Wake-Up Call: Murder Suspect Back In Idaho

Accused college student slayer Bryan Kohberger arrived back in Idaho Wednesday night on a cross-country flight from Pennsylvania after he waived his extradition. Kohberger, who has been charged with killing four University of Idaho students, landed at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport around 6:30 p.m. local time. He was shackled and wearing a red jumpsuit with a jacket as he was escorted off the plane by three law enforcement officers.

Soon after, a police motorcade, including a silver truck from the Latah County Sheriff’s Office believed to be carrying Kohberger, drove directly to the Latah County Jail, entering through an underground entrance. By 6:44 p.m., he was booked into the lockup on four murder charges and one count of burglary, records show. Kohberger is expected to make an initial appearance before the Latah County Magistrate Court Judge on Thursday. At the hearing, he will be read his rights, the charges against him and will also be appointed an attorney — which sources told The Post will be public defender Anne Taylor.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance team tracked Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger and his father on a cross-country road trip from Washington State to Pennsylvania and asked Indiana police to pull him over, a law enforcement source told Fox News. The law enforcement source told Fox News that the FBI surveillance team was seeking video images of Kohberger as well as his hands. Bryan Kohberger and his father were pulled over twice in Indiana on Dec. 15 while making the cross-country trip. The law enforcement source said that investigators were still building their case on Dec. 15 to make an arrest, but added that genealogy played a major role.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has released the Dec. 15 traffic stop involving Bryan Kohberger in Indiana. This stop was before the other stop by Indiana State Police. pic.twitter.com/NX25k0ojHM

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) January 4, 2023

➤McCARTHY LOSES AGAIN AD AGAIN: The House gaveled back into session on Wednesday night after taking a lengthy pizza break — only to quickly adjourn until Thursday as the lower chamber’s quest for a speaker remains elusive.  The motion to adjourn, approved 216-214, was made by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) — a supporter of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s embattled bid for House speaker. Four Republicans sided with Democrats against adjourning: Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Brent Crane, and Matt Gaetz.

The House will now reconvene at noon on Thursday for yet another session beginning without a speaker.

Twitter erupts after Lauren Boebert calls out Trump during House Speaker vote https://t.co/RzdwLIADxa

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 5, 2023

➤AMAZON LAYOFFS: Amazon said Wednesday it will cut over 18,000 jobs, a bigger number than the e-retailer initially said it would be eliminating last year.  The Wall Street Journal reported on the cuts earlier, which Amazon said preempted its planned announcement.  “We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted,” CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a memo to employees that the company published on its blog. “However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me.”

Tech companies are picking up in 2023 where they left off last year, preparing for an extended economic downturn. Salesforce said on Wednesday it would reduce headcount by 10%, impacting over 7,000 employees. Both Amazon and Salesforce admitted that they hired too rapidly during the pandemic.

Edison: Mobile Devices Outnumber Radio Receivers In The Home

Today the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas, where attendees from all over the world will gather to see the latest electronics of all varieties. The industry is looking forward to what kinds of new devices consumers will need or want to buy next.

Edison Research's own Share of Ear® dataset gives an insight of 2023 into what types of audio devices Americans currently are using to consume audio at home.

When consuming audio at home, those in the U.S. age 13+ spend over one-third of their daily audio time (35%) listening through a mobile phone. So “mobile” doesn’t have to mean traveling-around-town mobile. It can also mean around-the-house mobile. The next-closest device is AM/FM radio receivers (arguably the original form of mobile audio), which account for 26% of daily at-home audio time.

Americans age 13+ spend 14% of their daily in-home audio time listening on a computer, 13% on some type of TV, and 7% on a smart speaker.

Mobile device usage for audio consumption at home is at the same level for women and men age 13+ (both 35%). Women and men have different at-home listening habits when it comes to radio receivers and computers, though. Women are much more likely than men to consume at-home audio on a radio receiver (30% v. 22%), and men are much more likely than women to consume audio at home on a computer (19% v. 10%).

