Cox Media Group has announced it will syndicate The Erick Erickson Show, reports ajc.com.
Erickson, a mainstay on News-Talk WSB 95.5 FM / 750 AM for the past decade, recently moved to the noon to 3 p.m. slot after Rush Limbaugh died and WSB opted not to keep the “best of” Limbaugh show on the air.
On Thursday, Premiere Networks also announced it was replacing Limbaugh with the duo of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton starting June 21 on hundreds of stations nationwide. No word yet which Atlanta affiliate will take that show.
Erickson’s show will be available from noon to 3 p.m. starting June 1 to any radio affiliate that wants it.
“I’ve been working towards this for a very long time, and I appreciate my long relationship with CMG,” Erickson said in a press statement. “We look forward to continued success at 95.5 WSB and many new affiliates across the country,.”
Rob Babin, senior vice president for the radio division at CMG, added: “We’re excited to announce this partnership. Erick has performed successfully for many years on 95.5 WSB Radio, and no doubt, he’ll make an impact as the Erick Erickson show expands.”
Erickson, who lives in Macon, joined the station after Herman Cain made a run for president in 2011. His show aired on WSB for many years in the late afternoons. He has been a consistent conservative voice but has criticized Donald Trump’s behavior in the past, causing many of his supporters to balk.
Over the years, Erickson has filled in for Neal Boortz, Cain and Limbaugh himself.
Andrew Kalb is handling affiliation for the program and he can be reached via Andrew@AndrewKalb.com or by calling 917-217-4050.
Fox’s 2021 “iHeartRadio Music Awards” averaged a 0.4 rating/3 share among adults 18-49 and 1.7 million total viewers on Thursday. Those primetime Nielsen numbers placed Fox third in key demo ratings and fourth in overall viewers.
The Wrap reports ABC and NBC tied atop the ratings leaderboard last night, with the Disney-owned broadcast network holding the total-viewer tiebreaker.
ABC and NBC tied for first in ratings, both with a 0.5 rating/4 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic. ABC was first in total viewers with an average of 3.8 million, according to preliminary numbers. NBC was second in total viewers with 3.6 million.
For ABC, “Station 19” at 8 p.m. put up a 0.6/5 and 4.4 million total viewers. At 9, “Grey’s Anatomy” got a 0.6/4 and 4.1 million total viewers. “Rebel” at 10 received a 0.4/3 and 2.8 million total viewers.
For NBC, “The Wall” at 8 had a 0.4/3 and 2.8 million total viewers. At 9, “Law & Order: SVU” drew a 0.6/4 and 4.2 million total viewers. “Law & Order: Organized Crime” at 10 got a 0.6/4 and 3.9 million total viewers.
Fox was third in ratings with a 0.4/3 and fourth in viewers with 1.7 million. If those numbers look familiar, it’s because they’re straight from the iHeartRadio awards, which ran for the entirety of Fox’s two-hour primetime.
CBS and Univision tied for fourth in ratings, both with a 0.3/2. CBS was third in total viewers with 2.7 million, Univision was fifth with 1.1 million.
CBS News chief political analyst and senior national correspondent John Dickerson will be contributing to “Sunday Morning” and will no longer contribute to “60 Minutes,” the network confirmed reports The Hill.
“John Dickerson will be contributing to Sunday Morning, while continuing in a key political anchor and reporting role as chief political analyst and Senior national correspondent,” a CBS News spokesperson said via email.
Dickerson was named CBS News chief political analyst earlier in May.
Dickerson had been contributing to “60 Minutes” since 2019 and reports for all CBS News platforms and programs, including “CBS This Morning,” “CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell” and “Face The Nation,” according to the CBS News website.
He hosted “Face The Nation” from June 2015 to January 2018 and was promoted to chief Washington correspondent in March 2017.
Dickerson joined CBS as an analyst and contributor in 2009 and was the network’s political director for six years. His mother, Nancy Dickerson, was the first female correspondent for CBS News.
Donna Brazile, former interim head of the Democratic National Convention, has exited Fox News for a contributor role at ABC News, an individual with knowledge of the deal told TheWrap.
Brazile served as interim DNC chairwoman in 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. She’s had a wide-ranging career in television throughout her time as a political operative.
