Good Morning: Here's The Pulse For Monday, July 6

Radio Broadcasting

Tigger Off Air: Atlanta V-103 personality Big Tigger announced he is stepping away from the microphone as his ongoing personal issues and legal battles continue to dominate public attention.

D/FW Radio Reshape: Radio One (Urban One) is set to begin reshaping its Dallas/Fort Worth radio cluster on Monday, July 6, as it prepares to close on acquisitions of heritage urban stations KKDA-FM (K104) and KRNB-FM (105.7 Smooth R&B) while divesting Adult R&B outlet KZMJ-FM (Majic 94.5).

Study Radio's Connection: New research from Katz reveals that radio continues to stand out as a habitual and emotionally connected medium that audiences return to consistently throughout the week. More than 86% of listeners tune in on a frequent basis, making it a trusted daily companion.

Media Industry

Sports Subs Hits Limit: A new Hub Research study of 1,600 respondents found the average American spends $83 per month on TV subscriptions — a figure that has remained steady since 2022. However, the maximum most people say they’re willing to pay averages just $86 per month. Those subscribed to three or more services report they have already exceeded their personal limits.

Record Soccer Ratings: Fox’s broadcast of the USMNT’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday became the most-watched soccer telecast in English-language U.S. history, with a preliminary average of 24.429 million viewers and a peak audience of 31.883 million.

New Life For Info-Wars: The Chicago-based satirical newspaper The Onion has relaunched InfoWars as a parody platform, more than a year and seven months after winning the initial bankruptcy auction for the conspiracy website founded by Alex Jones.

U-S News

Trump Card: President Trump called Gianni Infantino on July 1 to urge the FIFA president to review the controversial red card issued to star U.S. Men's National Soccer Team forward Folarin Balogun, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. Balogun's red card and suspension for the next U.S. World Cup match was reversed on July 5.

Birthright To Congress: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said in a July 5 Fox News interview that Congress should take up a legislative effort to curtail birthright citizenship in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to redefine who is an American.

Coney Island Shooting: At least eight people, including four children, were shot and injured at a family barbecue in Brooklyn's Coney Island late on July 4, according to the New York Police Department.

Atlanta Radio: Big Tigger Steps Away from Radio Mic

Atlanta radio personality Big Tigger announced he is stepping away from the microphone as his ongoing personal issues and legal battles continue to dominate public attention.

In a statement posted online, the longtime V-103 host said he plans to focus on his family and efforts to clear his name. He explicitly denied abuse allegations made by his estranged wife, Alicia Brown.

The announcement comes as Brown remains embroiled in a highly public dispute with Tigger that includes his recent arrest, claims of infidelity and domestic abuse, and a separate defamation lawsuit filed against him by his V-103 co-host, Francesca Amiker.

Details of the Announcement

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Big Tigger (@bigtiggershow)

Tigger’s decision to step back marks a significant pause for the veteran broadcaster, known for his work on Atlanta’s hip-hop and R&B airwaves. His message emphasized prioritizing personal matters over his public role during this challenging period.

The situation escalated into public view following Brown’s accusations, which have led to Tigger’s arrest and drawn widespread media coverage. The conflict also involves allegations of infidelity alongside the abuse claims. Compounding the issues, co-host Francesca Amiker has filed a defamation lawsuit against Tigger, adding another layer of legal pressure to his professional and personal life.

Tigger has maintained his innocence regarding the abuse allegations as he seeks to resolve these matters privately with his family. No timeline was given for his return to radio.

D/FW Radio: Radio One Ready To Reshape Cluster

Radio One (Urban One) is set to begin reshaping its Dallas/Fort Worth radio cluster on Monday, July 6, as it prepares to close on acquisitions of heritage urban stations KKDA-FM (K104) and KRNB-FM (105.7 Smooth R&B) while divesting Adult R&B outlet KZMJ-FM (Majic 94.5).

The most immediate change involves The Rickey Smiley Morning Show moving from KZMJ to sister Hip Hop station 97.9 The Beat (KBFB). Smiley’s syndicated show originally launched on KBFB in 2004, entered national syndication in 2008, left in 2017 for a local morning show, and returned to the market on KZMJ in 2019 to succeed Tom Joyner on Radio One’s Adult R&B outlets.

Monday will also mark the final day of broadcasting for Majic 94.5 under its current Adult R&B format. The station is being sold to Encouragement Media Group’s Fuzion Dallas for a planned launch of Spanish Christian “Fuzion” programming. PD/middays host Queen Indy Bee addressed listeners: “This is not goodbye, it’s see ya later! ... Our last day broadcasting is Monday, 7/6.”

