Radio Broadcasting News Round-Up: October 5–9, 2026

🗼The Radio Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2026 on October 8 in Chicago (hosted by Bobby Bones). The eight honorees are Boomer Esiason (WFAN New York), Dennis Green (COO, Sun & Fun Media/Key Networks), Shotgun Tom Kelly (SiriusXM 60s Gold), Helen Little (WLTW New York), Bob Pittman (Chairman/CEO, iHeartMedia), Rickey Smiley (Urban One/Reach Media), Charlie Van Dyke (voiceover/veteran personality), and Fred Winston (Chicago veteran). Nine legends were also recognized posthumously.

🗼The Supreme Court, via Chief Justice John Roberts, paused a 4th Circuit order that had required the FCC to rule by noon on October 9 on Democratic candidates’ challenge to the agency’s public notice extending lowest-unit-charge political ad rates to party committees and joint fundraising committees. The pause (with responses due from challengers by October 10) keeps the expanded policy in place for now amid the midterms.⁠

🗼Nominations (Call for Entries) opened for the 52nd Annual Gracie Awards (honoring 2026 work by, for, and about women). Podcasts now have a dedicated division; new categories include local radio PSAs/community engagement and various video/podcast formats. Eligibility is January 1–December 31, 2026; early-bird deadline December 10, 2026; final January 21, 2027. National winners will be recognized May 25, 2027, in Beverly Hills.⁠

🗼Spotify renewed its multi-year licensing agreement with Joe Rogan for The Joe Rogan Experience (announced October 8). Terms are reportedly similar to the prior deal (estimated ~$250 million earnout); the show remains non-exclusive and available on other platforms, with new episodes continuing weekly. It has 18 million Spotify followers and ranked as a top podcast.⁠

🗼Audacy’s WCBS-FM (101.1, New York Classic Hits) launched “The Morning Show with Trey and Loren Raye” (Trey Morgan and Loren Raye) weekdays 6–10 a.m. ET, filling the slot left by Race Taylor’s September exit. Both have major-market experience, including New York and Boston.⁠

🗼The Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger closed October 6, valued at roughly $110–111 billion, creating the combined company Skydance under Chairman/CEO David Ellison (with co-CEO Ynon Kreiz). It unites major studios, networks (including CBS, CNN, MTV, TBS), and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max, with ~$70 billion in annual revenue (and significant debt). Shares trade as SKYD.⁠

🗼A federal judge in Washington heard arguments October 6 in Disney/ABC’s lawsuit seeking to block the FCC’s early review of licenses for its eight owned-and-operated stations (not due until 2028–2031). Disney argues the process (tied to employment-practice inquiries) chills First Amendment rights and is retaliatory; the FCC seeks dismissal on jurisdictional and procedural grounds. No immediate ruling; further filings were ordered.⁠

🗼Edison Research’s Q3 2026 Podcast Metrics (via SSRS) show YouTube as the platform used most often by U.S. weekly podcast consumers. Spotify ranks second (17%), Apple Podcasts third (9%), and Netflix seventh (3%). This underscores the shift toward video platforms.⁠

🗼Audacy Insights’ NFL Attention Index ranks top fandom markets by avidity/engagement/performance: Buffalo (135), New Orleans (120), Cincinnati (119), Dallas-Fort Worth and Kansas City (tied at 115), followed by Baltimore, Milwaukee, Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York (113), Philadelphia (111), and Columbus, OH (110). Audio is highlighted for high concentrations of avid sports fans.⁠

🗼WHYY named Fred Vigeant (formerly VP/Chief Audience Officer at WITF Harrisburg) as General Manager of WPSU (news/talk FM and PBS TV) in State College, PA, effective October 26. This follows WHYY’s October 1 acquisition of the Penn State-owned public media outlets.⁠

🗼K-Love closed its $2 million purchase of the 94.5 FM facility in the San Jose/Gilroy area from Connoisseur Media. The station is now KJNV-FM for Christian programming; Connoisseur retained the KBAY Country brand and moved it to 98.5 FM (with classic rock KUFX shifting to HD2/online).⁠Mediaconfidential.blogspot

