TV Ratings: NFL Football Places The Top 6 Shows

President-elect Donald Trump‘s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election was certainly good news for Fox News. The network finished Election Week as the No. 1 television outlet during primetime in total viewers, even surpassing the broadcast networks. Overall, FNC enjoyed its best week since 2020. 

Fox News dominated Election Night coverage and was the most-watched network during the vice president’s concession speech, with over 7 million total viewers tuning in.

All three cable networks performed better than the previous week in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 audience, with triple digit gains in that advertiser-coveted demo during primetime. But MSNBC and CNN suffered significant viewer erosion as the week continued, whereas Fox News continued its winning ways.

TV Newser reports Nielsen live plus same-day data for the week of November 4 saw Fox News averaging 4.313 million total viewers and 872,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up by +57% in the former category and +149% in the latter relative to the week prior. Among all basic cable networks, Fox News remained at No. 1 in total primetime viewers and No. 2 in the primetime demo behind ESPN. In total day, it finished first with total viewers and the demo.

MSNBC’s primetime lineup averaged 1.578 million total viewers and 356,000 A25-54 viewers for week-to-week gains of +11% and +120%, respectively. Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC finished in third place in total primetime viewers and jumped up one spot from fifth to fourth place in the demo. During total day, it was the No. 2 network in total viewers and remained at No. 4 in the demo. 

CNN averaged 1.223 million total primetime viewers and 434,000 A25-54 viewers for week-to-week gains of +53% and +140%, respectively.

Across total day, the network saw 720,000 total viewers and 215,000 A25-54 viewers in the demo for gains of +30% and +95%, respectively. Notable: CNN finished ahead of MSNBC with A25-54 viewers in both primetime and total day. On the basic cable charts, CNN placed fourth with primetime total viewers and finished third in the primetime demo. In total day, the network was No. 4 with total viewers behind third place ESPN and No. 3 in the demo.

📺Fox News had 14 of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week.

FNC notched multiple records for the week. Gutfeld! (3.8 million P2+; 627,000 A25-54), The Faulkner Focus (3 million P2+) and America Reports (2.8 million P2+) all secured the highest-rated week the shows have seen since launch. The Five (5.3 million P2+) secured its second highest week since 2011 launch.  

Following the election from Wednesday – Sunday The Faulkner Focus (3,478,000 P2+) and Outnumbered (3,318,000 P2+) marked a significant milestone leading ABC’s The View (3,263,000 P2+). Additionally, The Faulkner Focus, Outnumbered, America’s Newsroom (3,242,000 P2+) and America Reports (3,035,000 P2+) all surpassed NBC’s The Today Show (2,979,000 P2+) and ABC’s GMA (2,762,000 P2+) in post-election coverage. FOX & Friends (2,318,000 P2+) led many broadcast programs including CBS Mornings (2,219,000 P2+), NBC’s TODAY Third Hour (1,922,000 P2+), CBS’ The Talk (1,289,000 P2+) and ABC’s GMA3 (1,286,000 P2+) after the election.

For the week:

• The Five averaged a massive 5.3 million viewers and 726,000 in the 25-54 demo to lead all of television. 
• At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 4 million viewers and 583,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 4 million viewers and 618,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. 
• At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 4.7 million viewers and 712,000 in the 25-54 demo. 
• At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 3.9 million viewers and 630,000 with A25-54. 
• At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 2.1 million viewers and 401,000 in the 25-54 demo. 
• FNC’s Gutfeld! continued to lead all late-night television across the board. For the week, Gutfeld! averaged 3.8 million viewers and 627,000 in the 25-54 demo, crushing CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2 million P2+; 368,000 A25-54), ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.7 million P2+; 353,000 A25-54) and NBC’s The Tonight Show (1.2 million P2+; 305,000 A25-54).

On Saturday: Life, Liberty & Levin (weekends, 8 PM/ET) was the most-watched show of the day with 2,114,000 viewers, while One Nation with Brian Kilmeade (Saturday 9 PM/ET) led the way in the 25-54 demo with 211,000 viewers. The Big Weekend Show (weekends, 7 PM/ET) averaged 1.8 million viewers and 186,000 in the 25-54 demo. FOX & Friends Weekend (weekends, 6-10 AM/ET) commanded 1.7 million viewers and 194,000 in the 25-54 demo. 

On Sunday: Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday Morning Futures (Sunday, 10 AM/ET) dominated cable news averaging 2.1 million viewers and 235,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Big Weekend Show (weekends, 7 PM/ET) following with 1,946,000 viewers and 234,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy posted 1,779,000 viewers and 180,000 in the younger demo.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 11-4-24 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.

SF Radio: Cumulus Layoffs Hit Sportsradio KNBR

Cumulus Media has laid off Tom Tolbert and John Lund at KNBR, the flagship Bay Area sports talk station, as part of a broader reduction of staff ahead of the holiday season.

The SF Chronicle reports Tolbert, a former Golden State Warriors player and 28-year veteran of KNBR, co-hosted the station’s afternoon drive show, “Tolbert & Copes,” alongside former station program director Adam Copeland. Lund hosted “Papa & Lund,” with Greg Papa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. 

KNBR also parted ways with producer Danny Dunn. 

Tom Tolbert

​​“Another blow to radio. So sorry to share this. Tolbert is a legend who I always admired,” former KNBR host Damon Bruce wrote on social media. “Just sad times for the industry.”

The layoffs are the latest in a series of personnel changes at KNBR, the broadcast home of the San Francisco 49ers and Giants. Last year the station let go of longtime on-air talent including Paul McCaffrey from “Murph and Mac” and former Major League Baseball player F.P. Santangelo.

