ESPN Audio is now collaborating with voice-over artist and host Cayman Kelly to bring his contemporary sound to the network.
Kelly will work closely with ESPN Audio on a variety of sound for the network’s programming including updates, promotions and much more. In August, listeners will begin hearing Kelly’s dynamic work across everything from ESPN Radio’s new weekday lineup to digital podcasts and live event content.
Cayman Kelly
Kelly’s multi-platform career has included work across ESPN and other TV networks, radio stations of all genres, video games, live concerts and events and corporate presentations.
“I am super excited to be working with such an amazing team that I have turned to for sports as a fan for years,” said Kelly. “Now, to suddenly be a part of the sports magic is surreal! I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity.”
David Roberts, ESPN senior vice president, production said, “Cayman brings an unmatched sound and prime-time feel to everything he does. We are excited to work with Cayman and look forward to his voice differentiating the sound of ESPN Audio.”
Kelly started his voice-over career when he became the voice for BET and their digital networks after working on other projects for the network. Since then, he has voiced television promos for TV Land, TV One, Bounce TV, Cartoon Network and more. After receiving much recognition for his work, he became the imaging voice of numerous radio stations across the country, including for POWER 105.1 in New York and successful radio show, “The Breakfast Club,” in addition to hosting a national show on SiriusXM.
He was a voice on “Grand Theft Auto V” and worked with artists on tour including Usher, Mary J. Blige, Wiz Khalifa, Boyz II Men and Bruno Mars. Kelly has hosted numerous events across the globe that include festivals attended by 10,000-30,000 plus individuals.
Facebook Inc. has completed a series of deals for the right to show music videos, according to people familiar with the matter, vaulting the social network into a medium dominated by YouTube.
Bloomberg reports partnerships with the three largest music companies -- Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group -- are expected to be announced soon, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
Music videos are one of the most popular genres on Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, and Facebook has long sought the legal rights to allow its billions of users to watch and share them on its platform. Facebook had previously inked deals with rights holders in order to use the audio -- useful when people upload clips that include background music, for example -- but didn’t have permission to show the official videos.
Now, Facebook has approached some artists and music companies about acquiring exclusive rights to some music videos, even if just temporarily, the people said. In some cases, Facebook has said it would be willing to pay the video production costs, and that it would promote the video on its service to increase viewership, they said.
Facebook has been looking for more ways to increase video consumption on its service, tapping into a promising market. Video advertising is often more lucrative than other types of ads, and video-based rival TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., has been gaining users at a rapid clip. At the same time, music video consumption has soared on YouTube during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday’s earnings call, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company is trying to expand into video features where creators can build a “community” of fans or supporters, not just gather views. It’s “something that is just a lot harder to do on a YouTube or a Twitch or other products like that,” he said.
Fox News's Laura Ingraham has taken over this year as the most-watched female cable news host.
According to The Washington Examiner, the host of The Ingraham Angle at 10 p.m. on weeknights since October 2017 has experienced a large boost in ratings in 2020, and it has propelled her past other female hosts, including MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who had been the most-watched.
In every month since December 2019, Ingraham has beaten Maddow in nightly audience size, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, in that same time frame, Ingraham's monthly ratings never dropped below 3 million viewers a night, which is a marker she had never topped prior to this stretch. Ingraham similarly topped Maddow in the key 25-54 age demographic, which is coveted by advertisers, during the same time.
Ingraham, a conservative, espouses opinions that are usually opposed to those of Maddow, a liberal who often dedicates her show to criticizing President Trump and his administration.
Maddow's nightly audiences beat out those drawn in by Ingraham for much of 2017-2019, which covered a period that included the Trump-Russia investigation and the Trump impeachment fight. But Ingraham's ratings have skyrocketed this year, as have the other prime-time hosts at Fox News.
The divide between Ingraham and Maddow was particularly prominent in the first three months of the year when Ingraham eclipsed 3 million nightly viewers, but Maddow never did. The MSNBC host has since bounced back with average audience sizes ranging from 3.01 million-3.3 million viewers but still trails. Ingraham beat out Maddow in July by less than 100,000 average viewers, which is the closest Maddow has been to Ingraham since she last led the Fox News host in November.
Charleston WC Radio personality Charlie Cooper died Wednesday at the age of 74.
Cooper, who was born Howard Russell, Jr, began his career as a student disc jockey at the campus radio station of Hiram College where he originally enrolled to become a physicist or an electrical engineer, reports WOWK-TV13.
Cooper worked at a number of radio stations in Akron, Ohio, New York City, and then back to Akron, Ohio before coming to West Virginia
He began working at WKAZ-AM in Charleston in 1973 and remained with the station thru 1980, becoming one of the station’s most popular afternoon drive-time Top 40 DJs. He also hosted hundreds of “Disco Scene” teen dance parties throughout southern West Virginia during the 1970s.
He was inducted into the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2007 and was a member of the board of directors of the WV Broadcasting Hall of Fame’s Museum of Radio & Technology.
➦In 1912...Irving "Irv" Kupcinet born (Died at 91 – November 10, 2003) was an newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, television talk-show host, and radio personality. He was popularly known by the nickname "Kup".
