Gallup: Trust In Media Near Record Low

Gallup Poll

Trust among Americans in media organizations to report the news fairly and accurately has barely rebounded from its record low during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to The Hill citing a new study from leading polling firm Gallup.

Just 34 percent of Americans indicated they believe major news organizations will report “fully, accurately and fairly” on current events, Gallup found, just 2 points higher than in 2016, the lowest percentage ever recorded.

An even greater percentage of Americans, 38 percent, said they have no trust at all in newspapers, television and radio outlets to report the news fairly and accurately, while 27 percent indicated they have some trust in the media and just 7 percent expressed “a great deal” of trust.

Lake Charles Radio: Aaron Zytle New PD For Country KYKZ-FM

CUMULUS MEDIA has announced that it has appointed Aaron “AZ” Zytle as Program Director for Country radio station 96.1 KYKZ-FM in Lake Charles, LA.

Zytle will also be heard on the station from Monday through Friday as On-Air Host, Mornings, from 6:00am-10:00am.

Lytle has over 30 years’ experience in radio programming and was most recently Brand Manager and Morning Host for Country-formatted KUSJ-FM in Killeen, TX.

Elizabeth Blackstock, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Lake Charles/Beaumont, said: “We are pleased to have Aaron join our Cumulus team in Lake Charles. He has programmed Country, Rock and Alternative stations and is a great fit for our cluster and for KYKZ 96.1 FM, where he will also be heard in Mornings. Aaron has a passion for radio and for getting out in the community with our clients and listeners.”

Aaron Zytle commented: “I am excited to start a new chapter in my radio career programming KYKZ in Lake Charles. Great city, great food, and great Country music… What more could I ask for?”

October 20 Radio History

Lee DeForest

➦In 1906...Radio pioneer Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated the electrical vaccuum radio tube. DeForest disliked the term "wireless" and chose a new moniker, "radio."

In 1902 he and his financial backers founded the DeForest Wireless Telegraph Company. In order to dramatize the potential of this new medium of communication, he gave public demonstrations of wireless telegraphy for businessmen, the press, and the military.

A poor businessman and a poorer judge of men, de Forest was defrauded twice by his own business partners. By 1906 his first company was insolvent, and he had been squeezed out of its operation. But in 1907 he patented a much more promising detector (developed in 1906), which he called the Audion; it was capable of more sensitive reception of wireless signals than were the electrolytic and Carborundum types then in use. It was a thermionic grid-triode vacuum tube—a three-element electronic “valve” similar to a two-element device patented by the Englishman Sir John Ambrose Fleming in 1905. In 1907 de Forest was able to broadcast experimentally both speech and music to the general public in the New York City area.

De Forest is credited with the birth of radio broadcasting when on January 12, 1910, he conducted experimental broadcast of part of the live performance of Tosca and, the next day, a performance with the participation of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso from the stage of Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Arlene Francis

➦In 1908...Arlene Francis was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  Francis became a well-known New York City radio personality, hosting several programs. In 1938 she became the female host of the radio game show "What's My Name?" although several men appeared as co-hosts over the years, Francis was the sole female host throughout the program's long run (on ABC, NBC and Mutual networks) until it ended in 1949.

Netflix’s Subscriber Boost Wasn’t The Only Big Surprise

Netflix crushed expectations for subscriber growth in the third quarter but the streaming giant sprang a less-heralded surprise, according to Barron's Daily.

The company will no longer provide guidance for paid subscriber numbers from the first quarter of 2023. It’s a blow for transparency, making things harder for retail and institutional investors alike, writes Callum Keown.

Of course, Wall Street may still try to infer the numbers based on revenue guidance, which will remain, but without the company’s own guidance it becomes difficult.

With investors somewhat obsessed with the metric when it comes to the increasingly competitive streaming sector, its absence could lead to more surprises.

That being said, Netflix’s own forecast of 1 million net new subscribers in the third quarter was way off the mark, and the actual figure of 2.4 million helped the stock surge after-hours. The relief among investors, after two quarters of losing subscribers, was palpable.

Netflix says revenue is now the most important metric, given its new advertising model, hence the decision to ax subscriber guidance.

What's Going On At SiriusXM?

SiriusXM is increasing its investment in live sports rights in an effort to lure and retain more premium subscribers, CEO Jennifer Witz told Axios' Sara Fisher.

Why it matters: Sports listeners have a lower churn rate than the average SiriusXM subscriber, and sports advertising now accounts for nearly a quarter of ad sales for SiriusXM, executives noted."Trial subscribers that listen to sports channels convert to a paid tier at a higher rate than those who don't listen to sports," said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM president and chief content officer.

