Anthony Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment at Covid-19 Hearing

Dr. Anthony Fauci Wednesday repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a contentious, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on COVID-19 origins and pandemic response, prompting extensive live and post-hearing coverage across cable and broadcast networks that highlighted the partisan clash with Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). 

Fauci, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, appeared under subpoena. In his opening statement he accused Paul of an “unhinged obsession” with prosecuting him and said he would not answer questions on his attorneys’ advice to avoid potential perjury claims. Paul responded by announcing a planned committee vote the following week on holding Fauci in contempt; one of Fauci’s lawyers was removed after interrupting. 

Republican senators pressed on lab-leak theories, gain-of-function research funding, diary entries recently released by Paul, and pandemic policies, while Fauci declined even basic questions (such as the day of the week or the color of his tie). 

Democrats on the panel criticized the hearing as an entrapment effort. 

Fauci Attorney Escorted Out Of Hearing Chamber

Cable news networks provided wall-to-wall live feeds, clips, and analysis that largely tracked their established editorial lines. 

• Fox News emphasized the refusal as lacking justification, the lawyer’s ejection, GOP frustration (including Sen. Josh Hawley’s mocking questions and Sen. Bernie Moreno’s sharp criticism), the earlier diary release, and calls for contempt charges. It aired defining moments, live updates, and commentary framing the session as accountability for alleged misleading statements on virus origins and lockdowns. 
• CNN described the hearing as “dramatic,” ran video of Fauci pleading the Fifth (noting counts exceeding 70 or 100 times in different reports), quoted Paul’s contempt vow, and contextualized Fauci’s statement about fearing prosecution. Coverage noted the political theater of unchallenged Republican monologues and Democratic pushback, while highlighting that this was Fauci’s first use of the Fifth after hundreds of prior congressional appearances. 
• MS NOW coverage aligned more closely with critical framing of the Republican-led probe (consistent with the network’s historical treatment of Fauci-related stories), focusing on the spectacle and defending the legitimacy of invoking constitutional protections amid accusations of a personal vendetta, though specific contemporaneous clips emphasized the partisan nature over new factual disclosures.

SiriusXM Adds Subsribers, But Misses Expectations

SiriusXM added 22,000 paid subscribers in the second quarter, reaching 33 million total, and raised its full-year guidance, even as shares fell 13% in pre-market trading after adjusted earnings slightly missed expectations.

The satellite radio company reported revenue of $2.16 billion, up 1% year over year and above expectations, along with net income of $239 million. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.70, a 23% increase from a year earlier but a slight miss versus analyst forecasts. Monthly churn improved to 1.4%, the lowest level in company history.

SiriusXM now expects full-year total revenue of approximately $8.525 billion, adjusted EBITDA of about $2.625 billion, and free cash flow of roughly $1.375 billion.

“Since resetting our strategy, we’ve been focused on building a stronger, more durable SiriusXM, and our second quarter performance demonstrates that strategy is delivering meaningful results,” said CEO Jennifer Witz. 

“We achieved positive second-quarter self-pay net additions for the first time in four years, strengthened engagement and retention across our subscriber base, and continue to build momentum by delivering premium content and experiences that deepen our connection with listeners while creating new opportunities for advertisers. These results reflect disciplined execution and give us the confidence to raise our full-year guidance for revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow. We remain focused on creating long-term value by investing in the areas that strengthen our listener relationships and further differentiate SiriusXM.”

Off-platform advertising revenue, which includes podcasting and Pandora, rose 5% year over year to $413 million, driven by strength in podcasting, higher programmatic demand and technology fees, partially offset by softer streaming music advertising. 

Podcasting revenue alone grew 30% year over year. The company has partnered with Apple to launch a new video podcast advertising service and with YouTube to become its exclusive advertising representative for inventory in the U.S.

In the past quarter, SiriusXM launched ABC News Live and 20/20 True Crime channels, added The John Kasich Show, and hosted Vice President JD Vance on The Megyn Kelly Show. It also renewed partnerships with Comedy Bang! Bang! and The School of Greatness and announced A History of the United States in 100 Objects, an original podcast produced with BBC Studios.

