Radio broadcasting this week mixed Washington pressure, station-group dealmaking, sports-rights consolidation, and fresh audience data that again put young in-car listening at the center of the industry argument.
🗼Policy and Regulation. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act remained the top Capitol Hill story. The House passed the bill last week; this week Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO) told broadcasters to keep calling senators so the Senate companion (S. 315) reaches the floor before the midterm recess window closes.
🗼Stations Faced Hard Thursday Deadline: FCC FY 2026 regulatory fees were due by 11:59 p.m. ET, with late payments triggering a 25% penalty after two years of fee relief for AM and FM stations ended.
🗼Court Fight Ends: The Trump administration’s attempt to cut NPR and PBS funding quietly ended, leaving in place a First Amendment ruling that blocked key parts of the order—even as Congress had already rescinded CPB appropriations and the corporation moved toward dissolution. Measurement and legal fights.
➦In 1920...William Conrad born (Died from heart failure at age 73. – February 11, 1994). His career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he starred in the detective series Cannon (1971–1976).
Conrad estimated that he played more than 7,500 roles during his radio career.
William Conrad
Most prominently, Conrad's deep, resonant voice was heard in the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS Radio's gritty Western series Gunsmoke (April 26, 1952 – June 18, 1961). The producers originally rejected him for the part because of his ubiquitous presence on so many radio dramas and the familiarity of his voice, but his impressive audition could not be dismissed, and he became the obvious choice for the role. Conrad voiced Dillon for the show's nine-year run, and he wrote the June 1953 episode "Sundown." When Gunsmoke was adapted for television in 1955, executives at CBS did not cast Conrad or his radio costars despite a campaign to get them to change their minds.
In January 1956, Conrad was the announcer on the debut broadcast of The CBS Radio Workshop.
➦In 1933..."Waltz Time" debuted. It remained on the NBC Radio network until 1948. The show features Abe Lyman (August 4, 1897 – October 23, 1957) and his band, which was popular from the 1920s to the 1940s. He made recordings, appeared in films and provided the music for numerous radio shows, including Your Hit Parade.
➦In 1938...Comedian Bob Hope introduced a new song, "Thanks For The Memory". It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. In the film, Ross and Hope's characters are a divorced couple who encounter each other aboard a ship. Near the film's end, they poignantly sing one of the many versions of this song, recalling the ups and downs of their relationship (then they decide to get back together).
➦In 1985...The Howard Stern Show aired for the last time on 66 WNBC NYC.
The show developed in 1979 when Stern landed his first morning shift at WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut, four years into his professional radio career. He continued as a morning personality at WWWW in Detroit, Michigan in 1980, and was paired with Quivers in 1981 at WWDC in Washington, D.C. In 1982, Stern's success in Washington led to a spot at WNBC in New York City, where he hosted the city's top afternoon show until his firing.
That year, the show began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City where it aired on a total of 60 markets across the United States and Canada and gained an audience of 20 million listeners at its peak. In the New York area, the show was the highest-rated morning program consecutively between 1994 and 2001.
➦In 1995...Radio personality Alison Steele died (Born Ceil Loman - January 26, 1937). She was also known by her air name, The Nightbird. She amassed a large and loyal following on her night shifts on WNEW 102.7 FM in New York City during the late 1960s and 1970s. Her show featured progressive rock and artists associated with the counterculture of the time, combined with listeners' calls and Steele's own unique brand of mellow DJ patter, peppered with poetry and mysticism. Her original Nightbird show ran from 1968 to 1979.
The White House blocked CNN from accompanying President Trump on a Saturday trip to Tennessee, a network spokeswoman confirmed Friday night, the latest escalation in a weeklong standoff with the Washington press corps.
The decision immediately raised whether the television pool would cover the trip. The rotating group of networks that film the president’s daily activities had boycotted those duties this week after Trump first barred CNN from the pool.
A Friday night White House email laying out Saturday logistics listed no primary television pool representative. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Associated Press is reporting CNN was replaced by Real America’s Voice News, a conservative network, for the president’s trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance. Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday Saturday.
The news came just after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from the White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organizations a reprieve.
The dispute began last Friday when Trump posted on Truth Social that he was banning three outlets from the White House for “constantly” writing negatively about his administration.