His daily "Kup's Column" was launched in 1943 and remained a fixture in the Sun-Times for the next six decades. In addition to writing his newspaper column and talk-show hosting duties, from 1953 to 1977 Kupcinet provided commentary for radio broadcasts of Chicago Bears football games with Jack Brickhouse (and was affectionately mocked for the signature phrase, "Dat's right, Jack").
Bill Todman
➦In 1916...Game show producer Bill Todman was born in New York City. Todman teamed up with Mark Goodson for radio shows.
According to radio historian J. David Goldin, among their early work together was the show Treasury Salute, a program syndicated by the Treasury Department that honored military members. They later collaborated in producing game shows for radio, then moved into television, where they produced some of the longest-running game shows in history.
Their many shows included Beat the Clock, Card Sharks, Family Feud, Match Game, Password, Tattletales, The Price Is Right, To Tell the Truth and What's My Line?.
He died from a heart condition July 29 1979, two days short of his 63rd birthday.
➦In 1919...Curtis Edward Gowdy born (Died from leukemia at age 86 – February 20, 2006). He was a sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s. His accomplishments include coining the nickname "The Granddaddy of Them All" for the Rose Bowl Game, taking the moniker from the Cheyenne Frontier Days in his native Wyoming.
Curt Gowdy
In November of 1943, recovering from back surgery, Gowdy made his broadcasting debut in Cheyenne calling a "six-man" high school football game from atop a wooden grocery crate in subzero weather, with about 15 people in attendance. He found he had a knack for broadcasting, and worked at the small KFBC radio station and at the Wyoming Eagle newspaper as a sportswriter (and later sports editor).
After several years in Cheyenne, he accepted an offer from CBS's KOMA radio in Oklahoma City in September 1945. He was hired primarily to broadcast Oklahoma college football (then coached by new-hire Bud Wilkinson). In 1947-1948, in addition to calling football and basketball on KOMA, Gowdy was also broadcasting the baseball games of the Texas League Oklahoma City Indians, on station KOCY. When Gowdy announced in early 1949 that he was leaving Oklahoma to work in New York, his replacement was fellow Oklahoma City sportscaster Bob Murphy.
Gowdy's distinctive play-by-play style during his broadcasts of minor league baseball, college football, and college basketball in Oklahoma City earned him a national audition and then an opportunity with the New York Yankees in 1949, working with (and learning from) the legendary Mel Allen for two seasons.
Gowdy began his Major League Baseball broadcasting career working as the No. 2 announcer to Mel Allen for New York Yankees games on radio and television in 1949–50. There, he succeeded Russ Hodges, who departed to become the New York Giants' lead announcer when the Yankees and Giants decided to broadcast a full slate of 154 games, instead of sharing the same radio network and announcers for the 77 home games of each team that had been broadcast (no away games of either team were broadcast).
In April 1951 at the age of 31, Gowdy began his tenure as the lead announcer for the Red Sox. For the next 15 years, he called the exploits of generally mediocre Red Sox teams on WHDH radio and on three Boston TV stations: WBZ-TV, WHDH-TV, and WNAC-TV (WBZ and WNAC split the Red Sox TV schedule from 1948 through 1955; WBZ alone carried the Red Sox from 1955 through 1957; and WHDH took over in 1958). During that time, Gowdy partnered with two future baseball broadcasting legends: Bob Murphy and Ned Martin. He also did nightly sports reports on WHDH radio when his schedule permitted.
Gowdy called Ted Williams' final at-bat where he hit a home run into the bullpen in right-center field off Jack Fisher of Baltimore. He also called Tony Conigliaro's home run in his first at-bat at Fenway Park on April 17, 1964 at the age of 19.
He left WHDH after the 1965 season for NBC Sports, where for the next ten years he called the national baseball telecasts of the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball during the regular season (and the All-Star Game in July), and the postseason playoffs and World Series in October.
➦In 1933...Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy first aired. It was a radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951. The program originated at WBBM in Chicago on July 31, 1933, and was later carried on CBS, then NBC and finally ABC.
Armstrong was football hero at fictitious Hudson High School who saved the day from dastardly villains. Somehow, these adventures would take Jack and his cousins, Betty and Bill Fairfield, to exotic locales where they would make use of industrialist Uncle Jim’s yacht and a hydroplane they referred to as the Silver Albatross.
➦In 1964...Country Music Hall of Famer James Travis Reeves died (Born - August 20). With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville sound (a mixture of older country-style music with elements of popular music). Known as "Gentleman Jim", his songs continued to chart for years after his death. Reeves died in the crash of his private airplane.
Jim Reeves
Reeves began to work as a radio announcer in 1943, and sang live between songs. Influenced by such Western swing-music artists as Jimmie Rodgers and Moon Mullican, as well as popular singers Bing Crosby, Eddy Arnold and Frank Sinatra, it was not long before he was a member of Moon Mullican's band, and made some early Mullican-style recordings like "Each Beat of my Heart" and "My Heart's Like a Welcome Mat" from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.
He eventually obtained a job as an announcer for KWKH-AM in Shreveport, Louisiana, then the home of the popular radio program Louisiana Hayride.
