Social Media Becoming Biggest Source Of News

Americans’ trust in the news has risen for the first time in six years, the 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows – but trust for specific news titles has dropped dramatically.

Among its other findings, the 2023 report also shows an apparent decline in US news avoidance, a sustained rise in the proportion of people paying for online news and social media on the cusp of overtaking television as the leading source for Americans’ news. 

Even with the improvement, Americans’ trust in news is low in absolute terms: the country ranked 36th for trust out of the 46 markets surveyed, tying with Romania.

The report’s authors wrote: “Tentative evidence suggests that both news interest and news trust are rebounding in the US after significant drops last year.”

But they added that “if these encouraging figures reflect a slight cooling of partisan rancour in an electoral off-year, longer term declines in news trust are likely to be reasserted during the looming presidential race".

A comparison between 2023’s figures and those for 2020 shows a persistent decline in trust, as well as a growth in distrust, for every news brand about which respondents were asked.

While news engagement “remains well below” the highs of 2020, they said there had been a “hint at a recovery from the wave of ‘tuning out’ that followed the Trump presidency.” Some 73% of US respondents said they access news at least once a day - up six percentage points on 2022’s report.

Another notable finding in the report is that the proportion of Americans getting their news from social media drew equal, for the first time, to the proportion of Americans getting their news from television. Both stand at 48%.

The percent of Americans using social media for their news has remained largely flat in the RISJ reports since 2016, when it first hit 46%. However, the use of television as a primary source of news has shown a general decline, suggesting it will likely fall below social media in the next few years.

The web in general - encompassing both social media, apps and websites - has meanwhile long since supplanted television as the most popular news source for Americans, having been the top category since the Reuters Institute began asking in 2013.

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TV Ratings: Trump Indictment Shakes Up Cable News

MSNBC ended Fox News Channel’s 120-week streak of first-place prime-time finishes among cable news networks, averaging 1.489 million, and finished first among all cable networks in the latest weekly ratings, largely in response to former President Trump’s indictment in connection with his handling of classified records.

Prime-time viewership for MSNBC, Fox News Channel and CNN was up a combined 29.5% between June 5 and Sunday, according to The L-A Times citing live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen.

MSNBC’s viewership was up 53.5% from its 970,000 average the previous week, when it was third among cable networks. It had each of the week’s four most-watched prime-time cable programs, topped by the Thursday edition of political talk show “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” which averaged 2.608 million viewers on the night Trump said on social media that he had been indicted.

Fox News Channel was second among all cable networks for the second consecutive week, averaging 1.484 million viewers, 10.9% more than its 1.338 million average the previous week

CNN was seventh among cable networks, seven spots higher than the previous week, averaging 672,000 viewers, a 32.5% increase from its 507,000 average the previous week.

ESPN was the only other cable network to average more than 1 million viewers, averaging 1.023 million.

Graphics Courtesy of RoadMN

The cable prime-time top 20 consisted of six MSNBC political talk shows — three editions of “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” the Thursday editions of “Alex Wagner Tonight” and “All in With Chris Hayes” and the June 5 edition of “The Rachel Maddow Show”; two MSNBC special reports Friday on Trump’s indictment; five Fox News Channel political talk shows — three broadcasts of “Hannity” and the Thursday editions of “The Ingraham Angle” and “Fox News Tonight” hosted by Harris Faulkner; Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules”; ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and its coverage of Oklahoma’s 3-1 victory over Florida State Thursday to win its third consecutive Women’s College World Series championship; all three hourlong segments of the USA Network’s “WWE Raw”; and History’s “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.”

📺BROADCAST TV

Bell Slashing 1,300 Jobs, Shuttering 6 Radio Stations

Canadian media and telecom firm Bell is cutting 1,300 jobs, shuttering six radio stations and selling another three as revenues dry up at its legacy phone and news business, parent company BCE Inc (BCE.TO) said on Wednesday.

