October 17 Radio History

➦In 1919...Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was created.

At the end of World War I, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America was the only company in the United States that was equipped to operate transatlantic radio and telegraph communications. The United States government found this unacceptable since the Marconi Wireless Company of America was entirely owned by a foreign company—the British Marconi Company.

At the prompting of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was undersecretary of the navy at the time, General Electric (GE) formed a privately owned corporation to acquire the assets of American Marconi from British Marconi. On October 17, 1919, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was incorporated and within a month had acquired those assets.

General Electric was the major shareholder of RCA and the two companies cross licensed their patents on long distance transmission equipment. A year later American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) bought into RCA and also cross licensed patents with the new company. Transoceanic radio service began that same year with a major station in New Jersey broadcasting to England, France, Germany, Norway, Japan, and Hawaii. The world’s first licensed radio station also began transmitting in 1920. This station, KDKA of Pittsburgh, was owned by the Westinghouse Company.

In 1921, Westinghouse, too, joined the ranks of asset holders of RCA; in exchange for selling Westinghouse radio equipment to the public, RCA was permitted access to Westinghouse patents.

RCA entered the broadcasting field in 1921 with its transmission of the Dempsey-Carpentier fight in Jersey City, New Jersey. Using a transmitter borrowed from the navy. The company began full-time radio broadcasting shortly afterwards when it became an equal partner with Westinghouse in station WJZ of Newark, NJ.

RCA continued to expand its transoceanic communications operations and opened two more broadcasting stations, in New York and Washington, D.C. In 1924 RCA transmitted the first radio-photo, a portrait of Secretary of State Charles Hughes. This transmission was made from New York to London and back to New York, where it was recorded and marked a pioneering development in the history of television. Two years later, in 1926, RCA formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). NBC controlled the radio stations owned by RCA, produced radio programs, and marketed these programs to other radio stations, activities which constituted the first radio network. David Sarnoff, the leading figure at RCA during these formative years, had envisioned the radio network as a form of public service, free from advertising, but this proved financially impossible and sponsors were solicited. At this time RCA began selling components manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, New Jersey.

Product innovation abounded in this era. In 1927 RCA introduced the first Radiotron tube. This radio tube was the first to operate on alternating current, thereby eliminating the need for batteries—a crucial step in the development of mass-produced electric radios.

David Sarnoff

In the following year RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company. Sarnoff had always wanted to market a radio and phonograph housed in the same box, but the phonograph companies were suspicious of radio, fearing the loss of their market. So Sarnoff decided to purchase a phonograph company. Several years of negotiation preceded RCA’s 1929 purchase of Victor. RCA owned 50% of Victor, General Electric owned 30%, and Westinghouse owned the remainder. RCA formed the RCA-Victor Company (and the RCA Radiotron Company) only after it had acquired tube-manufacturing assets from General Electric and Westinghouse. The trademark of the Victor company, a dog staring at an old phonograph above the caption “His Master’s Voice,” was also purchased by RCA and became one of the most famous trademarks in marketing history.

David Sarnoff became president of RCA in 1930, the year legal problems concerning the company’s monopoly status began. The Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against RCA seeking to strip RCA of all the patents it had gained. The battle ended two years later; RCA retained all of its patents but General Electric, AT&T, and Westinghouse were forced to sell their interests in the company. The General Electric association was remembered in NBC’s trademark three-note chime—G,E,C—which stands for General Electric company.

By this time RCA’s various businesses included broadcasting, communications, marine radio, manufacturing and merchandising, and a radio school. The year after it became an independent company, RCA moved into its new headquarters—the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center in New York City.

➦In 1934..."The Aldrich Family" premiered on radio.

                       Ezra Stone, Jackie Kelk 1947

It was a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking adolescent voice, "Com-ing, Mother!"

The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith, Henry Aldrich began on Broadway as a minor character in Goldsmith's play What a Life. Produced and directed by George Abbott, What a Life ran for 538 performances.

When Rudy Vallee saw the play, he asked Goldsmith to adapt it into some sketches for his radio program, and this was followed in 1938 by a 39-week run of a sketch comedy series on The Kate Smith Hour with Stone continuing in the role of Henry. Kate Smith's director, Bob Welsh, is credited with the creation of the "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" opening, which eventually became one of the most famous signature sounds in radio.

After finding an audience with Kate Smith's listeners, The Aldrich Family was launched in its own series as a summer replacement program for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O, which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldrichs ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O before moving back to NBC from September 5, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, as a Sustaining program in its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

The main characters (created by Clifford Goldsmith) never age. Henry Aldrich (portrayed by Ezra Stone, Vic Jones and Bobby Ellis) is one of those types of teenagers everyone has met at sometime during life, as is his best buddy, Homer Brown (Jackie Kelk, Jack Grimes, Johnny Fieldler). More characters: Mary (Henry's sister).

The show was a top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941, the show carried a 33.4 Crossley rating, landing it solidly alongside Jack Benny and Bob Hope). Earning $3000 a week, Goldsmith was the highest paid writer in radio, and his show became a prototype for the teen-oriented situation comedies that followed on radio and television.

➦In 1938...NBC moved its studios to the corner of Sunset and Vine, the “Crossroads of the World”.

The new Hollywood Radio City drew thousands of visitors ready to fill studio-audience seats for NBC’s popular programs.

➦In 1939...the radio adventure serial Captain Midnight premiered from the studios of WGN Chicago.   Within the year it was appointment listening for kids coast-to-coast, nightly on Mutual

➦In 1966...Jack Sterling aired last show at WCBS 880 AM. Appreciation site: Click Here.

Jack Sterling was born in Baltimore on June 24, 1915, the son of Jack Sexton and Edna Cable. The names of Sexton and Cable were of considerable note in show business, a profession to which Jack's parents devoted forty years. It was natural then that Jack was destined to make his debut as an actor at an early age. He did, at age 2 when he appeared as Little Willie in 'East Lynne.' By the time he was 7, Sterling had worked up a routine as a minstrel and played the same bill as his parents in their coast-to-coast tours. At 15, he was a leading player in the John D. Winninger stock company which toured midwestern cities.

He rounded out his experience....and in 1939 settled down in Peoria, Illinois, where he joined WMBD as an announcer and producer.

One year later he moved to WTAD in Quincy, Ill., as program director and from there to CBS Radio's KMOX, St. Louis.

In 1947, after two years at KMOX, he was promoted to program manager of CBS Radio's WBBM, Chicago.

While in that post, CBS Radio sent out a call to its affiliates requesting audition records of its top local talent. Arthur Godfrey's heavy network broadcasting schedule was forcing him to give up his local WCBS Radio morning show and a replacement was needed. Sterling became active in the midwestern search for a candidate but overlooked the person who was to get the job: himself.

