John Sterling, the legendary voice of the Yankees, has passed away at 87 years old.
Sterling began calling Yankees games in 1989 and famously would never miss a broadcast, calling 5,060 consecutive games up until he missed four games in July of 2019.
Quick Summary of His Career and Recent Status
Broadcasting Legacy: Sterling served as the Yankees' primary radio play-by-play announcer from 1989 through 2024, calling over 5,600 games (including regular season and postseason). He was known for his energetic style, signature home run calls ("It is gone!" followed by a player's name in a unique phrase), and record streak of consecutive games broadcast.
Retirement: He retired in April 2024 at age 85 (effective immediately, citing fatigue from travel), though he returned briefly for select late-season games and the postseason, with his final call coming in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
Sterling is one of the most beloved figures in Yankees history, with a career spanning more than six decades in broadcasting.
Career Timeline & Longevity
Yankees tenure: 36 seasons (1989–2024), during which he became synonymous with Yankees baseball on radio (primarily WFAN).
Games called: Approximately 5,420 regular-season games and 211 postseason games, for a total of around 5,631 Yankees broadcasts.
Consecutive games streak: An incredible 5,060 consecutive regular-season games from 1989 until July 4, 2019 — one of the longest in broadcasting history.
Pre-Yankees work:
Broadcast for the Atlanta Braves (1982–1987), Atlanta Hawks (NBA), New Jersey Nets, Washington Bullets, and New York Islanders (NHL).
Major Achievements & Honors
World Series calls:
Announced eight World Series, including the five Yankees championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.
Awards:
12-time Sports Emmy Award winner, including two for his work hosting/narrating the YES Network’s Yankeeography series.
Hall of Fame: Inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.
Ford C. Frick Award: Finalist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s broadcasting honor in multiple years (including 2024–2025).
Signature Style & Legacy
Sterling was famous for his energetic, theatrical delivery and personalized home run calls (e.g., “It is high, it is far, it is gone!” followed by a player-specific phrase like “Bernie goes boom!” for Bernie Williams or “A-Bomb for A-Rod!”). His dramatic “Theeeee Yankees win!” became an iconic sign-off for victories.
Cherie DeVaux made history Saturday as the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, guiding thoroughbred Golden Tempo to a dramatic come-from-behind victory by a neck under jockey Jose Ortiz.
The milestone, combined with other potential firsts for jockeys, trainers, and horses, drew a record live audience averaging 19.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
Viewership peaked at 24.4 million during the roughly two-minute race, a 12% increase from the 2025 peak.
DeVaux’s emotions overflowed on camera as she celebrated the win. “It really is an honor to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to,” she said afterward, per the Associated Press.
“You can dream big, and you can pivot. You can come from one place and make yourself a part of history.”
Ortiz battled neck-and-neck with his brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode the day’s top favorite, Renegade.
The victory capped a strong evening for NBC, which has averaged 15 million or more viewers for 11 of the past 13 Kentucky Derby telecasts. The network has expanded pre-race coverage and spotlighted compelling backstories, including DeVaux’s breakthrough and veteran jockey Mike Smith’s bid to become the oldest winner at age 59.
The FCC voted unanimously Thursday to advance a proposal that would ban Chinese labs from testing smartphones, computers, cameras, and other electronics for the U.S. market.
The move targets national security risks posed by China, the country where roughly three-quarters of U.S. electronics are currently tested, according to the FCC. Devices must pass FCC authorization tests for radio emissions, network compatibility, and other regulatory requirements before they can be sold in the United States.
Under the proposal, testing labs in China would be barred from conducting these evaluations. Labs in the U.S. or allied countries would receive a streamlined approval process instead.
Radioactive LLC, owned by veteran radio executive Randy Michaels, is reviving the legendary WKRP call letters on FM radio in the Cincinnati market for the first time in decades.
Michaels filed Thursday to assign WKRP-FM to 97.7 WOXY in Mason, Ohio. At the same time, the calls will also appear on 94.5 WYDB in Englewood/Dayton. Both stations are part of the “The Oasis” oldies trimulcast alongside 106.7 WNKR in Williamstown, Kentucky, operated by Grant County Broadcasters.
The format change requests are scheduled to take effect Monday, May 4.
Several major U.S. radio companies filed for bankruptcy protection or launched aggressive cost-cutting drives in the first months of 2026, signaling deepening financial strain across an industry squeezed by massive debt, shrinking ad revenue, and listeners flocking to podcasts and streaming services.
Cumulus Media's Second Chapter 11 Filing
Cumulus Media, owner of more than 400 stations nationwide and the influential Westwood One network, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 5, 2026, its second such filing in just six years. The prepackaged restructuring targets roughly $592–600 million in corporate debt, aiming to slash obligations while keeping stations on the air and employees paid during the process. The filing comes as the company battles the same headwinds hammering legacy radio: cord-cutting, digital competition, and a ratings environment transformed by new measurement tools.
