The arrival of the first real fall TV season in two years and the return of football (with fans) combined to drive big viewership in September, with broadcast programming gaining 2 share points to represent
26% of total TV usage. The rise represents the second consecutive increase in broadcast viewing and a high since the May 2021 debut of The Gauge, Nielsen’s Total TV and Streaming viewing snapshot.
The new NFL season has attracted a wealth of enthusiastic sports fans, while the new broadcast TV season has provided an infusion of new content and excitement, both of which were largely absent last year as a result of hampered production due to the pandemic.
While the share of broadcast viewership was a big mover in September, the “other TV” category of The Gauge lost 2 share points, which is attributable to a decrease in video gaming. That decline coincides with both the new school year and the new football season.
Streaming and cable’s aggregated shares of viewing both remained consistent with August, but Netflix and Disney+ each dropped a share point, while YouTube, which includes YouTube TV, stayed constant at 6%, according to Nielsen’s Streaming Platform Ratings. The “Other Streaming” category also gained in September, driven by a combination of engagement with additional services and linear streaming services, such as Sling TV.
Missouri Republican Governor Mike Parson called Thursday for a criminal investigation of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist who found a vulnerability on a state website that left the Social Security numbers of thousands of public school teachers publicly exposed.
Reporter Josh Renaud discovered that looking at the HTML source code of Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website revealed teachers' names and Social Security numbers.
He wrote a story about it Wednesday, but only after website administrators were able to fix it so the Social Security numbers were no longer able to be seen. Parson contended that Renaud's research and reporting amounted to criminal hacking, charging, "They were acting against a state agency to compromise teachers' personal information in an attempt to embarrass the state and sell headlines for their news outlet." He also accused the Post-Dispatch of having a "political vendetta."
Through a multi-step process, an individual took the records of at least three educators, decoded the HTML source code, and viewed the SSN of those specific educators.
We notified the Cole County prosecutor and the Highway Patrol’s Digital Forensic Unit will investigate. pic.twitter.com/2hkZNI1wXE
NBC News cited a Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesperson as saying it was investigating the, quote, "potential unauthorized access" to the website.
Post-Dispatch attorney Joe Martineau said in a statement, "[T]here was no breach of any firewall or security and certainly no malicious intent. Thankfully, these failures were discovered." He also said Renaud, quote, "did the responsible thing" by telling the state what he found
(L-R): Bill Hagy, Bob Pickett, Angie Ward, Buzz Jackson, RJ Curtis, Heather Froglear
The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. held its 2021 Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony at The Westin in Nashville Tuesday night to induct four off-air radio broadcasters and four on-air radio personalities who have made a significant impact on the radio industry during their careers.
The 2021 Country Radio Hall of Fame Class of inductees recognized were off-air honorees Bob Call, RJ Curtis, Bill Hagy, and Norm Schrutt. On-air honorees were Heather Froglear, Buzz Jackson, Bob Pickett, and Angie Ward. Due to last-minute unforeseen circumstances, Call was unable to attend and appear at this year’s event. His induction will be held at the 2022 Hall of Fame event.
CRB/CRS Board President, Kurt Johnson, also presented long-time music industry veteran and member of the CRB board and executive committee, Beverlee Brannigan, with the organization’s 2021 President’s Award.
Country music superstar Garth Brooks was on hand to present another country music giant, Keith Urban, with the 2021 CRB Artist Career Achievement Award. Brooks capped off the award presentation with a special performance of Urban’s 2004-hit song, “You’ll Think of Me,” and was later joined by Urban and Trisha Yearwood for a special performance of “Fishin’ in The Dark.”
Nominations for the 2022 Country Radio Hall of Fame are being accepted through Oct. 29. The Class of 2022 will be revealed at CRS 2022, to be held Feb. 23-25, 2022, reports Music Row.
➦In 1909...Radio, TV news anchor Robert Trout was born Robert Albert Blondheim (Died at age 91 November 14, 2000). He is best remembered for his radio work before and during World War II for CBS News. He was regarded by some as the "Iron Man of Radio" for his ability to ad lib while on the air, as well as for his stamina, composure, and elocution.
Robert Trout
Trout was born in Washington, D.C.; he added the Trout name early in his radio career. He entered broadcasting in 1931 as an announcer at WJSV, an independent station in Alexandria, VA. In the summer of 1932 WJSV was acquired by CBS, bringing Trout into the CBS fold. (WJSV is now WFED 1500 AM in Washington, D.C.) He was the man who used the on-air label "fireside chat" in reference to radio broadcasts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression and World War II.
Trout was behind the microphone for many of broadcasting's firsts. He was the first to report on live congressional hearings from Capitol Hill, first to transmit from a flying airplane and, by some definitions, the first to broadcast a daily news program, creating the news anchorman role.
It was Bob Trout in the mid-1930s who passed on to a then-new CBS executive, Edward R. Murrow, the value of addressing the radio audience intimately, as if the announcer was talking to one person. Trout played a key role in Murrow's development as a broadcaster, and the two would remain colleagues until Murrow departed the network in 1961, and friends until Murrow's death in 1965.
On Sunday night, March 13, 1938, after Adolf Hitler's Germany had annexed Austria in the Anschluss, Trout hosted a shortwave "roundup" of reaction from multiple cities in Europe—the first such multi-point live broadcast on network radio. The broadcast included reports from correspondent William L. Shirer in London (on the annexation, which he had witnessed firsthand in Vienna) and Murrow, who filled in for Shirer in Vienna so that Shirer could report without Austrian censorship.