Reeves scored his greatest success with the Joe Allison composition "He'll Have to Go", a success on both the popular and country music charts, which earned him a platinum record. Released during late 1959, it scored Number 1 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Songs chart on February 8, 1960, which it scored for 14 consecutive weeks.
On Friday, July 31, 1964, Reeves and his business partner and manager Dean Manuel (also the pianist of Reeves' backing group, the Blue Boys) left Batesville, Arkansas, en route to Nashville in a single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, with Reeves at the controls. While flying over Brentwood, Tennessee, they encountered a violent thunderstorm. According to Larry Jordan, author of the 2011 biography, Jim Reeves: His Untold Story, musician Marty Robbins, recalled hearing the wreck happen and alerting authorities to which direction he heard the impact.
When the wreckage was found some 42 hours later, it was discovered the airplane's engine and nose were buried in the ground due to the impact of the crash. The crash site was in a wooded area north-northeast of Brentwood approximately at the junction of Baxter Lane and Franklin Pike Circle, just east of Interstate 65, and southwest of Nashville International Airport where Reeves planned to land.
➦In 1970…News Anchor Chet Huntley retired from NBC-TV, ending the 14-year run of the popular "Huntley-Brinkley Report." The network renamed the program the "NBC Nightly News".
Huntley began his radio newscast career in 1934 at Seattle's KIRO AM, later working on radio stations in Spokane (KHQ) and Portland. His time (1936–37) in Portland was with KGW-AM, owned by The Oregonian, a Portland daily newspaper. At KGW he was writer, newscaster and announcer. In 1937 he went to work for KFI in Los Angeles, moving to CBS Radio from 1939 to 1951, then ABC Radio from 1951 to 1955. In 1955, he joined the NBC Radio network, viewed by network executives as "another Ed Murrow". He died in 1974..
➦In 1977...Johnny Dark aired his final show on WRKO 680 AM, Boston.
Johnny Dark
Dark grew up in South Florida and went on to become one of radio’s many jocks named Johnny Dark. This one, however, started out along Florida’s west coast and was Program Director, Music Director, and jock at Sarasota’s WYND in 1966. After a couple years there, he wanted to get closer to home, so he took at job on the air at Top 40 WSRF 1580 AM in Ft. Lauderdale and handled the music for its then-sister station, Easy Listening/AC WSHE.
Johnny moved to another Miami outlet, WMYQ 96.3 FM, in 1972 and then on to Bartel’s legendary WOKY, The Mighty 92, in Milwaukee in 1974 as combo Music Director and afternoon drive jock. The next year he landed at Boston’s WRKO where he survived five PD’s in three and a half years before leaving for WNBC in New York in 1978.
In 1985 it was back to Beantown as Johnny segued to CBS-owned WHTT 103.3 FM. (1985 Aircheck) He also made the dream of owning his own station a reality with WHQO Oldies 108 in Skowhegan, Maine. By 1990 it was time to move back home to South Florida so he began what turned out to be 12 years doing afternoon drive for Miami’s 97.3 WFLC, South Florida’s Coast.
➦In 1981...WXLO 98.7 FM NYC adopted its “Kiss” format.
➦In 1995…Disney announced the $19-billion acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC. Created in a merger in March, 1985, Capital Cities/ABC owned the most profitable TV network, eight of the best-managed television stations in the country--which reach 25% of the nation’s viewers--21 radio stations, the ESPN sports cable networks, a gaggle of trade magazines and interests in cable networks, including Lifetime and A&E.
➦In 2010...Mitch Miller, the Coluimbia Records executive who nurtured the early careers of Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney died at the age of 99. As part of the CBS Symphony, Miller participated in the musical accompaniment on the infamous 1938 radio broadcast of Orson Welles's Mercury Theater on the Air production of The War of the Worlds. He also hosted a Sunday evening CBS Radio interview show in the late 1950’s, headed up the early 60’s NBC TV show ‘Sing Along with Mitch’.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Annie Parisse is 45
Singer Lobo is 77.
Actor Geraldine Chaplin is 76.
Singer Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis and the Playboys is 75.
Actor Lane Davies (“Lois and Clark”) is 70.
Actor Barry Van Dyke (“Murder 101,” “Diagnosis Murder”) is 69.
Actor Alan Autry (“In the Heat of the Night,” “Grace Under Fire”) is 68.
Jazz pianist-actor Michael Wolff (“The Naked Brothers Band’) is 68.
Actor James Read (“Legally Blonde”) is 67.
Actor Michael Biehn (“The Terminator,” ″Aliens”) is 64.
Singer-guitarist Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets, Bauhaus) is 63.
Actor Dirk Blocker (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 63.
Drummer Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 62.
Actor Wesley Snipes is 58.
Country singer Chad Brock is 57.
Musician Fatboy Slim is 57.
Guitarist Jim Corr of The Corrs is 56.
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is 55.
Actor Dean Cain (“Lois and Clark”) is 54.
Actor Jim True-Frost (“American Odyssey,” ″The Wire”) is 54.
Actor Loren Dean (“Space Cowboys”) is 51.
Actor Eve Best (“Nurse Jackie”) is 49.
