August 21 Radio History

➦In 1900... Announcer Ken Carpenter born (Died – October 16, 1984). He was best known for being the announcer for singer and actor Bing Crosby for 27 years.

Ken Carpenter

Carpenter moved to Hollywood in 1929, one year after resolving to move there after listening to radio legend Graham McNamee call the Rose Bowl. In 1930, he was 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. 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.

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 announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen as well.  By virtue of his extensive announcing career, he wound up with uncredited roles in well-known movies, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Susan Slept Here. He was also the narrator for producer Jerry Fairbanks' theatrical short-subject series Unusual Occupations, released by Paramount Pictures from 1938 through 1948.

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.

He died following a brief illness Oct. 16 1984 at age 84.

➦In 1923...Sportscaster Chris Schenkel born (Died at age 82 – September 11, 2005).  Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.

Chris Schenkel 1964

He began his broadcasting career at radio station WBAA while studying for a premedical degree at Purdue University where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He worked in radio for a time at WLBC in Muncie, IN and then moved to television, in Providence, RI, and in 1947 began announcing Harvard football games. For six years he did local radio and called the Thoroughbred horse races at Narragansett Park.

In 1952, Schenkel was hired by the DuMont Television Network, for which he broadcast New York Giants football and hosted DuMont's Boxing From Eastern Parkway (1953-1954) and Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena (1954-56), replacing Dennis James as the network's primary boxing announcer.

Schenkel was at the microphone for DuMont's last broadcast and its only color telecast, a high school football championship game held on Thanksgiving in 1957.

He then moved to CBS Sports, where he continued to call Giants games, along with boxing, Triple Crown horse racing and The Masters golf tournament, among other events. Along with Chuck Thompson, Schenkel called the 1958 NFL Championship Game for NBC. He was the voiceover talent for the first NFL Films production ever made, the 1962 NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants.

ABC Sports hired Schenkel in 1965, and there he broadcast college football, Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, golf and tennis tournaments, boxing, auto racing, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He became widely known for covering professional bowling, mainly for the Professional Bowlers Association (with the program becoming known as the Professional Bowlers Tour). He covered bowling from the early 1960s until 1997

➦In 1924...Sportscaster Jack Buck was born (Died from lung cancer at age 77 – June 18, 2002).  He was best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

Jack Buck

After completion of his military service in 1946, Buck enrolled at (and graduated from) Ohio State University. His early sportscasting career included work for the minor league affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1954, he was promoted to radio play-by-play of Cardinal games on KMOX, a position that he maintained for nearly all of the next 47 years. He was known in St. Louis for his trademark phrase "That's a winner!", which was said after every game that the Cardinals had won.

In addition to his work with the Cardinals, Buck also earned assignments on many national sportscasts, including radio coverage of 18 Super Bowls and 11 World Series. Some of his famous play-by-play calls include the dramatic walk-off home runs hit by Ozzie Smith in Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series, by Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and by Kirby Puckett in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.

The later part of his career found him working side-by-side in the Cardinals booth with his son Joe Buck, who also has risen to national sportscasting prominence.

In addition to Joe, Buck has three daughters who worked in broadcasting. Two are from his first marriage - Bonnie Buck, who currently works in television in Los Angeles, and Christine Buck, who started her career at KPLR-TV in St. Louis. From his second marriage is Julie Buck most recently on KTRS 550 AM 550, St. Louis. In addition, Buck's late younger brother, Bob Buck was a sportscaster and sports director at KMOX/KMOV-TV in St. Louis.

➦In 1938...American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur Kenny Rogers was born. He died March 20, 2020.

➦In 1958...Non-Com KUT-FM in Austin Texas signed-on

➦In 2003...Longtime voice of the Boston Red Sox Ken Coleman died of bacterial meningitis at age 78 (Born - April 22, 1925).

Coleman broke into broadcasting in Rutland, Vermont in 1947, working for station WSYB. He called the play-by-play of the minor league Rutland Royals baseball team. He also was a newscaster and a deejay on the station. He then was hired at hometown team WJDA in Quincy MA, where he worked as a sports reporter until 1951; he then worked for a year at WNEB in Worcester.

Ken Coleman

During this time, he was broadcasting Boston University football. He received critical praise for his college football play-by-play, which led to his big break: in 1952, he got the opportunity to broadcast for the NFL Cleveland Browns (1952–1965), calling play-by-play of every touchdown that Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown ever scored. He also began his MLB broadcasting career in Cleveland, calling Cleveland Indians games on television for ten seasons (1954–1963). In his first year with the Indians, Coleman called their record-setting 111-win season and their World Series loss to the New York Giants.

In 1966, Coleman was chosen to become a play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox, replacing Curt Gowdy, who resigned after fifteen years of calling Red Sox games, to become a play-by-play announcer for NBC. Coleman joined a broadcast team that also included Ned Martin and Mel Parnell. Coleman broadcast the 1967 World Series (which the Red Sox lost to the St. Louis Cardinals) for NBC television and radio. From 1975 to 1978 Coleman worked with the Cincinnati Reds' television crew.

Coleman returned to Boston in 1979. He broadcast the Red Sox' 1986 World Series loss to the New York Mets and two Red Sox ALCS (1986 and 1988). Coleman remained in the Red Sox radio booth until his retirement in 1989.

He was the father of the late Cleveland sports and newscaster Casey Coleman, who died in 2006 from pancreatic cancer.

Jackie deShannon is 81

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Guitarist James Burton (with Elvis Presley) is 83. 
• Singer Jackie DeShannon is 81. 
• Actor Patty McCormack (“The Ropers”) is 77. 
• Singer Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams is 75. 
• Actor Loretta Devine (“Boston Public”) is 73. 
• Newsman Harry Smith is 71. 
• Singer Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) is 70. 
• Guitarist Nick Kane (The Mavericks) is 68. 
• Actor Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”) is 66. 

