Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Politicized NBA: Championship TV Ratings Tank

Nielsen Media Research reports that 5.6 million viewers tuned in to ABC to watch the Los Angeles Lakers top the Miami Heat to capture the NBA title Sunday night, the lowest-rated Finals series on record.

The Hill reports the series, which included the league's biggest star in LeBron James and the second-largest market in Los Angeles, was played from the NBA's coronavirus bubble at Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., without fans in attendance.

The 5.6 million viewers for the Finals was less than half the number who tuned in for a regular season "Sunday Night Football" match-up between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, which drew 11.4 million on NBC.

For context, last year's NBA Finals Game 6 between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors delivered 18.34 million viewers, while Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls drew 36.9 million in 1998 for their Game 6 victory over the Utah Jazz.

An ESPN documentary series that aired in May on Jordan's career in Chicago matched Lakers-Heat on Sunday night, averaging 5.6 million viewers across its eight parts.

The NBA has been criticized by President Trump and some Republican lawmakers for becoming too political in embracing the Black Lives Matter movement.

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The Rundown: Barrett States Originalist Views

DEMS WARN OF ACA OVERTURNED AS CONFIRMATION HEARINGS BEGIN: The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett began before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, during which Barrett spoke about her originalist judicial philosophy, in line with that of her mentor, the conservative late Justice Antonin Scalia, while Democrats charged that she's a threat to overturn the Affordable Care Act, taking Americans' health insurance away during a pandemic. Barrett said in her remarks that Americans, quote, "deserve an independent Supreme Court that interprets our Constitution and laws as they are written, and stated, "Courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life." Republicans on the committee praised Barrett and what they touted as her sterling credentials, while also pushing back as one Democrat after another contended she'd strike down the ACA, with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse calling her nomination a, quote, "judicial torpedo" aimed at the health care law and its protections for people with preexisting conditions. Barrett has criticized the Supreme Court's two earlier major rulings upholding the ACA, but Senator Chuck Grassley was among the Republicans dismissing the Democrats' warnings, calling the claims "outrageous," and Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana saying they were "unfair."

 
After yesterday's opening statements, Barrett will today face questions from the committee members. The Republican-led Senate is fast-tracking Barrett's nomination to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat with just three weeks until the presidential election. As a conservative who'd take over the liberal Ginsburg's seat, Barrett would shift the high court's balance to a 6-3 conservative majority from the current 5-4. 


No Supreme Court justice has ever been confirmed so close to a presidential election, and Democrats have insisted the election winner should fill Ginsburg's seat. They cite Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016 refusing to allow a vote on then-President Barack Obama's nominee to fill Scalia's seat after he died in February, with McConnell saying that with the election nine months away, the winner should fill the seat, something he has now reversed on with Trump in office.
Tampa Bay Times 10/13/20

➤TRUMP HOLDS RALLY IN FLORIDA, HIS FIRST SINCE GETTING COVID-19: President Trump held a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, on Monday, his first since contracting Covid-19 and one week since being released from the hospital. As at Trump's rallies before he got sick with the coronavirus, there was no social distancing of the crowd and most people didn't wear masks, and Trump praised his handling of the pandemic that has killed more than 215,000 in the U.S., saying, "Under my leadership, we’re delivering a safe vaccine and a rapid recovery like no one can even believe. If you look at our upward path, no country in the world has recovered the way we have recovered." He also again mocked former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign efforts to protect against spread of the coronavirus. Speaking for about an hour, Trump said he felt great -- joking that he was healthy enough to give people in the crowd, quote, "a big fat kiss" -- and contended he's no longer contagious and is now "immune," stating, "I feel so powerful." Trump will be holding more rallies this week, including in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, and back in Florida again. 



As Trump left Washington for his Florida rally, his physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released an update on his health that said the president had tested negative for the coronavirus and had done so on consecutive days. He said that, along with other data, including viral load, led him to conclude Trump was no longer contagious.

➤BIDEN CAMPAIGNS IN OHIO: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden campaigned in Ohio Monday, making two stops in the former swing state that has trended Republican in recent years as he tries to expand the battleground map to a state Trump won by eight percentage points four yeas ago. The former vice president accused Trump of having abandoned the working class voters who helped him win Rust Belt states, and charged he'd mishandled the coronavirus pandemic, worsening the economic impact. Biden also took aim at Trump's actions since getting sick with the coronavirus, saying what he called the president's "reckless personal conduct since his diagnosis" has been "unconscionable," adding, "The longer Donald Trump is president, the more reckless he gets."

