Saturday, July 18, 2026

Telemundo Dominates World Cup Viewership


Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo captured nearly half of the total World Cup audience in the United States through the first 48 matches, drawing millions of viewers—including many whose primary language is English—thanks to its signature high-energy commentary and engaging production.

The network’s strong performance highlights a significant shift in how American audiences consume major soccer events. 

Despite broadcasting exclusively in Spanish, Telemundo has successfully attracted a broad, bilingual, and even English-dominant viewership, underscoring the growing popularity of the sport and the appeal of vibrant, passionate coverage that transcends language barriers.

⚽WORLD CUP FINALE: Spain vs Argentina, Sunday 3pm EDT on FOX,  Telemundo

Industry observers credit the broadcaster’s dynamic announcing style, immersive on-field reporting, and culturally resonant presentation for converting casual fans into loyal viewers. The energetic commentary—often described as more expressive and emotionally charged than traditional English-language broadcasts—has resonated widely, helping Telemundo outperform expectations and claim a commanding 49% share of the cumulative audience across the tournament’s opening rounds.

This achievement comes as soccer continues to gain mainstream traction in the U.S., with the World Cup drawing record overall interest. Telemundo’s success demonstrates that compelling storytelling and authentic enthusiasm can bridge linguistic divides, turning a Spanish-language channel into a primary destination for diverse American soccer fans.

Local Radio Steps Up During South Texas Flooding


Radio broadcasting stations in South Texas, particularly in the Texas Hill Country (e.g., Kerrville, Uvalde areas) and broader affected regions, are largely operational and actively serving as key information lifelines during the July 2026 flooding, despite some disruptions. Heavy rainfall (10–25+ inches in spots) triggered flash flood emergencies, catastrophic river flooding (e.g., Guadalupe River), evacuations, rescues, and at least two deaths in mid-July 2026. 

This echoes the devastating 2025 floods but with lower loss of life so far.

Key Stations and Operations
  • Jam Broadcasting (Kerrville area, including multiple FM and one AM station): Stations remain on the air. They experienced a temporary major power outage due to debris damaging electrical infrastructure, but power was restored quickly. They have relayed Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages, city official updates, and emergency info. Downtown businesses flooded again, adding economic strain after last year's revenue losses.
  • Ranch Radio Marketing Group (Kerrville, five FM stations): Stations are on air as of July 17, despite initial operational issues and flood damage to some employees' homes. They previously coordinated efforts like "Hill Country Strong" for real-time crisis info.
  • Texas Public Radio (TPR) and other NPR member stations (San Antonio, Hill Country, etc.): Actively providing breaking news coverage, live updates, and podcasts on the floods. Streams and on-air programming continue without reported major outages.
  • Broader South Texas/Rio Grande Valley and Central Texas stations: No widespread reports of stations going offline. Radio has historically proven resilient in the region when cell service and other comms fail.
RadioWorld reports local radio has stepped up with nonstop emergency broadcasting, debunking misinformation, and supporting first responders and communities—roles they filled effectively in 2025. Challenges include power outages, flooded infrastructure/businesses, employee personal impacts, and economic setbacks, but operators report quick adaptations and continued service.

Overall, stations are faring well in maintaining broadcasts and community support amid the crisis, underscoring radio's reliability in disasters where other systems may falter. For the latest, check local outlets like TPR or Kerrville stations directly.

Music Publishers Drop Elon Musk X Copywright Lawsuit


A group of major music publishers, including Universal Music Group and Sony Music, has agreed to end its long-running copyright infringement dispute with Elon Musk’s X platform.  Court filings made public Friday confirm that both sides have jointly requested the dismissal of their respective lawsuits in federal courts in Tennessee and Texas. 

The dismissals are being sought “with prejudice,” meaning the claims cannot be refiled in the future. The original lawsuit, filed in June 2023 by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and a coalition of publishers, accused X (then Twitter) of “rampant” and “massive” copyright infringement involving around 1,700 musical works. 

The publishers sought more than $250 million in damages, alleging the platform allowed users to post unlicensed music without adequate enforcement. X countered in January 2026 with an antitrust lawsuit in Texas, accusing the NMPA and 18 publishers of colluding to “weaponize” DMCA takedown notices and force the platform into industry-wide licensing deals at inflated rates. 

Settlement talks in 2025 had shown progress but ultimately collapsed. 

Neither X, the NMPA, nor the individual publishers have commented publicly on the resolution or disclosed any financial terms or licensing agreements that may have been reached as part of the settlement.