The reorganization at KNBR, which broadcasts on 104.5 FM and 680 AM, also saw the dismissal of executive Lee Hammer, morning show producer Erik Engle and four digital team members: Jake Hutchinson, Danny Emerman, Austin Scott and Maureen Mahoney.

Tolbert, who played seven seasons in the NBA, including a stint with the Warriors from 1989 to 1992, will host his final show on Thursday, Nov. 14. He joined KNBR in 1996.

The station’s reorganization comes amid similar cost-cutting measures across the radio industry, including at iHeartMedia, which is seeking to save $200 million by eliminating redundancies. 

iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman noted during the company’s Q3 earnings call that the company is focused on upgrading talent using technology that allows on-air personalities to work across multiple markets.

“There’s not a slot for everybody,” Pittman said.

Elon Musk: Is the Truth a Distraction At NPR?

Elon Musk on Tuesday renewed calls to defund NPR after a controversial video of its CEO questioning the importance of truth resurfaced online.

Fox Business reports footage of NPR CEO Katherine Maher from an August 2021 Ted Talk reappeared Tuesday on X, sparking new debate over the taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s alleged bias, which has come under scrutiny in recent months. 

In the 10-second clip, Maher questioned the role truth plays in the industry as the then-CEO of Wikimedia. She took over as CEO of NPR in March of this year.

“I think our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting important things done,” Maher told the crowd.

Should your tax dollars really be paying for an organization run by people who think the truth is a “distraction”? https://t.co/W79tcJJLxu

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2024

His dig is the latest in a monthslong feud with the broadcasting organization, with Maher at the helm.

Allegations of ideological bias in NPR’s newsroom were outlined in a scathing essay published in April by senior editor Uri Berliner, who has since left the organization.

Berliner detailed his concerns of bias toward his employer, revealing that the NPR Washington, D.C., newsroom held zero Republicans, compared to 87 Democrats. 

LA Times Owner Vows ‘Very Left’ Overhaul

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, owner Patrick Soon-Shiong stated publicly for the first time that Harris’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza played a role in his decision to block the LA Times endorsement and said he plans to “balance” the paper’s opinion page with more conservative and centrist voices.

“If we were honest with ourselves, our current board of opinion writers veered very left, which is fine, but I think in order to have balance, you also need to have somebody who would trend right, and more importantly, somebody that would trend in the middle,” Soon-Shiong said, adding that he’s already spoken to candidates he hopes to add to the Times’ editorial roster.

On Sunday, Soon-Shiong (right) raised eyebrows with a post on X, stating that he plans to make his newspaper “fair and balanced so that all voices are heard and we can respectfully exchange every American’s view … from left to right to the center. Coming soon. A new Editorial Board. Trust in media is critical for a strong democracy.”

In the interview, Soon-Shiong said his plan to transform the editorial board is “not as inflammatory as you’re firing everybody,” but that he is “really trying to identify voices that speak to all the Americans.”

The billionaire, who acquired the Times in 2018 for $500 million, also expressed concern about the perception of opinion in news reporting, saying the paper needs “a real rethinking” of how its coverage is structured and suggested that the current designations of the opinion section, columnists and editorials are not clear enough.

“Somebody just picking up the paper, Gen Z today or something, I don’t know would recognize that that is an opinion,” he said. “This conflation of news and opinion of the news sometimes gets all mixed up, and I think that’s part of the problem of why there’s a reduction in trust of the press.”

The Onion To Take Control of Alex Jones’s Infowars

The fate of far-right website Infowars will be controlled by the Onion after the satirical news site emerged as the winning bidder of Wednesday’s private auction of the media company founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

The Washington Post reports Infowars and its property are among the personal assets Jones was forced to sell in a court-ordered auction after a bankruptcy judge in June sought to compel Jones to pay the roughly $1.5 billion in damages he owes for claiming the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.

Families from the Connecticut-based defamation lawsuit against Jones agreed to accept a smaller recovery to increase the overall value of the Onion’s bid, which enabled its success, according to a Thursday statement from the families’ lawyers.

The auction win gives the Onion control of Infowars’ website, archive, mailing list and production equipment, among other assets, ending Jones’s control of the media company after 25 years.

“We were told this outcome would be nearly impossible, but we are no strangers to impossible fights. The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability — the dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Sandy Hook parent Robbie Parker said in a statement. Parker’s 6-year-old daughter Emilie was among the 20 children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.

The fate of far-right website Infowars will be controlled by the Onion after the satirical news site emerged as the winning bidder of Wednesday’s private auction of the media company founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

NBC: Craig Melvin To Join TODAY As Co-Anchor

Nearly two months after Hoda Kotb announced she would be leaving TODAY, viewers can now know a familiar face will be sliding into her chair as co-anchor.

Craig Melvin, who has been with NBC News for nearly 14 years, is moving into the co-anchor seat alongside Savannah Guthrie for the 7 and 8 a.m. hours. He will begin Monday, Jan. 13, after Hoda says goodbye to her morning duties on Friday, Jan. 10.

Craig Melvin

Craig has held a number of positions during his years at TODAY, from weekend co-anchor, to his current roles as co-host of the 3rd hour of TODAY and news anchor during the earlier hours. He is also husband to sports broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak and proud dad to Delano, 10, and Sybil, 8. 

“We are beyond thrilled to have Craig step into the co-anchor chair,” Libby Leist, senior vice president of TODAY, said in a statement to staff Nov. 14. “He’s been an integral and beloved part of our family. From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at TODAY. And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”

Craig will continue to co-host the 3rd hour with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones.