➤CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TRIAL PAUSED OVER 'UNEXPLAINED ILLNESS': Johnson & Johnson revealed last night that a late-stage study of its coronavirus vaccine candidate has been paused while what it called a study participant's "unexplained illness" is investigated to see if it's related to the vaccine. No more information was disclosed about the illness. Johnson & Johnson said that illness, accidents and other adverse events, quote, "are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies." This is at least the second such pause to take place among the several vaccine candidates that are now in large-scale final tests in the U.S. 


Cases Rising Again: That news came as Covid cases are again rising in the U.S., with dozens of states seeing increases, a worrying trend as we head into the colder months, when experts have warned of greater spread because people will be spending more time indoors. As of yesterday, 31 states reported more new cases this past week than the week before, and nine states reported record hospitalizations from the disease on Sunday -- Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The U.S. has had more than 215,000 deaths as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's county, and more than 7,804,000 confirmed cases.



⚾BRAVES TOP DODGERS 5-1 IN NLCS GAME 1: The Atlanta Braves topped the L.A. Dodgers 5-1 in the opening game of the National League Championship Series last night. The Braves were sparked to victory by a ninth-inning, four-run rally, that began with Austin Riley leading off with a tie-breaking home run. After Atlanta brought home another run on a double and a single, Ozzie Albies blasted a two-run homer. The game was played before some 11,500 fans at the neutral site of Globe Life Field, the new Texas Rangers ballpark, which was about 28 percent of its capacity, the first game this season at which fans were allowed. Game 2 will be played today.

⚾RAYS TAKE 2-0 ALCS LEAD WITH 4-2 WIN OVER ASTROS: The Tampa Bay Rays took a 2 games to none lead in the American League Championship Series yesterday with a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. Manual Margot hit a three-run home run for the Rays in the first inning, and then made a stellar catch in the second while falling over the right field wall at Petco Park, the San Diego Padres home stadium that's serving as a neutral site for the ALCS. Game 3 is set for tonight.

🏈SAINTS DEFEAT CHARGERS 30-27 IN OVERTIME: The New Orleans Saints defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 30-27 at home last night, getting the win on Wil Lutz's 36-yard field goal in overtime. The Saints rallied for the win after being down 17 points in the second quarter, with Drew Brees going 33 of 47 for 325 yards and throwing for a touchdown, becoming at age 41 the oldest quarterback with more than 32 completions in a game. 

 

➤BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER JOE MORGAN DEAD AT 77: Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who won two World Series championships with the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and '76, died on Sunday at age 77, his family announced yesterday (October 12th). Morgan was a two-time National League MVP, a 10-time All-Star and won five Gold Gloves in his 22-year career. Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, who was Morgan's teammate on the Reds, told AP yesterday, "Joe Morgan was quite simply the best baseball player I played against or saw." After his playing career ended, Morgan became a baseball announcer, including for ESPN, NBC, ABC and CBS, and was analyst for ESPN’s Sunday night telecasts for 20 years until 2010.

➤PRESCOTT FACING FOUR TO SIX MONTHS REHAB AFTER ANKLE SURGERY: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went home from the hospital Monday afternoon, one day after undergoing surgery for a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that he suffered during the Cowboys game against the New York Giants earlier Sunday. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he spoke with Prescott and described him as being "in very good spirits." ESPN cited a source as saying Prescott is facing four to six months of rehab.

➤RENTERIA OUT AS WHITE SOX MANAGER: The Chicago White Sox announced Monday that Rick Renteria won't be returning as manger. Renteria led Chicago to a 35-25 record in the coronavirus-shortened season and their first appearance in the playoffs in 12 years, but they lost to the Oakland A's in their first-round series. Renteria became manager when he was promoted from bench coach in October 2016.

➤FALCONS NAME MORRIS INTERIM HEAD COACH: One day after firing Dan Quinn, the Atlanta Falcons on Monday announced defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as interim head coach. Morris was in his sixth season with the Falcons and his first as defensive coordinator, but has past head coaching experience, having led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011. Quinn was fired Sunday night after a loss earlier in the day gave Atlanta a 0-5 start to the season.
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Disney’s Kareem Daniel Rises From An Intern to Streaming Czar


The Walt Disney Company has announced a strategic reorganization of its media and entertainment businesses. 