Live sports rights have also helped the company bolster digital streaming subscriptions, which have become a larger priority in the past few years.

Details: Over the past five years, the company has struck exclusive audio deals with the four major U.S. sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB) to carry live feeds of their games via 24/7 league-branded channels, allowing listeners to tune into games anywhere around the country.Today, the vast majority (79%) of sports listeners on SiriusXM listen to games outside of the area in which they live, which executives believe is one of the biggest draws for subscribers.

Be smart: Unlike the video landscape, where rights for the major league games are scattered, SiriusXM has the exclusive audio rights to every regular season and postseason game for the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA, with the exception of the local radio rights that are limited solely to local markets. Those rights run on multiyear contract cycles, similar in length to the video deals the leagues strike with major TV networks.

Its newest multiyear agreement with the NFL, which was signed earlier this year, makes SiriusXM the exclusive third-party audio broadcaster of every NFL game across North America.

 

In the past few years, it's also landed exclusive rights for 24/7 branded channels dedicated to the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 college conferences.

In 2021, SiriusXM became the exclusive audio broadcaster of the Masters.

Between the lines: While SiriusXM wouldn't disclose what it pays to have those rights, Greenstein noted that the cost is significantly lower than exclusive rights cost for video streaming those games. Asked if SiriusXM would ever consider a standalone subscription just for sports listeners, Greenstein said the company has considered it, but has ultimately decided that a unified subscription returns the best value.

Detroit Radio: Man Sentenced For Murdering DJ John O'Leary

Sean Lamoureux and John O'Leary

A man will spend decades in prison for the murder of Detroit radio DJ John O'Leary last year.

Sean William Lamoureux, 38, was sentenced to 20-40 years in prison Monday. He pleaded guilty to second-degree homicide in September as part of a plea deal that dropped larceny and open murder charges against him.

O'Leary's body was found buried under debris in the backyard of his Highland Park home in the 150 block of Candler Street on Nov. 21, 2021.

Authorities say his roommate Lamoureux stabbed him with a sharp object.

O'Leary was a fixture on Detroit radio, getting his start at WABX in the 1970s. He also worked at WWWW, WLLZ, and WCSX in Detroit, as well as several stations outside the city.

Wake-Up Call: Russia's Top Commander Pessimistic

Russia’s top military commander in Ukraine signaled Moscow’s hold on the southern city of Kherson was weakening, and Ukraine said Russian strikes since last week had knocked out some 30% of its power-plant infrastructure, raising concerns of countrywide blackouts. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the recently appointed commander of Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, gave a rare pessimistic take of his invading forces’ position, telling state television Tuesday that the situation in Kherson “is not at all easy right now” and that the priority in the south was preserving civilians and military personnel.

“Difficult decisions cannot be ruled out,” he said, without elaborating, in his first significant public comments since taking over the role.

Gen. Surovikin’s comments came as Russia launched a fresh volley of missiles at Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, the latest in a number of attacks that Kyiv said has damaged nearly a third of the country’s power plants.  “Ukraine is under fire by the occupiers. They continue to do what they do best—terrorize and kill civilians,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russia has stepped up its missile attacks on Ukraine and acquired explosive drones from Iran. https://t.co/Qk5dgLsJ5f

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 18, 2022

➤BIDEN KEEPS ABORTION AS HIS TOP PRIORITY: President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that writes abortion protections into law — if Democrats control enough seats in Congress to pass it — as he sought to energize his party’s voters just three weeks ahead of the November midterms.  Twice over, Biden urged people to remember how they felt in late June when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion, fresh evidence of White House efforts to ensure the issue stays front of mind for Democratic voters this year.

Rubio and Demings

➤DEMINGS GOES ON DEBATE ATTACK: Democratic U.S. Rep. Del Demings of Florida went on the attack Tuesday in her first debate against Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, accusing him of being a serial liar, while Rubio criticized her for supporting President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. Rubio, a two-term senator, and Demings, a three-term congresswoman and former Orlando police chief, faced questions at the West Palm Beach debate on topics including inflation, abortion, voting rights, gun violence, immigration and foreign policy. Florida has increasingly shifted rightward in recent election cycles, giving Rubio the advantage as Republicans now lead Democrats with voter registration in the state. But Demings clearly saw the debate as an opportunity to take Rubio on forcefully as she tries to become the state’s first Black senator.