Streaming, Studio Gain for Disney...Cable, Parks Off

Disney’s streaming business and studio gained momentum in the September quarter, while its cable and theme park profit engines lost steam, underscoring the diverse set of challenges the entertainment giant faces as it positions itself for the future, reports The Wall Street Journal.

After years of investing heavily in streaming, the company’s direct-to-consumer business swung to a profit of $321 million in the September quarter from a loss of $387 million a year earlier. 

The stark improvement for the business, home to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, marked its second consecutive quarterly profit.

• Income from Disney’s traditional TV networks, which include both ABC and cable channels such as FX, the Disney Channel and Freeform, tumbled 38% to $498 million. Revenue fell 6% to $2.5 billion.
• Earnings per share: $1.14 adjusted vs. $1.10 expected
• Revenue: $22.57 billion vs. $22.45 billion expected
• Disney’s net income increased to $460 million, or 25 cents per share, from $264 million, or 14 cents per share, during the same quarter last year. Adjusting for one-time items, including restructuring and impairment charges, Disney reported earnings per share of $1.14. 

Total segment operating income increased 23% to $3.66 billion compared with the same period in 2023:

• Revenue for the entertainment segment – which includes the traditional TV networks,  direct-to-consumer streaming and films – increased 14% year over year to $10.83 billion after a hot summer at the box office.
• Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time this summer, surpassing Disney’s “Frozen II” at the box office. Meanwhile, its “Deadpool & Wolverine” became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, surpassing Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Joker.”
• The films added $316 million of profit for the entertainment segment during the quarter. Overall, the entertainment segment reported nearly $1.1 billion in profit.
• Revenue for Disney’s sports segment, made up primarily of ESPN, was flat. ESPN’s profit fell 6% due in part to higher programming costs associated with U.S. college football rights as well as fewer customers in the cable bundle. 
• Disney’s combined streaming business, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, saw profitability improve during the quarter after turning its first profit during the fiscal third quarter, three months earlier than expected. The division reported an operating income of $321 million for the September period compared with a loss of $387 million during the same period last year. 

Disney joined its peers, including Warner Bros. Discovery,Netflix,Comcast and Paramount Global in adding streaming subscribers during the most recent quarter.

Prime Video To Stream Diamond RSNs

Diamond Sports reached a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video that will allow its 16 regional sports networks to be made available on the streaming platform.

As part of the deal, Diamond’s networks will be made available as an add-on subscription to Prime customers living within each team’s designated geographic area. Further details, such as pricing, will be announced at a later date. Financial terms of the multiyear agreement were not disclosed.

CNBC reports the agreement is not exclusive, meaning Diamond can still pursue streaming rights deals with other partners, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company’s previously launched FanDuel Sports Network streaming options will still be available.

This marks the latest development for Diamond Sports as it looks to exit bankruptcy protection with a revamped business model.

In October, Diamond inked a naming rights deal with Flutter-owned FanDuel, rebranding its networks from Bally Sports to FanDuel Sports Network. The name change took place immediately during the National Hockey League season and ahead of the start of the 2024-25 National Basketball Association season.

Diamond has also announced it would offer games on an a la carte basis at $6.99 per game beginning Dec. 5, which will not require a subscription. Both Prime Video and the FanDuel Sports Network app will offer the single games, according to the person familiar with the offering.

On Thursday, Diamond will seek court approval for its reorganization plan, which has drawn criticism from Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves, who question the company’s future viability under the plan.  Both the league and the Braves had requested further clarity on what the partnership with Amazon, which at the time was not solidified, would entail.

Diamond sought bankruptcy protection last year, toppled by a heavy debt load and the effect of cord-cutting on its networks as consumers opt out of cable TV bundles for streaming services.

Diamond has also inked deals with the NBA and NHL for TV and streaming rights for their teams. It has been negotiating with MLB teams on an individual basis.  Various regional sports networks, including the New York Yankees’ YES Network, have launched streaming options in recent years. Amazon’s Prime Video already airs a selection of Yankees games each season since it is a stakeholder in the YES Network.

Spotify Out To Break YouTube’s Lead On Video Podcasts

As fans increasingly flock to videos of star hosts interacting with their guests during interviews, Spotify wants to persuade more podcasters to make videos for its own platform in addition to YouTube. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Spotify plans to start paying hosts who make popular videos and meet a certain viewing threshold, and will soon offer premium subscribers a way to watch shows such as “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain” without ads. It currently allows hosts to upload podcast videos, but doesn’t offer such payments.

While Spotify is home to some of the most listened-to podcasts, there are signs that its dominance in the exploding medium is waning as more listeners watch, or listen to, their favorite shows on YouTube. The Google-owned platform has become a central part of many young people’s entertainment diet and shares ad revenue with creators who post videos, which incentivizes them to post ever more content.

“It’s becoming all about video. It’s kind of an irony,” Spotify Chief Executive Daniel Ek said of podcasting. He said the election highlighted the power of the medium, pointing to Kamala Harris’s appearance on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” and Donald Trump’s appearance on Rogan—both in video format. 

Beginning in January, Spotify plans to offer premium subscribers in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada ad-free viewing of video podcasts. It is betting that the uninterrupted experience coupled with its powerful discovery algorithms will drive greater consumption of video podcasts on the platform. The offering, which takes out ads inserted into episodes but would leave host-read messages, could also differentiate Spotify’s podcast videos from those on YouTube, where users have to pay more for ad-free viewing. 

For hosts, Spotify’s new incentives offer a fresh stream of revenue. While Spotify expects to pay more than YouTube on a per-view basis, it said YouTube has many more users and will likely continue to pay more in total to creators. 