The development ends a multi-year legal battle that highlighted ongoing tensions between social media platforms and the music industry over unlicensed use of copyrighted songs. X has been the only major social media platform without comprehensive music licensing deals. 

Details of any future licensing arrangements between X and the publishers remain undisclosed.

Netflix Home Run Derby Viewership Drops


Netflix’s MLB Home Run Derby drew 5.3 million viewers, falling short of traditional linear television audiences and marking the event’s smallest turnout since 2003.

The streaming service reported Thursday that the Philadelphia contest, won dramatically by St. Louis Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker, averaged 5.3 million viewers — a 7.5% drop from last year’s 5.73 million on ESPN and ESPN2.

Like other sports events that have shifted to streaming, the broadcast drew immediate complaints Monday from fans who struggled with access. Despite the lower overall numbers, Netflix highlighted positive demographic results: the youngest Home Run Derby audience since 2014, with a median viewer age of 44.3, and its strongest ratings among the 18-34 and 18-49 age groups since 2021.

The viewership figures were released late Thursday, delayed from the morning after Netflix encountered data issues with Nielsen. The numbers came after Fox posted stronger ratings for Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game.

Netflix had aimed to refresh the production with a new look, matching the Derby’s format change to an untimed, swing-based competition. While pre-game coverage had some rough spots, the effort largely succeeded, featuring former stars Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols — the No. 1 and No. 4 career home run leaders in MLB history.

The Derby performance follows Netflix’s earlier season-opening MLB broadcast in March between the Yankees and Giants, which averaged three million viewers despite production challenges.

Netflix’s next MLB event is next month’s Field of Dreams game in Iowa.

San Jose Radio: KUFX To Flip to Country Wednesday


Connoisseur Media will flip longtime South Bay Classic Rock station KUFX “98.5 The Fox” to a new Country format called “Bay Country” at Noon Pacific on Wednesday, July 22.

The change ends the station’s run as a 10kW Class B FM with boosters and moves its programming exclusively to digital HD Radio signals: KUFX’s HD2 channel and KMVQ-FM 99.7’s HD3 signal in San Francisco. 

Listeners will need HD Radio tuners or streaming audio to continue hearing the station.

Air personalities making the transition include midday host Chris Jackson, afternoon host Ileana, and morning man Morris Knight.

The format switch follows Connoisseur’s decision to sell the physical facilities of KBAY-FM 94.5 in Gilroy to K-LOVE Inc. while retaining the intellectual property and call letters. The company is relocating the Country format to the stronger 98.5 MHz signal, which will also simulcast on 92.1 MHz in the East Bay.

With Country music enjoying renewed mainstream popularity in 2026, the move aims to fill a significant gap in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose market. It comes years after the end of KRTY-FM 95.3 as a terrestrial station. Currently, the only other Country-formatted FMs audible in the Bay Area originate from Santa Rosa, Monterey-Salinas, and Stockton-Modesto.

Green Bay Radio: Personality Hit With Restraining Order

Otis Day
A Green Bay WIXX radio host has been granted long-term restraining orders against a former Kiss FM DJ and another man after they admitted roles in a conspiracy to harass her.

Winnebago County court officials issued the injunctions Friday morning against Emily Chagnon and Richard “Otis Day” Dey. The orders, which stem from petitions filed in March, will remain in effect until 2030 under an out-of-court agreement reached by both respondents with Natalie Jansen and her legal team.

Under oath, Dey directly acknowledged his involvement in the harassment plot. “As you’re sitting here today, under oath, you admit and acknowledge that you were a part of the conspiracy to harass Ms. Jansen, correct?” Jansen’s attorney asked.

“Yes sir,” Dey replied. 

Chagnon also accepted responsibility during the hearing. “I am an adult. I take responsibility, good or bad,” she said. “Yeah, I prayed a lot about it, I learned a lesson and moved on and yes, I take responsibility for my actions.”

Natalie Jansen
As part of the agreement, Jansen’s team will conduct a full forensic examination of the respondents’ social media accounts and electronic devices, her attorney Mark McGinnis confirmed.

McGinnis further alleged that Chagnon operated a Facebook page under the alias “Sally Gibson,” where she posted information about Jansen and WIXX that was allegedly supplied by Dey.

Jansen’s attorneys also claimed Friday that Dey’s wife, Melinda Dey, participated in the conspiracy. 

They stated that Dey has not been fully truthful about the extent of the involvement. Attorneys plan to file a restraining order against Melinda Dey as early as Monday.

