April 24 Radio History

➦In 1947...One of Jack Webb's short-lived pre-Dragnet detective-adventure radio show Johnny Madero: Pier 23 debuted on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

➦In 1949…Dick Powell began a four-year run as "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" on NBC Radio. The radio series centered on a wisecracking, former police officer turned private detective. Episodes typically opened with a client visiting or calling cash-strapped Diamond's office and agreeing to his fee of $100 a day plus expenses, or Diamond taking on a case at the behest of his friend and former partner, Lt. Walter Levinson

In the late 1950s, Powell's company, Four Star Television, produced a TV version of the series starring David Janssen. His secretary, Sam, was shown only from the waist down to display her beautiful legs. Initially, those were the legs of budding actress Mary Tyler Moore, but later, the legs of other actresses were shown.

➦In 1953...Eric Bogosian was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. Bogosian is best known for his starring role in the movie, "Talk Radio", a 1988 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene, and Leslie Hope.

Portions of the film and play were based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in 1984 and the book Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg.  Berg was murdered while working for Denver's KOA 850 AM.

In the movie Barry Champlain, a Jewish radio personality in Dallas, Texas, is a host with a caustic sense of humor and a knack for condescending to his audience with his controversial political views.bio.

➦In 1954...Billboard magazine, the music industry trade publication, headlined a tsunami to come in the music biz. The headline read, “Teenagers Demand Music with a Beat — Spur Rhythm and Blues” … a sign of the entertainment revolution that was underway.

➦In 1959…After 24 years of Saturday nights on radio and nine years on television, the final installment of the musical countdown show "Your Hit Parade" was televised on NBC-TV.

The final Top Five: Elvis Presley, "I Need Your Love Tonight" (#5), Brook Benton, "It's Just A Matter Of Time" (#4), Ricky Nelson, "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#3), Dodie Stevens, "Pink Shoe Laces" (#2), and the Fleetwoods at #1 with "Come Softly To Me."

➦In 1972…John Lennon's controversial single, "Woman Is the N#gger of the World" was released in the U.S. The song televised on 11 May, on The Dick Cavett Show. Many radio stations refused to broadcast the song.  The song reached #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, even though only two major radio stations – KDAY in Los Angeles and WCFL in Chicago – aired it.

Yoko Ono originally uttered the phrase during a magazine interview in 1967 and John explained that he was making a point that women deserved higher status in society.

Abbott & Costello

➦In 1974...William Alexander "Bud" Abbott died at age 78 from prostate cancer (Born - October 2, 1897). He was best known for his comedy double act, as straight man to Lou Costello.

Born into a show business family, Abbott worked in the box office of several theatres, before becoming a comedian/producer of burlesque shows on Broadway, where he allowed Costello to appear with him when his own partner was off ill. They formally teamed up in 1935. Their signature routine, "Who's on First?", was carried through to radio and then to their film debut One Night in the Tropics (1940) and Buck Privates (1941). The duo would go on to make 36 films. During World War II, they were among the most popular entertainers in the world, and sold $85 million in war bonds.

Abbott and Costello launched their own long-running radio show in 1942, and then a live TV show. But by 1955, they were felt to be over-exposed, their film contract was terminated, and the partnership split soon afterwards. Costello died in 1959.

Groucho Marx declared Abbott to be the best straight man in the comedy business.

Kelly Clarkson is 40

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor Shirley MacLaine is 88. 
• Actor-singer-director Barbra Streisand is 80. 
• Country singer Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys is 79. 
• Drummer Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 77. 
• Singer Ann Peebles is 75. 
• Actor Eric Bogosian is 69. 
• Singer-bassist Jack Blades of Night Ranger is 68. 
• Actor Michael O’Keefe (“Roseanne”) is 67. 
• Bassist David J (Love and Rockets, Bauhaus) is 65. 
• Actor Glenn Morshower (“24”) is 63. 
• Bassist Billy Gould (Faith No More) is 59. 
• Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 58. 
• Actor Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” ″Amistad”) is 58. 
• Drummer Patty Schemel (Hole) is 55. 
• Drummer Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors is 54. 
• Actor Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones”) is 54. 
• Actor Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) is 53. 
• Actor Rory McCann (“Game of Thrones”) is 53. 
• Singer Alejandro Fernandez is 51. 
• Bassist Brian Marshall of Creed and of Alter Bridge is 49. 
• Actor Derek Luke (“Madea Goes to Jail,” ″Friday Night Lights”) is 48. 

• 

  Carly Pearce is 32

  Actor Thad Luckinbill (“12 Strong,” ″The Young and the Restless”) is 47. 
• Actor Eric Balfour (“24”) is 45. 
• Actor Rebecca Mader (“No Ordinary Family,” ″Lost”) is 45. 
• Actor Reagan Gomez (“Queen Sugar,” ″The Parent ’Hood”) is 42. 
• Actor Austin Nichols (“One Tree Hill”) is 42. 
• Actor Sasha Barrese (“The Hangover”) is 41.
• Singer-TV personality Kelly Clarkson (“American Idol”) is 40. 
• Singer-bassist Tyson Ritter of All-American Rejects is 38. 
• Country singer Carly Pearce is 32. 
• Actor Joe Keery (“Stranger Things”) is 30. 
• Actor Jack Quaid (“The Hunger Games”) is 30. 
• Actor Doc Shaw (“House of Payne,” “The Suite Life on Deck”) is 30. 
• Actor Jordan Fisher (“Liv and Maddie,” ″Rent: Live”) is 28.

DeSantis-Disney Battle Latest Skirmish In 'Cultural War'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s move against Walt Disney Corp. this week shows he’s willing to take the Republican Party’s culture war to new heights -- with a frontal assault on one of his state’s biggest and most iconic employers -- as he jockeys for position in a potentially crowded 2024 presidential field, according to Bloomberg.

Republican governors like Texas’s Greg Abbott have laid down starkly conservative positions on abortion and transgender students that show their bona fides. Corporations have at times banded together in protest, often saying those policies discriminate against their workers, but Abbott’s moves generally haven’t been aimed at a single employer.

DeSantis took it further. A month-long feud between the governor and Disney escalated this week when the state legislature capitulated to DeSantis’s call to strip Burbank, California-based Disney of its special governing rights, a move that could challenge the company’s ability to operate its iconic theme park, which employs 70,000 people and brings in $780 million in tax revenue to the state DeSantis governs.