The special gave Trout the distinction of being one of broadcasting's first true "anchormen" (in the sense of handing off the air to someone else as if it were a baton). It became the inspiration for the CBS World News Roundup, a forerunner of television's CBS Evening News, which began later in 1938 and to this day continues to air each weekday morning and evening on the CBS Radio Network.
Trout anchored the network's live early morning coverage of the June 6, 1944 Normandy invasion on D-Day by the allied forces and was behind the microphone when the bulletins announcing the end of World War II in Europe, and later Japan, came over the air.
One overlooked aspect of Trout's career was his annual appearance on bandleader Guy Lombardo's New Year's Eve specials on CBS-TV. From 1955 through 1961, Trout would report from Times Square during the broadcast, and count down the final seconds to midnight (Eastern Standard Time) for the start of the new year.
Trout remained at CBS through the early 1970s. He later worked for ABC, serving mostly as a correspondent based in Madrid, where he lived for most of the last two decades of his life.
➦In 1914...ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) was founded
➦In 1935...In Seattle, radio station KCPB became KIRO, as new owner Saul Haas increased the power to 500 watts on 650 kc. Now with 50,000 watts at 710 kHz, and with sister stations on the FM and TV spectrums, the KIRO call letters are among the best known and most revered on the West Coast.
The “PCB” stood for “Pacific Coast Biscuits,” flagship product of Seattle’s Centennial Flour Mills. The station began broadcasting on April 27, 1927, as KPCB on 650 kilocycles. Its founder was Moritz Thomsen of the Pacific Coast Biscuit Company (hence the call sign KPCB) and it was powered at 100 watts. Among its announcers was Chet Huntley, later of television's Huntley-Brinkley Report.
In 1935, Saul Haas's Queen City Broadcasting Company took over the station. Queen City increased the power to 500 watts. Haas, who was well connected in liberal politics and the business community, wanted a simple, pronounceable, and recognizable call sign for his new station. He chose KIRO, which is usually pronounced like the capital of Egypt, "Cairo."
In 1937, KIRO was assigned the AM 710 frequency and was granted an increase in power to 1,000 watts. Soon after, KIRO acquired the Seattle CBS Radio Network affiliation rights from KOL AM 1300. Known as "The Friendly Station," KIRO personalities broke from the formal announcing style that was commonplace during the early days of radio. KIRO carried CBS's dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio."
On June 29, 1941, a new, 50,000-watt transmitter on Maury Island became operational. From the 1930s through the 1950s, KIRO recorded countless hours of CBS programming for time-delayed rebroadcast to its Pacific Time Zone listeners. These electrical transcriptions are, in many cases, the only recordings made of World War II-era news coverage over the CBS Network. The discs were donated to the University of Washington in the early 1960s and are now held at the National Archives as the Milo Ryan Phonoarchive Collection.
From 500 watts, KIRO ultimately beat every other station in the Northwest and, with permission from the FCC, went to 50,000 watts during the summer of 1941. To accomplish the boost, KIRO built a glamorous new transmitter building and antenna array on Vashon/Maury Island.
When the U.S. entered World War II later that year, the government froze all pending power boosts for radio stations, leaving KIRO the only 50,000-watt powerhouse west of the Twin Cities and north of San Francisco for the next five years. The nighttime signal went as far as Alaska and northern California.
➦In 1951...."I Love Lucy" turns 70. The beloved TV sitcom debuted on CBS in 1951. Airing for six seasons, "I Love Lucy" was an immediate sensation, finishing four seasons as the top-rated program in primetime.
➦In 1960...The Beatles (minus Pete Best) and two members of Rory Storm’s Hurricanes (Ringo Starr and Lou Walters) recorded a version of George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ in a Hamburg recording studio. The track, which was cut onto a 78-rpm disc, marked the first session that included John, Paul, George, and Ringo together. Two years later, the group would hire Ringo permanently.
➦In 1971...singer Rick Nelson was booed off the stage when he didn’t stick to all oldies at the seventh Annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival show at Madison Square Garden, New York. He tried to slip in some of his new material and the crowd did not approve.
The negative reaction inspired Nelson to write his last top-40 entry, Garden Party, which, ironically, was his biggest hit in years.
➦In 1973...The US Supreme Court upholds a 1971 FCC directive that bans radio stations from airing songs that glorified drugs.
Circa 1966
➦In 1975...the Music stopped on Pittsburgh's KQV 1410. Whether they knew it as “14-K”, “14-KQV”, or “Groovy QV” many considered it was one of the great Top40 stations in the country. It was 44 years ago today that the music stopped in favor of an all-news format.
George Hart and Billy Soule did their final music show together. Taft executives were monitoring from Cincinnati, and the decision was made to pull the plug on the show at 10:30 p.m. Their final song was “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” by Neil Diamond. Bob Harvey finished the night with “Those Were the Days” by Mary Hopkin.
➦In 1985...Radio, TV personality Ted Steele died (Born July 9, 1917). He was host of several radio and television programs. He also held administrative positions at radio stations and had his own media-related businesses.
Steele joined KMPC in Los Angeles, California, as an announcer and producer in 1937.
