Chicago Radio: WUSN Partners Melissa & Austin For Mornings

Austin and Melissa

Audacy announced a new morning show for WUSN US99 in Chicago, welcoming local media veteran Melissa McGurren and Austin Huff as morning show co-hosts. The duo will be heard on “Melissa and Austin,” weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. CT, effective May 10.

The move comes months after McGurren mysteriously left her morning show job at WTMX 101.9 FM. She will now compete against Eric Ferguson’s morning show, where she worked for many years until officially leaving in December. She disputed Hubbard Radio’s statement that she declined a contract extension, but didn’t publicly reveal the reason for her departure.

“We’re incredibly excited to be growing our US99 family and making mornings home for Melissa and Austin,” said Rachel Williamson, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Chicago. “This team will bring energy, positivity, chemistry, and a lot of fun to this fresh and dynamic local show to serve Chicago’s country listeners. Drew [Walker] returns to late mornings and middays and will continue to bring the energy and companionship country listeners have grown to love to get them through their day. Collectively, this roster will super serve Chicago’s country music audience as the standalone country station in the market.”

“I wish I could fully express my gratitude and happiness about joining the US99 team,” said McGurren. “I love Chicago and country music and I’ve never been more confident in an opportunity or my team. I know this is exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I couldn’t be happier to make this new move in my career.”

Melissa McGurren spent most of her career on WTMX’s “The Mix Morning Show” in Chicago as a traffic reporter sidekick turned co-host. She also previously spent time as a weekend traffic news anchor for NBC 5 in Chicago and parttime from the NBC 5 helicopter for breaking news and traffic.

“I can’t believe Justin Fields and I are moving to Chicago at the same time, especially considering he throws a much tighter spiral than me,” said Huff. “I’m honored to wake up with this city every morning, and I cannot wait to have a ton of fun in the process.”

Austin Huff is a Nashville native, and country music fan with over 10 years of radio experience both on air and in production.

New weekday programming is as follows:
6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m:    Melissa and Austin
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m:  Drew Walker
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m:  Katie & Company
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m:    Scotty Kay
7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m:  Rob & Holly

Listeners can tune in to US99 (WUSN-FM) in Chicago on air, as well as nationwide on the Audacy app and website. Fans can also connect with the station on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Fort Walton Beach FL Radio: Dave Rossi To Program WKSM 99 Rock

Dave Rossi

CUMULUS MEDIA announces that it has appointed veteran Rock radio programmer, Dave Rossi, as Program Director for heritage Rock station, WKSM 99ROCK in Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL. 

Rossi joins Cumulus from iHeartMedia Nashville, TN, where he was program director for Classic Rock WNRQ-FM/105.9 The Rock and Alternative WNRQ-HD2/ALT983. Prior to that, he was Program Director of Tuned-In Broadcasting's WRLT-FM/Lightning 100 in Nashville. Rossi was previously Program Director of AAA WWMM-FM/Live 100.5 in Birmingham, AL, and co-owned WRAX-FM in Lake Isabella, MI. Rossi also programmed Alternative WAVF-FM/96 Wave in Charleston, SC, and WIOT-FM/Toledo.

Ashley Allegretto, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, said: “We are elated to have Dave join the Fort Walton Beach team! Dave’s wealth of knowledge, years of experience, and creativity in the Rock format make him a natural fit to lead our heritage Rock station.”

Rossi commented: “There’s spectacular growth in this market and I’m thrilled to work at this incredible radio station. After great conversations with Chris Kellogg, Ashley Allegretto, Troy Hanson and Doug Hamand it became clear that Cumulus was where I needed to be and the opportunity in Fort Walton Beach is a perfect fit. I’m looking forward to leading the team of proven winners at 99ROCK and building on the winning tradition they’ve created!”

NBCUniversal Explores Options For Streaming Sports Channels

NBCUniversal has explored putting its regional sports channels on the streaming service Peacock or selling them off, as the company tries to figure out a future for a business under increasing stress, reports The Wall Street journal citing people familiar with the situation.

Early this spring, NBCUniversal planned to start streaming NBC Sports Philadelphia, which broadcasts the city’s pro basketball, baseball and hockey games, the people said. The goal was to be up and running in time for the Major League Baseball season that began in April.

The plan was halted over concerns that it would conflict with the broader streaming strategy of NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp., the people said.

NBCUniversal is still considering options for streaming its sports channels on Peacock, the people familiar with the situation said. The company also is exploring whether to sell off the networks and sees the teams associated with them as potential buyers, some of the people said. Teams often hold an equity stake in the networks that air their games.

Regional sports channels were once an engine of growth and profit for media companies, because of the high fees owners were able to charge cable and satellite TV providers to distribute them. Now, the business is eroding as consumers cancel pay-TV subscriptions or switch to traditional or online packages that don’t include the sports networks.

In 2020, regional sports networks collectively had 145.8 million subscribers, down 23% from 190.2 million in 2014, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The pandemic pummeled the industry. More than $1 billion in rebates were given to pay-TV subscribers when leagues paused their seasons, according to S&P.