DeSantis criticized Disney after the company spoke out against a Florida law the governor signed last month that limits school instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation, a law critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Republican strategists and analysts said the fight with Disney allows DeSantis to gain influence outside of Florida by standing up to what conservatives call a “woke” corporation, at a time when Republicans increasingly emphasize culture-war issues and opposition to big businesses taking stands on political issues. But observers expressed surprise he was willing to take it this far.

DeSantis’s spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said Thursday the motivation wasn’t politics but DeSantis’s long-held support for “a more level playing field” for all businesses in the state -- and that it was Disney that inserted itself in the process.

“It is not ‘retaliatory’ to pass legislation that gets rid of carve-outs and promotes a fairer environment for all companies to do business,” Pushaw said in a statement. “It was unfortunate that Disney decided to wade into a political debate and attempt to strong-arm Florida into overturning a common-sense law.”

In March, Florida lawmakers passed a law supported by DeSantis that bans instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation in public schools for kindergarten through third grade classes and may allow restrictions for older students as well. After its adoption, Disney issued a statement saying that the legislation “should never have been passed and should never have been signed into law.” The company said it would work to get the law repealed or struck down in court. That angered DeSantis, who said Florida is “governed by the interests of the people of the state” and not by California corporate executives.

“If Disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy,” DeSantis said in a campaign e-mail earlier this week.

On April 19, DeSantis asked the legislature to consider terminating the special privileges Disney enjoys through the existence of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special district in Central Florida. Within hours, bills were filed in the Florida House and Senate to terminate all special districts enacted in Florida prior to 1968 without additional legislative action, which includes five other districts and Reedy Creek. The legislation moved quickly through both chambers, and was formally approved on Thursday. The measure would take effect as of June 1, 2023, barring any further legislative action.

Failure of CNN+ Proves 'Content Is King'

Thanks to Netflix and CNN, the entertainment industry has just received a masterclass into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to streaming, reports USA Today.

• Lesson One: Just creating a streaming channel, even one with a well-known name, is no guarantee of success. Viewers are showing their limits when it comes to paying for multiple services.
• Lesson Two: The streaming market will continue to grow, but with so many players at this point, some will struggle to find a place with viewers.
• Lesson Three: Content is still king. To succeed, a content channel needs to retain subscribers with original talked-about, exclusive shows, movies or specials, backed by a deep reserve of older, popular content that can be aired again and again to tide viewers over between hits.

“While consumers have been willing to add ‘just one more’ streaming service in the past, they are less willing to do so today,” said Brett Sappington, vice president with media insights firm Interpret. “There are so many competitors available, each with strong content libraries.”

Like many of life’s teachings, these lessons came the hard way in two big developments this week.

Netflix reported its first drop in global subscribers in a decade. The streaming service lost 200,000 subscribers for the first quarter instead of gaining the 2.5 million predicted. The company blamed rampant password sharing, but investors sent the stock plummeting more than 35% on fears that the giant's days of unlimited growth are running headlong into the reality of pressure from streaming competitors.

CNN Worldwide, meanwhile, pulled the plug on its CNN+ streaming services only three weeks into its start, apparently unenthusiastic about the initial response. Though it has invested heavily in the startup, CNN has new corporate ownership. Discovery acquired it as part of WarnerMedia and it is expected to move back toward stronger news programming and away from pundit-driven content.

In the case of Netflix, former Hollywood Reporter editor Alex Ben Block said its disclosure shows that rivals are finally able to apply pressure to what had been a juggernaut.

Though streaming competitors Disney, CBS and Paramount are formidable, he cautions of making too much of Netflix’s troubles. Netflix has more than 220 million subscribers worldwide, he said. Plus, streaming remains the future of entertainment — a “fundamental change in the way content is distributed.”

While Netflix has massive reserves of that content, CNN was launching CNN+ with little to distinguish it from its regular basic cable programming. Think Anderson Cooper and Fareed Zaharia with a mix of some of its special films and recent series involving food and travel.

FNC's Greg Gutfeld Doesn't Miss Chris Wallace

Greg Gutfeld doesn’t miss his former Fox News colleague Chris Wallace, nor is he shedding tears over the collapse of CNN+, where Wallace went to work after nearly two decades at Fox.

The NY Daily News reports Gutfeld, who had a late-night talk show on the channel and also appears on popular afternoon show “The Five,” took several shots at Wallace on the latter program Thursday. One of his wisecracks compared Wallace to alternative energy resources, which he called unreliable.

“Look at CNN+, how much money they invested in wind power by hiring Chris Wallace,” Gutfeld joked.

Wallace said in late March that he made the move from Fox News to CNN+ after 18 years of service at the right-wing cable channel because working there became “unsustainable” after the 2020 election.

“I just no longer felt comfortable with the programming at Fox,” Wallace said.

Wallace conceded that he moved to CNN+ early this year under circumstances that were “not ideal,” but he seemed to have high hopes for his streaming series “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” His future with CNN is unclear.

Gutfeld did more talking about Wallace Thursday. After joking he hadn’t talked about celebrity sightings in a while, Gutfeld joked he just saw Wallace wandering outside of a Midtown tavern Thursday afternoon.

“I’m going to do this every segment, so get used to it!” Gutfeld warned his “The Five” colleagues.

Fox News boasted Tuesday that “The Five” was its most-watched show last week when the network once more dominated cable news ratings.

CNN is believed to have invested $100 million in CNN+, NBC News reports. It will be put to rest April 30.

FCC Commissioner Rips Apple Over 'Voice of America' App

An Federal Communications Commission official slammed Apple CEO Tim Cook for hypocrisy on human rights issues – arguing the iPhone maker’s dealings with the Chinese Communist Party were at odds with its claimed commitment to protecting consumer rights.

The NY Post reports FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr detailed his concerns about the tech giant’s activities in China policies in a letter that referenced Cook’s recent keynote address at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2022 where Apple’s top boss spoke at length against the exploitation of technology to infringe on users’ rights.

Carr, the FCC’s senior Republican member, said that Cook’s “words founder upon the harsh reality of Apple’s conduct in China.”

“Indeed, at the very same time that you were speaking in D.C. about your App Store policies promoting privacy and human rights, your company was continuing its well documented campaign in Beijing of aggressively censoring apps at the best of the Communist Party of China,” Carr wrote in the letter.