On December 4, 1939, Steele began a 13-week series, Home Harmonies, on WMCA in New York City; the 15-minute programs featured Steele playing the Novachord. In 1940, he had a program using just his own name as the title, Ted Steele, on WFIL in Philadelphia. In 1941, Steele played himself on Boy Meets Band on the NBC Blue Network.
He was on WOR in New York City in 1943, playing the Navachord and leading his orchestra in tunes from the 1920s. In 1947, Steele had a daily half-hour morning farm program on KYW in Philadelphia. The show contained a mix of recorded music and farm news. He was also KYW's farm director.
Beginning November 17, 1947, Steele had a six-day-a-week disc jockey program on WMCA. In 1949, he and his the-wife, Doris, were co-hosts of Mr. and Mrs. Music, a combination talk-disc jockey program, on WMCA.
He returned to WMCA in 1958, signing a three-year contract that allowed him to continue doing his television program on WOR-TV.
Ted Steele's Bandstand is the precursor of Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
On December 31, 1962, Steele returned to the airwaves in New York City as host of At Your Service, a daily afternoon "women's appeal" program on WCBS. In 1967, he began working on WPEN in Philadelphia with a morning program.
In 1967, he also took over Saturday night Monitor. Click Here and listen on a Saturday night in November of that year. Features "Abe Weatherwise," a feature on Wilt Chamberlain & more.
In 1970, he had a morning show on WBAL in Baltimore.
Dick Shepherd
➦In 2001...Former NYC personality Jay Stone suffered a heart attack and died when his car crashed in Hawaii. He was in his mid-50s. Stone was raised in Los Angeles and worked at radio stations across the country in the '70s and '80s before moving to Hawaii, where he most recently was morning show host for Oldies KGMZ 107.9 FM.
➦In 2012...NYC Radio personality Dick Shepard personality died in Florida at age 90.
Better known to his WNEW listeners, as Shepard Richard A., he also worked at WABC Radio in the late 50s before the Top 40 era. During the 1960s, he appeared as a commercial, on-camera announcer on some ABC TV game shows and was a busy voice-over talent during parts of his five decades in New York. Shep also did air work at WMGM 1050 AM and WPAT 930 AM.
Richard Carpenter is 75
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Singer Barry McGuire is 86.
Actor Linda Lavin (“Alice”) is 84.
Drummer Don Stevenson of Moby Grape is 79.
Actor Victor Banerjee (“A Passage to India”) is 75.
Musician Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters is 75.
Singer Tito Jackson is 68.
Actor Larry Miller (“The Nutty Professor”) is 68.
Kimberly Schlapman is 52
Actor Jere Burns (“Good Morning, Miami,” ″Dear John”) is 67.
TV chef Emeril Lagasse is 62.
Drummer Mark Reznicek (The Toadies) is 59.
Singer Eric Benet is 55.
Actor Vanessa Marcil (“Las Vegas,” ″Beverly Hills 90210″) is 53.
“Trading Spaces” host Paige Davis is 52.
Actor Dominic West (“The Wire”) is 52.
Singer Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town is 52.
Singer Ginuwine is 51.
Singer Jaci Velasquez is 42.
Actor Brandon Jay McLaren (TV’s “Ransom”) is 41.
Singer Keyshia Cole is 40.
Actor Vincent Martella (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 29.
The presentation of the 2021 NAB Marconi Radio Awards and the State of the Industry Address by National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President and CEO Gordon Smith will take place virtually on November 10, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. EST at NAB.org/watch and will be available on-demand on NAB Amplify.
NAB also announced plans to integrate the Radio Show into NAB Show on an ongoing basis beginning April 2022 in Las Vegas. This change provides more opportunities in one location for radio professionals and elevates radio in the larger media ecosystem represented at NAB Show.
The NAB Marconi Radio Awards honor radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence in broadcasting. NAB will name the winners in each of the 23 categories during the November event, which will be hosted by Angela Yee, co-host of the nationally syndicated morning show, “The Breakfast Club.”
Prior to the awards presentation, Smith will deliver his final State of the Industry address before stepping down as NAB president and CEO at the end of the year. Smith will reflect on his tenure leading the association and how the broadcast industry can continue to thrive into the future.
“It has been my great honor to represent America’s broadcasters in Washington D.C. and around the world for the past 12 years,” said Smith, who will assume an advisory and advocacy role beginning next year. “While I am disappointed we are not able to gather in person in Las Vegas, I look forward to connecting virtually and seeing everyone in-person at the 2022 NAB Show.”
NAB’s Marconi Radio Awards typically take place as part of the Radio Show. Beginning in April 2022, the Radio Show will be combined with NAB Show. The integrated event in Las Vegas will feature signature awards, networking events and a comprehensive conference program, including popular sales and marketing sessions presented by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).
“It’s important that we continue to bring radio professionals together to network, celebrate audio and engage in meaningful discussions around the future of our industry,” said Erica Farber, president and CEO of the RAB.
From radio CEOs and general managers to sales managers, program directors and engineers, attendees will benefit from access to the NAB Show Floor with more than 160 radio and audio exhibits, Main Stage events and options for expanded registration packages that include the Broadcast Engineering and IT conference, workshops for creative professionals, special events and more.