Prior to joining Fox News in 2019, she served as a commentator for CNN — and resigned in October 2016 after the disclosure that she had leaked debate questions to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of a primary debate.
A CNN statement at the time said the network was “completely uncomfortable” with what WikiLeaks revelations had shown. Her resignation, however, was not made public for two weeks.
A representative for Fox News did not respond to a request for comment. In her time at Fox News, she acted as a liberal voice, a foil to some of the more conservative hosts and commentators.
The news of Brazile’s departure comes two days after her Fox News colleague Juan Williams, another liberal on the right-leaning network, decided to step away from his role on panel show “The Five” to stay in Washington, D.C. and be closer to his family. He remains on the Fox News roster in other capacities.
News-Talk WTAX, a nearly 100-year-old Springfield, IL station, will soon have a stronger FM signal.
Capitol Radio Group announced this week that it is swapping FM outputs on two of its seven stations to give its flagship news network, WTAX, a stronger signal.
WTAX will broadcast on 93.9 FM, a few clicks away from its current setting of 93.5 FM, beginning June 7. It will remain on 1240 AM, as it has for more than 70 years. Capitol Radio Group vice president and general manger Chris Bullock said the move will allow WTAX to reach a larger audience.
Coinciding with the move, the current WQQL Cool 93.9 will change to 93.5 on the same day, though it will live on in spirit as the new Rewind 93.5, also launching on June 7, Bullock said.
"We're promoting it as getting a new coat of paint," Bullock said about the new station, which will broadcast the same 80s-centric pop hits as WQQL with a new brand that "reflects the music more."
WQQL hosts JJ Gerard, Joey McLaughlin and Dave Daniels, among others, will continue their shows on the new Rewind 93.5, Bullock said. WTAX's news coverage will also continue without any changes, he said.
WTAX has local news programs in addition to syndicated shows hosted by Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt. WQQL currently broadcasts pop hits from the likes of Billy Joel and Madonna.
CUMULUS MEDIA announces that Des Moines radio station KWQW-FM launched Friday as The New 98.3 The Vibe.
The Mainstream Contemporary Hit Radio station is a customized hit music station that matches the young Des Moines market’s lifestyle with today’s biggest hits. KWQW-FM was previously programmed as a Classic Hip Hop station.
Jack Taddeo, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Des Moines, said: “Following market research, we saw a need for a Contemporary Hit Radio station that delivers continuous music and is focused on, and customized for, Des Moines. This move more properly positions KWQW in that lane and becomes accretive to our local radio group which includes Country combo NASH FM 97.3/KHKI-FM and 92.5 KJJY, and Classic Rock 95 KGGO, as well as Sports Talk 1700 The Champ/KBGG.”
Chad Taylor, Operations Manager, Cumulus Des Moines and Program Director, KWQW-FM, added: “The New 98.3 The Vibe plays today’s hit music by artists including Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Maroon Five. We’re looking forward to hitting the streets, having fun and bringing our own Summer Vibe to Des Moines! We could not have done this without the support of Cumulus VP/Programming Operations, Greg Frey and VP/Contemporary Formats, Louie Diaz!”
Sports are never far from Shelby Cassesse’s mind, as evidenced by her tweets.
One minute, she’s on Twitter talking about her one-on-one interview with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto that she earned through her hard work as a N/T KDKA 1020 AM reporter. The next, she’s sharing in Pittsburgh’s sorrow over the Penguins losing their first-round playoff series to the New York Islanders, or discussing the latest updates on Robert Morris University getting rid of its men’s and women’s hockey programs.
The Post-Gazette reports Cassesse grew up playing sports and loving local teams, and her reporting career has kept her close to the action since she graduated from Duquesne University six years ago. She’ll soon get to combine those two passions in the form of her new show on KDKA-FM 93.7 The Fan, premiering Sunday at 7 a.m.
“When the opportunity was presented to me, it was an instant, ‘Well, yeah, of course I’m going to do this!’” Cassesse told the Post-Gazette. “It’s one of the greatest professional opportunities I’ve been given. It’s something I never anticipated doing in my career because I always saw myself as a reporter. It’s truly incredible, and I’m beyond thrilled to be doing it.”
“It’s definitely not lost on me that few women have had this opportunity, especially here in Pittsburgh,” Cassesse said. “I don’t want that to be what people see me as. I’m happy to take on that title, and I’m glad to celebrate it, too, because it needs to be celebrated.