"I never considered myself as a candidate because I decided to devote my time to the executive phase of radio," Jack recalls.

"However, WCBS Radio asked for my audition record."

Jack's modesty was underlined by the fact that he would only make the audition record on the condition that WCBS Radio would pay the cost. The station did, and on November 5, 1948, Sterling made his debut on WCBS Radio in the early morning time formerly occupied by Godfrey.

STERLING AIRCHECK: 10th Anniversary Show 1958, (courtesy of Jack Sterling Appreciation website).

Sterling died of lung cancer in 1990 at age 75.

➦In 1991...News anchor Bree Walker Lampley filed a complaint with the FCC against Los Angeles radio station KFI 640 AM saying it personally attacked her by talking about her having a disformed baby.

➦In 2006...Joseph Christopher Glenn died from liver cancer (Born - March 23, 1938), He was a radio and television news journalist who worked in broadcasting for over 45 years and spent the final 35 years of his career at CBS, retiring in 2006 at the age of 68.

His early years in broadcasting were spent working for the American Forces Network while he served in the US Army in 1960.

Christopher Glenn

Glenn worked at various radio stations in New York, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. before joining CBS in 1971. While at CBS, Glenn worked in a variety of capacities in its news organization. He was a narrator for In the News, a long-running Emmy award-winning TV news program geared toward children and young people, which aired between the network's Saturday-morning children's shows. Glenn also appeared on camera as an anchor for the short-lived "30 Minutes", a young people's version of "60 Minutes".

He served as an anchor for two of the CBS Radio Network's signature news roundups carried by affiliates in the United States - The World Tonight (now the CBS World News Roundup Late Edition) from 1988 to 1999, and the morning CBS World News Roundup from 1999 until his retirement. Glenn's final morning broadcast occurred on February 23, 2006.

From 1982 to 1984, Glenn served as a television news anchor, on CBS News Nightwatch, which aired from 2-6 a.m. weekdays.

Glenn made his best-known report on January 28, 1986, when he anchored CBS Radio's live coverage of the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Glenn had just signed off—after what was thought to have been a normal launch—when the shuttle disintegrated, killing the seven astronauts on board. "I had to get back on the air real fast to describe that, and had a very difficult time doing that," he recalled. Glenn and correspondent Frank Mottek (later a reporter at CBS Radio Station KNX L-A) covered the Challenger disaster from that point as a CBS NetAlert bulletin.

Glenn was among the first CBS News correspondents to use a personal computer (an Apple II). Glenn continued to play sound clips in his newscasts from carts long after most of the industry had switched to computer-based playback systems.

Glenn, who suffered from liver cancer, died suddenly on October 17, 2006 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Glenn was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago on November 4.

Ted Hallaman

➦In 2010...Cleveland radio personality "Tall Ted" Hallaman died at the age of 83.  He was born Eleftherios Hallaman and raised in Aliquippa and Ambridge, Pa.

He earned a journalism degree at Duquesne University and started broadcasting there. He worked in Beaver Falls, Pittsburgh and Youngstown before reaching Cleveland and WGAR in 1960. Local critics called him Cleveland's first radio personality.

He quickly became a star. In 1961, the station held a "Take a Pretty Girl to Lunch" contest for a date with him on Valentine's Day. "A married woman won the contest," he later told The Plain Dealer. "She brought her husband along on the date.

Hallaman lost several gigs over the years but found new ones fast. Some of his longer stops were at WHK, WQAL and WKHR.  In 1973, Hallaman became president of the local American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

George Wendt is 73

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor Marsha Hunt is 104. 
• Singer Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts is 79. 
• Singer Gary Puckett of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap is 79. 
• Actor Michael McKean is 74. 

• 

  Alan Jackson is 63

  Actor George Wendt is 73. 
• Singer-comedian Bill Hudson of The Hudson Brothers is 72. 
• Country singer Alan Jackson is 63. 
• Actor Grant Shaud (“Murphy Brown”) is 61. 
• Animator Mike Judge (“King of the Hill,” ″Beavis and Butthead”) is 59. 
• Singer Rene’ Dif (Aqua) is 54. 
• Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 53. 
• Actor Wood Harris (“The Wire”) is 52. 
• Singer Wyclef Jean of The Fugees is 52. 
• Singer Chris Kirkpatrick of ’N Sync is 50. 
• Rapper Eminem is 48. 
• Actor Sharon Leal (“Boston Public”) is 49. 
• Actor Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”) is 38. 
• Actor Chris Lowell (“The Help,” ″Private Practice”) is 37. 
• Actor Dee Jay Daniels (“The Hughleys,” ″In the House”) is 33.

Disney Terms ESPN Spinoff Reports 'Inaccurate'

Shares of Disney jumped as much as 3 percent Friday after a report said the company was considering a spinoff of its ESPN sports networks, reports The NY Post.

But shares of the Mouse Houses gave back some of their gains, closing the day up only 1.2 percent, after a person familiar with the matter denied the report.

The initial story published by Puck News said Disney CEO Bob Chapek had tapped some of his closest deputies to explore a separation of the sports channels from the rest of the company.

One unnamed source is reported as having told the publication that “there are now conversations happening regularly at Disney about whether or not to spin off ESPN.” But an anonymous person close to the company told CNBC that the story wasn’t accurate.

CNBC anchor Julia Boorstin told viewers that a source “close to the situation” said the report is “inaccurate.” The source said that Disney is “focused on building the value of ESPN+ for its digital bundle, and that it is also pursuing sports betting for ESPN and ESPN+

Disney has been vocal about its views on the importance of streaming to the company. When it launched Disney+ in 2019, the company revealed it would offer a bundle that would include sibling streaming services Hulu and ESPN+ — a move that would help it take on streaming giant Netflix. The bundle, which currently costs $13.99 a month with ads is the same price as Netflix’s standard plan.

In order to beef up its movie and TV show offering, Disney reorganized its entertainment operations last year. The move allowed programming divisions, like the film and TV studios, to focus their efforts on feeding the streaming services, not just movie theaters and TV networks. The company has also invested more heavily in ESPN+ recently to pump up its original series and other shows.

But most of Disney’s growth has occurred at Disney+, which has roughly 116 million subscribers, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings report. Hulu notched just under 43 million and ESPN garnered just under 15 million.

For Disney, part of the reason why ESPN’s growth has been so slow is because most of its viewers watch it on TV. In fact, Disney requires pay-TV providers to include ESPN as part of their most popular cable packages, and avid sports fans are paying top dollar.