Red Apple Media, owner of WABC Radio NYC, has launched the Worldwide News Network (WNN), a new global audio news platform promising fair, balanced, and real-time reporting to listeners in the United States and around the world.
Lee Harris, a longtime New York radio news leader and former Director of Integrated Operations for NewsNation, has been named Vice President of News for both WABC Radio and the new Worldwide News Network.
The initiative aims to provide content to English-language radio stations globally, with distribution planned across broadcast radio, streaming, mobile apps, smart speakers, podcasts, and syndication partners.
Details on the exact launch date, top-of-the-hour newscasts, and specific programming remain limited. A company spokesperson confirmed that planning for the network has been underway for several months, predating any announcements about the shutdown of CBS News Radio later this month.
The network builds on WABC Radio’s existing multi-platform reach, which already includes listeners in all 50 states and 178 countries. Red Apple Media owner and CEO John Catsimatidis described the venture as the next evolution in accessible news.
“Today’s digital technology gives us the power to deliver the truth instantly, not just across America, but across Europe and around the globe,” Catsimatidis said. “The Worldwide News Network is the natural next step in building a global destination for fair, balanced, no-nonsense news people can trust.”Harris previously spent more than three decades at 1010 WINS, New York’s iconic all-news station.
New research from nuVoodoo shows that radio and streaming reinforce each other among Country listeners rather than compete. The analysis, presented in a CRS360 webinar, expands on findings first shared at CRS 2026.
According to the study, 94% of Country fans use streaming services and 86% still listen to AM/FM radio. Among heavy streaming users, three in five are also heavy radio listeners.
Radio holds a strong edge in new music discovery. Overall, 58% of respondents said they were extremely interested in new Country songs. That number climbed to 65% among Country radio P1s but fell below 50% for heavy streamers with light AM/FM listening habits.
The test evaluated 427 songs across five decades. Pre-2010 titles delivered the strongest performance. Songs from 2015–2019 also scored well, while 2024 and 2025 releases showed wider variance. Fourteen streaming-dominant tracks with limited radio airplay were deliberately included; most ranked in the lower half of the results.
Industry Under Pressure: Several major U.S. radio companies filed for bankruptcy protection or launched aggressive cost-cutting measures in early 2026, highlighting ongoing financial difficulties. The sector continues to grapple with heavy debt loads, declining advertising revenue, and audiences shifting toward podcasts and streaming platforms.
Streamers Not Abandoning Radio: New research from NuVoodoo indicates that radio and streaming services complement rather than compete with each other among Country music listeners. The study, presented during a CRS360 webinar, builds on data first shared at CRS 2026. It found that 94% of Country fans use streaming services while 86% still listen to AM/FM radio. Notably, among heavy streaming users, three in five are also heavy radio listeners.
WKRP Returns to the Airwaves: Radioactive LLC, led by veteran radio executive Randy Michaels, is reviving the iconic WKRP call letters on FM in the Cincinnati market for the first time in decades. Michaels filed to assign WKRP-FM to 97.7 WOXY in Mason, Ohio, with the calls also appearing on 94.5 WYDB in Englewood/Dayton. Both stations are part of “The Oasis” oldies trimulcast, alongside 106.7 WNKR in Williamstown, Kentucky, operated by Grant County Broadcasters. The format changes are set to take effect on Friday, May 8.
A group of 13 states has expanded its antitrust lawsuit to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.1 billion merger with Tegna, turning the challenge into a bipartisan effort.
Five new states — Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont — joined the original eight on Thursday. Indiana, Kansas, and Pennsylvania have Republican attorneys general, broadening the case beyond an initially all-Democratic coalition.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Sacramento, California, seeks to prevent the deal that would create the nation’s largest local broadcast television group, reaching 80% of U.S. households.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) said the issue transcends party lines: “These aren’t Republican or Democratic issues. They are American issues.” Kobach criticized the merger for concentrating broadcast programming in fewer hands, cutting local jobs, raising cable bills, and harming news delivery nationwide.
The case gained momentum after Chief U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley issued a preliminary injunction on April 17, halting the merger while litigation continues.
Nexstar fired back Friday morning, posting on X that the attorneys general misunderstand the challenges facing local news. The company blamed Big Tech platforms, social media misinformation, and economic pressures for newsroom closures, warning: “The alternative to this deal is not more independently owned outlets – it’s the demise of your local broadcast station.”
Nexstar said it plans to expand local news coverage in many markets and announced a separate agreement with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R). Yost said Nexstar committed to upholding journalistic independence, calling it “a cornerstone principle of our democracy.”
Despite the legal pushback, FCC Chairman Brandon Carr supported the merger by waiving the agency’s 39% national ownership cap.