YouTube pays out most video creators a 55% share of revenue of the ads it sells against a show. Spotify estimates a show that draws 1 million to 2 million views in a month would earn about $50,000 via the new model. 

After starting to invest in podcasting in 2019, Spotify overtook Apple to become the No. 1 podcast platform in the U.S. in 2021. Last month, YouTube rose to the top as the most popular service for podcast listening in the U.S., with 31% of weekly podcast listeners ages 13 and up choosing YouTube as the service they use most to listen to podcasts, surpassing Spotify, Edison Research shows.

Spotify says more than 240 million users have streamed a video podcast on Spotify, and the number of creators actively publishing videos each month has grown more than 50% year-over-year.

Detroit Radio: PD Michelle Matthews OUT At WDVD

Michelle Matthews has indeed confirmed her departure from Cumulus Media Hot AC 96.3 WDVD Detroit earlier this month as part of the company's staff reductions.

Michelle Matthews

Matthews joined WDVD in July 2023 after an eight-year tenure as Operations Manager for Saga Communications' Columbus OH cluster, where she programmed AC "Sunny 95" 94.7 WSNY and Hot AC "Mix 107.9" WVMX from 2015 until April 2023.

Throughout her career, she has held various roles, including Program Director of Classic Hits 103.3 KLOU St. Louis, Digital Program Director for iHeartMedia St. Louis, OM/Regional Programming Manager for Clear Channel Omaha, Wichita, and Sioux City, Operations Manager for Saga Springfield IL, PD of KTOZ/KXUS Springfield MO, APD of KXPK Denver, and MD of KALC Denver.

In her farewell message, Matthews expressed her gratitude and fondness for Detroit, despite the challenges, and shared her excitement for the future as she returns to Columbus to spend quality time with her family and explore new opportunities.

SF Radio: Audacy Promotes Kieran Geffert To SVP/MM

Audacy has named Kieran Geffert Senior Vice President and Market Manager of its San Francisco market. In this role, Geffert will oversee the market’s portfolio of brands, including KCBS All News (KCBS-AM), 95.7 The Game (KGMZ-FM), Alice @ 97.3 (KLLC-FM), 102 Jams (KRBQ-FM), Live 105 (KITS-FM) and CHANNEL Q (KLLC-HD2).

Kieran Geffert

“Kieran’s experience, leadership and deep engagement in the San Francisco market and with our team make her the perfect candidate to lead the team forward,” said Susan Larkin, Chief Operating Officer, Audacy. “We look forward to the continuing momentum and success she will bring to our team, listeners and advertisers across the Bay Area.”

“I am honored to step into this role. Having been part of this exceptional team for over three decades, I have witnessed firsthand the dedication, creativity and resilience that fuel our success,” said Geffert. “I am eager to lead our iconic brands and passionate team into this new chapter.”

Geffert launched her radio career in 1991 at CBS Radio as a sales assistant for KCBS All News in San Francisco. Additional roles include Account Executive, Local Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, Vice President of Sales, and, most recently, Vice President of Sales for San Francisco and Sacramento markets. She succeeds Stacey Kauffman, who recently departed the Company.

Next SECDEF: "It's our job to clean house at the Pentagon"

President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth as U.S. defense secretary was met on Wednesday with surprise at the Pentagon and bewilderment among some European allies, but some Republican lawmakers rallied around the Fox News host.

Hegseth, a veteran with scant government experience, has disdained so-called "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders, opposed having women in combat roles, and questioned whether the top U.S. general was in his position because of his skin color.

The 44-year-old's selection shocked many at the Pentagon, where officials privately questioned what qualified him for the position.

A senior Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth would be unqualified for a far less senior job.

Democratic lawmakers questioned his ability to lead 1.3 million service members.

Hegseth could make good on Trump's campaign promises to rid the U.S. military of generals he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks, which conservatives have railed against.

It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, a former fighter pilot with command experience in the Pacific and the Middle East, who Hegseth accused of "pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians."

The new SECDEF nominee @PeteHegseth isn’t a pentagon careerist, he’s a philosopher warrior, who understands the purpose of the U.S. military:
pic.twitter.com/znfZsFpPZt

— Will Cain (@willcain) November 13, 2024

Officials in Europe told Reuters they had little insight into Hegseth and where he may stand on important issues.

While Hegseth has not articulated detailed positions on major national security topics, one thing is clear: his skepticism toward NATO.

"Outdated, outgunned, invaded, and impotent. Why should America, the European 'emergency contact number' for the past century, listen to self-righteous and impotent nations asking us to honor outdated and one-sided defense arrangements they no longer live up to?" Hegseth wrote in his book, which was published earlier this year.

Hegseth got some backing from Republican lawmakers, whose support he will need to win Senate confirmation to become defense secretary.

Lemon, The Guardian Exit Social Media's X

X competitor Bluesky rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store’s US chart this week, as many users of Elon Musk’s platform said they were decamping in the wake of his significant role in the US presidential election.

Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the past 90 days — on Tuesday the company said it had gained 1 million new sign-ups in the past week alone, bringing it to more than 15 million total users.

The energy on X is markedly different: Musk spent months using the site to boost President-elect Donald Trump. In recent days, researchers have recorded surges in sexist language like “your body, my choice” on the site. And that’s on top of previous changes by Musk, like cutting moderators, restoring banned accounts, allowing racist and Nazi accounts and changing the platform’s verification system to boost anyone who was willing to pay, regardless of what they posted — all of which helped to tank the company’s core ad business.