• 

  Kacey Musgraves is 34

  Actor Cleo King (“Mike and Molly”) is 60. 
• Singer Serj Tankian of System of a Down is 55. 
• Actor Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix,” ″Chocolat”) is 52. 
• Musician Liam Howlett of Prodigy is 51. 
• Actor Alicia Witt (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” ″Cybill”) is 47. 
• Singer Kelis is 43. 
• Actor Diego Klattenhoff (“The Blacklist”) is 43. 
• TV personality Brody Jenner (“The Hills”) is 39. 
• Singer Melissa Schuman of Dream is 38. 
• Comedian Brooks Wheelan (“Saturday Night Live”) is 36. 
• Actor Cody Kasch (“Desperate Housewives”) is 35. 
• Musician Kacey Musgraves is 34. 
• Actor Hayden Panettiere (“Nashville,” ″Heroes”) is 33. 
• Actor RJ Mitte (“Breaking Bad”) is 30. 
• Actor Maxim Knight (“Falling Skies”) is 23.

BIRTH ANNIVERSARIES

• Hall of Fame basketball player Wilt Chamberlain was born on this day in 1936. He died Oct. 12, 1999 at 63.
• Country singer Kenny Rogers was born on this day in 1938. He died March 20, 2020 at 81.

✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

• Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky died on this day in 1940, one day after being stabbed with an ice pick in Mexico City by an assassin sent by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. He was 60.

Indy Radio: FCC Green Lights Emmis, Urban One Deal

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a $25 million radio transaction that sends four Indianapolis stations owned by Emmis Corp. to Urban One, reports Inside Indiana Business.

The Maryland-based company adds WIBC-FM 93.1, WYXB-FM 105.7, WLHK-FM 97.1 and WFNI-FM, which simulcasts at 93.5 and 107.5, to its local roster, finalizing a deal announced in June.

In an interview earlier this month, Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins told IBJ his company is working to expand its audience and advertising customers beyond the company’s stated mission to serve Black and urban listeners.

“We have started to look at non-urban radio formats to get larger scale in our markets where traditionally we’ve been an urban-focused broadcaster,” Liggins said.

WIBC is a long-running news and talk format, while WYXB specializes in adult contemporary music. WLHK plays country songs, and WFNI is home to Colts games, Pacers games and sports talk.

“The Emmis stations in Indianapolis are best-in-class and offer valuable demographics with large audiences,” Liggins said.

Urban One, which operates its radio business under the brand Radio One, purchased R&B station WTLC-FM 106.7, hip-hop station WHHH and gospel station WTLC-AM in 2001.

The on-air content of WHHH made a move on the FM dial this week from 96.3 to 100.9. Urban One sold its 96.3 FM license to the Bible Broadcasting Network for $3.2 million—another transaction approved by the FCC Thursday—to be ready to adhere to the FCC’s multiple ownership rule.

In Indianapolis, no company is allowed to own more than five FM stations or five AM stations.

Urban One’s new FM lineup is made up of WIBC-FM 93.1, WLHK-FM 97.1, WHHH-FM 100.9, WYXB-FM 105.7 and WTLC-FM 106.7. WFNI-FM 93.5 and 107.5 are broadcast via translators W228CX and W298BB, and translator stations are not counted as FM stations for the purpose of the FCC’s multiple ownership rule.

The Top 40 “Radio Now” format previously heard at 100.9 was retired.

The Bible Broadcasting Network plans to use the call letters WYHK at 96.3.

Emmis, which changed its name from Emmis Communications Corp. to Emmis Corp. between the announcement of the sale and Thursday’s FCC approval, now owns two radio stations: an AM contemporary gospel station and an FM affiliate of ESPN, both in New York City.

Founded in Indianapolis in 1980, Emmis once owned 20 U.S. radio stations.

Report: CNN Don Lemon Survives, But On Short Leash

Don Lemon has survived the broom sweeping through CNN — but the Don Lemon Tonight weekday prime-time anchor has been placed on notice, Radar On Line is reporting.

As the Chris Licht era of the ratings starved network begins to take shape, after the firing of Brian Stelter and Jeffrey Toobin, many had expected the changes to ensnare Lemon.

But Lemon has received the backing of the cable giant’s chairman and chief executive officer, according to Radar.

“Don has been told he’s safe,” according to a source.  “But, like many, he has been left under no illusions that he cannot use the airwaves of CNN to spout opinion and be a bugle of the liberal set. Don was reminded CNN is a bipartisan news network like no other.

“The message was delivered loud and clear: if he wants to do liberal opinion, he should try and get a job at MSNBC.”

Last week, Lemon flip-flopped on the Licht regime at CNN when he was asked on Comedy Central's Hell Of A Week by host Charlamagne Tha God whether he’d been told to dial it down.

So, let me just say I don't think that's exactly what Chris is saying,” Lemon said.

“I think that's a narrative that's been placed in the media. I think what Chris wants to do is to be able to have Republicans and Democrats and whatever your political stance is on CNN so that you can be accountable and that you can answer for it.”

The interview was said to have “irked” Licht who used it to quietly caution Lemon that he “didn’t want his on-air talent discussing internal matters outside of CNN headquarters,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports CNN’s chairman and CEO Chris Licht told anxious staffers Friday that more changes are coming to CNN, as he addressed the news of Brian Stelter’s exit following the cancellation of his Sunday show Reliable Sources.

According to sources who were present, Licht told CNN employees at Friday’s well-attended editorial meeting, “There will be moves you may not agree with or understand.” Some took that to mean they may not like some of the changes.

He added, “I want to acknowledge to everyone that this is a time of change. I know that it is unsettling.”

Licht also expressed some irritation over some media reports about CNN’s plans, characterizing them as incorrect assumptions. The exec stressed to staff that those fluid plans are only known by a few in CNN management’s inner circle.

Milwaukee Radio: Here's What Caused Demise of 'The Fan'

The cancellation of a Milwaukee sports-talk radio show hosted by LeRoy Butler and Gary Ellerson — as well as the other local programs on WSSP 1250 AM The Fan” — resulted from the financial challenges facing the station’s parent company and the heavy competition among Milwaukee stations for sports-talk listeners and advertisers.