Local television and newspapers in the U.S. are experiencing a prolonged and accelerating decline, driven by media consolidation, intense competition from streaming platforms, plummeting traditional revenue streams, and shifting consumer habits.
This has created widespread "news deserts"—communities with limited or no access to reliable local information—and raised alarms about the erosion of civic engagement, government accountability, and community connection.
The Daily Wire has confirmed layoffs across multiple teams as part of a major restructuring at the conservative media company co-founded by Ben Shapiro.
The cuts were announced Friday and are largely concentrated at the company’s Nashville production office. A spokesperson told The Wrap on May 1, 2026, that the restructuring aims to support investment in new production formats and geographic expansion, including a recently opened Washington, D.C. bureau with White House briefing room credentials. The company stated it will continue prioritizing editorial and investigative journalism.
No official headcount was released.Independent tracker layoffhedge.com estimated approximately 100 roles were eliminated, representing roughly half the workforce.
A new national survey reveals that influencers and independent creators have become a major source of news and information for Americans, with particularly strong adoption among younger people and signaling a significant generational shift in media consumption.
Key Findings from the Poll
57% of U.S. teens and adults say they get at least some news and information from influencers or independent creators. The figure jumps dramatically among teens aged 13 to 17, with 81% reporting they turn to these sources at least sometimes.
Teens are far more likely than older adults to rely on local influencers for community-level information as well.
The survey, part of the Media Insight Project—a collaboration of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the American Press Institute, Northwestern University’s Medill School, and other partners, highlights how non-traditional voices now rival or supplement legacy media, especially for topics like national news, pop culture, and wellness.
The former head of security for Charlie Kirk has filed a defamation lawsuit against podcaster Candace Owens, accusing her of falsely implicating him in a conspiracy to assassinate the conservative activist.
Brian Harpole, who served as Kirk’s security chief for several years and now owns a private security firm, claims Owens wrongly accused him of meeting with Kirk’s wife, Erika, at a military base one day before Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University in September.
The NY Times reports Harpole is also suing Mitch Snow, a retired Army sergeant who appeared on Owens’s podcast and claimed he witnessed the alleged secret meeting.
Howard Stern is seeking to dismiss a $2.5 million lawsuit filed by his former executive assistant, labeling the case a “shakedown” and a “transparent sham.”
The radio host and his wife, Beth Stern, are accused in the suit of fostering a hostile work environment, applying workplace pressure, and abruptly terminating the employee despite earlier promises of a raise and bonus. The former assistant, who started as an office manager in 2022 before becoming Stern’s executive assistant, is also asking the court to invalidate non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements so she can publicly defend her reputation.
A child sexual assault lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will proceed to trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court on a limited portion of the claims.
A judge dismissed most of the case this week, citing the statute of limitations under Massachusetts law, where Tyler and accuser Julia Misley lived during much of their three-year relationship in the 1970s.
However, because the pair allegedly crossed state lines—including into California—while Tyler toured with the band, one claim remains viable under California’s Child Victims Act. That 2020 law created a “lookback window” allowing survivors to file civil suits regardless of expired statutes of limitations.
the LA Times reports Tyler’s attorney, David Long-Daniels, called the ruling “a massive win,” stating the court dismissed “with prejudice 99.9% of the claims” and allowed only “one night, 50-plus years ago, out of a three-year relationship” to proceed.
➦In 1886...The graphophone, the bridge between the earlier gramophone and the modern phonograph, was patented, featuring wax cylinders which conducted music better than Thomas Edison's original tinfoil ones.
It was invented at the Volta Laboratory established by Alexander Graham Bell in Washington, D.C., United States.
Its trademark usage was acquired successively by the Volta Graphophone Company, then the American Graphophone Company, the North American Phonograph Company, and finally by the Columbia Phonograph Company (later to become Columbia Records), all of which either produced or sold Graphophones.
It took five years of research under the directorship of Charles Sumner Tainter and Chichester Bell at the Volta Laboratory to develop and distinguish their machine from Thomas Edison's phonograph.
Among their other innovations, the researchers experimented with lateral recording techniques as early as 1881. Contrary to the vertically-cut grooves of Edison phonographs, the lateral recording method used a cutting stylus that moved from side to side in a "zig zag" pattern across the record. While cylinder phonographs never employed the lateral cutting process commercially, this was later to become the primary method of phonograph disc recording.
Bell and Tainter also developed wax-coated cardboard cylinders for their record cylinders, instead of Edison's cast iron cylinder which was covered with a removable film of tinfoil (the actual recording medium) which was prone to damage during installation or removal. Tainter received a separate patent for a tube assembly machine to automatically produce the coiled cardboard tubes which served as the foundation for the wax cylinder records. The shift from tinfoil to wax resulted in increased sound fidelity as well as record longevity.