The layoffs will mostly affect management and follow thousands of cuts in the media industry that has been wrestling with dwindling ad dollars, elevated levels of inflation and the ongoing shift from cable TV to streaming.

Employees were also informed that NewsTalk 1290 CJBK London, TSN 1260 (CFRN-AM) Edmonton, BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 (CFTE-AM) Vancouver, Funny 1040 (CKST-AM) Vancouver, Funny 1290 (CFRW-AM) Winnipeg, and Funny 1060 (CKMX-FM) Calgary were off the air as of 11 a.m. ET Wednesday.

In addition, Bell Media is selling three radio stations – Hamilton's AM Radio 1150 and AM 820 and Windsor's AM 580 – to an undisclosed third party, subject to CRTC approval.

Reuters reports management positions are being slashed by six per cent, according to the company. There will also be 20 per cent fewer executive roles in the company compared with 2020.

The company expects Bell Canada's legacy phone revenue to decline by $250 million each year, while the news operation posts annual operating losses of $40 million.

"Our industry is experiencing a major disruption," said senior executive Wade Oosterman in an internal memo seen by Reuters. He also blamed "a challenging regulatory environment that has been too slow to adjust".

The Canadian telecom industry has over recent years come under pressure from the government to bring down phone bills in a concentrated market.

A proposed legislation designed to compel internet giants like Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for content has also run into hurdles this year, with the U.S. firms running tests to limit some users from viewing or sharing news content as a potential response.

As part of the restructuring, Bell will close the CTV television network's bureaus in London and Los Angeles, and scale back the Washington outpost.

Talkers Releases Its 2023 Heavy Hundred List

The TALKERS magazine editorial board announces that the 2023 edition of its annual feature the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America – also known as the Heavy Hundred – is now posted. 

This annual ranking of talk radio hosts is undertaken by TALKERS editors, with input from industry leaders, and is based on a combination of hard and soft factors including courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent, and uniqueness. 

It is as much subjective art as mathematical science and intended to be a dimensional snapshot of the national talk radio industry at this given moment with an emphasis on the news/talk format. 

Candidates for the Heavy Hundred must be working a regularly scheduled professional show on the air at a minimum of one terrestrial or satellite radio station at the time of publication. 

TALKERS magazine executive editor Kevin Casey says, “This feature remains one of the most challenging undertakings for the editors. There are so many quality talk radio hosts working at stations in major markets all the way down to the smallest outlets serving intimate communities. Winnowing that field to the ‘100 most important’ is very difficult, but it is a challenge we take very seriously. We’re excited to publish this year’s Heavy Hundred and to congratulate those fine hosts who’ve made the list.” 

📻See the 2023 Heavy Hundred here.

Music Publishers Sue Twitter

A group of 17 music publishers sued Twitter in Nashville, Tennessee, federal court on Wednesday, accusing the company of enabling thousands of copyright violations by allowing users to post music without a license.

Twitter drives user engagement with "countless infringing copies of musical compositions," the lawsuit said.

Reuters reports members of the National Music Publishers' Association, including Sony Music Publishing (6758.T), BMG Rights Management and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMG.AS), are seeking more than $250 million in damages for alleged infringement of nearly 1,700 copyrights.

The lawsuit said the longstanding infringement has gotten worse since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October, and that other major platforms like TikTok, Facebook and YouTube properly license music from the publishers.

NMPA President David Israelite said in a statement that Twitter "stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service."

Twitter "routinely ignores" repeat infringement by users who post tweets that contain unlicensed music, the lawsuit said. The publishers said Twitter encourages user infringement, which increases engagement and ad revenues while giving it an "unfair advantage" over platforms that pay for music licenses.

Fox News vs Tucker Carlson: High Stakes For Each

Tucker Carlson has defied Fox News' cease-and-desist letter, an attempt to block him from hosting more episodes of his new Twitter show. But this move from Carlson may have serious consequences: An employment lawyer Insider spoke to believes that the media giant would win if it takes the host to court.

