➦In 1924…A year before the "Grand Ole Opry" hit the airwaves from WSM Radio in Nashville, "The Chicago Barn Dance" aired on WLS Radio in Chicago. The country music show was later renamed "National Barn Dance" and continued on the air – on WLS, simulcast on the ABC Radio Network, simulcast on the NBC Radio Network, back to WLS only, then Chicago's WGN Radio – until 1968.
According to Edgar Bill, the first WLS station manager: "We had so much highbrow music the first week that we thought it would be a good idea to get on some of the old time music. After we had been going about an hour, we received about 25 telegrams of enthusiastic approval. It was this response that pushed the Barn Dance!" Indeed, Sears-Roebuck management was aghast by this "disgraceful low-brow music" that was being broadcast on their new station. When Bill and Agricultural Director Samuel Guard were confronted by the angry executives, they pointed to the audiences overwhelming approval.
The Barn Dance served two distinct audiences. It targeted the rural farm audiences as well as city listeners that had come from rural communities or those whom had been told about the "good old times."
In November 1925, WLS claimed to be the first to build an audience studio when it moved to larger quarters on the 6th floor of the Sherman Hotel in downtown Chicago. The theatre was designed to hold 100 people as well as technical and control room facilities. (WLS History)
National Barn Dance continued for more than two decades on WLS. WLW Cincinnati became the flagship from 1950-60, and Chicago’s WGN took over as host station from 1960-68.
➦In 1934..The Communications Act of 1934, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This landmark legislation established the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), consolidating oversight of radio, telegraph, and telephone communications. The act replaced the Federal Radio Commission and set enduring regulations for licensing and managing radio stations, shaping the growth of commercial broadcasting in the U.S. It addressed the chaotic expansion of radio in the 1920s, ensuring orderly use of the spectrum and fostering innovation, including the eventual rise of FM radio.
➦In 1943...'Theater of Romance' anthology debuted on the CBS Radio Network as a filler show between 1943 and 1957. It substituted from time to time for such shows as Gunsmoke, Life with Luigi, Lux Radio Theater, and many others. Producers, directors, and actors changed constantly through the years. Even the locale changed from New York to Los Angeles in 1945.
Romance featured such stars as Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck, Shirley Temple, and many other Hollywood stars, often binding the story lines with the films in which the stars were currently being featured. The themed stories often revolved around historical fiction as well, and broadcast before a live audience.
➦In 1965..WINS 1010 AM in New York City flipped from Top40 to become the first All-News radio station. Two months earlier, personality Murray The K departed WINS...
Bob Kevoian, longtime co-host of the syndicated "Bob & Tom Show," died Friday at age 75.
Kevoian took a sudden turn for the worse Thursday night. By 5:30 p.m. Friday, his family knew the end was near. His wife, Becky, and their three sons gathered in the room with him, playing his favorite album: The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Side 2. As the final track, “Golden Slumbers,” ended, Kevoian took his last breath while the family sang along, according to his longtime partner Tom Griswold.
Kevoian had been battling cancer for three years but continued living with humor and optimism, even planning a possible trip to Disney World for the weekend.
A raspy-voiced comedian known for his quick wit and often edgy humor on air, Kevoian was the laid-back counterpart to Griswold’s high-energy style. The pair launched “The Bob & Tom Show” in Indianapolis on March 7, 1983. What started as a local morning program blending comedy, talk, news, and sports grew into a national success. It was syndicated in 1995 and is now heard in more than 100 cities.
Kevoian and Tom Griswold cohosted the Indianapolis-based show for more than three decades after it first aired on WFBQ in March of 1983. He retired from the show in 2015 upon his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 2023, he publicly shared his cancer journey through the podcast “The Bob & Cancer Show,” co-hosted with his wife Becky and friend Whit Grayson.
Griswold remembered Kevoian’s approach to the show as simple: “It’s just a conversation between two friends that people don’t hear. They overhear.”
A federal judge in Sacramento issued a temporary injunction Friday blocking television giant Nexstar from integrating operations with station owner Tegna, halting key aspects of their recently completed $6.2 billion merger.
