Boston Radio: The Sports Hub Tops; WEEI’s Morning Show Gaining

In the summer Nielsen Audio ratings, 98.5 The Sports Hub remained in the top spot overall and in mornings, midday, and afternoons, but one WEEI program made notable headway.

The Boston Globe reports The Sports Hub finished first overall from the period of June 22 to September 13 in the men 25-54 demographic with a 12.6 share. WEEI was fourth (6.2). Last summer, The Sports Hub was first (17.3), while WEEI was tied for fifth (4.9).

In morning drive (6-10 a.m), The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich” program finished first (15.3), but WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” made a significant leap, finishing second (11.6). A summer ago, T&R had a huge 24.2 share, while Hill’s show was seventh (5.2).

In middays (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” show earned a first-place 15.3 share. WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” was fourth (6.8).

In afternoon drive (2-6 p.m.), The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” continued its long-running dominance with a 16.9 share. WEEI’s “Jones and Mego” tied for ninth at 3.8.

In the 6-7 p.m. window, The Sports Hub’s Tony Massarotti-hosted “The Baseball Hour,” took first (10.4 share). In the same hour, WEEI, which aired the Red Sox pregame show in that window, managed just a 2.4 share, tied for 15th.

The Sports Hub’s evening program (7 p.m.-midnight), hosted by Joe Murray, was second (6.7), while WEEI, which had Red Sox broadcasts and “The Rich Keefe Show” in that window, finished tied for ninth (3.9).

Sales Tank For Murdoch Hit Book

Michael Wolff’s latest book, The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Empire, has hit The New York Times bestseller list at No. 14 for hardcover non-fiction, even though numbers obtained by The Daily Beast show just over 3,000 copies, including pre-orders, have been purchased in the first week. 

As of Wednesday evening, The Fall had sold 3,219 copies in total, according to The Daily Beast citing a Circana Book Scan. 

That’s quite a comedown from Wolff’s 2018 book Fire and Fury, which sold 200,000 copies in its first week and over a million in total. The Fall made a splash before it was ever published, with Tucker Carlson and Ron DeSantis denying a claim that DeSantis shoved and possibly kicked the TV host’s dog. Dominion Voting Systems and Fox also denied Wolff’s assertion that Carlson was fired as a result of a settlement.

Chattanooga Radio: WGOW Launches End Zone Athletic Promotion

Cumulus Media announces that WGOW/Talk Radio 102.3 FM’s SportsTalk in Chattanooga, TN, has joined with Coca-Cola, the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics, and Warren & Griffin, to award $3,000 to a local Chattanooga-area high school’s athletic program. The promotion celebrates the 30th anniversary season of the Coca-Cola Red Zone.

Listeners may visit www.wgow.com to nominate their favorite local high school athletic program by submitting an online entry form with their name, the name of the school being nominated, and a brief description of what makes that school’s program stand out.

Scott ‘Quake’ McMahen, Co-Host, Talk Radio 102.3 FM’s SportTalk, said: “We want to hear great stories from local schools celebrating how athletics is a positive part of education and invite all area high schools to submit their most inspiring stories.”

Joe ‘Cowboy’ Varner, Co-Host, Talk Radio 102.3 FM’s SportsTalk, noted: “Sports made a huge impact on our lives, and we want to honor the schools, athletic programs, and student athletes throughout this region.”

10/5 WAKE-UP CALL: The House Is Not a Home

Republicans started announcing their plans to run for speaker of House. A day after Kevin McCarthy was removed from the post, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and conservative Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, stepped into the fray Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, chair of the Republican Study Committee, reportedly said he intends to run. A Hern spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) said candidates would make their pitches next Tuesday in hopes of voting the following Wednesday. House business, including efforts to fund the federal government before a November deadline, was put on hold until then. McCarthy was booted in a 216-210 vote following months of fighting with hard-right conservatives, days after he had engineered legislation to avoid a shutdown.