Besides being far easier to handle, the wax recording medium also allowed for lengthier recordings and created superior playback quality. Additionally the Graphophones initially deployed foot treadles to rotate the recordings, then wind-up clockwork drive mechanisms, and finally migrated to electric motors, instead of the manual crank that was used on Edison's phonograph.
➦In 1922...WJR Detroit sign-on as WCX, owned by the Detroit Free Press newspaper, operating at 580 kHz from the Free Press Building. It shared this frequency with WWJ, another station owned by The Detroit News. In 1925, the Jewett Radio & Phonograph Company of Pontiac, Michigan purchased WCX. Sometime thereafter the station became known as WCX/WJR. Also by 1925, WWJ was at 850 kHz, and both stations were broadcasting with 5000 watts of power. On November 11, 1928, it moved to 750 as a result of the FRC's General Order 40 (it has broadcast on 950 AM since 1941).
On December 16, 1928, the station moved from the newspaper's offices to its current location in the Fisher Building. It began identifying as "WJR Detroit, from the Golden Tower of the Fisher Building," which soon became famous across the country. Goodwill Stations Inc., formed by George A. Richards (who also owned the Detroit Lions), acquired WJR in 1929, and it became known as "The Goodwill Station" (along with WGAR in Cleveland and KMPC in Los Angeles).
WCX ceased to exist, and WJR acquired all its assets. In 1931, the station raised its power to 10,000 watts; four years later, it would broadcast with 50,000 watts. On March 29, 1941, WJR moved from 750 to 760 kHz in accordance with the NARBA frequency reallocations. Before North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement of 1941, 750 kHz was a clear channel under 1928 rules.
The Fisher Building, a National Historic site in the City's New Center area, is home to the Fisher Theatre, with the WJR radio antenna
Logo '70s-'80s
WJR became a CBS affiliate on September 29, 1935, after having been affiliated with NBC-Blue. On the same date, WJR's officials formally dedicated the station's new 50,000 W transmitter.
Richards died in May 1951, and in 1964, Goodwill Stations was sold to Capital Cities Communications, which later merged with ABC and later with the Walt Disney Company. Upon the sale, WJR's air slogan became "The Great Voice of the Great Lakes". Also in 1964, WJR acquired full rights to Detroit Tigers baseball games with announcers Ernie Harwell and George Kell. The station became the flagship of the "Tiger Baseball Network." In the late 1960s, WJR also became the flagship station for Detroit Red Wings hockey and Detroit Pistons basketball.
Logo Today
The station is also remembered among many Metro Detroiters for its advertising campaigns and jingles including "W-J-R ... Radio 76 ... Cares About Detroit." Another: "This is America's finest - AM stereo 76." Regularly on his show, J.P. McCarthy would state in a nonchalant way "This is the world's greatest radio station, WJR Detroit," with a manner that made it seem like the most obvious of facts.
WJR signed on an FM outlet in 1948 at 96.3 MHz. The station was known as WJR-FM until 1982 when it became WHYT. It is now WDVD.
Music programming on WJR has been phased out almost entirely over the past two decades. As of June 2014.
WJR was sold with other ABC Radio stations to Citadel Broadcasting in January 2006. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.
➦In 1922...KNX-AM, Los Angeles, California signed-on.
➦In 1904...Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby born (some sources list May 2 – Died from heart attack October 14, 1977).
Bind Crosby
He was the first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954. His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II. In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. Also in 1948, Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music.
Crosby won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944 motion picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role in The Bells of St. Mary's opposite Ingrid Bergman the next year, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award. He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording. He was also known for his collaborations with longtime friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to... films from 1940 to 1962.
Crosby influenced the development of the postwar recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to America by John T. Mullin, he invested $50,000 in a California electronics company called Ampex to build copies. He then convinced ABC to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Through the medium of recording, he constructed his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting) used in motion picture production, a practice that became an industry standard. In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, he helped to finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
On September 2, 1931, Crosby made his nationwide solo radio debut. Before the end of the year, he signed with both Brunswick and CBS Radio. Doing a weekly 15-minute radio broadcast, Crosby became a hit.
Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri is calling on the FCC eliminate longstanding local radio ownership limits, arguing the decades-old rules are outdated and prevent broadcasters from competing effectively against digital streaming platforms and large online advertisers.
In a letter filed in MB Docket No. 22-459, company President John P. Zimmer said the current ownership caps, largely unchanged since 1996, no longer reflect marketplace realities. He urged the FCC to loosen or remove the restrictions as part of its ongoing review of media ownership rules.
Zimmer wrote that Congress has directed the FCC to periodically update these rules, yet the limits continue to block broadcasters from achieving economies of scale needed for stronger local service and long-term financial stability.
The company, which owns and operates 10 stations across six Missouri markets, faces intensifying revenue pressure as advertising dollars shift to digital platforms. Smaller and mid-sized market stations, in particular, struggle with limited local ad bases while still covering high operational, staffing, and programming costs.
