Good Morning! We've Got The Pulse For Wednesday, April 1

Radio Broadcasting

Judge strikes down Trump order to end NPR, PBS funding: Rules key part of executive order targeting public broadcasters unconstitutional. Blocks administration from denying federal funds based on editorial viewpoint. READ MORE

Audacy RIFs:  Devan Kaney has been let go from {hilly's Sports 94.1 WIP as a sideline reporter as part of a new round of layoffs by parent company Audacy that affected multiple markets, company stations and personnel, sources said. READ MORE

Connoisseur Media Adds Cluster:  It bhas agreed to acquire a cluster of radio stations in Lincoln, Nebraska:  from NRG Media, expanding the company’s Midwest footprint. The transaction, which includes five stations and translators, is subject to Federal Communications Commission approval and is expected to close this summer. READ MORE

Media Industry

Nexstar Needs Asset Protections: The company has told a federal court that the temporary restraining order freezing its planned $5.9 billion merger with Tegna threatens to imperil assets and business operations at both companies, asking the judge to reconsider the injunction it said was issued without adequate factual findings. READ MORE

iHM Adds Creative: iHeartMedia has named Jamie Cutburth as president of marketing, a newly created role in which he will lead the company’s marketing strategy, including brand positioning, go-to-market planning, sales enablement, cross-platform packaging and large-scale brand storytelling to drive advertiser demand. READ MORE

U-S News

Trump To Address Nation: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he expected that U.S. military forces will leave Iran in “two or three weeks. We leave because there’s no reason for us to do this,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’ll be ‌leaving very soon.” Hours later, the White House said that Trump will deliver an address “to the nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Ballroom Blitz: A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with construction of a nearly $400 million White House ballroom, siding with challengers who argued the project exceeded executive authority. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, marks an early legal setback for the project, pausing development as the court weighs challenges to the administration’s authority to carry out the overhaul.

SCOTUS Makes 1A Ruling: On Tuesday, The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy violates the First Amendment free speech rights of therapist Kaley Chiles. In deciding the case, The Supreme Court accepted Chiles' argument that the law regulates speech rather than conduct, contrary to Colorado's position. Conversion therapy aims to encourage minors to identify as heterosexual or their birth gender. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson served as the sole dissenter in the ruling. The 6-3 conservative majority frequently supports Christian free speech claims that conflict with anti-discrimination laws.