Even with his show’s continuation, Rush Limbaugh’s passing leaves a void in the world of talk radio.
The Wall Street Journal reports millions of loyal listeners are left wondering how they will spend the three hours in the middle of every weekday they devoted to listening to his acerbic takes on political, social and economic issues. For the podcast and radio industry, Mr. Limbaugh’s shoes are difficult, if not impossible, to fill.
His show was the most listened to in the U.S., according to Nielsen Audio, reaching more than 20 million monthly listeners on more than 650 affiliates as of the end of 2020.
Limbaugh’s 30 years of audio has been archived and cataloged by subject, topic and opinion, Premiere Radio Networks said in a memo. The show, from now on, will address the day’s news using relevant clips. Guest hosts such as Mark Steyn, Todd Herman and Ken Matthews, who helped fill in while Mr. Limbaugh underwent cancer treatment over the past year, will help guide the show from segment to segment, the network said.
“I would not want to own an AM radio station,” said Chris Roberts, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at the University of Alabama. While radio reaches 90% of adults in the U.S. every week, according to Nielsen, most of that is through FM stations.
“As the radio industry changed, he didn’t have to,” said Mr. Roberts. While there will always be appetite for Mr. Limbaugh’s style of programming, he said, it’s unlikely any other host will be able to replicate his success on radio alone—they will need to work across media to attract a younger audience.
While other conservative hosts have rank among the most popular podcasts, right-wing talk media may still have a future on radio.
“Conservative talk radio is very invested in the live experience,” said Megan Liberman, head of news, talk and entertainment programming for Sirius XM Holdings Inc., pointing to a listenership that likes to call in and speak with hosts on-air. “These shows have a really interactive audience.”
“Rush was AM radio,” said Mr. Smith. “There’s probably a lot of radio stations scratching their heads wondering what are we going to do in the middle of the day.”
WFAN host Craig Carton is in talks with MLB Network to host a daily morning TV show, The NY Post reports.
Whether or not a deal goes through, Carton, who was released from federal prison last year following a conviction for fraud, would continue to do his afternoon drive-time show on WFAN with Evan Roberts.
Carton, 52, still owes the victims of his crime nearly $5 million.
The potential Carton MLBN show would be a one-hour program, a source said.
MLB Network has had success in early afternoons with SiriusXM and former WFAN host Christopher (Mad Dog) Russo.
Carton has detailed his gambling addictions that he said led to his imprisonment. Carton has a solo show, “Hello, my name is Craig” on Saturday mornings that is designed to help those with similar issues.
If Carton ends up on MLB Network in the morning, SiriusXM would have the right to simulcast the program on its baseball channel.
As part of MLB’s overall layoffs, the network let go 17 people last week, which included Bruce Schein, who served as Russo’s contributor on “High Heat.” Earlier, the network had let go of Chris Rose and Eric Byrnes.
If the Carton show happens, it may begin at 7 or 8 a.m., preceding “MLB Central” with Lauren Shehadi, Robert Flores and Mark DeRosa, which starts at 10 a.m.
Australian officials say they’re forging ahead with efforts to make tech giants pay for news content even after Facebook imposed a media blackout there, The NY Post reports.
“We’ll be proceeding with the code,” Communications Minister Paul Fletcher told Australia’s ABC News on Thursday. “We want Google and Facebook to stay in Australia, but we’ve been very clear that if you do business in Australia you need to comply with the laws passed by the elected parliament of this nation.”
Fletcher joined other top officials in decrying Facebook’s decision to block Australian users from viewing or sharing news content on the platform.
The stunning move was a response to Australia’s proposed news media bargaining code, which would allow news publishers to negotiate payments from tech giants for the use of their content that appears in search results or news feeds.
Facebook’s blockade appeared aimed at news publishers, but it also blocked content from other entities including a government weather agency and state health department.
Facebook said it restricted so many Australian pages because the draft law did not clearly define news content; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on his own Facebook page. “We will not be intimidated by BigTech seeking to pressure our Parliament as it votes on our important News Media Bargaining Code.”
Fletcher said officials were continuing to discuss the proposed law with Facebook as the bill headed for a vote in Australia’s Senate after passing in the House of Representatives.
He noted that Google — which had threatened to shut off its search engine in Australia if the proposal becomes law — took the more conciliatory approach of making deals with news publishers including News Corp.
Early Thursday, “Delete Facebook,” “Boycott Zuckerberg” and “Facebook We Need To Talk” began trending on other social networks as anger over the move spread around the globe.
“If it is not already clear, Facebook is not compatible with democracy,” US Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) posted on Twitter. “Threatening to bring an entire country to its knees to agree to Facebook’s terms is the ultimate admission of monopoly power.”