TV Ratings: Sunday Night NFL Tilt Leads

NBC had an attractive Sunday night football matchup between NFC East contenders Dallas and Philadelphia this week, and were rewarded in the television ratings.

The Nielsen company estimated nearly 20.8 million people saw the Philly Eagles keep their status as the NFL's only undefeated team after six games. The game reached five million more viewers than the “Monday Night Football” contest between Las Vegas and Kansas City. 

The top non-football program was CBS' newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” but its producers can tip their cap to the NFL, as well. The show came directly after an attractive NFL game. CBS' “FBI” was the most popular scripted show

📺Top 20 Prime-Time Shows week of Oct. 10-16, Total Viewers:

1. NFL Football: Dallas at Philadelphia, NBC, 20.79 million.

2. “NFL Pregame” (Sunday), NBC, 15.81 million.

3. NFL Football: Las Vegas at Kansas City, ESPN, 15.79 million.

4. “Football Night in America, Part 3,” NBC, 11.34 million.

5. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 10.72 million.

6. “FBI,” CBS, 7.41 million.

7. “The Equalizer,” CBS, 7.32 million.

8. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 7.25 million.

9. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 7.16 million.

10. “NFL Pregame” (Monday), ESPN, 7.02 million.

11. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.6 million.

12. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 6.58 million.

13. “Ghosts,” CBS, 6.54 million.

14. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 6.48 million.

15. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 6.33 million.

16. “FBI: International,” CBS, 6.15 million.

17. “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 6.06 million.

18. “Fire Country,” CBS, 5.8 million.

19. “Chicago PD,” NBC, 5.65 million.

20. “NFL Postgame” (Monday), ESPN, 5.52 million.

📺BROADCAST NETWORK NEWSCASTS

David Muir, Norah O'Donnell and Lester Holt

According to TV Newser citing Nielsen live-plus-same-day data for the week of Oct. 10, World News Tonight averaged 7.69 million total viewers, and 1.25 million adults 25-54. WNT has now defeated its competition from NBC and CBS 202 of the past 203 weeks in average total viewers—and 131 of the last 133 weeks among adults 25-54.

Speaking of NBC, Nightly News with Lester Holt averaged 6.39 million total viewers on linear this past week, which is -2% from the prior week and -3% from the year-ago week. Last but never least, CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell averaged 4.56 million total viewers this past week, just -1% from the previous week but -8% from the year-ago week.

Netflix Gains 2.4 Million New Subscribers

Netflix Inc. snapped back to subscriber growth in the third quarter, giving the streaming giant a jolt as it works to execute two major strategic shifts aimed at bolstering its revenue and subscriber base, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The company added 2.4 million new subscribers in the September quarter, after having forecast a net gain of 1 million customers. The subscriber growth followed back-to-back quarters of customer defections that raised questions about Netflix’s ability to expand its user base amid increased competition. 

“Thank God we’re done with shrinking quarters,” co-Chief Executive Reed Hastings said on the company’s earnings call Tuesday. Executives said Netflix had good momentum, but had to continue to work to spur greater revenue growth. 

The company’s shares rose 14% in after-hours trading following the results. As of Tuesday, Netflix’s stock was down about 60% so far this year.

The size of Netflix’s quarterly subscriber additions remained small by historical standards. Netflix had attracted 4.4 million new customers in the third quarter of last year, and the 8.3 million it added in the fourth quarter of 2021 is nearly twice as big as the 4.5 million the company expects to gain in the final period of 2022. Netflix had 223 million subscribers at the end of September.

All companies in the streaming business are facing profound competition and struggling to add new subscribers, which makes it more important to ensure that they are generating as much revenue as possible from their viewers. 

Boston Radio: McCabe Named APD At iHM's WXKS-FM

HeartMedia Boston’s WXKS 107.9 FM Kiss 108, “Boston’s #1 Hit Music Station,” has announced that McCabe will host mid-days. McCabe will also be Kiss 108 Programming Assistant, working alongside Kiss 108 PD Dylan Sprague and APD Mikey V, and continue his role of CHR Executive Producer and assist in various CHR brand team projects for the National Programming Group.”

McCabe

McCabe has made career stops in Elmira, Buffalo and Rochester, and had Program Director duties at four previous stations, including Z107 in Portsmouth, NH and Z104.3 in Baltimore. McCabe joined Kiss 108 staff in 2018, contributing to Kiss 108 for the last four years, two of which he also worked for the iHeartRadio National Programming Group.

“McCabe is one of our brightest young programmers with a keen sense of what the audience wants. His vision and passion blends perfectly with our Kiss 108 culture and we are excited to have him on board,” said Dylan Sprague, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Boston.