"Given his unique talent, the resulting damages to Fox, and the repeated notice provided to Tucker of his potential (and now actual) breach, Fox would have a high likelihood of success in a breach of contract lawsuit," employment lawyer Peter Rahbar told Insider.

The fact that Twitter does not have any contractual streaming agreement with Carlson also means that he "is putting himself, and his own bank account, on the line" by broadcasting on Twitter, Rahbar added.

After the first episode of Carlson's new show went live on Twitter on Jun 6, Carlson's legal team was notified that the host had breached his contract with his new streaming gig, per an Axios report published on June 8. Fox News then followed up with a cease-and-desist letter over the same show, Axios later reported on June 12. 

Carlson appears to be unfazed by the recent developments, opting instead to continue to release new episodes of his show on Twitter. His latest episode, which aired on Tuesday, has been viewed more than 78 million times as of press time. The three episodes that he has released, at press time, have netted more than 252 million views since they were uploaded. 

As part of his contract, Fox News has exclusive access to Carlson's content, effectively barring him from appearing on other platforms until the end of 2024. 

Carlson's attorneys, meanwhile, have argued that Fox News is trying to take the host's "right to speak freely away from him", per a statement the team gave to Axios.

"Although I have not seen the actual contract, the language quoted from Fox's letter to Tucker would prohibit a Twitter broadcast through the original expiration date of the contract," Rahbar told Insider. "It has nothing to do with 'free speech,' as cited by his lawyer."

Rahbar, who has over 20 years of experience working on high-profile employment disputes, says Fox News also has plenty to lose if Carlson somehow prevails in a legal battle against it.

"Tucker's contract is likely very similar to the ones Fox has entered into with all their talent," said Rahbar. "Thus, if Tucker prevails in this situation, Fox's contracts with other talents will be put at immediate risk – the roadmap will be there for other talents to walk out the door."

San Antonio Radio: Sports Host Mike Taylor Exits KTKR

Mike Taylor has exited iHeartMedia's KTKR Ticket 760, and has announced via Twitter he is moving his content over to YouTube.  Taylor's experience includes 25-years in the radio industry.

Starting on Monday, June 19, Taylor will start posting his show Mike Taylor Live to his channel LoveYouHardTV and he plans to upload new content Monday through Friday. 

Taylor told MySA that he was thinking about what comes next in terms of the future of radio shows and sports commentating. He also thought a lot about his own future and whether he would be able to retire in the radio field. Moving his sports content to YouTube seemed like the right move. He also acknowledges that it's a risk. 

"It's something that I'm ready to challenge myself with," Taylor says. "I just always felt like this was the way to go." 

6/15 WAKE-UP CALL: Feds Leave Rates Unchanged..For Now

The Federal Reserve decided not to raise interest rates at its latest meeting but warned that it might have to raise them again twice this year. The central bank’s rate is currently five percent to 5.5 percent. Unless inflation continues to subside, it could raise the rate to about 6 percent. Just before the Fed announcement, the government announced that producer prices rose 1.1 percent in May 2022 compared to a year earlier, indicating that inflation is continuing to ease.

CNBC Daily Open: The Fed paused rates — and the rally in markets https://t.co/pzbM1g7ppH

— CNBC (@CNBC) June 15, 2023

A hawkish message from the Federal Reserve amid a robust stock market rally is presenting investors with a conundrum: how to maintain exposure to rising equities while also guarding against the possible upheavals tighter monetary policy can bring. The central bank left rates unchanged on Wednesday, as widely expected, but surprised some markets by signaling that borrowing costs will likely increase another half a percentage point by the end of this year as it reacts to a still-strong economy and a slower decline in inflation. Traders' expectations for peak rates moved higher after the announcement.