Under the new structure, Disney’s world-class creative engines will focus on developing and producing original content for the Company’s streaming services, as well as for legacy platforms, while distribution and commercialization activities will be centralized into a single, global Media and Entertainment Distribution organization. The new Media and Entertainment Distribution group will be responsible for all monetization of content—both distribution and ad sales—and will oversee operations of the Company’s streaming services. It will also have sole P&L accountability for Disney’s media and entertainment businesses.

The creation of content will be managed in three distinct groups—Studios, General Entertainment, and Sports—headed by current leaders Alan F. Horn and Alan Bergman, Peter Rice, and James Pitaro. The Media and Entertainment Distribution group will be headed by Kareem Daniel, formerly President, Consumer Products, Games and Publishing. All five leaders will report directly to Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products will continue to operate under its existing structure, led by Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, who continues to report to Chapek. Rebecca Campbell will serve as Chairman, International Operations and Direct-to-Consumer. Bob Iger, in his role as Executive Chairman, will continue to direct the Company’s creative endeavors.

Kareen Chapek
“Given the incredible success of Disney+ and our plans to accelerate our direct-to-consumer business, we are strategically positioning our Company to more effectively support our growth strategy and increase shareholder value,” Chapek said. “Managing content creation distinct from distribution will allow us to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it. Our creative teams will concentrate on what they do best—making world-class, franchise-based content—while our newly centralized global distribution team will focus on delivering and monetizing that content in the most optimal way across all platforms, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and the coming Star international streaming service.”

Under the new structure, the Company’s three content groups will be responsible and accountable for producing and delivering content for theatrical, linear and streaming, with the primary focus being the Company’s streaming services:

➤STUDIOS: Horn and Bergman will serve as Chairmen, Studios Content, which will focus on creating branded theatrical and episodic content based on the Company’s powerhouse franchises for theatrical exhibition, Disney+ and the Company’s other streaming services. The group will include the content engines of The Walt Disney Studios, including Disney live action and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures.

➤GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT: Rice will serve as Chairman, General Entertainment Content, which will focus on creating general entertainment episodic and original long-form content for the Company’s streaming platforms and its cable and broadcast networks. The group will include the content engines of 20th Television, ABC Signature and Touchstone Television; ABC News; Disney Channels; Freeform; FX; and National Geographic.

➤SPORTS: Pitaro will serve as Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, which will focus on ESPN’s live sports programming, as well as sports news and original and non-scripted sports-related content, for the cable channels, ESPN+, and ABC.

The Media and Entertainment Distribution group, led by Mr. Daniel, will be responsible for the P&L management and all distribution, operations, sales, advertising, data and technology functions worldwide for all of the Company’s content engines, and it will also manage operations of the Company’s streaming services and domestic television networks. The group will work in close collaboration with the content creation teams on programming and marketing.

The Wall Street Journal reports the new alignment pushes Disney’s streaming platforms, including Disney+ and Hulu, even closer to the center of the company. The various programming arms, including movie and television studios, will be aiming to feed those streaming services, not just legacy outlets.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek said the moves are a recognition of how consumers are changing their consumption habits, favoring streaming platforms over movie theaters and traditional broadcast and cable channels.

The bulk of Disney’s revenue still comes from its legacy businesses, including cable programming networks such as ESPN, Disney Channel and Freeform, which have suffered declines in subscribers and ratings due to cable cord-cutting.

Ratings for the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were far below past years, amid competition with other live sports such as the National Football League. The fact the basketball playoffs were played at all during the pandemic—in an Orlando “bubble”—was viewed by many in the sports world as a success that averted a disaster for the league and its TV partners.

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CBS News Leads All Nets With Most 2020 Murrow Awards


The Radio, Television & Digital News Association (RTDNA)  has announced that CBS News –for whom Edward R Murrow worked his entire career– is taking home eight Murrow Awards this year, the most of any news network, reports TV Newser.

CBS News TV took five and CBS News Radio won three, including the Overall Excellence award, which it won for the third straight year.

The Radio Division was recognized for Best Audio Newscast for the seventh straight time.  This year’s was for Hurricane Michael coverage, with Jeff Glor reporting from Panama City Beach, Fla., and Steve Kathan anchoring from New York.

Coverage of the Parkland school shooting earned the staff the Breaking News award for the third straight time for a report by ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­correspondent Peter King, who was the first network radio reporter at the school  covering the tragic story and the weeks to follow.

CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman won two Murrows this year, one for A Facebook Post that Sparked Hope, a feature on his On the Road series for the CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning.  The end-piece about a would-be victim making friends with the Nigerian scam artist who targeted him won for best feature and best writing.

