Radio News Weekly — Sept. 7–11, 2026

A busy mid-September for broadcast radio: sports rights and talent headlines, a public-media license transfer, research that still favors AM/FM in the car, and Washington items that will matter into mid-month.

Washington & Regulation

🗼The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act remains the industry’s biggest policy story. House leadership has a standalone floor vote scheduled the week of Sept. 14. Cosponsorship is large and bipartisan; NAB is pushing members to finish the job before the calendar runs out.
🗼The Supreme Court stayed a Fourth Circuit ruling that had narrowed lowest-unit political-ad rates to legally qualified candidates only. The stay restores the FCC’s broader reading for now, just as the 60-day pre-election window opened.
🗼The FCC approved WHYY’s acquisition of Penn State’s WPSU radio and TV licenses, clearing the main regulatory hurdle to keep public service in central and northern Pennsylvania. Separately, Poynter and Public Media Company launched a Future of Public Media Initiative a year after Congress rescinded more than $1 billion in future CPB funding. Recommendations are expected in early 2027.
🗼FY 2026 regulatory fees are due 11:59 p.m. ET Sept. 24 via CORES; late payers face an automatic 25% penalty...The Commission also used National Preparedness Month and the 9/11 anniversary to stress-test emergency comms plan...A Senate Commerce hearing next week will take up FCC nominees, including Danielle Thumann Severs.

Sports Radio🗼iHeart Milwaukee renewed a multi-year deal keeping 95.7 Big FM (WRIT) as the Packers’ Milwaukee flagship.,,Audacy named 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) the Dallas Mavericks’ flagship and launched Inside the North...After an August layoff that drew backlash while he recovered from cancer, Greg Papa is back at Cumulus KNBR with weekday Lunch With Papa and twice-weekly 49ers updates.

barrettmedia.com

Business, research & the car

🗼Edison Research again found AM/FM dominating ad-supported in-car audio; Audacy research said the most tech-forward drivers are also heavy radio users. 

🗼Katz urged sellers to start holiday music and seasonal avails early. 

🗼SiriusXM promoted Sean Gibbons to chief product and technology officer, with 360L, in-car product, and ad tech as priorities.

Watch Next Week:

The House AM-radio vote Monday...FCC fee deadline countdown...and NFL week-one inventory as sports radio stays in the center of the industry conversation....A Senate Commerce hearing next week will take up FCC nominees, including Danielle Thumann Severs.

Radio History: Sep 13

➦In 1928...KOH-AM in Reno NV signed-on.

The debut broadcast was to be on November 11, 1928 (to honor Armistice Day)  but on-the-air testing between 4AM and 8AM the morning of October 27, 1928 proved so successful that KOH went directly to full-time broadcasting running 100 watts on 1370 kHz. This early debut also allowed KOH to take advantage of the lucrative political advertising for the upcoming 1928 Presidential Elections in November. In fact, KOH even carried the election returns in a joint effort with the Reno Evening Gazette on November 6, 1928. KOH had a seven man crew, which was the largest for a radio station in Nevada up to that time. KOH was the first professionally operated, commercial radio station in Nevada.

Today the station is KKOH 780 AM is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a News/Talk format.

➦In 1932...Legendary personality Dick Biondi born. (Biondi died June 26, 2023). Calling himself The Wild I-talian, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong were part of the tally. Over many years and many frequencies, Dick's close-of-the-program line was, "God bless, bye, bye, Duke. Thanks a million for dialing our way."

Biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading AM radio stations in Buffalo, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California. Besides being among the first to play Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, and other early rhythm and blues artists, he was able to meet them also. The early Rock and Roll era meant "record hops" where disc jockeys would make personal appearances at local schools and clubs; they often included appearances by the artists whose records were being played.

Biondi is credited as the first U.S. disc jockey to play the Beatles, on Chicago's WLS 890 AM in February 1963, with the song "Please Please Me".  Later, while working at KRLA 1110 AM in Los Angeles, he introduced the Beatles and Rolling Stones at their Hollywood Bowl concerts.

Dating back to 1984, Biondi was a mainstay on Oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation, Chicago.  On 2 May 2010, Dick Biondi celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first Chicago broadcast.  WLS-AM and WLS-FM presented a 5-hour simulcast special from 7 PM to midnight, featuring memorable moments in his career and special celebrity guests, with Biondi as its host.

➦In 1937...the first successful radio soap opera set in the world of doctors and medicine Road of Life debuted on the NBC Red network.  Writer/producer Irna Phillips‘ story of handsome Dr. Jim Brent and his wife Jocelyn ran simultaneously on CBS for much of its 22 year run.