To be determined is whether former Green Bay Packers Butler, Ellerson and the other WSSP on-air personalities will land jobs at other Milwaukee sports-talk stations. Butler, Ellerson and former WSSP staffers didn’t respond to requests for comment from the Milwaukee Business Journal.

One thing that’s certain is loyal listeners and some members of Milwaukee’s sports-business industry will miss the station that ran sports programming for over a dozen years.

One factor in WSSP’s downfall was that since the station launched its sports-talk format, the Milwaukee market has become crowded with stations carrying similar programming.

Lately, audience ratings for the station ranked third behind two full-power FM stations that switched to sports programming in late 2019. Both WKTI 94.5 FM and WRNW 97.3 FM attract larger numbers in key demographic groups — men ages 25 to 54 and men ages 35 to 64, according to a source in the Milwaukee radio industry.

WRNW is owned by radio industry giant iHeartMedia as is WOKY, which carries the Bill Michaels show. WKTI is owned by Milwaukee-based Good Karma Brands and is an ESPN radio affiliate.

WSSP ran a simulcast of its programming on a translator at 105.7 FM for about six years, but Audacy switched the FM outlet to music in October 2020. While losing 105.7 FM likely cost “The Fan” some listeners, the FM signal generated just 240 watts of power, which means it reached a much smaller geographic area than typical commercial FM radio signals of between 6,000 watts and 50,000 watts.

After losing its FM simulcast, WSSP plowed ahead as an AM-only station and kept its program hosts, which also included Bart Winkler and Tim Allen. In Milwaukee, Audacy also owns WMYX-FM (99.1 “The Mix”), WXSS-FM (103.7 “Kiss FM”) and “Hot 105.7 FM.”

Audacy, which previously was known as Entercom Communications Corp., posted a net loss of $11.8 million the first half of this year. While the company’s revenue from its sports stations overall increased the first six months of 2022, interest expenses wiped out the possibility of posting net profits.

Audacy’s stock price has been floundering the past 18 months, and it was trading at 66 cents per share Thursday. The company faces delisting by the New York Stock Exchange because the closing price was less than the required minimum $1 per share for over 30 consecutive days.

After Audacy's revenue growth slowed in the second quarter with future expectations murky due to macroeconomic challenges, CEO David Field warned that the nation’s second-largest radio station owner would institute expense cuts, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal, a sister publication of the Milwaukee Business Journal. Layoffs ensued this week at the Philadelphia-based company, which also eliminated local on-air talent at a sports-talk station in Las Vegas.

Sports Could Be Endangered on Linear and Cable TV

The cost of sports rights continue to soar in the double and even triple digits, making it unlikely that linear broadcast and cable networks focused on sports will be able to survive in this new streaming world, according to analyst David Baine writing for Forbes.

In a bidding war with Amazon.com, Paramountwas able to sign a new six-year deal with the Union of European Football Associations (it already held the rights for two more years and will now have them through the 2029-2030 season), for a whopping $1.5 billion (2.5x what they sold for last time).

It’s likely that many of the English language games will appear on Paramount+, with some showing on their linear channels along with an advertisement pitching the value of Paramount+. This is critically important for new streaming company launches as they battle it out with Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix and many others. The Spanish-language rights have not yet been sold.

It is difficult for most cable and broadcast networks to bid against streamers for expensive sports packages, as they are posting flat to down advertising revenue while distribution fees are also suffering for cable networks as more people move from traditional cable and satellite services to streaming, a trend called cord cutting.

The most notable exception to this would be ESPN, which is expected to move more and more of its games to its ESPN+ service over time, while increasing the price. But even ESPN has its limits on what it will pay for rights fees. They reportedly rejected an offer of a seven year contract for a package of Big Ten games that were less desirable than the games they currently hold and were priced at $380 million.

The Big Ten eventually sold its media rights to CBS, Fox and NBC for roughly $7 billion over seven years starting July 1, 2023. Broadcast networks will split the games, with Fox getting the most championships in 2023, 2025 and 2027, CBS airing them in 2024 and 2028 and NBC in 2026.

Going forward, companies like NBC Universal may opt to bid on big sports rights deals as it can amortize the cost of its cable and broadcast networks, and now Peacock. However, over time we are likely to see more games popping up on Amazon Prime Video, which has a cash war chest which is just unrivaled by many of the traditional linear network owners.

USAToday, Partners With TWC For Bundle Sub

USA Today has teamed with The Weather Channel and Tripadvisor to offer premium subscription bundles, according to MediaPost.

Consumers can pair The Weather Channel Premium Pro digital subscription with Tripadvisor Plus or with USA Today’s Digital All-Access plan.

The bundles allow users to access weather and news or discounted pricing at hotels worldwide and manage their subscriptions in one place.   

“Consumers are looking for convenience and ease of use when it comes to managing their subscriptions,” states Sheri Bachstein, CEO of IBM-owned The Weather Company. “By joining forces with Tripadvisor and USA Today, subscribers can now manage both subscriptions on weather.com.”

The Weather Channel Premium Pro offers ad-free access to information such as 72-hour future radar and eight days of hourly forecasts.

The Tripadvisor Plus subscription provides members-only prices for 100,000 hotels worldwide and perks from Tripadvisor travel partners.

USA Today’s Digital All-Access plan delivers access to subscriber-only content, newsletters, the eNewspaper and conversations with the newsroom. 

The Tripadvisor Plus and The Weather Channel Premium subscription package costs $89.99 per year and renews annually.

The USA Today Digital All-Access plan and The Weather Channel Premium subscription package is priced at $79.99 per year and also renews annually.

CNN Roasted For Monthly Pay Raise Assertion

Twitter went wild over a CNN Business article on Friday spinning recently-lowered gas prices in the country as a "$100-a-month raise," reports Fox News Digital.

The piece, written by CNN Business senior writer Chris Isidore, argued that since gas prices have dropped from their record average highs, people should view it from the perspective that it’s an "unexpected form of economic stimulus."