Canada vowed on Thursday to make Facebook Inc pay for news content, seeking allies in the media battle with tech giants and pledging not to back down if the social media platform shuts off the country’s news as it did in Australia.
Facebook blocked all Australian news content on its service over proposed legislation requiring it and Alphabet Inc’s Google to pay fees to Australian publishers for news links.
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, in charge of crafting similar legislation to be unveiled in coming months, condemned Facebook’s action and said it would not deter Ottawa.
“Canada is at the forefront of this battle ... we are really among the first group of countries around the world that are doing this,” he told reporters.
Last year, Canadian media organizations warned of a potential market failure without government action. They said the Australian approach would permit publishers to recover C$620 million a year. Without action, they warned, Canada would lose 700 print journalism jobs out of 3,100 total.
Guilbeault said Canada could adopt the Australian model, which requires Facebook and Google to reach deals to pay news outlets whose links drive activity on their services, or agree on a price through binding arbitration.
Another option is to follow the example of France, which requires large tech platforms to open talks with publishers seeking remuneration for use of news content.
The longtime host of a popular Madison morning radio show was arrested Wednesday evening on child pornography allegations, a source has told NBC15 News.
Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office records show Matthew Bradshaw Jones was booked into the jail around 8:50 p.m. on a single count of possession of child pornography.
Matthew Jones
The unnamed and trusted source confirmed Jones is Jackson Jones, one of the hosts of WWQM Today’s Q106 Morning Show, on the country music station.
40-year-old Jones, who goes by the name "Jackson Jones" on-air, was arrested Wednesday according to Dane County Jail records.
Midwest Family, the company that owns Q106, did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Mt. Horeb Police Dept. confirmed executing a search warrant, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Dept. of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office. The department added several electronic devices were taken as evidence.
Chief Doug Vierck noted the investigation is ongoing and there is no danger to the community.
NBC15 News has reached out to Q106 and its parent company, Mid-West Family of Companies, about the arrest and are awaiting response.
Jackson has not been officially charged. Any charge will come after he appears for a preliminary hearing.
The Beach Boys are feeling some good vibrations Thursday after selling controlling stake of their music catalog to Iconic Artists Group, a new venture led by Irving Azoff.
The Wrap reports Iconic Artists has acquired a controlling interest in The Beach Boys’ intellectual property, including their sound recordings, the brand, select musical compositions and memorabilia. The members of The Beach Boys and their heirs will retain an interest in their assets.
Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Beach Boys follow a wave of other classic rockers who have sold stakes of their music catalogs, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and more contemporary stars such as Calvin Harris and Ryan Tedder of One Republic, to name a few. Artists are responding not just to the pandemic and a loss of touring income but also to a surge in multiples paid for the rights to songs catalogs, with buyers like Hipgnosis Song Fund and Primary Wave recognizing that in the streaming era, there’s not only money being left on the table for many of these songs, catalogs are even a safe investment.
Irving Azoff
“The Beach Boys and our songs have been one of the great joys of our lives. For more than half a century, we’ve witnessed generations of fans from all corners of the world come together to celebrate our music, dancing and singing along to the songs that we have loved and performed for decades,” Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and the Carl Wilson estate said in a joint statement.
“As we look towards the upcoming 60th anniversary of The Beach Boys, we wanted a partner to help expand opportunities for our brand, while continuing to preserve our tradition as a band whose music transcends the test of time. We are confident that Irving and Iconic are the ideal partners and are confident that The Beach Boys’ ongoing legacy is in the best possible hands. We are very proud of what we have achieved as The Beach Boys and how our songs continue to resonate with our fans.”
“The Beach Boys are an American treasure,” Azoff, chairman and CEO of The Azoff Company, said in a statement. “I am honored that the Beach Boys have entrusted Iconic to preserve and grow their legacy. And I’m thrilled that the Beach Boys want to stay invested in the growth of the incredible cultural brand they created.”
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has set the dates for two of its signature events, which will be held in conjunction with the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas. A spin-off event of the annual Sales and Management Television Exchange (SMTE) will take place October 8–9, 2021 and the Radio Show, co-produced by NAB and the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), will be held October 13–14, 2021.
These events round out an extensive slate of professional development and innovation opportunities taking place during NAB Show, October 9–13, in Las Vegas.
SMTE and Radio Show registrants will benefit from access to the expansive NAB Show Floor (October 10–13) and All Access programming kicking off October 9, including NAB Show’s Mainstage events, featured keynote sessions and NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith’s State of the Broadcast Industry address.
“We are excited to bring these popular events under the NAB Show umbrella in 2021, offering a unique experience that is both familiar and new at the most comprehensive convention of its kind,” said Smith.