U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley ruled that Nexstar must allow Tegna to continue operating as a fully separate, independently managed business and take steps to keep it as an active, economically viable competitor while the antitrust lawsuit proceeds.
Nexstar and Tegna, two of the nation’s largest local TV station groups, announced the deal last year.
Nexstar, based in Irving, Texas, is the country’s biggest local broadcaster, reaching about 39% of U.S. households through 201 stations it owns or services.
The companies said the merger had already closed more than four weeks ago after receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice. Nexstar issued a statement Friday night asserting, “Nexstar Media Group now owns Tegna.”
The injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by DirecTV and a coalition of states, including New York, California, Colorado, and Oregon. Plaintiffs argue the merger would reduce local competition, drive up consumer costs, and lower programming quality.
New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a “critical victory” against rising costs for consumers.
Nexstar has maintained the deal would strengthen local broadcasting and counterbalance national TV networks. President Trump publicly supported the merger, describing it as a way to compete against what he called “the enemy” — national TV programmers.
The case is part of growing antitrust scrutiny of media consolidation. Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit struck down certain FCC limits on local station ownership, and the FCC is reviewing the national 39% audience reach cap, which could open the door to more deals.
Judge Nunley’s order allows DirecTV and the states to file amended complaints by the end of the month. Litigation remains ongoing.
A new Ipsos poll for the Jordan Center for Journalism Innovation and Advocacy at the University of Mississippi (conducted in March 2026) highlights a major shift in how Americans—specifically registered voters who participated in the 2024 presidential election—consume news.
The Hollywood Reporter covered the findings in an article published Friday, noting that the media landscape has become increasingly fractured. Consumers now pick sources that align with their views, with online opinion personalities and comedians (especially right-leaning ones) gaining ground and often overshadowing traditional journalists and outlets.
Key shifts in news sources : The poll shows a clear move away from traditional TV and newspapers toward online platforms and individual influencers:
Nearly 70% of respondents get news online in a typical week.
55.2% get it from television.
25.2% from newspapers.
Lower figures for radio (18.5%), magazines (5.5%), or none of the above (4.1%).
Facebook and YouTube are the most-used online platforms for news, followed by Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, and LinkedIn. Among TV sources, Fox News leads, followed by the major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS) and CNN. For newspapers, local papers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal are the most cited.
There are partisan differences: Trump voters heavily favor Fox News, while Harris voters lean toward CNN and legacy media. Democrats are also more likely to get news from newspapers (33% vs. 18.5% of Republicans).
Top news influencers (excluding politicians): The poll asked about the most influential news figures and separated out politicians. When politicians are excluded, podcaster Joe Rogan ranks #1 overall, followed by Fox News personalities Greg Gutfeld and Sean Hannity (in that order among the top non-politicos). Next are commentators Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.
This matches exactly what you mentioned: Hannity and Gutfeld trail only Rogan among non-politicians. (When politicians are included, only Trump, Rogan, and JD Vance cracked double-digit influence scores.)
For context, among Harris (Democratic) voters, the top non-politician influencers are late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart.
The Walt Disney Company is seeking a record $10 million for a 30-second commercial during its 2027 Super Bowl LXI broadcast on ABC and ESPN, but advertisers are pushing back and many are holding off on commitments.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, Disney’s aggressive opening ask — significantly higher than recent Super Bowl rates — has left some marketers on the sidelines. The company is also requesting an additional $10 million commitment to be spent across its broader media portfolio, including other sports properties like Monday Night Football.
This marks Disney’s first Super Bowl broadcast in 20 years. The game, scheduled for February 14, 2027, in Los Angeles, will air on both ABC and ESPN, with a Manning brothers alternate-cast on ESPN2.
Super Bowl ad prices have climbed steadily in recent years. While some spots for last year’s game sold above $10 million late in the cycle when inventory was scarce, the bulk typically went for $7 million to $8 million. Disney’s early $10 million ask represents a bold push to capitalize on its return to the biggest stage in television.
Industry observers note that previous broadcasters like NBC and Fox had sold 40-60% of their Super Bowl inventory by this point ahead of the May upfronts. Disney has not made similar progress so far.