Next time you stop at a gas station, think of it as a $100-a-month tax cut. Or a maybe $100-a-month raise. https://t.co/7FOuCRfrJt

— CNN (@CNN) August 19, 2022

"Next time you stop at a gas station, think of it as a $100-a-month tax cut. Or a maybe $100-a-month raise," he told readers.

Chris Isidore

Explaining the cause for joy, he wrote, "Since hitting a record of $5.02 a gallon on June 14, the national average price for regular gas is down $1.10, or 22%, to $3.92, according to AAA. That average has now fallen for 67 consecutive days."

Isidore then couched that data in terms of household savings. "Since the typical U.S. household uses about 90 gallons of gas a month, the $1.10 drop in prices equals a savings of $98.82."

However, Twitter users who lived with gas prices much lower before President Biden took office found this to be insulting propaganda. 

Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., neutralized the spin in the simplest of terms, tweeting, "Gas was $2.39 a gallon when @POTUS took office. It is $3.92 now. Next on @CNN arsonist gets medal for helping fight fire he started."

Report: Author Sam Harris..Hunter Biden Cover-Up Was 'Warranted'

Best-selling author Sam Harris has sparked outrage by claiming the “left-wing conspiracy” to bury The Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop was “warranted” to keep former President Donald Trump out of power — and Harris wouldn’t even care if the cracked-out first son had “the corpses of children in his basement,” reports The NY Post.

Hunter Biden

In a now-viral interview on the “TRIGGERnometry” podcast, Harris, 55, happily dismissed those who said it was “completely unfair” to have shut down The Post’s Twitter account to silence its explosive reporting.

The influential philosopher noted how critics called it “a left-wing conspiracy to deny the presidency to Donald Trump.”

“Absolutely it was. Absolutely. But I think it was warranted,” the “Waking Up” author claimed.

“At that point, Hunter Biden literally could have had the corpses of children in his basement. I would not have cared,” Harris insisted.

The author further made it clear he supported quashing shocking info from the first son’s laptop even if it showed the “scope of [President] Joe Biden’s corruption,” noting stories accusing the commander-in-chief of “getting kickbacks from Hunter Biden’s deals in Ukraine” or “China.”

Harris was interrupted by one of his two interviewers, Konstantin Kisin, who said he “really struggled” with his guest’s troubling admission.

“I’m interested in democracy,” Kisin told Harris. “You’re saying you are content with a left-wing conspiracy to prevent somebody being democratically re-elected as president.”

Harris — whose own Webby Award-winning podcast is called “Making Sense” — then stumbled over his words before insisting that “it doesn’t matter what part’s conspiracy, what part’s out in the open.” He then pivoted to an outlandish analogy that compared keeping Trump from winning a second term to working to “deflect” an “asteroid hurtling toward Earth.”

“Is that a conspiracy?” he asked, to baffled looks from Kisin and his co-host, Francis Foster.

“Politically speaking, I consider Trump an existential threat to our democracy right now,” insisted Harris, the author of five New York Times best sellers.

R Kelly Jury Watches Graphic Video Clips

Jurors in R. Kelly’s federal trial watched graphic clips Friday of three separate videos allegedly showing the R&B superstar sexually assaulting his young goddaughter in the late 1990s, reports The Chicago Tribune

While the visuals were obscured from view, courthouse observers could hear much of the audio. A woman testifying under the pseudonym “Jane” identified herself in court Thursday as the girl in the tapes and Kelly as the man, testifying that she was 14 years old when they were filmed.

On the clips, Jane was heard speaking in a high and very young-sounding voice. On one clip, she referred to her “14-year-old” genitals repeatedly. On another she repeated the phrase, as did the man alleged to be Kelly.

“Get on your knees,” Jane was told in another clip. “Daddy, do you still love me?” she responded.

“Of course I do,” was the answer.

Jane could be heard getting directions at several points on what she should do.

Kelly’s defense so far has not directly contested that it is Kelly on the video clips, only saying that their authenticity could not be verified and that Kelly was previously acquitted for conduct related to them. 

Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber to clear the courtroom of media and spectators while the tapes were played since they contained alleged child pornography.

But Leinenweber declined, saying that forcing everyone to leave a public trial was too extreme and that having people hear the audio wasn’t “problematic.” Instead, he had courtroom personnel bring in large, black screens so spectators could not see the jurors or their monitors as they watched. Due to COVID-19 spacing protocols, the jury is seated in the courtroom gallery rather than in the jury box.

Spectators and reporters in the courtroom, meanwhile, were asked to sit in specific areas so they could not see the videos as they played on monitors at the defense and prosecution tables.

The videos are at the heart of the case against Kelly and his two co-defendants, who are accused of conspiring to pay off victims and witnesses and cover up years of alleged sexual abuse of minors by Kelly.

Kelly, 55, is charged with 13 counts of production of child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Some of the counts carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars if convicted, while others have ranges of five to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors are also seeking a personal money forfeiture of $1.5 million from Kelly.

MD Radio: WGOP 540 AM Destroyed By Fire

The fire at WGOP. Photo Credit: Facebook/Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company

A longtime radio staple in Maryland has burned to the ground in an accidental fire, according to multiple reports.

The Daily Voice reports first responders from multiple agencies in Maryland responded to the home of WGOP 540 AM (500 watts) in Pocomoke City on Thursday, Aug. 18, officials said, which was the former home of WDMV.

Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke and fire coming from the attic of the building, and it took approximately 50 firefighters from Maryland and Virginia more than an hour to knock down the flames and get the blaze under control, though crews remained in the area for several hours to continue overhauling the scene and watching for any hotspots or flare-ups. 

The initial investigation determined that the cause of the fire was accidental when an electrical wire failed in the attic of the building, which has stood since the mid-1950s and was considered a complete loss by the fire marshal.

"Crews overcame numerous challenges to get to the seat of the fire and begin making progress," according to a spokesperson from the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company. "Multiple lines were placed in service and all hands were put to work upon their arrival." 

WGOP is owned by the Birch Broadcasting Corporation, which has not released a statement or any additional information about the fire.