On Thursday a federal judge ordered the White House to restore the journalists’ credentials “immediately.” On Friday the White House allowed CNN to film Trump and Xi at an event at the National Archives in Washington; the TV pool then resumed coverage.
The outlets’ lawsuit asked the White House to restore the access they had before the ban.
President Donald Trump's administration complied on Thursday with a judge's order to restore White House access to three media outlets he had banned last week — CNN, Politico, and MS NOW — but litigation over the ban is not over yet.
Here is what to know about the next steps in the lawsuit filed by the three media outlets. according to Reuters.
DID THE JUDGE ISSUE A FINAL RULING?
No. The judge assigned to the case, US District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, issued a temporary order that reinstated the outlets’ access for 14 days while their legal challenge proceeded.
In his ruling, Kelly said legal precedents make clear that once White House press credentials are issued to journalists, they have a right to "notice and an opportunity to be heard" before those credentials are revoked.
Younger listeners now use their phones more than the dashboard radio in the car. Edison Research’s latest Share of Ear data shows Americans ages 13–34 spend 46% of in-car audio time on a mobile device and 43% on a traditional AM/FM receiver, the first time phones have taken the lead in that age group.
The crossover did not happen overnight. In 2015, radio receivers held a 47-point advantage in the car among 13- to 34-year-olds, 66% to 19%. Radio’s share fell to 58% by 2018 and 46% by 2021 as mobile climbed to 38%. The lines crossed in 2025, when mobile edged ahead 44% to 43%, and the gap has widened slightly since.
The finding measures the device, not the content. Some of that phone time is still AM/FM — streamed through a station app, CarPlay, or Android Auto. That distinction matters: Edison recently found AM/FM still accounts for 70% of ad-supported in-car listening among the same 13–34 group, far ahead of podcasts and ad-supported streaming music. Radio content is not disappearing. The tuner is.
That is the strategic warning. If the industry treated “app-first” as a slogan instead of a product standard, it is now paying for the delay. The audience radio most needs to replace older listeners already treats the phone as the default audio remote, including behind the wheel.
Longtime New York radio personality Race Taylor told listeners Friday morning he would be leaving the morning show at Audacy Classic Hits 101.1 WCBS-FM. The station has not announced who will take over the 6–10 a.m. slot.
Whoever hosts next, chances are the WCBS-FM will continue its strategy to maintain its position in the market.
WCBS-FM’s morning strategy has been consistent even as the hosts have changed: protect a heritage classic-hits brand in New York’s most expensive daypart by putting a familiar local voice in front of the music, then handing the later morning to a long commercial-free music sweep that competes with playlists and iHM's WLTW Lite FM.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he is “deeply concerned” that more than 60 House Democrats are opposing what he described as parents’ right to know when children’s television shows include gender-identity themes.
In a Sept. 22 letter responding to lawmakers led by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., Carr wrote that the Democrats’ stance would leave families “in the dark” about programming rated as suitable for young children. He called the position “extreme” and said it comes amid what he characterized as a surge of children’s shows that include transgender or nonbinary themes without disclosure.
“I am deeply concerned by the position that you and over 60 of your Democrat colleagues in the House of Representatives are taking regarding the right of parents to know whether their sons or daughters are being exposed to controversial gender identity ideologies including the promotion of transgender and gender non-binary programming, in television shows that are rated as appropriate for young children,” Carr wrote.
He added that the lawmakers “come out swinging against both transparency and common sense.” The dispute traces to an April 2026 FCC public notice asking whether the voluntary TV Parental Guidelines should flag “gender identity themes” in programs rated TV-Y, TV-Y7, or TV-G. The agency said some parents had complained that industry ratings treat such content as appropriate for young children without telling families it is present.
Media outlets staged a rare show of unity this week against the Trump administration, with TV pools refusing to air footage of the president’s events and CNN’s Brian Stelter even citing Fox News as an ally.
The Columbia Journalism Review’s Susie Banikarim, writing in Laurels and Darts, was not convinced the solidarity would force the White House to back down. “Whether this incredible display of fellowship will force the White House to stand down remains to be seen,” she wrote. A cynic, she added, might conclude the effort had “less to do with principle and more to do with a recognition that appeasement buys no protection from the Trump administration.”