Separately, the company announced that Wayne D. Thorsen, executive vice president and chief operating officer, will leave effective Friday. SiriusXM does not intend to appoint a successor chief operating officer at this time.

SiriusXM Announces "SiriusXM Sports Pass"

SiriusXM has announced SiriusXM Sports Pass, a new subscription plan built for sports fans whose season never ends. SiriusXM Sports Pass will keep fans connected to the teams, hometown voices and sports conversations they love by bringing together SiriusXM's unmatched sports audio lineup into one low-priced subscription. Listeners will get every live game and event SiriusXM carries, along with local sports talk, exclusive sports channels, national sports voices, expert analysis and podcasts.

Launching September 1, as the college and NFL football seasons get underway, SiriusXM Sports Pass will be available to new subscribers in the U.S. for only $5 per month, or $49 for the year. SiriusXM's full sports programming lineup will also continue to be available in our most popular subscription plans, including Platinum, All-Access and Music and Entertainment. This will include the recently announced 23 local Audacy sports stations, including WFAN in New York, as well as the addition of ESPN LA 710, all joining the SiriusXM lineup on September 1.

Sports remains one of SiriusXM's strongest competitive advantages and an increasingly important driver of engagement, with more subscribers tuning in to sports than ever before. The average U.S. sports fan spends six hours and 26 minutes a day listening to audio - over two hours more than the average American1. SiriusXM Sports Pass is built for that always-on fan, bringing live games and the daily sports conversation together in one place, wherever they listen.

"Every new channel, artist performance, live event, and creator collaboration advances our vision for the future of audio: making SiriusXM a home for fandom, where listeners can go deeper into the things they love and feel part of a lasting community," said Jennifer Witz, Chief Executive Officer, SiriusXM. "SiriusXM Sports Pass brings that vision to life for sports fans by putting every game and event we carry, hometown voices, national personalities and the daily sports conversation into one simple, affordable subscription. No matter who you cheer for or where you listen, it brings you closer to the teams and voices that matter most to you."

Monthly Ratings : FNC Leads ABC, NBC and CBS in Weekday Prime

FOX News Channel (FNC) continued to exert its dominance in all of television for the month of July with 2.6 million weekday primetime viewers leading NBC (2.5 million viewers), ABC (2.3 million viewers) and CBS (1.9 million viewers). 

Additionally, FNC nabbed 2,332,000 primetime viewers from Monday-Sunday, leading ABC (2,292,000 viewers) and CBS (1,991,000) viewers. Across total day, FNC drew over 1.5 million viewers and commanded nearly 60% of the cable news share with viewers across total day and primetime while continuing to defeat CNN and MS NOW combined. Delivering the top 133 cable news telecasts, FNC saw month-over-month increases across the board powered by its America 250 coverage. The network was also number one in cable with Asians, Hispanics and upscale viewers throughout weekday total day during the month. Meanwhile, CBS saw a number of historic lows throughout the month, while FOX & Friends and Special Report continued to close the gap with CBS.

In July, CBS and ABC delivered historic lows, with CBS posted its lowest-rated primetime month dating back to 1992 with just 1,991,000 viewers. CBS Evening News produced the show’s worst month since Tony Dokoupil took over with 3.8 million viewers, while CBS Mornings drew its worst month in history with 1.6 million viewers and 240,000 in the 25-54 demo. ABC saw its worst primetime month dating back to 1992 with 391,000 in the 25-54 demo.

FBN Delivers Year-Over-Year Growth In July

FOX Business Network (FBN) delivered year-over-year growth across the board with business day, market hours and total day viewers in July, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. FBN’s Kudlow ranked within the top five business programs, surpassing CNBC’s Closing Bell for the 58th consecutive month.

FBN posted a 5% increase during business day for total viewers compared to 2025, nabbing 209,000 viewers. During market hours, the network delivered an increase of 6% from the previous year, securing 204,000 viewers. Meanwhile, during total day, the network saw 2% growth (126,000 viewers) year-over-year.