These moves are part of a larger transaction announced in May 2026. Urban One agreed to buy KKDA and KRNB from Service Broadcasting for $22 million and sell KZMJ for $6 million. The deals are pending final FCC approval and closing but allow operational changes to begin now. 

Programming and community focus on the acquired stations are expected to remain largely consistent, expanding Radio One’s reach in the DFW urban market with three core signals serving Black audiences.

What Makes a Favorite Radio Station?

AM/FM radio remains a powerful, irreplaceable part of consumers’ daily routines, even in today’s crowded media landscape.

New research from Katz reveals that radio continues to stand out as a habitual and emotionally connected medium that audiences return to consistently throughout the week. More than 86% of listeners tune in on a frequent basis, making it a trusted daily companion.

When and Where People Listen

Radio’s strength lies in its ability to fit seamlessly into listeners’ days:

• Weekday mornings are the peak listening period, with 64% of listeners tuning in between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
• Afternoon drive draws 52% of listeners.
• Midday reaches 41%.

The car remains radio’s dominant environment, accounting for half of all listening. This makes AM/FM one of the few media channels that reliably reaches consumers when they are away from screens and often in a receptive, decision-making mindset.

For advertisers, these insights highlight radio’s unique ability to deliver messages during highly attentive moments — especially during commutes and daily transitions — when listeners are engaged and available.

Radio’s power goes far beyond simple reach and frequency. At its core, it’s the strong emotional connection listeners have with their favorite stations that sets it apart.

• 91% of listeners say their favorite station improves their mood.
• 84% feel their station is deeply connected to their local community.
• 93% say they would genuinely miss it if it were no longer available.

These are not the reactions of casual users. They reflect real, long-term relationships. In fact, one in four listeners has been tuning into their favorite station for more than 20 years.

This enduring loyalty demonstrates radio’s unique ability to become a meaningful part of people’s lives — often spanning decades.

PERSONALITIES DRIVE LOYALTY

One of the strongest findings from the study centers on the importance of DJs, on-air personalities and hosts. Nearly two-thirds of listeners (63%) say personalities are either very important or extremely important to their enjoyment of a station. More than half (57%) can name a favorite on-air personality from their preferred station.

These personalities do more than introduce songs or share local information. They help create the emotional connection listeners feel toward their stations and serve as trusted voices in their communities.

The influence of personalities extends beyond content and into advertising effectiveness as well.

TRUSTED VOICES INFLUENCE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

When a trusted radio personality recommends a product or service, listeners take notice.

• Six in ten listeners (61%) say they are more likely to consider a brand when it is endorsed by a DJ or on-air personality.
• Nearly 40% say these endorsements feel more personal and authentic than traditional advertising, while 37% say they attract more attention than a standard commercial.
• Nearly 59% say they pay attention to advertisements on their favorite stations.
• 57% trust brands advertised there.
• 61% say they are more likely to consider brands they hear advertised on the station.

The trust listeners place in radio personalities also translates into broader advertiser benefits.

 These findings help explain why personality-driven endorsements and live reads continue to be among radio's most effective advertising tools.

And for millions of listeners, that still means radio. Listeners tune in frequently, often during highly valuable moments such as morning commutes and in-car travel. They maintain deep emotional connections with their favorite stations, engage across multiple stations and platforms, and develop meaningful relationships with on-air personalities.

For advertisers, these findings reinforce what radio has always delivered: consistent reach, trusted voices, emotional engagement, and influence that extends beyond awareness into genuine consideration and action.

MRC Radio Council Accrediation On Hold At Nielsen

Nielsen’s Audio Diary Measurement Service has entered a six-month accreditation hiatus with the Media Rating Council (MRC) as the company refines its rollout of the new mSurvey mobile diary tool.

The pause, which began June 23 and runs through December 23, was announced last week to clients in a letter. 

It stems from methodology changes tied to the broader implementation of mSurvey, which Nielsen started phasing into diary markets earlier this year.

MRC accreditation requires an independent audit of a measurement service’s methodology, data collection, and reporting to verify it meets industry standards. Any significant changes trigger a new review process.

Key Changes in the Letter

Nielsen outlined three main elements of the update:

• Expanded recruitment via mSurvey, eScreener, and third-party survey panels.
• A low-burden digital survey designed to be completed in minutes rather than days.
• A responsive digital format that adapts in real time to participant input.