Actor Annie Parisse (“How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days”) is 45.
Actor Robert Telfer (“Saved By The Bell”) is 43.
Country singer Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band is 42.
Actor B.J. Novak (“The Office”) is 41.
Rapper Lil Uzi Vert is
26. Actor Rico Rodriguez (“Modern Family”) is 22.
Actor Don Murray is 91.
Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell is 89.
Actor Susan Flannery (“Bold and the Beautiful”) is 81.
Legendary radio personality Frank Ski is bringing his widely popular radio show to the DMV taking over afternoons at WHUR 96.3 FM. “The Frank Ski Show with Nina Brown” airs weekdays from 3 pm to 7 pm starting Monday, August 3.
“The Frank Ski Show with Nina Brown” will deliver up-to-date commentary on trending headlines, entertainment news, and all things important to the Black culture while providing fun, edgy, and interactive engagement. Known for their ability to connect with the audience on relevant issues with transparency, Ski and Brown are a force to be reckoned with on-air. The pair promises to provide just the right mixture designed to inform, inspire, and entertain.
“Connecting to the Washington, DC listeners is extremely important to me during this challenging time in our history,” said Ski.
Ski is no stranger to the DMV. He began his radio career in the District in the early 1990s before moving on to Baltimore and then to Atlanta and back to DC for a stint at WHUR in 2013. Brown has worked in radio and television for nearly two decades and has produced several of Ski’s #1 rated radio shows.
“Frank Ski has dominated ratings and has an incredible legacy of community enrichment wherever he is on the air. He is a media icon and adding his name to WHUR once again completes our DMV Dream Team,” said WHUR Program Director Al Payne.
The addition of the “Frank Ski Show with Nina Brown” to WHUR’s weekday line-up takes the programming line-up to a whole new level. WHUR’s weekday programs also include, “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” from 6 am to 10 am, “Autumn Joi’s Live Squad” from 10 am to 3 pm, “The Daily Drum with Harold Fisher” from 7 pm to 7:30 pm, and “The Original Quiet Storm with John Monds” from 7:30 pm to midnight.”
“Now more than ever, it’s crucial to have knowledgeable trustworthy voices on the air. Frank and Nina have a proven track record of success and adding them to the WHUR team is a huge win for us,” said WHUR General Manager Sean Plater.
Entercom today unveiled a new weekday morning show on KAMP 97.1 FM, Los Angeles’ millennial station. Beginning August 3, the station will debut a special Los Angeles edition of “The Morning Mess,” featuring Joey Boy, Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard and Karla Hernandez, weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT.
The show, currently on sister station Live 101.5 (KALV-FM) in Phoenix, will feature curated local content for Los Angeles listeners, including lifestyle, news, daily traffic and weather updates, as well as city-specific COVID updates. Listeners in L.A. will also hear popular segments like “Nachoo’s Revenge,” featuring Joey Boy’s alter ego prank calling unsuspecting listeners.
“Joey Boy and The Morning Mess are a true reflection of Southern California,” said Jeff Federman, Regional President, Entercom. “They are diverse, dynamic, socially responsible and completely transparent."
Joey Boy, also known as ‘Nachoo,’ joined Entercom in 2013 as an original co-host for “The Morning Mess” on Live 101.5, and has served in various roles in Phoenix radio since 2002. Considered the ring leader of the pack, Joey is never afraid to share his family life and stories on-air. Joey Boy was raised in Los Angeles.
Aneesh Ratan joined Entercom in 2015 as an original co-host for “The Morning Mess” on Live 101.5. Raised in the Valley, Aneesh is an avid advocate on behalf of local LGBTQ+ organizations and considers himself a top of the line twerker, body positive, retro gaymer.
Jeana Shepard, ‘The Desert Mama’ on “The Morning Mess,” is the show’s voice of reason, often playfully jabbing at her co-hosts when they get too crazy. Born and raised in the Valley, she loves being plugged into local events and spending time with her friends, family and listeners. She joined Entercom in 2014 as a programming intern, and was later promoted to morning show producer. In 2016, she began as on-air talent for sister station KMLE Country@107.9 (KMLE-FM) and Live 101.5, hosting various timeslots including the station’s midday show. She joined “The Morning Mess” in January 2019.
Karla Hernandez, often referred to as “Joey Jr,” puts the mess in “The Morning Mess,” with her witty attitude and charm. She keeps the rest of the mess on their toes. The only thing crazier than this Napa, CA native is her dating life. You can catch her out late at the club, but still up early for work. Named Miss Arizona Latina 2020, Karla moved to Phoenix to pursue her degree at Arizona State University where she found her true passion in radio. She joined Entercom in January 2018 as a promotions assistant and was elevated to on-air talent for Live 101.5, joining “The Morning Mess” in January 2019.
"We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight," a spokesperson said on his website. "He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.".
Officials said they were not sure how Cain contracted the virus. He attended President Trump’s rally in Tulsa June 20 as a campaign surrogate.
Cain’s staff announced June 27 that he had tested positive for the virus.
Cain was the host of The Herman Cain Show at HermanCain.com and Herman Cain’s American on NewsmaxTV.