Meanwhile, some channels are on the hook to pay billions of dollars of media-rights fees annually, meaning they will face a financial squeeze in coming years.

Building streaming businesses has become a popular option for traditional TV networks. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., owner of the Fox Sports family of regional sports channels—rebranded as Bally Sports in a licensing deal with casino operator Bally’s Corp. —plans to sell streaming subscriptions for 19 of its networks, with an aim to launch in 2022.

Revenue Soars At Entravision Thanks To Acquisition

Entravision Communications Corporation has announced financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Highlights

• Net revenue up 132% over the same prior-year period
• Net income attributable to common stockholders of $5.4 million, compared to a loss of $35.6 million in the prior year
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA up 47% over the same prior-year period
• Operating cash flow up 95% over the same prior-year period
• Free cash flow up 149% over the same prior-year period
• Quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share

"We are very pleased with our results for the first quarter 2021, with core television and audio performing well, along with our digital segment that continues to see solid growth," said Walter F. Ulloa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 

"We are particularly pleased with the progress of our recent acquisition of Cisneros Interactive through which we significantly expanded Entravision’s digital offerings to customers, including representing some of the strongest global audience and ad tech platforms. As we grew our top line, we also remained cost conscious and continue to operate a much more efficient business than even prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, we are optimistic for gradual, but continued progress throughout the balance of the year as macroeconomic conditions progress."

So Where's Alden Getting Money to Acquire Tribune Publishing?

In its bid to acquire Tribune Publishing, the hedge fund Alden Global Capital vowed to provide $375 million in cash to the owner of the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun and other titles — a theoretically welcome influx to an investment-starved newspaper chain.

But, according to The Washington Post, industry and financial experts have looked at the fine print and see something starkly different: Alden, they say, has already signaled that it plans to saddle Tribune with debt that could further hollow out the company, and it may not have $375 million available to begin with.

Alden has made the certainty of its finances a central part of its push to acquire Tribune, saying in a December letter that it "can fully finance the Transaction with cash on hand" and "we will have no financing conditions and will not require third party debt or equity to finance the Transaction."

"One would think if they're saying that, they can fund it out of their own pocket," said Doug Arthur, and analyst with Huber Research. Indeed, Tribune's board praised Alden's bid for being "not subject to any financing condition," when it supported the proposal in a Securities & Exchange Commission filing.

But the deal includes a brief but potentially critical passage saying that Alden "has the right to seek to finance a portion or all of the $375,000,000 in cash with the proceeds from debt and/or equity financing from its affiliates or third parties."

"That means they're going to try to borrow money," Arthur said. He said it would not surprise him to see Alden borrow heavily against Tribune's revenue and put in as little of its own money as possible.

"I think they're mostly interested in the fact that the stock is cheap, there is a lot of cash flow, a lot of cash, and they think it's a sitting duck," he said. "Very few people want to own newspapers, and they're taking advantage of that."

Alden representatives say their $630 million bid is clearly the best option for Tribune's shareholders. The hedge fund and its managing partner, Heath Freeman, are in the driver's seat to acquire Tribune since one of the investors in a competing bid by Maryland hotelier Stewart Bainum Jr. recently backed out. Tribune shareholders are now preparing to vote on Alden's deal May 21.

News Corp Earnings Beats Wall Street Expectations

News Corp. beat Wall Street’s expectations for the quarter ended in March as it moved toward its most profitable year since it split off its entertainment arm in 2013.

Its NY Post reports the company posted third-quarter revenues of $2.34 billion, up 3 percent jump over last year — beatings analysts’ expectations for revenue of $2.19 billion.

The publisher of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post posted net income of $96 million, reversing a $1 billion net loss from a year ago tied to a $1.1 billion impairment charge. Adjusted earnings per share rose to 9 cents from 3 cents. Wall Street had been expecting 6 cents.

“In the UK, circulation revenues increased, while the NY Post continued revenue growth driven by strong growth in digital advertising,” CEO Robert Thomson told analysts on an earnings call.

The $275 million acquisition of Investors Business Daily from O’Neil Capital Management announced last month has been finalized, the company said. The operation will continue to be based in Los Angeles, operated by Dow Jones.

The acquisition of the consumer books division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is still pending.

The company also said it completed “landmark” revenue-sharing agreements with Google and Facebook, although the details are still being hammered out.

And it successfully wrapped up its private placement bond offering, which was upped last month to $1 billion from $750 million.

The results were partially by offset lower revenues from its News Media segment, primarily driven by the sale of its coupon business News America Marketing, as well as weakness in print advertising and closure of regional and community newspapers in Australia.

Millions of Fake Comments Flooded FCC Over Net Neutrality

Nearly 18 million fake comments were filed with the Federal Communications Commission over its proposal to scale back internet regulation, fueled by both opponents and supporters of the rule, an investigation by the New York attorney general’s office found.