A number of prominent journalists announced their exit, accordingly, from X to join Bluesky this week, including the Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel, the New York Times’ Mara Gay and former CNN anchor Don Lemon. UK newspaper The Guardian also said Wednesday that it will no longer post to X from its official channels, calling X “a toxic media platform,” although it did not specify which other platforms it plans to use to promote its work.

But while Bluesky may be having A Moment three years after its launch, any claims that it will kill X should be taken with a grain of salt.

As a private company, X doesn’t share user numbers. Recent third party estimates of user trends are mixed, although the consistent user growth the platform enjoyed prior to Musk’s takeover does appear to have been upended in the past two years. But — for better or, probably, worse — the site has so far weathered the creation of multiple other competitors, the reinstatement of White supremacists and the spread of racist conspiracy theories from Musk down without fading into irrelevance.

“X usage is at an all-time high and continues to surge,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a post Wednesday. “To all of our users — of every interest, political party, and point of view — You will always have a place to engage and join the global conversation freely and safely.”

Sports Talkers Anthony Gargano, Jon Marks and AllPhly Go National

AllPhly’s daily morning shows hosted by Anthony Gargano and Jon Marks, as well as its weekday video podcasts for the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers, are now being broadcast by the nation’s largest cable television provider.

The Philadelphia Business Journal reports AllCity Network, the parent company of AllPhly, expanded distribution for its podcasts this week to Comcast’s Xfinity TV and free streaming platforms Samsung TV Plus and The Roku Channel.

The launches, which also include AllPhly’s sister networks in Chicago, Denver and Phoenix, represent the first streaming local sports channels to be launched on any of the three platforms. In addition to AllPhly's website, its Philadelphia sports content is now available nationally on The Roku Channel, Xfinity X1 channel 4073, and locally on Samsung TV Plus channel 2348.

Brandon Spano, CEO of Denver-based AllCity Network, said he expects distribution to expand to additional platforms in the coming months. Spano said each of the four outlets in the AllCity Network will now air six to 10 hours of live daily content on television.

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei to Step Down

Liberty Media said Chief Executive Greg Maffei will step down, as the media conglomerate works to simplify its corporate structure by separating into two businesses: one focused on sports and one for live entertainment.

The Wall Street Journal reports Liberty on Wednesday announced plans to spin off Liberty Live Group, which owns a sizable stake in ticketing and concert promotion giant Live Nation and Quint, which sells event ticket and travel packages. Liberty Media will continue to hold Formula One and the parent of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

The changes are signs of how billionaire John Malone’s empire is evolving as he moves into his 80s and tries to position his stable of businesses for the future. 

A yearslong postpandemic live events boom has bolstered Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter. Formula One has also benefited from growing fandom, helped in part by Netflix’s hit “Drive to Survive” series and additional races in the U.S.

Greg Mattei

Shares in Live Nation, which on Tuesday reported strong momentum into 2025 after a massive summer concert season, have risen nearly 50% over the past year.

Maffei said splitting Liberty Live into a separate entity could reduce the discount to net asset value of the stock and improve liquidity for both entities.  

Malone will step in as interim CEO when Maffei’s contract expires at the end of the year. Malone said Maffei had improved the company and overseen as many as five separate public companies at the same time during his tenure.

Liberty said that its live spinoff will become a publicly traded company. It expects the split to be completed in the second half of 2025.

Separately on Wednesday, Charter Communications said it had agreed to acquire Malone’s Liberty Broadband LBRDK -5.05%decrease; red down pointing triangle, which is the largest shareholder in the Spectrum cable and internet parent company. Liberty Broadband will also spin off its GCI subsidiary, an Alaskan communications provider, through a stock distribution as part of the deal. 

Earlier this fall, Liberty finalized the split-off of its Liberty Sirius XM Holdings into an independent company. 

Edison Research: The Top 50 U.S. PodcastsQ3 2024

This week Edison Research is proud to announce the Top 50 U.S. podcasts among weekly podcast listeners age 13+ for the third quarter of 2024. Edison Podcast Metrics™ is the only podcast measurement service in the U.S. that measures the relative audience size of all podcasts and podcast networks; this includes shows and networks that have not opted into other industry rankers.

Remaining in the same order in the Top 3 since the second quarter are The Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie, and The Daily.

1. The Joe Rogan Experience  
2. Crime Junkie  
3. The Daily  
4. Call Her Daddy 
5. SmartLess (up 1 spot) 
6. Stuff You Should Know (+1) 
7. Dateline NBC (-2) 
8. This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von (+1) 
9. MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories (+3) 
10. This American Life (-2)

SmartLess, now part of the SiriusXM Podcast Network, breaks into the Top Five for the first time. MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories makes its debut in the Top Ten at #9. 

Radio History: Nov 14

➦In 1901...singer Morton Downey was born in Wallingford Connecticut. His national radio appearances began in 1930, in 1932 he was voted Radio Singer of the Year. In 1949 he debuted on TV, hosting the show Star of the Family in the 1950′s.

He died of a stroke at age 83, Oct. 25 1985.

➦In 1920...singer Johnny Desmond was born in Detroit.   He was featured on Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club (radio& TV), and was a regular on TV’s Your Hit Parade, Face the Music & Songs for Sale.   He died from cancer Sept. 6 1985 at age 64.

➦In 1921...Chicago radio station KYW broadcast the first opera by a professional company. Listeners heard ‘Samson Et Dalila’ as it was being performed at the Chicago Auditorium.

The first words ever broadcast in Chicago were, "My God, but it's dark in here!"

Mary Gardner

According to radio historian Rich Samuels, they were spoken by Mary Garden, world-class soprano and director of the Chicago Grand Opera Association. They were uttered 98 years ago tonight on radio station KYW, licensed to the Westinghouse Manufacturing and Electric Company.

