Good Morning Radio! Here's The Pulse For Wed, Aug 19

Radio Broadcasting

Nielsen Appeal Denied: The U.S. Court of Appeals has declined to reconsider its earlier ruling that bars Nielsen from bundling sales of its local and national radio audience data, locking in a significant victory for financially strained Cumulus Media.

Cumulus Trims: Cumulus Media is selling a pair of FM stations in two mid-sized markets—Savannah, Georgia, and the Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas, area—to Radio Training Network (RTN) for $2.05 million.

RIP: Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has died at age 77. The Texas-bred musician, who played with the blues-rock trio for 56 years, died Aug. 17 while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas.

Media Industry

Mickey Goes To Court: The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the FCC. The suit alleges that the agency’s early license-renewal proceedings for the stations and its scrutiny of whether The View qualifies as a “bona fide” news interview program exempt from equal-time rules violate the First Amendment.  FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gómez, the panel’s sole Democrat, immediately cheered the filing.

The Core Issues: Here are the core issues in the ongoing regulatory dispute involving the FCC. The Walt Disney Company, and its ABC-owned television stations (the eight O&Os: WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KTRK-TV Houston, KGO-TV San Francisco, KFSN-TV Fresno, and WTVD Durham). 

FIFA Scored: Nielsen’s June 2026 reports of The Gauge™ and Media Distributor Gauge revealed several key drivers that impacted television viewing trends: The highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026™ drove remarkable audience engagement with over 84 billion minutes viewed across FOX and NBCUniversal properties

U-S News

Iranian Attacks Unanswered: Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are piling up without an American military response, raising the risks of crossing the strategic waterway and frustrating some Arab allies who worry the U.S. doesn’t have a strategy to wind down the conflict.

Consumers Pinched: U.S. consumers are going to continue to feel the pinch of higher prices for everyday expenses, such as gas, as the ceasefire with Iran expired. President Trump said Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran to continue a ceasefire, which had a 60-day deadline pass on Aug. 17.

Progressive Impresses: State Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive firebrand who ran such an underdog campaign that she could not afford a single television ad, won the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida on Tuesday in a shocking upset. With her defeat of Alex Vindman, a candidate with establishment backing who raised more than 16 times as much campaign money, Ms. Nixon, a democratic socialist, continued the left’s winning streak this year in Democratic primaries.

Commissioner Praises Disney FCC lawsuit

FCC’s lone Democrat backs Disney’s lawsuit challenging agency actions against ABC stations as First Amendment violations.

The Walt Disney Company, on behalf of ABC and its eight owned-and-operated television stations, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the FCC. The suit alleges that the agency’s early license-renewal proceedings for the stations and its scrutiny of whether The View qualifies as a “bona fide” news interview program exempt from equal-time rules violate the First Amendment. 

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gómez, the panel’s sole Democrat, immediately cheered the filing. “For months, the FCC has waged a campaign of censorship and control against Disney’s ABC stations, using the threat of broadcast license revocations to punish a company for speech this administration doesn’t like,” 

Disney: Government Trying to Quash Free Speech

ABC has sued the FCC, alleging the agency’s efforts to challenge its broadcast licenses and regulate its talk show “The View” are illegal and an attempt to suppress speech the Trump administration finds objectionable.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., ABC—owned by Walt Disney Co.—said the administration has repeatedly attacked its journalism and programming, escalating into demands that ABC lose its broadcast licenses because of its speech. The network is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt the FCC’s license-renewal process, along with a hearing before the D.C. Circuit Court.

Where Things Stand: The FCC versus Disney/ABC Stations

Here are the core issues in the ongoing regulatory dispute involving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr), The Walt Disney Company, and its ABC-owned television stations (the eight O&Os: WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KTRK-TV Houston, KGO-TV San Francisco, KFSN-TV Fresno, and WTVD Durham). 

The core issues involve an FCC investigation into alleged violations of equal employment opportunity (EEO) rules related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices (framed by the FCC as potential unlawful discrimination); equal-time/political file rules concerning The View; and license renewals. 

Disney/ABC have characterized many actions as retaliatory for protected speech (e.g., Jimmy Kimmel jokes and news coverage critical of the Trump administration). The FCC has maintained the actions relate to compliance investigations and public-interest obligations.

🔍In the Beginning

December 2024: ABC (under Disney) settles a defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump (related to statements by George Stephanopoulos) for $15 million. This occurs after Trump’s election to a second term.

🔍Early–Mid 2025

Around January 2025 (shortly after Carr becomes FCC Chairman): The FCC reinstates a complaint against ABC concerning moderation of a 2024 presidential debate (allegations of news distortion or favoritism).