“In today’s world where radio companies are essentially multimedia companies, the value in attending NAB Show cannot be overstated,” said David Santrella, president of Broadcast Media at Salem Media Group and NAB joint board chair. “We are now streaming and podcasting and even producing video. NAB Show provides unparalleled access to the critical tools, knowledge and connections we need to grow and thrive in today’s media business.”
Nielsen has released the findings of its latest Nielsen Audio Consumer Sentiment survey, an ongoing study series addressing current American sentiment about the COVID pandemic and how it impacts their lives.
The study revealed that Americans have substantial resilience in the face of the pandemic and have found ways to adapt. Nearly nine in ten (86%) said they were spending the same amount or more since the Delta variant emerged. Despite the Delta variant and increasing COVID cases in the summer, more than eight in ten (82%) don’t think their own financial situation will change in the coming months.
The study includes insights about the Delta variant, vaccines, consumer outlook on the economy, and weekly activities encompassing schooling, employment, transportation, and purchasing habits. The seventh study in the series was conducted in September and reflects responses from 1,022 respondents across the U.S.
Seven in ten working Americans now work outside the home, which is an 80% jump since April 2020. The gain in those who work outside the home is a key statistic for Audio since consumers spend more time with radio when they travel in vehicles to get to work or shop. There were also big gains in the area of transportation. Overall, nearly a third (31%) are spending more than an hour in their vehicles yesterday compared with 14% in April of last year. That’s a two-fold increase, and heavy radio listeners are far more likely to spend more time in their vehicles. In September, 55% of heavy radio listeners spent more than an hour in their vehicle yesterday.
Brad Kelly
“Americans have become remarkably resilient despite COVID and the Delta variant,” said Brad Kelly, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio. “Consumers are returning to more normal weekly activities like returning to work, getting on the road in their cars and trucks, and going out to shop, dine and entertain. As more businesses open for in person and hybrid work, more time will be spent in a vehicle on their daily commute with radio as their driving companion.”
Among the other findings from the study:
Currently, nearly three-quarters have gotten the vaccine or plan to do so and the proportion who are uncertain about getting the shot has declined from 26% in March to 8% in September. Those who do not intend to get the vaccine declined from 20% in March 2021 to 17% in September.
Those who have gotten their shot or plan to get one tend to be male and older. Those who are uncertain or don’t plan to get the vaccine tend to be younger, female, and Hispanic.
➤Top weekly activities: The study looked at the top 10 weekly activities consumers engaged in during the peak of the pandemic compared to September 2021. We see big gains in September compared with April 2020 among activities that were restricted during the lockdown such as shopping at stores, getting together with friends and family, dining out, shopping for clothes, going to coffee shops, and planning vacations.
Audio listeners are more likely to engage in the top weekly activities compared with the average. On average, radio listeners are 9% more likely to participate in the top 10 activities and podcast listeners are 6% more likely to engage in these top activities. Radio listeners are more likely to order take-out, dine at restaurants, shop for clothes and non-grocery items, visit coffee shops, and plan vacations. Podcast listeners have a similar pattern and are actively engaged in shopping, driving, going out, and dining at restaurants.
➤Schooling: In June, at the end of the last school year, the proportion of children attending in-person classes was only slightly higher than those who were in a mix of virtual and in-person. Now with the new school year in September, those attending classes in person jumped to nearly 70% compared with 13% who go to virtual only classes or a mix of virtual and in-person classes. This is good for audio since more in-person classes means more people in cars getting to school and more radio listening.
Last year, nearly as many kids were getting to school on a bus as those who were getting rides from family or in a carpool. Now nearly twice as many kids are being driven to school versus those who are taking the bus.
With more kids attending class in person and more getting to school in vehicles there is a lot of listening to radio on the way to school. More than nine in ten say that the radio is sometimes or always on during the drive to school.
➤How Local Shopping Has Changed: Ninety percent of American consumers say they are willing to shop at stores in person despite the current state of the pandemic. This is a good sign for the coming holiday season and main street retailers who depend on foot traffic. Roughly six in 10 say they are willing to attend outdoor events like sports and concerts, but there is still some hesitation about indoor events with 46% willing to attend. More than half say they are willing to work in an office setting, but that may change in the months ahead with workplace vaccination requirements.
➤Travel: Substantial numbers (46%) are willing to travel on airplanes now. It is possible that pent-up travel demand will make more consumers open to business and vacation travel in the months ahead.
Only 31% say they are willing to use public transportation considering the state of the pandemic which suggests that we may experience more people on the road as they get to work, shop, and drive their kids to school.
➤Listening to AM/FM Radio: Radio’s average quarter-hour (AQH) audience trend is up 4% year over year, with 7.5 million people age 12+ listening during an average quarter-hour in PPM Markets in September 2021.
Radio’s reach trend is stable. Radio reached 121.5 million consumers in PPM markets during an average week in September 2021.
In Continuous Diary Measurement markets, Radio’s reach and AQH audience have been remarkably stable during the past year.
Nielsen held a client webinar this week to reveal the findings of their seventh COVID consumer tracking study since the start of the pandemic. 1,022 Americans 18+ were surveyed this September 2021.
Today’s CUMULUS MEDIA | Westwood One Audio Active Group Blog outlines the 5 things advertisers need to know about Nielsen’s very encouraging findings:
The time to advertise is now as marketers need to capitalize on the positive consumer outlook: Consumer spending is steady despite the Delta variant. 86% say they are spending the same or more. More than eight in ten say their household finances will improve or remain the same in the coming months.