As consumers continue to gravitate toward direct to consumer, we have the optionality that we need.”

The case for Disney to move ESPN goes like this, according to the Outkick:

Disney’s market capitalization is around $317 billion, which experts say doesn’t capture the extent of Disney’s library and intellectual property. Meanwhile, Disney’s stock sits at $174 per share, well behind Netflix’s at $633 per share. Why is that? Because, according to Byers, Wall Street views Disney as a behemoth with “legacy assets,” not simply a pure-play streamer. That’s where ESPN comes in and holds Disney back.

“This, in large part, is thanks to ESPN, which fuels a ‘media networks’ segment that makes $7 to $8 billion in profit annually, but keeps the company tethered to a linear television business that is in structural decline,” Byers writes.

Furthermore, ESPN is not a growing business. Business analysts project ESPN will continue to lose subscribers as linear television declines, subsequently leading to drops in advertiser revenue. Not a single linear TV network can withstand global habit changes, thanks to streaming and on-demand offerings. Most linear networks hope to move their programming to their complementary streaming platforms to offset the change. For Disney, its other linear channels — ABC, FX, and NatGeo — are tailor-made for a move to streaming. However, ESPN is not suited for a smooth transition — or any transition at all — to streaming-only because of its ties to live sporting packages.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Accused Of Spinning Backlash

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is facing intense backlash following his disastrous interview with podcast giant Joe Rogan, reports FOX News.

In the most explosive moment of the three-hour sitdown, Rogan pummeled Gupta over CNN's coverage of his COVID treatment after the network repeatedly claimed Rogan took "horse dewormer" instead of the human form of ivermectin that was prescribed to him by a doctor, forcing Gupta to admit his CNN colleagues should not have said that. 

Following the interview, CNN published a lengthy essay Gupta wrote defending his appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," saying he felt the need to "go into the lion's den." However, Gupta made no mention of his combative exchange with Rogan about his use of ivermectin and CNN's false characterization of the treatment, which did not go unnoticed.

"The clip where Sanjay Gupta admits CNN lied about ivermectin by calling it horse drug has about 3 mil views on here, legit more than any CNN show Yet Gupta's 3000 WORD writeup of Rogan interview conveniently skips over the moment,"  Washington Free Beacon executive editor Brent Scher similarly wrote. 

While appearing on CNN later that night, Gupta not only remained mum on his earlier mea culpa but even went along with Don Lemon's diatribe denying CNN lied about Rogan taking horse dewormer. 

Addressing Sanjay Gupta's appearance on @JoeRogan's show (where Gupta admitted CNN was wrong for saying he took a horse dewormer), Don Lemon and Gupta doubled down on the claim. Only later did they admit it also worked in humans against parasites. pic.twitter.com/57zn4byCKZ

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) October 14, 2021

"He did say something about ivermectin that I think wasn't actually correct about CNN and lying," Lemon began. "Ivermectin is a drug that is commonly used as a horse dewormer. So it is not a lie to say that the drug is used as a horse dewormer. I think that's important- and it's not approved for COVID, correct?"

"That's right," Gupta responded. "It is not approved for COVID and you're right, even the FDA put out a statement saying basically reminding people- it's a strange sort of message FDA, but said ‘You’re not a horse, you're not a cow, stop taking this stuff' is essentially what they said referring to ivermectin. Now, I think Joe's point is that-

"That it's been approved for humans but not necessarily for COVID, right?" Lemon interjected. 

"That's correct," Gupta continued. "It's been used for a parasitic disease- it's called river blindness and it's been very effective for that, but, you know, just because it works for one thing doesn't mean it works for something else."

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail reports CNN's political commentator, Mary Katherine Ham, has tweeted in defense of podcaster Joe Rogan who accused the network of lying after they said he took a 'horse dewormer' when referring to ivermectin which he used when he contracted coronavirus. 

'Rogan is right that it's dishonest to say he took horse dewormer when he did not,' Ham tweeted. 

In a clip from Wednesday's 'The Joe Rogan Experience' that went viral, Rogan grilled Gupta about CNN's coverage of his use of the drug after he was diagnosed with Covid-19, which he claims he recovered from in five days. 

Report: Broadcast News Giving Lopsided Coverage Of Spending Debate

A new study shows widely disproportionate broadcast network coverage of the ongoing spending battle on Capitol Hill with Democratic lawmakers dominating the evening newscasts, reports FOX News. 

Examining 30 stories that aired from Sept. 23 to Oct. 10, Democrats trounced Republicans in terms of the number of soundbites by a 115-16 count margin, according to analysis by the Media Research Center. 

"Yes, viewers of these programs were seven times more likely to hear from hardcore big spending Democratic lefties such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Pramila Jayapal than Republicans like Sen. Mitch McConnell or Rep. Kevin McCarthy," MRC director of media analysis Geoffrey Dickens wrote on Wednesday. 

"CBS Evening News" had the highest totals of the three networks, airing 43 soundbites from Democrats versus the eight Republicans that were heard. 

ABC's "World News Tonight" had the widest margin airing 41 soundbites from Democrats and only three from Republicans during that same time period. 

"NBC Nightly News" aired 31 soundbites from Democrats while Republicans were heard just five times. 

Much of the media coverage has focused on the Democratic in-fighting between the progressive wing of the party who sought to pass a $3.5 trillion spending bill versus the more moderate-leaning senators like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who are heavily in favor of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. 

"While the evening news shows did allow for ‘moderates’ like West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin to speak, it's important to note they were still calling for more spending, just not as much as President Joe Biden and his big spending allies like Cortez were demanding," Dickens stressed. 

Reports: Digital News Outlet Being Planned For Baltimore

Stewart W Bainum Jr.

Stewart W. Bainum Jr., the hotel magnate who launched a failed bid to acquire The Baltimore Sun and the rest of the newspapers owned by Tribune Publishing, plans to open a new nonprofit, all-digital publication called The Baltimore Banner, according to Baltimore CBSLocal citing a new report in The Atlantic.

Bainum, chairman of Choice Hotels International, told the magazine the organization will start with an annual operating budget of $15 million and a staff of 50 journalists.

In preparation for the launch, Bainum met with local news start-ups around the country to learn best practices and came away thinking all of them needed more funding to bulk up operations.

If his plan to start a new outlet in Baltimore proves successful, he hopes it can be replicated in other markets where local newspapers have suffered years of staff cuts.

“There’s no industry that I can think of more integral to a working democracy than the local-news business,” he said.