RTDNA’s Best Documentary Television award goes to 39 Days a co-production of 48 Hours and CBS This Morning. The hour followed the rise of a student activist movement born on the first day of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to the March for our Lives in Washington.

The other two awards for television go to 60 Minutes. Scott Pelley’s report Mancini’s Brain, which looked at new evidence that PTSD can be caused by physical damage, won for Best Hard News report. Steve Kroft’s Flying Under the Radar, about Allegiant Air, the discount airline with a high inflight breakdown record, takes the Best Investigative Reporting award.

In radio... Entercom congratulatd its KNX 1070 News Radio for being awarded a National Murrow Award, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). Southern California’s only 24-hour news and traffic station was recognized for its outstanding achievements in electronic journalism in the award’s Overall Excellence in Large Market Radio category.

And all of the 2020 Murrow Award Winners Are...Click

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Nashville Radio: Big Things Happening For WSIX's Host Bobby Bones

Bobby Bones and Caitlyn Parker

WSIX The Big 98 and syndicated morning host Bobby Bones is returning to American Idol, reports deadline.com. Bones—who also just announced his engagement to girlfriend Caitlin Parker—has inked a deal to return as an in-house mentor on Idol.

Bones joins Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and host Ryan Seacrest. The music competition will return in 2021.

“The Bobby Bones Show,” which broadcasts to over 170 stations and recently garnered its second Country Music Association Award for National Broadcast Personality of the Year and fourth ACM Award for National On-Air Personality of the Year. The show also earned Bones the title of youngest-ever inductee into the prestigious National Radio Hall of Fame. Bones also launched his own podcast, “BobbyCast,” which features candid long-form interviews with top artists and industry figures and has been downloaded nearly 20 million times.



Additionally, Bones won season 27 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and serves as host and executive producer of “Opry,” a weekly TV program airing highlights from the Grand Ole Opry stage on Circle Network. Bones’ musical comedy band, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, recently released a new project, Live in Little Rock. Bones is also a bestselling author, touring stand-up comedian and philanthropist.

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Reach Media Picks-Up Distribution For The Quicksilva Radio Show


Reach Media has announced that The Quick Silva Show with Dominique Da Diva will officially move to Reach Media for distribution and syndication. The show will now be heard in the following markets; WPHI-FM Philadelphia, PA; WKYS-FM Washington, DC; WERQ-FM Baltimore, MD; WCKX-FM Columbus, OH; and WIZF Cincinnati, OH, weekdays from 3pm to 7pm EST.

The Quick Silva Show is a high energy show that is reflective of the hip hop lifestyle and culture. Quick Silva and Dominique Da Diva bring their listeners a show that is entertaining yet informative complete with compelling interviews with some of the hottest entertainers, strong listener interaction with contesting and conversation topics, and engagement with high-profile community activists bringing awareness to issues affecting the African American community.

Quick Silva has been on the radio for over 20 years in various dayparts and has been ranked one of the top 10 most powerful Radio DJs in the country by Source Magazine 3 years in a row. From the moment he received his first set of turntables at age 10, the deejay internationally recognized as “The Party Kingpin,” Quick Silva was born.

Dominique Da Diva, known as a small powerhouse of multi-faceted talent and a natural born star, began her radio career in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. As a proud alumni of Virginia State University and lovely lady of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., Dominique continues to exemplify what Beyoncé means when she says, ‘a diva is a female version of a hustler.’

David Kantor, Reach Media and Radio One CEO, stated, “I’ve had the opportunity to see this show grow tremendously. Quick Silva and Dominque Da Diva are two very strong radio talents who have an authentic connection to their audience and I am confident that the show will continue to be a huge draw for the listening audience. The beauty of this is that this show is one of few syndicated shows in the afternoon.”

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Jacobs' New COVID3 Study Provides a Q4 Road Map For Radio Sales


While broadcast radio stations and their advertising clients face tough economic headwinds as we approach the 2020 holiday shopping season, a new study released by Jacobs Media finds opportunities for the medium to be a key resource for local businesses.

“Radio's 2020 Holiday Road Map” surveyed over 27,000 core radio listeners from 355 commercial radio stations across the US and Canada from September 29-October 1. The study reveals this holiday season will be like no other. It was conducted in partnership with the Radio Advertising Bureau.

“The holiday season usually has a typical rhythm that families, businesses, and radio stations plan around,” observes Jacobs Media’s President Fred Jacobs. “But it’s clear that in order to be successful, radio stations and their national and local clients will need to explore new approaches in 2020. Consumer patterns and perceptions about shopping have changed. The good news is radio remains a powerful partner to local business.”