CJR still awarded a laurel to “everybody who showed up to support their colleagues this week.” Banikarim expressed hope that “the show of unity won’t be needed again soon.”
Townhall and Salem Radio Network host Larry Elder took the opposite view of Trump’s press restrictions. “What took so long?” he asked. Elder said Trump is “angry at the blatantly biased and Trump-despising legacy media,” blames them for poor poll numbers, and that “his bitterness is more than justified.” Even with “a lot of good news” about the administration, Elder argued, legacy coverage “stands in stark contrast with the breathless drum-beating coverage of the Russia-Trump collusion hoax.”
Whether this week’s episode has lasting effect is unclear. The Trump news cycle moves quickly; by next week the media ban may already feel like old news.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have named iHeartMedia Cleveland their official exclusive radio partner Friday, ensuring every game airs only on iHeart-owned stations and keeping the NBA team on heritage News/Talk WTAM 1100 AM/106.9 FM and Rock station 100.7 WMMS.
For the first time, all 82 regular-season games, preseason contests and playoff games will be broadcast live exclusively across a 19-station Rock Entertainment Sports Network serving Ohio and nearby markets, including Akron, Canton, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown, Erie, Pa., and Parkersburg, W.Va. Fans can also stream games through the Cavs App and the iHeartRadio app. Cavaliers EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Kaiser said the deal delivers “the most accessible broadcast we’ve had in years,” pairing wider reach with an enhanced product.
iHeart Area Senior Vice President of Programming Keith Kennedy said the company is excited to bring every game to one of the NBA’s most passionate fan bases “from Cleveland to communities across the state.”
Play-by-play announcer Tim Alcorn returns for his eighth season on every game, joined on select national broadcasts by Cavaliers reporter Serena Winters. Studio host Mike Snyder is back for his 35th year on pregame, halftime and postgame coverage; analyst Brad Sellers enters his 17th season on the postgame show. Each broadcast opens with Snyder’s “Tip-off Show” 30 minutes before tipoff.
FOX Sports Radio has launched on 1370 AM in Baltimore, bringing a nationally syndicated sports-talk lineup to WQLL-AM and giving the market another around-the-clock sports option.
WCBM Maryland Inc. flipped the Pikesville-licensed station to “FOX Sports 1370 AM” this week, replacing iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network after a five-year run.
The weekday schedule now features “Two Pros and a Cup of Joe” with LaVar Arrington, Brady Quinn and Jonas Knox from 6 to 9 a.m., followed by “The Dan Patrick Show” until noon, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” until 3 p.m., “Stugotz & Company LIVE” from 3 to 5 p.m., and “Covino & Rich” from 5 to 7 p.m. VSiN sports-betting programming fills nights, overnights and weekends.
Additional weeknight and weekend details have not yet been announced, and the station has no local shows at launch.
ESPN delivered its most-watched WNBA regular season ever in 2026, as the league celebrates its 30th season. It also marks the third straight year ESPN has delivered its most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks’ most-viewed WNBA regular season on record. ESPN presented 17 games this season, averaging 1.24M viewers, up 32% year-over-year, while 12 games on ABC averaged 1.56M viewers, up 9% year-over-year.
Non-Indiana games averaged 984K viewers, up 24% year-over-year. WNBA Countdown averaged 595K viewers, up 27% year-over-year.
The record-setting season was highlighted by five games averaging more than 2M viewers.
➦In 1887…Inventor Emile Berliner was granted his first patent for what he called the "Gramophone". The patent described recording sound using horizontal modulation of a stylus as it traced a line on a rotating cylindrical surface coated with an unresisting opaque material such as lampblack, subsequently fixed with varnish and used to photoengrave a corresponding groove into the surface of a metal playback cylinder.
In practice, Berliner opted for the disc format, which made the photoengraving step much less difficult and offered the prospect of making multiple copies of the result by some simpler process such as electrotyping, molding or stamping. Soon Berliner was using a more direct recording method, in which the stylus traced a line through a very thin coating of wax on a zinc disc, which was then etched in acid to convert the line of bared metal into a playable groove.