Cain left his show on WSB’s News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB in 2018 but continued to appear on the stations doing daily commentary.
Cain started his career as a civilian employee of the Navy and went on to climb the corporate ladder. During the 1980s, Cain was a successful business executive at Burger King, which prompted Pillsbury to appoint him as chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, a role he held from 1986 to 1996.
Cain went on to be chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Omaha Branch from 1989 to 1991 before entering politics.
He served as a senior economic adviser to Bob Dole’s presidential campaign, ran for U.S. Senate in 2004 and was a contender for the Republican presidential nominee in the 2012 election.
Cousin Bruce Morrow shocked his SiriusXM listeners Wednesday evening when he announced he it departing the 60s On 6 music channel concluding a 15-year run.
His last show will be this coming Saturday.
The 84-year-old radio legend noted he's not retiring and urged fans to follow his Facebook page for further news.
Morrow adopted the moniker “Cousin Brucie” in 1959, while working at WINS/New York. He left WINS for Miami radio in 1961 before returning to WABC/New York, where he broadcast for 13 years.
During his time at WABC, “Cousin Brucie” was known for hosting the famous Palisades Park rock concerts,. In August of 1965, he had the distinction of introducing the Beatles during their historic Shea Stadium concert.
Morrow moved to WNBC/New York, where he spent two years on radio and television before leaving the airwaves to concentrate on business ventures. In the 1980s, “Cousin Brucie” returned to radio, joining the staff of WCBS-FM/New York. From 1987 to 1993, Morrow was heard nationally on the weekly series, Cruisin' America. He currently hosts two weekly programs for WCBS, Cousin Brucie’s Yearbook and Cousin Brucie’s Saturday Night Oldies Party.
In 1994, he became the only on-air personality in New York with his own street, when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani proclaimed West 52nd Street “Cousin Brucie Way.”
Bruce Morrow was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
Sirius XM today announced second quarter 2020 operating and financial results, including revenue of $1.9 billion, down 5% compared to the prior year period. The Company's net income was $243 million in the second quarter 2020, compared to $263 million in the prior year period. Net income per diluted common share was $0.05 in the second quarter 2020, compared to $0.06 in the prior year period.
Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter totaled $615 million, roughly unchanged from $618 million in the prior year period, resulting in an adjusted EBITDA margin of 32.8%, an improvement of approximately 160 basis points from the 2019 period. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA margin was driven by a 7% decrease in total cash operating expenses, primarily in subscriber acquisition costs, revenue share and royalties, and sales and marketing, while revenue only decreased 5%.
The company, controlled by John Malone's Liberty Media, said its satellite radio subscribers fell when including promotional subs, just like had been the case in the first quarter. In the year-ago period, it had added a total of 174,000 net users.
In the latest period, SiriusXM added 264,000 self-pay customers, but lost 768,000 promotional subs to end June with 30.3 million self-pay and 34.3 million total users, down 516,000. "Paid promotional subscribers decreased due to declines in shipments from automakers offering paid trial subscriptions with the purchase or lease of a vehicle," the company said.
For the full year 2020, the company on Thursday forecast it would add about 500,000 net SiriusXM self-pay subscribers.
Meanwhile, music streaming service Pandora added 40,000 net self-pay subscribers in the second quarter, compared with 64,000 in the year-ago period, to end June with more than 6.3 million total such users. Monthly active users at Pandora came in at 59.6 million in the second quarter, down from 64.9 million in the prior-year period.
"Sirius XM's business during this challenging period has been resilient, and with improving results and visibility into the remainder of the year, I'm pleased to resume offering subscriber and financial guidance. Despite the incredible economic stresses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, our self-pay net subscriber additions grew by nearly 200,000 over the first quarter of the year, and we reported improved churn of just 1.6% per month with rising ARPU. Although advertising revenue fell 34% in the quarter, substantial expense savings in SAC and other areas provided a complete offset, and we generated over half a billion dollars of free cash flow. We are investing in our business, our people, and external opportunities to position ourselves for future growth," said Jim Meyer, Chief Executive Officer, Sirius XM (SIRI).
"Our ongoing success highlights the strengths of our business model but also the talent, dedication and innovation of employees across our organization. We simply haven't skipped a beat," added Meyer.
"Sirius XM has also been active acquiring and investing in complementary businesses, with $428 million of capital committed to acquire Simplecast and Stitcher and for a minority investment in Soundcloud. The Stitcher transaction, announced earlier this month, will substantially advance Sirius XM's position in podcasting, the fastest growing sector in audio entertainment. We are now poised to offer audio publishers content hosting, data analytics, ad insertion and sales representation services through programmatic and direct sales. We are excited to offer advertisers an attractive path for audience-based buys, including to over 150 million North American listeners across our platforms," added CFO David Frear.
Comcast reported its second-quarter earnings before the bell on Thursday, beating analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines. This is the first earnings report since Comcast’s NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC, has launched its new ad-supported streaming service, Peacock, and the first to reflect the full extent of the pandemic on Comcast’s business.
Comcast share were up more than 2% in premarket trading following the report.
