FCC Drops Workforce Data Reporting

The FCC on Thursday eliminated the requirement that radio and television stations file annual reports on the race, ethnicity, and gender of their employees, formally removing a data-collection rule the Fifth Circuit had already struck down.

The Media Bureau adopted and released the order on October 1, deleting Section 73.3612 and the associated Form 395-B filing obligation. The change takes effect when it is published in the Federal Register. The Bureau said the action implements the appeals court’s decision and does not alter other equal-employment rules that remain on the books.

The order follows a May 2025 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in National Religious Broadcasters v. FCC. The court vacated the Commission’s 2024 reinstatement of the reports, holding that the agency lacks statutory authority to require broadcasters to submit workforce demographic data. 

The National Religious Broadcasters, the American Family Association, and the Texas Association of Broadcasters had challenged the reinstatement; collection of the reports stayed deferred while the case was pending.

The deleted rule had a long and contested history. The FCC first adopted the annual employment-report requirement in 1969. It suspended the filings in 2001 and left them dormant for more than two decades before a Democratic-majority Commission restored them in 2024 on a party-line 3-2 vote. Thursday’s deletion was taken under Chairman Brendan Carr’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” proceeding, which targets rules the agency views as unnecessary or unsupported.

Broadcasters should not treat the change as an end to FCC employment oversight. Equal-employment opportunity rules and random station audits continue. The Enforcement Bureau mailed 2026 audit letters to selected radio and television stations on August 21, and responses are due October 20. Those letters again include questions added in the 2025 audit cycle on internal bias complaints, employee sanctions tied to diversity policies, and race-based hiring databases. In 2025 the National Association of Broadcasters asked the FCC to end the audits, calling them ineffective and burdensome.

Survey: Radio Diversity Stalls

Minority representation in the radio news workforce held flat at 16.6% in 2026, unchanged from a year earlier and down from a record 21.5% two years ago, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey.

Hispanic/Latino and Native American representation both rose this year, while African American and Asian American numbers fell. Minority radio news directors increased to 8.8%, still below the brief high of two years ago. Native American and Asian American news directors both reported zero this year.

Men continued to outnumber women in radio newsrooms. Both shares declined modestly — men to 56.1% and women to 42.1% — as the survey recorded non-binary respondents for the first time, at 1.8% of the workforce. Women general managers fell back to 23.6% after a gain the previous year. Women news directors gained ground in major and medium markets but lost ground in small and large markets.

Minority general managers roughly doubled to 12.7%, with gains among African American and Native American respondents, even as Asian American representation fell to zero. Regionally, the Northeast joined the South and West among the highest-performing areas for minority news directors, while the Midwest trailed for a third consecutive year.

LGBTQ+ representation continued a multi-year rise. Stations reporting LGBTQ+ staff members climbed to 24.8%, up from 15% when the question was first asked four years ago. Transgender representation held at 17.3%, with commercial stations reporting transgender staff for the first time. Market size remained a strong predictor across nearly every measure, with major markets consistently reporting the highest representation.

The annual survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025, drew responses from more than 1,100 television stations and nearly 600 radio stations. It is supported by the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

FCC Chair Says Disney In Wrong Court, At Wrong Time

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Disney is suing in the wrong court at the wrong time over an order forcing eight ABC-owned stations to seek license renewal early, and he said the agency has not decided whether to move toward revoking those licenses.

Carr made the remarks at an agency news conference in Washington as Disney presses a case accusing the Commission of retaliating against ABC’s programming. “Look, when it comes to this particular Disney litigation, it’s very clear we’ve made the case in our pleadings that Disney has filed at the wrong time in the wrong court, making meritless arguments. But other than that, I think they’re doing pretty well in their litigation,” he said. 

He told Reuters the company “seems to be a little nervous about what the record’s showing,” and, asked whether he has decided to begin revocation proceedings, said, “We haven’t made a decision about when we’re making a decision.”

The dispute centers on an April 28, 2026, order directing all eight ABC owned-and-operated stations to file renewal applications well ahead of the normal cycle. For more than 50 years the FCC had not ordered a broadcaster to renew early. Disney and ABC sued in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the order violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to censor a network whose coverage the administration dislikes. The complaint says the Commission demanded review of the stations’ licenses “extraordinarily early.”

The FCC’s account is different. Carr has said the early review grew out of an Enforcement Bureau investigation, opened in March 2025, into Disney diversity, equity, and inclusion programs the agency suspects violate antidiscrimination rules. The Commission argues the timing was not driven by programming complaints, including presidential criticism of ABC and Jimmy Kimmel. Disney counters that the review is retaliation for speech and that Carr is acting in line with White House pressure on agency leaders to scrutinize private-sector DEI.