Brendan Carr

Apple is one of several major US companies that have faced criticism for expanding business operations in China despite mounting concerns that Beijing is committing human rights abuses against its population.

Many of the allegations are tied to the Chinese government’s crackdown on ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang region – where human rights activists have accused Beijing of various abuses – including mass surveillance, forced labor and the establishment of internment camps. The US government has labeled China’s actions a genocide.

In May 2021, The Information (paywall) reported that seven of Apple’s suppliers were linked to alleged forced labor operations in the Xinjiang region.  

Apple has repeatedly stated that it has “zero tolerance” for forced labor within its supply chain.

Carr said he decided to contact Cook after learning that Apple had removed the Congressionally-funded “Voice of America” app from its App Store in China – a decision the commissioner said occurred at the behest of the Chinese government.

The FCC official noted Apple had previously removed Quran and Bible apps from its App Store. He pressed Cook to inform the FCC by April 29 whether Apple planned to restore access to the Voice of America app.

In a statement, Apple said the “Voice of America” app was removed from China’s App Store due to local legal requirements.

“Back in 2017, we were notified by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) that the Voice of America app did not comply with local laws because it lacked a license to operate in the country,” the statement said. “We are required to comply with local laws where we do business, even though we may sometimes disagree. The app remains available for download in other countries.”

Alex Jones Bankruptcy File Called 'Sinister'

Families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre called for InfoWars' bankruptcy to be thrown out of court on Friday, accusing the far-right wing website of seeking Chapter 11 protection for "sinister" purposes.

The U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog has raised similar concerns.

Reuters reports lawyers for the families, who have won defamation lawsuits against InfoWars and its founder, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, raised questions about the legitimacy of the bankruptcy at a hearing in Victoria, Texas.

They alleged the case was not filed for a valid purpose under bankruptcy law, but to force the families into settlements instead of proceeding with trials that will determine the amount of the damages they are owed for the defamation judgments relating to Jones' false claims that the school mass shooting was a hoax.

A lawyer for a group of Connecticut families, Randy Williams, said he plans to ask the court to dismiss the case soon.

InfoWars holding company, InfoW LLC, and two other media assets owned by Jones filed for Chapter 11 on April 17 after Jones and his media companies were found liable in multiple defamation lawsuits brought in Texas and Connecticut by families of the shooting victims. read more

Jones, who has not filed for bankruptcy himself, has falsely claimed that the shooting, during which 20 children and six school employees were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax fabricated by gun-control advocates and mainstream media.

The families have previously rebuffed Jones' efforts to settle the cases. A trial to determine damages was scheduled to begin Monday in Texas but was halted as a result of the bankruptcy.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who is overseeing the bankruptcy, raised questions on Friday about the decision to file InfoW's case under a bankruptcy provision that is designed for small businesses. InfoW lawyer Kyung Lee said he would explain at an April 29 hearing.

Lee also rejected the attacks on the bankruptcy, saying the case was filed “to preserve the means to pay” the families’ claims.

Marc Schwartz of the Houston-based firm Schwartz & Associates, who is expected to serve as InfoW’s chief restructuring officer, said on Friday that people involved with the case did not want Jones to personally file for bankruptcy because they didn’t want to harm the value associated with his name or “his ability to generate funds, to sell merchandise.”

Book Explores Harry's 'State of Mind'

Twenty five years after the princess's tragic, unexpected death, the formidable Tina Brown, author of the explosive Diana Chronicles, which was an early Naughties sensation, has returned to the fray. Her new book, The Palace Papers: Inside The House Of Windsor - The Truth And The Turmoil, examines how that quest to ensure the monarchy is not simply a platform for family members to seek public acclaim has turned out. 

Even a cursory look at the royal landscape would suggest things have not gone entirely to plan, reports The Daily Mail.

While no conventional royal historian, Brown tackles her subjects with the same brio she brought to her years as a highly regarded magazine editor, first with Tatler, then with Vanity Fair and the New Yorker.

Her access to those who flit around the royals gives her writing an edgy authenticity. The book, she says, is the result of two years' work - and impeccable sources. 

'I talked to more than 120 people, many of whom have been intimately involved with the senior royals and their households during the turbulent years since Diana died,' she explained. 

The result is a tour d'horizon of the recent travails of the Royal Family, which is both critical of and surprisingly sympathetic to the figure at the heart of the story: the 96-year-old Queen, whose head-in-the-sand approach or 'ostriching' she often mocks.

Many Home Market Yankees' Fans Are Pissed

The Yankees’ Amazon Prime debut left many fans missing the action.

The Yankees' 4-1 series opening win over the Guardians on Friday night at Yankees Stadium was the first of 21 scheduled Yankees games that will be exclusively broadcast on the streaming service, as The Post’s Andrew Marchand has reported.

Not only is the broadcast exclusive to Prime, it’s limited to only the Yankees’ local region. The only option for out of market fans, including Guardians fans, to access the game is through an MLB.TV out-out-market subscription, which starts at $139.99 a year.

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That left fans outside the New York metro area unable to realistically watch the game, regardless of whether they subscribe to Amazon Prime or not.

Instead, they were left to complain.

April 23 Radio History

Roy Orbison 1936-1988

➦In 1936...singer Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas. His biggest hit was “Oh, Pretty Woman,” which stayed at No. 1 for three weeks in 1964. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and died of a heart attack on Dec. 6, 1988, in Madison, Tenn., at age 52.

➦In 1976...Flashback...

➦In 1995...Radio, TV sportscaster and personality Howard Cosell died of a heart embolism at age 77 (Born Howard William Cohen  March 25, 1918). He was most prominent and influential on radio, television and print media from the early 1960s into the mid 1980s.

Cosell was an union attorney in NYC and some of his clients were actors, and some were athletes, including Willie Mays. Cosell's own hero in athletics was Jackie Robinson, who served as a personal and professional inspiration to him in his career. Cosell also represented the Little League of New York, when in 1953 an ABC Radio manager asked him to host a show on New York flagship WABC featuring Little League participants. The show marked the beginning of a relationship with WABC and ABC Radio that would last his entire broadcasting career.

Cosell hosted the Little League show for three years without pay, and then decided to leave the law field to become a full-time broadcaster. He approached Robert Pauley, President of ABC Radio, with a proposal for a weekly show. Pauley told him the network could not afford to develop untried talent, but he would be put on the air if he would get a sponsor. To Pauley's surprise, Cosell came back with a relative's shirt company as a sponsor, and "Speaking of Sports" was born.