Faced with the prospect of being acquired by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund dubbed “the grim reaper of American newspapers” by Vanity Fair, a group of Baltimore Sun journalists in 2020 launched the Save Our Sun campaign and lobbied for local ownership to turn the newspaper into a nonprofit. Other Tribune papers soon followed suit.

Bainum came forward as an interested buyer of The Sun, and reportedly reached a deal to purchase the newspaper for $65 million once Alden Global Capital acquired Tribune Publishing.

But Alden added a licensing deal that would have added millions to the price, according to the Atlantic article, so Bainum tried to line up other backers to put in a bid for Tribune Publishing as a whole.

Fort Walton Beach Radio: WFTW Adds FM Simulcast

CUMULUS MEDIA has announced that it has added an FM signal to its heritage News Talk radio station, WFTW.  Located at (W288CV) 107.5 FM, the new signal went live Friday morning. WFTW is also heard on the AM signal at 1260 AM and on multiple streaming platforms

News Talk 1260 & 107.5FM WFTW is home to legendary talk show hosts like Sean Hannity and Chris Plante, as well as the next generation of talk hosts, like Dan Bongino and Ben Shapiro. WFTW’s Emerald Coast Mornings with Dan Diamond features local news, traffic and weather, as well as conversation with local leaders and listeners about topics relevant to those who live and work along the Emerald Coast, weekdays from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

Ashley Allegretto, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, said: “This is an exciting day for local radio and for the Fort Walton Beach market. We are elated to bring this sought after content and renowned programming lineup to the FM dial.”

Chris Kellogg, Operations Manager/Program Director, Cumulus Fort Walton Beach-Destin, said: “The proud tradition of 1260 WFTW continues across multiple streaming platforms and now the addition of 107.5 FM. This deepens our commitment to our conservative community of listeners and businesses and provides multiple access points for news and opinion.”

In addition to News Talk 1260 & 107.5FM WFTW, CUMULUS MEDIA owns and operates four other Fort Walton Beach-Destin radio stations, including: 99ROCK/WKSM-FM (Rock), Z96/WZNS-FM (CHR), Coast 93.3/WNCV-FM (Adult Contemporary) and NASH FM 105.5/WYZB-FM (Country).

Nashville Radio: The Game Extends With The Predators

WPRT-FM ESPN 102.5 The Game and the Nashville Predators have signed a multi-year extension, securing 102.5 The Game as the official flagship station and broadcast partner of the Nashville Predators Radio Network.

Cromwell Media President Bud Walters said, “For over ten years the Predators have been the ‘best’ to work with. They’ve brought such excitement to Nashville, and we look forward to continuing our partnership together. We are very proud to be the flagship home of the Nashville Predators Network.”

“We are proud of being ESPN’s No. 1 franchise in all of sports. Working alongside Nashville’s best sports talk radio station we feel we can continue to grow our dedicated Smashville fan base,” said Chris Junghans, Nashville Predators Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. “As we work to ‘Paint the Town Preds’ in 2021-22 and beyond, we are thrilled to have Cromwell Media and its entire family of radio stations at our side.”

The voice of the Nashville Predators Radio Network is the legendary Pete Weber, who has been behind the mic for the Predators since Day One. Former Predators defenseman Hal Gill is entering his fifth season as the color analyst with the network. Darren McFarland hosts the pre- and post-game shows. The pre- and post-game shows are now hosted on the suite level in the space previously home to the Patron Platinum Club. The new location will bring added excitement for fans pre- and post-game and during intermissions. Fans are encouraged to visit the space regularly for drink specials, Preds autographed items and opportunities to win tickets to upcoming Bridgestone Arena events.

ESPN 102.5 The Game is currently in its eleventh season as the official flagship station of the Nashville Predators, dating back to the 2011-12 NHL season. The Game is the first radio station in Nashville to clear all pre-season, regular-season and post-season games on one frequency. The Game’s pre-game coverage spans a full hour for every game.

In September 2016, 102.5 The Game moved to an all-day, live-and-local weekday lineup from 6 am to 6 pm in an effort to provide additional coverage of the Predators for the ever-growing fan base. Regular guests include General Manager David Poile, Head Coach John Hynes, plus various players, team broadcasters and national NHL experts.

VP/Market Manager Dennis Gwiazdon added, “Our partnership with the Predators over the last decade has been nothing short of remarkable and this extension gives life to another incredible run. We couldn’t be more pleased to be carrying their games and supporting all of the wonderful things they do to support their fans, their sponsors and the city of Nashville.”

102.5 The Game is now available on 106.3 FM on I-65 from Cool Springs/Franklin to Spring Hill/Columbia and extending eastward along the 840 corridor to I-24 from Murfreesboro north. Like all Cromwell Media stations 102.5 The Game can be heard anywhere on its mobile app, Alexa smart speakers and thegamenashville.com.

Video Of Houston Manager's Home Run Reaction Goes Viral

Dusty Baker lived a modern manager’s nightmare on Friday night: Conducting a live TV interview while the opposition dealt his club a crushing blow, reports USAToday.

The Houston Astros manager, never a dull conversationalist, was live on Fox when Boston’s Kiké Hernandez crushed a game-tying home run in the top of the third inning. Baker let slip what he considered a mild expletive – “Oh lord” – almost as the ball left Hernandez's bat and soared into the Minute Maid Park seats.

He had a bad vibe about going on national television at such a crucial juncture in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

“I blame Fox for that,” Baker said after his team rallied for a 5-4 victory to claim a 1-0 ALCS lead.

"Because invariably," Baker continued, "when you are doing it live something usually always happens. My mom is watching the game, so – really, I think I said 'oh, God.' "

No words....

Kiké Hernández is NOT HUMAN right now! pic.twitter.com/zlOpA10ESF

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 16, 2021

October 16 Radio History

➦In 1923...Prolific songwriter Bert Kaempfert born in Hamburg, Germany. He wrote "Strangers in the Night" for Frank Sinatra, "Spanish Eyes" by Al Martino, "Danke Schoen" for Wayne Newton, "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole, and many others) and performed "Wonderland By Night" in 1960 and signed The Beatles to a recording contract.

➦In 1939...Listeners first heard "The Right to Happiness” to the NBC Blue Network. The 15-minute daytime drama turned out to be one of the longest-running radio shows of its kind. It moved over to CBS in 1941, then back to NBC in 1942. Fourteen years later “Right to Happiness” returned to CBS where it stayed until its final days in 1960

➦In 1951...Singer Richard Penniman, known as Little Richard, made his first recordings for RCA Camden at the studios of WGST Radio in Atlanta. It took another four years and working in New Orleans' French Quarter to turn him into a rock 'n' roll star.