Carr has also said Disney’s filing does not fit the review path required by the Communications Act. The company has separately opposed an FCC motion to strike from the appellate record social-media posts and news articles documenting comments by Carr and President Trump about ABC and Disney. No license decision has been announced.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson Expected To Remain

David Ellison has asked CNN CEO Mark Thompson to remain at the network after Paramount completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, though the two sides have not agreed on a new contract, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Ellison and Thompson have discussed terms, people familiar with the talks told the Journal. Thompson is seeking assurances that he would keep broad editorial autonomy. Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, is not expected to have a role involving CNN once the deal closes. CNN and Paramount did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The report comes just over a week after Thompson told staff he wanted to stay, while saying the decision would rest with Paramount. “I want to stay if Paramount finds me useful,” he said at a company town hall. He added that Paramount had not yet explained how it planned to run CNN and warned employees not to assume CNN and CBS News would be combined.

The leadership question is emerging as Paramount prepares to place CNN and CBS News under the same owner in a $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Editorial independence at CNN has become a central issue around the deal.

Paramount expects the transaction to close Oct. 6, after a federal judge approved its settlement Wednesday with 12 state attorneys general. Under that agreement, Paramount must create a five-member News Editorial Independence Board within 180 days of closing to oversee editorial independence at CNN and CBS News and to resolve specified disputes over journalistic standards.

Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim told TheWrap at TheGrill on Wednesday that he was confident CNN would keep its editorial independence under the Ellison family. He also said he did not believe CNN or CBS News would “foreclose access to information” once the networks share an owner.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the coalition challenging the acquisition, told TheWrap at TheGrill that concerns about CNN’s future helped drive the settlement’s editorial protections. “I care about our information ecosystem. It’s broken,” Bonta said. “Of course I’m concerned about it.”

MLB Ratings: Strong Start for Wild Card Games

NBC Sports drew its largest MLB postseason audiences in years with its first playoff telecasts since 2000, averaging 7.3 million viewers for Tuesday night’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees American League Wild Card Series Game 1 and 3.9 million for the Philadelphia Phillies-Atlanta Braves National League Wild Card Series Game 1, both on NBC and Peacock.

The Red Sox-Yankees game, which ran from 8 to 11:20 p.m. ET and was presented by AbbVie, was the most-watched Game 1 of an MLB Wild Card Series or Division Series since the 2006 Tigers-Yankees ALDS (8.4 million on FOX). It rose 12% from last year’s Red Sox-Yankees Wild Card Series Game 1 (6.5 million on ESPN on Sept. 30, 2025) and peaked at 8.5 million viewers from 9 to 9:15 p.m. ET.

The Phillies-Braves game, which aired from 2 to 4:59 p.m. ET and was also presented by AbbVie, was the most-watched afternoon MLB Wild Card Game 1 since the series began in 2020. It increased 15% from last year’s San Diego Padres-Chicago Cubs afternoon Wild Card Series Game 1 (3.4 million on ABC on Sept. 30, 2025) and peaked at 5.0 million viewers from 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. ET.

Fox Business To Unveil New Weekday Line-Up

FOX Business Network (FBN) will unveil a new weekday programming lineup beginning on Monday, October 12th, announced FOX News Media President and Executive Editor Jay Wallace.

FBN will launch Big Money in the Morning (6-9AM/ET) hosted by Dagen McDowell, Brian Brenberg and Taylor Riggs with Barron’s Josh Schafer. The Bottom Line will conclude its 6PM/ET run as McDowell and Brenberg transition to the morning show, with encore episodes of FBN’s Kudlow taking over the 6 PM/ET timeslot. The Big Money Show (12-2PM/ET) will add rotating co-hosts Cheryl Casone, Marcus Lemonis, and Lou Basenese alongside current host Jackie DeAngelis. Additionally, Liz Claman will launch a new Friday night program entitled Claman’s Power Players (7-7:30 PM/ET).

In making the announcement, Wallace said, “We’re excited to bring viewers fresh programming from a seasoned team of journalists, offering expert insight and analysis on the forces shaping the economy and driving business news. FOX Business remains committed to delivering compelling business news, market analysis, and conversation throughout the day, and these changes will further strengthen our weekday lineup.”

WEEKDAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE 

• 5-6AM/ET: FOX Weather AM
• 
  6-9AM/ET: Big Money in the Morning
• 9AM-12PM/ET: Varney & Co.
• 12-2PM/ET: The Big Money Show
• 2-3PM/ET: Making Money with Charles Payne
• 3-4PM/ET: The Claman Countdown
• 4-5PM/ET: Kudlow
• 5-6PM/ET: The Evening Edit with Elizabeth MacDonald
• 6-7PM/ET: Encore episodes of Kudlow
• Fridays, 7-7:30PM/ET: Claman’s Power Players
• Fridays, 7:30-8PM/ET: Barron’s Roundtable

Taxpayer-Funded Commercials to Air On CNN, MS NOW

The Trump administration has bought taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Donald Trump on CNN and MS NOW, even as it has sought to bar both networks from the White House.

The spots, which carry a “Paid for by the U.S. Government” disclaimer, denounce the “deep state,” “globalists,” “warmongers” and the “fake news media,” and vow to defeat “communism, socialism and Marxism.” They aired locally rather than nationally. “Final Battle,” a 30-second ad, ran on MS NOW in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington and once on CNN in Los Angeles. “The Country He Loves,” in which Trump promises to defeat communism, socialism and Marxism, aired on MS NOW in Los Angeles and on CNN in Los Angeles and Albany, New York.

Through Wednesday, the administration had placed 38 ads on MS NOW and 10 on CNN, according to AdImpact data reported by The Washington Post. The same campaign has also run on Fox News, Newsmax, CBS, NBC and ABC. AdImpact estimated the administration has spent at least $2.87 million on three ads. The Wall Street Journal reported that the buys were funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

The White House declined to discuss the specific spending. In a statement, it called the spots public service announcements “about reminding Americans to love their country and understand what makes it worth defending, at home, at our borders, and abroad.” MS NOW has said that accepting an advertisement is not an endorsement of its message.

The buys are notable because Trump announced about two weeks ago that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from White House grounds, calling their coverage negative and “fake news.” Journalists from the three outlets were denied access and had their press passes confiscated. The outlets sued, arguing the ban discriminated by viewpoint. A federal judge paused the bans and ordered access restored, finding the outlets were likely to succeed. Variety reported that the White House later removed CNN from the press pool for a presidential trip to Texas and Oklahoma.

The ads echo a 2024 Trump campaign video and have drawn bipartisan criticism ahead of the November midterms, with some lawmakers and ethics experts questioning the use of public money for spots that promote the president. A source told CNN that Trump personally helped shape the ads, including the imagery.

Lawmakers Want Indy Probe of Taxpayer-Funded TV Commercials

Democratic lawmakers asked federal watchdogs Thursday to investigate whether taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump violate restrictions on government political activity, days before the ads began airing nationally ahead of the November midterm elections.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. George Whitesides of California asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel to determine whether the spending is illegal. Democrats said earlier this week that the White House transferred $20 million in Homeland Security Department funds to air the spots, including one that closely resembles a 2024 Trump campaign advertisement.

In a letter seen by Reuters, Raskin and Whitesides called the ads “desperate pre-election propaganda” and “an illegal use of taxpayer funds,” writing that they are “virtually identical to the ones Donald Trump used during his 2024 presidential campaign, and in fact use the same footage and the same inept ideological messaging.”

Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the three nationally broadcast ads, which celebrate a “golden age of America” and are airing five weeks before the elections. Lawmakers have questioned whether public funds are being used to promote Trump politically; other critics say the spots may violate longstanding limits on government propaganda and political activity.

Trump defended the ads Wednesday. “I’m not running for office,” he said. “If somebody said that that’s wrong, I’ll gladly pay the money. But these are ads for the country … I’m not promoting a candidate. I’m not promoting myself because I’m not running for office.”

CRS27 To Honor Dolly Parton

Country Radio Broadcasters has named Dolly Parton the recipient of its 2027 Artist Humanitarian Award, an honor that will be presented posthumously at Country Radio Seminar, March 17–19 in Nashville.

The award recognizes Parton’s lifelong philanthropy and service. She was told of the selection before her death, and organizers said the presentation will stand as a tribute to her work in and beyond music.

Parton directed much of her giving toward children, families and communities, including education, healthcare, disaster relief and medical research. Her best-known effort is the Imagination Library, which she started in 1995 in her home county in East Tennessee. The program sends free books to children from birth through age five and has grown into a global literacy effort that has delivered millions of books. Through the Dollywood Foundation and her personal giving, she also backed disaster-affected communities, schools and healthcare programs.

“The word ‘humanitarian’ is nearly synonymous with Dolly Parton,” CRS executive director RJ Curtis said. “Her decades of generosity and philanthropy speak for themselves, and CRB was honored when Dolly agreed to accept this recognition earlier this year. Though she won’t be with us in person at CRS, her extraordinary spirit and enduring commitment to making the world a better place will continue to inspire us all.”