Cosell took his "tell it like it is" approach when he teamed with the ex-Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher "Big Numba Thirteen" Ralph Branca on WABC's pre- and post-game radio shows of the New York Mets in their nascent years beginning in 1962. He pulled no punches in taking members of the hapless expansion team to task.

Otherwise on radio, Cosell did his show, Speaking of Sports, as well as sports reports and updates for affiliated radio stations around the country; he continued his radio duties even after he became prominent on television. Cosell then became a sports anchor at WABC-TV in New York, where he served in that role from 1961 to 1974. He expanded his commentary beyond sports to a radio show entitled "Speaking of Everything".

Cosell's style of reporting very much transformed sports broadcasting. Whereas previous sportscasters had mostly been known for color commentary and lively play-by-play, Cosell had an intellectual approach. His use of analysis and context arguably brought television sports reporting very close to the kind of in-depth reporting one expected from "hard" news reporters. At the same time, however, his distinctive staccato voice, accent, syntax, and cadence were a form of color commentary all their own.

➦In 2004…Bill Brundige, a member of the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame and a fixture on Southland radio and television stations for three decades, died at age 89.

Bill Brundige

Brundige served as play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels baseball team, of the Pacific Coast League. He also worked with Bob Kelly on Los Angeles Ram broadcasts and Chick Hearn on Laker broadcasts. Twice he was awarded the Golden Mike as the top sports broadcaster in Southern California.

Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., Brundige served as West Coast sports director for the Armed Forces Radio Network during World War II and received the Helms Athletic Foundation award for his entertainment contributions to the men and women serving in the Pacific.

Later, Brundige was an announcer for baseball's Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators, and football's Detroit Lions. It was Phil Wrigley, owner of the Cubs, who brought Brundige to Southern California to broadcast games for the Angels, a minor league team that had the name long before Gene Autry purchased an American League expansion team that began play in 1961.

He retired after ending a broadcasting career of more than 40 years with a talk show on Anaheim's KEZY.

Lee Majors is 83

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor David Birney is 83. 
• Actor Lee Majors (“Six Million Dollar Man”) is 83. 
• Actor Blair Brown is 75. 
• Actor Joyce DeWitt (“Three’s Company”) is 73. 
• Actor James Russo is 69. 
• Director Michael Moore is 68. 
• Actor Judy Davis is 67. 
• Actor Valerie Bertinelli is 62. 
• Actor Craig Sheffer (“One Tree Hill,” ″Into the West”) is 62. 

• 

  Gigi Hadid is 27

  Comedian George Lopez is 61. 
• Actor Melina Kanakaredes (“The Resident,” “Providence”) is 55. 
• Drummer Stan Frazier of Sugar Ray is 54. 
• Guitarist Tim Womack of Sons of the Desert is 54. 
• Actor Scott Bairstow (“Party of Five”) is 52. 
• Actor John Lutz (“30 Rock”) is 49. 
• Musicians Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National are 46. 
• Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena (“The Marine”) is 45. 
• Actor-comedian John Oliver is 45. 
• Actor Kal Penn (“House M.D.,” “Harold and Kumar”) is 45. 
• Singer Taio Cruz is 39. 
• Actor Jesse Lee Soffer (“Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Fire”) is 38. 
• Guitarist Anthony LaMarca of The War on Drugs is 35. 
• Actor Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) is 32. 
• Actor Matthew Underwood (“Zoey 101”) is 32. 
• Model Gigi Hadid is 27. 
• Musicians Jake and Josh Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet are 26. 
• Actor Charlie Rowe (“Salvation”) is 26.

MRC, Nielsen Agree To 'Monitor' 8 Markets

After reviews of recent audits of Nielsen’s Audio PPM service, the Media Rating Council (MRC) and its Radio Committee have noted ongoing performance declines in a substantial number of currently accredited PPM Audio markets. 

As a result, MRC and Nielsen have agreed upon a panel performance monitoring process to be applied to eight of the 30 currently accredited Nielsen Audio PPM markets.

The eight markets included at this time in this performance monitoring program are Baltimore, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, and Nassau-Suffolk.

This enhanced monitoring program is now underway, and will be continued into the foreseeable future. It involves detailed and frequent monitoring and verification of key PPM panel performance metrics in the eight markets. In addition, these metrics will be compared against commitments Nielsen has made to MRC as part of a PPM panel improvement program that is designed to improve panel performances in these and other PPM markets. Nielsen Audio management also will meet regularly with the MRC’s Radio Committee to review the results for these markets, and the Committee will consider their ongoing accreditation statuses with this information in hand.

It is both MRC’s and Nielsen’s goal to ensure these markets perform in a manner that warrants continued accreditation into the future, and the monitoring process has been established to ensure ongoing progress is being made toward that goal. Additionally, MRC will continue to review PPM panel performance in all markets, beyond the eight included in the formal monitoring process and in all contexts in which this data is used in MRC-audited services.
MRC will provide additional updates on this monitoring initiative as events warrant.

CNN+ Staffers: Furious Over Shutdown

Thursday's shocking announcement that CNN+ would be shutting down operations less than a month after it launched has left out-of-work staffers “aghast and furious” over the company’s handling of what sources inside the network call “an absolute debacle.”

“This is f–king crazy, it is nuts,” a CNN insider told The NY Post.

CNN+ — which one insider estimated the network spent $300 million launching and between $100 million and $200 million advertising — will cease streaming for good at the end of the month.

“All the CNN talent were basically doing double duty — Don Lemon, just announced his show a few days ago,” one staffer lamented. “But the writing was on the wall when CNN+ advertising was pulled a few days ago.”

Chris Licht, CNN’s newly installed CEO, who replaced the disgraced Jeff Zucker, broke the news to staffers at a noon meeting Thursday in New York.

Network insiders were horrified to learn that all junior staffers at the streaming service were let go. The roughly 300 staffers were offered six months’ severance as well as first dibs on job opportunities within CNN.  Big-ticket acquisitions will likely be reassigned within the company.

CNN+’s big-ticket acquisitions, meanwhile — including former Fox News star Chris Wallace and ex-MSNBC reporter Kasie Hunt — are expected to be reassigned to the cable news mothership or to other platforms within the Warner Bros. Discovery media empire.

Sources told The Post that CNN “overspent on talent” by giving Wallace $9 million per year while Hunt was lured away from MSNBC with an annual paycheck of $1 million.

