Good Mornging: Here's The Pulse For Tuesday, Sep 22

Radio Broadcasting

Host-Read Ads Make Impact: Radio and podcast host reads — can deliver stronger brand impact than other paid creative when advertisers name themselves immediately and lean into entertaining, emotion-driven messages, according to a new global study. MORE

Garth Moves On: Garth Brooks and TuneIn have ended their three-year partnership behind the SEVENS Radio Network, a move tied to TuneIn’s recent acquisition by Stingray Group Inc. Two of the network’s stations — The Garth Channel and Tailgate Radio — signed off Tuesday. MORE

Mets Voice Signs-Off: Howie Rose signed off from his final New York Mets radio broadcast Sunday after 32 seasons, fighting back tears. MORE

Media Industry

News Gets Oversight: California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday that Paramount must create a News Editorial Independence Board for CBS News and CNN as a condition of settling the multi-state antitrust suit that had delayed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. MORE

PSKY Gets Deal: Paramount has settled lawsuits brought by a coalition of 12 U.S. states seeking to block its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, agreeing as a condition of the deal to create a news editorial independence board intended to safeguard the editorial autonomy of CBS News and CNN. MORE

Making TV Great Again: The White House launched “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station,” a 24/7 YouTube livestream of the administration’s selected speeches, announcements and past highlights, on Monday night after major U.S. networks suspended their shared White House pool coverage. MORE

U-S News

Trump Approval Tanks: A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating at a historic low of 32%, the lowest of his career, amid growing Republican dissatisfaction over cost‑of‑living issues and the war in Iran.

Trump, Mamdani Visit: President Donald Trump visited New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdadi at Gracie Mansion, praising his potential and discussing affordable housing, immigration enforcement, and the Sunnyside Yards project.

Data Center Opposition:  The backlash against data centers that is shaping elections and kitchen table debates across the country is now spilling onto Wall Street. Companies that house the data centers or supply them with energy and land for construction were expected to dominate the initial public offering market over the coming months, feeding investors’ seemingly insatiable appetite for everything related to artificial intelligence. MORE

Paramount Settlement Clears Way for Warner Megadeal

State attorneys general have settled their lawsuit seeking to block Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the last major legal hurdle for a merger that would combine two Hollywood studios, two streaming services, CBS, and CNN.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the 12-state coalition, announced the deal Monday at a Los Angeles news conference. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told staff the companies expect the merger to close no later than early October, though the exact date is not yet set.

In exchange for the states dropping the antitrust case, Paramount agreed to a package of conditions. It must release 30 films a year in theaters and create a News Editorial Independence Board “to support CBS News’ and CNN’s continued editorial independence” and “ensure independent, objective, fact-based reporting,” Bonta said.

That board must be in place within 180 days of closing. It will have five “established journalists,” active or retired, each with at least 10 years of experience. Paramount’s board of directors will appoint the members, and no more than two may be affiliated with the same political party. The panel is charged with resolving disputes over “alleged reporting bias or failure to meet agreed reporting fairness standards” and with monitoring “editorial independence, including from… ownership and shareholders.”

The combined company would join Paramount’s film and television studios, CBS, and Paramount+ with Warner’s studios, HBO, CNN, and other cable networks. The settlement would allow Paramount CEO David Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, to sharply expand their media holdings.“Our goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood — one with more stories told, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition,” David Ellison said. He thanked Bonta and the other attorneys general for “engaging in good faith to find a path forward.”

Paramount To Create Board To Monitor News Content

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday that Paramount must create a News Editorial Independence Board for CBS News and CNN as a condition of settling the multi-state antitrust suit that had delayed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

An independent monitoring trustee, along with an internal compliance monitor, will oversee whether the combined company keeps those commitments. 

Bonta, who led a 12-state coalition that sued in July to block the roughly $110 billion deal, announced the settlement at a Los Angeles news conference. He said the board is meant to support “continued editorial independence” at the two news organizations and to “ensure independent, objective, fact-based reporting.” 