The case highlights ongoing tensions in the local radio industry following the filings in March. The extended restraining orders through 2030 provide Jansen with legal protection for the next six years.

60-Minutes Ex-Producer Tell-All Targets Shari Redstone


Former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens is preparing a highly critical memoir about CBS News and its parent company Paramount, even as the network continues to pay out the remaining years of his multimillion-dollar contract under a separation agreement that includes a non-disparagement clause.

The arrangement, first reported by Puck News, has triggered internal concern at Paramount and CBS, where executives and lawyers are discussing whether Owens’ planned book violates the terms of his exit package and whether legal action is warranted.

Bill Owens
According to the book proposal obtained by Breaker Media, Owens accuses former Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone of caving to political pressure, claims corporate executives routinely interfered with “60 Minutes,” and charges that senior management prioritized merger politics over journalistic integrity. 

He also targets Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, describing Weiss as “an opinion writer who has made a name for herself by having a lot of opinions.”

Owens has already gone public with his criticisms. While accepting a New York Press Club award last month, he called Weiss “a fraud” and “an ideologue.”

Paramount agreed to continue the multimillion-dollar payments when Owens left the network in April 2024. He was required to sign a non-disparagement agreement as part of the deal. CBS television chief George Cheeks and network attorneys have at least considered taking legal action over the book, though both Paramount and Owens declined to comment.

Shari Redstone
Owens’ departure stemmed from a bitter dispute with Paramount’s previous leadership over what he saw as increasing corporate meddling in “60 Minutes” editorial decisions during the company’s effort to sell to Skydance. The conflict intensified around President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Redstone, eager to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance merger, pressured Owens and then-CBS News president Wendy McMahon to issue an apology and settle the case. Paramount ultimately settled for $16 million. Redstone later became more involved in reviewing programming and brought in veteran executive Susan Zirinsky to oversee standards following a controversial Gaza segment — moves Owens viewed as direct intrusions on his authority.

Zirinsky subsequently assigned producer Al Ortiz to vet every “60 Minutes” segment before broadcast.

Newsrooms Turning to Video To Attract Consumers


News publishers are re-engineering their newsrooms to turn reporters and editors into on-camera video correspondents and creators, as video becomes a core editorial format rather than a side project.

Driven by shifting audience habits—where people increasingly discover and consume news via social platforms, video apps, and AI search—publishers are investing in new training and support systems to help journalists build on-camera skills and personal brands.

At The New York Times, the effort now has a dedicated leader. In March, the Times hired Tom Denison as video training editor. His full-time role is to coach reporters and editors and find ways to extend their reporting into video, according to a staff memo from Charlotte Greensit, managing editor of visuals.

“With this dedicated resource, we’ll make our training more systematic and even better aligned with video strategy, desk priorities and the newsroom’s evolving needs,” Greensit wrote. She noted that the most effective training happens in small groups and one-on-one sessions.

Reporter-led video output at the Times doubled year-over-year in Q1 2026, CEO Meredith Kopit-Levien said on a recent earnings call.

The Wall Street Journal has created the WSJ Talent Lab, a dedicated team focused on “upskilling” journalists for video and other audience-facing formats. Taneth Evans, head of digital at WSJ, said the lab teaches reporters to shoot vertical video, appear on podcasts, and write newsletters — all aimed at increasing individual journalists’ visibility to subscribers. Devin Smith, who previously launched the first creator network at USA Today’s sports media group, directs the lab.

These initiatives reflect a broader industry shift. Some publishers are building formal “talent labs” with structured coaching, while others are adopting looser approaches by simply putting more journalists in front of cameras and learning through iteration.

DigiDay.com reports the push is urgent, according to the Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report. Audiences now get more news from social media and video platforms than from publishers’ own websites or apps. The report also found that 27% of people globally get news weekly from news-focused creators or influencers, and 46% from creators of any type. As “news creators” gain prominence, publishers are competing directly with individual personalities rather than relying solely on institutional mastheads.

McClatchy Sells Two Newspapers In Georgia


Two of Georgia’s oldest newspapers — The Macon Telegraph and the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer — have been acquired by a nonprofit organization, ending decades of corporate ownership.

The California-based McClatchy company sold the papers to the Georgia Trust for Local News, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Local News, according to a news release. Purchase prices were not disclosed.

Cynthia DuBose, executive director of the Georgia Trust, said the move will strengthen local journalism in both cities. The nonprofit plans to expand local coverage at both papers, which have relied heavily on McClatchy-produced national and state content.