➦In 1954...Elvis Presley made his famous first radio appearance on the KWKH Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, LA. He appeared weekly for $18. His sidemen, Bill Black and Scotty Moore, were paid $12 each.

➦In 1960...Sportscaster Arch McDonald died at age 59 from a heart attack (Born - May 23, 1901). He served as the voice of Major League Baseball's Washington Senators from 1934 to 1956 (with the exception of 1939, when he broadcast the New York Yankees and Giants).

McDonald was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. During the early 1930s, he broadcast for the Chattanooga Lookouts, and won the first The Sporting News "Announcer of the Year" award in 1932—a remarkable achievement, considering that the Lookouts were a Class A team. Senators owner Clark Griffith jumped him straight to the big club in 1934, and he immediately became a hit. He was one of the first to use "ducks on the pond" as a term for players on base, and was notable for singing an old country tune, "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", after a big Senators play.

He was best known, however, for his studio re-creations of road games—a common practice in the 1930s, when line charges were too expensive for live road coverage. The radio listeners would hear the click of the ticker tape code for HR, and the announcer would convey, "It's a long fly ball to deep center, going,going ....... gone. It's a Home Run" For many years, it was common for Senators fans to crowd around McDonald's studio at a drug store on G Street to watch his recreations.

In 1939, he became the first full-time voice of the Yankees and Giants, working the second half of the season alongside a young Mel Allen. In that same year, he aired the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame on CBS. However, his homespun style didn't play well in New York, and he was back in Washington for the 1940 season.

For the most part, McDonald called losing baseball; the Senators only finished higher than fifth four times during his tenure. However, he was named "Announcer of the Year" again in 1942. During the 1940s, he began calling Washington Redskins and college football games.

McDonald was forced off Senators broadcasts by a sponsor change in 1956, but remained behind the mic for the Redskins.

➦In 1984…Announcer Kenneth Lee Carpenter died at age 84 (Born - August 21, 1900). He was best known for being the announcer for singer and actor Bing Crosby for 27 years.

Carpenter moved to Hollywood in 1929, one year after resolving to move there after listening to radio legend Graham McNamee call the Rose Bowl. The 1930 Census reveals he was employed as a newspaper copywriter. Not long afterward, he became a staff announcer for KFI radio. As part of that job, Carpenter announced USC and UCLA football games for the Pacific Coast and the NBC radio networks from 1932 until 1935. In 1935, Carpenter announced the Rose Bowl for NBC radio.

Ken Carpenter

Carpenter became the color man for Bill Stern for all NBC-originated radio programming from Los Angeles from 1938 until 1942, which included the Rose Bowl. "Those Rose Bowl games were a big break for me, as they made me known to clients and advertising agencies in the East, so I had a jump on other local men when the big commercial shows started originating in L.A. in the mid-1930s," Carpenter later said.

In 1936, Carpenter became Crosby's announcer after Crosby began hosting the Kraft Music Hall radio variety program. Carpenter continued to announce for Crosby on various programs for the next 27 years. Crosby famously once called Carpenter "the man with the golden voice."Carpenter also was known for ringing the chimes on many of Crosby's shows.

Carpenter also announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen as well. By virtue of his extensive announcing career, he wound up with un-credited roles in well-known movies, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Susan Slept Here.

From 1949 until 1952, Carpenter was the announcer for the NBC Radio sitcom The Halls of Ivy. He was also the announcer for Lux Radio Theater from 1952 through the end of the series in 1955; from 1955 until 1957, Carpenter hosted NBC's Lux Video Theatre program during its summer seasons. Other programs for which Carpenter was an announcer on radio included The Great Gildersleeve, The Chase and Sanborn Program (featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy) and a stint on The Life of Riley from 1947 through 1949.

➦In 1999...Personality Jean Parker Shepherd Jr. died (Born - July 26, 1921). He was an storyteller, radio and TV personality, writer and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories.

Jean Shepherd

Shepherd began his broadcast radio career in early 1945 on WJOB in Hammond, Indiana, later working at WTOD in Toledo, Ohio, in 1946. He began working in Cincinnati, in January 1947 at WSAI, later also working at Cincinnati stations WCKY and WKRC the following year, before returning to WSAI. From 1951 to 1953, he had a late-night broadcast on KYW in Philadelphia, after which he returned to Cincinnati for several shows on WLW. After a stint on television, he settled in at WOR radio New York City, at the end of February 1955, and on an overnight slot in 1956, where he delighted his fans by telling stories, reading poetry (especially the works of Robert W. Service), and organizing comedic listener stunts.

Shepherd began his broadcast radio career on WSAI in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1948. From 1951 to 1953 he had a late-night broadcast on KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which he returned to Cincinnati for a show on WLW. "Shep," as he was known, settled in at WOR radio New York City, New York on an overnight slot in 1956, where he delighted his fans by telling stories, reading poetry, and organizing comedic listener stunts.

When he was about to be released by WOR in 1956 for not being commercial, he did a commercial for Sweetheart Soap, not a sponsor, and was immediately fired. His listeners besieged WOR with complaints, and when Sweetheart offered to sponsor him he was reinstated. Eventually, he attracted more sponsors than he wanted—the commercials interrupted the flow of his monologues.

During late 1958 and early 1959, while in the Army and stationed at Nike Missile Battalion Hq's in Connecticut, I'd go home to eastern PA a lot of weekends and be driving back on Sunday nights, listening to him the entire way. One week he told a story of being in basic training where he and a buddy got into trouble. Punishment was scrubbing the Company street with scrub brushes and buckets of water. This saga took at least an hour for him to tell; when all was said and done, the punch line was "the Company street was dirt!

He left WOR in 1977. His subsequent radio work consisted of only short segments on several other stations including crosstown WCBS 7880 AM. His final radio gig was the Sunday night radio show "Shepherd's Pie" on WBAI-FM in the mid-1990s, which consisted of his reading his stories uncut, uninterrupted and unabridged.

Throughout his radio career, he performed entirely without scripts. His friend and WOR colleague Barry Farber marveled at how he could talk so long with very little written down. Yet during a radio interview, Shepherd once claimed that some shows took several weeks to prepare.

Angela Lansbury is 96

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor Angela Lansbury is 96. 
• Actor Peter Bowles (“Victoria,” ″Rumpole of the Bailey”) is 85. 
• Actor Barry Corbin (“One Tree Hill,” ″Northern Exposure”) is 81. 
• Bassist C.F. Turner of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 78. 
• Actor Suzanne Somers is 75. 
• Guitarist Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead is 74. 
• Producer-director David Zucker is 74. 
• Actor Martha Smith (“Animal House,” ″Scarecrow and Mrs. King”) is 69. 