“Once the mic goes on Sunday morning, I’m a sports talk show host, not a female sports talk show host. I’m just another one of the many hosts this station has.
“I do hope that girls going through college now that may want to do this can look to me as a role model and as someone who doesn’t dwell on being a female sports talk show host.”
After graduating from Duquesne with a journalism degree in 2015, she spent two years as a sports anchor and reporter for WDTV in Bridgeport, W.Va. Upon returning to Pittsburgh, she began doing news and traffic on KDKA Radio and sports updates for The Fan. In 2019, she got the chance to be a freelance news reporter for KDKA-TV and in February was made a full-time reporter for KDKA Radio as the replacement for Joe DeStio.
“She’s the right person at the right time,” said Michael Spacciapolli, senior vice president and market manager for Audacy Pittsburgh, which owns 93.7 The Fan. “She’ll be incredibly prepared for this opportunity. The listeners and the entire city of Pittsburgh are going to love what Shelby will offer up.”
Beasley Media Group has unveiled the following format signal swaps and promotion within the company’s Southwest Florida-based radio properties:
The Playa Adult Hispanic format, originally launched 2016 and heard on WRXK-hd2, Playa 98.1 Salsa Y Mas, has officially moved to WWCN 99.3FM’s 50,000 watt signal and has been rebranded as The New Playa 99.3-Los Éxitos de Hoy y Favoritas de Ayer (Today’s hits and Yesterday’s favorites).
In addition, Nio Fernandez has been named Beasley Media Group Director of Latin Formats. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing all Latino brands for the company while continuing his current Program Director duties at Beasley Tampa’s sister station, WYUU-FM/ 92.5 Maxima.
In addition, ESPN Radio has returned to its original frequency, WBCN 770 AM (formerly known as WJBX-AM) as “ESPN Southwest Florida”. The format will be simulcast the on translators 101.5 FM, and 104.3-FM. The station’s official website is www.ESPNSWFL.com.The news-talk format previously heard on WBCN has been discontinued.
“We are absolutely thrilled to provide a larger voice for the Spanish speaking community in Southwest Florida and promote Nio to his new role of overseeing Beasley Media Group’s Hispanic programming,” said Chief Content Officer, Justin Chase. We look forward to providing the very best entertainment for the Latin community for many years to come.”
“This move is a testament of Beasley’s commitment and focus on diversity and on the organization’s enthusiasm for the rapidly changing demographics in the United States,” said Fernandez. “I’m honored to be a part of this important initiative.”
“Southwest Florida has witnessed and embraced the growth of the Hispanic population in the area,” said AJ Lurie, Vice President and Market Manager of the company’s Southwest Florida radio cluster. “This community deserves more variety, and we’re proud to be a part of the most powerful radio signal super-serving our audience.”
Baltimore’s top public radio outlet has acquired a beloved regional peer known for amplifying local music on the air and through live events.
The Baltimore Business Journal reports WYPR 88.1 FM on Friday announced its plans to acquire WTMD 89.7 FM from Towson University, owner of the station since 2014. WTMD general manager Scott Mullins confirmed a report from WYPR that the sale price is $3 million, to be financed in part by donor contributions and loans.
An announcement said WYPR “is uniquely positioned to continue the expansion of WTMD as both stations have succeeded in providing music exploration on new platforms,” which include live streaming, multiple HD radio channels, mobile applications and live events.
WTMD program director and general manager Scott Mullins said in an interview that the station and its team "couldn't be more excited about this."
"This is the best thing that could have happened for us," he said, noting it's "not uncommon" for public radio stations to join forces (New York Public Radio offers one example, with dual ownership news station WNYC and classical station WQXR).
With WYPR and WTMD being Baltimore-centric, "this is gonna broaden our resources and our ability to reach audiences," Mullins said.
LaFontaine Oliver, who has been president and general manager of WYPR since 2019, told the BBJ talks about an acquisition of WTMD "became serious" at the beginning of 2021. He said he's thrilled to have a chance to support the music station, and that it's personally gratifying to help preserve the legacy of a university-based radio outlet.
With WYPR acquiring WYMD, "it feels good and it's an opportunity to do the work that I love doing, which is serving communities through our unique brand of public media," Oliver noted.
The license transfer is subject to approval by the FCC, a process that typically takes several months.