➦In 1960...the FCC formally banned the practice of payola — in which record companies paid disc jockeys to play certain records.

Alan Freed

Prosecution for payola in the 1950s was in part a reaction of the traditional music establishment against newcomers. Hit radio was a threat to the wages of song-pluggers. Radio hits also threatened old revenue streams; for example, by the middle of the 1940s, three-quarters of the records produced in the USA went into jukeboxes. Still, in the 1950s, independent record companies or music publishers frequently used payola to promote rock and roll on American radio; it promoted cultural diversity and disc jockeys were less inclined to indulge their own personal and racial biases.

Radio personality Alan Freed, an early supporter of rock and roll (and also widely credited for actually coining the term), had his career and reputation greatly harmed by a payola scandal. Dick Clark's early career was nearly derailed by a payola scandal, but he avoided trouble by selling his stake in a record company and cooperating with authorities.

Fed Judge Orders Paramount, CA AG To Schedule Talks

A federal magistrate judge has ordered Paramount and California Attorney General Rob Bonta to schedule two consecutive days of in-person settlement talks at the end of October in the antitrust case challenging Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson directed the parties Friday to confer and submit specific dates by the close of business Tuesday. 

Once set, the conference would begin at 10 a.m. on the chosen days and include the Writers Guild of America, which is also a plaintiff. The talks are a standard part of the proceedings and do not guarantee a deal. 

The case is the remaining U.S. legal obstacle to Paramount Skydance’s roughly $110 billion to $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery after the U.S. Justice Department and dozens of foreign regulators cleared the transaction. Twelve states led by Bonta, plus the WGA, allege the merger would illegally reduce competition in theatrical film distribution and basic cable programming. 

Forget The FCC, Jimmy Kimmel Must Make Mickey Happy

Jimmy Kimmel wants to stay on ABC past May, but Disney is opening renewal talks with a hard condition: cut the budget of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

After his summer break, Kimmel told Disney he wants to re-up beyond his current deal, which expires in May. Debra OConnell, the Disney Entertainment Television chair who oversees ABC, agreed to talks only if the show’s cost comes down, Puck reported Friday. The price tag is the immediate issue. JKL! costs roughly what CBS spent on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show — about $100 million a year — before CBS canceled that franchise last fall. 

Late-night budgets have been under pressure industry-wide; Colbert’s fate is the closest comparison, and ABC’s ask follows the same pattern of squeezing a high-cost nightly franchise before deciding whether to keep it. The money is hard to separate from politics. Disney is suing the FCC over Chair Brendan Carr’s early review of its broadcast licenses. The commission has framed the review around DEI and other regulatory concerns; Kimmel’s staff and others around the show see Carr’s pressure as aimed more at Kimmel’s relentless Trump jokes. 

Young Viewers Watching More Sports

Younger sports fans are watching more live games than they did a year ago, with the sharpest gains among teenagers, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research. Fans under 18 are about seven times more likely to say they are watching more sports on television than less, more than double the ratio among sports fans overall. 

Viewers ages 13 to 17 reported watching 50 percent more sports on TV than a year earlier, including 17 percent who said they watch “much more” and 32 percent who said they watch “somewhat more.” 

The increase is driven more by rising interest than extra free time. Among teens who said they were watching more, more than two in five pointed to stronger interest in sports generally or in a specific team or athlete. Older fans, by contrast, more often cited additional free time. 

Podcast Study: Host-Read Ads Get Better Response

Podcast ads drove a median 2.23% website response rate in the first half of 2026, Magellan AI reported, with host-read spots and video shows outperforming other formats.

The company’s Q2 2026 Podcast Measurement Benchmark Report analyzed campaigns that ran from Jan. 1 through June 30. Response rate is defined as the share of unique reached listeners who later visited an advertiser’s website, measured with a 30-day lookback window.

Host-read ads posted a median response rate of 3.22%, compared with 2.09% for produced spots — a 54% gap. 

Video podcasts also outperformed RSS-only shows, with a 2.05% median response rate versus 1.88%. On lead conversion, video podcasts recorded a 4.50% median rate against 2.57% for RSS-only programs, a 75% difference.

McClatchy Newspapers Gut Newsrooms

McClatchy laid off at least 90 journalists Thursday across dozens of newspapers, slashing more than a third of the editorial staff at The Miami Herald and nearly eliminating the newsroom at its Spanish-language sister paper, El Nuevo Herald.