Advertise on audio to reach those most likely to spend: AM/FM radio and podcast listeners are more likely to shop in stores, attend events, work in an office, and travel.
Among those who are employed, 70% now work outside the home: Those commuting to work have grown across six prior studies. Time spent in the car has surged, especially among heavy AM/FM radio listeners.
Children attending school in person was up sharply in September 2021: Those attending in-person classes jumped from 38% in June 2021 to 69% in September 2021. Most are being driven to school with AM/FM radio on.
AM/FM radio continues to be the soundtrack of American recovery as September listening reached a record high: Morning drive audiences were up especially among women and teens powered by the return to work and school.
Joe Rogan’s interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, got a bit tense Wednesday when Rogan brought up how CNN covered his own case of Covid-19, reports Mediaite.
Rogan announced last month he contracted Covid-19 and was taking an array of drugs for it, including ivermectin.
Days later, Rogan went after CNN for their coverage of him taking ivermectin. “CNN is saying I’m taking horse dewormer. They must know that’s a lie.”
Ivermectin has approved uses in humans and animals for treating parasites, but is not a proven treatment for Covid-19 symptoms. There was great concern among public health officials of potential risks of people taking ivermectin, particularly ivermectin meant for animals. As the FDA explained, “animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows” and “such high doses can be highly toxic in humans.”
Rogan received a lot of criticism for touting ivermectin, particularly as an alternative to simply getting vaccinated, including from Howard Stern.
On Wednesday, Rogan spoke at length with Gupta and things got tense for a few minutes when the host questioned why some on CNN claimed he took a horse dewormer.
Rogan remarked that CNN has been “lying about me taking horse medication” and told the CNN correspondent, “Why would they lie and say that’s horse dewormer? I can afford people medicine, motherfucker. This is ridiculous. It’s just a lie.”
“Don’t you think that a lie like that is dangerous on a news network?” he asked.
Gupta noted how there were people that did take the veterinary medication to treat Covid, but added, “They shouldn’t have said that.”
Benztown, a global leader in radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles, announces that it has promoted Thomas Green to Director of Custom Imaging. Concurrently, Benztown announces that it has appointed Royce Stevenson as Custom Imaging Manager, stepping into the role previously held by Thomas Green.
Prior to joining Benztown in 2019 as Custom Imaging Manager, Thomas Green was Audio Producer for the #1 morning radio show in Australia, “Fifi, Fev & Byron”. He was also Audio Producer for “Carrie & Tommy” and for multiple Hit Network programs across Australia. Additionally, Green is the Audio Producer for National Geographic’s FYC Podcast “The Making Of”. He holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition and Creative Production with Honours from the University of Newcastle. He is currently based in Brooklyn, NY.
Green & Stevenson
Royce Stevenson heads to Benztown from Audacy’s Power 93.5/KDGS-FM (Rhythmic) in Wichita, KS. During his 13-year tenure with KDGS, Stevenson was the Production Director for the station cluster and did station imaging for KDGS-FM and 103.7 KEYN (Classic Hits). He was most recently Assistant Brand Manager/Music Director for KDGS-FM, and hosted Afternoons on the station. Stevenson started his radio career as a board op at 107.9 Jamz in Wichita, KS, while attending Butler Community College, where he earned an A.A. degree in Radio/TV/Film. He also holds a B.A. degree in History from Wichita State University.
Dave “Chachi” Denes, President, Benztown, said: "It’s a privilege to work with Tom and Royce. Not only are they both incredibly talented but they’re also born leaders. I’m confident they'll do an incredible job overseeing our fastest growing division.”
Thomas Green commented: “It is remarkable to work alongside such world-class producers and with a team as creative and driven as Benztown. I’m beyond thrilled to be a part of our continued growth.”
Royce Stevenson remarked: "I am so happy to be joining Benztown! It is truly an honor to be on a team with such talented creators who love and have a passion for making great audio."
DANISH MAN IN CUSTODY: Norwegian police have a 37-year-old Danish man in custody after a bow-and-arrow attack in a small town in Norway yesterday evening in which five people were killed and two others critically wounded. Several of the victims were in a supermarket, and Norwegian news agency NTB said the suspect also used other weapons. Prosecutor Ann Iren Svane Matthiassen said the man, who wasn't identified, had confessed to the deadly rampage in the town of Kongsberg, where he lives. She said the man is known to police, and it's believed he acted alone.
Man armed with bow and arrows kills several people and injures others in southern Norway, police say https://t.co/rIqE2xmtq2
➤BIDEN ANNOUNCES EXPANDED PORT OF L.A. OPERATIONS AMID BACKED UP CONTAINER SHIPS: President Biden announced a deal yesterday to expand operations at the Port of Los Angeles to around-the-clock hours as container ships continue to be backed up as they wait to dock. The off-shore traffic jam is contributing to the ongoing supply chain problems that are threatening holiday deliveries. It's also contributing to inflation due to shortages and delays as ships can't dock and unloaded goods are waiting to be put on trucks. The Port of Los Angeles will now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which the nearby port of Long Beach, California, has already been doing for about three weeks. As part of the deal, Walmart, FedEx, UPS, Target, Samsung and The Home Depot agreed to unloading during off-peak hours, making it easier for the Los Angeles port to operate nonstop.