• 

  Wendy Wilson is 52

  Actor Andy Kindler (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 65. 
• Actor-director Tim Robbins is 63. 
• Guitarist Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet) is 62. 
• Singer Bob Mould (Husker Du) is 61. 
• Actor Randy Vasquez (“JAG”) is 60. 
• Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 59. 
• Actor Christian Stolte (“Chicago Fire”) is 59. 
• Actor Terri J. Vaughn (“All of Us,” ″The Steve Harvey Show”) is 52. 
• Singer Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips is 52. 
• Rapper B-Rock of B-Rock and the Bizz is 50. 
• Singer Chad Gray of Mudvayne is 50. 
• Actor Paul Sparks (“Boardwalk Empire”) is 50. 
• Actor Kellie Martin (“Christy,” ″Life Goes On”) is 46. 
• Singer-songwriter John Mayer is 44. 
• Actor Jeremy Jackson (“Baywatch”) is 41. 
• Actor Caterina Scorsone (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 41. 
• Actor Brea Grant (“Heroes”) is 40. 
• Actor Kyler Pettis (“Days of Our Lives”) is 29.

And The 2021 CMA Broadcast Award Winners Are...

The Country Music Association has announced the recipients of the 2021 CMA Broadcast Awards. 

Country recording artist and two-time 2021 CMA Awards nominee Carly Pearce individually called radio stations and broadcast personalities to reveal the news.

The CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year category was split into two new categories this year—Weekly National and Daily National.

The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Nielsen. Additionally, entries for Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical information. Candidates for Radio Station of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and format leadership.

CMA members who are full-time, on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the U.S. and Canada were eligible to submit entries, which are judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions.

The 55th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

2021 CMA Broadcast Awards Winners:

• CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year:
• Weekly National – “Country Countdown USA” (Lon Helton) – Westwood One
• Daily National – “CMT After Midnite” (Cody Alan) – Premiere Networks
• Major Market – “Double-L” (Lois Lewis) – KNIX, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Large Market – “Ridder, Scott and Shannen” (“Ridder” Shaun Ridderbush, Scott Dolphin, and Shannen Oesterreich) – WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
• Medium Market – “Mo & StyckMan” (“Mo” Melissa Wagner and “StyckMan” Greg Owens) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Small Market – “Steve, Ben and Nikki” (Steve Stroud, Ben Walker, and Nikki Thomas) – WXBQ, Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.

CMA Radio Station of the Year:

• Major Market – KYGO – Denver-Boulder, Colo.
• Large Market – WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio
• Medium Market – KUZZ – Bakersfield, Calif.
• Small Market – KCLR – Columbia, Mo.

S-F Radio: Audacy Rebrands KITS As DaveFM, Totally Random Radio

Audacy today announced the immediate launch of 105.3 Dave FM, Totally Random Radio on KITS-FM in San Francisco. The station will boast a vast music library of top hits from multiple genres and decades, including artists and groups like Prince, Pat Benatar, The Cure, Journey, Nirvana, Huey Lewis and more.

The station had been Alternative.

“Dave FM is an opportunity for us to provide our audience a station that encompasses a wide array of music genres, full of recognizable hits across multiple decades,” said Stacey Kauffman, Regional Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy San Francisco. “We trust this station will be able to offer listener favorites each and every day, no matter their taste.”

Listeners can tune in to 105.3 Dave FM (KITS-FM) in San Francisco on air, as well as nationwide on the Audacy app and website. Fans can also connect with the station on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Chicago Radio: McGurren Files Suit For $10M From WTMX

Melissa McGurren

Chicago radio host Melissa McGurren on Thursday accused her former employer, Hubbard Radio Chicago, of defamation in a new lawsuit that includes fresh allegations that WTMX 101.9 FM management perpetuated a culture of discrimination to protect cash cows such as popular morning host Eric Ferguson “at any cost.”

The Chicago Tribune reports McGurren’s defamation suit against the company that owns The Mix seeks $10 million in damages and includes a declaration as an exhibit from another former employee, Jennifer Ashrafi, who said she quit her job co-hosting a well-known WTMX afternoon show in January 2020 because she was so “disgusted” by the “misogyny, gender discrimination and hostile work environment that was pervasive” at the station.

News broke last week that McGurren, who co-hosted “Eric in the Morning” on The Mix, described Ferguson in a December complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a “serial abuser of women” who had subjected her to an “unbearable hostile work environment.” McGurren alleged management did nothing about her concerns, then forced her out in December.

In Thursday’s defamation lawsuit, she said Hubbard did not perform an investigation or conducted “a sham investigation” into her allegations, and the company attacked her credibility and integrity with comments it made last week to staff.

Jeff England, Hubbard Chicago vice president and market manager, said in a message to employees Oct. 5 the company “thoroughly investigated this matter previously. Suffice it to say that we do not agree with Melissa’s characterization of events.”

“Hubbard Radio’s statement” that the company “thoroughly investigated” McGurren’s allegations “is false,” according to McGurren’s suit. “A thorough investigation would have uncovered that Jennifer Ashrafi brought many of these same issues, that corroborate Melissa’s ‘characterization of events,’ to England in January 2020, months before Melissa filed her charge” with the EEOC. A Hubbard spokesman did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Jennifer Ashrafi

Ashrafi, who went by Jennifer Roberts on air, said in a court filing included in McGurren’s suit that The Mix has a pattern of typecasting female co-hosts as “good girl sidekicks” for higher-paid male co-hosts like Ferguson. She described her former workplace as “a hostile, humiliating atmosphere” for female employees. She did not make specific allegations against Ferguson involving his treatment of her, instead alleging he was “rude and dismissive to women.”

“His abusive behavior is open and known by all at The Mix,” she said in a written declaration, signed Wednesday. “It is humiliating to watch and dehumanizing to know that nothing can be done because the management at The Mix approved Ferguson’s misconduct by their silence in not reprimanding him.”

Ferguson, DeNicolo

Ashrafi marks the fourth female former Mix employee to come forward to allege Ferguson engaged in inappropriate conduct and management of 101.9-FM protected him due to the popularity of his show. Another former WTMX employee, Cynthia DeNicolo, recently filed an earlier defamation suit against Hubbard Chicago. DeNicolo has also separately sued Ferguson, alleging he coerced DeNicolo into sexual acts in 2004.

Ferguson, 54, who has hosted The Mix’s morning program for 25 years, was taken off the air after the Chicago Tribune broke news of DeNicolo’s allegations late last month. He is expected to be off the air through October, according to last week’s email Hubbard sent its employees that is referenced in McGurren’s lawsuit.