Augusta GA Radio: PD Cody To Join WKXC Morning Show

Beasley Media Group announces Digital Program Director, “Cody” Blaine Jackson, has been named the co-host on Kicks 99’s Wake Up Krew with Dub and Cody morning show in Augusta, Georgia. 

Cody

She officially began her new role on WKXC-FM on January 3, 2023.

Jackson, who has been with the company since 2021, will join Bryan “Dub” Axelson in the morning on WKXC while maintaining her role as Digital Program Director on behalf of the cluster.

“Blaine has become an incredible member of the team here at Beasley Augusta as Digital Program Director,” said Tee Gentry, Beasley Media Group vice president of Brand Strategies and regional operations manager of the company’s Augusta and Fayetteville radio clusters. “When we found out her dream was to be on a morning show, this was a no brainer!”

Audacy Celebrates 50-Years of Hip-Hop Music

Audacy announces “Hip-Hop Made,” a year-long initiative that honors 50 years of hip-hop music. Running through the end of 2023, “Hip-Hop Made” will come alive across the Audacy portfolio through daily audio content features, special interviews and podcasts, as well as new exclusive stations on the Audacy app that cover the groundbreaking eras, cities, and styles that helped make hip-hop a cultural force.

Audacy’s Big Tigger, Ed Lover, Miss Jones, Greg Mack and more – voices that ushered in the dominance of the format – will highlight cornerstone moments in hip-hop’s history.

“Hip-hop’s influence across the globe has shaped numerous parts of music, culture and society as we know it, and we’re thrilled to commemorate 50 years of its existence,” said Dave Richards, Senior Vice President of Programming, Audacy. “Led by our powerhouse brands and personalities nationwide that helped bring this music to the mainstream, we’ll rightfully put hip-hop music in the spotlight all year, celebrate its rich history and look ahead to the next 50 years.”

January 5 Radio History

Sam Phillips

➦In 1923...Sun Records founder Sam Phillips was born in rural Alabama.  His Memphis record studio will always be remembered as the first professional home of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins.  He died July 30, 2003 at age 80.

➦In 1935...Phil Spitalny‘s All-Girl Orchestra was featured on the debut of CBS radio’s “The Hour of Charm”.  It ran on various networks until 1946.

➦In 1940...Edwin H. Armstrong demonstrated FM broadcasting in a long-distance relay network, via five stations in five States.  FM radio was assigned the 42 to 50 MHz band of the spectrum in 1940. There was interest in the new FM band by station owners.

➦In 1965...57 years ago this week

Clark Weber was also on the air at WCFL, WMAQ, WIND, WJJD and WAIT. He later ran Clark Weber & Associates, an advertising agency specializing in radio advertising.

➦In 1973…, Bruce Springsteen released his debut album ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ.’ It sold only about 25,000 copies in its first year of release.  Two tracks from the album, "Blinded By The Light" and "Spirit In The Night," were released as singles but neither made a dent in the charts.

➦In 1979...Third Class operator requirements for radio were eliminated by the FCC.

➦In 1998...Rep. Sonny Bono (R-Calif.), the one-time singer/songwriter who gained fame as half of the vocal duo Sonny and Cher, died from head injuries after hitting a tree while skiing at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. He was 62.

St. Louis Radio: Hubbard Fires Tony Patrico After Women Complain

Tony Patrico no longer with KPNT

 A KPNT 105.7 FM personality has been fired after two social media accounts began alleging that he asked listeners in text messages to send him nude or suggestive photos.

Tony Patrico, a sidekick on “The Rizzuto Show” on KPNT (105.7 FM), aka “The Point,” became the target of both a Facebook account and and a Twitter account which were created shortly before Christmas.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the show’s Twitter account posted the following statement:

pic.twitter.com/Hokotifyex

— The Rizzuto Show (@RizzShow) January 4, 2023

“Tony Patrico is no longer with Hubbard Radio or a member of The Rizzuto Show. The show returns as scheduled tomorrow at 6 a.m.”