🗼Urban One realigned programming across its Dallas-Fort Worth cluster: KBFB (97.9 The Beat) features Rickey Smiley in mornings (5 a.m.), Jazzi Black middays, Bryhana Monegain afternoons, and “Posted on the Corner” evenings; KKDA (K104) keeps DeDe McGuire mornings, with Michael Shawn middays, Hollywood Bay Bay afternoons, and Lil D evenings; KRNB shifts to a 1990s–today R&B focus as “105.7 RnB.”⁠

➤Look Ahead: October 12–16, 2026

• Watch for further developments in the political ad-rate litigation (as responses and potential Supreme Court action play out before the November midterms)
• The Disney/ABC license-review case (additional filings due). 
• Industry gatherings include the Ohio Association of Broadcasters Exchange (October 14)
• CBI National Student Media Convention (October 14–17 in Philadelphia). 

Broader themes such as audio’s role in sports fandom, podcast platform shifts, and post-merger integration at Skydance are likely to remain in focus, alongside any FCC agenda items or station-level programming moves.

Radio History: Oct 11

➦In 1919...Actress/voice actor Jean Vander Pyl was born in Philadelphia.  Her two main broadcast roles were as the wife Margaret in NBC Radio’s Father Knows Best, and as the voice of Wilma Flintstone in several cartoon series on TV.  She also provided the voice of Rosie the robot maid from the animated series The Jetsons,

She succumbed to lung cancer April 10 1999 at age 79

➦In 1936...the first radio quiz show premiered, "Professor Quiz".

➦In 1940...in New York City, Glenn Miller recorded “Make Believe Ballroom Time” for RCA Victor’s Bluebird label, featuring the vocal group The Modernaires for the first time. It would become the theme song for Make Believe Ballroom on WNEW, New York, with host Martin Block.

Martin Block

Block created the aura of doing a “live” radio program, complete with performers (on records) like Harry James or Frank Sinatra, from the “Crystal Studios” at WNEW. Copycat versions of the ‘Ballroom’ featured Keith Sandy at CKEY in Toronto, and Al Jarvis at KHJ Los Angeles.

In 1935, while listeners to New York's WNEW-AM in New York (now information outlet WBBR) were awaiting developments in the Lindbergh kidnapping, Block built his audience by playing records between the Lindbergh news bulletins. This led to his Make Believe Ballroom, which began February 3, 1935 creating the illusion that he was broadcasting from a ballroom with the nation’s top dance bands performing live. He bought some records from a local music shop for the program as the radio station had none. Block purchased five Clyde McCoy records, selecting his "Sugar Blues" for the radio show's initial theme song.

Because Block was told by the station's sales staff that nobody would sponsor a radio show playing music, he had to find himself a sponsor. Block lined up a producer of reducing pills called "Retardo"; within a week, the sponsor had over 3,000 responses to the ads on Block's radio show. Martin Block's style of announcing was considerably different than the usual manner of delivery at the time. Instead of speaking in a voice loud enough to be heard in a theater, Block spoke in a normal voice, as if he was having a one-on-one conversation with a listener.

➦In 1948...One of radio’s last premiering soap operas, “The Brighter Day”, took to the air for the first time on NBC. It’s interesting to take a look at the cast and see which names are still recognizable, like Hal Holbrook and William Redfield.  After six years on radio “Day” moved to TV.

➦In 1976...“Disco Duck (Part 1),” by Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots was the Number One songs on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. At the time he was a morning DJ at Memphis radio station WMPS.

Radio History: Oct 12

➦In 1937...'Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons' debuted on the NBC Blue Network.  It was one of radio's longest running shows, airing to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert W. Chambers' 1906 novel The Tracer of Lost Persons. The sponsors included Whitehall Pharmacal (as in Anacin, Kolynos Toothpaste, BiSoDol antacid mints, Hill's cold tablets and Heet liniment), Dentyne, Aerowax, RCA Victor and Chesterfield cigarettes. It aired on the NBC Blue network until 1947, when it switched to CBS.

➦In 1944...What would come to be known as the "Columbus Day Riot" took place in New York City, when 35,000 hysterical teenage girls crowded into the Paramount Theatre for a chance to see the return of Frank Sinatra. The crowd of teen "bobbysoxer" girls stopped traffic in Times Square and  refused to leave between shows.