Advertisers have expressed hesitation, with one telling Variety there is “a big delta” between Disney’s starting price and what buyers are willing to pay. Some brands are considering redirecting Super Bowl budgets to other Disney properties or competing platforms if the value doesn’t align.
The high-stakes negotiations come as Disney aims to maximize revenue from its high-profile NFL rights deal, which includes extensive cross-promotion opportunities across its entertainment empire. Final prices are expected to evolve closer to the game as inventory tightens.
Edison Research at SSRS has announced the Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. from Edison Podcast Metrics based on reach for the first quarter of 2026 among weekly podcast consumers ages 13+.
The Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie, and The Daily top the list, as they did in Q4 2025. The top six shows remain in the same rank order as Q4, with other rank changes in the Top 10 noted below parenthetically.
The full list of Top 50 podcasts is below.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Crime Junkie
The Daily
Call Her Daddy
Smartless
Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC (+2 rank positions since Q4 2025)
This Past Weekend with Theo Von
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories (+8 rank positions since Q4 2025)
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
And the Award Goes To…
After winning the inaugural Golden Globe for Best Podcast in January 2026, Good Hang with Amy Poehler soars from 38th to 13th in one quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter the show has reached a record high. Other Golden Globe Best Podcast finalists that moved up the ranker: The Mel Robbins Podcast (+3), Up First (+1), and Armchair Expert (+12).
Notable Moves:
The Giggly Squad breaks into the top 50 for the first time. It won Best Podcast of the Year at the iHeart Podcast Awards in March 2026.
The Herd with Colin Cowherd hits a record high. Cowherd received criticism after launching an AI version of himself.
The Dan Bongino Show reenters the top 50. Bongino returned to podcasting in February after a stint as FBI deputy director.
Bubbling under: Rappers Joe and Jada reach 57th after climbing the ranks consistently since debuting in May 2025.
Vox Media's CEO Jim Bankoff's plan to sell off major pieces of the company in separate deals over the coming weeks, effectively breaking up one of the most prominent digital media conglomerates built in the 2010s.
This story broke via Dylan Byers at Puck this week.
Assets on the block:
Vox Media Podcast Network: Produces around 40 shows (e.g., shows featuring Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe, Cam Heyward, Maria Sharapova, and others). It was shopped aggressively last year and remains a key asset.
New York Magazine (and its digital properties like Vulture, The Cut, Intelligencer, etc.): Acquired by Vox in 2019 in a high-profile all-stock deal.
Portfolio of digital brands: Includes The Verge (tech), Eater (food), SB Nation (sports blogs, one of Vox's foundational assets), and others like Vox.com.
Bankoff and investment bank LionTree have been shopping these since late 2025. Sources describe negotiations as “positive” but “far from conclusion,” with the expectation of multiple closings soon. One insider put it: “There’s not one deal, there are deals.”
Vox Media started in the mid-2000s with SB Nation and grew into a major player by acquiring or launching brands like The Verge, Vox, Eater, and Polygon. It raised hundreds of millions (peaking at a ~$1B valuation around the 2015 NBCUniversal investment) and positioned itself as a modern, diversified media company with strong tech and advertising capabilities.
The 2019 acquisition of New York Media was a crown jewel move, blending digital-native brands with legacy prestige. However, like many peers (Vice, BuzzFeed, etc.), Vox faced challenges from shifting ad markets, platform dependency, and economic pressures. Penske Media became its largest shareholder in 2023.Last year, Vox explored a full company sale or major spinoffs (especially the podcast business, seen as a growth area). Talks with buyers, including Versant (the CNBC/MS NOW parent with historical ties via NBCU), continued even after some pauses.
Why the breakup now? This reflects the broader end of the “sprawling digital media conglomerate” era. Ad revenue has been tough, audiences are fragmented, and individual assets (especially podcasts or strong vertical brands) often fetch better prices standalone than as part of a larger entity. Byers calls it an “admirable, atom-splitting attempt” and an “anticlimactic end” to the 2010s roll-up strategy.
Deals are expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, though nothing is finalized. This would leave whatever remains of Vox significantly smaller or potentially dissolved as a single entity.