Posts on the accounts — “HellNoPatrico” on Twitter and a “Robert Reynolds” page on Facebook — include screenshots of several text exchanges, dated from 2017 to 2022.

Some texts show Patrico asking female listeners to meet up with him or to send him nude or partially nude photos. Several also contain sexually suggestive comments.

In most instances, after the women decline or deflect his offer, Patrico tells the women that he was just kidding. He also asks some to keep the exchange private.

Patrico declined to comment to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the situation and directed questions to station management.

John Kijowksi, general manager of Hubbard-St. Louis, which owns KPNT and four other local stations, did not respond to a message left.

The person answering messages on the “Robert Reynolds” Facebook page, which has more than 300 followers, declined to comment about the site. The Twitter account has more than 400 followers.

The texts indicate that some of the listeners are members of “Team Rizz,” a listener-promotion group in which members can win free jerseys and on-air mentions.

Patrico became part of the station’s morning show in 2014, joining Scott Rizzuto. Subsequently, the station added Moon Valjean and Jeff Burton to the roster. When Burton died in August, King Scott joined the line-up.

The show has been a constant during KPNT’s rise in the Nielsen ratings; the station consistently appears in the top five every month.

Along with KPNT, Hubbard-St. Louis also operates classic rock KSHE (94.7 FM); country music WIL (92.3 FM); adult hits WARH (106.5 FM); and sports talk WXOS (101.1 FM), the area’s ESPN affiliate.

Hope Media Names Scott Herrold Chief of Programming

Hope Media Group (HMG) has announced Scott Herrold as its new Chief of Programming, effective Monday, January 9th. He replaces Ron Harrell, who exits.

Scott Herrold

Herrold joins HMG after serving as program director and morning show host for SOS Radio Network the last 15 years where he was chosen as one of “Radio’s 10 Best Program Directors” by Radio Ink. Under his leadership, SOS Radio was named Christian Music Broadcasters’ “Station of the Year” in 2016 and 2020 and earned community service awards from both CMB and the Gospel Music Association for inventive service projects with numerous charities.

“A heart for ministry, creative community involvement, and stellar Nielsen results in Vegas and beyond made Scott a finalist for this position before we even called him. We are thrilled to have him lead our radio programmers, Randy Fox/KSBJ, Steve Shore/WayFM, Sadiel Castro/Vida Unida, and the Creative Audio Team under Sterling Tarrant so we can engage more people to love Jesus in the decades to come,” shares Tim Dukes, Chief Operating Officer for Hope Media Group.

Herrold’s extensive experience includes working in mainstream CHR and Hot AC before Christian radio at WDVD and WDRQ/Detroit, K-Hits/Tulsa, and WIOG/Saginaw. In 2021, he was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame. “When I heard about WayFM and Hope Media Group joining forces, I thought, WOW! That’s the kind of ministry I’d like to be a part of someday. Two kingdom-minded ministries with a heart to impact culture in a fresh way. Joe Paulo and Tim Dukes are building the dream team at Hope Media Group, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.”

Google and Meta’s Ad Dominance Fades

For the first time in nearly a decade, the two largest players in online advertising are no longer raking in the majority of U.S. digital-ad dollars, a decline that industry insiders expect to continue in years to continue, reports The Wall Street Journal.

WSJ Graphic

Alphabet Inc.Google and Facebook parent Meta META Platforms Inc. accounted for a combined 48.4% of U.S. digital-ad spending in 2022, according to estimates from research firm Insider Intelligence Inc. Their combined U.S. market share hadn’t been under 50% since 2014, said Insider Intelligence, which expects that number to drop to 44.9% this year. 

The ad businesses of Google and Meta are still growing, but Insider’s data suggest the pace is slower than the rest of the U.S. digital-advertising market. Insider forecasting analyst Zachary Goldner said the erosion of their combined market share was the result of brands having access to more advertising formats.