GOP lawmakers float Trump for House speaker after McCarthy's ousting https://t.co/6oIOpT72j1

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 5, 2023

➤TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE HAS HISSY FIT: The Manhattan judge deciding Donald Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial lost his cool on Wednesday — slamming his hand on the bench and snapping, “This is ridiculous” — as the former president’s lawyers grilled his ex-accountant over inconsistent testimony.  The judge’s annoyed reaction came after Trump’s side claimed that Donald Bender, a partner at accounting firm Mazars USA, was evading their questions. The attorneys had also repeatedly insisted they needed to meticulously go through Trump’s financial records with Bender “year by year.” 

“Don’t waste time,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron said sternly. Trump attorney Jesus Suarez had spent part of Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday morning cross-examining Bender — and said he would continue with the questioning through the end of the day. “This is ridiculous!” Engoron said, hitting his hand on the bench. “Mr. Bender isn’t on trial here." Trump attorney, Christopher Kise, said the only things Bender “seems to recall are what the government wants him to recall.”

➤UAW, FORD REPORT PROGRESS: Negotiators for the United Auto Workers and Ford Motor have narrowed their differences on pay increases after a new offer from the automaker amid "really active" talks, people familiar with the bargaining among the Detroit Three automakers and the union said on Wednesday. UAW President Shawn Fain plans to update the union's 150,000 members at Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis on Friday, a person briefed on the union's plans said. It is not clear whether Fain will order a fresh round of walkouts, or declare sufficient progress has been made to delay strikes at additional plants.

➤WORKERS STRIKE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM: More than 75,000 nurses, pharmacists and other employees of the Kaiser Permanente health system walked off the job in the largest U.S. healthcare strike on record. Their contracts expired, and the unions couldn’t reach an agreement with Kaiser about increasing wages. Kaiser said that it would use temporary workers, but if needed, postpone appointments and expand its network to retail pharmacies and non-Kaiser hospitals. The system serves 12.7 million members at 40 hospitals and more than 620 medical offices, mostly on the West Coast but also in Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland and Virginia. The strike, which is scheduled to last as long as three days, involves workers in five states and Washington, D.C.

➤BIDEN OKs STUDENT FOREGIVENESS: U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his administration has approved an additional $9 billion in student debt relief for 125,000 borrowers. Biden has said he will pursue new measures to provide student loan relief to Americans after the Supreme Court blocked his plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. The president said the latest announcement brought the total approved debt cancellation by the his administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans.

Taylor Swift is ‘only person’ who could defeat Trump in 2024, ex-aide Alyssa Farah Griffin declares https://t.co/n0gYllJFRO pic.twitter.com/x1X1urygAB

— New York Post (@nypost) October 5, 2023

➤SEVERAL MILES OF BORDER WALL TO BE BUILT: The Biden administration will waive 26 federal laws to allow several miles of border wall construction in South Texas, leading former President Donald Trump to argue that his signature policy was correct all along. The Department of Homeland Security posted the announcement on the US Federal Registry on Wednesday, allowing the construction in Starr County, Texas, part of a busy Border Patrol sector seeing 'high illegal entry.'  'There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas,' DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (main) stated in the notice.

TV Ratings: FOX News Tops With Total Viewers

With Nielsen live plus same day data for the week of Sept. 25, 2023 officially in, Fox News Channel remained in its usual position as the top-rated cable news network in total viewers and among Adults 25-54, reports TV Newser.

Benefiting from its primetime simulcast of the Fox Business-Univision Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, Sept. 27, Fox News averaged 2.18 million viewers and 274,000 Adults 25-54 in primetime this past week, +25% and +47% respectively, from what the network averaged the previous, debate-less week (the week of Sept. 18). Fox’s 2.18 million total primetime viewer average puts it at No. 1 on all of basic cable, and the 274,000 A25-54 primetime viewer average is No. 2 on all of basic cable, only behind ESPN.