➤STUDY..JOHNSON & JOHNSON COVID VACCINE RECIPIENTS MIGHT BE BETTER OFF WITH PFIZER OR MODERNA BOOSTER: Preliminary data out yesterday from a federal clinical trial found that people who got the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine might be better off getting a Pfizer or Moderna booster instead of another Johnson & Johnson shot. The researchers found that people in their study who'd gotten the Johnson & Johnson shot who got a Moderna booster saw their antibody levels rise 76-fold within 15 days, those who got a Pfizer booster had them go up 35-fold, while those who got another Johnson & Johnson shot only had a fourfold increase. The Food and Drug Administration's panel of advisers is set to vote Friday on whether to allow a second booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
➤JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE HEARS TESTIMONY FROM TRUMP'S FINAL AG: The House select committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol heard closed-door testimony yesterday from Jeffrey Rosen, the acting attorney general during the final days of the Trump administration, according to The Washington Post. Rosen reportedly explained his notes about events leading up to that day and spoke about what the Justice Department did to counter the attack on the Capitol. The committee also subpoenaed Jeffrey Clark, the acting head of the Justice Department's civil division during the end of Trump's administration. According to emails and previous testimony, he was a key ally of then-President Donald Trump in trying to prevent certification of Joe Biden's election victory.
➤UNITED AUTO WORKERS MEMBERS GO ON STRIKE AGAINST JOHN DEERE: Some 10,000 members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike this morning against John Deere, the largest private-sector strike in the U.S. since the UAW's six-week strike against General Motors two years ago. The UAW had reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract with the farm and construction equipment maker two weeks ago, but 90 percent of the union's rank-and-file members rejected it in a ratification vote. It would have given them immediate raises of five to six percent, and additional wage increases later in the contract that could have increased average pay by about 20 percent over six years.
➤STUDY...MORE THAN HALF OF PEOPLE GET ‘LONG COVID’: Getting COVID-19 isn’t a quick and easy process for many. Penn State researchers say more than half of the 236 million people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide since December 2019 will experience post-COVID symptoms, known as “long COVID,” up to six months after recovering. During their illness, many COVID-19 sufferers experience symptoms such as tiredness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, sore joints, and loss of taste or smell. Researchers analyzed data and found COVID-19 survivors experienced an array of residual health issues that complicated their general well-being, their mobility or organ systems. Overall, one in two survivors experienced long-term COVID symptoms, usually from one month to more than six months after their initial illness. Researchers say early intervention will be critical for improving the quality of life for many COVID-19 survivors, and these long-term health conditions may cause increased demand for medical care and could overwhelm the health care system. They add their findings could help shape treatment plans to improve care for COVID-19 survivors and establish integrated evidence-based clinical management for those affected.
Evacuation orders, power shutoffs and wind advisories issued as Alisal Fire rages in California https://t.co/0vBGgqdcfD
🚀WILLIAM SHATNER SPENT 11 MINUTES IN SPACE: William Shatner officially became the oldest person to have flown in space on Wednesday. The 90-year-old Star Trek actor took an 11-minute trip into space aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin flight alongside three other passengers. CNN reports that after landing back on Earth, Shatner said the flight was “the most profound experience" he could imagine, adding, “I hope I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it.”
➤SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS TO GET BIGGEST BOOST IN 39 YEARS: Social Security recipients will get a 5.9 percent increase in benefits in 2022, the biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years. That increase is being made due to the spike in inflation as the economy continues to deal with the financial fallout of the pandemic. Over the past 10 years, cost-of-living adjustments have averaged just 1.65 percent each year.
➤NEW SALT GUIDELINES FROM THE FDA: The Food and Drug Administration released voluntary guidelines yesterday aimed at getting food companies to reduce the amount of salt in their products. The guidelines are aimed at these companies since most of the sodium in Americans' diets comes from packaged or restaurant foods. The FDA's target sodium levels over the next 2.5 years aim to cut average intake by 12 percent, from 3,400 to 3,000 milligrams a day. That would still leave average intake above the federally recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams a day for people 14 and older.
➤YELLOWSTONE BREAKS SEPTEMBER AND YEAR-TO-DATE VISITOR RECORDS: Yellowstone National Park set an attendance record in September after doing the same thing in August, and has also set a year-to-date visitor record through September. The National Park Service said there were 872,695 recreation visits to Yellowstone in September, up four percent from September 2020, and 4,463,599 visits so far in 2021, up 32 percent from the same period in 2020. The NPS said it's the first time the park has ever exceeded four million visitors this early in the year. If you plan to visit Yellowstone, the NPS is recommending making plans well ahead of time.
➤'THE VIEW' GAVE CANDACE CAMERON BURE PTSD: Candace Cameron Bure says that she felt such an “enormous pressure” to represent conservatives while hosting The View in 2015 and 2016 that she has PTSD. The Fuller House star told the Behind The Table podcast, "The stress and the anxiety—I actually have a pit in my stomach right now. There was only one type of stress that I've ever felt in my life, that came from that show. And I [have] PTSD, like, I can feel it. It was so difficult, and to manage that emotional stress was very, very hard." She further admitted that although she often ended up “crying before the show” she ultimately doesn’t have any regrets.