Designed for television station-level managers and staff in small and medium markets, NAB’s SMTE explores innovative management and revenue-generating sales strategies to help stations increase their bottom line. In recent years, SMTE has curated nearly $7 million in creative sales promotion ideas for attendees to take back to their stations.
Radio Show is the premier industry event for the audio community, offering executive thought-leadership, creative business strategies and innovative solutions along with educational sessions and networking for radio professionals.
“The RAB is looking forward to bringing broadcasters together with our partners for a compelling and new Radio Show experience in 2021,” said Erica Farber, president and CEO, RAB.
Registration for the Radio Show and SMTE will open in early summer.
The Independent Broadcasters Association (IBA) and Feeding America® have announced the dates for the second annual “Radio Cares – Feeding America” to raise money for individuals and families that are facing hunger in America. The 2021 event will be held on April 14 and produced by Benztown, with assistance from McVay Media and the team at Vipology. Early major sponsors of this year event include GenMedia Partners and Sun Broadcast Group.
The Radio Cares team is designing the event with all the tools necessary for participating stations to begin pre-promotion for two weeks, beginning March 31, and to hold the day-long event on April 14. Support of the campaign will continue through Sunday April 18 to give every radio listener time to donate. In addition, Radio Cares will have the support of over 100 artists representing every format.
“The Radio Cares drive this year promises to be an event every independent station will want to participate in,” said Ron Stone, Chief Executive Officer of Adams Radio Group and President of the IBA. “Who would have imagined that 14 months after we first heard the word COVID, we would still be dealing with it. So many people have lost so much and for many the end is nowhere in sight. Every family deserves to have sufficient resources for food for their family and no one should be going hungry in America.”
“As a result of the pandemic, more and more American families are facing hunger and relying on their local food banks,” said Casey Marsh, Chief Development Officer at Feeding America. “Partnerships with organizations like the Independent Broadcasters Association help provide critical support through nourishing food to our neighbors facing tough times.”
Radio Cares 2020 was supported by 3,400 radio stations and provided 5 million meals* for people facing hunger. Based on those incredible first-year results, the team at Radio Cares decided this would be an annual event. Early indications are that 2021 will surpass that number.
Dave Denes, President of Benztown noted, “Independent owners of radio stations of every format came together in 2020 to speak with one voice for a cause that all of us embrace -- eliminating hunger!”
All materials needed for the event, including on-air, websites, and social media, will be provided by the Radio Cares Team. Stations will direct listeners to their individual station web site to donate. The donations will go directly to Feeding America and there will be, like last year, an ongoing accounting of total donations. Feeding America will provide resources, including local contacts for stations to interview.
Mike McVay, President of McVay Media, noted, “With stations back to operating in studios, the Radio Cares event will be substantially enhanced with live interviews in every market with people that provide help and people that have needed it.”
At the end of the event, local independent radio will all be able to promote the total amount raised by sharing with listeners and advertisers the power of local radio. Stations are welcome to include local sponsors to support the event.
“This is our chance to show that radio, specifically independent radio, is very much alive and well and doing what we have always done best, serving our communities,” Stone concluded.
Every independent radio station in America is encouraged to participate and support this nationwide event. Owners and operators must register their station(s) at: www.radiocares.org
All materials will be available for download at that same web address a week prior to the event. There will be educational conference calls starting March 15. All registered stations will receive invitations.
100% of the money raised goes to Feeding America and 100% will be used across the country in local communities where needed. These will be unrestricted funds for Feeding America to help fight hunger in America.
Can I tie in a local client?
Sure...totally your call. It is possible we may secure a national client. 100% of any sponsorship money secured nationally will also go to Feeding America. What if I have already or recently helped my local food shelf?
That should not keep you away from this event. This is a huge opportunity for independent local radio to work together across the nation. This is the benefit of scale we have been talking about.
*$1 helps to provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.
➦In 1878...Inventor Thomas Alva Edison got patent for the phonograph. Edison began his career as an inventor in Newark, New Jersey, with the automatic repeater and his other improved telegraphic devices, but the invention that first gained him wider notice was the phonograph in 1877. This accomplishment was so unexpected by the public at large as to appear almost magical. Edison became known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park," New Jersey.
His first phonograph recorded on tinfoil around a grooved cylinder. Despite its limited sound quality and that the recordings could be played only a few times, the phonograph made Edison a celebrity.
Joseph Henry, president of the National Academy of Sciences and one of the most renowned electrical scientists in the US, described Edison as "the most ingenious inventor in this country... or in any other". In April 1878, Edison traveled to Washington to demonstrate the phonograph before the National Academy of Sciences, Congressmen, Senators and US President Hayes. The Washington Post described Edison as a "genius" and his presentation as "a scene... that will live in history". Although Edison obtained a patent for the phonograph in 1878, he did little to develop it until Alexander Graham Bell, Chichester Bell, and Charles Tainter produced a phonograph-like device in the 1880s that used wax-coated cardboard cylinders.