PSKY, WBD Merger Likely To Result In New Sports Synergy

The parent companies of TBS/TNT Sports (Warner Bros. Discovery) and CBS Sports (Paramount Skydance) are completing a $110–111 billion merger when the deal is expected to close by early October 2026. 

This combines two of the largest U.S. sports media operations into a single division second only to ESPN in scale. TBS, TNT, and truTV sit inside WBD’s TNT Sports unit. CBS Sports operates the CBS broadcast network, CBS Sports Network, and large parts of Paramount+. 

After close, those assets will be run as one group. CBS Sports president David Berson is widely viewed as the favorite to lead the combined operation. TNT Sports chair Luis Silberwasser and his team have continued operating independently until the legal path cleared.

Critics Skeptical of Board Oversight of CNN and CBS News

Paramount has settled lawsuits brought by a coalition of 12 U.S. states seeking to block its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, agreeing as a condition of the deal to create a news editorial independence board intended to safeguard the editorial autonomy of CBS News and CNN.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the settlement at a press conference, saying Paramount “must establish a news editorial independence board to support CBS News and CNN’s continued editorial independence to ensure independent, objective, fact-based reporting at CBS News and at CNN.” 

In a legal motion to formally end the case, the companies said the board would “establish guiding editorial and journalism principles for the combined entity’s news channels.”

TWH Launches Trump TV

The White House launched “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station,” a 24/7 YouTube livestream of the administration’s selected speeches, announcements and past highlights, on Monday night after major U.S. television networks suspended their shared White House pool coverage. 

The stream, also promoted through the White House app, opened with archived footage of President Donald Trump’s July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore and later played his 2025 inauguration.  The official White House account billed it as “top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place.” 

Study Offers New Insights Into Talent Endorsements and Host Reads

Radio and podcast host reads — can deliver stronger brand impact than other paid creative when advertisers name themselves immediately and lean into entertaining, emotion-driven messages, according to a new global study.

The findings are in “The Creator Effectiveness Playbook: How to Build Your Brand with Creators,” from WPP Media, creative-testing firm System1, and TikTok. Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard examines the research in a new blog post.

Researchers measured responses to 1,217 paid ads among 182,500 TikTok users in eight markets and linked those results to in-market brand-lift data. The campaigns represented $71 million in media spending and 23.6 billion impressions.

Creator ads — which Bouvard likens to radio and podcast host reads — produced greater brand-memory lift, combining awareness and ad recall. Two factors stood out: naming the advertiser within the first two seconds, and generating strong positive emotion through entertaining content.

Garth Brooks Exits Tune-In Partnership

Garth Brooks and TuneIn have ended their three-year partnership behind the SEVENS Radio Network, a move tied to TuneIn’s recent acquisition by Stingray Group Inc. Two of the network’s stations — The Garth Channel and Tailgate Radio — signed off Tuesday. 

The BIG 615 will remain on TuneIn through the end of 2026 but will no longer be affiliated with Brooks or SEVENS. Brooks said he plans to announce new broadcast and multimedia initiatives in the coming months. 

“The Stingray family has been fantastic in the transition along with TuneIn’s people,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier with the three years we have spent with them and wish them well on their future endeavors and hope we cross paths in the future.” 

MLB Mets Fans Send-Off Howie Rose Into Retirement

Howie Rose signed off from his final New York Mets radio broadcast Sunday after 32 seasons, fighting back tears as Citi Field fans chanted his name during a 7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The 72-year-old play-by-play voice called the Mets’ last home game of 2026 on ESPN New York 880 after rain forced the team to postpone a planned pregame retirement ceremony until Opening Weekend 2027. 

An announced crowd of 33,611 still turned the meaningless late-season contest into a farewell. After the eighth inning, the public-address system played the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.” Fans faced the radio booth and chanted “Howie Rose” as the ninth began. Rose’s voice cracked on air. He reached for tissues, joking that Rangers great Mark Messier had long ago advised him to pack Kleenex for moments like this. 