August 20 Radio History

Alan Reed

➦In 1907...Actor and voice artist Alan Reed born Herbert Theodore Bergman (Died  from a heart attack at age 69 – June 14, 1977).  He was best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ABC-TV cartoon series The Flintstones and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, including Days of Glory, The Tarnished Angels, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Viva Zapata! (as Pancho Villa), and Nob Hill, and various television series.

As early as 1930, Reed (billed as Teddy Bergman) co-starred with Herbert Polesie in Henry and George, a CBS program that featured "minute dramas, popular laugh makers ... interspersed with dance music selections."

Reed's radio work included having two roles in Valiant Lady, the role of Solomon Levy on Abie's Irish Rose, as the "Allen's Alley" resident poet Falstaff Openshaw on Fred Allen's NBC radio show, and later on his own five-minute show, Falstaff's Fables, on ABC, as Officer Clancey and other occasional roles on the NBC radio show Duffy's Tavern, as Shrevey the driver on several years of The Shadow, as Chester Riley's boss on the NBC radio show The Life of Riley, as Italian immigrant Pasquale in Life with Luigi on CBS radio, various supporting roles on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, and as Lt. Walter Levinson in several episodes of Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

Reed was "heard regularly on the Crime Doctor series," and "was the original Daddy to Fanny Brice on Baby Snooks." Billed as Teddy Bergman, he had the title role on Joe Palooka.

Billed as Teddy Bergman, Reed appeared on Broadway in Double Dummy (1936), and A House in the Country (1937),  and Love's Old Sweet Song (1940).

➦In 1908...veteran golden-voiced announcer André Baruch born in France (Died at age 83  – September 15, 1991).  He was a film narrator, radio announcer, news commentator, talk show host, disc jockey and sportscaster.

Andre Baruch

Baruch began his career as a pianist for NBC Radio. He got into the wrong line of applicants; he had entered the announcers' line and was hired on the spot.

After World War II, Baruch and his wife worked as a husband-and-wife disc jockey team in New York on WMCA, where they were billed as Mr. and Mrs. Music. Their show was later presented on the ABC and NBC networks.

Baruch was an announcer for such programs as The American Album of Familiar Music, The Fred Waring Show, The Kate Smith Show, The Shadow, Your Hit Parade and The United States Steel Hour.

Fulfilling a 20-year dream, in 1954 he was named to the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcast team, for whom he worked for two years on WMGM radio and WOR-TV.

In 1973, Baruch and Wain moved to Palm Beach, Florida where they did a top-rated daily four-hour talk show on WPBR 1340 AM. Baruch was the host of the show and ran the control board.

After nine years, Baruch and Wain relocated to Beverly Hills, California. During the early 1980s, the pair hosted a syndicated version of Your Hit Parade, reconstructing the list of hits of selected weeks in the 1940s and playing the original recordings.

1920 Front-Page Ad for 8MK Radio

➦In 1920...WWJ owned by The Detroit News inaugurated daily broadcasts from a studio established in the newspaper's headquarters building, located at the corner of Lafayette and 2nd Avenues. These initial broadcasts, by what was then called the "Detroit News Radiophone", were sent under an amateur station license operating with the call sign "8MK"

The person most responsible for establishing the Detroit News Radiophone service was the newspaper's vice-president and managing director, William E. Scripps. The Scripps family had a long history of interest in radio developments.

8MK began nightly trial broadcasts, in order to check if the equipment was ready for regular service. However, because the station was still un-publicized the original audience consisted only of a small number of interested local amateur radio enthusiasts. The test programs proved satisfactory, so on August 31, 1920 the Detroit News announced on its front page that, starting that evening, nightly (except Sunday) broadcasts would be transmitted by the "Detroit News Radiophone" service. That evening's debut program featured regularly updated returns for a primary election held that day, plus vocal performances by Lois Johnson. Malcolm Bingay, managing director of the Detroit News, was the broadcast's master of ceremonies.

The front page of the next day's News contained enthusiastic reports attesting to the success of the election night broadcast, which had begun "promptly at 8:10 p. m.", with the newspaper declaring: "The sending of the election returns by The Detroit News Radiophone Tuesday night was fraught with romance and must go down in the history of man's conquest of the elements as a gigantic step in his progress." The paper also reported receiving "numberless telephone calls to The News office asking for details of the apparatus".

Daily broadcasts, most commonly between 7 and 8 p.m., continued through September. Although the initial programs consisted mostly of phonograph records interspersed with news announcements, programming also included fight results from the heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey and Billy Miske on September 6, and, in October, play-by-play accounts as the Cleveland Indians bested the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1920 World Series baseball championship. In March 1922, the call-letters were changed to WWJ, which they have remained ever since. Today the station is owned by Entercom Communications and airs news/talk.

➦In 1960...19-year-old Marv Alpert, a journalism major at Syracuse University and future sportscaster was working at WMGM 1050 AM radio in New York during the summer in the record library and news department.

➦In 1963...It was announced that all-night talk show host Long John Nebel - heard on WOR 710 AM in New York would also be heard on WNAC 680 AM in Boston, also owned by RKO-General.

➦In 1963...NYC Deejay Stan Z. Burns at 1010WINS, New York had the magic touch. After playing “That Sunday, That Summer” off of Nat King Cole’s latest album with tremendous response, Capitol Records announced it will release it as a single.

➦In 1963...Many in the industry were stunned by the promotion of Rick Sklar, director of community services at 77 WABC Radio in New York, to Program Director, replacing Sam Holman. The announcement was made by newly-appointed vice-president and general manager Walter Schwartz. “Sam Holman, who has done so much to bring WABC to its present enviable position in the market, will continue to be a front-line piece of talent for us" (Holman was also a DJ).

Rick Sklar

Under his management, WABC became the model for tight-playlist, teenager-targeted Top 40 programming, with a strong signal and famed disc jockeys such as "Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow, Dan Ingram, Harry Harrison, Chuck Leonard, and Ron Lundy.