DeNicolo, a former assistant producer of “Eric in the Morning,” sued Ferguson in May alleging he demanded she perform oral sex for an eight-month period in 2004 using the code words “I need a backrub.” DeNicolo, 43, said in her suit Ferguson tormented her for years afterward and blocked raises and promotions until she was laid off in May 2020.

Nashville Radio: WKDF-FM Adding Big D & Bubba Live in Morning Drive

CUMULUS MEDIA announces that its Nashville Country music station 103.3 Country/WKDF-FM has added the Big D & Bubba radio show to its weekday morning lineup. 

Big D & Bubba will debut on 103.3 Country on Monday, October 18th, and will be heard live Monday through Friday from 4:00am-10:00am. This marks an on-air homecoming for co-hosts Big D and Bubba, who have both called Nashville home for the past 18 years.

Charlie Cook, Programming Operations Manager, Cumulus Nashville, said: “We are lucky that talent this good is right here in our backyard. We’ve heard Big D and Bubba for years and understand how hard they’ll work for WKDF. They are funny, relevant and artists love them.”

Allison Warren, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Nashville, said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Big D & Bubba team. They have consistently entertained audiences and bring an unparalleled passion to every show their team hosts. This crew are born storytellers, their laughter is contagious, and they have a gift for relating to people whether artists or listeners. We are confident our clients and listeners will be surprised and delighted when they tune into the Big D & Bubba show."

“Airing live in mornings on 103.3 Country is the culmination of a ton of hard work,” said Bubba, Co-Host, Big D & Bubba. "Preparation and luck have met, and it's time to cook this chicken!”

“This is our home,” said Big D, Co-Host of Big D & Bubba. “We live here. We have each raised our families in this town. Bubba’s a volunteer firefighter. We are the listener, and we’re living the lifestyle. Country is what we are.”

“We believe in great content, and we want to bring our unique style to the city we call home,” said Patrick Thomas, President of Silverfish Media, the production company based in Nashville that produces Big D & Bubba. “We are so proud to be part of the team at 103.3 Country.”

G Networks Offers History Of R&R, Christmas Hits Specials

The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the award-winning two-hour weekly barter series, and The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, both hosted by the legendary Wink Martindale, is now available for syndication in the USA and Canada through G Networks, the company announced jointly with Reserve Productions LLC. 

 Both series are available for international syndication through Radio Express.

 The History Of Rock ‘n’ Roll is a new production that taps into a massive rock ‘n’ roll archive, providing listeners with great songs and artists from 60’s through the 80’s. 

“Each episode is built around a theme spotlighting yet another aspect of rock and pop history – from ‘The 60s Greatest Dance Hits’ to ‘Leading Ladies of the 80s’ and everything in between,” said Reserve Productions’ writer/producer Gary Theroux. 

 “Wink not only showcases the most memorable hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s but also reveals the stories behind the songs and the stars – with insightful interviews with the hitmakers themselves. Wink is the perfect host for this show, combining warmth and personality with a command of the topic that few others today could ever match.”

The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits Of All Time is an award-winning ten-hour radio countdown of the 100 best-loved Yuletide classics! This show features insightful story-behind-the-song interviews with the stars plus dozens of bonus tracks to engage listeners all holiday season long. Updated every year, and now broadcast annually in more that 175 countries around the world, these holly jolly music selections feature virtually every original Christmas hit you can think of from today’s newest all the way back through the decades all hosted by radio legend Wink Martindale.

“G Networks is thrilled to offer The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll and The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time for national syndication” said Rich O’Brien, G Networks’ Chief Development Officer. “We understand how pivotal great content is to our stations, and both of these shows offer a depth and breadth of music that are sure to engage listeners with music that they love. We are already getting accolades from affiliates and listeners.”

For more information on North American distribution of The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll or The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, send an email to affiliates@goGnetworks.com, or for international distribution contact Jessica D’Agostin at jessica@radioexpress.com.

Wake-Up Call: Appeals Court Allows Texas To Enforce Abortion Law

A federal appeals court yesterday allowed Texas' restrictive new abortion law to be enforced, rejecting a U.S. Justice Department request to prevent enforcement. This is the third time the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has let the law that took effect in early September stand, which bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is usually about six weeks. The Justice Department has the option of appealing to the Supreme Court. But the high court also recently allowed the law to stand as the court case against it proceeds. The law has so far evaded being struck down because of the unusual enforcement mechanism Texas set up, in which private citizens can sue anyone who provides an abortion or helps someone obtain one.

The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would bar transgender students from playing on school sports teams based on their gender identities. https://t.co/n09I9DbJdv

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 15, 2021

➤FDA ADVISORY PANEL RECOMMENDS MODERNA BOOSTERS FOR SOME: An outside panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended yesterday that some Americans who got Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine at least six weeks ago should get a booster -- but the boosters will be a half-dose. Those eligible would be the same groups that health regulators last month recommended a Pfizer booster for -- seniors and younger adults with health problems, jobs or living situations that put them at higher risk.

➤JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON RECOMMENDING CRIMINAL CONTEMPT FOR BANNON FOR DEFYING SUBPOENA: The House select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday set next Tuesday for a vote on recommending criminal contempt charges for former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, after he defied a subpoena from them for yesterday. Bannon part of Trump's administration for the first seven months, but continued to speak with him afterward, including ahead of the January 6th attack. If the committee approves the contempt recommendation, it would go to the full House. If the chamber approves it, it would then go to the Justice Department, which decides if there should be a prosecution. Bannon's attorney said Trump told him not to comply, citing information potentially protected by executive privilege when he was president. Bannon, however, was not a White House staffer at the time.

➤NORWAY BOW-AND-ARROW ATTACK CALLED 'ACT OF TERROR': The bow-and-arrow attack in Norway Wednesday that left five people dead and three wounded was a, quote, "act of terror," the head of Norway's domestic intelligence service said Thursday. However, he said they didn't know the motive yet. The suspect, who is in custody, is a 37-year-old Danish man named Espen Andersen Braathen who lives in Kongsberg, the small town where the attack took place at a supermarket and other locations. Regional Police Chief Ole B. Saeverud described Braathen as a Muslim convert and said there, quote, "earlier had been worries of the man having been radicalized." Norwegian media said he had past convictions for burglary and drug possession, and was given a restraining order last year to stay away from his parents for six months after threatening to kill one of them.