The Artist Humanitarian Award, established in 1990, honors country artists whose charitable work has had a significant impact. Past recipients include Jelly Roll, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood. Details of the presentation will be announced later.

Nominations Now Being Accepted For Country Radio Hall

The Country Radio Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for its Class of 2027, with submissions due by Oct. 30.

Nominations are accepted year-round, but entries received after the deadline will be considered for the Class of 2028. Candidates can be nominated through the hall’s submission form.

Nominees must have worked at least 20 years in radio, including a minimum of 15 years in the country format. The hall recognizes professionals in two categories: Radio, for programming, management, sales and other behind-the-scenes roles, and On-Air Personality, for on-air talent. Inductees are chosen for their impact on the growth of country radio.

The 2027 inductees will be announced during Country Radio Seminar 2027, set for March 17–19 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Founded in 1974, the Country Radio Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the country radio and music industry.

Noms Being Accepted to NAB Crystal Radio Awards

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is accepting entries for the 41st annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards, honoring outstanding community service efforts by radio stations from the past year (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026). Winners will receive national recognition during a special ceremony at the NAB State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2027.

For decades, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have celebrated radio stations for their exceptional year-round commitment to serving their communities. A panel of judges representing the broadcast industry and community service organizations will review applications and select 50 finalists and 10 winners.

NAB member stations must submit an online entry through My NAB detailing their community service efforts from the past year.

The deadline for entry submissions is October 31. Finalists will be announced in February.

Entry information is available here, or by contacting NAB Vice President of Awards, Events and Member Experience Tobi Hall.

Calif. Gov. Signs Community News Act Into Law

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the Community NEWS Act, a bill that offers news organizations refundable tax credits for hiring and retaining journalists.

The law, backed by the SAG-AFTRA union and carried as AB 2222 gives qualified newsrooms a $20,000 credit for each of the first five full-time journalists hired and $15,000 for each additional full-time hire. It also provides $7,500 for part-time journalists and a stackable $15,000 credit for new hires.

“Governor Newsom’s signing of the Community NEWS Act is a huge win for the quality journalism needed to build a healthy, informed society,” SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin said. He credited Newsom, Ward and the bill’s allies in the Legislature with making “the policy changes necessary to ensure continued access to the news and information that keeps our democracy thriving.”

Supporters say the credits could slow the loss of local coverage by making it more affordable for outlets of all sizes to employ reporters. According to the 2026 Local Journalist Index, local journalist employment has fallen more than 80% since 2002. Vermont, Illinois, New York and New Mexico have already adopted incentives for local news.

The signing comes more than a year after Congress passed the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminated $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Those cuts, long a source of grants for local PBS and NPR affiliates, have led to staffing reductions and programming changes at stations across the country.

FOX Nation Strikes Deal with Supermodel Christie Brinkley

FOX Nation has signed a deal with iconic supermodel, actress and author Christie Brinkley for an exclusive docuseries, Uptown Girl: The Christie Brinkley Story, set to premiere in 2027, announced Lauren Petterson, president of FOX Nation. Comprised of three one-hour episodes, the intimate series offers a revealing first-person portrait of the woman behind one of the most recognizable faces in pop culture, whose extraordinary life has played out in the public eye for more than five decades.

In making the announcement, Petterson said, “Christie Brinkley is an American icon whose career and life have captivated audiences across generations. We’re thrilled to have unprecedented access to her personal archive and look forward to partnering with Christie to share her remarkable story with our audience.”

Christie Brinkley

Brinkley added, “As long as I can remember, I've been chronicling my life from my action-packed illustrated journals to videoing everything, and I've saved it all. So going back through it all has been an incredible trip through my roller coaster of a life. There have been amazing highs, some difficult times, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way. Some things made me laugh, some brought back wonderful memories, and some were definitely harder to revisit. But I’ve always tried to find the silver lining, even in the difficult moments, and looking back now, I can see how much all those experiences shaped who I am today. I learned that the hardest things can sometimes be what propels you to new places, so I'm grateful for all of it! I’m sharing it all with you and hope it inspires you to… as my Dad, a great TV scenarist always said to me, "You, write your own script, baby!” … and make it a great one!”

Long before social media, Brinkley was documenting her life through home movies, photographs, journals, artwork, and personal recordings. Now, she is opening her extensive personal archive to FOX Nation, offering an unprecedented look at the moments the public never saw ranging from her early years as an artist before fame, to life on the road with Billy Joel, marriage, motherhood, private heartbreak, and the helicopter crash that nearly took her life.

Moving between these intimate personal records, iconic archival footage and present-day vérité, the three-part series reveals the woman behind the image and the unexpected turns, losses and reinventions that have shaped a life lived in the spotlight. Uptown Girl: The Christie Brinkley Story is produced by Lionsgate Alternative Television for FOX Nation and directed by Larissa Bills.