More than 30 roles were cut at The Herald, according to five people with knowledge of the layoffs. 

At Pacific Northwest papers including The Bellingham Herald and The Idaho Statesman, 17 journalists — about a third of unionized workers — were let go, the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild said. The Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky laid off 13 of its 23 newsroom employees.

The full scope of the cuts was not immediately clear. 

Buffalo Radio: WGR 550 Revamps Sports Line-Up

Audacy’s WGR in Buffalo will roll out a new weekday lineup Monday, Sept. 14, bringing Brad Riter back to middays while leaving the morning show intact. 

Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase stay in mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. Riter will host 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., paired with The Athletic’s Tim Graham from 10 a.m. to noon and Owen Parker from noon to 2 p.m. Riter previously worked at WGR from 2000 to 2007 and has remained a familiar voice in the Buffalo market. 

How Much Money Has 'Choosin' Texas' Made?

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has generated nearly $13.9 million in estimated label and publisher revenue worldwide since its October 2025 release, according to Billboard’s analysis of Luminate data. 

In the United States alone, the song has brought in nearly $10.5 million. Those totals cover audio streams, video streams, digital sales and U.S. radio airplay. They do not include album sales from Langley’s Dandelion, on which the track is the lead single, and they do not represent what Langley or her co-writers personally earn; those shares depend on private contract terms. 

Of the $13.9 million global figure, Billboard estimates nearly $8 million came from label revenue and nearly $6 million from publishing royalties. Radio’s unusually large role helped lift the publishing share: the song has logged more than 977,000 U.S. airplay spins, which Billboard values at more than $2.4 million. 

NBC's TODAY Remains No.1 For Broadcast Morning Shows

NBC News’ TODAY won in total viewers and the key demo A25-54 for the week of August 31-September 6 while remaining the #1 morning news program across the board season-to-date.

TODAY averaged 2.868 million total viewers, leading GMA by +151,000 viewers (+6%) and CBS by +1.267 million viewers (+79%). TODAY also posted its 32nd consecutive week of year-over-year total viewer growth, its longest streak since August 1998.

TODAY delivered 628,000 A25-54 viewers, leading GMA by +171,000 (+37%) and CBS by +358,000 (+132%)

Ratings Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

Audacy Launches "Inside the North" Sports In Multiple Markets

Audacy has announced the launch of “Inside the North,” a brand-new, weekly one-hour sports show dedicated to in-depth coverage of the NFC North division football teams, the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

"Inside the North" will be hosted by 104.3 The Score morning show co-host David Haugh and feature a powerhouse panel of football legends representing each franchise in the division, including former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt, former Packers kicker Mason Crosby, former Lions offensive lineman T.J. Lang and former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway.

Seattle Radio: The Wolf Unveils Hometown Holiday Lineup

100.7 The Wolf (KKWF-FM), an Audacy station in Seattle, brings back its Hometown Holiday show, presented by Pinky’s Plumbing, on December 3 at the accesso ShoWare Center. The 14th annual event will feature performances from Gavin Adcock, Chase Matthew, Rodney Atkins, Wyatt Flores, Vincent Mason and Flatland Cavalry.

Hometown Holiday is proudly hosted by 100.7 The Wolf – Seattle’s Country Music station – and will feature radio talent including Ellen Tailor, Aaron Crawford and Captain Ron Koons. The trio can be heard weekday mornings from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT.

Authority Supports Renaming Nashvlle Airport To Honor Dolly Parton

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s board of commissioners voted 6-0 on Friday to begin renaming Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly Parton, the late country music star and Tennessee native who died Aug. 25 at age 80. 

The vote is the first formal step in a process officials said could take months. 

A final name has not been chosen. 

The authority said it is working with Parton’s estate and other parties “to thoughtfully determine how Dolly Parton’s name and legacy will be incorporated.” The airport’s three-letter code, BNA, is expected to stay the same. 

R.I.P.: Judy Markey, Longtime WGN Radio Personality

Judy Markey, the longtime WGN Radio co-host of “Kathy and Judy,” has died at 82. 

Markey died Friday,  according to her obituary, she chose a voluntary assisted death in Switzerland after years of declining health.

With Kathy O’Malley, she co-hosted the unscripted, call-in midday talk show that Chicago listeners knew as “The Girlfriends.” The program ran on WGN from 1989 to 2009, growing from a Super Bowl-weekend special into a multi-hour weekday franchise that often ranked as the city’s top midday show. 