But some are growing worried that tighter monetary policy is increasing the chances of ructions in the financial system similar to the crisis that saw several high profile bank collapses this year and sparked weeks of financial market volatility. While the U.S. economy has been largely resilient - the banking system aside - investors have cast a wary eye on areas that may be particularly vulnerable as easy money dries up. Among the potential weak spots are commercial real estate, where a wave of defaults could have repercussions for banks and the broader economy, as well as other credit market sectors

➤HEAVY FIGHTING IN UKRAINE: After a week of heavy fighting, the real tests of Kyiv's counteroffensive lie ahead, with Ukrainian troops some distance from Russia's main defensive line and the bulk of forces prepared for the push still on standby. Ukraine struck in two areas along the southeastern front last week as it began the main phase of its long-awaited operation, reporting seven retaken villages but also taking losses including Western infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. "On both sides, a lot of it's going to come down to attrition," said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and among analysts who have reported losses on both sides based on satellite and photographic evidence. "The risk for them (the Ukrainians) is that before they get to that (Russian) defensive line, they take too much attrition and it'll be too tough to breach it and exploit it." President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Western equipment like battle tanks and armored vehicles should help protect the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

Next 'CRS 360' Webinar: Communicating With Gen Z

CRS has announced the topic of the June edition of CRS360, entitled "OK Boomer: A Conversation with Gen Z." Taking place on Wednesday, June 21 at 1pm CT, this event will unite Gen-Z personalities and seasoned industry veterans to explore effective ways of connecting and appealing to the next generation of audio consumers, employees and co-workers beyond 2023.

"OK Boomer: A Conversation with Gen Z" will provide an opportunity for industry professionals to gain valuable insights from both sides of the generational divide. Engaging in an enlightening dialogue, Gen-Z personalities and programmers will join forces with experienced veterans to share their perspectives, goals, and priorities both in and outside the workplace. Together, they will share strategies to effectively connect with the incoming generations of new country consumers, thereby fostering growth and innovation within the genre.

CRB/CRS Executive Director RJ Curtis stated, "This panel was first presented at CRS in March, and now becomes a next-level CRS360 conversation between Gen Z and veteran programmers who will collaborate on ways to understand better each other's goals and priorities in and away from the workplace while simultaneously discussing how best to connect with incoming generations of new country consumers, too. It's a diverse panel of industry pros who share a common dedication to growing our genre."

To secure your spot to join "OK Boomer: A Conversation with Gen Z," please register here.

Fox News Digital Scores YOY Increases

• FOX News Marks 105 Consecutive Months as Most Engaged News Brand on Social Media

FOX News Digital finished May 2023 once again as the top-performing news organization in the competitive set in both multiplatform minutes and multiplatform views with year-over-year gains in key categories according to Comscore. Notably, CNN.com was down nearly 20% year-over-year with both multiplatform views and minutes. May marked eight consecutive months of FOX News Digital as the top news brand with multiplatform views and 27 consecutive months as number one with multiplatform minutes. FOX News Digital closed out the month reaching 3.1 billion total multiplatform minutes, 1.6 billion total multiplatform views, and 88 million multiplatform unique visitors.* FOX News Digital was the top news brand with 2.7 average views per visit. Additionally, the FOX News Mobile App reached 6.1 million unique visitors in May.**

FOX News was once again the most engaged brand on social media in the competitive set in May, with 30.8 million total social interactions, notching the 105th consecutive month FOX News has placed on top, according to Emplifi. FOX News drove 8.5 million interactions on Facebook, 18.8 million Instagram interactions and 3.5 million Twitter interactions. On YouTube, FOX News secured the top spot among news brands in video views for the 28th straight month with 187 million according to Shareablee.

Chad Lopez, Heather Cohen Elected to BFA Board

The Broadcasters Foundation of America has elected Chad Lopez, President of Red Apple Media and 77 WABC New York, and Heather Cohen, Executive Vice President of the Weiss Agency, to its Board of Directors. The new directors were voted in during the recent Foundation’s Board of Directors’ meeting in New York City.