Ms. Garden said what she said because she couldn't see: the area where she was standing was lit by a single bare light bulb.

In 1934, the assignment of clear channels took a frequency away from Illinois and gave it to Pennsylvania, resulting in Westinghouse moving KYW to Philadelphia.  KYW used the frequency of 1020 AM at the time.

In March 1941, KYW changed frequencies to 1060 AM as part of a nationwide shift of radio frequencies mandated by the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement. KYW and the other Westinghouse radio stations remained with NBC after RCA was ordered by the FCC to break up its radio networks, aligning with the former Red Network (the predecessor of modern-day NBC) in 1942. KYW acquired a television counterpart when Westinghouse bought WPTZ (channel 3) – the nation's third commercial television station and NBC's second television affiliate – in 1953.

In June 1955, Westinghouse agreed to trade KYW and WPTZ to NBC in exchange for the network's properties in Cleveland, WNBK TV and WTAM-AM-FM. Westinghouse also received $3 million in cash compensation.  The main impetus for the trade was NBC's desire to acquire an owned-and-operated television station in the fourth-largest American television market. NBC had to seek a waiver for the swap since KYW and NBC Radio's New York City flagship, WRCA (now WFAN) were both clear channel stations; at the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of clear-channel stations with overlapping nighttime coverage.

After clearing final regulatory hurdles, the swap went into effect on February 13, 1956. NBC took over the Philadelphia stations, rechristening 1060 AM as WRCV (for the RCA-Victor record label), and Westinghouse moved the KYW call letters to Cleveland.

However, almost immediately after the trade was finalized, Westinghouse complained to the FCC and the Department of Justice about NBC's coercion and an lengthy investigation was launched.  In August 1964, NBC's license for WRCV radio and television was renewed by the FCC – but only on the condition that the 1956 station swap be reversed.  Following nearly a year of appeals by NBC, Westinghouse regained control of WRCV-AM-TV on June 19, 1965 and subsequently restored the KYW call letters to the radio station (the television station became KYW-TV at this point).  To this day, the KYW stations insist that they "moved" to Cleveland in 1956 and "returned" to Philadelphia in 1965.

➦In 1922...The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) began its domestic radio service.

➦In 1994...FCC adopted EAS rules.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), which in turn superseded the CONELRAD System.

It is jointly coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The EAS regulations and standards are governed by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the FCC.

Michael Strahan: I Have No Protest To Make

Michael Strahan is opening up after he was criticized for the way he stood for the national anthem on Sunday afternoon.

During Fox’s special football coverage from Naval Base San Diego, the “Star Spangled Banner” was played, and while the rest of his teammates on television were seen with their hands over their hearts, the ex-Giant held his hands interlocked near his waist.

Some criticized Strahan for this, and he said the coverage has “spilled over” so much that he had to address it on his Instagram.

He admitted in a post on his social media page that he was not protesting anything and that he was “caught up in the moment” before realizing that he hadn’t placed his hands on his chest.

Strahan was asked for comment by a Daily Mail reporter outside his house, with the “Good Morning America” host grabbing and throwing away the journalist’s phone. The ex-defensive lineman admitted he was “not proud” of the way he handle that interaction, but he felt he needed to “protect” both his family and his home.

And when it got down to the national anthem and why he didn’t have his hand on his heart, Strahan said he was not making any sort of protest on the Fox broadcast, especially with his father being in the U.S. Army for over two decades.

“I have nothing to protest, I have no statement to be made,” Strahan said on Instagram. The only statement that should be made that I want to make is I love the military, I’ve always loved the military and I will always love the military. I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military — I’m a military brat.

“And so the fact of somebody saying that, you know, I’m unpatriotic, couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

Albany NY Radio: Bob Pittman...We Don't Need Local Talent

Some of the top talent at iHeartMedia's local radio stations, including WGY, are out of their on-air jobs after the company announced it planned $200 million in cost reductions across its properties.

The Times-Union reports those who are out include Doug Goudie, host of WGY's morning show, as well as Jeff Levack and Tom "Goz" Goslowski, who hosted the afternoon sports talk show “Levack and Goz" on Fox Sports 980.

Longtime radio host Jaime Roberts is also gone from WTRY 98.3, where she did a morning show. Roberts was at 98.3 WTRY for more than two decades, and has spent 30-plus years in radio, working at Albany Broadcasting for 12 years before joining iHeart.

One of the largest media companies in the U.S., iHeartMedia owns 860 radio stations in more than 160 markets.

Doug Goudie 

But like many media companies, iHeart Media is struggling with advertising revenues, even during the presidential election cycle. As a result, the company revealed during its earnings conference call with analysts last week that it would cut $150 million in annual spending after cutting $50 million earlier in the year. The company was already facing $50 million in projected cost increases in 2025.

The company reported $1 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2024, but posted a net loss of $41 million.

CEO Bob Pittman said during iHeartMedia's Nov. 7 earnings call with stock analysts that the company was leveraging technology, including artificial intelligence, across its platforms to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Pittman said this initiative was "flattening our organization, eliminating redundancies and breaking down silos."

Pittman said radio stations no longer need local on-air talent all the time. "We are increasing our relationship with the consumer, and we’re using technology to do it," he said.

Bob Pittman

"Now unfortunately, what that means is that there’s not a slot for everybody. Just because somebody is willing to live in the market doesn’t assure them that they’re the best person for that slot. Before we had this kind of technology, that was the criteria.

"Today, technology frees us of that constraint, and our programmers can now make the decision about who’s going to be the best talent in that time slot on that radio station, regardless of where they live. In the old days, it cost an enormous amount of money to try and broadcast from another town."