“That is going to be an investment in how we cover the communities, but also I think there’s an investment on our part in becoming not just an information provider, but actually a part of the community,” DuBose said. “We are going to be visible to the community. That’s probably going to be a change for (readers) in ways that they might not have seen in the past.”

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a grant from the Local News and Information Fund at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, supported by more than a dozen donors including Aflac, funded the Columbus acquisition. The Macon purchase was backed by the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Anderson previously owned and published The Macon Telegraph before selling it to Knight Ridder, which McClatchy later acquired in 2006.The Georgia Trust now owns 21 news outlets across Georgia, including locations in Albany and Dublin. 

The National Trust also operates subsidiaries in Maine and Colorado.

Canada: Corus Cutting Jobs


Corus Entertainment is cutting 43 jobs across Canada as part of programming changes aimed at stemming losses from declining advertising revenue and heavy debt.

The Toronto-based media company, which owns the Global Television Network and several radio stations, confirmed the reductions on Thursday. Unifor, the union representing media workers at Corus, said the cuts will hit newsrooms hardest, particularly in Western Canada.

Regional job losses include:
  • 28 in Alberta
  • 5 in Winnipeg
  • 3 in the Maritimes
  • 3 in Ontario
  • 2 in British Columbia
  • 2 in Saskatoon
Unifor National President Lana Payne criticized the moves, saying: “We warned that consolidation would come at the expense of local news, particularly in Western Canada, and that is exactly what we're seeing.”

In an internal memo obtained by CBC News, Corus described the changes as necessary “to support the sustainability of our operations and provide greater flexibility to us.” The company said it will centralize some production of Global News broadcasts for Alberta but will continue producing local news content in provincial studios. It also plans to add an undisclosed number of new roles to support local news delivery.

Corus spokesperson Annie Arnone stated: “Corus is committed to local news and will maintain its local news delivery in Calgary and Edmonton. While some roles have been impacted as we centralize production, we are adding additional roles to continue providing news programming in these markets.”

Among those affected is Scott Roberts, co-anchor of Global Edmonton’s 6 p.m. newscast, who posted on Instagram: “Sad to say, but I won't be reporting the evening news on Global any longer. The company is making significant cuts to local news and I among them. Thank you to everyone who invited me into their homes over the past four years. Thinking of all my colleagues impacted by the layoffs.”

Last month, Corus CEO John Gossling pointed to “continued pressure on linear television advertising demand” after the company posted double-digit year-over-year revenue declines in both radio and television.

Corus shares have fallen nearly 70 per cent over the past 12 months, trading in penny stock territory. The company ended its latest quarter with $1.16 billion in debt, much of it stemming from its $2.65-billion purchase of Shaw Media in 2016.

R.I.P.: Mike Marino, Radio Consultant and Format Pioneer

Mike Marino ('66-'26)
Mike Marino, a veteran radio programmer credited with pioneering Rhythmic AC and Modern AC/Adult Top 40 formats, has died at age 60 following a battle with cancer.

News of his passing on July 16 was announced Friday on Marino’s personal Facebook page by Jason Hillery, Operations Manager of Midwest Communications’ Green Bay, Wisconsin, properties.

Marino first gained prominence in 1988 as Music Director and Assistant Program Director of KGGI-FM in Riverside, California, where he helped guide the station to strong ratings over five years. He later served as Assistant PD at KMEL-FM in San Francisco (1994), launched and programmed KMXB “Mix 94.1” in Las Vegas for CBS Radio (1996), and held programming roles at stations in Houston, Cincinnati (WKRQ “Q102”), and Los Angeles (KHHT “Hot 92.3” and KYSR “Star 98.7”).

For the past 25 years, Marino operated as a consultant and content provider through GotRooster.com (formerly TheBitXChange Prep) and AmeriCountry.com, working with air personalities nationwide. His consulting clients included Marker Broadcasting’s KMRJ-FM in Palm Springs, KOKO-FM in Fresno, and a Max Media Rhythmic AC station. He also consulted conservative talk show The Regular Joe Show while programming his own syndicated Urban AC format.

Details on a memorial service are pending.

Radio History: July 18


➦In 1909...Harriet Nelson, formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder. (Died at age 85  – October 2, 1994) . She was best known is best known for her role on the radio and TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.  She sang with husband Ozzie Nelson’s band, and played other comedic roles on radio’s Red Skelton Show.