His relationship with some of the DJs he oversaw was contentious at times. Scott Muni departed from WABC after a number of confrontations with Sklar over playlists including Sklar's refusal to remove Louis Armstrong's version of the #1 smash hit "Hello, Dolly" from the playlist at Muni's request. Under Sklar, the station's ratings soared and was often the most listened to radio station in North America through the mid-60s into the late 70s.

In March 1977, Sklar was promoted to vice president of programming for ABC’s radio division. In 1984 he left ABC to start his own consulting firm, Sklar Communications.

➦In 1963...CBS radio network launched its Net Alert systems.  Units were installed in more than 200 affiliate stations of the CBS radio network. Net Alert allowed the network newsrooms in New York or Los Angles to notify affiliates of important breaking news stories.

➦In 1967...With FM radio making some ratings noise in New York, it was announced that a new kind of transmitting antenna was available to improve FM reception. WABC 95.5 FM & WCBS 101.1 FM in New York, began transmitting in September with a circularly polarized antenna from the Empire State Building.

FM transmissions are either horizontal or vertical or both, which means your radio antenna must be positioned the same way. Circularly polarized transmitting antennas means you will be able to set your FM antenna anyway a listener wanted.

➦In 1967...the New York Times reported about a noise reduction system for album and tape recording developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. The Elektra Records’ subsidiary, Checkmate Records became the first label to use the new Dolby process in its productions.

➦In 1997...Talk show host Bob Grant sued his former radio station – Talkradio 77WABC New York which he says, tried to blacklist him after he made controversial remarks about deceased commerce secretary Ron Brown.

➦In 2009...Larry Knechtel died from a heart attack at age 69 (Born - August 4, 1940). He was a  keyboard player and bassist, best known as a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, the Monkees, the Partridge Family, the Doors, The Grass Roots, Jerry Garcia, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s band Bread.

As a  studio musician, he played  on such classic recordings as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Mother And Child Reunion, Swayin' To The Music, Rockin' Pneumonia-Boogie Woogie Flu, Mac Arthur Park, Stoned Soul Picnic, Good Vibrations, Up Up And Away, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Monday Monday, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Christmas-Baby Please Come Home, Eve Of Destruction, Summer Breeze and many others .

Martin & Lewis 1949

➦In 2017...Comedian Jerry Lewis died of heart-related issues at age 91. At first,  he was partnered with Dean Martin, with whom he starred in NBC radio (1949-1953) & early TV series.  Nicknamed the “King of Comedy” he is best known by recent generations for annually hosting a Labor Day telethon raising funds to fight Muscular Dystrophy.

Jimmy Pankow is 75

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• News anchor Connie Chung is 76. 
• Trombone player Jimmy Pankow of Chicago is 75. 
• Actor Ray Wise (“Reaper,” ″Twin Peaks”) is 75. 
• Actor John Noble (“Lord of the Rings” films) is 74. 
• Singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) is 74. 
• Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 70. 
• Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 70. 
• Actor-director Peter Horton (“thirtysomething”) is 69. 
• “Today” show weatherman Al Roker is 68. 
• Actor Joan Allen is 66. 
• Actor James Marsters (“Angel,” ″Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 60. 

• 

  Megan Ory is 40

  Rapper KRS-One is 57. 
• Actor Colin Cunningham (“Falling Skies”) is 56. 
• Actor Billy Gardell (“Mike and Molly”) is 53. 
• Singer Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is 52. 
• Actor Jonathan Ke Quan (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) is 52. 
• Guitarist Brad Avery of Third Day is 51. 
• Actor Misha Collins (“Supernatural”) is 48. 
• Singer Monique Powell of Save Ferris is 47. 
• Actor Ben Barnes (“Westworld,” ″Prince Caspian”) is 41. 
• Actor Meghan Ory (“One Upon A Time”) is 40. 
• Actor Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) is 39. 
• Actor Brant Daugherty (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 37. 
• Singer-actor Demi Lovato is 30. 
• Actor Christopher Paul Richards (TV’s “The Kids Are Alright”) is 19.

✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES 

• Comedian Phyllis Diller died on this day in 2012. She was 95.
• Comedian and actor Jerry Lewis died on this day in 2017. He was 91.

Pittsburgh Radio: New KDKA Radio Lineup

Pittsburgh’s news, weather and traffic station, the legendary KDKA at 100.1 FM and AM 1020, will have a new lineup on August 29th!

According to a posting on the station's website, two of the biggest names in Pittsburgh radio will be teaming up in the morning; market veteran Larry Richert will welcome his new morning show partner, and longtime personality Marty Griffin, to the morning show.

The Big K Morning Show will air weekdays from 5:30am to 10am. Of course, the morning show will still be Pittsburgh’s #1 source for news, weather and traffic, but the newly-aligned morning show will feature the biggest stories, the best guests, compelling conversation and plenty of opinions. Marty will add his personality to your morning routine with Larry.

Marty Griffin moves to AM

With Marty set to team with Larry, Paul Zeise, another well-known personality to Pittsburghers, will move into the 10am to 2pm time slot on the 29th.

Paul is a great storyteller and his ability to deliver compelling content with strong opinions and views, brings a new, refreshing perspective to KDKA during the day every day.

Unscripted and unfiltered, you never know what you will hear when Paul’s on the air weekdays from 10am to 2pm.

A familiar and trusted voice, Rick Dayton, will continue to anchor afternoon drive starting at 2pm every day now. “Pittsburgh Today,” will drive you home discussing the biggest stories of the day combined with conversations with the biggest newsmakers of the day, every day from 2pm to 6pm.

“All of these moves,” says Sr. Vice President and Market Manager, Michael Spacciapolli, “have been made to keep 100.1 FM and AM 1020, KDKA, the market leader in news, talk, information and entertainment.”

“We’ve been your trusted source for over 102 years, and our commitment to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania is evident in our new lineup.”

Detroit Radio: Roberta Jasina Riffed At WWJ After 34-Years

Roberta Jasina

Veteran WWJ 950 AM morning news anchor Roberta Jasina announced Thursday on social media that she had been let go two days earlier from the radio station that was her home for 34 years, reports The Detroit Free Press. 