Ted Weems band on set of Fibber McGee & Molly - 1937
➦In 1901...Bandleader Ted Weems born in Pitcairen, PA (Died at age 61 - May 6, 1963). His work in music was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Weems moved to Chicago with his band around 1928. The Ted Weems Orchestra had chart success in 1929 with the novelty song "Piccolo Pete", which rewarded him with his second Gold Record, and the #1 hit "The Man from the South". The band gained popularity in the 1930s, making regular radio broadcasts. These included Jack Benny's Canada Dry program on CBS and NBC during the early 1930s, and the Fibber McGee & Molly program in the late 1930s.
In 1936, the Ted Weems Orchestra gave singer Perry Como his first national exposure; Como recorded with the band (on Decca Records), beginning his long and successful career.
The first season of the Beat the Band radio show on the NBC Red Network (1940–1941) included Weems and his orchestra as part of the cast.
In 1940, Weems and his orchestra were featured on Beat the Band on the NBC-Red radio network.
➦In 1908...Saturday Evening Post ad for a Victor 'talking machine'.
➦In 1919...Actress Barbara Britton born Barbara Maurine Brantingham (Died from pancreatic cancer at age 60 – January 17, 1980). She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television and radio series Mr. and Mrs. North.
➦In 1960…John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in the first televised presidential debates in American history. The debates were staged at the studios of WBBM-TV in Chicago. The Kennedy-Nixon debates not only had a major impact on the election’s outcome, but ushered in a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential ingredients of a successful political campaign. They also heralded the central role television has continued to play in the democratic process.
Longtime New York radio personality Race Taylor told listeners Friday morning he is leaving the morning show at Audacy Classic Hits 101.1 WCBS-FM.
The station has not announced who will take over the 6–10 a.m. slot. Taylor, a fixture in the New York market since 1999, moved into mornings at WCBS-FM only in June 2025 after five years in middays. He joined the classic hits station in July 2020 following two decades at Cumulus Hot AC 95.5 WPLJ, where he was on the air for the station’s final broadcast and sign-off in May 2019.
During his tenures with Cumulus and Audacy, Taylor also voiced tracked shifts in other markets.
WCBS-FM has not outlined next steps for mornings. Taylor’s on-air goodbye came without a publicly named successor or a stated reason for the exit.
Taylor’s New York run spanned the last years of WPLJ as a contemporary station and the later classic-hits era at CBS-FM, giving him a long relationship with Tri-State listeners across formats.
Industry accounts have also noted his voice work for ABC-TV promotions and other national radio and television projects alongside his local air shifts.
A Tennessee court has barred Dolly Parton’s nephew from her business operations after her manager’s company accused him of threats and demands for money — while family members insist there is no inheritance fight and a source claims the manager wants relatives sidelined.
She’s Alive LLC, the entity Parton created to protect her brand after death and run by longtime manager Danny Nozell, obtained a temporary restraining order this week against Bryan Seaver. A Nashville chancellor ordered Seaver to stay at least 1,000 feet from estate employees and partners, stay off estate property, and stop alleged harassment ahead of an Oct. 7 hearing.
Court filings say Seaver, Parton’s head of security for more than 20 years and the relative who announced her Aug. 25 death at age 80, mounted a campaign of intimidation that began weeks before she died of cancer.
The company alleges he threatened to “destroy the entire brand,” start a podcast to ruin partnerships unless paid, and invoked a military-contractor background, weapons access, and statements such as “I’m a killer” and “All I do is warfare.” Some employees reportedly quit or feared coming to work. The estate values the empire — Dollywood, hotels, catalog, and other holdings — at about $450 million.
A federal judge on Thursday declined to immediately approve the proposed antitrust settlement that would clear Paramount Skydance’s roughly $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, instead directing the parties to answer concerns raised by Sen. Cory Booker.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, overseeing the case brought by 12 state attorneys general, held a virtual hearing to address “outstanding questions” about the consent decree. She ordered Paramount and the states to respond by noon Monday, Sept. 29, to Booker’s letter urging an independent public-interest review before the court enters the settlement.
The judge also asked for a clean written copy of the decree with any proposed amendments marked, plus identification of the state committee that would monitor compliance. She allowed opponents, including the Block the Merger coalition and the League of United Latin American Citizens, to file amicus briefs by 12:01 a.m. PT Friday.