➦In 1903...comedian Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in London Englan (Died – July 27, 2003). He was a British-born American stand-up comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete, and author. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 54 feature films with Hope as star, including a series of seven "Road" musical comedy movies with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner.
In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, he appeared in many stage productions and television roles, and was the author of 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" was his signature tune. Hope was born in the Eltham district of southeast London, UK, arrived in the United States of America with his family at the age of four, and grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.
After a brief career as a boxer in the late 1910s, he began his career in show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, before acting on Broadway. Hope began appearing on radio and in films starting in 1934. He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes which often were self-deprecating. He helped establish modern American stand-up comedy.
Celebrated for his long career performing in United Service Organizations (USO) shows to entertain active duty American military personnel, making 57 tours for the USO between 1941 and 1991, Hope was declared an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1997 by an act of the United States Congress. He appeared in numerous specials for NBC television starting in 1950, and was one of the first users of cue cards.
He debuted on NBC radio in 1935, and was heard on a weekly basis for the next 23 years, though the last 4 years were repeats. His TV show debuted in 1952, and his final special aired in 1996 when he was 93.
Hope retired in 1997, and died at the age of 100 in 2003, at his home in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
➦In 1918...Herbert Arthur "Herb" Shriner born (Died – April 23, 1970). He was a humorist, radio personality and television host. Shriner was known for his homespun monologues, usually about his home state of Indiana. He was frequently compared to humorist Will Rogers.
Herb Shriner - 1949
In 1940, Shriner was hired by NBC for occasional radio appearances, which led to a regular spot in 1942 and 1943 on the comedy-variety program Camel Caravan. During World War II, he served in a United States Army special services unit and performed for two years in USO shows for GIs in Europe. After the war, he appeared on a number of radio shows, including The Philip Morris Follies of 1946 with Johnny Desmond and Margaret Whiting.
In 1947 he appeared in a Broadway musical review called Inside U.S.A. The performances were panned by critics, but Shriner's monologues made it a success and carried the show for over a year. Shriner hosted Herb Shriner Time, a CBS Radio weekday program, in 1948 and 1949 with the Raymond Scott Quintet, singer Dorothy Collins, and announcer Durward Kirby.
Herb Shriner Time evolved into a short-lived, fifteen-minute television show. A half-hour version on ABC ran during the 1951-52 season. Shriner found TV success with Two for the Money, a game show which appeared on NBC in the 1952-53 season, then moved to CBS for three seasons.
He died in an auto accident April 23 1970 at age 51. ➦In 1939…'When a Girl Marries' aired for the first time on CBS Radio. It was a daytime radio drama which was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. It was the highest rated soap opera during the mid-1940s.
➦In 1941...Robert David "Bob" Simon born (Died in a car accident – February 11, 2015). He was a radio, TV correspondent for CBS News. During his career, he covered crises, war, and unrest in 67 countries. Simon reported the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, the Israeli-Lebanese Conflict in 1982, and the student protests in China's Tiananmen Square in 1989. During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, he and four of his TV crew were captured and imprisoned by Iraq for 40 days. He published a book about the experience titled "Forty Days."
He became a regular correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes in 1996 and, in 1999, for 60 Minutes II. At the time of his death in an auto accident, he served as 60 Minutes senior foreign correspondent.
Bing Crosby
➦In 1942…Bing Crosby, backed by the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby, on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall on Christmas Day, 1941; a copy of the recording from the radio program is owned by Crosby's estate and was loaned to CBS News Sunday Morning for their December 25, 2011 program. It was released on July 30 as part of an album of six 78-rpm discs from the musical film Holiday Inn. At first, Crosby did not see anything special about the song.
By the end of October 1942, "White Christmas" topped the Your Hit Parade chart. It remained in that position until well into the new year. It has often been noted that the mix of melancholy—"just like the ones I used to know"—with comforting images of home—"where the treetops glisten"—resonated especially strongly with listeners during World War II. A few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Crosby introduced "White Christmas" on a Christmas Day broadcast. The Armed Forces Network was flooded with requests for the song. The recording is noted for Crosby's whistling during the second chorus.
In 1942 alone, Crosby's recording spent eleven weeks on top of the Billboard charts. In Holiday Inn, the composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942.