"Mary had a little lamb" were the first words that Edison recorded on the phonograph and he was amazed when he heard the machine play them back to him. In 1878, Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company to sell the new machine.
Edison 1878
Edison suggested other uses for the phonograph, such as: letter writing and dictation, phonographic books for blind people, a family record (recording family members in their own voices), music boxes and toys, clocks that announce the time, and a connection with the telephone so communications could be recorded. How many of these uses have become a reality today?
Many of the uses Edison suggested for the phonograph have become a reality, but there were others he hadn't imagined. For example, the phonograph allowed soldiers to take music off to war with them. In 1917, when the U.S. became involved in World War I, the Edison Company created a special model of the phonograph for the U.S. Army. This basic machine sold for $60. Many Army units purchased these phonographs because it meant a lot to the soldiers to have music to cheer them and remind them of home. This is an audio clip of Edison himself in which he expresses his pride in the soldiers and reminds Americans of the enormous sacrifice and contribution made by the other allied nations.
➦In 1922...Comedian, Ed Wynnbecame the first vaudeville star to agree to a radio contract.
In the early 1930s Wynn hosted the popular radio show The Fire Chief, heard in North America on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline. Like many former vaudeville performers who turned to radio in the same decade, the stage-trained Wynn insisted on playing for a live studio audience, doing each program as an actual stage show, using visual bits to augment his written material, and in his case, wearing a colorful costume with a red fireman's helmet. He usually bounced his gags off announcer/straight man Graham McNamee; Wynn's customary opening, "Tonight, Graham, the show's gonna be different," became one of the most familiar tag-lines of its time; a sample joke: "Graham, my uncle just bought a new second-handed car... he calls it Baby! I don't know, it won't go anyplace without a rattle!"
Wynn reprised his Fire Chief radio character in two movies, Follow the Leader (1930) and The Chief (1933). Near the height of his radio fame (1933) he founded his own short-lived radio network the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks, nearly destroying the comedian. According to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, the failed venture left Wynn deep in debt, divorced and finally, suffering a nervous breakdown.
Wynn died June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California of throat cancer, aged 79.
➦In 1935...the longtime iconic voice of the Seattle Mariners Dave Niehaus was born in Princeton Indiana. For 34 years, from the start of the franchise, he led the M’s play-by-play coverage on radio & TV. He suffered a massive heart attack and died Nov. 10, 2010 at age 75. “My oh my!!”
➦In 1981... George Harrison was ordered to pay ABKCO Music the sum of $587,000 for ‘subconscious plagiarism.’ The court found his song, “My Sweet Lord” was strikingly similar to the Chiffons early 1960s hit, “He’s So Fine.” He claimed to have used the out-of-copyright "Oh Happy Day", a Christian hymn, as his inspiration for the melody.
➦In 2007...the SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio services announced their intention to merge.
After years of speculation (the New York Post first reported on a potential merger in January 2005), and three months of serious negotiations, the $13 billion merger between Sirius and XM was officially announces. At the time, the nation’s only two satellite radio providers reported nearly 14 million combined subscribers (with nearly 8 million belonging to XM), with neither having turned an annual profit. Sirius was valued at $5.2 billion, and XM at $3.75 billion. Each subscription was sold for $12.95 monthly.
Sirius and XM executives felt the merger would lower programming costs by eliminating overlapping stations and duplicated marketing costs. According to their original operating licenses, the two companies were not allowed to ever own each other’s license. In proceeding with the merger, then-Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin ignored this rule, gambling that the FCC would consider other audio entertainment to be competitors and allow the merger to proceed by waiving the rule.
➦In 2016…Charlie Tuna (born Arthur W. Ferguson), the popular deejay and TV announcer whose voice was familiar to generations of L.A. listeners and viewers. died in his sleep at age 71.
At age 16, Tuna began working at his hometown's radio station, KGFW. Then, he went to work at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas for a year with the air name "Billy O'Day". He then worked for KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City in 1966, where he took over the "Charlie Tuna" pseudonym from Chuck Riley, who had used it for one show the week prior to Tuna's arrival. Tuna then moved on to WMEX in Boston for the first 9 months of 1967.
In late 1967, KHJ in Los Angeles offered Tuna the 9 to noon slot, where he debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1967. In 1972 he became one of the original DJs at KROQ AM, a new Top 40 station (formerly Country KBBQ). In 1973 be moved to KKDJ as program director and morning personality. He presided over its 1975 call-letter change to KIIS, and broadcast the first show at KIIS-FM as it began its AM/FM simulcast. He also worked at KTNQ, KHTZ (later KBZT), KRLA, KODJ (later KCBS-FM), KMPC, KIKF, and KLAC.