Radio History: Sep 12

➦In 1932...Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 'Tarzan of the Apes' began as a 15-minute show on WOR NYC and several other stations.  The series had Burroughs' daughter, Joan, in the role of Jane.

H.V. Kaltenborn

➦In 1938...While with CBS Radio, commentator H.V. Kaltenborn made broadcasting history on this day.  Kaltenborn was one of the first news readers to provide analysis and insight into current news stories. His vast knowledge of foreign affairs and international politics amply equipped him for covering crises in Europe and the Far East in the 1930s.

His vivid reporting of the Spanish Civil War and the Czech crisis of 1938 helped establish the credibility of radio news in the public mind. Kaltenborn reported on the Spanish Civil War "while hiding in a haystack between the two armies. Listeners in America could hear bullets hitting the hay above him while he spoke."  He was so devoted to his work that he slept in the studio for 18 days while bringing broadcasting updates.

➦ In 1958...electrical engineer Jack S. Kilby was a newly employed engineer at Texas Instruments (TI). Lacking vacation time off, he spent the summer working on the problem in circuit design that was commonly called the "tyranny of numbers", and he finally came to the conclusion that the manufacturing of circuit components en masse in a single piece of semiconductor material could provide a solution.

Bay Area Radio: Papa's Back And KNBR's Got Him

Cumulus Media’s KNBR The Sports Leader announces that Greg Papa, longtime Bay Area sports broadcaster and voice of the San Francisco 49ers, has entered into a new agreement with KNBR to host a new midday feature, “Lunch With Papa,” on the Sports Talk station and twice-weekly “Niners Updates With Greg Papa” during KNBR’s morning drive and afternoon drive shows. 

The new programming marks Papa's return to KNBR's weekday lineup, where he spent seven years as a beloved daily fixture.

New Insights Highlights Car-Connected Driver's Wants

Connected-car audio is expanding as vehicles get smarter, and drivers who want more AI are leading the shift.

Voice technology and artificial intelligence are making it easier for people to find, control, and stay with audio on the road. 

At the same time, larger screens and growing autonomous features are giving brands new ways to reach consumers in the car. 

Audacy Insights highlights a 2026 study, building on five years of research into how connected-car technology is changing listening and advertising response, finds that audio’s role is growing as the technology evolves.

TV Ratings: ABC's WNT Leads NBC In Total Viewers

For the 21st week in a row, “World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.508 million) on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports) during the week of Aug 31, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

• ""World News Tonight with David Muir” stood as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.508 million) and Adults 18-49 (833,000).
• “World News Tonight” beat “NBC Nightly News” (6.988 million and 800,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+22%/+1.520 million) and Adults 18-49 (+4%/+33,000).
• “World News Tonight” improved by double digits on the same week last year in Total Viewers (+16%/+1.190 million – 8.508 million vs. 7.318 million), Adults 25-54 (+31%/+258,000 – 1.102 million vs. 844,000) and Adults 18-49 (+40%/+238,000 – 833,000 vs. 595,000), posting year-to-year gains for the ninth consecutive week.
• “World News Tonight” (8.508 million, 1.102 million and 833,000, respectively) more than doubled its lead over “CBS Evening News” (4.037 million, 544,000 and 393,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+111%/+4.471 million), Adults 25-54 (+103%/+558,000) and Adults 18-49 (+112%/+440,000).

FNC Posts 25-54 Growth in Primetime, Total Day

FOX News Channel (FNC) concluded the week of August 31st with nearly 2.2 million weekday primetime viewers and 207,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, surpassing broadcast network CBS (1.9 million viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.

In Monday–Sunday primetime, FNC saw 1.8 million viewers and 167,000 in the 25-54 demo, posting two percent growth year-over-year. In Monday-Sunday total day, FNC saw 1.2 million viewers and 119,000 in the 25-54 demo, delivering one percent growth year-over-year and 14 percent growth week over week. 

To date (9/06/26), FNC led CBS in weekday primetime viewers for the year (12/29/25), quarter (06/29/26), and since Memorial Day (05/25/26) with 2.8 million viewers year-to-date, 2.5 million viewers quarter-to-date and 2.6 million viewers since Memorial Day while CBS has only posted 2.7 million viewers year-to-date and 2 million viewers both quarter-to-date and Memorial Day to date. FNC also outpaced ABC (2.3 million viewers) quarter-to-date.