Fittingly, Jasina posted an audio message Thursday on Facebook to explain why she is no longer working in the 5-10 a.m. time slot at the all-news radio station owned by Audacy.

Jasina, who's 68, made it clear she didn't retire and candidly shared her sadness at losing her job.

In the recorded comments, she noted that her boss, Debbie Kenyon, senior vice president and market manager of Audacy Detroit, couldn't have been nicer.

"She used phrases like 'budget cuts,' 'this isn't personal,' 'I think you're great,'" said Jasina.

 "But I have to say, my heart was broken. I loved WWJ. I had the best job in the world."

After thanking her listeners, Jasina also revealed some difficult personal news. She said that the day after she found out the station was letting her go, her husband, Alan, was diagnosed with cancer.

"If you could, please say a prayer for my family," she concluded.

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Jasina said she has been heartened by all of the kind thoughts and wishes she is receiving from friends and listeners.

According to Jasina, her future career plans aren't her current priority. "Basically right now, I just want to concentrate on my husband and getting him well.  The two will mark their 41-year anniversary Oct. 3.

Jasina first worked for WWJ as an intern in 1975. Before joining the station as a full-time employee, she spent 10 years with the old WMJC-FM (94.7), now known as WCSX.

She was a street reporter for WWJ for three years before being promoted to morning anchor. As the Detroit News described in 2020, she became "the reassuring voice of Detroit's morning rush hour."

In a statement to the Free Press, WWJ's Kenyon said: “Roberta had a storied career with WWJ and was a key piece of the station’s success for 34 years. We appreciate her years of dedication informing and entertaining our community and wish her and her family nothing but the best in her future endeavors."

On Jasina's Facebook page, comments have poured in as a result of her departure. More than 140 responses had accumulated by Thursday afternoon.

Wake-Up Call: Judge May Release Affidavit in Trump Search

A federal judge is willing to unseal parts of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant executed at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, ordering the Justice Department yesterday to submit within a week proposed redactions to the affidavit for information it wants to keep secret. Yesterday's hearing in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart was held after news organizations sought to unseal the affidavit, as well as other records related to the search. Justice Department prosecutor Jay Bratt argued in court that even a redacted version could reveal investigate steps in the probe into whether Trump retained and mishandled classified and sensitive government records, which he said is in its "early stages," or lead to witnesses being identified. Reinhart yesterday also agreed to unseal other documents, including the warrant’s cover sheet and the DOJ’s motion to seal the documents, which showed the FBI was investigating the, quote, "willful retention of national defense information," the concealment or removal of government records, and obstruction of a federal investigation.

Trump lawyer encouraged by liberal and conservative interest to unseal affidavit https://t.co/1FarKKoIlj

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2022

➤EX-TRUMP ORG. CFO PLEADS GUILTY TO EVADING TAXES, AGREES TO TESTIFY: Former longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg pled guilty yesterday to evading taxes on a free Manhattan apartment and other perks, including school tuition for grandchildren and lease payments for a luxury car, worth a total of over $1.7 million. As part of the deal in which he pled guilty to all 15 charges he faced, Weisselberg, who remains a senior adviser to the Trump Organization, agreed to testify against former President Donald Trump's real estate company at trial. The 75-year-old was sentenced to five months in prison, and will have to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest. The trial against the Trump Organization begins in October, with the company accused of helping Weisselberg and other executives avoid income taxes by failing to report their full compensation. Trump is not himself charged in the case.

➤U.N. HEAD, TURKEY'S PRESIDENT MEET WITH UKRAINE PREZ ZELENSKYY: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ukraine Thursday with President Volodymr Zelenskyy. But little progress was reported in the high-level talks toward ending the war that began six months ago when Russia invaded Ukraine, despite hopes there might be some breakthroughs at least on certain issues. The leaders discussed matters including expanding prisoner of war exchanges and having U.N. atomic energy experts visit and help secure Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant. Fears of disaster have been raised as the Zaporizhzhia plant has been in the middle of fierce fighting. Erdogan said he would follow up with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and urged the international community not to abandon diplomatic efforts to end the war, saying, "I remain convinced that the war will end at the negotiating table."

Turkey's leader and the United Nations chief met in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday in a high-powered bid to ratchet down a war raging for nearly six months. https://t.co/4QIj6JeP2U

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 19, 2022

 
➤U.S. TO HOLD TRADE TALKS WITH TAIWAN, CHINA WARNS: The U.S. government announced that it will hold trade talks with Taiwan, a sign of support that led China to warn Thursday that it will take action if needed to, quote, "safeguard its sovereignty." The news comes amid heightened tensions in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit earlier this month to the self-governing island that China claims as its own. That visit by the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in 25 years led China to carry out military drills around the island. A following visit by a group of five U.S. lawmakers led Beijing to carry out a second round of military drills. China accuses the U.S. of encouraging Taiwan's independence, but the U.S. says it doesn't support the island's independence.

➤BAIL DENIED FOR ACCUSED RUSHDIE ATTACKER: A judge denied bail yesterday for the 24-year-old man accused in the stabbing attack on The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie in western New York before a planned talk last week. Hadi Matar (right) of New Jersey has pled not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. Matar's public defender asked the judge to stop reporters from trying to contact his client in jail, saying media coverage could lead to a biased jury. Matar gave a brief interview from prison to The New York Post, during which he talked about disliking Rushdie and praised Iran's late supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death in 1989 over The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. The judge declined the request, but ordered the attorneys involved in the case not to give interviews.

Bulger

➤THREE MEN CHARGED IN 2018 JAILHOUSE KILLING OF WHITEY BULGER: The Justice Department said yesterday that three men, including a Mafia hitman, had been charged in the 2018 West Virginia jailhouse killing of Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger. Fotios "Freddy" Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Geas and DeCologero were also charged with aiding and abetting first degree murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Bulger was beaten to death as USP Hazelton hours after he was transferred from a Florida prison where he'd been serving a life sentence for 11 murders and other crimes, raising questions about why he'd been placed in the general population given that he was known to have been a government informant. Bulger ran the mob in Boston in the 1970s and ’80s and was also an FBI informant. He fled after his FBI handler warned him he was about to be indicted and was a fugitive for more than 16 years before being captured in California.