A 30-second television advertisement featuring clips of President Donald Trump, anti-communist rhetoric, and boasts about tax cuts and law-and-order policies aired this week on Fox News and Newsmax with the on-screen disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” prompting Democrats to accuse the Trump administration of illegally using taxpayer money for partisan midterm messaging.
The 30-second spot includes the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government." https://t.co/3v0CXnawom
The spot, which tracking firm AdImpact said cost about $14,000 and ran during conservative programs, opens with Trump declaring, “Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country.”
Only 10% of U.S. adults ages 18–24 watched local TV news in the past week, compared with 64% of adults 65 and older — a 54-point generational gap, according to a survey released Thursday.
The Future Of TV Live Report from Ring Digital, is based on a September poll of 1,376 U.S. adults weighted to Census age and gender data, also found daily television viewing at 31% among 18- to 24-year-olds versus 81% among those 65 and older. Founder Brian Ring said the problem for local broadcasters is not only pay-TV decline but that younger viewers are forming a different relationship with news and television.
The finding echoes a long-running claim in radio: that Generation Z and Generation Alpha rarely use FM and may barely know AM exists. That radio argument remains debated.
Nearly half of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very concerned about possible restrictions on press freedom, according to a recent Pew-Knight Initiative report.
That 46% figure puts press freedom in the same range of public worry as several other core rights: 50% express high concern about limits on free speech, 47% about the freedom to assemble peacefully, and 46% about the right to vote. The overall numbers mask a sharp partisan split.
NFL Week 2 games averaged 20.4 million viewers, the most-watched second week on record dating to 1998 and a sharp rebound from a soft opening weekend. The figure is up 6% from last year’s Week 2 and lifted the league after Week 1 averaged 19.5 million, a 13% year-over-year drop.
Through two weeks, the NFL is averaging 19.9 million viewers per game — still down about 4% from 2025’s 20.7 million pace, but the third-best two-week start on record, behind only 2025 and 2015.
The Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs continue to drive the national audience. Dallas has appeared in the two most-watched games of the season so far: Fox’s Commanders-Cowboys window drew 27.2 million, the largest telecast of 2026 to date, and NBC’s Week 1 Cowboys-Giants Sunday Night Football game drew 25.7 million.
Kansas City ranks just behind, with its overtime win over Indianapolis on Sunday Night Football averaging 24.3 million — the best Week 2 SNF audience since 2015 — and its Week 1 Monday Night Football game against Denver placing among the season’s top five.
Radio political advertising is already running far ahead of recent election cycles as midterm buying accelerates, with Kinetiq Political Insights reporting $73.5 million booked from January 1 through September 11.
That total is nearly double the $38.9 million radio had booked at the same point in the 2024 presidential cycle and more than double the $33 million recorded in the comparable stretch of the 2022 midterms. The bookings account for about 2.9% of the $2.5 billion in political advertising KPI has tracked so far across television, cable, and radio.
FOX Sports Radio announced today the launch of “College Football with Stugotz & The Bear.” The new show debuts Friday, September 25, 2026, with iHeartPodcasts.
“College Football with Stugotz & The Bear” is a twice-weekly celebration of everything that makes college football great. From legendary rivalries and iconic venues to star players, game-day traditions and can't-miss tailgate food, multiplatform sports personality Jon “Stugotz” Weiner delivers his signature blend of passion, humor and uniquely entertaining takes on the sport he loves.
Joined by FOX Sports personality, veteran college football analyst and sports betting expert Chris “The Bear” Fallica, the duo will take listeners on a fun, fast-paced ride through the biggest stories and best moments in college football.
The Detroit Tigers have signed multiyear contract extensions with television play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson, keeping both as the primary voices of Tigers baseball on Detroit SportsNet and the Tigers Radio Network.
Ryan Gustafson, president and CEO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, said the club is “incredibly proud” to retain the pair and grateful they chose a deeper commitment to the organization. He said improving the fan experience several years ago included building a stronger broadcast, and that Benetti, Dickerson, and others now deliver “an entertaining and informed broadcast that is among the best in baseball.”