Ratings Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

Notably, CNN and MS NOW showed week-to-week losses across both primetime and total day viewers. In total day, CNN posted an eight percent loss in both viewers and the 25-54 demo with only 371,000 viewers and 56,000 in the 25-54 demo. MS NOW saw a 10 percent decrease in viewers (541,000 viewers) and a two percent decrease in the 25-54 demo (55,000). In primetime, CNN posted a 15 percent loss in viewers (518,000) and a 14 percent loss in the 25-54 demo (97,000) while MS NOW saw a 12 percent loss in viewers (823,000).

Goodell Hints Next Media Rights Deal Mith Look Different

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is evaluating whether to rework its media packages for the next rights cycle as viewing habits shift toward streaming, speaking in Melbourne, Australia, ahead of Thursday night’s Rams-49ers game.

Goodell did not say whether the NFL will use an opt-out it can trigger after the 2029-30 season. He said the option is valuable because it lets the league assess the media landscape and decide what is best for fans and clubs.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says league could rework TV packages in next media deal https://t.co/FtmleQrRid

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 10, 2026

“One of the things we’re doing as a league is talking to our partners, talking to future partners, potential partners … and evaluating, should we repackage our current packages? Should we think differently about where we go with those things?” Goodell said.

He said one thing will not change: 100% of NFL games will remain available on local broadcast television.

This season’s NFL game distributors include CBS, Fox, ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock, Prime Video, Netflix and NFL Network. Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games require NFL Sunday Ticket, which costs $240 for the season for new subscribers, payable as $30 a month over eight months. Returning subscribers pay significantly more if they buy it bundled with YouTube TV or as a standalone product.

Is Pat McAfee Worth the Money?

ESPN is negotiating a contract extension that could pay Pat McAfee more than $60 million a year — and as high as $65 million — making the former NFL punter the most expensive on-air figure in sports media if the talks close. The figure is roughly double his current package, which approaches $30 million annually when his production deal for The Pat McAfee Show, his College GameDay role, and other ESPN appearances are combined. 

McAfee still has two years left on that agreement. 

The new talks, first detailed by The Athletic, have centered on a similar structure: a licensing/production contract plus a separate talent deal, so ESPN is not simply writing a traditional on-air salary check. McAfee’s company still covers staff and production costs. His representatives opened at $100 million a year. The money is tied to more airtime. 

McAfee is already the most visible personality on College GameDay and hosts a weekday show that ESPN and YouTube carry together. This season he is expanding further into NFL programming, including a role on Monday Night Countdown alongside Scott Van Pelt, Jason Kelce, and others — a move that also positions him for Super Bowl coverage. ESPN has treated him as a franchise personality rather than a single-show host. 

A Morning To Remember: The Pulse For Sep 11

Radio Broadcasting

We Remember: Today is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  The attack silenced four FM and nine TV stations in New York City.

Papa's Back On KNBR: Cumulus Media’s KNBR The Sports Leader announces that Greg Papa, longtime Bay Area sports broadcaster and voice of the San Francisco 49ers, has entered into a new agreement with KNBR to host a new midday feature, “Lunch With Papa,” on the Sports Talk station and twice-weekly “Niners Updates With Greg Papa” during KNBR’s morning drive and afternoon drive shows. 

Best Girlfriend Signs-Off: Toni Terrell signed off for the last time Thursday, Sept. 10, ending a 20-year run as a familiar voice on Tennessee Valley radio, including five years as morning host on 94.1 WHRP.

September 11: A Day We Remember

Today is the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  The attack silenced four FM and nine TV stations in New York City.

Since three of the major television broadcast network owned-and-operated stations had their transmission towers atop the North Tower (One World Trade Center), coverage was limited after the collapse of the tower. The FM transmitter of National Public Radio station WNYC was also destroyed in the collapse of the North Tower and its offices evacuated. For an interim period, it continued broadcasting on its AM frequency and used NPR's New York offices to produce its programming.

The satellite feed of one television station, WPIX, froze on the last image received from the WTC mast; the image (a remote-camera shot of the burning towers), viewable across North America (as WPIX is available on cable TV in many areas), remained on the screen for much of the day until WPIX was able to set up alternate transmission facilities. It shows the WTC at the moment power cut off to the WPIX transmitter, prior to the towers' collapse.

During the September 11, 2001 attacks, WCBS-TV channel 2 and WXTV-TV channel 41 stayed on the air. Unlike most other major New York television stations, WCBS-TV maintained a full-powered backup transmitter at the Empire State Building after moving its main transmitter to the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The station was also simulcasted nationally on Viacom (which at the time owned CBS) cable network VH1 that day. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the station lent transmission time to the other stations who had lost their transmitters, until they found suitable backup equipment and locations.