➦In 1961...Jack Spector began working as a disk jockey in New York in 1961 at WMCA 570 AM, where he was a member of a group of broadcasting personalities called the Good Guys. He labeled himself Your Main Man Jake and usually closed his shows saying, "Look out street, here I come!"
He switched to WHN 1050 AM in 1972, then for nine years was the host of the "Saturday Night Sock Hop" on WCBS 101.1 FM. He also worked for a brief period as the host of a sports talk show for WNBC 660 AM.
Spector broke into broadcasting in Martinsburg, W.Va., in 1955, then worked for stations in Albany, Providence, R.I., and Chicago before returning to New York. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he attended Brooklyn College and had a brief tryout as a minor-league baseball player with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. He served in the United States Army in Korea.
➦In 1977...the NBC News & Information Service, which was a 24-hour-a-day news service, ended.
NBC launched the NBC News and Information Service (NIS) in 1975. According to Faded Signals, it allowed local radio stations to launch all-news formats, providing affiliates with up to 55 minutes of news per hour.
NBC aired the service on its Washington station, WRC. It also added the all-news format on its network-owned FM stations in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco.
Many stations signed on with the service, but by 1976, NBC was not sure if its network would ever become profitable.
➦In 1978...former radio personality and actor Bob Crane (Donna Reed Show, Hogan in Hogan’s Heroes), died at age 49, the victim of a brutal murder.
Bob Crane
A drummer from age 11, Crane began his career as a radio personality, first in New York City and then Connecticut before moving to Los Angeles, where he hosted the number-one rated morning show. In the early 1960s, he moved into acting, eventually landing the lead role of Colonel Robert E. Hogan in Hogan's Heroes. The series aired from 1965 to 1971, and Crane received two Prime-Time Emmy Award nominations for his work on the series. After Hogan's Heroes ended, Crane's career declined. He became frustrated with the few roles he was being offered and began doing dinner theater. In 1975, he returned to television in the NBC series The Bob Crane Show. The series received poor ratings and was cancelled after 13 weeks. Afterwards, Crane returned to performing in dinner theaters and also appeared in occasional guest spots on television.
While on tour for his play Beginner's Luck in June 1978, Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale apartment, a murder that remains officially unsolved. This suspicious nature of his death and later revelations about his personal life gradually changed Crane's posthumous image from a cultural icon to a controversial figure.
➦In 1979..."The Source", considered Radio's first rock news network, debuted.
George Fenneman with Groucho Marx
➦In 1997...Radio, TV announcer George Fenneman died at age 77 (Born - November 10, 1919). He is most remembered as the announcer and good-natured sidekick for Groucho Marx's comedy/quiz show vehicle You Bet Your Life, which began in 1947 on radio and moved to television in 1950, where it remained on NBC for 11 years. Fenneman's mellifluous voice, clean-cut good looks, and gentlemanly manner provided the ideal foil for Marx's zany antics and bawdy ad libs.
Fenneman was one of a pair of announcers on Dragnet; he shared narration duties with Hal Gibney on radio and the original 1951 Dragnet television series, and then with John Stephenson when Dragnet returned to TV in 1967. It was Fenneman's voice which announced, "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." while Stephenson would be heard at the end of the episode describing the court trials and verdicts.
➦In 2012…Radio actor Dick Beals, for many years the voice of "Speedy" in Alka-Seltzer TV commercials, died at the age of 85.
In January 1949, as a senior at MSU, Beals got a call to do a radio commercial for WXYZ, Detroit. After the show, the director asked him to be on call for all the children's voices as well as those of small, talking animals on all three network radio shows produced by WXYZ - The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet and Challenge of the Yukon.
In 1952, after performing in an episode of The Green Hornet, WXYZ station manager Jack McCarthy referred Beals to Forrest Owen of Wade Advertising. Owen showed Beals a rendering of a proposed product spokesman for their client, Alka-Seltzer and had him record a voice audition. Four months later, Beals was notified that he had been selected as the voice for Speedy Alka-Seltzer as well as the voice of Sticky, the Vaseline mascot.
Standing just 4'7" tall due to a glandular problem that also gave him his youthful voice, Beals provided the voices of 10-year-old boys well into his 70s.
➦In 2014…Former WNEW 102.7 FM NYC personality Dave Herman died of an aneurysm at 78 while in federal custody awaiting trial on charges of attempting to transport a 7-year-old girl from New Jersey to the Virgin Islands for a sexual liaison.