Lionel Richie will return as a judge on American Idol Season 25 despite three heart-related hospitalizations since June, fellow judge Luke Bryan confirmed Thursday during a concert in Nashville.
Richie, 77, will again sit alongside Bryan and Carrie Underwood, with Ryan Seacrest returning as host.
The panel will be together for a third straight season. ABC renewed the series in July; Season 25 is expected to premiere in 2027. Auditions are already underway through the virtual Idol Across America search.
The confirmation comes days after Richie was hospitalized for the third time since June and underwent a procedure for atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. A representative said the procedure “went perfectly,” that Richie is “doing great,” and that he will take time off before returning to the stage. AFib is common and not immediately life-threatening, but it can cause fatigue, dizziness, palpitations and shortness of breath and can lead to complications.
The latest episode forced cancellation of three dates on his Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, in San Francisco, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. In late August he struggled through a St. Louis show, asked for a chair during “All Night Long,” left the stage and later spent days in the hospital, including time in intensive care. In June he cut short a St. Paul, Minnesota, concert after a dizzy spell while performing “Dancing on the Ceiling,” then postponed two more dates. He later told fans he was doing well.
He is still expected to resume his Lionel Richie: King of Hearts residency at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas beginning Oct. 14. Richie has judged American Idol since ABC revived the show in 2018. A four-time Grammy winner and former Commodores frontman, he is known for “Hello,” “All Night Long,” “Three Times a Lady” and co-writing “We Are the World.”
What Is AM Radio? Only 10% of U.S. adults ages 18–24 watched local TV news in the past week, compared with 64% of adults 65 and older — a 54-point generational gap, according to a survey released Thursday. The findings echoes a long-running claim in radio: that Generation Z and Generation Alpha rarely use FM and may barely know AM exists. That radio argument remains debated. MORE
Ca-Ching, Political Dollars: Radio political advertising is already running far ahead of recent election cycles as midterm buying accelerates, with Kinetiq Political Insights reporting $73.5 million booked from January 1 through September 11. MORE
Tigers Extend Broadcasters: The Detroit Tigers have signed multiyear contract extensions with television play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson, keeping both as the primary voices of Tigers baseball on Detroit SportsNet and the Tigers Radio Network. MORE
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is releasing a forthcoming book, Behind the Castle Walls, that blames predecessor and successor Bob Iger for much of what went wrong during Chapek’s tenure and takes little apparent responsibility for his own record.
In the book, Chapek faults Iger for everything from his own indecisive leadership to Disney’s litigation with Scarlett Johansson. He also claims credit for current CEO Josh D’Amaro, writing that D’Amaro was a “relative unknown in the corporate hierarchy before I singled him out.”
Most sharply, Chapek portrays Iger — who earned hundreds of millions of dollars across his tenures as one of America’s highest-paid CEOs — as “complaining about his compensation, that it was inadequate relative to others in the industry.”
That account tracks with earlier reports from Disney executives that Iger privately lamented making less than CBS’s Les Moonves, who oversaw a smaller set of assets.
➦In 1922...WOAI San Antonio signed on the air. At first, it broadcast on 1190 kilocycles with only 500 watts. Over the next several years WOAI was issued permits by the Federal Radio Commission to move the transmitter site and increase its power from 500 to 1,000 watts; then to 2,000 watts, and then 5,000; and finally to 50,000 watts in 1930.
Meaning of call letters: World Of Agriculture Information.
During The Golden Age of Radio, WOAI was an NBC Red Network affiliate, airing its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows, children's shows and big band broadcasts. For more than four decades, WOAI was owned by Southland Industries, Inc.
Because it went on the air in the earliest days of broadcasting, the station's call sign begins with a "W." Stations in Texas were in the W territory before 1923, when the dividing line became the Mississippi River. From that point, nearly all stations in Texas received "K" call letters. But WOAI has been grandfathered with its unusual call sign.
Today, WOAI is currently the westernmost station to have "W" call signs. There are still about two dozen W stations in states west of the Mississippi River.
In 1941, WOAI was moved to clear channel frequency 1200 kHz.
➦In 1933...The Tom Mix Radio Show was heard for the first time on NBC. The show ran until June 1950.