➦In 1950…The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, sometimes called The Burns and Allen Show, made it debut on TV.   The is a half-hour series broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS.

Burns and Allen were headliners in vaudeville in the 1920s, and radio stars in the 1930s and 1940s.

Their show was initially staged live and broadcast every other Thursday at 8 pm ET. In fall 1952, it became a weekly series filmed on the West Coast. From March 1953 through September 1958, The Burns and Allen Show aired Mondays at 8 pm ET.

The show was an immediate success.

➦In 1955...Chrysler introduces the world's first sound system for it cars.  The system consisted of -- record player mounted under the dashboard.

➦In 1969...Pop Culture's "Paul is Dead" hoax began when Tom Zarski, a student at Eastern Michigan University, called WKNR in Detroit and informed DJ Russ Gibb on air of the rumor that Paul McCartney died in a car crash, perhaps as long ago as 1966. Zarski told Gibb that by playing a section of the band's "Revolution 9" backwards, a clue emerges: the phrase "Turn me on, dead man." Gibb proceeds to do just that. Many listeners were stunned.

Two days after the WKNR broadcast, The Michigan Daily published a satirical review of Abbey Road by University of Michigan student Fred LaBour under the headline "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light".  It identified various "clues" to McCartney's death on Beatles album covers, including new clues from the just-released Abbey Road LP. As LaBour had invented many of the clues, he was astonished when the story was picked up by newspapers across the United States. WKNR-FM further fuelled the rumor with a special two-hour program on the subject, "The Beatle Plot", which aired October 19, 1969.

In the early morning hours of October 21, 1969, Roby Yonge, a disc jockey at New York radio station 77WABC, discussed the rumor on the air for over an hour before being pulled off the air for breaking format. At that time of night, WABC's signal covered a wide listening area and could be heard in 38 states and at times, other countries.

Later that day, the Beatles' press office issued statements denying the rumour which were widely reported by national and international media.

Various 'clues' were used to suggest the following story: three years previously on November 9, 1966.  The rumored story was that McCartney, after an argument during a Beatles' recording session, had angrily driven off in his car. He had crashed it and died as a result. To spare the public from grief, the Beatles replaced him with "William Campbell", the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest.

➦In 1997...Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. died in a light plane accident (Born December 31, 1943). He was known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, activist, and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer.

John Denver 1974

After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s. Starting in the 1970s, he was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists. By 1974, he was one of America's best-selling performers, and AllMusic has described Denver as "among the most beloved entertainers of his era".

Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total sales of over 33 million records worldwide. He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his disdain for city life, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. Denver's music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning 12 gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song", "Rocky Mountain High", "Calypso", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Sunshine on My Shoulders".

DOJ Probing TWH Press Pool For Not Covering Select Events

The Justice Department is investigating ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC over whether their coordinated refusal to cover certain White House events amounted to an illegal group boycott under federal antitrust law.

The probe, announced Saturday, focuses on the television press pool’s decision to suspend shared coverage of select events after the Trump administration moved to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. DOJ spokesperson Emily Covington said in a statement that “members of the television press pool have proudly boycotted covering White House events” and that “group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act.” The Antitrust Division is examining whether the networks broke antitrust laws.

The networks were contacted Friday about the investigation, according to The New York Times, which cited six people familiar with the matter.

The dispute began Sept. 18, when President Trump said he was barring CNN, Politico, and MS NOW for publishing “purposely negative stories.” The three outlets sued, arguing the ban violated the First and Fifth Amendments. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order, later extended through the following Tuesday.

In response, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC declined to step into the rotation to replace CNN, creating gaps in the shared pool footage normally distributed worldwide. Coverage of events including Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit was affected. The pool resumed full rotation on Sept. 25.

TWH Unveils New Press Spox

President Trump on Friday appointed Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator, as White House press secretary, replacing Karoline Leavitt weeks before the November election.

Zacharia, a California native, is a communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, the platform where Trump frequently posts. She worked briefly at the Department of Homeland Security earlier in Trump’s second term and has appeared as a commentator on CNN, Fox News and Newsmax. Trump said she was also involved in his previous campaigns.