He worked at KBIG 104.3 where he hosted a long running morning show Charlie Tuna in the Morning which aired from 5 to 10 am. His last full-time morning show aired on September 17, 2007, when the station flipped to a non-rhythmic-based adult contemporary format, as 104.3 My FM. He returned to radio February 9, 2008 when he became the weekend personality on Los Angeles oldies station K-Earth 101. CBS on August 27, 2015 began down sizing their stations in Los Angeles, at which point Charlie moved on to expand his syndicated radio business.
Tuna served as announcer for Casey Kasem on his 1980s television program America's Top 10, and occasionally filled in for Kasem on his radio programs American Top 20 and American Top 10. He co-hosted Your Good Time Oldies Magazine from 1992 to 1995, and he produced and hosted 52 weekly episodes of Back to the 70s, which were rerun at radio stations across the country until 2008.
Tuna had a year long run in 2009 of a 5-hour classic hits daily and weekend show, syndicated through United Stations Radio Network in New York.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Victoria Justice is 28
Actor Carlin Glynn (“Sixteen Candles”) is 81.
Singer Smokey Robinson is 81.
Singer Lou Christie is 78.
Actor Michael Nader (“All My Children”) is 76.
Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is 73.
Actor Stephen Nichols (“The Young and the Restless”) is 70.
Actor Jeff Daniels is 66.
Singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling (General Public, English Beat) is 65.
Talk show host Lorianne Crook is 64.
Actor Leslie David Baker (“The Office”) is 63.
Singer Seal is 58.
Actor Jessica Tuck (“True Blood”) is 58.
Drummer Jon Fishman of Phish is 56.
Actor Justine Bateman is 55.
Actor Benicio Del Toro is 54.
Actor Bellamy Young (“Scandal”) is 51.
Drummer Daniel Adair of Nickelback (and formerly of 3 Doors Down) is 46.
Singer-actor Haylie Duff (“Napoleon Dynamite”) is 36.
Guitarist Seth Morrison of Skillet is 33.
Actor Victoria Justice (“Victorious”) is 28.
Actor David Mazouz (“Gotham”) is 20.
Actor Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) is 17.
TEXAS WORST HIT: Millions of Americans had to get through another chillingly cold day yesterday without electricity or heat as the result of a winter storm earlier this week, and with another storm poised to hit, partly in areas of the South not used to dealing with frigid temperatures, snow and ice. Texas has been the worst hit by far, with three million homes and businesses still without power as of midday yesterday. Making things even worse, Texas officials ordered seven million people, amounting to one-quarter of the state's population, to boil their tap water before drinking it. Water pressure has fallen across Texas because of frozen lines and many people leaving faucets dripping to try to prevent pipes from freezing. More than 30 people have been killed, among them people who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from doing things to try to stay warm, like running their car in their garage. The president of the Texas power grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said he hoped many customers would have at least partial service restored by today.
➤REPORTS: PFIZER, MODERNA VACCINES PROTECT AGAINST VARIANTS, INCLUDING SOUTH AFRICAN ONE: There were encouraging reports yesterday that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the ones being distributed in the U.S., protect against coronavirus variants that have emerged, including the most worrisome one first seen in South Africa. A report from researchers at Pfizer and the University of Texas found that the Pfizer vaccine produced less neutralizing antibody activity against the South African variant, but it was still enough to neutralize the virus. Researchers at Moderna and the National Institutes of Health also found a reduction in the antibody response from the Moderna vaccine against the South African variant, but again in this case, it wasn't enough to make the vaccine less effective. There was also no reduction in being effective against the U.K. variant.
NY Post 02/18/21
➤U.S. ATTORNEY, FBI PROBING CUOMO'S HANDLING OF COVID NURSING HOME DEATH DATA: The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn and the FBI have begun a preliminary investigation into how New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration handled data about nursing home deaths from Covid-19, the Albany Times-Union reported yesterday. Cuomo's administration revealed in recent weeks that some 15,000 nursing home residents had died from Covid, significantly higher than the 8,500 that had previously been reported. Further, top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa said last week they didn't release a fuller death count in August because of worries that then President Donald Trump would use the information against Cuomo. The governor said Monday that, quote, "things should have been done differently." A senior adviser to Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, said last night, "As we publicly said, DOJ has been looking into this for months. We have been cooperating with them and we will continue to."