Additionally, FNC averaged 1.2 million total viewers and 148,000 A25-54 viewers in total day, +10% and +12%, respectively, from the week prior. The 1.2 million total viewer average is No. 1 on all of basic cable, while the 148,000 A25-54 average in total day is No. 2 on all of basic cable; same as primetime.

CNN and MSNBC also saw ratings growth from the previous week (though not to the same degree as Fox News).

MSNBC averaged 1.52 million viewers and 138,000 Adults 25-54 in primetime, +22% and +23% respectively, from what the network averaged the previous week. The network’s Monday primetime ratings received a boost from Rachel Maddow’s sit-down with former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

CNN averaged 574,000 total viewers and 113,000 Adults 25-54 in primetime for the week of Sept. 25, +12% and +16% respectively, from what the network averaged the previous week (Sept. 18). The 574,000 total primetime viewer average is No. 8 on all of basic cable, and the 113,000 A25-54 primetime viewer average for the week is No. 16 on all of basic cable.

Edison Tracks Growth In Podcast Listening Time

In the case of podcasting, Edison Research this week shows that the percentage of Americans age 12 and older who listen to podcasts each week has grown from 8% in 2014 to 31% today, just shy of a four-fold increase. The Infinite Dial measures people.

In parallel, Edison Research tracks time spent with all forms of audio in our Share of Ear® report. In Share of Ear, respondents keep a detailed one-day audio usage diary, reporting what they listen to and how long they listen.

As such, Edison can also track the change in time spent with different kinds of audio. One of the biggest changes they have seen over that same number of years is time spent with podcasts.

As the graph below shows, in 2014, Americans age 13 and older spent an average of 5.6 minutes per day listening to podcasting. Today, that number is 25.5 minutes – in this case an increase of more than 4 ½ times the previous level.

Look a little more closely, a fascinating detail emerges. These averages are considerably affected by how many people report they listened to any podcasts at all on their diary day. Among the much smaller group that was listening in 2014 – they were listening a lot – 104.1 minutes per day. A small, passionate group giving a lot of time to this developing platform.

The current estimate? Among today’s much larger group of daily podcasting listeners – the average is nearly identical. Currently, podcast listeners report listening 104.9 minutes per day. Way more people, same level of passion.

Canton OH Radio: Mix 94.1 FM Goes Live Mornings

Mix 94-1/WHBC-FM has announced the debut of our brand-new morning show, Mix Mornings with Matt Fantone.

Fantone was previously heard as Mix 94-1’s “at work/midday” personality from April 2022 to September 2023. Fantone is no stranger to morning drive in the Hall Of Fame City. For many years, he was heard doing mornings at crosstown rival Rock 106.9.

The new show will be live and locally-based, with an emphasis on all things Canton and Stark County. Local news, weather, sports information, contests, guests and a mix of current and recent pop hits. The show replaces the long-running Dave & Jimmy show, based out of Columbus, which is no longer available via syndication.

US Ad Revenue at Musk's X Declined Each Month Since Takeover

Monthly U.S. ad revenue at social media platform X has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since billionaire Elon Musk bought the company formerly known as Twitter in October 2022, according to third-party data provided to Reuters.

Reuters reports the company has struggled to retain some advertisers since the takeover, as brands have been wary of rapid changes under Musk's ownership. X's chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, is expected to meet on Thursday with bank lenders who helped finance Musk's acquisition to outline the company's business plans, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Google Accused of Illegal Methods To Push Up Ad Prices

A lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department pressed a Google executive on Wednesday about techniques the search and advertising giant used to push up online advertising prices in an allegedly unfair way, according to Reuters.

Testifying at a once-in-a-generation antitrust trial in Washington where the United States has accused Google of abusing its dominance of search and some advertising, Google executive Adam Juda said the company uses a formula, which includes the quality of an ad, to decide who wins auctions that are used to place advertising on websites.