“It’s not goodbye as far as I’m concerned,” he told listeners. “I’ll still be here for the ceremonies, and I don’t mean the retirement ceremonies. I mean Opening Day, and when we have Mets Hall of Fame Day, or retire a number, have an Old Timers’ Day. So I’m stepping away. It’s basically a retirement.” 

Not Everyone Is Happy With MNF Pairing SAS, McAfee

ESPN put Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee on the same Monday Night Countdown desk Monday before the New York Giants–Los Angeles Rams game at SoFi Stadium, drawing immediate backlash from viewers who say the two stars already dominate the network. 

McAfee is a full-time member of the pregame show this season. Smith was a guest, not a regular on that desk. The pairing hit a nerve because both men are among ESPN’s most expensive and most visible personalities. 

Smith signed a five-year deal reported at about $100 million. McAfee’s existing ESPN arrangement has been valued near $85 million over five years, with talks of a much larger extension; some coverage has framed their combined ESPN commitments in the $80 million–$86 million range cited by critics of the network’s star spending. Fans have long complained they cannot escape either face across First Take, The Pat McAfee Show, College GameDay and NFL studio shows. 

The Daily Mail U-S reports on X, that complaint became the story of the pregame. “Best way to ruin the pre-game show is to not only put Pat Mcafee on, but then add Stephen A. Smith,” one user wrote. 

Radio History: Sep 22

➦In 1899...Lee DeForest sought employment with Marconi. Lee DeForest de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. He named himself the "Father of Radio," with this famous quote, "I discovered an Invisible Empire of the Air, intangible, yet solid as granite."

Lee de Forest

In 1906 de Forest invented the Audion, the first triode vacuum tube and the first electrical device which could amplify a weak electrical signal and make it stronger. The Audion, and vacuum tubes developed from it, founded the field of electronics and dominated it for forty years, making radio broadcasting, television, and long-distance telephone service possible, among many other applications. For this reason de Forest has been called one of the fathers of the "electronic age".

He is also credited with one of the principal inventions that brought sound to motion pictures.

De Forest was a charter member of the Institute of Radio Engineers. DeVry University was originally named De Forest Training School by its founder Dr. Herman A. De Vry, who was a friend and colleague of de Forest.

➦In 1899...Hanley Stafford born (Died September 9, 1968) He was an actor principally on radio.

Hanley Stafford

He is remembered best for playing Lancelot Higgins on The Baby Snooks Show. Stafford also assumed the role of Mr. Dithers, the boss of Dagwood Bumstead on the Blondie radio program. He is commemorated by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After emigrating to the US in his twenties he became active in radio acting, appearing in show on KFWB, L-A. Beginning in 1937 he became widely known as Lancelot Higgins (“Daddy”) in Fannie Brice’s radio skit, ‘Baby Snooks,’ and as Dagwood’s boss Mr.Dithers on the radio version of the comic strip ‘Blondie.’

Stafford emigrated from England to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1911. He enlisted in the 43rd Battalion of the Canadian Scottish Infantry in 1915, was wounded in the Third Battle of Yprès in 1916 and returned to England in 1918. Until 1924 he toured Canada in drama productions and landed in Los Angeles that year. He played in stock for eight years and then in tent shows. He was appearing on KFWB radio in Los Angeles by April 1932 then went to Phoenix to manage a stock company, the Delmas-Lawless Players, before returning to Los Angeles to resume stage and radio work the following August.

➦In 1927...NBC Radio's sportscaster Graham McNamee called the famous “Long count” championship fight in which Jack Dempsey lost the heavyweight boxing title to Gene Tunney. He was featured on the cover of the October 3, 1927 issue of Time magazine

➦In 1943...singer Kate Smith ended her War Bond radio appeal. She had been on the air for 13 continuous hours and collected $39 million in bond pledges.