➤PSYCHOLOGIST ON WHY YOU CAN’T STOP WATCHING SCARY MOVIES, EVEN IF YOU HATE THEM: If you find yourself having a love-hate relationship with scary movies, you’re not the only one. Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist explains, “Oddly enough, the brain releases dopamine when we’re scared, almost as if we’re excited. This sudden dopamine rush explains why some people laugh when they get scared while walking through a haunted house or seeing a jump scare in a movie.” He says this hit of dopamine is even more enjoyable if you’re sitting in a controlled environment because even though you may feel like you’re in danger, your body knows you aren’t, which, “Therefore, subconsciously, your body allows you to enjoy it.” He adds that some people are actually more chemically inclined to watch horror movies, since their bodies may release more dopamine and adrenaline than the average person. In other words, if you hate horror movies but can’t look away it might be due to your brain chemistry. Hafeez says another reason you might stick it out through a scary movie even if you hate it could be that you like that feeling of accomplishment you get after finishing it.
🏀NETS' IRVING SAYS NOT GETTING VACCINATED 'ABOUT BEING TRUE TO WHAT FEELS GOOD FOR ME': One day after the Brooklyn Nets said Kyrie Irving wouldn't be allowed to play with the team until he's vaccinated against Covid-19, Irving said in an Instagram Live last night that his decision is, quote, "about being true to what feels good for me." Irving said he's neither pro-vaccine nor anti-vaccine, but said, "This is about my life and what I am choosing to do." He said he understands the ramifications of his decision, and that he still hopes to return and play for the Nets, making clear he's not upset with the organization or the NBA. Irving also said his decision isn't political, and that he respects doctors, those who are vaccinated, and those who aren't vaccinated who are, quote, "being mandated to do this and are losing their livelihood."
Kyrie Irving address his stance on not getting the vaccine on IG Live: “It’s about choosing what’s best for you. You think I really want to lose money? You think I really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship? You think I really just want to give up my job?” pic.twitter.com/cYHCWGbnCo
He ended by saying his career isn't over, stating, "And no, I am not retiring. And no, I am not going and leaving this game like this." Because of a New York City mandate, Irving wouldn't be allowed to play home games unless he's vaccinated, and the Nets' decision shot down talk of the possibility of him only playing road games.
🏒CAPITALS' OVECHKIN MOVES INTO FIFTH PLACE ON NHL GOALS LIST: The Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin scored his 731st and 732nd career goals in his team's 5-1 win over the New York Rangers last night, moving into fifth place on the all-time NHL goals list in the Capitals' season-opening game. He passed Marcel Dionne to claim the fifth spot. The game also saw Washington rookie Hendrix Lapierre score a goal in his first NHL game.
⚾RAY FOSSE, CATCHER BOWLED OVER BY PETE ROSE IN 1970 ALL-STAR GAME, DEAD AT 74: Former MLB catcher Ray Fosse, who was famously bowled over by Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game, died yesterday after a 16-year battle with cancer. He was 74. Rose barreled over Fosse, then a 23-year-old with the Cleveland Indians, to score the winning run in the 12th inning of the All-Star Game in Cinncinnati. Fosse's left shoulder was fractured and separated, and he never again had as good as season as he did in 1970. He played for 12 years with Cleveland, Oakland, Seattle and Milwaukee, and then became a broadcaster for the Oakland A's starting in 1986, and worked all the way through part of this season.
➤BILES, OTHER CHAMPION GYMNASTS ASK CONGRESS TO DISSOLVE U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE BOARD: Olympic gymnastics champions Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman and World champion Maggie Nichols called on Congress yesterday to dissolve the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s board of directors. All four are survivors of sexual abuse by former USOPC and USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar. They wrote in a letter to Senators Richard Blumenthal and Jerry Moran, "We believe it is time for Congress to exercise its authority over the organization it created by replacing the entire USOPC board with leadership willing and able to do what should have been done long ago: Responsibly investigate the systemic problem of sexual abuse within Olympic organizations -- including the USOPC -- and all efforts to conceal it." The four recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on Nassar.
The Walt Disney Company and the NFL have reached a five year rights agreement for ESPN to present the Monday night Wild Card game beginning with the 2021 season and continuing through the 2025 season, announced Wednesday by Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, at the CAA World Congress of Sports.
The inaugural Monday night NFL Wild Card game will be played on January 17, 2022, (8:15 p.m. ET), marking the grand finale of the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend and the first scheduled weekday prime time NFL Playoff game.
To launch the new initiative, ESPN’s MegaCast production will provide fans multiple ways to watch. ABC and ESPN will air the traditional telecast with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry on the call. On ESPN2 and ESPN+, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli will be available and ESPN Deportes will air the Spanish-language telecast. Additional MegaCast production offerings will be announced at a later date.
The Monday Night Wild Card game will be streamed across devices on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ABC and NFL digital properties, and on mobile via Yahoo Sports and the mobile properties of the two participating teams.
The 2021 season’s Wild Card game will be ESPN’s eighth NFL Playoff game, having begun airing an annual Wild Card game following the 2014 regular season. Beginning in the 2023 NFL Season, ESPN will add an NFL Divisional round game to its postseason slate, while continuing to air its existing Wild Card game. In the regular season, Monday Night Football has aired on ESPN since 2006 and beginning this season, ESPN and ABC will air a Week 18 doubleheader (January 8, 2022) to conclude its regular season coverage.
Monday Night Football viewership is averaging 14 million viewers through the first five weeks of the NFL season (five games), up 20% from both the 2020 and 2019 seasons through five weeks (six games).