Here are the key numbers:
Earnings per share (EPS): 69 cents adjusted, vs. 55 cents expected, according to Refinitiv
Revenue: $23.72 billion, vs. $23.57 billion expected, according to Refinitiv
High-speed internet customers: 323,000 net adds vs. 247,000 expected, according to FactSet
Despite the pandemic lockdowns that persisted through much of the second quarter in many parts of the world, Comcast reported some positive signs. In addition to growing high-speed internet customers at a faster rate than expected and reaching a second quarter record in cable with more than 217,000 net customer relationship adds, Comcast said it’s retained 95% of Sky sports customers since the beginning of the pandemic despite the postponement of major live sports events. As internet customers grew, Comcast saw total video customer net losses of 477,000.
Comcast has extended promotions it’s offered customers to help get through the new conditions set by the crisis, including making its Internet Essentials free through year-end and keeping its out of home Xfinity WiFi hotspots free through the end of the year.
The company said Peacock has already seen 10 million sign-ups to date since launching in April for Comcast subscribers and more broadly this month.
But Comcast’s NBCUniversal division took some hits in the second quarter as advertisers pulled back spend and theme parks had to shut down entirely. NBCUniversal revenue declined 25.4% year over year to $6.1 billion.
Theme parks had the steepest drop in revenue in the quarter, declining 94.1% to $87 million. Universal’s parks in Orlando, Florida and Japan were able to reopen with limited capacity in June but rising case counts in Florida could jeopardize any progress already made.
Filmed entertainment was impacted by theater closures but saw its content licensing revenue grow 19.5%, partially as a result of shifting releases like “Trolls World Tour” to premium video on demand. Overall revenue for the segment declined 18.1% to $1.2 billion.
Advertising revenue for cable networks declined 27% and for broadcast television, 27.9%, reflected decreased spend and cancelled sports events. Both divisions saw content licensing revenue jump 23.1% and 58.5%, respectively, due to timing of licensing agreements including transactions with Peacock.
➤U.S. PASSES 150,000 CORONAVIRUS DEATHS: The U.S. passed the milestone of 150,000 coronavirus deaths yesterday (July 29th), the highest in the world by far, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, after deaths rose by at least 1,367 for the day, the highest daily number of fatalities since May 27th. Confirmed cases rose by some 62,000 to more than 4,426,000. The states of Texas, Florida and California reported record deaths for a second day, with 313 in Texas, 216 in Florida, and 185 in California.
Negotiations between the Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate on a new coronavirus aid package were stalled, with significant differences between the $3 trillion proposal passed by the House two months ago and the $1 trillion package just passed by the Senate. Republicans are hampered by disagreement among their own members on the size of a new package, and indicated agreement with a White House push for a smaller package that would overhaul the $600 weekly extra unemployment benefit that's ending this Friday. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the idea of that kind of smaller bill. A federal moratorium on evictions is also ending Friday, but while Democrats want to extend it, it's not in the Republicans' bill, and the White House hasn't said what it wants to do. Democrats also want aid to go to states and cities that have huge holes in their budgets because of the pandemic, but Republicans and President Trump are opposed, with the president rejecting sending, quote, "big bailout money" to cities.
New House Mask Requirement After Gohmert Tests Positive: Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that all House members will be required to wear a face mask when voting on the House floor, after Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive for the coronavirus. The conservative Texas Republican often refused to wear a mask in the Capitol and has voted without one. Soon after Pelosi's directive, the House sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol’s top physician ordered that masks be worn in House office buildings. The 66-year-old Gohmert tested positive just before he was supposed to fly to Texas on Air Force One with President Trump. Gohmert, at least the 10th member of Congress known to have tested positive, told a Texas news station that he plans to self-quarantine.
L.A. City Council Considering Paying People with Coronavirus to Stay Home: The Los Angeles City Council is considering paying city residents who test positive for the coronavirus to stay home. Councilmember David Ryu introduced a motion yesterday that would set up a $25 million fund, described as a "wage replacement program," for any city resident who agrees to self-isolate and to provide information to contact tracers. Any city resident would be eligible, regardless of income, immigration status or criminal record. The goal is to help people stay home when they have the virus who for financial reasons would otherwise have to go to work, and often to the kind of essential jobs that can't be done from home. Ryu said, "If we want to bend the curve, we need to make it possible for everyone to stay home when they’re sick – no matter their income or immigration status.
U.S Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams gets irritated by biased media who refuse to accurately describe the criminal behavior of rioters trying to burn down the Portland federal courthouse. #PortlandRiotshttps://t.co/byBbGTaK1Ipic.twitter.com/w2XnezbX86
➤OREGON GOV. SAYS SOME FEDERAL AGENTS WILL LEAVE, BUT CONFLICTING STATEMENTS FROM ADMINISTRATION: Oregon Governor Kate Brown said Wednesday that some of the federal agents guarding a federal courthouse in Portland would leave over the next 24 hours. However, there was some confusion after Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said some agents would remain in the building, and that all of the agents would stay in Portland in case they're needed. The plans calls for Oregon state police to protect the courthouse with a smaller number of agents from the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service. President Trump sent the federal agents to the city earlier this month after ongoing, at-times violent protests since George Floyd's death had targeted the courthouse. However, the protests have swelled since then in opposition to their deployment and both Brown and Mayor Ted Wheeler have said they didn't want the agents there. Some of the protesters have thrown fireworks, flares and rocks at the agents, and they've responded with tear gas, pepper balls and stun grenades.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors stressed yesterday that federal agents being sent to a number of cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee, to help fight a rise in violent crime won't be used to break up protests. The U.S. attorney in Milwaukee, Matthew Krueger, said the agents were part of an initiative that began in December, and that the agents will work side-by-side with local and state investigators to solve violent crimes, something federal agents have long done.