Paramount-Skydance Reaches Settlement Agreement

Paramount has reached a settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general, clearing the path for its $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to people familiar with the matter.

The agreement, whose final terms were not immediately available, will allow Paramount to keep its cable channels rather than sell them. Settling the suit removes the most serious remaining obstacle to a deal that would combine two of Hollywood’s oldest studios, the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services, and dozens of television networks under one owner.

David Ellison won a bidding war against Netflix in February to buy Warner Bros. The combined company would control franchises including Harry Potter, DC superheroes, “Game of Thrones,” “The Godfather,” “Top Gun,” “South Park” and “Yellowstone,” along with cable networks such as CNN and Cartoon Network.

A dozen Democratic-led states, including New York and Colorado and led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued in July to block the merger on antitrust grounds, arguing it would concentrate too much power in theatrical films and television. The Writers Guild of America also sued, saying the combination would cost screenwriters jobs.  Movie stars and other creatives signed an April open letter opposing the deal; over the weekend, opponents including Mark Ruffalo urged Bonta not to settle.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, major theater chains and some Hollywood unions pressed the parties to resolve the fight. 

Negotiations over the weekend included possible concessions such as production investment, channel sales and a board to protect CNN’s editorial independence.

A settlement before trial would help Paramount avoid “ticking fees” that begin Oct. 1 if the deal has not closed: about $650 million a quarter, or $7 million a day, payable to Warner shareholders. The company had also warned it could leave California as soon as that date, with Tennessee seen as a likely destination. Bonta called that threat an attempt to blackmail regulators.

The merger has already won approval from the U.K. government, the European Commission, the U.S. Justice Department and other foreign regulators. On Thursday the FCC cleared a significant indirect ownership stake for three Gulf funds. The combined company is still expected to carry nearly $80 billion in debt.

Major Networks Suspend White House Pool Coverage

Five major television networks have suspended White House pool coverage after the Trump administration barred reporters from CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House grounds and stripped CNN of its role as the networks’ pool representative.

ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC acted in solidarity following President Trump’s Saturday order, which he said was a response to what he called negative and false coverage. “They shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States,” Trump posted on social media. 

“I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house,” he added, warning that other outlets could be added to the ban. The three excluded organizations have filed a legal challenge, arguing the restriction violates the First Amendment.

In a joint statement, the five networks said “the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

Pool coverage of Congress, visiting dignitaries, and selected events in Washington and elsewhere will continue as usual.

Banned Outlets Sue Trump, TWH In Federal Court

CNN, MS NOW and Politico said Monday they will sue President Donald Trump and senior White House officials to restore their reporters’ access to the White House, arguing that last week’s ban is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and a violation of the First Amendment. 

The three outlets said they notified the government Monday morning that they would file the lawsuit the same day in federal court in Washington, D.C., along with an emergency request for a temporary restraining order that would immediately restore press credentials and White House access while the case proceeds. 

Trump announced the ban Friday on Truth Social, saying he was barring “Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico” from the White House “effective immediately” over what he called “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS,” “FICTION and LIES,” and cumulative “purposely negative” coverage.  He later told reporters in the Oval Office that he did not have to let those outlets into “the people’s house,” and he warned that other organizations could follow. 

On Saturday, Secret Service officers denied entry to White House reporters Betsy Klein of CNN, Akayla Gardner of MS NOW and Cheyenne Haslett of Politico and confiscated or deactivated their credentials. 

CNN Reporting From The Street

The outlets say they received no notice or process before the credentials were revoked. CNN was also removed Monday from its rotation as the television pool representative for presidential events. In a joint statement, the organizations said: “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.” 

TWH Clamps Down On Banned News Outlets

CNN's Betsy Klein

Secret Service agents denied CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists entry to the White House on Saturday and confiscated their press passes, one day after President Donald Trump said he was banning the three outlets.