March 27, 2025: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr directs the Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into whether Disney/ABC complies with FCC EEO requirements, citing public reports and allegations related to DEI practices (alleged discrimination based on race, gender, or other protected characteristics).

Appeals Court Declines To Reconsider Nielsen Ruling

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday declined to reconsider its earlier ruling that bars Nielsen from bundling sales of its local and national radio audience data, locking in a significant victory for financially strained Cumulus Media.

The decision leaves intact a lower-court injunction that prevents the dominant ratings provider from forcing radio stations and advertisers to buy both datasets as a package. Cumulus, one of the largest radio operators in the United States, had challenged the practice as anticompetitive, arguing it inflated costs and limited choice in a struggling industry.

By refusing to rehear the case, the three-judge panel effectively ended Nielsen’s bid to revive the contested sales strategy. 

Cumulus Again Trims Portfolio: Selling Two More Stations

Cumulus Media is selling a pair of FM stations in two mid-sized markets—Savannah, Georgia, and the Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas, area—to Radio Training Network (RTN) for $2.05 million. 

The stations involved are Classic Rock “I95” 95.5 WIXV in Savannah and Classic Hits “98.3 The Keg” KKEG serving Bentonville/Fayetteville. This marks the second transaction between the companies in recent months. 

In May, Cumulus agreed to sell a package that included an Atlanta translator, Classic Country “93.3 Nash Icon” WWFF-FM in the Huntsville, Alabama, market, and Sports “100.5 The Game” WWFN-FM in the Florence, South Carolina, market to RTN for $2.45 million. The latest deal gives RTN its first station in Arkansas. 

In Savannah, the nonprofit already operates Christian AC “HIS Radio” on Class C3 91.9 WLFS Port Wentworth; acquiring the stronger Class C1 WIXV significantly upgrades its local signal. Beyond its HIS Radio outlets in North and South Carolina and Georgia, RTN also runs “The Joy FM” across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and two stations in Springfield, Missouri. 

Cumulus will retain the intellectual property rights to both the I95 and The Keg brands. 

In Savannah, the company keeps three other FMs: Hip Hop “E93” WEAS-FM, Country “Kix 96” WJCL-FM, and Adult R&B “Magic 103.9” WTYB. In Northwest Arkansas, it continues to hold a six-station cluster that includes Sports “92.1 The Ticket” KQSM, Classic Country “94.3 Nash Icon” KAMO-FM, AAA “94.9 Radio Jon/Deek” KRMW, CHR “Power 105.7” KMCK, Conservative Talk 1030 KFAY, and Sports “The Ticket 2” 1590 KYNG. 

These divestitures fit a broader pattern of Cumulus trimming its portfolio amid industry pressures and its own recent financial restructuring. For RTN, the purchases accelerate expansion of faith-based programming into additional secondary and mid-sized markets. Specific plans for format changes, on-air talent, or integration with existing RTN properties have not yet been detailed. 

The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

FOX, NBCUniversal Score with FIFA World Cup Success

Nielsen’s June 2026 reports of The Gauge™ and Media Distributor Gauge revealed several key drivers that impacted television viewing trends: The highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026™ drove remarkable audience engagement with over 84 billion minutes viewed across FOX and NBCUniversal properties, leading both distributors to this month’s only viewing increases in the Media Distributor Gauge. Meanwhile, the combination of World Cup matches and NBA Finals games helped drive a 118% increase in broadcast sports viewing, and led the broadcast category to 19.8% of TV and its first increase during a June interval (+0.6 pts.) since the inception of The Gauge in 2021.

According to the June Media Distributor Gauge, FOX exhibited the largest gain in share of TV (+0.9 pts.) compared to May, and the largest overall viewing increase among all distributors this month (+18%). The World Cup surge boosted viewing on FOX affiliates by 73%, and Fox Sports 1 was up 232%. FOX concluded the month with 7.4% of total TV watch-time and moved up to No. 5 in the Media Distributor Gauge rankings.

NBCU-Versant* represented 9.1% of total TV viewing in June (+0.7 pts.), and its success was a result of two material drivers: NBCU’s Telemundo served as the exclusive home to all Spanish-language World Cup coverage, which drove a 143% monthly viewing increase to its broadcast affiliates in June. Peacock also benefited from Telemundo’s World Cup coverage, as days with games exhibited a 60% audience increase on the platform over those that did not, and viewing from Hispanic audiences increased nearly 200% compared to the prior month.

More Households Rely On Streaming for ‘TV’

More than 30% of U.S. households now get TV exclusively through streaming, with no access to linear free-to-air broadcasts, according to the first mid-year data from the Advertising Research Foundation’s DASH TV Universe study.