“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!”

Zacharia called serving Trump and the American people “the honor of a lifetime.”

R.I.P.: Mike Ditka, Football Player, Coach and TV Analyst

Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning coach who became the face of Chicago Bears football, died at 86, his family said Friday.

No one embodied the franchise more. Ditka was a Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, the coach of the 1985 Bears — the only team in franchise history to win a Super Bowl — and, for decades afterward, a ubiquitous television analyst and celebrity promoter. His face, once described as “a clenched fist,” even resembled the bear on the team logo and became familiar to millions, first as a player starting in 1961, then as Bears coach from 1982 to 1992, and finally from the broadcast booth.

After the Bears dismissed him following the 1992 season, Ditka moved almost immediately into television, joining NBC as an analyst on NFL Live and as a color commentator. Fired by the New Orleans Saints in 2000, he spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons as a studio analyst on CBS’s The NFL Today. He joined ESPN in 2004, appearing on Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live and Monday Night Countdown, and worked the booth for Monday Night Football games in 2007 and 2008 alongside Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. In 2016 ESPN shifted him to remote SportsCenter analysis so he could work from home. He also appeared regularly on Chicago’s ESPN 1000 radio.

NYC Radio: WFAN's Gio Escorted Off Private Flight

WFAN co-host Gregg Giannotti was barred from a private jet to Chicago on Thursday after he could not produce a REAL ID, preventing him from attending the Radio Hall of Fame ceremony Thursday where partner Boomer Esiason was inducted.

The pilot checked identification for the private flight carrying Esiason, WFAN executives and staff. When he reached Giannotti, the host offered only a standard driver’s license. According to Awful Announcing, the pilot asked if it was a REAL ID or enhanced ID; Giannotti said it was neither. After checking further, the pilot returned and told him, “We’ve got a problem. I can’t take you.” Giannotti was escorted off the plane while the rest of the group continued to Chicago.

Giannotti recounted the episode on Friday’s Boomer & Gio show. 

Carr Says FCC Would Defer To Hegseth On Execution

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says he would defer to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether to livestream the firing-squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter on public airwaves.

Carr, speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” stated that the Federal Communications Commission would ultimately follow Hegseth’s lead. “Ultimately we’re going to defer to Secretary Hegseth and his decision on how to move forward with this,” he said when asked about the proposed broadcast.

Hegseth announced earlier this week that the public would be able to watch a livestream of the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan was convicted in 2009 of killing 13 people and injuring 31 others in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.

Homeland Secretary Has Contentious News Briefing

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sparred with reporters Friday at a Washington briefing on a New York ICE shooting, cutting off questions he said were meant to change the subject and calling the exchange an example of “fake news.”

The briefing, held with ICE officials, was called to defend Thursday’s operation in the Marble Hill section of the Bronx and to blame New York’s sanctuary policies. Officers fired several rounds at 28-year-old Oscar Belgal as he was in a car with his 5-year-old son. Belgal was hit in the neck, treated, and held in a detention facility outside the state. Mullin said agents identified themselves, gave lawful orders, and did not know a child was in the car. He said Belgal accelerated, rammed vehicles, and drove toward officers, and he called Belgal a “gangbanger” and “thug” with a criminal record, including a grand larceny conviction and a pending 2025 drug case. The public outcry, Mullin said, should be aimed at Belgal, not the officers. “I’ll never apologize about our men and women doing their job,” he said.

Ella Langley Tulsa Concert Canceled After Threat

Ella Langley canceled her sold-out concert at Tulsa’s BOK Center on Friday night hours before showtime over a “serious security threat,” even though Tulsa police said they found no credible danger after multiple sweeps of the venue, Billboard is reporting.

Statements posted shortly before 5 p.m. CT on both Langley’s and the venue’s social media accounts said the show could not proceed. “Due to a serious security threat involving the safety of my fans, venue personnel, and the artist, Ella Langley’s scheduled performance tonight at BOK Center in Tulsa has been canceled,” the post read. It continued that “the safety and well-being of everyone involved is our absolute priority” and that ticket refund information would be forthcoming.