CNN’s Betsy Klein, Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett and MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner were among those turned away. Klein said an agent told her the pass had been deactivated. Gardner said an officer took her badge after it failed to scan and, when asked why, said the decision was “above him.” 

MSNOW Akayla Gardner,
Politico Cheyenne Haslett

MS NOW and CNN journalists continued reporting from across the street. Gardner called it the first time the outlets had been denied entry.

The three organizations said they would fight the restrictions and keep covering the president. 

“CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access,” a CNN spokesperson said. Politico global editor in chief Jonathan Greenberger said the newsroom would “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.” 

MS NOW said it “intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights.”

President Trump Urged To Reconsider Ban

White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich on Saturday called on President Donald Trump to immediately lift his ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW, saying the move “violates the First Amendment” and denies the public independent scrutiny of the presidency.

The statement came one day after Trump announced he was barring the three outlets from the White House. On Saturday morning, the administration followed through, blocking their journalists from the grounds and confiscating press passes.

TWH Press Secretary Position Remains Vacant

President Donald Trump is in “no rush” to name a successor to former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, even as several high-profile allies jockey for the job more than three weeks after she left.

Leavitt announced Aug. 12 that she would step down to spend more time with her children, Nico, 2, and Viviana, then 4 months old. She left Aug. 27. The White House has not named a replacement.

Names circulating in the West Wing include CNN commentator Scott Jennings, Alina Habba — Trump’s former personal attorney and former acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey — and former Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. Other possible contenders include Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, senior Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez, and former first-term aides Roma Daravi and Caroline Sunshine.

Industry Vet Says Shutting Down CBS News Radio 'Illogical'

CBS News under Bari Weiss shut down its 99-year-old radio division, a low-cost operation that reached an estimated 20 million listeners a week—far more than the network’s “Evening News With Tony Dokoupil,” which is lucky to top 4 million viewers.

The move has drawn criticism as illogical. The radio unit was a small slice of the overall broadcast budget. 

Veteran contributor Larry Magid, who spent more than two decades at CBS News Radio before shifting to a contributor role in 2020 with the nationally distributed “The ConnectSafely Report,” called the decision a sign that Weiss does not value traditional broadcast.

Larry Magid

“She definitely does not care about traditional media,” Magid said. “She may care about podcasting. She may care about blogging. But it doesn’t strike me that she has a real understanding of the value of traditional broadcast.”

Profitability remains disputed. A New York Times report in March, citing a person familiar with the company, said CBS News was “unprofitable.” The Los Angeles Times reported monthly radio revenues had fallen “as low as $67,000, according to a network executive not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.” 

Magid said he was told the division made money. “Even if it made a dime, as a public service, to kill it, it doesn’t make sense.”

Summer Hits: Bruno Mars Tops In-Vehicle Most Played List

Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” was the most-played song in American cars this summer, according to Xperi’s Summer 2026 U.S. In-Vehicle Listening Report, beating Ella Langley’s country smash “Choosin’ Texas” and Taylor Swift’s late-rising “Toy Story 5” track “I Knew It, I Knew You.” 

Xperi ranked songs by in-car listening sessions in the states where each title was No. 1 across June, July and August, using anonymized data from vehicles on its DTS AutoStage platform. 

“I Just Might,” Mars’ retro pop-funk dance cut, led with 7.3 million sessions. Langley’s heartbreak ballad followed with 5.5 million. Swift’s original song for Toy Story 5, released this summer, finished third with 3.5 million after a late surge. 

Ed Sheeran Tears Up During On Stage Apology

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran apologized Saturday night for how he handled the removal of opening act Macklemore and said he could no longer stay silent on the war in Gaza, calling Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel “horrific” and the situation in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

Stepping onto a darkened stage at Lincoln Financial Field in a plain blue T-shirt, Sheeran told the Philadelphia crowd he had made “mistakes” and disappointed fans after his stadium tour was thrown into turmoil.

“I’ve tried in my career to not be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics,” he said. “But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”