Staffing reductions driven by these pressures can directly harm a station’s ability to deliver essential local services, especially during emergencies such as severe weather, when radio often provides continuous, life-saving information to communities.
Zimmer noted that his company has diversified by acquiring a local magazine and launching a digital advertising business. However, FCC rules still restrict further investment and growth in its core radio operations.
According to the filing, relaxing ownership caps would enable broadcasters to:
Acquire additional stations.
Spread programming and operational costs.
Increase content diversity.
Better compete for audiences and advertising revenue.
Boston-based GBH and Springfield-based New England Public Media (NEPM) announced plans Friday to formally merge their operations by summer 2026, creating one of the largest statewide public media organizations in Massachusetts while preserving separate branding, headquarters, and signature programming.
GBH President and CEO Susan Goldberg will continue leading the combined organization. The move builds on seven years of collaboration and aims to expand reach, improve efficiencies, and enhance sustainability amid challenges facing public media, including potential federal funding cuts.
The merger is expected to create a unified entity reaching more than 1.3 million people across Massachusetts each week with trusted local news, information, and entertainment. Both organizations’ boards have approved the deal. The transfer of NEPM’s broadcast licenses to GBH remains subject to approval by the FCC.
“This is a forward-thinking plan to scale our journalism while maintaining our focus on local coverage,” Goldberg said in a statement. “By becoming a more sustainable business operation, we ensure that every resident of the Commonwealth has access to fact-based reporting and stories that matter — even in the face of federal defunding.”
The chairman of the FCC has denied that the White House pressured the agency to open an early license review of Disney’s eight ABC television stations, saying the probe was driven solely by the company’s diversity practices.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated the decision was made internally with “no pressure from the outside” and “no call for agency action from the outside.” He emphasized that “the FCC should not operate as the speech police.”
The announcement came one day after President Donald Trump publicly pressured Disney to remove ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling it a “serious mistake” to keep him on air.
“I don’t understand how he can be on air. I think ABC is putting themselves in great jeopardy, actually,” Trump told Newsmax on Thursday.
Carr opened the investigation into Disney’s diversity practices in March 2025. He said Disney submitted documents last week that he deemed insufficient, and he is considering additional early reviews. He declined to say whether similar scrutiny of Comcast and NBC is forthcoming.
Urban One, parent company of Radio One, is acquiring two prominent Dallas-Fort Worth FM stations from a longtime local owner, reshaping the market’s urban and R&B radio landscape while spinning off another signal to a Christian broadcaster.
On Friday, Urban One announced an agreement to purchase KKDA 104.5 FM (“K104,” hip-hop) and KRNB 105.7 FM (“Smooth R&B 105.7,” adult R&B) from Hymen Childs’ Service Broadcasting Group.
Simultaneously, Radio One is transferring its 94.5 KZMJ-FM (R&B) to the Encouragement Media Group (EMG), which plans to launch its Spanish Christian “Fuzión” format on that signal.
Both deals are subject to FCC approval, with financial terms undisclosed.
Curtis Media Group, a Raleigh-based broadcasting company, has closed on a $1.75 million deal to acquire five radio stations and two translators in and around Wilmington, significantly expanding its presence in coastal North Carolina.
The acquired stations include:
Modern Rock 98.7
Jammin 99.9
Sunny 103.7
Z107.5
ESPN Wilmington
95.9 The Breeze
The stations are located in Jacksonville (98.7 FM), Boiling Spring Lakes (99.9 FM), Southport (107.5 FM), Wrightsville Beach (103.7 FM), and Wilmington (95.9 FM).
Two new DJs are joining KCRW-FM 89.9 as the Santa Monica public radio station overhauls its music programming lineup and parts ways with a longtime on-air personality.
DJ J.Rocc, founder of the influential Beat Junkies turntablist collective, will host a new weekly show Sundays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Olive Kimoto, a DJ and musician known for her work in the trip-hop band Locust, will follow with her own program Mondays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
At the same time, the station let go of veteran DJ Dan Wilcox, who had been on staff for 19 years after years as a volunteer. His longtime slot is being replaced by J.Rocc’s new show as part of broader programming updates.
“The magic of KCRW’s music programming is that it’s made by people with something to say, not just something to play,” said Alejandro Cohen, KCRW’s music director. “While J.Rocc and Olive are equipped with deep musical expertise, what we’re most excited about is the way their specific voices and cultural authority will compel listeners to discover things they didn’t realize they were looking for.”
USA Today Co. reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $548.5 million, down 4% from the prior year, but swung to a net income of $19.9 million — a $27.2 million improvement from a $7.3 million loss in Q1 2025 — driven by digital growth, higher subscription revenue per user, and significant cost reductions.