➦In 1913...Richard Bernard Eheart born (Died at age 84 – September 17, 1997). Professionally known as Red Skelton, he was best known for his national radio and television acts between 1937 and 1971, and as host of the television program The Red Skelton Show. He has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio and television, and also appeared in burlesque, vaudeville, films, nightclubs, and casinos, all while he pursued an entirely separate career as an artist.

Red Skelton
Skelton began developing his comedic and pantomime skills from the age of 10, when he became part of a traveling medicine show. He then spent time on a showboat, worked the burlesque circuit, and then entered into vaudeville in 1934. The "Doughnut Dunkers" pantomime sketch, which he wrote together with his wife, launched a career for him in vaudeville, radio, and films.

His radio career began in 1937 with a guest appearance on The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, which led to his becoming the host of Avalon Time in 1938. He became the host of The Raleigh Cigarette Program in 1941, on which many of his comedy characters were created, and he had a regularly scheduled radio program until 1957. Skelton made his film debut in 1938 alongside Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Alfred Santell's Having Wonderful Time, and would appear in numerous musical and comedy films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, with starring roles in 19 films, including Ship Ahoy (1941), I Dood It (1943), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), and The Clown (1953).

Skelton was eager to work in television, even when the medium was in its infancy. The Red Skelton Show made its television premiere on September 30, 1951, on NBC. By 1954, Skelton's program moved to CBS, where it was expanded to one hour and renamed The Red Skelton Hour in 1962. Despite high ratings, the show was cancelled by CBS in 1970, as the network believed that more youth-oriented programs were needed to attract younger viewers and their spending power. Skelton moved his program to NBC, where he completed his last year with a regularly scheduled television show in 1971.

Marvin Miller
➦In 1913...Marvin Elliott Miller born (Died at age 71  – February 8, 1985). Possessing a deep, baritone voice, Marvin Miller began his career in radio in St. Louis, Missouri, before becoming a Hollywood actor.

Miller graduated from Washington University before commencing his career in radio. When a singer named Marvin Miller debuted on another St. Louis radio station, he began using his middle initial to distinguish himself from the newcomer. For the Mutual Broadcasting System, he narrated a daily 15-minute radio show entitled The Story Behind the Story, which offered historical vignettes. He also served as announcer on several Old Time Radio shows of the 1940s and 1950s, including The Jo Stafford Show and the long-running mystery series The Whistler.

Miller played Dr. Lee Markham on The Woman in White on NBC radio and Howard Andrews on Midstream on the Blue Network and appeared as "The voice of the Past" on the May 21, 1942 broadcast of The Right to Happiness. In 1945–47, he was the announcer for Songs by Sinatra. He played two characters and was the announcer on The Billie Burke Show (1943-1946).

From 1949 to 1950 he starred as Dr. Yat Fu on the short-lived ABC series Mysteries of Chinatown, with Gloria Saunders cast as his niece. In 1961, Miller guest-starred as Johnny Kelso, with Erin O'Brien, in "The Marble Slab" episode of the Frederick Ziv-, United Artists-, and MGM-produced Bat Masterson, starring Gene Barry. Original air date was May 11, 1961.

Miller as depicted in 1959
Miller made a guest appearance in 1963 on Perry Mason as unscrupulous attorney F.J. Weatherby in "The Case of the Lover's Leap."

He voiced Aquaman for the Filmation studio for their 1967 series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. He was also the voice of pilot/scientist Busby Birdwell in the company's animated series Fantastic Voyage.

He was the voice of the arrogant alien "Zarn" in three episodes of the second season of Land of the Lost.  Miller also lent his distinct voice to The Pink Panther Show, often talking with the feline offscreen and asking questions, while also voicing The Inspector, his second Deux Deux and their boss The Commissioner.

On The Millionaire, Miller played Michael Anthony in over 200 episodes, conveying the wishes of the "fabulously wealthy" John Beresford Tipton, voiced by Paul Frees.[24

He won Grammy Awards in 1965 and 1966 for his recordings of Dr. Seuss stories: in 1967 for Dr Seuss Presents – If I Ran the Zoo and Sleep Book and 1966 for Dr Seuss Presents Fox in Socks and Green Eggs and Ham. He also read Horton Hatches the Egg, The Sneetches and Other Stories and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories.

In the mid-1970s, Miller even lent his voice to sports films, narrating the official Indianapolis 500 films in 1975 and 1976.

➦In 1922...WHAS-AM signed-on in Louisville KY.