The Wall Street Journal reports a report by Attorney General Letitia James’s office highlighted companies that specialize in a little-known influence industry that generates made-up comments and often attaches the names of real people caught up in marketing ploys. The 18 million fake comments represented more than 80% of all public comments filed to the FCC on its net-neutrality proposal four years ago.

Investigators found that commenters were tricked into providing their personal information in exchange for lures that included sweepstakes entries, discounted children’s movies, a chicken-recipe cookbook and free trials for male enhancement pills. In other cases, names were reused from old campaigns and data breaches or just made up.

About 8.5 million of the fake comments to the FCC derived from a $4.2 million campaign paid for by Broadband for America, an advocacy group funded by the nation’s top internet providers, in an effort to dump net neutrality, the Obama-era policy on equal treatment of internet traffic. Broadband for America and a lobbyist listed on the group’s tax forms didn’t immediately respond to emails or phone calls.

Investigators also found 9.3 million comments supporting net neutrality that used fictitious identities, most submitted by one California college student majoring in computer science. The then-19-year-old student was responsible for 7.7 million comments generated using websites that create names, physical addresses and email addresses, the report said.

May 7 Radio History

➦In 1941..."Chattanooga Choo Choo" was recorded by the Glenn Miller Band. The song by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade. It was the first song to receive a gold record, presented by RCA Victor in 1942, for sales of 1.2 million copies.



➦In 1945...On radio Americans learned that the war in Europe was over...

NY Times 5/7/45

There were two sources of news during the World War II era - newspapers and radio.  Radio was faster, just as the internet and social media are (generally) faster with the news today.

NY Times 5/8/45

On May 7, an Associated Press reporter broke an embargo and sent first word of the German surrender to his wire service, ostensibly to be passed on to newspapers (the news was supposed to be embargoed to allow the leaders of the three Allied nations - the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union - to jointly announce the surrender on May 8.  But radio stations and networks also subscribed to the AP wire, and as soon as the news was reported, it was on the radio - hours before it could be printed in a paper.  Thus began a long period, though short by today's cable news endless coverage standards, of reporting about the end of the first half of the war.

➦In 1946...Sony, originally known as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering was founded with around 20 employees.

➦In 1955...Decca Records released, for the second time, “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets. It was first issued in May 1954 as a B-side to "Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)."  While the song did make the American Cashbox music charts (contrary to popular opinion that it was a flop), it was considered a commercial disappointment. It was not until 1955, when "Rock Around the Clock" was used under the opening credits of the film Blackboard Jungle, that the song truly took off.



Many versions of the story behind how "Rock Around the Clock" was chosen for Blackboard Jungle circulated over the years. Recent research, however, reveals that the song was chosen from the collection of young Peter Ford, the son of Blackboard Jungle star Glenn Ford and dancer Eleanor Powell. The producers were looking for a song to represent the type of music the youth of 1955 was listening to, and the elder Ford borrowed several records from his son's collection, one of which was Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" and this was the song chosen.

The version of "Rock Around the Clock" that was used in the movie Blackboard Jungle differs from the hit single version. The difference is in the two solo breaks. The record has the guitar solo taking the first break and the sax solo taking the second break. The movie version is just the opposite with the sax solo coming first.  In 2004 the song finished at #50 in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

➦In 1982...Dan Ingram aired his final music show on 77WABC (Sound quality is fair, it was recorded 100 miles from NYC.). WABC would change to Talk Radio three days later.







➦In 1996...Don McNeill died at age 88 (Born - December 23, 1907).  He is  best known as the creator and host of The Breakfast Club, which ran for more than 35 years.

McNeill began his radio career in Milwaukee in 1928, first as a script editor and announcer at The Milwaukee Sentinel's WISN, and later working for crosstown competitor WTMJ, owned by Sentinel rival The Milwaukee Journal. McNeill moved on to Kentucky, working for the Louisville Courier-Journal's station, WHAS. This was followed by working in San Francisco as a comedy act with singer Van Fleming, called "The Two Professors." following a failed career move to New York City, McNeill returned to Illinois in 1933.

McNeill applied for a job at NBC and was sent to Chicago to audition. He was assigned to host an un-sponsored early morning variety show called The Pepper Pot, which had an 8 AM time slot on the NBC Blue Network (later to become ABC radio). McNeill re-organized the hour show as The Breakfast Club, dividing it into four segments he called "the four calls to breakfast."

The show premiered on June 23, 1933, with informal talk and jokes based on topical events, and often included audience interviews. In its final form, the show featured piano music and vocal groups and soloists, with recurring comedy performers. McNeil gained a sponsor, Swift and Company. McNeill is credited as the first performer to make morning talk and variety a viable format in radio. (Countless local shows even now refer to themselves as The Breakfast Club).

McNeill attempted to transfer the show to television as Don McNeill's TV Club (1950–1951). The Breakfast Club was simulcast on television in 1954-1955. McNeill appeared occasionally on game shows, and in 1963 hosted a short-lived game show Take Two, built around photo comparisons. McNeill's radio series finally ended in 1968, when McNeill retired from entertainment and public life.



 McNeill is credited as the first performer to make morning talk and variety a viable radio format.