Television coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and their aftermath was the longest uninterrupted news event in the history of U.S. television.  The major U.S. broadcast and cable networks were on the air for days with uninterrupted coverage from the moment news first came that the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

Millions of shocked television viewers watching live pictures of the World Trade Center saw the second plane hit and both buildings come down. In order to keep up with the constant flood of information, at 10:49 a.m. EDT, Fox News Channel began running continuous updates in the form of a news ticker that crawled along the bottom of the screen. This was so well received by viewers that it became a permanent feature on the channel and was adopted by many other news channels.

Like television, almost all radio stations across the United States put a halt on all programs and commercials to simulcast affiliated news coverage of the attacks from ABC News Radio and CBS Radio News, or taking an audio simulcast of a television news operation, be it local or national, while national morning shows hosted by personalities such as Rick Dees or Howard Stern focused on providing both information about the attacks and call-in forums for listeners to express sympathies.

TV Ratings: NBC's TODAY Wins Total Viewers, and Demo

NBC’s “Today” beat ABC’s “Good Morning America” in both total viewers and adults 25-54 for the week of Aug. 31, extending its lead in the broadcast morning race heading into September.

 

Ratings Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

The competitive pattern in late summer has been consistent even when the total-viewer gap is small. “Today” has been the more reliable leader among adults 25-54, the demo that drives most national morning-show ad sales. 

NBC News VP News Programming Exits

Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News’ executive vice president of programming, told staff Thursday that she is leaving the network after nearly 12 years, becoming the second senior executive to depart since NBC News was separated from its cable sibling in last year’s corporate spin. 

Rodriguez oversaw NBC News NOW, “NBC Nightly News,” and the division’s breaking-news and specials operation. She did not name a next job. 

Janelle Rodriguez

In a staff memo, she wrote that she had “spent a long time thinking about what comes next” and that “it’s the right moment,” citing a year that included Super Bowl coverage, a presidential interview, the Olympics, the World Cup, a new show launch, and an interview with the pope. NBC News president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein said Catherine Kim will become executive vice president of editorial and content, adding NBC News NOW and specials to her existing digital, social, Decision Desk, and newsgathering duties. 

Matt Carluccio will take on more editorial units, including business, health, investigations, and climate. “NBC Nightly News” executive producer Matt Frucci will report to Blumenstein. 

Jimmy Kimmel Brings Texas Candidate to YouTube

Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Texas Senate candidate James Talarico only on YouTube after saying the FCC threatened his show, network and local ABC stations for booking political guests.Kimmel posted the full 21-minute conversation Thursday and said the interview was kept off broadcast airwaves. 

He argued late-night shows have long hosted candidates, including Donald Trump twice when he was running, and that the government was now trying to dictate editorial choices.

“We are being targeted by the FCC for the crime of interviewing political candidates,” Kimmel said at the top of the clip. “Now I guess he doesn’t like me anymore — or the First Amendment. … So, tonight, we are bypassing the public airwaves and hosting this YouTube interview on YouTube, even though our government would clearly prefer that we not do it at all.”

Study: NFL Ad Revenue to Hit A Record $6.3B

NFL ad revenue is projected to reach $6.3 billion in the 2026-27 season, an 8% increase from last year, according to a new study from Guideline.

The forecast includes $48 million from the inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game. The projection follows a record $5.9 billion in ad sales during the 2025-26 season, a 7% year-over-year increase. Regular-season ad revenue rose 6% last year, while playoff ad revenue jumped 13%.

“Overall ad demand looks healthy headed into the 26/27 season,” said Sean Wright, Guideline’s chief insights and analytics officer. “Upfront commits are pacing up double digits ahead of where they were last year, partly driven by increases in pricing, partly in a surge of new ad budgets. We’ll see how much ultimately gets booked but right now, the regular season is shaping up to be another potentially record setting year.”

Streaming-exclusive games accounted for 13% of full-season revenue in 2025-26, nearly double their 8% share two seasons earlier. Ad growth on streaming-exclusive networks rose 6% year over year last season.

Scripps Revamps Local Media Division

The E.W. Scripps Company is reorganizing its Local Media division into 11 regions and eliminating 27 local market and sales leadership roles as part of a broader effort to overhaul how it operates.

Each region will be led by a regional general manager responsible for two to four markets in most cases. 

Every Scripps market will keep a local news operation led by the station’s news director, so news decisions remain with journalists closest to their communities.