Nielsen emphasized that the hiatus does not affect day-to-day business. Client currency and reporting remain unchanged, the hiatus does not apply to PPM services for audio or TV, and the traditional paper diary continues for the majority of the sample.

mSurvey Rollout Details

Nielsen began implementing mSurvey with the Spring 2026 survey on April 2. It initially covered about 10% of the total sample, with the remaining 90% still using paper diaries. The digital tool allows respondents to log listening online—primarily via smartphone—and was first introduced to households without residents age 55 or older, as well as those including Black, non-Hispanic, and renter populations.

Nielsen plans to move the expanded digital instruments into full production early next year and will provide regular progress updates to clients and the MRC during the hiatus.

Why Listeners Are Lonelier

Average hours per day special socializing by age

Americans are socializing significantly less than they did 20 years ago, a trend affecting every generation, according to the latest American Time Use Survey.

Why It Matters

According to Axios, this growing social isolation represents a fundamental shift in daily life, with wide-ranging consequences for mental health, community trust, what we believe, and even how long we live.

By the Numbers

• Average daily socializing time has dropped from 45 minutes to 35 minutes over the past two decades.
• The decline is steepest among young people: 15- to 24-year-olds now spend just 35 minutes per day socializing, down from a full hour.

What’s Driving the Change

Several overlapping trends are fueling this “Anti-Social Century,” as Substack writer Derek Thompson calls it:

• Smartphones and social media: Many interactions now happen through screens rather than in person. Teens alone spend an average of 4.8 hours daily on apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
• Persistent post-pandemic habits: Remote work and remote life have continued, reducing casual face-to-face contact.
• More comfortable isolation at home: Larger homes, bigger TVs, and widespread food delivery apps make staying in easier than ever.
• Decline of physical gathering spaces: Libraries, coffee shops, museums, and other hangout spots have closed in large numbers over the past decade. Churches are also shuttering at unprecedented rates.

The result is a society where retreating from social interaction has become the path of least resistance.

Consumers Reaching Limits for Sports Packages

Consumers are nearing their spending limits on TV subscriptions as media companies pour billions into sports rights, raising questions about how much longer fans will keep paying for live events.

A new Hub Research study of 1,600 respondents found the average American spends $83 per month on TV subscriptions — a figure that has remained steady since 2022. However, the maximum most people say they’re willing to pay averages just $86 per month. Those subscribed to three or more services report they have already exceeded their personal limits.

The Sports Fan Reality

Those numbers fall far short of what a dedicated sports fan needs to spend. Subscribing to the nine streaming services holding exclusive rights to major leagues (NFL, NBA) and others (WWE, Formula 1) would cost $168.17 per month — or $2,018 per year.

That’s more than $20 above the most expensive Spectrum cable package (which includes ESPN, Paramount+, Peacock, and Fox One), yet still wouldn’t deliver access to every sport.

The total does not factor in potential bundling discounts, existing cable packages, or live TV streamers such as:

• Hulu + Live TV ($81.99/month)
• YouTube TV ($82.99/month)
• Fubo TV ($54.99–$84.99/month)

The NFL has defended its strategy of spreading games across multiple platforms. Paul Ballew, the league’s chief data and analytics officer, said recently that the goal is to give fans choices.

“For us, it’s about giving those choices and those opportunities… the fan can select the best way to engage on the best platforms for them,” Ballew said. He noted that most games remain available free-to-air on broadcast television in the competing teams’ home markets. 

“We want to make sure the fans get access to our games on the platforms and devices that they choose.”

The widening gap between what consumers say they can afford and the growing cost of accessing live sports suggests mounting pressure on the current model.

U-S Win Is Most-Watched English Soccer Telecast Ever

Fox’s broadcast of the USMNT’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday became the most-watched soccer telecast in English-language U.S. history, with a preliminary average of 24.429 million viewers and a peak audience of 31.883 million.

The number blows past the record the USMNT itself had set earlier in the tournament. 

The team’s group-stage opener against Paraguay initially drew 15.986 million viewers before Fox’s final numbers pushed that figure to 18.037 million, a mark that stood as the most-watched Men’s World Cup telecast in English-language U.S. history for the rest of group play. The USMNT’s win over Australia came in close behind at 16.22 million in final numbers — up from 14.78 million in preliminary viewership — driven in part by a Friday afternoon kickoff that still managed to outdraw every non-USMNT match in the tournament.

Fox saw this coming, as President of insights and analytics Michael Mulvihill told Colin Cowherd before the knockout rounds began that a Round of 32 game in primetime could clear 30 million viewers on its own, with the Round of 16 potentially matching it. He pegged a hypothetical USMNT run to the final at an average of 50 million, which would dwarf the 26 million viewers who watched the 2022 final in the U.S. across English and Spanish broadcasts.