➤UNEXPECTED HEARING TODAY IN FLORIDA PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING, SUSPECT TO REPORTEDLY PLEAD GUILTY: An unexpected court hearing was scheduled Thursday for today in Florida in the case of Nikolas Cruz, who's accused in the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in which 17 people were killed. The purpose wasn't described for the hearing, but local station WSVN-TV reported Cruz will plead guilty to all 17 counts of murder as well as 17 counts of attempted murder. If that happens, a jury would still decide whether the 23-year-old faces the death penalty or life in prison.

Daily Mail graphic 10/15/21

➤EX-PREZ CLINTON HOSPITALIZED WITH NON-COVID INFECTION: Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized in California Tuesday (October 12th) with a non-Covid infection. His spokesman, Angel Urena, said yesterday of the 75-year-old, "He is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care." Another statement from the spokesman cited two doctors who said he'd been given IV antibiotics and fluids at the University of California Irvine Medical Center and that "his white blood cell count is trending down and he is responding to antibiotics well." A Clinton Foundation spokesman said Clinton had been in Los Angeles area for private events related to the charitable organization.

➤TRUMP SET FOR DEPOSITION IN 2015 CASE OVER HIS SECURITY TEAM: Former President Donald Trump is set to provide a videotaped deposition in New York City in a case from 2015 about his security team’s crackdown on a protest in the early days of his presidential campaign. AP cited Bronx state Supreme Court papers as saying Trump is expected to sit for the deposition Monday. The case is related to a September 2015 protest outside Trump Tower over comments Trump had made about Mexico and Mexican immigrants. Six protesters who said they were assaulted sued Trump, the Trump Organization, his presidential campaign and security personnel.

➤FORMER BOEING TEST PILOT INDICTED ON CHARGES RELATED TO 737 MAX JET: A former Boeing test pilot was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on charges of deceiving safety regulators about th 737 Max jet, which was later involved in two fatal crashes that killed a total of 346 people. Mark A. Forkner, who was Boeing's chief technical pilot on the Max program, is accused of giving the Federal Aviation Administration false and incomplete information about the jet's automated flight-control system that played a role in the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. Prosecutors say that because of the 49-year-old's deception, the flight-control system wasn't mentioned in pilot manuals or training materials. They suggested he downplayed the issue with the system to avoid pilots having to undergo extensive and expensive retraining. He could face up to 100 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

Domino's Pizza posted its first drop in U.S. same-store sales in over a decade, signaling a slowdown in delivery demand as consumers resumed dining out https://t.co/YIdKADQSVC $DPZ pic.twitter.com/KgBX7A9GhD

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2021

➤STUDY..AMERICANS DRANK, SMOKED MORE IN PANDEMIC:  Many Americans seemingly self-medicated during the pandemic. University of California researchers also found that Americans spent less time exercising, and more time in front of screens. The scientists polled more than 2,700 US adults, and asked them about five lifestyle behaviors. They found time spent on exercise decreased by more than 31 percent, screen time increased by more than 60 percent, alcohol consumption increased by more than 23 percent, and smoking increased by 9 percent. The average consumption of fast food dropped from 1.41 times per week to 0.96 times per week. Study author Dr. Liwei Chen says, “We found that regulations to restrict non-essential activities and stay-at-home orders during the pandemic have had profoundly negative impacts on multiple lifestyle behaviors in American adults. As bad as these changes have been for all Americans, they disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S., who already bear a higher disease burden from COVID-19.”

🚩RED FLAGS ARE TAKING OVER TWITTER:  It’s trendy on Twitter to post the new “red flag meme,” which is really just typing out something you think is a red flag, followed by a series of red flag emojis. Twitter reports that as of Tuesday, there were 1.5 million tweets globally that used the red flag emoji, and in the past week usage of the red flag emoji on Twitter has increased 455 percent. This has sparked a debate over what different people consider to be red flags. Some use very obvious examples, such as “I killed a guy,” while others posted things like “I don’t like mushrooms,” and “I’m not a dog person,” while the official Twitter account tweeted, “I’m not on twitter.”

Cher sues Mary Bono over Sonny & Cher song royalties https://t.co/O8iIvEnHbS pic.twitter.com/4vgJ9eZR1H

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 15, 2021

⚾DODGERS GET 2-1 WIN OVER GIANTS TO ADVANCE TO NLCS: The L.A. Dodgers pulled out a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants last night, winning their NL Division Series three games to two. Cody Bellinger hit a tie-breaking single in the top of the ninth inning, and Max Scherzer came out of the bullpen for his first career save. 

BELLI COMES UP CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/CglklelF0a

— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2021

The game ended on a controversial check-swing strike three by the Giants' Wilmer Flores with a runner on base. The defending World Series champion will now face the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night.

1.) Congrats Dodgers fans on a hard fought series and for moving onto the NLCS.

2.) Congrats to Giants fans on a fantastic season. I hope you can still appreciate this special team, win or lose.

3.) Umpires are the WORST, this was not a swing.
pic.twitter.com/W3eV1i6WGw

— Matt Williams (@MattWi77iams) October 15, 2021

🏈BUCCANEERS DOWN EAGLES 28-22: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers downed the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 last night in Philly, with the reigning Super Bowl champions improving their record to 5-1 while the Eagles fell to 2-4. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, who was playing with an injured thumb on his throwing hand, was 34 of 42 for 297 yards with two touchdown passes. However, in a bad moment on the night for Tampa Bay, cornerback Richard Sherman left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.

💰💰💰 https://t.co/LsyDhcPPmt

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 15, 2021

🏒KRAKEN GET FIRST NHL VICTORY: It only took two games for the NHL's newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, to get their first win, beating the Nashville Predators 4-3 last night. But they didn't do it on their home ice, as the Kraken are playing their first five games on the road as their new arena gets its final touches. Brandon Tanev scored twice for Seattle, and Alex Wennberg and Jared McCann each scored a goal.

⚾CARDINALS FIRE MANAGER SHILDT: The St. Louis Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt yesterday, his dismissal coming one week after the Cardinals lost the National League wild card game to the L.A. Dodgers on a walk-off home run. Cardinals president John Mozeliak cited unnamed "philosophical differences" between Shildt, the coaching staff and the front office. Shildt has been the manager since August 2018 and had one year remaining on his contract. He won National League manager of the year in 2019.

⚾ESPN...77-YEAR-OLD LA RUSSA TO RETURN AS WHITE SOX MANAGER: Baseball Hall of Famer Tony La Russa will be returning as manager of the Chicago White Sox next season, ESPN reported yesterday (October 14th). White Sox stars Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu had both publicly lobbied this week for the 77-year-old to return, after Chicago was eliminated by the Houston Astros in their American League Division Series. La Russa came out of retirement to manage the White Sox this season.