Scripps said the changes are meant to reflect how audiences now watch, discover and rely on news. The new regional structure follows other recent station-level shifts, including expanded 24/7 streaming news and greater use of technology, including AI and automation, to modernize production for both streaming and linear broadcasts.

“Local television is changing, and the way we operate local stations has to change with it,” 

Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson said. “Through this transformation, we are rethinking outdated operating models built for a different era while creating a more technology-forward media company to sustain local journalism and bring more consistency, scale and support across our markets.”

Audacy Partners With Comedy Powerhouse Smosh

Audacy has announced a strategic, multi-year podcast and video partnership with Smosh – one of the largest sketch comedy brands and a pioneer in creator-first entertainment – to serve as the exclusive sales and distribution partner for Smosh’s growing podcast slate. Marking the next phase of Smosh’s investment in its podcast business, this partnership gives advertisers new opportunities to connect with the brand’s highly engaged audience and further expands Audacy’s growing presence in video and creator-led content.

With more than 75 million social media followers and 20 billion YouTube views, Smosh has been redefining what comedy looks like in the connected age for more than 20 years. Founded in 2005 by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox as one of YouTube’s earliest breakout sketch comedy channels, Smosh helped pioneer a new model for how comedy could be created, shared, and experienced online, long before digital creators were recognized as the future of entertainment. Available across a broad slate of digital and live channels, Smosh is a leading independent comedy studio and media brand.

"Smosh’s podcasts are a core piece of our broader content strategy and an important way for us to connect with our growing audience,” said Alessandra Catanese, Chief Executive Officer, Smosh. 

“As we continue to invest in this part of our business, Audacy brings unmatched advertising and distribution. Partnering with them also enhances our ability to bring larger, more creatively ambitious projects to life.”

Athens, AL Radio: 'Your Best Girlfriend', Toni Terrell Signs-Off

Toni Terrell signed off for the last time Thursday, Sept. 10, ending a 20-year run as a familiar voice on Tennessee Valley radio, including five years as morning host on 94.1 WHRP.

Known to listeners as “your best girlfriend,” Terrell marked the day with a station celebration that drew friends, colleagues and fans. Guests stopped by for hugs, photos, gifts and laughter as they recalled her energy, personality and signature laugh on commutes, school runs and throughout the day.

“Today we celebrate 20 years in the Tennessee Valley with your best girlfriend. Holla at ya girl!” Terrell said during the event.

The send-off included emotional looks back at the experiences that shaped her career. Terrell made clear the end of the morning show is not the end of her ties to the community.

“When you see me, say hi, take a selfie and give me a hug. Take care of yourselves. God bless you,” she said.

Listeners have already begun asking what comes next. For now, Terrell said, she plans to sleep in — a well-earned pause after two decades of mornings on the air.

R.I.P.: Timothy Joseph, Former Hot 97 NYC Radio Personality

Timothy Joseph ('79-'26) 

Timothy Joseph, the radio personality known as Buc Wild from the influential “Star & Buc Wild” show, has died at 47, HOT 97 said.

Joseph died Sunday at the Pink Houses housing complex in Brooklyn. A cause of death has not been confirmed publicly. His death was announced Wednesday, Sept. 9, by longtime friend and former co-host Troi “Star” Torain during a YouTube livestream.

Joseph and Torain built a decades-long partnership that became a major presence on HOT 97’s morning lineup and later continued at other stations and through broader media projects. For many New York hip-hop radio listeners, the pair defined a distinctive era of the city’s airwaves.

Their relationship went beyond radio. Torain said he had helped raise Joseph and recalled working with him on dyslexia while they were at HOT 97. One recurring bit, “Buc Wild’s Lottery Numbers,” turned Joseph’s difficulty reading lottery numbers into a feature meant to build his confidence rather than embarrass him.

Torain described Joseph as a likable person with a support system around him, while acknowledging that their bond could be complicated, mixing disagreements with years of loyalty and friendship. He ended the livestream by saying he had more to say about his longtime partner.

Radio History: Sep 11

➦In 1909....Radio announcer Kenneth Banghart (right) born in Paramus, NJ (Died at age 70 - May 25, 1980 in Delray Beach, FL).

Banghart was working as a tour conductor and manager of Thomas Cook and Son Travel Agency in Washington, D.C., when he became a radio announcer at WRC, then went on to be a radio and television announcer, and a news commentator and sportscaster. Served briefly during WWII, as a war correspondent, then in 1944, he moved to New York where he became an NBC staff announcer.