➦In 1925...Robert Francis Hastings born (Died from pancreatic cancer at age 89 – June 30, 2014). He was a radio, film, and television character actor. He also provided voices for animated cartoons. He was best known for his portrayal of annoying suck-up Lt. Elroy Carpenter, on McHale's Navy.
Bob Hastings
Hastings started in radio on "Coast-to-Coast on a Bus" (NBC). Hastings served during World War II in the United States Army Air Corps. After serving in World War II as a navigator on B-29s, he played the role of Archie Andrews in a series based on the Archie comic book series on NBC Radio from 1945-53. Archie Andrews was sponsored by Swift & Company food products.
Hastings moved to television in 1949. He is best known for portraying the aide to Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn), the yes-man Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter on ABC's McHale's Navy, humorously called "Carpy" and "Little Leadbottom" by McHale and his men.
After McHale's Navy, Hastings was a regular on the Universal Studios lot, where Universal paid actors during downtime to be on the grounds and talk to tourists. According to an interview, he got along so well with the people that he became one of the few regulars on the tour.
➦In 1939…Gene Autry recorded his signature song "Back in the Saddle Again" for the first time in Los Angeles for Columbia Records. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939. The song was associated with Autry throughout his career and was used as the name of Autry's autobiography in 1976. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. In addition to being used as the theme for Autry's radio program, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch,"Back in the Saddle Again" was also used for The Gene Autry Show on television as well as for personal appearances.
It was included in the Autry movie "Roving Tumbleweeds," then became the theme song for his "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch" radio series which aired on CBS from 1940 to 1956.
This is the original pilot episode that debuted on KNX Radio in Los Angeles as a private preview for the Doublemint Gum.
➦In 1944...Arthur W. Ferguson born (Died – February 19, 2016). Better known as Charlie Tuna, he began working at age 16 at his hometown's radio station, KGFW. Then, he went to work at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas for a year with the air name "Billy O'Day". He then worked for KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City in 1966, where he took over the "Charlie Tuna" pseudonym from Chuck Riley, who had used it for one show the week prior to Tuna's arrival. Tuna then moved on to WMEX in Boston for the first 9 months of 1967.
Charlie Tuna
In late 1967, KHJ in Los Angeles offered Tuna the 9 to noon slot, where he debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1967. On February 9, 1971, he had just commenced his morning show at 6:00 a.m. when the San Fernando earthquake occurred.
In early 1972 he did mornings at KCBQ in San Diego (during the original presentation of "The Last Contest") and later that year became one of the original DJs at KROQ AM, a new Top 40 station (formerly Country KBBQ). In 1973 be moved to KKDJ as program director and morning personality. He presided over its 1975 call-letter change to KIIS, and broadcast the first show at KIIS-FM as it began its AM/FM simulcast. He also worked at KTNQ, KHTZ (later KBZT), KRLA, KODJ (later KCBS-FM), KMPC, KIKF, and KLAC.
He worked at KBIG 104.3, where he hosted a long-running morning show Charlie Tuna in the Morning which aired from 5 to 10 am. His last full-time morning show aired on September 17, 2007, when the station flipped to a non-rhythmic-based adult contemporary format, as 104.3 My FM. He returned to radio February 9, 2008 when he became the weekend personality on Los Angeles oldies station K-Earth 101. CBS on August 27, 2015 began down sizing their stations in Los Angeles, at which point Charlie moved on to expand his syndicated radio business.
Tuna served as announcer for Casey Kasem on his 1980s television program America's Top 10, and occasionally filled in for Kasem on his radio programs American Top 20 and American Top 10. He co-hosted Your Good Time Oldies Magazine from 1992 to 1995, and he produced and hosted 52 weekly episodes of Back to the 70s, which were rerun at radio stations across the country until 2008.
Tuna had a year-long run in 2009 of a 5-hour classic hits daily and weekend show, syndicated through United Stations Radio Network in New York. He joined Black Card Radio in Los Angeles in 2010 as host of a 5-hour weekend show Charlie Tuna - The 70's, which is distributed nationally and internationally, and later added a 5-hour daily and weekend show for all radio formats. He moved his radio station voice imaging business to Black Card Radio later that year. In 2011 he introduced the syndicated "Charlie Tuna's Hollywood Minute", 4 to 5 top entertainment stories each day. Tuna reunited with United Stations Radio Network in New York in 2013 to do the ad sales for his Black Card Radio shows.