“All marketers want more options,” Mr. Goldner said. 

Google and Meta each faced headwinds in 2022, as people spent less time online than in the early days of the pandemic; marketers concerned about a possible economic downturn reined in ad spending; Amazon AMZN 2.17%increase; green up pointing triangle.com Inc. and ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok continued their emergence as a force in digital advertising; and more streaming services started to embrace advertising.

Meta and other social-media companies including Snap Inc. also suffered from Apple Inc.’s 2021 decision to require apps on its devices to ask users if they wanted to be tracked. The majority of iPhone users opted not to be, hitting the heart of Meta’s business: its ability to target ads at users with precision and prove to marketers that the ads generate sales.

Atlanta Radio: WNNX Tower Bay Catches Fire

WNNX 99X was smokin' Monday afternoon when smore was detected from a tower bay atop the station's transmitting tower atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel downtown caught fire Monday afternoon.  The fire started at 1:30 Monday afternoon and was out at 1:40pm.

Fortunately, the station’s back-up transmitter on the same site was still working and covers about 95% of the original signal, according to Atlanta-based market manager Sean Shannon in a text exchange Tuesday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Smoke atop the WNNX tower

“Getting it repaired will take some time,” he said.

The station, which is on the 100.5 FM signal, was formerly a harder-edged classic rock station called Rock 100.5 but switched to 99X last month, playing a format of largely classic alternative rock hits from the 1980s and 1990s gleaned from original 99X playlists. It has not used any jocks the past month.

Shannon said this transmitter problem won’t impact the station’s planned announcement of its opening slate of on-air personalities this Thursday at 7:35 a.m.

“Poor timing for sure,” he noted.

The 99X Facebook page showed video of the fire, noting “this is not a stunt. An investigation is under way.”

Shannon said there was no sign of lightning in the vicinity when the fire started.

Rodney Ho at aj.com writes 99X was a seminal alternative rock stations in the 1990s through the 2000s but was taken off air in 2008 due to lagging ratings. Different versions of the station remained on smaller signals since then and most recently had been on 98.9 playing a mix of older and new alternative rock music.

Brian Phillips, chief content officer at Cumulus, helped start 99X in 1992 and is trying to bring back some of the original key on-air members of the station. Axel Lowe, a long-time afternoon jock with 99X who was doing the same with Rock 100.5, will certainly return. Yvonne Monet, who had been doing mid-days at sister station Q99.7, will likely have a role.

Insights: Eight Misconceptions About Radio

The perception of media audiences is skewed by prevalent myths in the ad community. Mirroring the recently released 8 Misconceptions Brands Have About Radio from Canada’s Radio Connects

This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® blog challenges current media narratives and outlines 8 things brand have completely wrong about AM/FM radio in America.

Click here to view a 15-minute video of the key findings.

The perception of media audiences is skewed by prevalent myths in the ad community. Duncan Stewart,
Director of Research, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at Deloitte, puts it best: “Why do people think that nobody listens to radio anymore? Because there is a narrative that new media kills old media, so nobody bothers to look at ...

• Perception #1: “Due to the pandemic, no one is listening to AM/FM radio.” According to the latest Nielsen Spring 2022 Nationwide Report, AM/FM radio has retained 98% of its persons 18+ reach from the Spring 2019 survey.
• Perception #2: “Due to the pandemic, everyone’s working at home, and no one is commuting.” According to a Maru/Blue study, most of pre-COVID commuters are now working outside the home (87%).
• Perception #3: “AM/FM radio has very low reach.” In reality, 86% of all Americans are reached by AM/FM radio on a weekly basis, according to Nielsen’s Q2 2022 Total Audience Report.

• Perception #4: “Audience shares to Pandora/Spotify are nearly equal to AM/FM radio.” Edison Research reports AM/FM radio is nineteen times larger than ad-supported Spotify and fifteen times that of ad-supported Pandora.