Thousands of U.S. service members are putting off or refusing the Covid-19 vaccine as frustrated commanders scramble to knock down internet rumors and find the right pitch that will persuade troops to get the shot. https://t.co/FvJkp21wOo
➤FEELING WORK-FROM-HOME FATIGUE? A FAKE COMMUTE MIGHT HELP: The world changed drastically for many in 2020, including the shift to working-from-home for many office workers. As a result, some people have taken to doing a fake commute in the morning, whether by bike or on foot, to switch things up and keep them interesting. Wellness coach Maureen Carlomagno says, “When you don’t have a commute, your work and home life blend. You can wake up and get in front of the computer and spend that extra hour [from not commuting] working on top of the already eight-hour day.” She notes that walking is accessible for most people, and that being able to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine is good for both mental and physical health. She adds that if it’s too cold where you live and you aren’t motivated to leave your home, try doing an indoor workout at home before starting work each day.
➤TRUMP REPEATS FALSE CLAIM HE WON THE ELECTION IN FIRST INTERVIEWS SINCE LEAVING OFFICE: Former President Donald Trump gave his first interviews Wednesday since leaving office just under one month ago, calling into Fox News, Newsmax and OANN to speak about the death yesterday of iconic conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh. But in those calls, Trump again repeated the false claim that he won the presidential election. In one of those claims, he told Fox, "Well, Rush thought we won. And so do I, by the way. I think we won substantially."
Analysis: By turning conservative angst and anger into a national movement, Rush Limbaugh helped lay the foundation for an entire media ecosystem. - @DylanByershttps://t.co/ImRmhlRjoK
➤FACEBOOD BLOCKS NEWS STORIES FROM AUSTRALIANS: People in Australia can no longer post or view news stories on Facebook, and posts from Australian news publishers can't be seen anywhere in the world, after the social media mega-giant yesterday (February 17th) blocked them in a showdown over a new Australian law requiring tech companies to pay news publishers when their stories show up on social media or in search results. Google is also subject to the new law, but instead of doing what Facebook did, it made deals with the country's major publishing companies to pay for some of their news content that shows up in search. That was a retreat from an earlier threat from them to essentially pull Google search from Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacted to Facebook's action, saying, "These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behavior of BigTech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them." The country's communications minister, Paul Fletcher, said, "Facebook needs to think very carefully about what this means for its reputation and standing. They’re effectively saying 'on our platform there will not be any information from organizations that employ paid journalists.'
BREAKING: Serena Williams loses to Wang Qiang in the third round of the Australian Open. https://t.co/kc2a5HGZcZ
🎾SERENA WILLIAMS LOSES TO OSAKA IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMIFINALS: Tenth-seeded Serena Williams lost to Number 3 Naomi Osaka of Japan in their semifinal yesterday 6-3, 6-4, falling short again in her quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title. Williams had twice as many unforced errors in the match as winners, and when the 39-year-old was asked about those mistakes by reporters after the match, she teared up and said, "I'm done," and walked out of the room. Osaka will play for the championship against 22nd-seeded American Jennifer Brady, who defeated Number 25 Karolina Muchova in their semifinal match yesterday. On the men's side, second-seeded Rafael Nadal was upset in the quarterfinals by Number 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, blowing a two-set lead.
⚾MLB'S SPRING TRAINING OPENS: Major League Baseball's spring training get underway yesterday, with pitchers and catchers reporting to prepare for what will be a full season this year, after they played only an abbreviated 60-game season last year due to the pandemic. There will be ever tougher Covid protocols this year, including players, staffers and team personnel being required to wear electronic tracing wristbands.
⚾TATIS AGREES TO 14-YEAR, $340 MILLION CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH PADRES: Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, ESPN reported, the third-biggest deal in MLB history. The 22-year-old Tatis is in his third year, after starting his first MLB season with the Padres in 2019.
⚾TEBOW RETIRING FROM BASEBALL: Tim Tebow announced yesterday that he's retiring from baseball after five years as a minor league player with the New York Mets. The Heisman Trophy-winning former NFL quarterback returned to baseball in 2016, after having played in high school, and reached the Triple-A level. The 33-year-old said in a statement yesterday, "I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions." Tebow played in 35 NFL games between 2010 and 2012 before being released by the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2015 preseason, the last time he was on an NFL roster.
🏈TOM BRADY TAKES AIM AT CRITICS: Tom Brady had some snarky fun at his critics' expense yesterday, tweeting a video with commentators and other players talking over the just-ended season about his supposed decline. All that before, of course, he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl championship.
⚾CLEVELAND SAVES LEADER CODY ALLEN RETIRES: The Cleveland Indians announced yesterday that closer Cody Allen, the franchise's career saves leader, had retired at age 32. Allen spent seven seasons with Cleveland, getting 149 saves in 456 games, and having more than 30 saves three times.
For at least the next 90 days, the Rush Limbaugh Show will continue to be syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks.
Premiere issued the following statement following the reported death of Rush Limbaugh:
“Rush’s voice will continue to be heard, providing comfort and continued insight to his legions of loyal fans.”