The USMNT’s run continues into the Round of 16 against Belgium, a matchup that, per Mulvihill’s own projections, carries an even higher ceiling than the record set by Wednesday’s game.

InfoWars Is Back, As A Satirical Platform

Tim Heidecker

The Chicago-based satirical newspaper The Onion has relaunched InfoWars as a parody platform, more than a year and seven months after winning the initial bankruptcy auction for the conspiracy website founded by Alex Jones.

The relaunch debuted on Thursday with live comedy programming, including broadcasts hosted by comedian Tim Heidecker. It features satirical content that transforms the former right-wing conspiracy outlet into a humor site.

Alex Jones

The move comes amid ongoing legal efforts to complete The Onion’s acquisition of InfoWars assets. The satirical outlet first won the bankruptcy auction in November 2024 with backing from Sandy Hook families, who are owed more than $1.4 billion in defamation damages from Jones. Legal challenges delayed the full transfer, but The Onion proceeded with the parody launch anyway.

A key element of the relaunch includes directing proceeds — starting with a $100,000 donation — to Sandy Hook families. The Onion plans to share a significant portion of future merchandise revenue with them.

The Onion’s CEO, Ben Collins, described the project as a way to turn the platform into comedy while supporting the families harmed by Jones’ false claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. The new version streams on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram.

This development marks a major shift for the InfoWars brand, which had promoted conspiracy theories for years before the bankruptcy proceedings forced its sale.

Radio History: July 6

➦In 1921...in an experiment, Western Union transmitted by radio its first halftone photograph. AT&T followed in 1924, and RCA sent a Radiophoto in 1926. The Associated Press began its Wirephoto service in 1935 and held a trademark on the term AP Wirephoto between 1963 and 2004. The first AP photo sent by wire depicted the crash of a small plane in New York's Adirondack Mountains.

Technologically and commercially, the wirephoto was the successor to Ernest A. Hummel's Telediagraph of 1895, which had transmitted electrically scanned shellac-on-foil originals over a dedicated circuit connecting the New York Herald and the Chicago Times Herald, the St. Louis Republic, the Boston Herald, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

➦In 1925...rock `n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley (William John Clifton Haley Jr.) was born in Highland Park, near Detroit (Died of a brain tumor at age 55  – February 9, 1981).

Bill Haley

He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-selling hits such as "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later, Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Rocket 88", "Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle". He has sold over 60 million records worldwide and has been described as the greatest musical pioneer of the 20th century.

In 1929, the four-year-old Haley underwent an inner-ear mastoid operation which accidentally severed an optic nerve, leaving him blind in his left eye for the rest of his life. It is said that he adopted his trademark kiss curl over his right eye to draw attention from his left, but it also became his "gimmick", and added to his popularity.  As a result of the effects of the Great Depression on the Detroit area, his father moved the family to Bethel, Pennsylvania.

One of his first appearances was in 1938 for a Bethel Junior baseball team entertainment event, performing guitar and songs when he was 13 years old.

The anonymous sleeve notes accompanying the 1956 Decca album Rock Around The Clock describe Haley's early life and career:  "For six years Bill Haley was a musical director of Radio Station WPWA in Chester, PA, and led his own band all through this period. It was then known as Bill Haley's Saddlemen, indicating their definite leaning toward the tough Western style. They continued playing in clubs as well as over the radio around Philadelphia, and in 1951 made their first recordings on Ed Wilson's Keystone Records in Philadelphia." The group subsequently signed with Dave Miller's Holiday Records and, on June 14, 1951 the Saddlemen recorded a cover of "Rocket 88".

During the Labor Day weekend in 1952, the Saddlemen were renamed Bill Haley with Haley's Comets (inspired by the supposedly official pronunciation of Halley's Comet, a name suggested by WPWA radio station program director, Bob Johnson, where Bill Haley had a live radio program from noon to 1 p.m.), and in 1953, Haley's recording of "Crazy Man, Crazy" (co-written by him and his bass player, Marshall Lytle, although Lytle would not receive credit until 2001) became the first rock and roll song to hit the American charts, peaking at number 15 on Billboard and number 11 on Cash Box. Soon after, the band's name was revised to "Bill Haley & His Comets".



In 1954, Haley recorded "Rock Around the Clock". Initially, it was relatively successful, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard pop singles chart and staying on the charts for a few weeks. On re-release, the record reached #1 on July 9, 1955.

➦In 1925...Merv Griffin born (Died  at age 82 of prostate cancer – August 12, 2007). He was a TV host and media mogul.

He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show. He also created the internationally popular game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune through his television production companies, Merv Griffin Enterprises and Merv Griffin Entertainment.