Conservative Websites See YOY Traffic Declines

Seventeen of the top 20 right wing news websites experienced year-over-year (YOY) traffic declines in November according to TheRighting’s exclusive analysis of November 2022 mobile and desktop traffic based on Comscore data. Traffic for most of the top right wing news websites has been soft all year, according to Comscore data analyzed by TheRighting.

Foxnews.com continued to lose YOY audience for the ninth straight month. However, YOY was only off by 1%, and the site attracted 89,506,000 unique visitors more than ten times the next most-trafficked site (Epoch Times at 7,557,000).

“The ongoing softness in November traffic to conservative websites is a major surprise,” said Howard Polskin, President and Chief Curator, TheRighting. “I anticipated a strong uptick because of the surprising results of the November midterm elections and Mr. Trump’s announcement about his 2024 presidential aspirations. The data suggests that right wing audiences may be suffering from either indifference or news fatigue.”

Winners and Losers Among Top 20 Conservative News Websites for November 2022 (by unique visitor percentage increase/decrease from year ago)

Winners

• Washington Examiner (+19%)
• Daily Signal (+9%)
• Epoch Times (+5%)

Losers

• Infowars (-70%)
• Townhall (-68%)
• The Federalist (-61%)

All three mainstream news websites that TheRighting follows posted audience gains. For the tenth month in a row, The New York Times brand posted an increase in YOY traffic. The site generated 106,570,000 unique visitors, up 25% from November 2021 when it drew 85,264,000 unique visitors. YOY traffic to CNN.com rose 4%, as the site tallied 145,552,000 unique visitors, the most of any news website that TheRighting tracks. The Washington Post had a modest 1% gain, rising to 65,541,000 unique visitors in November 2022, up from 64,746,000 in November 2021.

The Truth About Truth Social Traffic

Month-to-month traffic Donald Trump’s Truth Social website, which launched in February 2022, increased 36% in November to 3,857,000 unique visitors, halting a two month drop. The previous month Mr. Trump’s social media site had 2,853,000 unique visitors. YOY comparison will not be available until February 2023.

Here are the November 2022 unique visitors for the five conservative-friendly social media platforms TheRighting follows:

• Rumble (6,587,000; -26% vs year ago)
• Truth Social (3,857,000; year-ago data NA)
• MeWe (998,000; -21% vs year ago)
• Gettr (857,000; +36% vs year ago)
• Parler (139,000; -81% vs year ago)

Each month, TheRighting examines Comscore data on dozens of prominent conservative websites that post original content. TheRighting ranks the top 20 conservative websites on the basis of unique visitors and also provides data on whether unique visitors have increased or decreased year-over-year.

 

Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-defined list, including, but not limited to Foxnews.com, Breitbart.com, DailyCaller.com, WashingtonExaminer.com, WesternJournal.com, Washingtontimes.com, Total Digital Audience, November 2022, U.S.

Beasley Names Ariana Sheehan Director of Digital Content Strategy

Ariana Sheehan

Beasley Media Group announces Ariana Sheehan has been named Director of Digital Content Strategy. She will officially begin her new position on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Sheehan most recently served at BestReviews, a product review and marketing company owned by Nexstar, where she was an Engagement Editor. Prior to that, she worked as a Regional Digital Director at Townsquare Media in Albany, New York.

In her new role, Sheehan will work closely with Vice President of Digital Content Erika Beasley and Vice President of Digital Marketing Jennifer Williams to help drive the company’s digital content strategy and continue to grow BMG’s audience.

“With Beasley’s continued focus on growing audience on our multi-platform content brands, it’s a sincere pleasure to welcome Ariana Sheehan,” said Chief Content Officer Justin Chase. “Ariana has a successful track record of helping publishers build, engage, and monetize digital audience. I know she will be a valuable member of our digital team!”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Beasley Media Group’s outstanding corporate digital team and to help some of America’s most beloved and influential radio personalities deliver their engaging content to new and existing audiences across all media platforms,” said Sheehan. “I can’t wait to dive in with these iconic brands as they continue to grow their digital footprint in their home cities and beyond.”