“All of Rush’s audio has been extensively archived and cataloged by subject, topic and opinion. His producers will be able to pull segments that are relevant for each day’s news cycle and allow us to feature the best of Rush for the full three hours of the program.
“The familiar voices of the programs’ guest hosts will be used in the show when needed to guide Rush’s audio from one topic to another, but Rush will be the predominant voice heard for the three-hour Monday-Friday show, the AM Daily Update and The Week in Review three-hour show.
“Please note that we will continue with this transitional programming until his audience is prepared to say good-bye.
“We will mourn together in a respectful way and celebrate the incredible life of Rush Limbaugh with his beloved audience. Today, a three-hour tribute will air in Rush’s regular time slot.”
Rush Limbaugh’s death after more than three decades as the brash and provocative host of his nationally syndicated talk show marks the silencing of a broadcasting pioneer who was a leading voice of the modern conservative movement, Forbes reports.
Limbaugh was there at the start of a fresh boom in syndicated radio with a bombastic style that enraged progressives and captivated conservatives, helping bring about the rise of right-wing radio. More than any other figure, he revived AM Radio at a time when FM had captured the ears of music listeners, and gave Americans who felt marginalized a reason to tune in.
His pioneering approach brought immense success. Limbaugh was first ranked among the world’s highest-paid entertainers in 1994 at No. 36 with pretax earnings of $25 million. He’s been a fixture on the rankings since then and last year ranked No. 11 with pretax earnings of $85 million. In all, Limbaugh has talked his way to pre-tax earnings of $1.1 billion, according to Forbes estimates, which also do not factor in personal spending and professional costs, which would consume a substantial portion of that income.
The Rush Limbaugh Show could be heard on more than 650 radio stations across the Premier Radio Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, regularly attracting 15 million listeners. He was a prolific writer, penning a number of history books for young readers, and two New York Times best sellers, The Way Things Ought to Be and See, I Told You So.
Limbaugh was drawn to radio at an early age. He landed a part-time job at the local station near his hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he worked as a helper before eventually graduating to disc jockey. "I was totally consumed," he said in one 1990 interview, noting he’d drop by the station before and after school.
Disdainful of school—he once referred to it as “prison”—Limbaugh dropped out of college after a year and tried to break into radio, landing and losing jobs as he tried out different broadcast styles. At one point he pronounced he’d give up the mike forever, and took a job with the Kansas City Royals baseball team. He quit that job after five years and returned to the broadcasting booth.
Former ABC Radio Networks Presdient Ed McLaughlin, who credited Limbaugh with rescuing AM radio from oblivion in a 1994 Forbes profile, recruited the host from Sacramento to New York, He debuted a two-hour talk show on 77WABC in August 1988 that they soon began syndicating across the country. At the time, AM radio was facing an existential crisis. Listeners had gravitated to FM for music, leaving AM radio in search of a winning programming format. Talk filled the silence.
Limbaugh caught fire with an audience that felt alienated and unheard lampooning liberals in a way that thrilled his audience. He “aborted” progressive callers by drowning them out to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. He preceded segments about the openly gay Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts with the song “My Boy Lollipop.” To ridicule animal rights activists he introduced wildlife segments with Andy Williams’ “Born Free,” overdubbed with mortar blasts, shotguns firing and animals squawking.
Limbaugh’s success would birth imitators across the radio dial, but his more lasting legacy is in politics. He was a star among Republicans before Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes created the Fox News Channel, and well before later right-leaning news sites such as Red State, Breitbart and Townhall. One historian who chronicled the rise of The Radio Right, Paul Matzko, says Limbaugh was influential in turning so-called Reagan Democrats—the truck drivers, carpenters and other working-class voters who would listen to the radio every day from the shop bench—into Republicans.
After a yearlong battle with lung cancer, Rush Limbaugh died Wednesday morning at the age of 70.
Throughout his career, the conservative radio talk show mogul was making an estimated $33 million a year. It is believed he amassed a net worth of over $600 million at the time of his death.
FOX Business reports Limbaugh left Florida and headed to New York City in 1988 in order to concentrate on building his career. However, the media icon left the Big Apple for good by 2010 and returned to the Sunshine State after the city enacted a tax hike.
While living in Manhattan, Limbaugh resided in a Fifth Avenue condo with 10 rooms and a view of Central Park. He later unloaded the home for $11.5 million.
When he returned to Florida permanently, he also relocated his business and began broadcasting his radio show a mile from his Palm Beach oasis.
When he returned to Florida permanently, he also relocated his business and began broadcasting his radio show a mile from his Palm Beach oasis.
At first, Limbaugh purchased the Palm Beach estate in 1998 for a paltry $3.98 million and used it as a vacation getaway home, Florida property records show.