The program featured Fran Allison (later of Kukla, Fran and Ollie fame) as "Aunt Fanny", plus Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers and various comedy bits. Every quarter-hour came the "Call to Breakfast" -- a march around the breakfast table. A featured vocalist on the show, under her professional name of Annette King, was Charlotte Thompson Reid, who later became an Illinois congresswoman for five terms (1962–71).

From 1993....



After ABC Radio was split into four networks in 1968, The Breakfast Club was moved to the new American Entertainment network, and was known for its last months on the air as The Don McNeill Show.

➦In 2002...WYNY 107.1 FM NYC dropped its country music format.

Traci Lords IS 53

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

• Singer Thelma Houston is 78. 
• Actor Robin Strasser (“One Life To Live,” “Passions”) is 76. 
• Singer-songwriter Bill Danoff (Starland Vocal Band) is 75. 
• Drummer Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is 75. 
• Drummer Prairie Prince (The Tubes) is 71. 
• Director Amy Heckerling (“Clueless,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) is 69. 

• 

  Alexander Ludwig is 29

  Actor Michael E. Knight (“All My Children”) is 62. 
• Guitarist Phil Campbell of Motorhead is 60. 
• Actor Traci Lords is 53. 
• Actor Morocco Omari (“Empire”) is 51. 
• Singer Eagle-Eye Cherry is 50. 
• Actor Breckin Meyer (“Herbie: Fully Loaded,” “Road Trip”) is 47.
• Drummer Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys is 35. 
• Comedian Aidy Bryant (“Saturday Night Live”) is 34. 
• Actor Alexander Ludwig (“Vikings,” “The Hunger Games”) is 29. 
• Actor Dylan Gelula (“Jennifer Falls,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) is 27.

Murrow Regional News Awards Announced

RTDNA today announced the regional winners of the 2021 Edward R. Murrow Awards. More than 750 awards recognize over 350 local radio and television stations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four countries.

“The regional RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award recipients we announce today produced extraordinary journalism that brought clarity and context to 2020’s biggest news stories,” said RTDNA Chairwoman Andrea Stahlman. “The winning work demonstrates dedication, determination and a commitment to the highest ethical standards enshrined in RTDNA’s Code of Ethics.”

In addition to 50 Overall Excellence awards, the regional honors recognize dozens of digital projects, more than 40 examples of investigative reporting and over 100 examples of continuing or series coverage of ongoing stories.

In a new category for 2021, more than 40 news outlets earned regional Murrow Awards for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including examples of bilingual reporting, contextual coverage of inequality and discrimination, and newsroom-convened community discussions.

“Local journalists across the country guided Americans through a pandemic, ongoing racial reckoning and a fraught election cycle, despite facing unprecedented operational challenges and an astonishing number of physical attacks during 2020,” said Dan Shelley, RTDNA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “The persistence of the regional Murrow Award winners we recognize today is a testament to these journalists’ commitment to their First Amendment duty.”

View the complete regional winner list here.

Regional winners automatically move on to the national round of consideration, which also includes digital news organization, network and student competitors.

Among the most prestigious awards in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.

Revenue Jumps At ViacomCBS

ViacomCBS outperformed media analysts’ expectations in the the quarter CBS All Access finally became Paramount+. Having the Super Bowl and the return of March Madness on CBS sure didn’t hurt, The Wrap reports.

Overall revenues rose 14% from the same quarter in 2020 and earnings were up 40 cents per share. ViacomCBS’ operating income was $1.5 billion for Q1 2021.

Paramount+ and Showtime Combine for 36 Million Global Subscribers

Super Bowl LV and the NCAA Tournament handed the combined Viacom and CBS a big-picture advertising revenue increase of 21%. Removing cable from the equation, where ad sales slipped 7%, advertising revenues jumped 40% at just CBS and on streaming.

Streaming revenue rose 65% in the Paramount+ launch quarter, though Pluto TV played a role in that as well. Paramount+ and Showtime now combine for 36 million global subscribers, the company said, an increase of six million. Pluto TV has nearly 50 million monthly active users (MAUs) globally, rising from the 43 million ViacomCBS reported at the end of February.

Theatrical revenue dropped all the way down to an immaterial amount, as one would expect amid the coronavirus pandemic. The filmed entertainment segment grew in revenue, however, thanks to the licensing of content to streaming services — including Paramount Pictures’ own Paramount+.

“In Q1, we accelerated our expansion in streaming with the launch of Paramount+ further enhancing ViacomCBS’ ecosystem of premium, pay and free services,” ViacomCBS President and CEO Bob Bakish said in a statement accompanying the financials. 

Bob Bakish

“The strong consumer response we have seen is evident in today’s numbers – we have grown global streaming revenue 65 percent year-over-year and we added 6M global streaming subscribers, driven by Paramount+, to reach 36M streaming subscribers globally. In addition, we now have almost 50M global Pluto TV MAUs. Our early momentum in streaming is a testament to the breadth and relevance of our differentiated offerings, as well as our opportunities for growth through Paramount+, as we continue to ramp the availability of live sports, original series and blockbuster movies over the course of the year. ViacomCBS also achieved another strong quarter of results in our advertising and affiliate businesses, which continue to demonstrate the extraordinary power of our company to reach audiences and deliver for our partners globally.”