Thomas Edwin Mix was born Thomas Hezikiah Mix on January 6, 1880 and died October 12, 1940. He was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies between 1909 and 1935. Mix appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent movies. He was Hollywood's first Western star and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.
Mix himself never appeared on these broadcasts (his voice, damaged by a bullet to the throat and repeated broken noses, was not fit for radio) and was instead played by radio actors: Artells Dickson (early 1930s), Jack Holden (from 1937), Russell Thorsen (early 1940s) and Joe "Curley" Bradley (from 1944). Others in the supporting cast included George Gobel, Harold Peary and Willard Waterman.
Here's the Tom Mix tie-in to the call sign of Hubbard Radio's WTMX Chicago.
WKBI AM in St. Marys, PA went on in 1950. This was the first of a group of stations that would become the Allegheny Mountain Radio Network headed up by Cary Simpson. In 1966, WKBI-FM went on the air Licensed to Ridgeway, Elk County PA's County seat.
In the 70's WKBI-FM changed formats from Top 40 to Country and at that time changed call letters to WTMX in honor of one of Hollywood's early famous cowboys of the silver screen, Tom Mix. Mix was born in Southern Elk county.
WTMX would become WKBI-FM again in 1983.
In Chicago, WCLR changed it's call sign to WTMX in 1989.
(H/T: Jim Linn Jacksonville.)
➦In 1967...Announcer Bob Hall, Host of Music Til Dawn on WCBS 880 AM died. His program "Music Till Dawn" premiered on April 13, 1953.
Dolly Parton’s estate asked a Tennessee court this week to keep the singer’s nephew and former head of security away from the company that now runs her business empire, accusing him of threats meant to extract money after her death.
She’s Alive LLC, the trust entity that oversees Dollywood and Parton’s brand deals, sued Bryan Seaver and his firm, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, on Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court.
The Wall Street Journal reports Longtime manager Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, asked a judge to bar Seaver from interfering with the company’s relationships and from coming within 1,000 feet of anyone tied to it. Some reports said a temporary restraining order was granted Tuesday.
Noon Update: The White House on Thursday began readmitting journalists from three media outlets — MS NOW, CNN and Politico — after a federal judge temporarily lifted President Donald Trump’s ban on those outlets.
The move came after Secret Service officers initially barred some journalists from those outlets from entering the White House earlier Thursday despite the judge’s order.
Judge Timothy Kelly ordered Trump and other defendants in a lawsuit by the outlets to respond by 12:30 pm. ET to their new court filing notifying him of non-compliance with his temporary restraining order against the president’s ban.
The White House’s director of operations responded to Kelly with a declaration that said the White House had restored press passes to the affected outlets.
Kelly issued his restraining order, which will last for at least two weeks, late Wednesday night. It directed the White House to “immediately” restore access to the three outlets.
A federal judge has ordered U.S. President Donald Trump to restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico, saying the ban was likely unconstitutional.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to restore White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, ruling that his ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly issued the order in a lawsuit the news organizations filed after Trump announced the ban on September 18. The decision marked a significant setback for the president in one of his sharpest confrontations with the press.
Kelly directed the administration to immediately restore the outlets’ press passes and barred officials from enforcing the ban for 14 days.
Fox News joined ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC this week in refusing to film President Trump’s public events until CNN is restored to the White House press corps, after Trump banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW as “fake” news.
Fox co-signed the five-network statement: “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” Two senior Fox journalists have been among the lead actors in the press corps’s standoff with the administration.
The five networks share the presidential TV pool, rotating the cost and duty of filming the president’s daily movements. After last week’s ban, they refused to replace CNN’s camera. On Tuesday night, Fox was scheduled to cover Trump’s Air Force One arrival at Joint Base Andrews and declined to film it.
A Fox spokeswoman referred questions to the joint statement.
The stance has surprised some liberal Fox critics and unsettled some Trump hard-liners. Inside Fox, journalists have framed it as both history and self-interest, people familiar with the deliberations said.
Fox joined the White House TV pool in the 1990s as a young network seeking Washington legitimacy. In 2009, when the Obama administration labeled Fox “a wing of the Republican Party” and tried to bar it from a Treasury event, the other networks refused to participate until Fox was reinstated.