Orlando Radio: Raymond Hernandez To Program WOEX

Cox Media Group has announced the hiring of longtime programming veteran Raymond Hernandez to oversee Exitos 96.5 (WOEX) Orlando. 

Raymond will oversee the day-to-day station programming and will work with the Orlando team to execute the strategic action plan. He brings over 30 years of broadcast experience and has been recognized multiple times as one of the top Spanish Programmers in America.

“Raymond is a strategic, talented and well-respected programmer,” said Chris Eagan, CMG VP of Audience and Operations. “Exitos 96.5 is an extremely important station in CMG’s Orlando portfolio, and we are thrilled to bring in a terrific leader to continue to make this a best-in-class radio station.”

Miami Radio: Salem Quickly Adds Two More Stations To Its Portfolio

Salem Media Group, Inc. announced today it has entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of two Miami radio stations. 

In a transaction with Fenix Broadcasting Corporation and co-owned WRHC Broadcasting Corporation, Salem will purchase the assets of 📻WWFE 670 AM and its FM translator on 103.1 (W276DV) along with 📻WRHC 1550 AM and its FM translator on 98.7 (W254DV). The stations currently broadcast Spanish-language formats and it is Salem’s intent to continue broadcasting in Spanish post-closing.

Salem Media Executive Chairman Edward Atsinger commented, “From this nation’s early days its voices of freedom spoke loudly and were heard. This is one reason we are a true democracy, and not a totalitarian regime. At a time when the voices of freedom in Spanish-language programming are threatened, it is our duty to step up and serve the South Florida audience. For over four decades Salem Media Group has provided a platform for conservative voices on-air, and now online, and in print. Now we will do the same for South Florida’s Spanish-speaking community as well, as we add leading Spanish-speaking voices of freedom to our lineup. 

Birmingham Radio: Sly King New Promotions Director For Cumulus

CUMULUS MEDIA announces that it has appointed Sly King as Promotions Director for Cumulus Birmingham. 

Sly King

King has been heard on Cumulus Birmingham stations for over 17 years, having started his radio career as an intern with Urban AC station, Hot 107.7/WUHT-FM, and later serving the station as producer of the popular nationally syndicated morning program, The Steve Harvey Morning Show. 

In addition to King’s new role as Promotions Director, he can be heard as On-Air Host of Hot 107.7’s The Happy Hour with Sly King every Monday through Thursday from 6:00pm-9:00pm, Fridays from 6:00pm-10:00pm, and Saturdays from 2:00pm-7:00pm.

James Robinson, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Birmingham, said: “I am excited to announce Sly King as our new Promotions Director in Birmingham. I am proud to promote from within our Birmingham team, someone who has been committed to the Birmingham community for many years. I believe Sly will continue his dedicated hard work and will take the Cumulus Birmingham team to new heights.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Newsroom Now On Strike

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom employees who are members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh union are officially on strike, reports the Pittsburgh Business Journal. The strike by newsroom employees is the first in at least 30 years.

The Newspaper Guild issued a notice to management that should they refuse to end an impasse to contract negotiations, the strike would commence at 12 p.m. on Tuesday. The Guild sent out an announcement shortly after the noon deadline saying that the Post-Gazette "failed to meet those demands."

The Guild said its members are conducting a "daylong action" outside of the Post-Gazette headquarters on the North Shore.

“We, the workers, are standing together today, ready to fight to win back our contract and work toward signing a new collective bargaining agreement that preserves the Post-Gazette for the Pittsburgh region,” said Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Zack Tanner.

Pittsburgh Radio: Activists Not Happy With Controversial Commercial

Starting last weekend, at least six Pittsburgh radio stations allegedly have aired a commercial that local advocates have called out as hateful and transphobic, reports The City Paper.

The ad, which is reportedly airing in some instances with a disclaimer that it does not represent the views of the station, repeats what City Paper calls familiar 'right-wing messaging' about gender-affirming medical care for trans children, incorrectly claiming that Joe Biden and the “new left” are forcing children to transition against their will.

The commercial says the airtime was paid for by America First Legal Foundation, an organization billing itself as the conservative answer to the ACLU that was founded last year by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

According to LGBTQ activists, the commercial has aired on several local radio stations, including KDKA-AM, WDVE 102.5, WAMO 107.3, WISH 99.7, WKST 96.1, WLTJ 92.9, and WDSY 108.

iHeartMedia, Audacy, and Steel City Media, the owners of the radio stations, did not respond to City Paper requests for comment.