The series will be distributed worldwide by FOX Entertainment Global, which will introduce the project to international buyers at MIPCOM. Brinkley will attend the market, where she will be honored with a handprint ceremony on October 12, joining Cannes’ celebrated Chemin des Étoiles at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, and meet with international buyers and partners.

Radio History: Oct 2

➦In 1890...Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx born in New York City (Died – August 19, 1977). He was a comedian, writer, stage, film, radio, and television star. A master of quick wit, he is widely considered one of America's greatest comedians.

Groucho Marx

"The one, the only" made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born. He also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game show You Bet Your Life.

You Bet Your Life debuted in October 1947 on ABC radio (which aired it from 1947 to 1949), and then on CBS (1949–50), and finally NBC. The show was on radio only from 1947 to 1950; on both radio and television from 1950 to 1960; and on television only, from 1960 to 1961. The show proved a huge hit, being one of the most popular on television by the mid-1950s. With George Fenneman as his announcer and straight man, Marx entertained his audiences with improvised conversation with his guests.

Since You Bet Your Life was mostly ad-libbed and unscripted—although writers did pre-interview the guests and feed Marx ready-made lines in advance—the producers insisted that the network pre-record it instead of it being broadcast live. There were two reasons for this: pre-recording provided Marx with time to fish around for funny exchanges and any intervening dead spots to be edited out; and secondly to protect the network, since Marx was a notorious loose cannon and known to say almost anything. The television show ran for 11 seasons until it was canceled in 1961.

He died from pneumonia Aug 19, 1977 at age 86.

Bud Abbott

➦In 1896...William Alexander "Bud" Abbott born (Died – April 24, 1974). He was an actor, best known for his film comedy double act, as straight man to comedian Lou Costello.

Groucho Marx declared Abbott "the greatest straight man ever."  Bud outlived his partner by 15 years, succumbing to cancer Apr 24, 1974 at age 77.

➦In 1900...Radio actor William Barton Yarborough born (Died – December 19, 1951).  He had worked rked extensively in radio drama, primarily on the NBC Radio Network. He is famous for his roles in the Carlton E. Morse productions I Love a Mystery, where he played Doc Long, and One Man's Family, where he spent 19 years portraying Clifford Barbour. In addition, Yarborough spent three years as Sgt. Ben Romero on Jack Webb's Dragnet.

He started work on the Dragnet TV series in 1951, but the day after he filmed the second episode, he suffered a heart attack and died four days later Dec. 19, 1951 at age 51.

➦In 1928...DeFord Bailey made the first professional recordings in Nashville at the Victor Records studios.

NFL Ratings: Strong Performances For MNF

Monday Night Football’s Week 3 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears delivered 22.6 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL+, the second largest Week 3 crowd in the ESPN era (since 2006). Monday’s telecast is only topped by Detroit Lions-Baltimore Ravens in 2025 with 22.8 million viewers, last season’s most-watched Monday Night Football game overall.

Week 3’s Eagles-Bears telecast also lands among the largest audiences Monday Night Football has ever produced, ranking as the sixth-most-watched game across ESPN’s 21 seasons of the franchise — joining Week 1’s Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs opener among the largest crowds ever.

TV Ratings: CFB Football Down 11 Percent In September

College football television viewership is down 11% through September compared with the same point in the 2025 season, with FBS games averaging 1.7 million viewers across Nielsen-rated networks.

Texas’s 24-23 comeback win over Ohio State in Week 2 is the season’s most-watched game so far, drawing 14 million viewers on ABC—the largest regular-season audience on an ESPN platform in a decade. Only one other contest has topped 10 million: Ole Miss’s 32-24 victory over LSU on Sept. 19, which drew 10.9 million on ABC.

A year earlier, four Week 1 games alone exceeded 10 million viewers, led by a record 16.6 million on Fox for Texas–Ohio State. Eleven regular-season games cleared that threshold over the full 2025 season.

According to Front Office Sports, here are the 10 most-watched games through September this season:

1. 
   Ohio State–Texas: 14 million (ABC)
2. LSU–Ole Miss: 10.9 million (ABC)
3. Texas–Tennessee: 9.7 million (ABC)
4. Ole Miss–Florida: 8.3 million (ABC)
5. Oklahoma–Michigan: 8.2 million (Fox)
6. Wisconsin–Notre Dame: 8.1 million (NBC)
7. Alabama–Kentucky: 7.3 million (ABC)
8. Florida State–Alabama: 7 million (ABC)
9. Clemson–LSU: 5.8 million (ABC)
10. Texas A&M–LSU: 5.7 million (ABC)

LSU’s 51-10 win over Clemson, the most anticipated season opener, drew 5.8 million after a two-hour rain delay.