Goudie joined WGY in 2021 after previously hosting a show in Boston for iHeartMedia. He originally joined Kelly Lynch on the former “Doug and Kelly" show before Lynch left the station in 2021. Goudie had hosted the show by himself since then. 

Over the summer, Albany market leader Howard Greiner was named president of iHeartMedia's metro Nashville market, and the company appointed Rochester market president Bob Morgan to oversee all of iHeartMedia's upstate New York operations, which includes 39 stations and the Poughkeepsie market.

Trump Picks Fox News Host To Be Secretary of Defense

Pete Hegseth has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as his secretary of defense. 

"I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First," Trump said in a statement. 

Fox News Digital reports Hegseth's last day at Fox, where he co-hosted Sunday’s "FOX & Friends Weekend," was Tuesday. Hegseth started with FOX News as a contributor in 2014 and was named the co-host of "FOX & Friends Weekend" in 2017. He began co-hosting the show on a regular basis in late 2016 and was officially named to the role in January 2017.

"Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on ‘FOX & Friends’ and FOX Nation and a bestselling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade," a spokesperson for FOX News Media said in a statement. "His insights and analysis, especially about the military, resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News and wish him the best of luck in Washington."

Hegseth, an Army National Gaurd veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has hosted the FOX Nation "Patriot Awards" since 2019, which is the network's version of a Hollywood awards show honoring heroes like first responders. 

Before you start freaking out about Pete Hegseth, let me educate you.

Pete has a bachelors from Princeton, a Masters from Harvard, 2 bronze stars, was a Major in the Army National Guard, has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan (has a CIB), and listen to this… pic.twitter.com/d2smhgYf5s

— Kron (@Kronykal) November 13, 2024

The Patriot Awards are scheduled for Dec. 5 in Brookville, New York. Hegseth will not be hosting the show.

Hegseth also hosted the popular FOX Nation specials "Poison Ivy" and "The Miseducation of America." Most recently, Hegseth wrote the FOX News Books bestseller "War on Warriors," which has sold nearly 150,000 copies since it debuted in June 2024 and shot to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. 

Hegseth has repeatedly advocated for military veterans and championed veteran and military causes. While serving in the Army, he was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, awarded to infantry soldiers who participate in active combat.

When the Hegseth news became public, Fox News released the following statement:

“Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on FOX & Friends and FOX Nation and a best-selling author for FOX News Books for nearly a decade. His insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers and made the program the major success that it is today. We are extremely proud of his work at FOX News Media and wish him the best of luck in Washington.”

Nielsen Audio Moving To Three Minute PPM Measurement

Nielsen has confirmed that they will be adjusting their current Portable People Meter (PPM) measurement standard, reducing the required listening time to qualify for a quarter-hour from five minutes to three minutes, starting with the January 2025 PPM survey.

Key points about this change: Shorter listening threshold:

• This means a radio listener only needs to listen for a minimum of three minutes within a 15-minute period to be counted towards the station's audience.
• Impact on radio stations:
• This could potentially lead to increased audience numbers for stations, as more listeners who may have previously not reached the five-minute threshold will now be counted.
• Potential for more ad breaks:
• Stations may be encouraged to create more shorter commercial breaks throughout the hour to capture a larger audience with this new measurement criteria. 

As Traditional Media Wanes..Meet The New Media Influencers

Traditional media is losing its influence under Trump. Axios has compiled the media pecking order for the start of Donald Trump's tenure as 47th President.

The media power brokers in the new Trump administration are different and more powerful than those during the first Trump presidency. They are younger, more visual, less established in Washington, and lean more toward MAGA conservative principles over traditional Republican ideals.

Why it matters: Americans' rejection of soft liberalism at the polls was also a rebuke of the media forces that powered it.While Trump appeared regularly on Fox News in the run-up to the general election, his lack of investment in most traditional TV and print outlets didn't hurt his campaign.

CNN Is Broken, Massive Layoffs Expected

On Monday, Chris Wallace announced that he was leaving CNN after a three-year stint that paid him around $7 million per year. But Wallace won't be the only CNN employee departing the network in the coming weeks and months.

According to new reports from Puck News and the Daily Mail, CNN plans to lay off "hundreds of employees" and some "top stars" as its ratings continue to crater. 

CNN's disappointing election night returns underscored the bleak future the network faces. In 2016, CNN was the most-watched television network on air during election night, averaging 13.3 million viewers in primetime. Yet on Tuesday, CNN averaged just 5.1 million in primetime, losing to MSNBC for the first time in its history.

According to Outkick, the network has set several viewership lows over the past four years, in primetime and total day viewership. CNN lost more than 40% of its year-over-year viewership last week, following Trump's victory.

CNN's declines are particularly concerning given the salaries of some of its talents – specifically, Anderson Cooper, who reportedly makes $20 million a year. 

Cooper, who does not draw a fraction of what Fox News' Jesse Watters and MSNBC' Chris Hayes' do at 8 pm, is not worth an eight-figure salary. Nor are Erin Burnett and Wolf Blitzer worth their respective salaries of reportedly $6 million and $7 million.

However, talents with long-term guaranteed contracts are not easy to dismiss. Often, it's the easier-to-fire producers and coordinators who bear the consequences of network declines, thus the plan to lay off "hundreds of employees."

Mark Thompson

In the meantime, new CNN CEO Mark Thompson plans to focus less on television ratings and more on digital and streaming.

