million viewers Sunday, the most-watched NFL international game on record dating to the late 1980s and CBS’s most-watched Week 3 game since 2014.

The network released the figures late Tuesday, adding another data point to the NFL’s viewership rebound after a 13% drop in Week 1. The Brazil game was scheduled in the national late-Sunday afternoon window — typically the league’s strongest U.S. slot — rather than the early-morning or primetime windows used for most overseas games. Rio’s one-hour difference from Eastern time made that placement easier than games in Europe or Australia.

The rest of Week 3 was mostly strong as well. 

• Amazon Prime Video averaged 16.8 million for Thursday Night Football (Falcons-Packers), up 2% from the comparable 2025 game and Amazon’s best start since it took exclusive TNF rights in 2022. 
• Fox averaged 17.9 million in the early Sunday window, led in part by Chargers-Bills — the highest figure in that slot and up 11% year over year. 
• Through three weeks, CBS is averaging 19 million viewers for NFL games, up 6% from the same stretch of a record 2025.

NBC was the exception: Sunday Night Football (Broncos-Rams) averaged 20.8 million, down 18% from last year’s Week 3 Giants-Chiefs matchup. Still, each of NBC’s first four NFL games this season has topped 20 million for the third straight year.

Full Week 3 audience data is due Thursday.

Trump Government Commercials Draw Critics

A recording artist and a government watchdog on Tuesday demanded that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump be taken off the air, adding to bipartisan criticism that the spots amount to political advertising paid for with public money five weeks before the midterm elections.

Attorneys for Christian Berishaj, who performs as JMSN, sent the White House a cease-and-desist letter saying his song “Love Me” was used without permission in one of the nationally broadcast commercials. Public Citizen separately filed complaints with federal regulators, arguing the ads are campaign spots that should not be produced or aired with taxpayer resources and urging broadcasters to stop running them.

Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Chris Murphy asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to explain the campaign, saying the administration diverted $20 million from the agency to pay for it. “This administration’s defense of using Americans’ tax dollars to air these ads is as absurd as it is offensive,” they wrote.

Norfolk Radio: Tiffany McCormick Named GM

Saga Communications has promoted Tiffany McCormack to general manager of Hampton Roads Media Group in Norfolk, Virginia. She will oversee Active Rock WNOR-FM and Classic Rock WAFX (106.9 The Fox).

McCormack succeeds Carol Commander, who has left the company after more than 25 years. Commander had been general manager since November 2022.

Public Radio Fans Increasing Their Support

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Public radio’s core listeners are increasing their financial support despite household economic strain, according to early findings from Jacobs Media’s 18th Public Radio Techsurvey. 

About 72% of respondents said the current political climate is leading them to give more, up from 64% in 2025 and far above the roughly 42% average recorded from 2019 through 2024.⁠

College Student Radio Stations Are Disappearing

Cleveland State University administrators transferred control of student-run campus station WCSB 89.3 FM to public media conglomerate Ideastream on Oct. 2, 2025, in a closed-door agreement. The next morning, campus police escorted student staff from the station. Protests followed the same day — World College Radio Day.

Students had operated the independent station for nearly 50 years.

Attorney Brian Bardwell, who represents former student staff and alumni, said administrators mishandled the deal and more. A January lawsuit accuses the university of stripping students’ free-speech rights and making the Ideastream decision without public comment or debate.

After A Decade: Miley Cyrus Has A No. 1 Album

Miley Cyrus has earned her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in more than a decade, as Bass Persuades debuts atop the chart dated Oct. 3 with 61,000 equivalent album units in the United States for the week ending Sept. 24.⁠

The 10th studio album, released Sept. 18 through Atlantic Records and billed under the mononym Miley, is her sixth Billboard 200 leader and 16th top 10 set, counting work credited to Miley Cyrus and her Hannah Montana soundtracks. She last topped the tally in October 2013 with Bangerz.⁠

Good Morning It's Wednesday! Check The Pulse For Sep 30

Radio Broadcasting

NY State Radio: Pamal Broadcasting has agreed to buy Galaxy Media, the Syracuse- and Utica-based radio group founded by Ed Levine, for an undisclosed price, pending FCC approval. MORE

Saga Promotion: Tiffany McCormack to general manager of Hampton Roads Media Group in Norfolk, Virginia. She will oversee Active Rock WNOR-FM and Classic Rock WAFX (106.9 The Fox). MORE

Wolves Return: The Minnesota Timberwolves and Audacy’s 830 WCCO (WCCO-AM) today announced an exclusive radio and streaming partnership beginning with the 2026-27 Timberwolves season. MORE

How About Some Commercials With Those Fries?