Viewership could rise over the next two months as the SEC and Big Ten move deeper into conference play, primarily on ABC and Fox. NBC will carry No. 3 Miami vs. No. 4 Notre Dame on Nov. 7; last year’s Week 1 meeting drew 10.8 million on ABC.

ESPN’s College GameDay is averaging 2.83 million viewers through four weeks, 5% above its record 2025 season average of 2.7 million. Weeks 2 through 4 each set a program record for that week.

Boston Radio: Legendary WMEX Has Signed-Off..Perhaps Forever

WMEX is one of Boston radio’s most storied radio stations with iconic call signs signed off Wednesday: The station originated as a Depression-era independent that became the city’s first true rock ’n’ roll Top 40 station, a launching pad for legendary personalities, a pioneer of listener-call-in talk, and, after decades of format and call-letter churn, a revived oldies/classic-hits outlet on the South Shore.

NBC Is Observing Its 100th Anniversary

NBCUniversal is marking the 100th anniversary of the NBC Network with a yearlong “NBC100: A Century Together” campaign that culminates in a live three-hour primetime special on Dec. 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.⁠

The special, scheduled for 8–11 p.m. ET, is designed as a star-studded variety show honoring a century of radio, television, news, sports, and entertainment. Advertisers including Allstate, Capital One, Purina Dog Chow, Smucker’s, Volkswagen, and Xfinity have signed on as sponsors, part of a strategy NBCUniversal used after the Saturday Night Live 50th-anniversary special.⁠

Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame Gala Honors Class of '26

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott was inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame on Tuesday night at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York, joining the 34th annual class of honorees just days before the network’s 30th anniversary on Oct. 7.

The gala, now in its 34th year, formally recognized Scott alongside a class spanning news, sports, entertainment, advertising and technology. Fellow inductees included CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, Disney global advertising president Rita Ferro and Food Network personality Bobby Flay, as well as executives and creators such as Val Boreland, Joe Cohen, Robert and Michelle King, Jon Litner, Joel Myers, Jim Packer and William Wang. The evening also named “Star Trek” Franchise of the Year and presented a Chairman’s Award to Luis Fernández of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

Bill  Hemmer, Suzanne Scott, Charlie Weiss

Accepting the honor, Scott credited colleagues rather than herself. “The real recognition belongs to my entire Fox News family and some of you are here tonight,” she said, noting that Fox News will mark its 30th anniversary next month. She called Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch “two true champions of free speech,” said the network’s goal is to meet audiences where they are, and praised behind-the-camera staff as “equally important” as on-air talent.

Bill Hemmer introduced Scott, and Lachlan Murdoch delivered a video tribute. Fox News Media president Jay Wallace and “Hannity” host Sean Hannity attended, along with “The Five” anchors Dana Perino, Jessica Tarlov and Emily Compagno.

Scott, Fox News’ first female CEO, has led Fox News Media since 2018 and has been with the organization since its launch era in 1996. Under her tenure the company has expanded from a single cable channel into linear, digital, streaming and podcast platforms while remaining cable’s most-watched news network. The induction places her in a Hall of Fame class that Charlie Weiss, the organization’s chairman, called “particularly noteworthy” for its mix of industry leaders, innovators and creators.

Accepting the honor, Scott reflected on the network’s upcoming milestone, “Next month, we will celebrate our 30th anniversary,” while crediting the broader FOX News team and emphasizing the company’s focus on evolving alongside changing audience habits. “Our goal at FOX News is to meet our audiences where they are,” Scott said. “We’ve taken incredible risks and evolved alongside our viewers and their families.” 

TV Ratings: FNC Posts Week-To-Week Growth

• FNC Leads All of Cable in Total Day and Total Viewers for 37th Consecutive Week
• CBS Evening News Delivers Under 4M Total Viewers, Sees Week-to-Week Decline 25-54

FOX News Channel (FNC) concluded the week of September 21st with nearly 2 million weekday primetime viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research Big Data + Panel. In Monday – Sunday primetime, FNC secured 1.7 million viewers and, markedly, posted week-to-week growth in total viewers, the 25-54 demo and the 18-49 demo. In Monday – Sunday total day, FNC drew nearly 1.1 million viewers. FNC also led all of cable in total day and total viewers for the 37th consecutive week. Notably, CBS Evening News delivered under 4 million total viewers and saw a 17% week-to-week decline in the 25-54 demo, averaging 497,000 viewers.