Weekly Ratings: FNC Leads All TV

FOX News Channel (FNC) ended the week of July 20th with 2.7 million weekday primetime viewers and 243,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, leading all of television, outranking NBC (2.6 million viewers), ABC (2.4 million viewers) and CBS (1.6 million viewers) according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.

In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC nabbed 2.3 million viewers, and in Monday – Sunday total day, FNC saw 1.4 million viewers. Notably, FNC delivered 94 of the top 100 telecasts in all of cable among total viewers.

The Five led all of cable news across the board, landing 3.3 million viewers and 306,000 in the 25-54 demo. During the 6 PM/ET hour, Special Report with Bret Baier garnered 2.5 million viewers and 210,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 7 PM/ET, The Ingraham Angle posted 2.3 million viewers and 204,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime claimed 2.9 million viewers and 247,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity averaged 2.5 million viewers and 207,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.

TV Ratings: ABC's WNT Entrenched At The Top

For the 15th consecutive week, “World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.143 million) on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports) during the week of July 20, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research

• “World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.143 million), Adults 25-54 (1.050 million) and Adults 18-49 (820,000).
• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (6.606 million, 960,000 and 735,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+23%/+1.537 million), Adults 25-54 (+9%/+90,000) and Adults 18-49 (+12%/+85,000).

Springfield MO: Midwest, Zimmer Combine For 9-Station Cluster

Zimmer Communications and Mid-West Family will merge their Springfield radio operations pending FCC approval.

The deal would combine Mid-West Family’s Springfield stations—KKLH (104.7 The Cave), KOMG (105.1 The Bull), KOSP (102.1 The Won), KQRA (Q92.9 Springfield’s Rock Station) and the Around the Ozarks multimedia brand—into Columbia-based Zimmer Communications. Zimmer currently owns and operates KTXR (98.7 The Dove), KWTO-AM (960 AM / 93.3 FM News/Talk), KWTO-FM (101.3 Real Country), KZMO (93.7 The Stage) and KBFL (1060 AM / 96.9 FM The Jock). 

If approved, Zimmer would manage nine heritage radio stations in the region. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring together two organizations that share the same values and a deep commitment to local broadcasting,” Zimmer Communications President John Zimmer said.

“After more than 35 years of ownership in the Springfield market, partnering with another legendary Missouri ownership group to create the next chapter of local media service to our communities is incredibly exciting,” Mid-West Family President Mike Paterson said.

Both companies will continue operating independently until FCC approval, which is anticipated by the end of 2026.

Edison: Audio Most Effective At Reaching Voters

As another U.S. election year arrives in 2026, Share of Ear® once again identifies the audio platforms most effective at reaching targeted voting-age audiences. With ad-supported audio connecting to 81% of the voting-age public every day, this medium is far too powerful to ignore. Share of Ear reveals exactly how audio can be leveraged more strategically to engage the hearts, minds, and ears of voters.

Certain ad-supported audio platforms are more efficient than others at reaching Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Political advertisements on AM/FM Radio or SiriusXM Radio are more likely to reach Republicans; with an index of 117 for AM/FM Radio and an index of 157 for ad-supported spoken-word channels on SiriusXM Radio. These statistics show that Republicans are 17% more likely than the average 18+ population to listen to AM/FM Radio in a typical day and 57% more likely than average to listen to SiriusXM Radio.

Good Morning: Here's The Pulse For Thursday, July 30

Radio Broadcasting

9 Station Cluster: Zimmer Communications and Mid-West Family will merge their Springfield radio operations pending FCC approval.

Audio Reaches Voters Best: As another U.S. election year arrives in 2026, Share of Ear® once again identifies the audio platforms most effective at reaching targeted voting-age audiences. With ad-supported audio connecting to 81% of the voting-age public every day, this medium is far too powerful to ignore. Share of Ear reveals exactly how audio can be leveraged more strategically to engage the hearts, minds, and ears of voters.

SiriusXM Launches Sports Pass: SiriusXM has announced SiriusXM Sports Pass, a new subscription plan built for sports fans whose season never ends. SiriusXM Sports Pass will keep fans connected to the teams, hometown voices and sports conversations they love by bringing together SiriusXM's unmatched sports audio lineup into one low-priced subscription. Listeners will get every live game and event SiriusXM carries, along with local sports talk, exclusive sports channels, national sports voices, expert analysis and podcasts.