Tuna broadcast approximately 6,000 radio shows from 1971 through 1996 on the American Forces Radio Network.
➦In 1960...The 3M Company purchased the bankrupt Mutual Broadcasting System for $1.24M. MBS had 443 affiliates, easily the most of any network at the time. In July 1966, 3M sold the network to a privately held company, Mutual Industries, Inc., headed by John P. Fraim. Upon Mutual Industries's acquisition of Mutual, it was renamed to "Mutual Broadcasting Corporation". See below...
➦In 1999...Last broadcast of the Mutual Broadcasting System.
NPR announced Thursday a $113 million windfall from two charitable donors, including $80 million from billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer — the largest gift from a living donor in the organization’s history. An anonymous donor contributed the remaining $33 million.
The Washington Post reports the donations come months after Congress, at President Donald Trump’s direction, voted to eliminate federal funding for public media, stripping $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The CPB, which had long supported NPR, PBS, and local stations, voted to dissolve in January.
Ballmer, a former NPR board member and co-founder of the investment firm Ballmer Group, said in a statement: “I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism. My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network.”
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher called the gifts a “remarkable investment” that will support journalism for years and help fund digital innovation and network strengthening. However, she emphasized they do not replace lost public dollars.
“While these investments are extraordinary, they do not replace federal funding,” Maher wrote. “The permanent loss of more than $1 billion in federal funding has created significant financial pressure across all of public media. No single benefactor can or should carry this responsibility alone.”
Although NPR itself received only about 1% of its budget from federal sources, many member stations relied far more heavily on those funds.
In a related development, a federal judge ruled on March 31 that a Trump executive order blocking taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, violating First Amendment rights. The ruling did not restore the congressional defunding but left open the possibility of future federal support.
The new gifts rank as the second-largest in NPR history. The record remains a $200 million bequest from Joan B. Kroc, wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, upon her death in 2003.
A major survey of American teenagers reveals that nearly 9 in 10 use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat primarily for entertainment. The findings highlight both the central role these apps play in teen social life and emerging concerns about their impact on daily routines, particularly sleep.
According to the Pew survey, about 90% of US teens cite entertainment as a key reason for using the three dominant short-form and messaging platforms. In addition, 57% report messaging on Snapchat every day, underscoring how these apps have become embedded in routine peer communication. At the same time, 37% of teens say TikTok negatively affects their sleep, pointing to a notable downside of heavy platform use.
The data paints a picture of social media as both a primary source of leisure and connection for today’s teens, while also flagging potential health trade-offs. Snapchat stands out for daily engagement, with more than half of respondents using its messaging features on a regular basis. TikTok, meanwhile, shows a clear link to sleep problems for more than one-third of users—likely due to endless scrolling and late-night content consumption.
These patterns reflect broader trends in teen media consumption, where platforms optimized for quick dopamine hits compete directly with sleep, schoolwork, and offline activities. While the high entertainment value drives widespread adoption, the sleep statistic adds to growing evidence that excessive use can interfere with healthy adolescent development.
Further details from the survey could shed light on differences by age, gender, or frequency of use, but the core numbers already illustrate a clear reality: social apps dominate teen downtime, fuel daily interactions, and—for a significant minority—disrupt rest.
Regulators are probing Major League Baseball’s streaming-rights distribution as part of a wider federal review of how professional sports leagues deliver games to online platforms, officials and reports say.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told Bloomberg he has heard complaints from baseball fans about where to watch games and that regulators are examining leagues beyond the NFL. The investigation follows a Wall Street Journal report that the Department of Justice is probing whether the NFL’s practice of splitting broadcast privileges is anticompetitive.
Bloomberg, citing a source, said the DOJ also plans to review streaming rights for leagues covered by the Sports Broadcasting Act, including MLB; a DOJ spokesperson declined to comment. Carr cautioned that while the NFL has drawn attention, regulators are looking more broadly at other leagues that might test the limits of the law.