📺STREAMING IS NOW BIGGER THAN CABLE: For the first time, internet-based streaming services have edged past cable tv services as the top way that Americans get their video entertainment, according to a new report from the rating service Nielsen. Streaming now accounts for more than one-third of all programming consumed in the U.S. The top streaming platform right now is Netflix, followed by YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus. Nielsen says streaming platforms now are used for 34.8% of television viewing, compared with 34.4% for cable and 21.6% for broadcast television. “Other” adds up to 9.2%

➤MONKEYPOX VACCINE DISTRIBUTION STEPPED UP: The vaccine against monkeypox will be more widely available as soon as next Monday. The Biden administration has expanded the supply available for local distribution by 1.8 million doses. The White House has been criticized for its slow response to monkeypox testing and vaccine distribution. Monkeypox is rarely fatal, but it is said to be extremely painful.

A Florida woman was killed by lightning Thursday as she was in a park waiting for her child to be released from a nearby school, officials said. https://t.co/k6wsZsQShq

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 19, 2022

🏡HOME SALES DROP BY ALMOST 6% NATIONWIDE: Sales of existing homes declined by 5.9% in July compared to June, and by 20.2% compared to just one year before. The numbers were released yesterday by the National Association of Realtors. Higher mortgage interest rates and inflation pressures on family budgets are blamed for the fast decline. Home prices have barely budged though. They’re still 10.8% higher on average than a year ago, although a little bit down from the previous month.

🎥'GREASE' RETURNS TO THEATERS:  On Thursday, AMC CEO Adam Aron announced that the classic movie musical will play in 135 of the chain’s theaters for a $5 admission fee, and $1 of each ticket sold will be donated to breast cancer research.  "To honor the late Olivia Newton-John, many of our U.S. theaters this weekend will show her classic 1978 hit movie Grease, again on the big screen," Aron wrote on Twitter.

➤FINALLY, AN ‘UNSEND’ BUTTON: If you’ve ever had second thoughts regarding the wisdom of one of your text messages, you’ll be happy to hear this. Apple’s latest iPhone software, called iOS16, will let users edit and delete their text messages. The recipient will be able to see that a message was edited or deleted but won’t see the original text, as long as that person also is using the latest software version. The upgrade is expected to be released next month. 

🚘MUSCLE CAR GOES ALL-ELECTRIC: The automaker Dodge just unveiled a muscle car for the electric vehicle age. The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT was shown as a concept car in Detroit and is expected to be in production in 2024. The electric version will replace the company’s classic Challenger and Charger muscle cars. Dodge declined to release performance metrics. Electric cars can be virtually silent, but Dodge added a sound feature that gives its muscle car the right vroom.

🏈BROWNS' WATSON SUSPENDED 11 GAMES, CONTINUES TO CLAIM INNOCENCE: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve an 11-game unpaid suspension and pay a $5 million fine under a settlement reached by the NFL and the NFL Players Association Thursday after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment and coercion during massage sessions. He will also undergo professional evaluation and treatment. The NFL wanted to ban Watson for at least one year, and had appealed a six-game suspension given by disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson. Watson maintained his innocence yesterday, saying, "I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said that I’ve never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone and I’m continuing to stand on that." Two grand juries declined to indict Watson, who has settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits against him by women who claimed misconduct.

Former Tiger Deshaun Watson after reaching a settlement with the NFL to serve an 11-game suspension and pay $5 million following accusations of sexual misconduct.

"I'm gonna continue to stand on my innocence. Just because settlements happen doesn't mean a person is guilty." pic.twitter.com/GD2vnlsAdL

— Mike Gillespie (@MikeABCColumbia) August 18, 2022

 
🏒KADRI SIGNS SEVEN-YEAR, $49 MILLION DEAL WITH FLAMES: Free agent center Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Calgary Flames, leaving the Colorado Avalanche after helping them win their first Stanley Cup since 2001 last season. The 31-year-old Kadri set career highs last season with 59 assists and 87 points in 71 games, and had seven goals and eight assists during the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run.

⚾ASTROS POUND WHITE SOX 21-5, MATCHING SECOND-MOST RUNS IN TEAM HISTORY: The Houston Astros pounded the Chicago White Sox 21-5 yesterday, matching the second-most runs scored in a game in Astros' team history. Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs, and Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez all tied career highs with four hits each. Four of the Astros' runs came in the ninth inning, when the White Sox sent out second baseman Josh Harrison to pitch.

ALBERT PUJOLS GRAND SLAM 💥 @BRWalkoff

Career home run No. 690 😳

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/VoY7WayEHZ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 18, 2022

⚾PUJOLS HAS PINCH-HIT GRAND SLAM: Veteran Albert Pujols had a pinch-hit grand slam in the St. Louis Cardinals' 13-0 rout of the Colorado Rockies yesterday. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer hit the slam in the third inning when he was put in to pinch hit for designated hitter Brendan Donovan. It was Pujols' 690th career home run and 16th career grand slam, tying him with Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Dave Kingman for 10th-most slams of all-time.

Easton Oliverson

⚾BOY HURT IN LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES FALL EATING, WALKING: The 12-year-old Little League World Series player who underwent surgery after suffering a head injury Monday when he fell from the top bunk while sleeping at the LLWS dorm complex has been moved out of intensive care and is able to sit up, eat, and walk with support, his family said Thursday. A post on an Instagram account set up by the family of Easton Oliverson of the Snow Canyon team from Santa Clara, Utah, said, "He has been communicating more frequently with his Mom, Dad, and uncles who have been at the hospital with him. His voice has been significantly more clear when he talks! He asked [his mother] Nancy about his hair, and why he was there." A video was attached to the post showing Easton drinking and feeding himself.