The company highlighted ongoing progress in its digital transformation, with digital revenue reaching $261.9 million (47.8% of total revenue) and growing 5.2% on a same-store basis.
Digital-only subscription revenue rose to $45.9 million, marking a return to year-over-year growth and the third consecutive quarter of sequential gains.
USA Today Co. ended the quarter with approximately 1.46 million paid digital subscriptions (some reports cite 1.33–1.5 million digital-only), supported by a record-high average revenue per user (ARPU) of $10.30, up sharply from the prior year.
At least 40% of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom is expected to lose their jobs Monday as the newspaper’s new nonprofit owners assume control, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh said Friday.
The Guild anticipates the newsroom workforce could ultimately be cut in half once all employees receive formal notice. The reductions will significantly shrink coverage of local news, high school and college sports, arts, editing, and production at Pittsburgh’s oldest newspaper.
The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism — the nonprofit publisher of the Baltimore Banner — is acquiring the Post-Gazette from Block Communications Inc. The sale was announced April 14. Institute founder Stewart Bainum previously indicated the nonprofit would likely reduce the roughly 100-person newsroom due to industry pressures.
Staff were required to reapply for their positions and undergo 20-minute interviews with Institute leaders. Job offers went to about half the newsroom starting Wednesday, while others began receiving non-retention notices Thursday.
Alex Jones signed off from Infowars on Thursday night after nearly three decades on air, but immediately vowed to continue his broadcasts on a new platform.
In a defiant final episode from the Austin studio, Jones told viewers the power would be cut at midnight and framed the shutdown not as an end, but as the start of a renewed fight. He directed his audience to AlexJonesLive.com and a companion app, which he said were already operational, along with plans for a new studio.
“We’ve only just begun to fight,” Jones declared, urging followers to join him on the new venture while promoting merchandise, supplements, and donations. Less than a day later, he relaunched under the Alex Jones Network banner.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that the 2026 Marconi Radio Award nomination window is open through May 31. The prestigious NAB Marconi Radio Awards, established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, recognize stations and individuals for their excellence and performance in radio.
The winners of the 2026 Marconi Radio Awards will be announced during a special dinner program on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom the night before NAB Show New York held on Oct. 21 – 22.
The Marconi Radio Award finalists are selected by an independent body of broadcasters and will be announced in summer 2026.
All nominations must be submitted through the NAB member portal. The complete list of entry rules and qualifications can be found here.
Contact Tobi Hall at thall@nab.org for questions regarding the NAB Marconi Radio Awards, nomination process or station eligibility.
FOX News Channel’s (FNC) FOX & Friends (weekdays, 6-9 AM/ET) has set off on an all-American road trip in celebration of America250.
Co-hosts Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones are traveling across the country in a branded RV to host the top-rated morning show from local restaurants and establishments in six different cities. The seven-week tour will conclude in Wildwood, New Jersey on June 12th, following which the fully outfitted RV will be given away to one lucky fan live during July 3rd’s edition of FOX & Friends.
The “For All America” road trip kicked off this past week at the Armadillo Palace in Houston, Texas and will visit five additional cities over the next six weeks, including:
The Big Biscuit in Lenexa, Kansas, on May 6
Fudpuckers in Destin, Florida, on May 15
Tortuga Jacks in Jekyll Island, Georgia, on May 28
Lulus in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on June 5
Duffer’s Restaurant and Homemade Ice Cream Parlor in Wildwood, New Jersey, on June 12
The station shared time with Dallas stations WFAA and WRR. It was the first station in the United States to have an audible logo signal similar to the NBC chimes, the WBAP cowbell. According to President Herbert Hoover, the station's call letters stood for "We Bring A Program".
On May 15, 1923, the Federal Radio Commission expanded the broadcast band, and WBAP and WFAA moved to 630 kHz. Another expansion moved WBAP to 600 kHz effective April 15, 1927, and this frequency was shared with WOAI in San Antonio. On November 11, 1928, WBAP moved to 800 kHz, and on June 1, 1929, WFAA also moved to 800 kHz, sharing time (and NBC Red network affiliation) with WBAP.
Station owner Amon G. Carter was unhappy with having to share time on 800 kHz with WFAA. In May 1938, Carter Publishing purchased KGKO Wichita Falls (570 kHz) and moved it to Fort Worth as an affiliate of the NBC Blue network (which became ABC), and more importantly as a second frequency to be used when 800 kHz was not available. On March 29, 1941, as a consequence of the Treaty of Havana, WBAP and WFAA moved one last time, to 820 kHz.
Carter eventually sold half of KGKO to A.H. Belo, owners of WFAA, and on April 27, 1947, KGKO was replaced by a second shared frequency between WBAP and WFAA.
The dual frequency sharing arrangement between WBAP and WFAA continued through the 1950s and 1960s, with the stations switching frequencies several times a day. When WBAP changed frequencies, it signaled the change with a cowbell, which became widely associated with the station.