McDonald’s is launching a Media Network that will sell third party advertising space on its digital restaurant screens and other platforms, a business the company hopes can eventually generate $1 billion in revenue.

The fast-food chain announced the plan during its Investor Day presentation on Sept. 23. Global Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Flatley said the company wants the media network to grow into a $1 billion business.

McDonald’s began testing the concept in August 2026 at 450 company-owned U.S. restaurants. Franchise locations, which are independently owned and operated, are not part of the pilot.

The test places third-party ads on digital drive-thru menu boards after customers place their orders, according to CNBC. McDonald’s showed an example of a Geico ad occupying part of a drive-thru screen.

The broader McDonald’s Media Network could later expand to nearly every digital screen in restaurants, including indoor menu boards and self-order kiosks.

Twin Cities Radio: Timberwolves Return To WCCO

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Audacy’s 830 WCCO (WCCO-AM) today announced an exclusive radio and streaming partnership beginning with the 2026-27 Timberwolves season. Under the agreement, 830 WCCO will become the organization’s new flagship radio broadcast home. The Timberwolves return to 830 WCCO for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, following a 12-season run on the station from 2011-12 through 2022-23.

Las Vegas Radio: Beasley Stations, Golden Knights Partner

Beasley Media Group has been named the official year-round audio partner of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, launching a multiyear agreement that will deliver English- and Spanish-language game broadcasts and expanded VGK programming across Beasley’s audio and digital platforms.

 
Under the agreement, X 107.9 (KVGS FM) will serve as the team’s official English-language radio flagship, while 105.7 Maxima (KOAS FM) will become the Spanish-language radio home of the Golden Knights. The two-station structure will broaden access to live game coverage while serving the diverse audiences that follow the team throughout Southern Nevada.

Radio History: Sep 30

➦In 1912...Singer Kenny Baker born  (Died from a heart attack at age 72  – August 10, 1985). He was a singer and actor who first gained notice as the featured singer on radio's The Jack Benny Program during the 1930s.

At the height of his radio fame, and after leaving the Benny show in 1939 (succeeded by Dennis Day, whose tenor voice was very similar to Baker's), he appeared in 17 film musicals, including Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937), At the Circus (1939), and The Harvey Girls (1946).

Baker returned to radio as a regular performer on Fred Allen's Texaco Star Theater program (1940–1942). He was also heard on Blue Ribbon Town (1943–1944) and Glamour Manor (1945–1947). He had his own programs, the Kenny Baker Show (1954) and Sincerely—Kenny Baker (1946). The latter was syndicated by the Frederick W. Ziv Company via electrical transcription.

➦In 1922...actor/director Lamont Johnson was born in Stockton Calif. When he was 16, Johnson began his career in radio, eventually playing the role of Tarzan in a popular syndicated series in 1951.He also worked as a newscaster and a disc jockey Johnson was also one of several actors to play Archie Goodwin in The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe, opposite Sydney Greenstreet on NBC Radio. He then turned to films and television, first as an actor, then as a director.

He became an active member of the Los Angeles radio acting pool.

"The National Farm and Home Hour"

➦In 1929…“The National Farm and Home Hour" started airing as a variety show which was broadcast in various formats from 1928 to 1958. Aimed at listeners in rural America, it was known as "the farmer's bulletin board" and was produced by the United States Department of Agriculture with contributions from, and the cooperation of, various farm organizations (among them the American Farm Bureau, 4-H Club, Farmers Union, Future Farmers of America and the National Grange). Raymond Edward Johnson and, later, Don Ameche appeared in dramatic sketches in the role of the Forest Ranger.