“Chad and Heather are exceptional broadcast industry leaders, and they are a terrific addition to our Board of Directors,” said Scott Herman, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. “I look forward to working with them to continue our mission of helping broadcasters in dire need.”

June 15 Radio History

➦In 1910...David Rose born in London (Died at age 80 – August 23, 1990). He was a songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His best known compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody".

David Rose

He also wrote music for many television series, including It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, and Highway Patrol under the pseudonym "Ray Llewellyn." Rose's work as a composer for television programs earned him four Emmys.  In addition, he was musical director for The Red Skelton Show during its 21-year run on the CBS and NBC networks.

In Hollywood, Rose formed his orchestra, doing a twice-weekly radio show for Mutual Broadcasting System called California Melodies, writing all the broadcast arrangements. He worked his way up to becoming music director of the Mutual network. Rose's first try at composing was his hit song "Holiday for Strings". During World War II, Rose entered the Army first meeting Red Skelton while both were enlisted. Skelton asked Rose to become the conductor for his Raleigh Cigarette Program. Rose joined the cast in 1948 and worked with Skelton on his television show for over 20 years.

➦In 1917...Blind Country musician and songwriter Leon Payne was born in Alba Texas.

Leon Payne

He is perhaps best known for his hits “I Love You Because,” and “You’ve Still Got A Place In My Heart.”   He began his music career in the mid-1930s, playing a variety of musical instruments in public, and later performing on KWET radio in Palestine, Texas, starting in 1935.

He also had a stint playing with Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in 1938. Payne was a regular working musician at Jerry Irby’s nightclub in Houston, Texas. He joined his stepbrother, famed songwriter Jack Rhodes, and formed Jack Rhodes and The Lone Star Buddies in 1949. They performed regularly on the Louisiana Hayride show in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was later on the Grand Ole Opry.

He died from a heart attack Sep 11, 1969 at age 52.

➦In 1923...Erroll Garner born (Died at age 53 – January 2, 1977) He was a jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard. Scott Yanow of Allmusic calls him "one of the most distinctive of all pianists" and a "brilliant virtuoso."  He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6363 Hollywood Blvd.

Erroll Garner

Garner began playing piano at the age of three. His elder siblings were taught piano by Miss Bowman. From an early age, Erroll would sit down and play anything she had demonstrated, just like Miss Bowman, his eldest sister Martha said.  Garner was self-taught and remained an "ear player" all his life, never learning to read music.

At age seven, he began appearing on the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids. By age 11, he was playing on the Allegheny riverboats. At 14 in 1937, he joined local saxophonist Leroy Brown.

He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother Linton Garner. Garner moved to New York City in 1944.

➦In 1945...NBC Blue Network becomes the American Broadcasting Company.

The company’s history traces to 1926, when the Radio Corporation of America (now RCA Corporation) and two other firms founded the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to operate a nationwide radio broadcasting network.

NBC expanded so rapidly that by 1927 it found itself with an excess of affiliates in the same cities, so it split its programming into two separate networks, called the Red and the Blue networks.

D/FW Radio: KLUV Is Now The Spot

Audacy announces the launch of 98.7 The Spot (KLUV-FM) in Dallas. The station, previously known as 98.7 KLUV, will continue to provide Classic Hits favorites, including artists Journey, Madonna, Prince, Queen and more.

The station will launch with Vince Richards, Audacy Vice President of Programming, serving as Operations Manager. JT Springer will assume the role of Assistant Brand Manager in addition to his Brand Manager role for Dallas sister station 100.3 Jack FM (KJKK-FM).

“We’re thrilled to unveil the next chapter of KLUV’s history in the DFW and introduce 98.7 The Spot to our audience,” said Brian Purdy, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy. “The Spot will continue to serve as the home for the very best the Classic Hits format has to offer, featuring hits from over fifty years that our listeners crave.”