'Vulture' Fund Trying To Get Tentacles Into Radio

Heath Freeman, president of Alden Global Capital, will hold a 31.86% voting interest in a reorganized, debt-reduced Cumulus Media through Next Gen Radio Enterprises LLC, according to Transfer of Control Amendments filed with the FCC earlier this month, pending regulatory approval.

The stake makes Freeman one of the largest post-bankruptcy stakeholders in one of the nation’s biggest radio station ownership groups. Industry observers note the move could signal significant job cuts, echoing Alden’s record of deep staff reductions at newspapers.

Heath Freeman

Alden has drawn widespread criticism in journalism circles for gutting newsrooms in cities where it has owned once-major dailies since acquiring MediaNews Group out of bankruptcy about 16 years ago. A union effort in Fort Lauderdale blocked planned cuts at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Similar patterns have played out across the beleaguered print industry.

Alden was founded in 2007 by Randall D. Smith as an investor in distressed debt. By 2010 it had entered media through MediaNews Group, eventually controlling titles including the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Boston Herald, New York Daily News, Orange County Register and dozens of other daily and weekly papers. These were largely consolidated under Tribune Publishing, which Alden fully acquired in 2021.Critics have long labeled Alden a “vulture” fund. 

On the day it completed the Tribune acquisition, NPR described its signature approach as making deep newsroom cuts. NewsGuild reported that Alden offered buyouts across Tribune newsrooms within days of taking control, reducing news staff by roughly 20%. 

NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss has said Alden cut nearly three-quarters of its newspapers’ combined workforce between 2012 and the end of 2020. Nieman Lab has described a consistent pattern: acquire a distressed paper, sell real estate and other assets, cut staff until margins recover, and reinvest little back into the newsroom.

Atlanta Radio: The Fan Resigns Chernoff and Chuck

Chernoff and Oliver

Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff have signed multi-year contract extensions to remain afternoon hosts on 93.7/680 The Fan.

The longtime duo, known as “Chuck and Chernoff,” both grew up in metro Atlanta and have been station staples for 18 years. They started in middays before moving to the more prestigious afternoon slot in 2011.

David Dickey, general manager and president of The Fan for the past three decades, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that negotiations went smoothly. “It helps when you are locally owned and operated and work side by side every day,” he said.

In the June 2026 Arbitron ratings, their show ranked No. 13 overall and No. 6 among men 25-54. The numbers trail those of Carl Dukes and Mike Bell on rival 92.9/The Game, which has a stronger FM signal.

Both hosts previously worked at the now-defunct 790/The Zone for several years (though not together) before pairing up at The Fan in 2008. Oliver specializes in college football and brings encyclopedic knowledge across sports; Chernoff is an expert on the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves and sports business.

Their fast-paced show features an “Odd Couple” dynamic, with Oliver’s analytical style contrasting Chernoff’s cynicism and sarcasm. Arguments frequently spill beyond sports into food, pop culture and social mores.

Atlanta Radio: Star 94 Tweaks The Music..Again

Star 94 has modestly shifted its sound in July by restoring many softer pop/rock hits it dropped in 2020 when it adopted a dance-heavy format. Artists once in heavy rotation during the 1990s and 2000s are back on the playlist, including Nickelback (“How You Remind Me”), OneRepublic (“Counting Stars”), 3 Doors Down (“When I’m Gone”), Plain White T’s (“Hey There Delilah”), and Train (“Drops of Jupiter”). 

Ballads the dancier version of the station previously avoided have also returned, such as Adele’s “Someone Like You” (2011), One Direction’s “Night Changes” (2014), and Lukas Graham’s “7 Years” (2015).

Program Director Emily Boldon said there was no official format change. “Just playing some different titles." The playlist remains expanded in one key way: hip-hop classics from the 1990s and 2000s that Star never played when they were new, including 2Pac’s “How Do You Want It,” Gucci Mane’s “Bricks,” and Jeezy’s “And Then What,” continue to air.