Even though the stations swapped frequencies several times each day, the network affiliations remained constant: NBC network programming stayed on 820 kHz and ABC network programming stayed on 570 kHz. This frequently proved confusing for announcers and listeners alike.
On May 1, 1970, the unique dual split-frequency lives of WBAP and WFAA ended when WBAP paid $3.5 million to WFAA in exchange for sole occupancy of 820 kHz (and the NBC affiliation).
WFAA took on 570 kHz (and the ABC affiliation) full-time. Once the frequency-sharing with WFAA ended in 1970, both stations were free to program musical formats, and WBAP began programming country music.
It also gained the added benefit of 820's clear-channel signal; previously WFAA controlled it during these prime nighttime hours. After a series of network affiliation changes in the late 1970s among WBAP, KRLD and WFAA, WBAP switched affiliations to ABC.
The original license for what would become KPQ was granted in 1927 to radio station entrepreneur Louis Wasmer, who named Seattle as the city of license and chose the call letters KGCL. He sold the not-yet-broadcasting station to a local sporting goods store, who officially changed the calls to KPQ. The store then resold it to Westcoast Broadcasting, who in 1928 "moved out" the station to Wenatchee.
➦In 1932...the first scheduled radio show featuring Jack Benny debuted on the NBC Blue Network. Here's a video clip from 1942.
Jack Benny first appeared on radio as a guest of Ed Sullivan in March 1932. He was then given his own show later that year, with Canada Dry Ginger Ale as a sponsor —The Canada Dry Ginger Ale Program, beginning May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing there for six months until October 26, moving the show to CBS on October 30. Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933.
Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934 with Frank Black leading the band. He continued with The General Tire Revue for the rest of that season, and in the fall of 1934, for General Foods as The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny (1934–42) and, when sales of Jell-O were affected by sugar rationing during World War II, The Grape Nuts Flakes Program Starring Jack Benny (later the Grape Nuts and Grape Nuts Flakes Program) (1942–44). On October 1, 1944, the show became The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny, when American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes took over as his radio sponsor, through the mid-1950s. By that time, the practice of using the sponsor's name as the title began to fade.
The show returned to CBS on January 2, 1949, as part of CBS president William S. Paley's "raid" of NBC talent in 1948-49. There it stayed for the remainder of its radio run, which ended on May 22, 1955. CBS aired repeats of previous 1953-55 radio episodes from 1956 to 1958 as The Best of Benny for State Farm Insurance, who later sponsored his television program from 1960 through 1965.
➦In 1941...the FCC okayed the regular scheduling of TV broadcasts by commercial TV stations to begin on July 1. But the onset in the US of WW2 delayed the effective start television until the end of the decade.
➦In 1960...WLS 890 AM, Chicago, Illinois, flipped its format from Country to Top 40.
WLS had been wholly owned and operated by the radio division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) since the purchase of its parent company in 1959. Five years earlier WLS was merged with WENR, a station with which WLS had shared its frequency since the 1920s
Press Gazette’s latest annual ranking of the biggest English-language news publishers on YouTube shows strong subscriber growth across the board, with the platform solidifying its role as a key destination for news consumption.
The analysis highlights how traditional broadcasters, newspapers, and digital outlets are expanding their audiences on the video platform.
The BBC now leads with 19.7 million subscribers, climbing four spots since the previous ranking in January 2025 to surpass Vice News (19.1 million), ABC News (19.5 million), and CNN (19.5 million). USA Today remains the largest U.S. newspaper on YouTube with 7.5 million subscribers (up 3%), while The Sun leads U.K. newspapers with 6.4 million (up 7%).
Key Highlights from the Ranking
Press Gazette identified 122 English-language news publishers with more than one million YouTube subscribers, up from previous counts, with seven new entrants crossing the threshold (including LBC, The Independent, Novara Media, and others). A separate list of 28–31 major news influencers also showed even faster growth.
Overall growth:
The 115 publishers tracked from the prior ranking grew subscribers by an average of 16%. News influencers averaged 20% growth.
Top performers: Fifteen publishers now exceed 10 million subscribers, including Al Jazeera English (18 million), NDTV (15.7 million), and Fox News (15.2 million).
U.S. and U.K. newspaper leaders: USA Today and The Sun hold their positions as the biggest in their respective markets.
YouTube’s importance for news continues to rise. The platform reported over 15 billion hours of news watched in the first half of 2025 alone, with half of polled voters now getting more news from YouTube than traditional TV. Publishers plan to invest heavily in the platform this year, according to industry reports.
The ranking, Press Gazette’s third since 2022, also tracks views, upload volume, and fastest-growing channels. For instance, Indian outlet Firstpost added the most subscribers (2.9 million, +45%), while channels like India Today lead in video output.