➤U.S. TO REMOVE 12,000 TROOPS FROM GERMANY: The U.S. will be removing some 12,000 troops from Germany, with 6,400 being brought home and 5,600 going to other countries in Europe, following through on President Trump's demand to pull U.S. forces out, largely because he says Germany hasn't paid enough money to NATO. There are currently 36,000 active duty U.S. troops in Germany. The Pentagon plan outlined yesterday, which would also shift U.S. European Command headquarters and Special Operations Command Europe from Germany to Belgium, will take years to complete and cost billions of dollars. However, it's unclear if it will be implemented, since Congress must support and fund it, and a number of members from both parties have expressed opposition, including saying it's a gift to Russia. Defense Secretary Mark Esper defended the plan, saying it promotes strategic goals. But Trump made clear his motivation, telling reporters, "We’re reducing the force because they’re not paying their bills. It’s very simple. They’re delinquent."
➤TRUMP RESCINDS FAIR HOUSING REGULATION: President Trump said yesterday that his administration is rescinding a fair housing regulation put in place under former President Barack Obama to fight discriminatory housing practices and segregation. The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing mandate would require that communities that receive grants and housing aid to assess racial segregation in housing and offer plans to correct it. The Department of Housing and Urban Development said last week that it would end the rule, calling it "unworkable and ultimately a waste of time for localities to comply with." Trump tweeted yesterday, "I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood . . . Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down." Democrats blasted Trump both for rescinding the regulation and for his tweets about it, with Senator Sherrod Brown saying, "The President is openly endorsing segregation. And somehow he thinks so little of the American people, he assumes everyone is as racist and elitist as he is."
➤TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS OFFICIALY FORMS: The National Hurricane Center officially named Tropical Storm Isaias on Wednesday night as it works its way through the Caribbean and tracks toward Florida. After the forecast shifted toward the west coast of Florida on Wednesday morning, the latest track has moved east with the state’s panhandle no longer in the cone. But forecasters say it’s still too early to say what impact the storm will have on Florida because of the lack of a defined center. “Interests in Cuba and the Florida peninsula should monitor the progress of this system,” the NHC said. The storm is moving at 20 mph with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and is about 155 miles away from Ponce, Puerto Rico, the NHC said in its 8 p.m. update. The system is massive at more than 500 miles wide and has tropical-storm-force winds that extend 275 miles away from its center.
Joe Kelly did not hide his feeling versus the Astros as released the months of pent-up rage the Dodgers and their fans have been feeling ever since MLB found the Houston Astros cheated in 2017.#Astros#Dodgers#MLBpic.twitter.com/VKRLjwQDy2
➤DODGERS' KELLY SUSPENDED FOR EIGHT GAMES FOR THROWING NEAR HEAD, TAUNTING ASTROS' PLAYERS: L.A. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games by MLB yesterday, one day after a game against the Houston Astros in which he threw a fastball near the head of Alex Bregman and taunted Carlos Correa. The game was the first between the two teams since it was revealed that Houston stole signs during their 2017 championship season, during which they beat the Dodgers in the World Series. During the sixth inning, Kelly threw a fastball behind Bregman's head on a 3-0 count and later threw a breaking ball over Correa's head. Kelly struck Correa out, then stuck out his tongue and made a face in his direction. Correa started walking toward him, they exchanged words, and the benches cleared, however there was no pushing or punches thrown.
➤NBA RESTART BEGINS TODAY: The restart of the NBA season begins tonight (July 29th) with games between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz, and the L.A. Lakers vs. the L.A. Clippers in the league's "bubble" at Walt Disney World. Starting Friday and going through August 14th there will be at least four and as many as seven games per day on the three courts at the complex. A 16-team playoff bracket will be finalized next month, and 12 of the 22 teams at Disney have already clinched spots based on their records before the season was suspended in March. Eight teams didn't make it to the restart based on their pre-pandemic records: Golden State; Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta, New York, Charlotte and Chicago.
➤ACC ANNOUNCES 11-GAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, INCLUDES NOTRE DAME: The ACC announced an 11-game football season yesterday (July 29th) that will begin the weekend of September 12th, and include FBS independent Notre Dame playing a full league schedule. The ACC schools and Notre Dame will play 10 conference games plus one nonconference game of their choosing, and Notre Dame will be eligible for the ACC championship game. All of this depends, however, on if it's allowed by public health guidelines.