Emily Bolden

Rodney Ho at AJC.com reports the adjustment arrives a few months after the station hired a new morning team, Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott, who spent a quarter-century at Christian pop station Fish 104.7 before it shut down early last year.

In 2020, Star made its largest change in more than 30 years by pivoting heavily to dance and hip-hop under the branding “The Rhythm of Atlanta,” emphasizing “feel good” and “throwback” music. It briefly mixed in disco-era tracks by Donna Summer and the Bee Gees, 1980s hits from Madonna and Prince, and current songs by Dua Lipa and The Weeknd. 

Songs from the 1970s were later cut, followed more recently by nearly the entire 1980s catalog and many pure dance tracks from the 1990s and 2000s.In the most recent Arbitron ratings, Star ranked 13th overall and seventh among women 25-54. Closest competitor B98.5 has consistently outperformed Star and ranked fifth overall in June with more than double Star’s audience share.

Radio History: July 30

Vladimir Zworykin

➦In 1888...Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin born (Died - July 29, 1982). He was an American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode ray tubes. He played a role in the practical development of television from the early thirties, including charge storage-type tubes, infrared image tubes and the electron microscope.  Zworykin, called the “Father of Television” invented the iconoscope in 1931 while in the employ of RCA, the parent company of NBC.  He died July 29 1982 on the eve of his 93rd birthday.

➦In 1914...John Meston born (Died  — March 24, 1979). He was a scriptwriter best known for co-creating with producer Norman Macdonnell the long-running Western series Gunsmoke. He developed storylines and wrote radio scripts and teleplays for 379 episodes for the series, which was first broadcast on CBS Radio in 1952, and then adapted to the "small screen", as well, airing on television from 1955 to 1975. In addition to his work on Gunsmoke, Meston also served as a writer and editorial supervisor for other radio programs such as Escape, Suspense, Lux Radio Theater, and Fort Laramie; and in the 1970s, he wrote several episodes for two other television series, Little House on the Prairie and Hec Ramsey.

After the war, Meston was hired by KNX Radio in Los Angeles to be an assistant in the station's editing department, and by October 1945, he was promoted to head of that department.

Station KNX by the 1940s already served as the center of West Coast operations for the entire CBS Radio network, so Meston's next career move was a transitional one to CBS, where in 1947, he began working once again as a censor, more specifically in the network's program practices department.

Meston's scripts dominated the radio series' presentations for years.   He died of a cerebral hemorrhage March 24 1979 at age 64.

➦In 1930...'The Shadow' debuted as the mysterious narrator of the radio program Detective Story Hour, which was developed to boost sales of Street and Smith's monthly pulp Detective Story Magazine.  When listeners of the program began asking at newsstands for copies of "That Shadow detective magazine", Street & Smith decided to create a magazine based on The Shadow and hired Gibson to create a character concept to fit the name and voice and write a story featuring him. The first issue of The Shadow Magazine went on sale on April 1, 1931, a pulp series.

On September 26, 1937, The Shadow radio drama, a new radio series based on the character as created by Gibson for the pulp magazine, premiered with the story "The Death House Rescue", in which The Shadow was characterized as having "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him". As in the magazine stories, The Shadow was not given the literal ability to become invisible.

The introduction from The Shadow radio program "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!", spoken by actor Frank Readick, has earned a place in the American culture.

The Shadow aired first aired on CBS.  It would be a radio favorite for the next 24 years, mostly on Sunday afternoons on Mutual.

➦In 1930...First broadcast of "Death Valley Days" on NBC Radio.  It was a radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945 and became from 1952 to 1970 as a syndicated television series, with reruns (updated with new narrations) continuing through August 1, 1975. The radio and television versions combined to make the show "one of the longest-running western programs in broadcast history."

The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo) and hosted by Stanley Andrews ("The Old Ranger") (1952–1964), Ronald Reagan (1964–1965), Rosemary DeCamp (1965), Robert Taylor (1966–1969), and Dale Robertson (1969–1970).

➦In 1937...the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) organized. It was part of the American Federation of Labor. The union was for all radio performers except musicians. The union later became The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to include TV workers.