This new study reveals that unlike past years, this holiday season is not likely to feature a huge retail spike on Black Friday. In fact, early holiday shopping has already begun, creating the necessity for businesses to begin their ad spending early, and ramping it up after the Thanksgiving holiday:

Radio holds a unique position in its ability to drive audiences to local businesses. While the survey finds four in ten (42%) plan to spend less money this holiday season than last, eight in ten (79%) agree or strongly agree with the statement: “For my holiday shopping this year in particular, I feel I should support local/small businesses in my area.”

“Radio salespeople are going to have to work harder and more creatively than ever this holiday season,” remarks Paul Jacobs, Vice President/General Manager of Jacobs Media. “But this study provides a playbook, not only for them, but also for local businesses. This is a collaborative moment. Armed with this data, salespeople will be well-positioned to not only share their audience information, but also help clients find the best ways of being successful this holiday season.”

“Radio has traditionally closed out the last quarter of the year with strong revenues and we want to help broadcasters ensure similar results even in a different looking holiday shopping season,” said Erica Farber, President and CEO, RAB. “This very timely listener insights study, reflecting the current consumer mindset, will help enable broadcasters to provide local clients with incredible insights into their customers' intended holiday spend, while providing strategies for their holiday advertising plans.”

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Edison Research, NEP To Once Again Conduct Exit Polling


NEP and Edison Research will expand in-person early voting interviews and implement Covid-19-related protocols to maintain health and safety.

With record numbers of Americans expected to vote before Election Day, the exit poll of record, conducted by Edison Research on behalf of ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News, will begin interviewing voters at early voting locations around the country on October 13.

“More Americans are expected to vote before Election Day this year than any other election in history, and the member networks of the National Election Pool (NEP) and Edison Research have developed innovative new techniques to account for that in our long-standing exit poll,” said Joe Lenski, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Edison Research.

The NEP’s exit poll is the only survey that will be released on election night that represents the views and opinions of actual voters interviewed as they cast their ballots all across the country.

As it has since 2004, the NEP exit poll will also include extensive telephone surveys of those planning to vote by mail to ensure that all voters are represented in Election Night coverage across the pool’s member networks and subscribers. This year, those polls will reach more than 25,000 voters casting ballots before Election Day.

For the first time in 2018, NEP’s exit poll included in-person interviews with those voting at early voting locations. The technique proved highly accurate in Nevada and Tennessee, the two states in which it was used that year, and was successfully expanded in this year’s presidential primaries in North Carolina and Texas. For the presidential election this fall, early voters will be interviewed in person in eight critical states.

“In 2018, Edison and the NEP pioneered the technique of conducting interviews at in-person early voting sites, and today, we’re using that valuable experience to expand those efforts for 2020,” said Lenski. “It’s simply a matter of taking our time-tested models and applying them to the ways people vote today.”

The 2018 exit poll also incorporated methodological improvements to better reflect the educational and age makeup of the electorate in the NEP’s results. Those improvements will be carried through to 2020. In order to make reliable, direct comparisons to the 2016 exit polls for the size of subgroups including age, education and income, the NEP members and subscribers will be using trend-adjusted results that apply the techniques added to our standard methodology in 2018 to the results from 2016.

In addition to adapting to the changing ways that voters cast their ballots, the NEP is taking precautions to ensure that voters participating in our in-person exit polls remain safe.

The NEP tasked Edison Research to conduct tests to determine best practices for safe and secure exit polls even in the midst of a major public health crisis. Exit polls will be conducted by interviewers wearing masks, who will remain six feet away from respondents and will have new, single-use pencils available for each voter filling out the exit poll questionnaire. Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes will be available for voters to use before and after completing their exit polls.

In addition to the exit poll, the NEP and Edison Research will be tabulating the vote from all counties in the U.S. for statewide and congressional races as it has done in previous elections.

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Hot 100: BTS Captures Top Two Chart Positions


As of Monday, the South Korean boy band BTS has made Billboard history by landing at both No. 1 and No. 2 on the Hot 100, reports The L-A Times.

With “Savage Love” beating out “Dynamite” for the top spot, BTS is the first group to achieve such a feat since the Black Eyed Peas dominated the Hot 100 with “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” for four weeks in the summer of 2009.

Jason Derulo, Jawsh 685 and BTS dropped their “Savage Love (Laxed — Siren Beat)” remix earlier this month, while the K-pop sensation‘s hit single “Dynamite” arrived at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in September. The latter — which also happened to be members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook’s first No. 1 track (if you can believe it) — previously held the top position for three nonconsecutive weeks.