Insiders fumed that the corporate suits at Warner Bros. Discovery laid off staffers so soon after the streaming service started operations.

“Many people left their stable jobs at CNN to go to CNN+ and then they pull it right after launch?” the source said.

The Wall Street Journal reports because of its relationships with pay-TV distributors, CNN was limited in the amount of live news and content it could put on its CNN+ platform. Without the urgency of breaking news, the site was seen as a tough sell by Discovery executives, a person close to the operation said. The majority of the content was mostly softer fare such as Chris Wallace’s interview shows, where he often chatted with celebrities such as William Shatner and Joan Collins.

Rival Fox News has had more success in the direct-to-consumer streaming business. Its service Fox Nation has more than one million subscribers, a person familiar with that operation said. But Fox News is also known for a very loyal audience, and the service offers both entertainment fare as well as content from some of its biggest names including Tucker Carlson. Fox News owner Fox Corp. and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share common ownership.

Bad Business Doomed CNN+

CNN+, the online streaming service that debuted March 29, is dead, or at least dying: It will shut down for good April 30.

As in any implosion, there is a host of factors behind it, but the biggest is Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia, CNN’s parent company, according to Billy Goodykoontz at USAToday. The merger became official April 8; the new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, wasted no time cleaning house.

Chris Licht, the incoming chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement Thursday the decision was made “to cease operations of CNN+ and focus our investment on CNN’s core news-gathering operations and in further building CNN Digital.”

"This is not a decision about quality; we appreciate all of the work, ambition and creativity that went into building CNN+, an organization with terrific talent and compelling programming,” Licht said. “But our customers and CNN will be best served with a simpler streaming choice.”

Translation, for those who don’t speak corporate: Customers don’t need it, don’t want it and aren't going to pay for it. Some programming may find its way to a single-destination streaming service that will combine Discovery+ and HBO Max. 

Turns out it wasn’t the best idea to launch a high-profile, expensive venture just as the new bosses who had no input into it are on their way into town. You don’t paint the walls purple and pink right before someone new is about to move in.

What did CNN+ lack? Must-see content

In the run-up to the launch of CNN+, its leaders stressed that the service was not meant to be instead of, but in addition to, CNN. So much so that a live feed of CNN wasn’t part of it, even during breaking news stories, thanks to the network's agreement with cable systems.

That was its biggest shortcoming. If you call something CNN, users expect to find news as it happens, no matter what platform they watch on.

What's next for Chris Wallace?

What becomes of Wallace? The vacated Chris Cuomo slot on weeknights might make the most sense for him. He was the subject of much discussion on social media after the CNN+ announcement.

Fox News fans will be gleeful.   Fox News viewers who said Wallace wasn’t conservative enough because he dared to ask Donald Trump tough questions or didn’t toe the MAGA line must be gleeful.

Wallace isn’t perfect, but he differs from hosts such as Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity in that he traffics in actual journalism, which does not require blind loyalty to anyone or anything. In fact, it rejects it.

There's bound to be similar crowing among the right-wing crowd that no one wanted to pay extra to watch the woke mob destroy their version of America (or whatever the MAGA company line is these days), if they wouldn’t watch regular CNN for free in the first place.

Sean Hannity: Cable's Longest-Running Primetime Host

FOX News Channel’s (FNC) Sean Hannity has notched yet another industry milestone, becoming the longest-running primetime cable news host in television history. 

Thursday marked 25 consecutive years, six months, and 15 days at the helm of a primetime cable news program, breaking the previous longstanding record held by the late talk show host Larry King. As cable news’ most enduring personality, Hannity has been a staple of FNC’s primetime lineup since the launch of the network in 1996, where his candid style and passionate commentary have made him one of the most prominent and influential voices in the country.

In commenting on the milestone, FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said, “Sean’s authenticity and insightful commentary have created one of the most enduring connections with our audience and it’s been an honor to watch him over the years. A FOX News original, he has helped innovate the industry, and we are incredibly proud of his extraordinary success.”

Hannity added, “I am extremely grateful to FOX News Media and to our loyal, dedicated viewers whom I am proud to serve every night.”

Hannity - early radio

Hannity’s ratings success has spanned each of his primetime timeslots over the last 25 years. His eponymous program has dominated the cable news landscape, ranking number one in its time slot with both viewers and in the 25-54 demographic for 13 consecutive years since launching as a solo hour in January 2009, according to Nielsen Media Research. His debut program, Hannity & Colmes with the late Alan Colmes, became a ratings hit and overtook Larry King after just five years of its existence, ranking as top-rated program in its timeslot beginning in 2002 in the key demo and in 2003 with viewers. From 2017 to 2019, Hannity reigned as the most-watched program in all of cable news in the coveted Adults 25-54 demo and marked four consecutive years as the most-watched show in total viewers (2017-2020). Most recently, Hannity ended 2021 as the top-rated program airing at 9 PM/ET, besting the competition on CNN and MSNBC by double digits in both categories. Currently averaging more than 3.1 million viewers each night, the program routinely ranks in the top five programs in cable news.

Renowned for his conservative commentary, Hannity spends over four hours daily connecting with his audience on both television and radio and has become one of the most popular radio personalities in the country. As host of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Sean Hannity Show, syndicated to 675 stations with 20 million listeners, he has been named Talkers Magazine’s “Talk Show Host of the Year” and has consistently ranked as No. 1 in Talkers Magazine‘s Top 100 Talk Hosts in America. Throughout his storied career, he has received two NAB Marconi Radio Awards for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year and is a three-time consecutive winner of the Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of the Year Award. He is also the author of four New York Times bestsellers, “Live Free or Die,” “Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism,” “Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism” and “Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama’s Radical Agenda.”

Twin Cities Radio: First Mary Lucia, Now Her Boss Is Gone

Mary Lucia

After nearly two decades on Twin Cities airwaves, Mary Lucia has left KCMP 89.3 FM The Current. She hosted her final show on Thursday, reports WCCO TV.

Lucia was one of the station’s initial hires ahead of its launch in 2005. 

In a statement released by the station Tuesday, Lucia said only: “Starting The Current 17 years ago was a joy.” On Instagram, she posted a selfie with no caption. Fans and former colleagues wrote in the comments, noting how they’ll miss her and wished her well in her future endeavors.

On Wednesday, Lucia posted on Facebook, calling her decision to leave The Current “heartbreaking” and part of a long and nuanced story. As for a specific reason for leaving, she highlighted concerns over the treatment of women at the station.