Fox officials also note that a future Democratic administration could try to ban Fox the way Trump has banned CNN. Standing with CNN now, they argue, is insurance later. Former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer put the same point on X: “Don’t ban them. Or one day they’ll ban us.”
On Friday, September 25, 92.5 XTU (WXTU-FM) is turning up the music, the rhinestones and the Dolly spirit to celebrate Dolly Parton Day - a day dedicated to one of country music’s most beloved and influential icons.
Why September 25th? Because 9/25 gives a wink to Dolly’s legendary anthem, “9 to 5.” It’s the perfect day to celebrate Dolly’s music, generosity, larger-than-life personality and enduring impact on country music and beyond.
For 92.5 XTU, it’s the perfect excuse to celebrate everything that makes Dolly… well, Dolly.
“Dolly Parton is one of those rare artists who managed to make everything feel bigger, brighter and more fun,” said Andie Summers, host of The Andie Summers Show. “Her music has been part of so many people’s lives, but it’s her heart, humor, and generosity that made her truly special. We’re going to have a lot of fun celebrating Dolly on 9/25 and on 92.5 XTU, Philly’s Country Station. BTW - I fully support going all-in on the rhinestones. It’s your day to shine!”
Throughout the day, XTU will spotlight Dolly’s unforgettable career, from classics like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You” to the stories, humor and heart behind the songs. Listeners are encouraged to celebrate in true Dolly fashion - with a little more kindness, a little more sparkle and a whole lot of country music.
So, grab your rhinestones, turn up the radio and get ready to celebrate a country legend.
FNC Continues to Beat CBS in Weekday Primetime Year-to-Date, Quarter-to-Date and Month-to-Date
FNC Posts Week-to-Week Growth in the 25-54 Demo in Total Day Viewers
CNN Sees Year-over-Year Losses in Viewers
FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the week of September 14th with 1,941,000 weekday primetime viewers, leading CBS (1,877,000 viewers) for the 17th consecutive week, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel.
To date, FNC continues to beat CBS in weekday primetime viewers for the year (12/29/25 - 09/20/26), quarter (06/29/26 - 09/20/26) and month (08/31/26 - 09/20/26). The network averaged 2.8 million viewers year-to-date, 2.4 million viewers quarter-to-date and 2.1 million viewers month-to-date while CBS only claimed 2.7 million viewers year-to-date, two million viewers quarter-to-date and 1.9 million viewers month-to-date. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC notched 1.6 million viewers.
In Monday – Sunday total day, FNC nabbed 1.1 million viewers and 106,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, posting growth week-to-week in the demo.
Notably, CNN saw year-over-year losses in both total day and primetime viewers. In total day, the network posted a five percent loss in total viewers (382,000 viewers) and a seven percent loss in the 25-54 demo (54,000 viewers). In primetime, CNN saw a three percent loss in viewers, claiming only 552,000 viewers. Additionally, the second episode of CBS’ 60 Minutes delivered week-to-week declines – down 15% in total viewers and 31% in the 25-54 demo. With just under 6.8 million viewers, this marks the third consecutive season in which its second episode has averaged under seven million viewers.
As of Wednesday, new customers will pay $21.49 a month for each ad-free premium plan, a $2.50 increase, and $12.49 for the ad-supported versions, up 50 cents.
Existing subscribers will see the higher rates on their next monthly bill. Bundles are being treated differently. The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu package remains $12.99 a month. The ad-free bundle rises $2 to $21.99 is 50 cents less than buying two separate premium subscriptions. The changes are meant to push customers toward packages instead of standalone plans.
Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundles now range from $21.99 to $44.99 a month. ESPN recently raised its Unlimited plan from $29.99 to $31.99 a month and its annual plan from $299.99 to $319.99.
Disney launched Disney+ in 2019 and signed up more than 10 million customers on its first day. The service carries Disney classics such as “The Lion King” and “Lilo & Stitch,” plus titles from Marvel and Lucasfilm. The company acquired a controlling stake in Hulu as part of its $71.3 billion 2019 purchase of much of 21st Century Fox and later took full ownership. It has been integrating the two streamers, and ESPN programming, into Disney+ since then.
Disney is not the only streamer raising prices. Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV and YouTube Premium have all increased fees this year.