The MY 2026 dataset shows “Digital Only” households—those with no traditional Pay TV, no virtual MVPD, and no over-the-air antenna—rose one percentage point from full-year 2025 to 30.5% across the combined Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 waves. 

At the same time, households relying on an over-the-air antenna grew to 17.1%, also up one point from FY 2025.Linear and Pay TV penetration continued to decline overall, though the drops appeared to slow compared with recent years, the ARF reported.

FOX News Digital Continues to Lead News Brands

During the month of July, FOX News Digital led all broadcast networks and news competitors with multiplatform views and minutes, while marking monthly growth across all key performance indicators, according to Comscore.** 

Throughout the month, FOX News Digital nabbed 182 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors (up 2% vs. June), 1.6 billion multiplatform views (up 11% vs. June) and 3.5 billion multiplatform minutes (up 19% vs. June).* 

This marks the 27th consecutive month as the leader of all news brands with multiplatform views and the 65th consecutive month as number one with multiplatform minutes. FOX News Digital also saw a 28% increase year-over-year with total digital multiplatform unique visitors while CNN was down 34%. 

**Additional highlights include:

• On YouTube, FOX News closed out the month as the top news brand in the competitive set, notching 324 million video views, posting monthly gains while dominating the competition for the first half of the year, according to Emplifi. 
• Throughout July, FOX News led competitors including MS Now (246 million views), CNN (172 million views), ABC News (136 million views), NBC News (109 million views) and CBS News (35 million views). 

FOX Business was also number one on YouTube amongst business brands for the 57th consecutive month, up 10% month-over-month with 50.8 million video views, according Comscore Social. Leading up to Independence Day and throughout the July 4 weekend, America 250 videos on FOX News' YouTube channel generated more than 7.2 million video views and 20.1 million minutes watched, according to YouTube Analytics. The FOX News Mobile app drew 6.6 million unique viewers during the month of July leading the CNN mobile app which only saw 2.8 million unique viewers.**

FOX News Media also led all news brands on social media with interactions for the 143rd consecutive month, according to Emplifi and Comscore Social. FOX News delivered 110.1 million social media interactions for the month with 36.1 million interactions on Facebook, 19.6 million interactions on Instagram and 5.6 million interactions on X. On TikTok, FOX News drove 52.6 million interactions, a 126% increase year-over-year.**** Additionally, FOX News drove 1.6 billion video views on social media throughout July.

FOXBusiness.com saw 158.4 million multiplatform minutes in July, finishing third in the business competitive set. Additionally, the business site delivered 85 million multiplatform views and 19.3 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors.***

NYC Radio: WFAN's Craig Carton Adding National Show

Craig Carton is launching The Craig Carton Show on Fox’s OutKick, premiering Sept. 8 with new episodes airing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The show marks another bid by the longtime sports radio host to build a national audience. It will feature discussions on sports and culture, similar to his recent podcast. Carton will continue hosting afternoon drive on New York’s WFAN with Chris McMonigle, a role he resumed in January for his third stint at the station. 

“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining OutKick. I’ve always been a fan and appreciate their authenticity and willingness to speak their minds,” he said in a statement to Variety. 

“It’s something I’ve done throughout my career and will do during this next chapter of hosting ‘The Craig Carton Show.’”

Carton has long succeeded in local NYC radio but has struggled for consistent national ratings. He has maintained a lengthy partnership with Fox through shifting platforms. In 2022 he launched a morning show on FS1 that pulled him from WFAN in 2023; after multiple revamps, that program was canceled last year amid Fox’s deal with Barstool Sports and a morning-lineup overhaul, leading to his WFAN return. 

He then started a daily podcast with Red Seat Ventures that produced no new episodes after June and has now ended. Tyrone Johnson, a regular on the podcast version, was not mentioned in the OutKick announcement.

R.I.P.: Frank Beard, Longtime Drummer for ZZ Top

Frank Beard (1949-2026)

Frank Beard, the longtime drummer for ZZ Top, has died at age 77.

The Texas-bred musician, who played with the blues-rock trio for 56 years, died Aug. 17 while in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, “with family members at his side,” a band representative told USA TODAY.

Beard had stepped away from ZZ Top’s The Big One Tour earlier in August due to health issues, with Michael Monahan filling in on drums. He had also temporarily left the road in 2025 for an undisclosed medical problem involving his foot and ankle. The band canceled shows scheduled for Aug. 18-19 and plans to resume Aug. 22-23 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas—“one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.”

Radio History: Aug 19

➦In 1903...Francis Hamilton "Fran" Striker born (Died from injuries suffered in a car accident – September 4, 1962).  He was a writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and Sgt. Preston of the Yukon characters.