In Q1, ViacomCBS owned the most top 30 cable networks among P2+ and P18-49 and more top 30 kids’ series than any other cable family; Showtime had the top 2 scripted shows on premium cable.

Revenue increased 14% year-over-year, driven by growth in licensing, as well as higher streaming advertising and streaming subscription revenue.

Advertising revenue, which excludes streaming revenue, decreased 7% year-over-year, largely because of a decline in domestic advertising, partially offset by higher international advertising.

Affiliate revenue, which excludes streaming revenue, grew 3% year-over-year, reflecting expanded distribution and contractual rate increases, partially offset by linear subscriber declines.

Streaming revenue grew 70% year-over-year, fueled by advertising revenue growth from Pluto TV and other digital video platforms, as well as growth in subscribers for subscription streaming services, including SHOWTIME OTT, BET+ and Noggin.

Licensing and other revenue increased 82% year-over-year, driven by the licensing of programming to Paramount+ and third parties.

Saga Reports 1Q Y2Y Revenue Drop

Saga Communications, Inc. reported today that first quarter 2021 revenue and the related net income continue to be impacted by the ongoing uncertainties in the marketplace. 

• Net revenue was $22.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 compared to $26.1 million for the same period last year. 
• Station operating expense decreased $3.3 million to $18.9 million for the quarter compared to the same period last year.  
• Station operating income was $4.7 million for the quarter compared to $5.5 million for the first quarter last year. 
• Free cash flow increased 21.4% to $1.8 million for the quarter.
• Operating income was $883 thousand for the quarter compared to $2.2 million for the same period last year. Operating income in the first quarter of 2020 included $1.3 million in other operating income which was primarily due to the sale of land and a building that were no longer necessary for our operations. Without this sale, operating income would have been $837 thousand in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the $883 thousand reported for the quarter ending March 31, 2021. Net income was $758 thousand for the quarter. 
• Diluted earnings per share were $0.13 in the first quarter of 2021.
• The Company's balance sheet reflects $56.3 million in cash on hand as of March 31, 2021 and $57.4 million as of May 3, 2021. The Company's total bank debt remained at $10 million as of the end of the first quarter 2021.
• Capital expenditures in the first quarter were $534 thousand compared to $1.0 million for the same period last year. The Company expects to spend approximately $4.5 – 5.5 million for capital expenditures during 2021.

Wake-Up Call: U-S Supports Waiving Intel Property Rules For Vaccines

The U.S. came out in support yesterday of waiving intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines, which would allow more manufacturers around the world to produce them for the global population and held speed up the end of the pandemic. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the administration's stance during World Trade Organization talks about a possible temporary waiver of the protections. However, she said it would take time to get to the required global agreement to waive the protections, and U.S. officials said it wouldn't have an immediate effect of the global supply of vaccines.

➤CDC: PROJECTIONS SHOW COVID CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS, DEATHS TO PLUNGE BY END OF JULY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released projections yesterday from six research groups who predicted the course of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. under different scenarios, and they found that even in scenarios that had vaccination rates that were disappointing, Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are projected to fall dramatically by the end of July, and then continue to drop after that. However, they also say there could be a substantial increase in hospitalizations and deaths if unvaccinated people don't continue to wear masks and social distance. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, "We are not out of the woods yet, but we could be very close." The CDC reports that more than 56 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and almost 41 percent are fully vaccinated.

CDC projects sharp decline in COVID-19 cases by July https://t.co/uIEm1prYHv

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 5, 2021

 
➤TWO AMERICANS CONVICTED IN ROME IN KILLING OF POLICE OFFICER, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON: Two young American men were convicted in Italy yesterday in the 2019 killing of a police officer in Rome, and were sentenced to the maximum life in prison. The two former school friends from the San Francisco area, 21-year-old Finnegan Lee Elder and 20-year-old Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, were found guilty of murder and four other counts. Prosecutors charged that Elder stabbed Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega 11 times with a knife and that Natale-Hjorth helped him hide it in their hotel room. As an accomplice, he was also able to be charged with murder under Italian law. Cercielle Rega and his partner were following up on a reported extortion attempt in plainclothes. Prosecutors said the two Americans came up with plot involving a stolen bag and a cellphone after a failed attempt to buy cocaine. The two testified they paid for the cocaine but didn't get it, and said they though Cerciello Rega and his partner were thugs or mobsters, saying they never showed police badges, which the partner said they did. They got into a scuffle and Cercielle Rega was stabbed by Elder. He testified that he was afraid he was going to be strangled, and that's why he stabbed Cercielle Rega.