“The shortest version is I’ve been trying for years to affect positive change in the company,” she wrote. “I’ve been concerned with equity and fair treatment of all of my sisters at the station. Past, present and future.”

Minneapolis Public Radio program director Jim McGuinn released a statement on Tuesday about Lucia’s departure, saying in part Lucia has “been a friend, playing her favorite records and opening her heart to our listeners, who have responded with deep appreciation.”

Soon after Lucia’s final show on Thursday, American Public Media Group — which owns The Current — announced that McGuinn “is no longer” with the company.

“We are proud of the programming we delivered with Jim and are appreciative of his contributions. We do not discuss the details of personnel matters and will not be sharing any specifics,” said an AMPG spokesperson.

Jean Taylor, president and CEO of APMG, released this statement Wednesday about Lucia’s departure:

Mary Lucia has been a vital member of, and contributor to, The Current for 17 years. She’s immensely gifted, has built a one-of-a-kind relationship with her listeners, and she will truly be missed. Under my leadership, we continue to strengthen American Public Media Group (APMG) culture and invest in talent, and these are top priorities. I am firmly committed to creating and sustaining a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment where all employees, including women and people of color, are respected and valued. This is critical as we seek to fulfill APMG’s mission to be an indispensable resource for our audiences and an essential public service for our communities."

In 2015, Lucia took a seven-month leave of absence from the radio station after a yearlong ordeal where she was repeatedly harassed by a stalker at her workplace and at her home. The stalker was sentenced to five years probation.

March '22 PPMs: Day 3...Charlotte, Orlando, K-C +9 More Markets

Nielsen on Thursday, April 21, 2022  released the third batch of March 2022 PPM data for the following markets:

21  Portland Or

23  Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC

25  San Antonio

27  Sacramento

28  Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo

29  Pittsburgh

30  Orlando

31  Las Vegas

33  Cincinnati

34  Kansas City

35  Cleveland

36  Columbus OH

📻Click Here to view Top Line Numbers for Subscribing Nielsen stations.

Wake-Up Call: Putin Claims Win As Images of Mass Graves Appear

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol Thursday, despite an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian troops remaining holed up at a sprawling steel mill there. Putin ordered against storming the remaining stronghold in the devastated southern city, instead directing that the facility be sealed off, quote, "so that not even a fly comes through," apparently intending to wait for them to surrender when they run out of food or ammunition.

Meanwhile, new satellite images released yesterday by satellite image provider Maxar Technologies showed what it said were more than 200 mass graves in a town outside of Mariupol called Manhush. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russia of taking the bodies of civilians from his city and burying them in mass graves in Manhush, charging they were, quote, "hiding their military crimes" against civilians. The Mariupol City Council said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that the mass graves could have as many as 9,000 bodies.

The alleged mass grave near #Mariupol was found from a satellite. The Maxar images show a trench in the village of #Mangush that is more than 300 meters long. It could contain thousands of bodies, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the city's mayor. pic.twitter.com/bNlsDwNlsK

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 21, 2022

 
Russia continued its air and artillery attacks along the 300-milesfront in eastern and southern Ukraine where it began a new phase of the war this week. However, AP cited military analysts as saying Russian forces didn't appear to gain any significant ground over the past few days, stating that they are still ramping up the offensive.

Putin looks very unwell. The way he holds onto the table with both hands and he appears to be in pain. Face swollen and not due to botox. Lost a lot of hair.. Cancer treatment?? pic.twitter.com/3fclvxM1Aa

— The Oculus Files - Oligarch Hunter (@oculusfiles) April 22, 2022

U.S. Sending $800 Million in Weapons, Ammunition: President Biden announced yesterday that the U.S. is sending another $800 million in weapons and ammunition to Ukraine in the coming days, raising to $3.4 billion the amount of security assistance the U.S. has sent since Russia's February 24th invasion. Biden also said he'll ask Congress next week to approve billions more in aid for Ukraine because the aid package passed last month is almost all gone.

➤ISRAELI POLICE STORM JERUSALEM HOLY SITE AFTER PALESTIANS THROW ROCKS: Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem Friday, a sensitive site that's holy to both Muslims and Jews, after Palestinian youths threw stones at a gate where they were stationed. More than two dozen Palestinians were wounded. There have been clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at the site over the last week, the unrest coming amid heightened tensions followed a string of fatal attacks on civilians in Israel in recent weeks and Israeli military arrest raids in the occupied West Bank in response. There were three rockets fired into Israel Thursday from the Gaza Strip, and Israeli launched airstrikes on militant locations in Gaza in return.

 

NEW: Our live report from Eagle Pass, TX w/ @BretBaier tonight.
Today was the busiest we’ve seen this week. Constant illegal crossings of migrants from around the world, another drowning, a huge show of force on the MX side of river, and more abandoned migrant children. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/XH8O2ucg63

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 21, 2022

➤FORMER PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS EXTRADITED TO U.S.: Former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the U.S. yesterday, just three months after he left office, to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. U.S. prosecutors allege Hernandez was involved in a, quote, "corrupt and violent drug-trafficking conspiracy" in which more than 550 tons of cocaine were brought into the U.S. They allege he received millions of dollars from drug cartels, and that he used the money to finance his political campaigns, and that he also engaged in voter fraud in the 2013 and 2017 Honduran presidential elections.

Prosecutors investigating Hunter Biden subpoenaed documents from a paternity lawsuit including personal, business + tax records for the president's son according to documents obtained @CBSNews “They wanted every record relating to Hunter Biden we had."https://t.co/LtAdRNxd6G

— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) April 21, 2022

➤HOUSE GOP LEADER MCCARTHY SAID IN AUDIO WOULD URGE TRUMP TO RESIGN: House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said to fellow GOP lawmakers in newly-revealed audio from just four days after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign. The audio was posted by the New York Times yesterday and aired on MSNBC. 

Here's the audio:

Kevin McCarthy tells Liz Cheney, privately, after Jan. 6 that he's going to call Trump and tell him to resign.

This contradicts McCarthy's denial.pic.twitter.com/INVXGaxt5O

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 22, 2022

In the recording, McCarthy is heard discussing the Democratic effort to remove Trump from office and saying he would tell Trump, "I think it will pass and it would be my recommendation he should resign." He also said in the call that he doubted Trump would do so. After the Times published a story earlier in the day describing the conversation, McCarthy said in a statement that it was, quote, "totally false and wrong," and his spokesman said, "McCarthy never said he’d call Trump to say he should resign."