Fran Striker

Born in Buffalo, NY, Striker attended Lafayette High School and the University of Buffalo. He dropped out of college and soon joined the staff of radio station WEBR (now WDCZ 970 AM Buffalo), working as an announcer. In 1929, he moved to WTAM in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as announcer and continuity writer and wrote his first radio drama script, a biography of Stephen Foster. Lured back to WEBR as station manager, Striker wrote material ranging from skits to half-hour mysteries and Western scripts.

Striker soon began a long association with station owner George W. Trendle and radio station WXYZ in Detroit, which was trying to make a name for itself as a producer of radio drama, creating and writing the early series.

Late in 1932, Striker began working on The Lone Ranger; his earliest scripts were largely reworked from his earlier series Covered Wagon Days. A letter from Trendle dated Monday, January 30, 1933, clearly gives Striker credit for creating the character. However, by 1934 Striker was pressured by Trendle to sign over his rights to the Lone Ranger, and Trendle claimed credit as the creator. This sparked a long-term controversy over the creation of The Lone Ranger, extending as far as a 1960 television appearance by Striker on To Tell the Truth, which mentioned his role in the character's creation.

The actual first trial episodes of The Lone Ranger were broadcast on WEBR in Buffalo prior to the official premiere on WXYZ. When the Lone Ranger series began to gain popularity, Trendle convinced Striker to move to WXYZ, where he eventually became head of WXYZ's script department.

Striker was extremely prolific. In addition to writing 156 Lone Ranger scripts a year, he wrote The Green Hornet (built around the Lone Ranger's descendant, Britt Reid) and a short-lived series, Ned Jordan Secret Agent.

Striker was 59 when he died in a 1962 car accident. He was posthumously inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1998.

➦In 1929…"Amos 'n' Andy," the WMAQ Chicago radio comedy program starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, heard in Chicago and then in syndication since March 1928, made its network debut on NBC Radio Blue Network.

Under a special arrangement, Amos 'n' Andy debuted coast-to-coast November 28, 1929, on NBC's Pacific Orange Network and continued on the Blue. WMAQ was then an affiliate of CBS and its general manager tried, to no avail, to interest that network in picking up the show.  At the same time, the serial's central characters — Amos, Andy and the Kingfish — relocated from Chicago to Harlem. The program was so popular by 1930 that NBC's orders were to only interrupt the broadcast for matters of national importance and SOS calls. Correll and Gosden were making a combined salary of $100,000, which they split three ways to include announcer Bill Hay, who was with them when they started doing radio.

The program stayed on the air until November 1960.

➦In 1955...1010WINS in NYC, one of the first stations in the United States to play rock and roll/Top40 music full time, announced it will not air white cover versions of R&B (DJs must play Fats Domino's "Ain't It A Shame," not Pat Boone's)

➦In 1974...NYC personality Cousin Brucie Morrow started at WNBC 660 AM.  He aired on 77WABC for 13 years and 4,014 broadcasts until August 1974, when he jumped to rival station WNBC. He left three years later and teamed with entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman to become the owner of the Sillerman Morrow group of stations.

R.I.P.: ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen Dies at 93

Bill Rasmussen, founder of ESPN and pioneer of 24-hour sports television, died Tuesday at age 93 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease, the network announced.

Rasmussen, who conceived the idea of a dedicated all-sports channel with his son Scott in the late 1970s, helped launch ESPN on Sept. 7, 1979, with the first broadcast of “SportsCenter” from Bristol, Connecticut. 

The concept was widely viewed as radical and met initial skepticism, yet the network quickly became a media fixture.

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said: “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports. Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”

Six months before the launch, Rasmussen and the founding team sold an 85% stake to Getty Oil. He left the company in 1980 after losing operational control but later reconnected with ESPN in 1999 ahead of its 20th anniversary. 

He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.Born in Chicago in 1932, Rasmussen served in the U.S. Air Force. He began his media career in Massachusetts radio in the 1960s and became communications director for the New England Whalers in 1974. After being fired by the team in 1978, he pursued the all-sports channel idea.

ESPN launched from Bristol, Connecticut, on September 7, 1979, with its first broadcast introducing SportsCenter, the news and highlights show that became the network’s signature program.

The company had been incorporated in July 1978 as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, a name later shortened to ESPN. During the 1980s and 1990s, as cable television grew, the network expanded rapidly, secured more valuable sports rights, increased its college sports coverage, and emerged as a major force in how fans followed games and athletes.

ESPN later broadened beyond its original television channel into additional cable networks, radio, digital reporting, documentaries, and international programming.