Salem Media To Sell Its Salem Church Product Business

Salem Media Group, Inc. announced Wednesday that it entered into an agreement to sell its Salem Church Products business to Gloo, LLC for $30 million. When the transaction closes, scheduled for November 1, the parties will also enter into a $10 million multi-year agreement for Salem to advertise the Gloo platform’s products and services across Salem’s radio and digital platform that serves the Christian audience.

Salem Church Products creates and distributes resources for churches and ministries in the areas of church media, worship, children’s ministry, preaching, teaching and employment through online resources including WorshipHouse Media, SermonSearch, ChurchStaffing, Children’s Ministry Deals and many others.

Radio History: October 5

➦In 1912...Tony Marvin was born (Died at age 86 – October 10, 1998). He was a staff announcer for CBS, and later became most known as the long-time announcer for Arthur Godfrey. He was also the original voice of 'Tony the Tiger'.

Tony Marvin

Marvin's first job in radio was at WNYC in New York City. From there, he went to CBS as a staff announcer, beginning October 1, 1939. A 1959 article in Radio and Television Mirror reported that at CBS "Tony did everything from daytime serials to symphonies and in 1946, when the Arthur Godfrey morning show was sustaining, Tony was assigned to it." When Godfrey's activities expanded from Arthur Godfrey Time to include Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and Arthur Godfrey and his Friends, Marvin did the announcing for those shows as well.

Marvin branched out in 1958, adding a two-hour, Monday-Saturday disc jockey show on WABC to his other duties.  In 1961, Marvin became host of My True Story, a radio drama that moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System after having been on ABC and NBC for a total of 17 years. That same year he became a newscaster for Mutual.

In his later years, Marvin had two more stints with programs on local radio stations. In 1976, he had a four-hour afternoon show, "Tony's Time," on WATR in Waterbury, Connecticut.  Beginning in 1977, Marvin had a show on WDJZ in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which at the time was one of the first radio stations playing the "Music of Your Life" format, consisting primarily of music from the big band era. In 1981, Marvin came out of retirement to do "The Tony Marvin Show," a one-hour program broadcast live from the Palm Beach Hilton on WKAO. He said, "I want to bring back live radio." The show originated in the hotel's dining room and featured an orchestra.

➦In 1921....the first World Series to air on radio got underway between the New York Yankees and Giants. KDKA Pittsburgh and WJZ New York broadcast direct from the Polo Grounds, while WBZ Springfield and announcer Thomas Cowan recreated the games in their studios from reports phoned in from the stadium.

➦In 1925...WSM-AM in Nashville signed-on.

WSM is primarily associated with country music through its weekly Saturday night program, the Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio program in history.

The Opry began as the WSM Barn Dance in 1925, but after only about a year on the air, the program's host, "Judge" Hay, referred to the programming as being "Grand Ole Opry" in contrast to the preceding grand opera program on NBC.

In 1932, WSM boosted its power to 50,000 watts, becoming Tennessee's first clear-channel station.

Massive Emergency Alert Test Today: 'This Is Only A Test'

Today at 2:20 p.m. EDT, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert.

It's a test – only a test.

Officially, the trial is called the Nationwide Emergency Alert Test. You know it's a test and not an actual emergency because it's accompanied by an explanation of the test.

No, it's not a national conspiracy to infect people with nanoparticles, reports USA Today. Yes, it does go back all the way to the Cold War in the 1950s. No, we can't play you the tone – we could get hit with a big fine if we did.

But mostly the test is an important way to make sure that if something really bad – and really big – happens, Americans can be warned quickly.

Here's what to know about the test:

What is the emergency alert test? How does it work?

The national test consists of two parts, which occur in conjunction with one another, in order to test the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts, according to FEMA.

The WEA will be directed to all cellphones, while the EAS will notify all radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.

The message will be heard and seen pretty much everywhere. It's being conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio companies and cellphones networks.

All across the United States, broadcast TV shows and radio will be interrupted as the emergency message goes out. That message will say:

“This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public."

Cellphones will get the warning as a tone, a vibration and as a text message:

“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

Phones on which the main menu set to Spanish will see this: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

When will the emergency alert test happen?