Sheehan will be based in Albany, New York.

All Cable News Outlets Skip Trump 'Availability'

Former President Donald Trump invited journalists to a surprise slot of "media availability" at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on New Year's Eve.

But in a likely blow to Trump's ego, not a single cable news network covered it, according to Insider citing a Raw Story report.

Notably, the media outlet said that even Fox News and Newsmax, which have historically offered sympathetic coverage of the former president, skipped on covering his remarks.

Wake-Up Call: GOP Mutiny Stalls The House

House Republicans will open the second day of the new Congress much like the first — with leader Kevin McCarthy trying to become House speaker despite losing in multiple rounds of voting that threw the new GOP majority into chaos. It was the first time in 100 years that a nominee for House speaker could not take the gavel on the first vote, but McCarthy appeared undeterred by the gravity of the moment. Instead, he vowed to fight to the finish, encouraged, he said, by former President Donald Trump to end the disarray and pull the Republican Party together. The House is scheduled to convene Wednesday after the stalemate essentially forced all other business to a standstill, waiting on Republicans to elect a speaker.

McCarthy, GOP hope to break House speaker logjam after whiffing on Tuesday https://t.co/3ZVICcotd0

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 4, 2023

🏈NFL'S HAMLIN REMAINS CRITICAL: NFL player Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition. The Buffalo Bills safety who collapsed in the first quarter of yesterday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals spent last night in the ICU, according to his team, which said earlier that he’d suffered cardiac arrest and had his heartbeat restored on the field. The NFL said the suspended game won’t resume this week. The nationally televised Bills-Bengals match-up holds enormous playoff implications and comes just days before the final weekend of the NFL season.

A former student remembers thinking that Bryan Kohberger looked "a little bit more disheveled" than usual during finals. https://t.co/7Eh8McvL3h

— ABC News (@ABC) January 4, 2023

Jeremy Renner

➤JEREMY RENNER POSTS HOSPITAL SEILFIE: Marvel actor Jeremy Renner has thanked well-wishers for their 'kind words' in his first post on social media since his snow plowing accident on New Year's Day. Renner suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries in a snow plow accident in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday and remains in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery. A publicist for Renner said in a statement that the 51-year-old “Avengers” star is in an intensive care unit following surgery on Monday. “Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve” and others, read the statement. “They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.” Authorities and Renner’s representative haven’t said how the accident occurred. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said late Sunday that Renner had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital for treatment.

Biden Sticks With Sohn For FCC

President Joe Biden renominated Gigi Sohn Tuesday to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, once again throwing his support behind the embattled pick whose confirmation has stalled for more than a year, reports The Verge.

Sohn, a public interest advocate and former FCC counselor, was first nominated to the post in October 2021. Since then, she’s struggled to gain the necessary support of moderate Democrats and has faced an intense opposition campaign staged by Republicans and telecom industry groups. But last November’s Democratic Senate midterm wins could be a boon for Sohn’s nomination, adding an additional Democratic senator into the mix and possibly securing her confirmation.

Before the midterms, Democrats held a slim 50-50 majority in the Senate, requiring all Democratic senators to support Sohn’s confirmation. Any Democratic defectors would necessitate backing from Republicans, many of whom have accused Sohn of holding extremist policy positions and a personal and professional disdain for conservatives. All of this pressure prolonged a partisan deadlock at the nation’s top telecom regulator lasting the entirety of Biden’s presidency so far.

The stakes are high not only for the Biden administration but for telecom industry titans

Without a Democratic majority, the FCC has been unable to pursue many of the Biden administration’s telecom priorities, hindering efforts to restore net neutrality and expand high-speed broadband access nationwide.