TV Ratings: As Fox News Approaches 30, The Five Makes History

• FOX News Paces Towards its Highest-Rated Midterm Year with Total Day Viewers
• ‘The Five’ Makes History: 20 Consecutive Quarters as Most-Watched Show in Cable News
• ‘Special Report with Bret Baier’ and ‘FOX & Friends’ Continue to Lead CBS in Major Markets

During the third quarter of 2026, FOX News Channel (FNC) dominated CBS with weekday primetime viewers ahead of its 30th anniversary on October 7, according to Nielsen. Averaging 2.4 million weekday primetime viewers, FNC led CBS (two million viewers) for the quarter, while continuing to lead CBS year-to-date with weekday primetime viewers. 

Broadcast News: ABC, NBC 1-2 For Week

“World News Tonight with David Muir” opened the 2026-2027 season ranked as the No. 1 program in Total Viewers (8.388 million) on all of broadcast and cable (excluding sports) for the week of Sept. 21, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

“World News Tonight” posted its most-watched premiere week in 6 years — since the 2020-2021 season — and has ranked as the No. 1 program for the last 24 weeks.

Carr Says Taxpayer-Funded Ads Do Not Warrant FCC Review

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said Wednesday that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump are not improper and do not warrant FCC review, dismissing criticism that the spots amount to government-funded political promotion five weeks before the midterm elections.⁠

“There’s nothing in there that strikes me to merit any sort of FCC review or any liability for any broadcaster for running a regular, normal public service announcement,” Carr, a Republican appointed by Trump in January 2025, told reporters after an FCC meeting. He said the ads were “the types of PSAs that the government naturally and normally runs” and that “Republicans and Democrats routinely” air similar government spots.⁠

Broadcasters Urged to Stop Airing Trump Taxpayer Funded Ad

Public Citizen has filed federal complaints alleging that two new taxpayer-funded television ads promoting President Trump violate laws against government propaganda and the Hatch Act, and it is urging broadcasters to pull the spots immediately.

The ads began airing over the weekend on broadcast and cable networks in two media markets that include key midterm election districts. Both carry the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. government.” Advocacy groups and legal experts say the spots appear to use public money to promote the president rather than to convey official government information.

Good Morning! Start With The Pulse For Thurs, Oct 1

Radio Broadcasting

PA Acquisition: WHYY has acquired WPSU under an agreement finalized Wednesday, giving the central Pennsylvania public media station a path forward after it faced possible closure earlier this year.

AI Hosting: Two-thirds of weekly podcast listeners would react negatively if their favorite host used an AI-generated version of themselves to run the show, according to new Edison Podcast Metrics questions fielded in the first quarter of 2026.

RIP: Ruth Weisberg, a longtime Philadelphia radio, television, and online news anchor, features reporter, and talk-show host who was also the voice of Shadow Traffic, died Wednesday. She was 70

Court Okays PSKY Settlement With State AGs

A federal judge on Wednesday approved Paramount Skydance’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general, clearing the last major legal barrier to its roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and putting David Ellison on track to close the deal as soon as next week.⁠

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed off on the consent decree, writing that the agreement is a “fair, reasonable, and good faith” way to address the competition harms alleged in the states’ lawsuit and does not violate the law or public policy. Paramount has tentatively aimed to complete the purchase around Oct. 6, when its Class B shares are expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange after a planned move from Nasdaq on Oct. 5. Ellison had said after the Sept. 21 settlement that the merger could close in about two weeks.⁠

PSKY Names Ynon Kreiz As Co-CEO

Ynon Kreiz

Ynon Kreiz, who is stepping down as chairman and CEO of Mattel after eight years, will join Paramount as co-CEO of the company formed by its pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount announced Wednesday.⁠

Kreiz will start Oct. 5 and join the board. As co-CEO he will oversee day-to-day operations and the integration of the combined businesses. David Ellison will remain chairman and CEO and lead strategy, creative, and technology, including talent relationships, partnerships, technology, and capital allocation. Company executives will report to both.⁠

Listeners Feel "Deceived" With AI Hosted Podcasts

Two-thirds of weekly podcast listeners would react negatively if their favorite host used an AI-generated version of themselves to run the show, according to new Edison Podcast Metrics questions fielded in the first quarter of 2026.⁠

Edison Research at SSRS asked weekly podcast consumers how they would feel if a favorite host started using an AI stand-in. Sixty-six percent chose at least one negative reaction. About one-third said they would feel deceived, and about one-third said they would feel upset. Thirty-two percent said they would be skeptical, and 28 percent said they would feel betrayed.