ESPN's top NFL reporter Adam Schefter is facing blowback from some in the sports journalism community after it was revealed this week he sent an unpublished story to a source for review before submitting it to his editors.
The Hill reports the story, written in 2011, was sent to former Washington Football Team President Bruce Allen, according to the Los Angeles Times, and was revealed as part of a wide-ranging investigation and report that the league conducted into the workplace culture of the Washington franchise.
Adam Schefter
As he sent Allen the story, which focused on the lockout between players and the NFL that year, Schefter wrote to Allen, a high-level source close to team owner Dan Snyder, “Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked."
“Thanks, Mr. Editor, for that and the trust. Plan to file this to espn about 6 am. . . .” Schefter added.
The email from Schefter to Allen was highlighted by NBC Sports NFL reporter Mike Florio on his Pro Football Talk blog, which noted Allen had previously insisted in a sworn statement as part of a defamation case with Snyder that he “maintained a low profile with respect to the media” and that he “never served as an anonymous source for any news or media reports.”
Schefter addressed the Times's reporting on Wednesday morning while speaking on local sports talk radio in Philadelphia.
"I’ve learned for a long time in this business not to discuss sources, or the process or how stories are done," he told WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic. "But I would just say that, basically, it’s a common practice to run information past sources, and in this particular case, during a labor intensive lockout that was a complicated subject that was new to understand, I took the extra rare step again to run information past one of the people that I was talking to. You know, it was an important story to fans, a host of others, and that’s the situation.”
ESPN issued a statement supporting its highly paid scoop-chasing journalist, who has been with the company since 2009.
“Without sharing all the specifics of the reporter’s process for a story from 10 years ago during the NFL lockout, we believe that nothing is more important to Adam and ESPN than providing fans the most accurate, fair and complete story," the company said.
Schefter's decade-old correspondence with Allen sparked a debate online among sports journalists about the ethics of balancing objectivity in reporting against the importance of checking facts and effectively extracting information from sources with key information.
A Columbia, SC sports radio talk show host says he was fired after refusing to comply with the Cumulus Media's coronavirus vaccination policy, reports The Hill.
Tim Hill, Program Director and a host of “The Game” show on WNKT 107.5 FM in Columbia, S.C., said in a video message posted to his Twitter account on Monday that last Friday was his final show. He announced that he had been fired by Cumulus Media, the company that owns the station.
Tim Hill
“Never thought it would come to this and am pretty sad,” Hill says on the video. “It was something I feel like I needed to stand up for, I believed in sincerely. I would never tell anyone they had to be vaccinated or unvaccinated. I feel like this is a very personal choice.”
Cumulus Media in August informed employees it would require them to be vaccinated by the end of September, in order to return to the office two weeks later on Oct. 11, radioinsight.com reported.
“Exceptions to the return to office plan will not be considered except as legally required. The decision to return to our offices was made with utmost consideration and reflects how we believe we can optimize our business efforts," the company reportedly said in a memo to its thousands of employees. "Put simply, we believe that FORCE CUMULUS is at our best when we’re working together in offices. To do that as safely as we reasonably can, we’re requiring that everyone be vaccinated except those legally exempt. It would neither be fair nor do we have the bandwidth to make exceptions based on individual preferences.”
Hill, who is Catholic, said he applied with the company to receive an exemption on religious grounds but was denied.
“If you have a sincerely held religious belief, then it becomes a matter of reasonable accommodation,” Hill told the State Newspaper. “They said they couldn’t reasonably accommodate me. I offered to wear a mask or do the show from where our producer does it, or from home. They thought none of that was reasonable.”
Bonneville Denver has announced a number of new content elements focused on the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. Highlighting the new additions is the introduction of “The Fan’s Avalanche Postgame Show” and “The Fan’s Nuggets Postgame Show,” which will air following every regular season and postseason game on Denver’s Sports Station KKFN 104.3 The Fan or 104.3 HD2.
On weekdays, Sandy Clough and Shawn Drotar will host both postgame shows. On weekends, former voice of the Nuggets Jerry Schemmel and Chad Andrus will anchor Nuggets postgame programming while Mat Smith and Drew Spevak host Avalanche postgame shows. These 30-minute broadcasts will take live calls and texts from listeners as they’re leaving Ball Arena or streaming from any location.
In addition, the station will launch two weekly digital programs, “The Fan’s Nuggets Fast Break” and “The Fan’s Avalanche Face Off.” Hosted by Rachel Vigil, these programs will feature guests including George Karl, Jay Williams, Adrian Dater and Matt Moore. Both digital programs will be available at DenverFan.com and across the station’s social media platforms.
Meanwhile, Zach Bye will begin his fourth season producing the “Mile High Hoops” podcast, while Mike Evans will host the new “Mile High Hockey” podcast. Both podcasts will be available to download at DenverFan.com or major podcast distribution apps.
“We’ve received consistent feedback that our listeners want more Avalanche and Nuggets content,” said Denver’s Sports Station 104.3 The Fan Program Director Raj Sharan. “This is the most content The Fan has produced on the Avalanche and Nuggets in our more than 26 year history, and we’re hopeful these great fan bases will enjoy listening and watching.”
More information and regular updates on the team can be found at the station’s newly launched team-specific pages: DenverFan.com/Avalanche and DenverFan.com/Nuggets.