➦In 2014…Kenneth George Schram died at age 66 from kidney failure (Born - December 17, 1947). He was a news and radio broadcaster based in Seattle, Washington and was the former host of local-affairs show Town Meeting and KOMO 4’s evening news segments called "Schram on the Street." For several years he hosted a radio show, The Commentators, on KOMO Newsradio with conservative John Carlson.
That show was discontinued in September 2010. Starting September 20, 2010, Schram and Carlson each began hosting new, separate shows on the same station, with Carlson on from 9:00AM to Noon and Schram from Noon to 3:00PM. Schram is also known for his personal award, the "Schrammie", which he gave out on the air to "underscore what I think are among the worst of bone-headed decision, and/or the most appalling of asinine behavior", usually to local or regional newsmakers.
After a 35-year career, Ken Schram was fired from KOMO 4 and Radio on December 7, 2012, citing cutbacks to full-time employees.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Singer Gary Brooker of Procol Harum is 76.
Actor Anthony Geary (“General Hospital”) is 74.
Singer Rebbie Jackson is 71.
Composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) is 68.
Melanie Brown is 46
Singer LaToya Jackson is 65.
Actor Ted Levine (“Monk,” ″The Silence of the Lambs”) is 64.
Actor Annette Bening is 63.
Actor Rupert Everett is 62.
Actor Adrian Paul (TV’s “The Highlander”) is 62.
Singer Melissa Etheridge is 60.
Actor Lisa Whelchel (“The Facts of Life”) is 58.
Guitarist Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 54.
Singer Jayski McGowan of Quad City DJ’s is 54.
Actor Anthony Azizi (“Threat Matrix,” ″Lost”) is 52.
Guitarist Chan Kinchla of Blues Traveler is 52.
Actor Laverne Cox (“Doubt,” ″Orange Is the New Black”) is 49.
Guitarist Mark Lee of Third Day is 48.
Cartoonist Aaron McGruder (“Boondocks”) is 47.
Singer Melanie Brown (“Scary Spice”) of the Spice Girls is 46.
Rapper Playa Poncho is 46.
Singer Fonseca is 42.
Actor Justin Chon (“Deception,” ″Dr. Ken”) is 40.
Actor Billy Flynn (“Days of Our Lives”) is 36.
Actor Blake Foster (“Power Rangers Turbo”) is 36.
Actor Brandon Mychal Smith (“Sonny With a Chance”) is 32.
Actor Kristen Alderson (“General Hospital,” ″One Life To Live”) is 30.
The rate of cord cutting has finally begun to level off. But reports Forbes, the damage has been, and continues to be, done.
Since 2014, the number of people who have cut the cord on their cable, satellite or telco subscription (or never had a subscription at all) has more than tripled, going from 15.6 million to a projected 50.4 million this year.
That’s according to a new report from nScreenMedia, which finds that the number of nonsubscribers will rise almost 2 million vs. last year.
The report notes that the rate of cord cutting appears to be evening out. Cable, satellite and telco TV providers dropped 1.6 million subscribers in first quarter of this year, down very slightly from 1.7 million during the same period in 2020.
The number of homes that have traditional pay TV has fallen to 75.6 million, down from 96.9 million just four years earlier. In that time, subscriptions to pay TV have fallen by 22%, reflecting the growing change in the industry that is beginning to play out in corporate decision-making, too.
The report notes that cable lost more subscribers in Q1 of this year than last year, down 1.8%. That's almost double the 1% loss suffered in Q1 2020.
For a while, it seemed cable and satellite companies might find a way to combat pay TV losses by marketing lower-cost streaming packages that gave viewers the same familiar channels for less while still keeping the dollars within the family.
Consumers have lots of low-priced or no-priced content choices to select from, which has made cable, telco and satellite offerings seem increasingly dated.
There's less choice and more hassle with setting up the satellite or getting the cable installed. Instead, you can stream YouTube on your phone for free without scheduling an appointment.
Younger people, especially, are more likely to cut the cord.
They've grown up watching content this way, and they see no reason for channels where things air at ascribed times and show repeats when they can find something new on-demand. And streaming services continue to multiply and grow with much lower price points than traditional pay TV bundles.