PA Radio: WHHY Philly Completes Acquisition Of WPSU

WHYY has acquired WPSU under an agreement finalized Wednesday, giving the central Pennsylvania public media station a path forward after it faced possible closure earlier this year.

The deal expands WHYY’s audience across State College and about two dozen counties while keeping WPSU on the air as a PBS and NPR affiliate. WHYY CEO Bill Marrazzo called the outcome a win for both organizations. “At ‘HYY, we believe in the fundamental right of any citizen in our country to have access to a free, trustworthy media experience,” he told WHYY News. “And WPSU fits that bill.”

Penn State Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Sara Thorndike said the university was relieved the station would remain open. “We are very pleased that the more than 1.5 million people across central and northern Pennsylvania will continue to benefit from this vital public media service,” she said in a statement.

R.I.P.: Ruth Weisberg, Longtime Philly R/TV News Anchor

Ruth Weisberg (1956-2026)

Ruth Weisberg, a longtime Philadelphia radio, television, and online news anchor, features reporter, and talk-show host who was also the voice of Shadow Traffic, died Wednesday, Sept. 2, of ovarian cancer at an assisted living center in Sarasota, Fla. She was 70.

Weisberg, formerly of Philadelphia, spent nearly 50 years as a media personality in Pennsylvania and Florida. She was the radio voice of Shadow Traffic in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then anchored news and reported features at WXTU, WCAU, WIFI, WPEN, and WSNI in the mid-1980s. From the late 1980s until recently, she hosted radio, television, and online talk shows.

In 1988 and 1989 she hosted Frank Talk With Frank Rizzo on WCAU radio. Working with the former Philadelphia mayor, she told The Inquirer in 1989, was like flying a “careening aircraft for three hours.” She later hosted Storytime and Show ’n Tell with Miss Ruth on local cable television and online in 2015, and Funny You Should Ask, a Florida radio show and podcast about comedy, in 2023.

Radio History: Oct 1

➦In 1909...Everett H. Sloane born in NYC (Died – August 6, 1965). He was a character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films and television. He was also a songwriter and theatre director.

Sloane's radio work led him to be hired by Orson Welles to become part of his Mercury Theatre. Sloane recorded one program with The Mercury Theatre on the Air and became a regular player when the show was picked up by a sponsor and became The Campbell Playhouse

In the 1940s, Sloane was a frequent guest star on the radio theater series Inner Sanctum Mysteries and The Shadow, and was in The Mysterious Traveler episode "Survival of the Fittest" with Kermit Murdock.

Reportedly depressed over the onset of blindness, Sloane committed suicide in 1965 at age 55.

WJZ - 1922

➤In 1921...WJZ Radio signed-on. WJZ was the present day WABC in New York City. The original Westinghouse Electric Corporation, whose broadcasting division is a predecessor to the current broadcasting unit of CBS Corporation, launched WJZ in 1921, and was located originally in Newark, New Jersey.

NY State Radio: Pamal Broadcasting to Acquire Galaxy Media

Pamal Broadcasting has agreed to buy Galaxy Media, the Syracuse- and Utica-based radio group founded by Ed Levine, for an undisclosed price, pending FCC approval.

The Albany-area company will take over day-to-day operations of Galaxy’s stations on Oct. 1 under a local marketing agreement, running programming and management while the sale moves through the FCC. Galaxy operates about 10 stations — often counted as a larger cluster of signals when simulcasts and translators are included — in the Syracuse and Utica-Rome markets. 

AI Techies Sign-Up for Self-Policing

President Donald Trump and leading technology executives signed a voluntary, “morally binding” accord on artificial intelligence safety at the White House on Tuesday after a lunch with industry leaders including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Trump said the companies should regulate themselves rather than face new government rules.

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“There’s a belief that there should be tremendous self-regulation and we automatically have regulation with the Department of Justice, the FBI, all of that,” Trump told reporters. “But the self-regulation’s very important.” He later described the document as having a “tremendous self-policing aspect” and compared it to “almost like a constitution.” 

Morning Show Topic: McDonald's Using AI to Set Prices

McDonald’s is using an artificial-intelligence pricing engine to recommend “optimal” prices for menu items at individual restaurants across the United States and some overseas markets, a system that estimates how much local customers are willing to pay and has widened price gaps between nearby stores, Reuters reported Tuesday.⁠

The tool analyzes millions of daily transactions from nearly 14,000 restaurants and generates location-specific prices for items ranging from Big Macs to senior coffee discounts. Screenshots of the franchisee interface reviewed by Reuters include messages such as “Your restaurant is showing MEDIUM SENSITIVITY to Price,” based in part on “customer willingness to pay in your area.” The platform also pulls public menu prices from nearby competitors such as Wendy’s and Burger King.⁠