The Florida House passes a bill to eliminate Disney's special district, which has allowed it to self-govern in its Orlando-area theme park for over 50 years. https://t.co/ajkzY2Z7KS

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 21, 2022

➤STUDY..FOR COOPERATIVE TEAMS, MODESTY LEAVES THE BEST IMPRESSION:  When trying to cooperate with others, you’ll want to be modest. University of Michigan researchers conducted six experiments, and found people believe someone who shows off their social status cares more about their own self-interest than helping others and are less willing to collaborate with them. The data also shows that people will change how they present themselves depending on their social goals. Study leader, Dr. Shalena Srna explains, “Posting about your luxury purchases and expensive vacations on Instagram or TikTok may help you persuade others, intimidate competitors and succeed on the dating market—at least for men—but it could also signal to potential friends or future employers that you are unlikely to think about the needs of others. This becomes a tricky balancing act for people who may want to impress others while others while also demonstrating that they can be a ‘team player.’”

➤NAVY OPENS PROBE AFTER DEATH OF SEVEN SAILORS ON AIRCRAFT CARRIER, FOUR BY SUICIDE: The U.S. Navy has opened an investigation into the command climate and culture on board the aircraft carrier USS George Washington after the deaths of seven of its sailors in the last 12 months, four of them by suicide. Three of the sailors' suicide deaths took place in just one week earlier this month. The USS George Washington has been in port in Newport News, Virginia, since 2017 undergoing a refueling and overhaul process that's carried out halfway through the life of a carrier. The process was supposed to last two years, but it has been delayed multiple times by the pandemic and other issues.

💸MORTGAGE RATES NOW HIGHEST IN 12 YEARS: Mortgage rates that had been low for a long time helped fuel the red-hot housing market, but rates are now the highest they've been in 12 years. The rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.11 percent for the week ending Thursday, the highest since it was 5.21 percent in April 2010. Just a year ago, it was 2.97 percent. Mortgages rates have been rising quickly and expected moves by the Federal Reserve as it tries to tame high inflation is expected to keep them increasing. CNBC says mortgage applications are dropping fast, with total volume down five percent last week from just a week earlier and down about half from the same time a year ago.

➤MISSISSIPPI IS THE NATION’S CHLAMYDIA AND GONORRHEA CAPITAL, OFFICIAL FIGURES REVEAL: Cases of common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) hit record highs across the US during the first year of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their annual surveillance report for 2020, and it shows cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis dropped slightly to 2.4 million in the first year of the pandemic, but officials warned this is likely due to a drop in testing. 

The data shows that Mississippi was the top state for cases of chlamydia per 100,000 people with 803.7 cases, and the state was also the top state for cases of gonorrhea with 462.8 per 100,00 people. Nevada took the top spot for syphilis cases per 100,000 people with 72 cases, while Mississippi came in second with 71.6 cases. As far as the least-infected state, Vermont took the bottom spot among all three STDs. 

Mississippi’s state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says, “High rates in Mississippi are impacted by a number of factors including social determinants of health and inadequate access to care, negative impacts on health in communities with high social vulnerability, lack of health care coverage, which may contribute to a delay in seeking care, increases in drug use, and social stigmatization of being diagnosed with an STD. Some increases may certainly have been due to the interruption in routine healthcare access over the last two years.”

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:

• Memphis Grizzlies 104, Minnesota Timberwolves 95 - Grizzlies came back from being down 26 points for the win. - Memphis leads series 2-1
• Dallas Mavericks 126, Utah Jazz 118 - Dallas leads series 2-1
• Golden State Warriors 118, Denver Nuggets 113 - Golden State leads series 3-0

🏀BUCKS' MIDDLETON TO MISS REST OF FIRST-ROUND SERIES: Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of their first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, the team announced yesterday. Middleton was injured in the fourth quarter of Milwaukee's Game 2 loss to the Bulls Wednesday, which tied the series at 1-1. Middleton will be reevaluated in two weeks.

🏀SUNS' BOOKER COULD BE OUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS: ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported Thursday that Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has a grade 1 hamstring strain, which means he could be out for two to three weeks. Booker left Game 2 of the Suns' first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday after suffering the injury. It had been reported Wednesday that Booker had a "mild" hamstring injury and would miss the next two games of the series, but this latest report suggests he'll be out for the rest of the series and possibly beyond if the Suns advance.

 

See the moment Mike Tyson beat down an airplane passenger ... footage obtained by @TMZ_Sports https://t.co/5qCbOdxP31 pic.twitter.com/Bf7zmyiux6

— TMZ (@TMZ) April 21, 2022

🥊MIKE TYSON SEEN IN VIDEO PUNCHING PASSENGER ON PLANE: Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was recorded on video punching a fellow first-class passenger on a plane at San Francisco International Airport Wednesday night. TMZ first shared the video of the incident, which it said took place on a Jet Blue plane, showing Tyson leaning over the back of his seat and repeatedly hitting the man in the head, drawing blood. A spokesperson for Tyson said, "Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat." San Francisco police responded, with both men released pending further investigation, according to a statement. San Francisco police said the video has been shared with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the airport and is investigating.

🏈NFL ASKING JUDGE TO DISMISS COACHES' DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS OR SEND TO ARBITRATION: The NFL released a letter to a judge yesterday ahead of an initial hearing in a discrimination case brought by three Black coaches who allege racist hiring practices. In the letter, the league says it will ask the judge either to dismiss the claims by Brian Flores, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton because they lack legal merit, or force the matter into arbitration. The NFL denies the claims in the lawsuit, as well as citing jurisdictional, venue and statute-of-limitations defenses. The letter was prepared jointly by lawyers for the coaches and the NFL to notify the judge of each side’s positions. Lawyers for Flores and the other coaches say in the letter that they will oppose the NFL’s plans to force arbitration or to dismiss the case.

➤13 LARRY NASSER VICTIMS SEEKING $130 MILLION FROM FBI: Thirteen of Larry Nassar's sexual assault victims are seeking $10 million each from the FBI, a total of $130 million, claiming its agents bungled the investigation, leading to more sexual abuse by the now-jailed sports doctor. The Justice Department's inspector general has found that the FBI made fundamental errors when it learned of allegations against Nassar in 2015. Nassar was a Michigan State University sports doctor and a doctor at USA Gymnastics who's now serving decades in prison for his sexual assault of female athletes, including Olympic medal-winning gymnasts.