“Savage Love” also marks Derulo’s second No. 1 — 11 years after 2009’s “Whatcha Say” — and Jawsh 685’s first.

According to Billboard, “‘Savage Love’ drew 16 million U.S. streams (up 32%) and sold 76,000 downloads (up 814%) in the week ending Oct. 8. It also tallied 70.6 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending Oct. 11.”

Other than BTS and the Black Eyed Peas, only three other groups — OutKast, the Bee Gees and the Beatles — have clinched both first and second place on the Hot 100 in the same week.

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41 WNET Employees Call for Resignation of CEO Neal Shapiro

Neil Shapiro
More than three dozen employees at the WNET Group, the parent company of New York’s public television stations, have called for the resignation of the longtime chief executive, Neal Shapiro, saying he had not done enough to improve working conditions for employees, especially those of color, The NYTimes reports.

In an email to the staff on Friday, the Inclusion and Diversity Council, a WNET employee organization formed in 2015, said Mr. Shapiro did not have the “skills or the judgment to lead the company through this pivotal moment in history.”

The council said that 41 current WNET employees and 34 former employees have signed the letter, which was posted on the council’s website. It did not publish the names of those who had signed. (WNET has a work force of 380 people.)

Shapiro, a former president of NBC News who has led WNET since 2007, replied to the letter on Friday in an email to the staff, saying that “much of what has been written is inaccurate, misleading or out of context.”

“I understand some anonymous signatories are upset that we aren’t moving forward in the exact way they want,” he wrote. “But make no mistake. The WNET Group is spending real resources, making real changes and building a path forward with accountability, transparency and civility.”

Edgar Wachenheim III, an investment banker who has been the chairman of WNET’s board of trustees since 2017, said in a statement that Mr. Shapiro had the board’s support.

Tensions started at WNET, the parent company of New York’s Channel 13 and WLIW Channel 21, as civil rights protests were spreading across the country after the police killing of George Floyd in May. Employees questioned why the company had not issued a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

On June 1, six days after Floyd’s death, Shapiro released a statement on WNET.org. “Racism is a cancer in the soul of this nation,” he wrote. “This has been an agonizing and painful week. Our hearts go out to so many, especially so for our African-American colleagues. At the same time, it is also a reminder of what drew many of us to public media — to help build a more informed country with equal justice for everyone based on understanding and mutual respect.”

In a June 9 letter, the Inclusion and Diversity Council objected to Mr. Shapiro’s likening racism to a cancer. “It is our view that this represents your profound misunderstanding of our nation’s history and its current reality,” the council wrote. “Racism is not an anomaly separate from us, rather, it is woven into the fabric of this country and, in fact, our own institution.”

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NYTimes' Project 1619 Called Agenda Driven, False Narrative


In the wake of the George Floyd death, more and more school districts are adding critical race theory – which teaches that America and whites are inherently racist – to their course requirements for graduation, reports CBN. 

California schools almost introduced a curriculum – it passed the state legislature but was vetoed by the governor – that would have required students to critique "empire and its relationship to white supremacy, racism, patriarchy, capitalism and other forms of power and oppression at the intersections of our society."  

But the most well-known and controversial school curriculum on race is the New York Times' 1619 Project, which says America's founding, economy, and government are all based on slavery and white supremacy, and that America didn't begin in 1776 but in 1619 when the first African slaves arrived in Virginia. 

The New York Times has brushed aside claims by several historians that the 1619 Project has major factual errors, basically saying that American history is open to interpretation. 

But after a barrage of criticism for its historical inaccuracy, references to 1619 as America's true founding have been quietly removed from the 1619 website. 

And now a group of 21 scholars is calling for the Pulitzer Prize Board to strip Nikole Hannah-Jones of her 2020 award for her essay on the 1619 Project, saying it is "disfigured by unfounded conjectures and patently false assertions."

Dr. Carol Swain, who grew up in the Jim Crow south in a shack without running water and went on to teach at Princeton and Vanderbilt, calls the 1619 Project agenda-driven and a false narrative.

"If the curriculum was balanced, it would have to tell the positive side of America," Swain said, "America has been a success story and it's because whites and blacks worked together.  And so, as a descendant of slaves, I feel blessed to be an American. Slavery is what it was. It was not unique to America. And what is true of America was that there were always whites who fought against the institution of slavery,"

Swain other black scholars have put forward a historically accurate alternative to the 1619 Project called 1776 Unites.

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