The alert will air at the same moment across every time zone in the country starting at 2:20 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  The time will vary across time zones, so look to see when you might be alerted. 

• 2:20 p.m. EDT
• 1:20 p.m. CDT
• 12:20 p.m. MDT
• 11:20 a.m. PDT
• 10:20 a.m. ADT
• 8:20 a.m. HST

The test is scheduled to last approximately one minute. It will only go out once, there will be no repeats.

Campbell Brown Exits Meta As VP Media Partnerships

Meta said Campbell Brown, the company’s top executive responsible for handling partnerships with news publishers, is leaving the company after seven years.

CNBC reports the company said Tuesday that Brown, who was previously an anchor for NBC News and CNN, will become a consultant, stepping down from the position of vice president of media partnerships.

Campbell Brown

Brown’s team will be incorporated into another group encompassing media and sports partnerships development and operations, Meta said.

Brown joined Meta in 2017, when the company, then known as Facebook, was facing stout criticism for its handling of the spread of misinformation in the lead up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Brown was hired for her journalistic pedigree.

Part of Brown’s role was to act as a liaison between the company and the many different news publishers who relied on the platform to distribute articles to readers. Meta has for years had a rocky relationship with news publishers, who were frustrated with some of the company’s various changes, such as deprioritizing the recommendation of news to users in favor of more entertainment and short-form video.

Meta has been investing heavily in its Reels short-video feature to compete with TikTok, underscoring the company’s efforts to deemphasize news on its social apps.

R.I.P.: Mark 'Friedo' Friedman, D/FW Sports Radio Host, Producer

Mark Friedman

Longtime Dallas sports radio host and producer Mark Friedman, known by friends, listeners and coworkers as “Friedo,” has died. Friedman’s brother announced the news in a Facebook post on Monday.

The Dallas Morning News reports Friedman spent over two decades working in Dallas sports radio, starting at 570 KLIF in 1994 and eventually joining host Norm Hitzges in moving to 1310 The Ticket [KTCK-AM] in 2000, where he worked as a producer on Hitzges’ mid-morning show. Friedman had also been serving as the editor and digital producer for Hitzges’ new podcast.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of my brother’s passing,” Joel Friedman posted on Facebook. “Many of you knew about his health battle over the past several years, and he had been doing remarkably well considering everything he had gone through.”

Mary and I are simply devastated by the sudden death of my 30-year-plus wonderful friend Mark Friedman. I'd talked to Friedo 4-5 times last week alone. He was the editor and digital producer for our new podcast "Just Wondering...with Norm Hitzges."

— Norm Hitzges (@NormsClubhouse) October 2, 2023

Matt Shepard Out as TV Voice of MLB Tigers

Matt Shepard

Matt Shepard, a staple on the airwaves of Metro Detroit for decades, is out after five years as the television play-by-play voice of the Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit. Bally officials informed Shepard of their decision during a Tuesday morning meeting.

The Detroit News reports a national search soon will commence to find Shepard's replacement.

"Bally Sports Detroit thanks Matt Shepard for his five seasons of dedication in the Tigers television booth, and wishes him the best in his future endeavors," Greg Hammeran, senior vice president and general manager of Bally Sports Detroit, said in a statement to The Detroit News. "He's been a great teammate and has an incredible passion for Detroit sports and bringing compelling storylines to millions of fans every year.

"Change is often difficult, but we feel it's time to head in a new direction and are looking forward to the process of finding our next play-by-play voice of the Tigers."

Matt Shepard spent five seasons as the television play-by-play voice of the Detroit Tigers.

Shepard, 58, was named the Tigers' TV voice in January 2019, months after longtime team broadcasters Mario Impemba and Rod Allen were fired following an altercation after a White Sox-Tigers game in Chicago.

Shepard filled in on the broadcasts for the rest of 2018, and was the natural fit to be promoted, despite a national search that included more than 50 interviews.