Here's Why The Obamas Are Searching For New Podcast Platform

Bruce Springsteen, Barack Obama

The Obamas are searching for a new home for their podcasts after Spotify reportedly declined to offer the former first couple a new contract because they didn’t make enough personal appearances on the streaming service, reports The NY Post.

Barack and Michelle Obama are reportedly in talks with several companies, including Amazon’s Audible and iHeartMedia, on a deal that will likely be worth tens of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg News.

The ex-president and the former first lady, who co-own the production company Higher Ground, will reportedly decide on their podcasting platform of choice sometime within the next few weeks.

Higher Ground is said to be seeking an arrangement that would allow it to release shows on several platforms simultaneously.

One of the sticking points in negotiations with Spotify was the Swedish company’s insistence on an exclusive licensing deal.

Streaming services want the Obamas to make more frequent appearances themselves in order to generate more buzz for their company’s content, but the former first couple is reportedly willing to commit to no more than an eight-episode program.

Higher Ground was paid a reported $25 million after signing with Spotify in 2019.

But the partnership left both sides unsatisfied. Spotify wanted the couple to produce more content in which they would be the headline acts, while the Obamas preferred to remain in the background while spotlighting “new, young voices.”

April 22 Radio History

➦In 1920...Hal March was born in San Francisco (Died at age 49 from lung cancer – January 19, 1970).  In 1944, March first came to note as part of a comedy team with Bob Sweeney. The duo had their own radio show for a time and performed, in the early 1950s, as "Sweeney & March" on CBS Radio.   He also partnered with actor/comic Tom D'Andrea in the early years of television in a series entitled The Soldiers.

He also appeared on Burns and Allen, The Imogene Coca Show and I Love Lucy. He was best known as the host of CBS TV’s $64,000 Question from 1955 to 1958. As a result of the quiz show scandals, the show was canceled and March was out of a job for nearly a decade. He started hosting another show, It’s Your Bet in 1969.

NY Times Radio Listing 4/22/1946

➦In 1946...Tex McCrary and (wife) Jinx Falkenburg debuted an morning show on WEAF 660 AM. The show was called, Hi, Jinx, which evolved into The Tex & Jinx Show.

The McCrary's radio show was broadcast five mornings a week on New York radio station WEAF, and became a hit with critics and the public for tackling controversial issues like the A-Bomb, the United Nations and venereal disease along with talk about theatre openings and New York nightlife. Their guests would be a mix of popular entertainers such as Mary Martin, Ethel Waters and Esther Williams and public figures such as Bernard Baruch, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Truman, industrialist Igor Sikorsky and Indian statesman Krishna Menon.

McCrary wrote the scripts and taught Falkenburg the art of interviewing and the basics of broadcast journalism. Over time she was considered the better interviewer, eliciting candid responses, often from the show's more intellectual guests. Her technique was to ask questions until she understood the answer and so presumably, did all the housewives at home listening to her.  "They developed an audience that was ready to start thinking at breakfast," wrote New York Times columnist William Safire who as a teenager was hired by McCrary to do pre-show interviews of guests.

WEAF later became WNBC and now Sports WFAN.

➦In 1985...Comedian Soupy Sales started at WNBC 660 AM. His program was between the drive time shifts of Don Imus (morning) and Howard Stern (afternoon), with whom Sales had an acrimonious relationship.

An example of this was an incident involving Stern telling listeners that he was cutting the strings in Sales' in-studio piano at 4:05 p.m. on May 1, 1985. On December 21, 2007, Stern revealed this was a stunt staged for "theater of the mind" and to torture Sales; in truth, the piano was never harmed.  Sales' on-air crew included his producer, Ray D'Ariano, newscaster Judy DeAngelis, and pianist Paul Dver, who was also Soupy's manager.

➦In 1996...Paul 'Cubby' Bryant started at WHTZ 100.3 FM Z100 NYC.

Paul Cubby Bryant

Bryant began his radio career in his hometown of Virginia Beach, VA at WGH-FM (97 Star) in 1988, there was where he inherited his current radio name Cubby (a name given to him by WGH DJ's Tony Macrini and Jeff Moreau) for being so young (at the time 16) and in radio.

Then, Bryant joined 104.1 KRBE in Houston, TX as Night Host and Music Director from 1990-1996.

In 1996, Bryant began his tenure at WHTZ (Z100) in New York as Afternoon Drive Host and Music Director.

In mid-2006, Bryant announced he would be leaving WHTZ after a ten-year run with the station to co-host 'Wake Up With Whoopi' on WKTU. the show was in November 2007.

In January 2008, Bryant returned to WKTU, this time as the station's morning host.

Today, he is hosting mornings on iHeartMedia's WLTW 106.7 FM

➦In 2019...Jim Dunbar, a News Talk format pioneer who dominated the San Francisco morning ratings for more than three decades on KGO 810 AM, died at age 89.

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• 

  Amber Heard is 36

  Actor Jack Nicholson is 85. 
• Singer Mel Carter is 83. 
• Country singer Cleve Francis is 77. 
• Director John Waters is 76. 
• Singer Peter Frampton is 72. 
• Singer Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Mike and the Mechanics) is 71. 
• Actor Joseph Bottoms is 68. 
• Actor Ryan Stiles (“The Drew Carey Show”) is 63. 
• Comedian Byron Allen (“Real People”) is 61. 
• Actor Chris Makepeace is 58. 
• Guitarist Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise is 56. 
• Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“The Good Wife,” ″Grey’s Anatomy”) is 56. 
• Actor Sheryl Lee (“Twin Peaks”) is 55. 
• TV personality Sherri Shepherd (“The View”) is 55. 
• Country singer Heath Wright of Ricochet is 55. 
• Country singer Kellie Coffey is 51. 
• Actor Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”) is 51. 
• Bassist Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down is 48. 
• Singer-guitarist Daniel Johns of Silverchair is 43. 
• Actor Malcolm Barrett (TV’s “Timeless”) is 42. 
• Actor Cassidy Freeman (“Longmire,” “Smallville”) is 40. 
• Actor Zack Gottsagen (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”) is 37. 
• Actor Amber Heard is 36. Drummer Tripp Howell of LANCO is 33. 
• Musician Machine Gun Kelly is 32.