Additional on-air staff updates will be made in the coming weeks.

📻Listeners can tune in to 98.7 The Spot on air in Dallas and nationwide on the Audacy app and website. Fans can also connect with the station via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

2023 Radio Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

• Radio Industry Voting Begins Friday, June 16th

The Museum of Broadcast Communications announced today the selection of the RADIO HALL OF FAME 2023 nominees. The 24 nominees were chosen by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, with input from the radio industry and listeners.

Voting for inductees begins Friday, June 16, 2023, and runs through June 30th, at 11:59pm PT. The top six vote recipients will gain induction as part of the 2023 Radio Hall of Fame Induction class. The two additional inductees that will make up the eight-person induction class will be selected by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

More than 800 industry members will receive a confidential online ballot on Friday, June 16th, to cast votes for up to six nominated individuals. The confidential balloting process will be conducted by Votem.com, and overseen by Miller Kaplan‘s Andrew Rosen.

2023 Radio Hall of Fame inductees will be announced Monday, July 24th, and honored in-person at the 2023 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, November 2nd, at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel in New York City.

📻THE 2023 RADIO HALL OF FAME NOMINEES:

• Bert Weiss
• Bob Rivers
• Charles Laquidara
• Dyana Williams
• Gerry House
• Jaime Jarrin
• 
  John & Ken
• John DeBella
• Johnny Magic
• Kevin Matthews
• Kid Leo (Lawrence Travagliante)
• Larry Elder
• Laurie DeYoung
• Lee Harris
• Rev. Louise Williams Bishop
• Mark Simone
• Mary McCoy
• Matt Siegel
• Mojo in the Morning
• Monica May
• Nina Totenberg
• Pat St. John
• Shadoe Stevens
• Shelley “The Playboy” Stewart

Kraig T. Kitchin, Co-Chairman, Radio Hall of Fame, commented: “Congratulations to each of this year’s’ nominees on this recognition. Behind this slate of nominees, the Nominating Committee reviewed more than 2500 incoming suggestions from industry members and listeners before determining this group of talented individuals. Each nominee is deserving of induction, and I look forward to the results of the forthcoming confidential voting results.”

Dennis Green, Co-Chairman, Radio Hall of Fame, added: “On behalf of the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, I want to extend congratulations to this year’s slate of 24 nominees. It never ceases to amaze me when reviewing the accomplishments of the nominees how fortunate we as fans of radio are. These talented individuals have accomplished so much and made our medium special then, now, and hopefully for years to come. The Radio Hall of Fame is honored to recognize these talented individuals as nominees for this year’s Radio Hall of Fame.”

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations in 1991.

 

Miami Radio: WZTU To Air NFL Dolphins

iHeartMedia Miami today announced a new multi-year deal to become the Miami Dolphins Spanish language flagship radio broadcast partner. Beginning in the 2023 season, live gameday broadcasts will air on TÚ 94.9 FM (WZTU) with plans to expand affiliate stations in Florida, nationally, and internationally to make Dolphins games accessible to Latino fans in new markets.

TÚ 94.9 (WZTU) will carry all Miami Dolphins football game broadcasts and play-by-play coverage, as well as a pregame show and postgame show featuring interviews with guests from around the league. All shows will be available on the station’s website, the iHeartRadio app, and the game broadcasts can also be heard on Dolphins.com.

The Dolphins gameday broadcasts will feature the familiar voices of Roly Martin and Eduardo Martell, who have called Dolphins games a tandem since 2018.

Martin first joined the Dolphins Spanish radio team in 1985, beginning as a sideline reporter before making his way to the booth as color commentator in 1995 and moving to play-by-play duties from 2007-2009 and 2018-present. In addition, he has worked as a sportscaster on radio and TV in Miami since 1980 with WQBA, WLTV Channel 23, WCMQ, Telemundo 51, WSUA, and América TeVé, as well as the University of Miami Hurricanes Spanish Radio broadcasts.