 

A Chauvin juror participated in the 2020 March on Washington. Is it grounds for appeal? https://t.co/t3u1hMqoBk

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 6, 2021

➤HARRIS TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO, GUATEMALA ON FIRST FOREIGN TRIP AS VP: Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Mexico and Guatemala early next month on her first foreign trip since taking office, she said yesterday (May 5th) in Rhode Island. President Biden in March put Harris in charge of leading the administration's efforts to stem the flow of people trying to enter the U.S. at the border with Mexico, as border apprehensions rose after Biden took office.

Imagine not just thinking this, but writing it publicly… and still thinking you’re a reporter.https://t.co/GmP6r6RDIL

— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) May 5, 2021

➤BLUE ORIGIN ANNOUNCES FIRST SPACE TOURISM FLIGHT: Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin announced yesterday that it's planning to have its first space tourism flight on July 20th. One seat on that first suborbital flight on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft will be given to the winning bidder of a five-week online auction, with proceeds to go the company's foundation. Blue Orbit's goal is for its space tourism flights to send up six passengers more than 62 miles up into suborbital space, at which height they'll experience a few minutes of weightlessness and be able to see the curvature of the Earth through observation windows before returning. Blue Origin said yesterday that a couple more flights are planned before the end of the year, but didn't give details of what tickets would cost. Reuters reported in 2018 that Blue Origin was planning to charge at least $200,000 per ticket, however, the news agency now notes that may have changed.

➤WOMAN CHARGED AFTER ‘SETTING FIRE TO HER HOME WITH PERSON TRAPPED INSIDE AND THEN SITTING IN A LAWN CHAIR TO WATCH IT BURN’:  Some women just want to watch the world burn. Gail Metwally, age 47, was caught on video on April 28th watching her Maryland home burn. Metwally is seen in the footage dressed in a white tank top and a sun hat while sitting on the lawn in a chair with a book in her lap as she watches the house go up in flames. An unidentified man caught the footage, and narrates the video, saying “She just f***ing lit the trash can on fire!” Oh my f***ing God, this is not happening right now! She lit the f***ing house! Oh my God! I cannot actually believe my eyes. I cannot actually believe it, she’s sitting there just chillin’—watching the house go up in flames!” Witnesses told investigators they saw Metwally setting multiple fires within the home before sitting in the chair. Officials say that in addition to Metwally, three others lived in the home, but two of them were not there. One woman was rescued from the home. Motives for the arson weren’t immediately clear, but the sister of the woman who was rescued said Metwally had recently returned to the home after “being confined elsewhere for mental health issues.” Mentwally has been charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder, first-degree arson, and first-degree assault, among other things.

Florida teen and mom face up to 16 years in prison after allegedly rigging homecoming court votes https://t.co/O1bShVlCaF

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 6, 2021

➤AS MASKS COME OFF, PEOPLE GETTING TEETH FIXED:  As Americans are continuing to get vaccinated and the state of the pandemic is improving in the U.S., more people are taking their masks off, particularly as the CDC has now said it's safe for vaccinated people to do so outside. Anticipating everyone being able to see the bottom half of our faces again, the Wall Street Journal reports that people are getting their teeth straightened. The report cited a New York orthodontist who said inquiries are up 50 percent since the fall, and the owner of Invisalign clear aligners said the number of people starting treatment in the first quarter was up 69 percent from a year ago. Additionally, dentists have been reporting for a year now that they're seeing more teeth grinding, which is often due to stress, because of the pandemic, and that could lead to people having to get their teeth straightened too.

➤PELOTON RECALLS TREADMILLS AND STOPS SALES AFTER CHILD'S DEATH: Peloton said yesterday that it is recalling about 125,000 of its treadmills and stopping sales of them after a child was killed and 29 others injured. Full refunds will be given for the Peloton Tread+ treadmills. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had issued a warning on April 17th about the treadmills, saying people with children and pets should stop using them after a child was pulled under one and killed. At that time, Peloton denied they were dangerous. CEO John Foley apologized for that yesterday.

Twitter says it’s releasing a feature that automatically detects "mean" replies on its service and prompts people to review the replies before sending them. https://t.co/V3AEYDHbRi

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 6, 2021

➤TRILLIONS OF CICADAS ABOUT TO MERGE ACROSS THE U.S.:  Within days, trillions of cicadas will come out of the ground and descend on 15 states. Scientists say within a couple of weeks at most, cicadas of Brood X will emerge after 17 years underground. This is the largest and most noticeable brood of periodic cicadas, and they’ll be in 15 states from Indiana to Georgia to New York, and they’re coming out in mass numbers now in Tennessee and North Carolina. The experts say the bugs will mostly come out at dusk to try and avoid predators, and as they emerge from the ground they’ll try to climb up trees or anything vertical. Once off the ground, they shed their skins and try to survive at that vulnerable stage (or be eaten by anything from ants to birds, dogs and cats.) Scientists say the arrival of Brood X is a sign that despite pollution and climate change, something is still right with nature. They note if the bugs survive their vulnerable stage they grow wings and then ascend into treetops to mate (the males make the loud calls we hear), before they fall to the ground and die after just a few weeks. Then six weeks later their eggs hatch, and tiny nymphs tumble down to the ground where they burrow and go down into the soil for another 17 years. Experts note that cicadas are not dangerous, but it seems what some people dislike about them is that “they’re an inconvenience. Also, when they die in mass numbers they smell bad. They really disrupt our sense of order.”