➤BRAVES' MARKAKIS CHANGES MIND AFTER OPTING OUT: Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis has changed his mind after opting out of the coronavirus-shortened MLB season three weeks ago and is going to join his team. Markakis explained yesterday (July 29th) that he had a change of heart after watching his teammates play their first five games: "Sitting at home, watching these guys compete . . . and all the risks they’re going through going out there, in the pit of my stomach I felt I wanted to be out there." The 36-year-old said he felt guilty about opting out, and plans to apologize to his teammates.
➤MORE NFL PLAYERS OPTING OUT THAN MANY EXPECTED: More NFL players are opting out of playing next season due to the coronavirus than many had expected, with some three dozen players already saying they are skipping the season. That's less than in other sports, with about a dozen opting out in the NBA and MLB, and only about half that in the NHL. The latest to say they're opting out is Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams, a key part of their championship run last season, who said yesterday (July 29th) he won't be playing.
Beasley Media Group announces Scott Jameson has been named Director of Programming of Beasley Media Group’s Detroit-based radio cluster. In his new role, Scott will be responsible for overseeing the programming of WRIF-FM, WCSX-FM, WMGC-FM, WDMK-FM and the Praise Network. He will begin his new position on Monday, August 3, 2020.
Jameson most recently served as Cumulus Media’s Vice President of Classic Rock Programming, Program Director of heritage classic rock station KQRS-FM and Operations Manager of KQRS-FM, KXXR-FM & WGVX-FM in Minneapolis.
Scott Jameson
“Joining Beasley Media Group in Detroit is a terrific opportunity,” said Jameson. “The Midwest is home for me, so it’s a natural fit. The legendary WRIF-FM and heritage WCSX-FM, joined with The BOUNCE, KISS, and PRAISE boast exceptional talent across all five brands. Adding Beasley’s commitment to the community, along with an aggressive digital presence, turns listeners into fans. I’m thankful to Justin Chase for approaching me about the Detroit situation and grateful to Mac Edwards and Brian Beasley for their endorsement.”
“Scott’s outstanding reputation and deep rock radio background, combined with his excellent track record in programming multiple formats quickly made him the absolute perfect choice to lead our teams in the Motor City,” said Vice President and Market Manager Mac Edwards.” We are thrilled to welcome him to the Beasley Media Group family!”
“Rarely do you come across a programmer like Scott, who has such a high level of experience, strategic vision and passion for our business,” said Beasley Media Group Chief Content Officer Justin Chase. “Best of all, his core values of great locally focused radio with an emphasis of growing our digital platforms made him a perfect fit for our company. We’re very happy to have him in the Beasley family in Detroit!”
Beasley Media Group announces Al Beck has been named as the new nighttime on air personality from 6 p.m.- 10 p.m. at WRXK 96 K-ROCK in Fort Myers, Florida.
Beck, who currently serves as the Producer of the Dave and Chuck The Freak Morning Show at WRIF-FM in Detroit and is co-host of the Nerd Radio podcast, can also be heard evenings on ROCK 92.9 in Boston. Beck officially added WRXK-FM to his current on-air duties on Monday, July 27, 2020.
“We are excited to add Al Beck to our on-air line up at WRXK,” said Beasley Media Group Southwest Florida Operations Manager Adam Star.
“Al’s on-air rock presentation is stellar, plus his connection with our syndicated Morning Show, Dave and Chuck the Freak, doesn’t hurt either! We felt bringing him on the air made perfect sense to embrace the Fort Myers rock world.”
“I am thrilled to be joining incredible on-air lineup of Dave and Chuck the Freak, Matt Mangas and the legendary Stan& Haney on the air at 96 K-ROCK,” said Beck. “I can’t wait to get started and join their incredible team!”
The chief executives of Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google faced relentless criticism at a congressional hearing Wednesday, with Democrats and Republicans alike challenging their business practices over more than five contentious hours, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The session, conducted via videoconference because of the coronavirus pandemic, laid bare deep-rooted frustration with some of the country’s most successful companies, at a moment when Americans rely on them more than ever.
It also highlighted the threat to the companies from ongoing investigations by antitrust authorities, with lawmakers citing internal company emails and witness interviews as evidence that the platforms improperly abuse their dominant position.
The tone of the questions, directed at Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai, was almost universally hostile.
The executives defended their companies’ practices and said that they face stiff competition that forces them to serve customers and innovate.
Lawmakers whipsawed between topics, from how the companies moderate social media posts to the tactics they used to gain sizable positions in markets from digital advertising to e-commerce. The CEOs had sought to testify jointly, an approach that made it harder for the interrogators to sustain pressure on any one witness.
Zuckerberg faced a series of questions about Facebook’s acquisition strategy. Mr. Pichai defended Google from a litany of accusations, ranging from taking advantage of its dominant online search engine to its work in China.
Lawmakers in both parties accused Mr. Bezos of presiding over bullying of independent sellers on the Amazon marketplace, citing reports in The Wall Street Journal that employees had used seller data to launch competing products.
Apple got fewer questions than the other companies, with Mr. Cook defending its policies on its App Store.
GOP lawmakers directed a series of questions at Google, and to a lesser extent Facebook, for a perceived mistreatment of conservatives on social media. “Big tech is out to get conservatives,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio). “If it doesn’t end, there have to be consequences.”