Among influencers, figures like Johnny Harris and Joe Rogan (20.9 million subscribers) draw massive engagement.
This data underscores YouTube’s shift from a supplementary platform to a core distribution channel for news organizations worldwide, driving both subscriber gains and strategic pivots toward video content tailored for younger audiences.
The FCC is preparing to place a radio operator under early license renewal scrutiny over public interest obligations, just days after ordering Disney’s eight local ABC television stations to file renewals two years ahead of schedule.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced the upcoming radio review Thursday but did not name the broadcaster.
He emphasized the agency’s focus on accountability. “We’ve been very clear that we’re holding broadcasters accountable to their obligations,” Carr said. “It’s gone all the way to the Supreme Court, and they’ve said that holding broadcasters to their public interest obligations isn’t censorship and it isn’t a violation of their First Amendment.”
A group of television consumers filed a federal lawsuit in California on Friday seeking to halt Paramount Global’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), arguing the deal would violate antitrust laws by reducing competition in the streaming and entertainment industry.
The plaintiffs contend that the merger would lead to higher prices for consumers, fewer choices in streaming services and content, and a reduction in new productions, ultimately harming viewers. They are asking the court to block the transaction before it can close.
Paramount responded that the lawsuit lacks merit and vowed to defend the deal vigorously. The company maintains that the combination would create a stronger competitor in the rapidly evolving media landscape dominated by tech giants like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney.
Five additional states have joined a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to block or unwind Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc., expanding the challenge to a bipartisan coalition of 13 states and intensifying legal pressure on the deal that has already closed.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont have joined the suit, which was originally filed last month by eight states.
The amended complaint argues the merger violates federal antitrust laws by creating an overly concentrated local television market, potentially leading to higher advertising and consumer prices, reduced competition, job cuts in newsrooms, and diminished local programming.
The coalition now includes attorneys general from: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia.
FCC Targets Radio Broadcaster for Early License Review: The FCC is preparing to place an unnamed radio operator under early license renewal scrutiny over public interest obligations. The move comes just days after the FCC ordered Disney’s eight local ABC television stations to file renewals two years ahead of schedule. FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced the radio review Thursday but did not identify the broadcaster. He stressed the agency’s commitment to enforcing public interest obligations, citing Supreme Court precedent that such oversight does not violate the First Amendment.
Salem Media Launches National Morning Show: Larry O’Connor is host of new national morning program, “O’Connor & Company,” launching May 4 from 6:00–9:00 a.m. Eastern. The show will air on more than 140 stations across the Salem Radio Network and simulcast on the Salem News Channel. O’Connor will continue hosting the same slot on WMAL in Washington, D.C.
RIP: Chad Hasty: Longtime West Texas radio host Chad Hasty died Thursday at age 43. The influential conservative voice in Lubbock and state politics passed away peacefully in his sleep at his Lubbock County home, according to Townsquare Media, owner of News/Talk 95.1 & 970 KFYO. His cause of death has not been released, but officials believe it was natural.
Apple delivered strong iPhone sales and healthy profit margins in its latest quarter, providing a solid financial foundation for incoming CEO John Ternus.
The company reported quarterly revenue of $111.2 billion, beating Wall Street expectations, driven by a 21.7% surge in iPhone sales to nearly $57 billion. Customers upgraded devices at a brisk pace, fueled by excitement over the iPhone 17 lineup.Apple’s gross profit margin reached 49.3%, also exceeding forecasts and underscoring the strength of its premium business.
iPhone sales in China jumped 28% in the quarter, marking a second straight period of strong growth after years of weakness. The results helped Apple claim the top global smartphone market share position in the March quarter for the first time, according to Counterpoint Research. Its dominance in the premium segment helped shield it from rising component costs.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday that the agency’s decision to order an early license review for Disney’s ABC television stations stems from an ongoing investigation into the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, not from President Trump’s public feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
“This was based on DEI conduct and not speech,” Carr said at a press conference following the FCC’s monthly meeting.
The review focuses on whether Disney’s DEI initiatives violate the FCC’s equal employment opportunity rules that prohibit discrimination based on race and gender. Carr said information received from Disney has raised suspicions of noncompliance, and he accused the company of being slow and evasive in its responses. “It felt like they were playing rope-a-dope,” Carr said of Disney’s handling of document requests.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup returns to the United States for the first time in over 30 years, creating a powerful advertising window where global scale, emotion, and real-time consumer attention converge.
Spanning 11 host cities from June 11 to July 19, the tournament offers brands a rare chance to connect with highly engaged domestic audiences during one of the year’s biggest media moments.Radio stands out as an essential channel during the event. As fans follow matches across time zones while commuting, working, running errands, or multitasking, AM/FM radio provides constant, always-on access to live action and conversation—reaching consumers even when screens are unavailable.
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