Mali woman who was expecting 7 babies delivers 9. https://t.co/Goi19FXaB1

— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 6, 2021

🍺MILLER HIGH LIFE WILL PAY YOU $20,000 TO BE ITS ‘CHAMPAGNE OF BEERS REGION’ AMBASSADOR: Miller High Life is hiring an official brand ambassador, a gig that pays $20,000 and comes with a year’s supply of free beer. Miller High Life calls itself the Champagne of Beers and now it’s petitioning the Milwaukee Common Council to make it the actual Champagne of Beers region—so that’s where the ambassador job comes in—they need someone to be in Wisconsin. So if you get the job, in addition to the aforementioned perks, you’ll get a free trip to Milwaukee. Applications will be accepted from today (May 6th) at 12:00 p.m. Central time through May 21st at 11:59 p.m. Central time, and you can apply on the company’s official website.

⚾ORIOLES' MEANS PITCHES NO-HITTER AGAINST MARINERS: The Baltimore Orioles' John Means pitched a no-hitter yesterday in a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. Means struck out 12 batters and didn't give up any walks and was close to throwing a perfect game, kept from it only by Sam Haggerty running to first after swinging at a curveball for strike three that got away from catcher Pedro Severino in the third inning. The no-hitter was MLB's third this season, the first time since 1969 there have been three complete game no-hitters this early in the season.

The moment that will live in Orioles lore.

The magical @JMeans25. pic.twitter.com/zjelSD6GZv

— Baltimore Orioles 😷 (@Orioles) May 5, 2021

🏒RANGERS AND CAPITALS HAVE SIX FIGHTS IN FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF GAME: The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals had six fights in the first five minutes of their game last night, their first since Washington's Tom Wilson punched Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was facedown on the ice and threw Artemi Panarin to the ice, injuring him, on Monday night. They combined for 72 penalty minutes in the first four minutes and 14 seconds last night, and 141 penalty minutes overall for the game, which the Capitals won 4-2. The Rangers had been upset Tuesday after Wilson was fined $5,000, but not suspended, and called for the head of the NHL's Department of Player Safety to be removed.

Rangers and Capitals just went in with 3 fights off the opening face-off. pic.twitter.com/CeCc1TGBKl

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 6, 2021

🏒RANGERS UNEXPECTEDLY FIRE PRESIDENT, GM: The New York Rangers had some drama off the ice as well yesterday, with the surprise firing of president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton with three games left in the season. Chris Drury, who previously served as associate GM under both men, was named president and general manger.

⚾YANKEES, METS TO REMOVE CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS FOR VACCINATED FANS: The New York Yankees and New York Mets will increase fan capacity from their current 20 percent to 100 percent starting May 19th for fans who are vaccinated against the coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday, along with the presidents of the Yankees and Mets. Sections will be set aside for unvaccinated fans, where capacity will be at 33 percent.

🏀IRVING, NETS FINED FOR IRVING REFUSAL TO TALK TO MEDIA: Kyrie Irving and his team, the Brooklyn Nets, were each fined $35,000 by the NBA yesterday for Irving's refusal to talk to the media in violation of the league's media access rules. The NBA said in a statement, "The fines result from Irving's repeated refusal to participate in postgame media availability." This is the second time this season Irving and the Nets have been fined for the same reason, with both fined $25,000 in December. After that fine, Irving said on Instagram, "I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Fox to Acquire Clay Travis’ Outkick Media

Fox Corp. said it agreed to acquire Outkick Media, a news outlet focused on sports, politics and culture that was founded by provocateur Clay Travis, the Wall Street Journal reports.

While best known for its irreverent takes on sports news, in recent years Outkick Media has featured more content focused on political and social issues, often with a right-leaning viewpoint that is in sync with Fox News opinion programming.

Fox Corp. and Outkick Media already have ties. Fox Sports Radio is the home of Travis’s national daily broadcast. In addition, Travis is a regular on the Fox Sports 1 cable channel.

“Clay and his team have quickly made Outkick a content powerhouse with a very large, loyal and engaged audience. We expect the synergies presented across FOX’s existing portfolio of assets will turbocharge this exciting business,” said Fox Corp. Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch

Outkick Media is jointly owned by Travis and Savage Ventures, which will continue to have a role in operations going forward. Travis will serve as president of Outkick Media.

Travis and other Outkick Media contributors, including sports journalist Jason Whitlock, have often appeared on Fox News. Travis recently appeared on the Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends,” where he criticized Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta because of Georgia’s new voting rules.

Whitlock has been a frequent guest on Tucker Carlson’s prime-time Fox News opinion show. He has also written opinion pieces for The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

CEO Lachlan Murdoch: Fox Won Back Ratings

Fox News kept its parent company flush in the first three months of the year, notching a slight gain in profit and sales despite a drop in viewers, The NY Times reports.