He was the announcer Archie Andrews,  Katie's Daughter (1947-1948); syndicated program, Proudly We Hail (1947-1957); The Private Files Of Rex Saunders on NBC (1951); Encore on NBC (1952-1953); Best Of All on NBC (1954-1955).

Host of The Ken Banghart Show on NBC-Radio (1947); News Game on NBC-Radio (1954). Commentator on The Gillette Summer Sports Reel for NBC-TV (1953). In 1962, Banghart left NBC to work at CBS until he retired to Florida.

➦In 2000...John R. Gambling does the last “Rambling With Gambling” show on WOR 710 AM NYC.  Gambling joined his father as co-host of Rambling with Gambling in 1985, and took over as sole host in 1991 after his father's retirement. When WOR ended Rambling with Gambling in 2000 after 75 years on the air, John R. Gambling moved up the dial to 77WABC, taking over the post-morning-drive 10 a.m. - noon slot. Gambling was fired by WABC on February 29, 2008 in a cost-cutting move

➦In 2001...Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City silenced four FM and nine TV stations.

July Gauge: TV Usage Kicks Usual Summer Slowdown

The July television landscape was fueled by the final weeks of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ coupled with streaming’s traditional summer boost, according to Nielsen’s July 2026 reports of The Gauge™ and Media Distributor Gauge. While total TV usage typically follows a flat to downward trend in the June-to-July transition, this month exhibited a 2.2% increase in overall usage to rival the Olympics-driven pattern of July 2024 when monthly usage rose 2.3%.

NBCU mirrored is June Playbook, which helped power NBCU-Versant* to No. 2 in Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge with 9.2% of TV in July (+0.1 pt.). Peacock scored double-digit viewing increases for a second consecutive month as its viewership jumped 15% compared to June, bringing its share of TV to 2.6% in July’s report of The Gauge (+0.3 pts.). In back-to-back months, Love Island USA was the most-streamed title of the interval, generating 4.9 billion viewing minutes in July and 11.7 billion minutes across both months combined. The impact Telemundo’s World Cup simulcasts had on Peacock’s success was also further evidenced by the streamer’s two most-viewed days this interval, including July 5 when Mexico played England in the Round of 16, and July 19 when Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup Final.

FOX continued to benefit from huge FIFA World Cup 2026™ viewership, leading it to the largest monthly viewing increase among media distributors for a second consecutive month (+7% vs. June). On top of the 73% increase its broadcast affiliates exhibited in June, FOX’s World Cup coverage drove another 36% bump on FOX affiliates in July. Additionally, FOX owned 25 of the top 26 July telecasts, including the record-breaking World Cup Final on July 19. FOX ultimately added 0.4 share points to finish with 7.8% of TV in July.

Radio Dominates Ad-Supported TSL With Young Demos

AM/FM radio is the dominant way to reach 13- to 34-year-olds with advertising in the car.Americans ages 13–34 spend just under an hour a day listening to audio in vehicles. 

Most of that time—63%—goes to ad-supported platforms. Within that ad-supported slice, AM/FM radio, including over-the-air broadcasts and radio streams, accounts for 70% of listening. 

For advertisers trying to reach young consumers on the road, broadcast radio remains the clearest path. 

Podcasts rank a distant second at 11% of ad-supported in-car time among this age group. Ad-supported streaming music follows at 10%. Music and music videos on YouTube take 7%. SiriusXM, limited here to its non-music channels that carry ads, accounts for 2%. The rest of in-car audio time among 13- to 34-year-olds is largely ad-free—especially paid streaming music—so those minutes do not deliver commercials. 

The car is a high-value setting because it concentrates attention and sits on the path to purchase. Edison Research’s Share of Ear study measures listening by everyone in the vehicle, not only the driver, so the figures reflect passengers as well. 

NBC Sports To Stop Mixing Nielsen Measurement Data

NBC Sports will start reporting NFL audiences with Nielsen’s standard linear-and-streaming methodology, beginning with the Patriots-Seahawks season opener last night. 

The decision comes after friction with other league rights holders over how networks count viewers. 

Industry sources told Front Office Sports, the Comcast-owned network is dropping its long-used Total Audience Delivery (TAD) figures for NFL games. TAD blended Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel numbers with digital data from Adobe Analytics. Rivals and Nielsen objected to that mix when networks used it to make public, apples-to-apples claims. 

Nielsen recently reminded networks that “mixing internal or third-party data with Nielsen metrics to make comparative statements in the press is not permissible.”