"Since former BBC director general and New York Times Company C.E.O. Mark Thompson took over the network more than a year ago, he has embarked on an ostensibly future-facing strategy that prioritizes digital and streaming growth over linear… all while hoping to manage the decline of the cable asset to prevent this transformation from turning into Chernobyl. On one level, this strategy seems obvious, particularly given the rapid acceleration of cord-cutting, and the fact that the linear asset still pays the bills," Puck reports.

Whether it's linear television or streaming, the network does not give viewers an adequate reason to choose CNN over the bevy of other media options. At least viewers of MSNBC, which is also diminishing, know what they are getting with MSNBC: hyper-partisan left-wing propaganda.

Fox News Channel Most-Watched During Election Week

During the week of the election, November 4-10, FOX News Channel (FNC) was the number one network in all of television with weekday primetime viewers defeating the broadcast competition.

Throughout weekday primetime, FNC commanded 5.4 million viewers, trouncing ABC’s 4.9 million viewers, as well as CBS and NBC which saw just 4.1 million viewers. In primetime for Monday-Sunday (8-11 PM/ET), FNC earned 4.3 million viewers and 872,000 in the 25-54 demo. In total day Monday-Sunday (6AM-6AM/ET), FNC posted 2.6 million viewers and 472,000 in the 25-54 demo. 

This marked FNC’s best week across both primetime and total day since November 2020. Commanding 61% of the cable news audience share, FNC blew CNN and MSNBC out of the water across total day and primetime as the competition saw just 17% and 22% viewership share, respectively. Additionally, FNC’s ratings skyrocketed for the week, delivering the most growth in cable news week-over-week and year-over-year in all categories.

On Election Day, FOX News Media’s primetime coverage of election night across FNC, FOX Network, FOX Business Network (FBN) and FOX News Digital topped all television networks with nearly 13.6 million viewers and 4.4 million in the 25-54 demo. 

FNC’s Democracy 2024 primetime coverage averaged nearly 10.3 million in total viewers and 3.1 million in the 25-54 younger demographic, dominating the competition in both categories and beating ABC, NBC, CBS and all cable news networks for the second election in a row. Co-anchored by Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story’s Martha MacCallum, the network’s marathon coverage from 6 PM – 3 AM/ET averaged 8.6 million viewers and 2.6 million in the 25-54 demo, leading all of television.

FNC’s coverage peaked during the 10 PM/ET hour with 11.2 million viewers and 3.5 million in the 25-54 demo, which was the top telecast of the week even surpassing Monday Night Football on ESPN. Across total day (3 AM – 3 AM/ET), FNC also reigned supreme, averaging 4.7 million viewers and 1.2 million in the younger 25-54 demo for the duration of Election Day coverage. 

In the 1 AM/ET hour, FNC’s Decision Desk was the first major network to call the race for former President Donald Trump and the channel commanded over 7.4 million viewers and 2.4 million in the 25-54 demo, leading CNN and MSNBC combined. In terms of cable news share, FNC occupied 48% of viewers in primetime and 50% across total day.

Following the election, FNC’s special coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech continued to sweep the television news competition on Wednesday, delivering 7.9 million viewers and 1.4 million in the 25-54 demo. Anchored again by Baier and MacCallum, the FOX News Democracy 24 special coverage from 4:15-4:45 PM/ET set a record for post-election coverage and commanded 64% of the cable news audience. 

Comparatively, CNN averaged just 2.2 million viewers and 555,000 in the 25-54 demo and MSNBC saw 2.3 million viewers and 353,000 in the 25-54 demo. According to Nielsen numbers, ABC only pulled 2.4 million viewers and 572,000 in the 25-54 demo, CBS lagged behind with 1.5 million viewers and 327,000 in the 25-54 demo and NBC averaged only 1.7 million viewers and 396,000 in the 25-54 demo during the speech. Notably, Special Report with Bret Baier (6 PM/ET) averaged 5.1 million viewers and 928,000 in the 25-54 demo on Wednesday, besting CBS Evening News which saw 4.5 million viewers and 789,000 in the 25-54 demo. Additionally, America’s Newsroom (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 4,631,000 P2+) and The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 4,502,000 P2+) marked a significant milestone surpassing ABC’s The View (4,470,000 P2+) despite being in fewer homes than the broadcast competitors.

MSNBC, CNN Viewership Drops Dramatically

MSNBC’s rating domination was short-lived: After beating CNN on its election night coverage for the first time in network history, the news network owned by NBCUniversal is now bleeding viewers in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory.

On election night, MSNBC scored 6 million viewers compared to CNN’s 5.1 million. But in the days after the election, the network’s total day ratings fell to 808,000 with a 90,000 in the coveted 25-to-54 year old demo, according to Nielsen.

According to The Wrap, these numbers reflect an average from last Wednesday to Friday. That marks a 54% decrease in the network’s viewership average in the month of October (1.765 million viewers) as well as a 51% decrease in the network’s year-to-date 2024 average (1.655 million viewers). Additionally, on Friday MSNBC saw 636,000 viewers and 61,000 in the demo, making it the network’s lowest rated non-holiday night of the year.

CNN fared slightly better. In the days after the election, the news network’s total daily viewership fell to 611,000 with a 159,000 in the demo. That marked a 36% decrease compared to the network’s average viewership in the month of October (953,000 viewers) as well as a 26% decrease compared to its 2024 average (830,000 viewers).

Both networks are largely considered to have a liberal bias, which at least partially explains their viewership drop off in the wake of Kamala Harris’ loss. Despite these declines MSNBC remains the No. 2 most watched cable news network, beating CNN. This is also part of a fairly expected viewership decline. Directly after the 2016 election, ratings for MSNBC fell. The network then went on to have its four most watched years in its history from 2017 to 2020.