Once he relocated there for good, the radio legend, along with his wife, Kathryn Rogers, transformed and expanded the home to include three additional structures. They were able to do this by buying neighboring land.
The two-story property was originally built in 1992.
Spanning more than 34,000 square feet, the primary residence boasts seven bedrooms, 12 baths and a private elevator. There’s also a two-story library which is a “scaled-down version” of the library at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. It has an additional four guest houses and a guard station for 24-hour security services.
The estate includes two oceanfront acres with a private beach. It also features a pool and putting green.
The home is estimated to be worth about $50 million today, according to a Zillow estimate.
Although Limbaugh was married four times, he had no children. But his wife of 11 years will be in good hands. Kathryn, 44, married Limbaugh in 2010 in a lavish Hawaiian-themed wedding bash headlined by none other than Sir Elton John.
FOX Nation, FOX News Media’s on demand subscription-based streaming service, has signed a new, multi-year deal with top-rated FOX News Channel (FNC) primetime host Tucker Carlson to provide flagship content for the digital platform, announced Jason Klarman, President, FOX Nation.
Carlson will helm a regular new video podcast, as well as a series of in-depth specials called Tucker Carlson Originals. He will continue to host his current program, Tucker Carlson Tonight, weeknights on FNC at 8 PM/ET.
Beginning in April, Carlson will release at least three new video podcast episodes a week, featuring interviews with newsmakers, as well as a discussion of the issues shaping the country. The Tucker Carlson Originals series will also debut in April, and continue monthly. Episodes will explore a single topic at greater depth than typically done on a live television show. Both the podcast and the long-form specials will only be available on FOX Nation.
In making the announcement, Klarman said, “As we continue to expand and evolve as a service, adding exclusive content from Tucker Carlson will make FOX Nation a must-have service for his most passionate fans.”
Carlson added, “This is my twelfth year at FOX News and I’ve never been more grateful to be here. As other media outlets fall silent or fall in line, FOX News Media’s management has redoubled its commitment to honesty and freedom of speech. I consider that heroic at a time like this.”
The new content will be produced by the seasoned team behind Tucker Carlson Tonight, led by Senior Executive Producer Justin Wells, who has been named FNC’s new Vice President of Tucker Carlson Digital Products. Wells commented, “We have a close relationship with our viewers. We’re excited to continue and expand that relationship on FOX Nation. We have far more stories to tell than we can air in our nightly format. We see this as a welcome expansion of what we’re already doing.”
Tucker Carlson Tonight is one of the top-rated shows in the history of cable news. According to Nielsen Media Research, the program averaged 3.6 million viewers last month, and 653,000 in the younger Adults 25-54 demo, topping both CNN and MSNBC by double-digits in overall viewers.
Carlson joined FNC in 2009 as a political contributor and was named a co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend in 2012. In November of 2016, he was named host of Tucker Carlson Tonight. The show originally debuted at 7 PM/ET. In January of 2017, Carlson moved to 9 PM/ET, and to his current timeslot in April of 2017. Carlson also provided analysis for FNC’s top rated presidential election coverage in 2020 and 2016, as well as the midterm election coverage during the years in between. In 2018, he authored “Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution” which was a New York Times bestseller and ranked number one on Amazon.
CNN announced changes to its weekday morning and dayside lineup Wednesday, including new assignments for Victor Blackwell, Ana Cabrera, Alisyn Camerota and Brianna Keilar, reports Deadline.
The net said Laura Jarrett and Christine Romans will continue to anchor Early Start from 5-6 am.
John Berman and Brianna Keilar will anchor New Day from 6-9 am, weekdays. Keilar most recently anchored CNN Right Now from 1-3pm weekdays. Prior to that, she was CNN’s White House correspondent during the Obama Administration. Berman has been co-anchor of New Day for the last two and a half years.
Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto will continue to anchor CNN Newsroom from 9-11 am.
Kate Bolduan will continue to anchor At this Hour from 11am-noon.
John King will continue to anchor Inside Politics with John King weekdays from noon-1pm. The network’s chief national correspondent, he will also continue to have a key role in all political coverage.
Ana Cabrera, who has anchored CNN’s weekend newscasts for the last four years, will now anchor CNN Newsroom weekdays from 1-2 pm.
Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell will now anchor CNN’s afternoon Newsroom coverage from 2-4 pm. Camerota has anchored CNN’s morning program, New Day, for the last six years, the longest tenure of any weekday morning show anchor in recent CNN history, and, along with Berman, has led CNN to its largest audiences ever in the morning. Blackwell has anchored CNN’s Weekend New Day for the last nine years.
The shifts come a day after longtime CNN Newsroom anchor Brooke Baldwin announced her surprise resignation from the cable news network on-air yesterday.