Altogether, Fox Corporation beat Wall Street expectations with a sevenfold increase in profit to $567 million and a 6.5 percent drop in revenue to $3.2 billion compared with the same period a year prior. A change in how the company valued some of its assets was a key reason for the profit surge. Investors were looking for a $332 million profit and $3.1 billion in sales.

But revenue at most of its businesses dropped as fewer viewers tuned into the company’s cable channels and the Fox broadcast network, in part because Fox did not host the Super Bowl this year. Total advertising sales fell 24 percent to $1.2 billion, with the cable segment, primarily Fox News, seeing ad revenue drop 7 percent to $283 million.

Lachlan Murdock

Fox News still makes up the vast majority of Fox Corporation’s profits. The cable division that houses the news network generated $899 million in pretax income, accounting for 95 percent of the company’s total pretax profit. The company’s businesses include several sports cable networks and the free streaming platform Tubi.

Despite the drop in viewers at Fox News, the network benefited from contractually triggered rate increases that cable operators pay to carry the channel. Licensing fees rose 6 percent to $1.07 billion. Advertising fell despite charging higher ad rates.

The Wrap reports this primarily affected advertising revenues, which dipped form $1.57 billion last year to $1.20 billion. Additionally, a less-breakneck news cycle, with 2021 being an odd-numbered year and current president Joe Biden being significantly less scandalous than his predecessor, dragged down ad revenue at the cable networks, which pretty much means Fox News. It fell from $304 million a year ago to $283 million.

However, affiliate revenues increased $62 million or 6% as compared to the prior year quarter, driven by contractual price increases.

“The company continues to deliver operationally and financially with our year-to-date Revenues and EBITDA pacing well ahead of last year, despite the impact of COVID and the comparison against a Super Bowl year,” Fox Corp CEO and executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch said. “Consistent with our expectations, Fox News reclaimed its leadership position as America’s number one cable news network and the most watched cable network in primetime, while Fox Sports reached a landmark agreement with the NFL to extend our Sunday NFC rights package with expanded digital rights. These strategic milestones, coupled with a slate of complementary, high-growth, digital-focused assets, led by continued record growth at Tubi, provide a powerful platform to grow our business for the long-term.”

Nielsen Reports 1Q Revenue Increase

• Completed the sale of Nielsen Global Connect on March 5, 2021; reported as discontinued operations as of Q1'21
• Revenues of $863 million increased 2.5% on a reported basis, 1.3% on a constant currency basis & 2.3% organic
• Net income per share of $0.29 (diluted, from continuing operations); Adjusted EPS of $0.47

Today, Nielsen Holdings plc announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. These results reflect the March 5, 2021 sale of the Global Connect business for $2.4 billion in net proceeds, which resulted in a $542 million preliminary gain on sale, net of taxes, recognized in the quarter. Of the net proceeds, $2.28 billion were used for debt reduction in March and April 2021. Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, Global Connect results were reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods presented.

David Kenny

David Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We delivered a solid first quarter, as our teams executed incredibly well. We closed on the sale of Global Connect in March and are now singularly focused as the global essential data, measurement, and analytics provider for the entire media ecosystem. We are investing in our future and we are well-positioned to drive new growth from new solutions across all of our end markets globally. In particular, we are pleased with the advances we've made in Audience Measurement, Outcomes and Gracenote Content Services. We are executing as planned and we are increasing key elements of our 2021 guidance."

First Quarter 2021 Results

• First quarter revenues increased 2.5% to $863 million on a reported basis, 1.3% on a constant currency basis, and 2.3% on an organic basis compared to the prior year.
• Audience Measurement revenues of $632 million increased 2.8% on a reported basis, 1.9% on a constant currency basis, and 2.3% on an organic basis compared to the prior year, with overall solid growth, most notably in digital measurement and with local pressures subsiding.
• Outcomes & Content revenues of $231 million increased 1.8% on a reported basis, decreased 0.4% on a constant currency basis, and grew 2.2% on an organic basis compared to the prior year, driven in part by improving trends in short-cycle revenues and solid growth in Content.
• Net income from continuing operations increased 89% to $106 million, compared to $56 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net income from continuing operations per share on a diluted basis for the first quarter was $0.29, compared to $0.16 for the first quarter of 2020. Net income from continuing operations was driven by strong revenue performance, the benefit of permanent cost actions from the 2020 optimization plan, lower depreciation and amortization expense and lower restructuring charges.
• Adjusted earnings per share on a New Nielsen basis, which assumes the Connect transaction closed on January 1, 2020, was $0.47 for the first quarter, compared to $0.36 per share in the prior year period, reflecting higher adjusted EBITDA and lower depreciation and amortization expense year over year.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $388 million, compared to $326 million in the first quarter of 2020, up 19.0% on a reported basis and 18.3% on a constant currency basis, as compared to the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin of 45.0% increased 624 basis points on a reported basis, or an increase of 646 basis points on a constant currency basis, compared to the prior year, reflecting the strong revenue performance and the benefit of permanent cost actions implemented during the second half of 2020.