Philly Radio: iHM Gets Real On 106.1 FM

iHeartMedia Philadelphia announced today the debut of the new WISX Real 106.1, Philly’s Real No. 1 for Throwbacks, effective immediately.

Real 106.1 will broadcast a variety of Hip Hop, R&B and Rhythmic music from the ‘90s and early 2000’s, including songs from popular artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kanye West. The station will continue to feature Chio in the Morning, the popular local morning show heard in the community for 14 years.

“We’re thrilled to launch a station that really represents Philly,” said Brian Check, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Philadelphia. “We hear from our listeners all the time that this music is fun, infectious and timeless, so we can’t wait to bring these songs back to the airwaves.

WISX 106.1 FM (22.5 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“This will be amazing for our listeners and our partners,” said Richard Lewis, President of iHeartMedia’s Philadelphia Region. “Our Philadelphia stations already reach two out of three Adults 25-54 in the market; and now after our quest to connect with even more people in the area, we’ll be able to deliver even more entertainment, companionship and connections for Philly radio listeners and a larger audience for our partners.”

Trump's Latest Tweets Draw Rebuke

MSNBC has called out President Trump after his Thursday morning tweets in which he attacked "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, The LA Times is reporting.

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

"It’s a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job," an MSNBC spokesperson said in a statement to The Times on Thursday.

Never imagined a day when I would think to myself, "it is beneath my dignity to respond to the President of the United States."

— Mark Kornblau (@MarkKornblau) June 29, 2017

The president's early-morning tweets called Scarborough "Psycho Joe" and Brzezinski "Low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and alleged that the pair had invited themselves to Mar-a-Lago, a private club in Florida owned by Trump and dubbed the "Winter White House," over New Year's.

Most shocking of all, Trump went on to accuse Brzezinski of "bleeding badly from a face-lift.".

Trump's tweets drew criticism on Twitter, including from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.).

Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 29, 2017

Please just stop. This isn't normal and it's beneath the dignity of your office.

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 29, 2017

Editors, Reporters To Slowdown In NY Times Newsroom

Tensions between newsroom employees and The New York Times escalated today with the announcement of a brief work slowdown this afternoon at 3 PM local time.

According to deadlinecom, reporters and editors will leave their desks for 15 to 20 minutes. Sources at the paper say the plan it to circle through the newsroom with signs supporting copy-desk editors whose ranks are being diminished by half. They will then head down to the street outside the Times building on Eighth Avenue and West 41st Street, before returning to work. The timing of the action coincides with beginning of the busiest editing period of the day at the paper’s HQ.

“I’ve never seen morale so low at the Times,” a veteran senior writer from the Times told Deadline. “And there’s a lot of chaos in the newsroom.”

At issue is a Times plan to restructure the newsroom, eliminating what the editorial management of the paper has called redundant, unnecessary layers of editing, in order to speed up the process between story conception and publication. At the same time, the Times has been adding significantly to its reporting ranks during a time of revived competition with the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post and increased readership at both papers.

Turner To Air 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards

iHeartMedia and Turner announced today that the fan-driven iHeartRadio Music Awards will return to the historic, “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 11, 2018, at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT).

The event will once again be simulcast live on Turner's TBS, TNT and truTV; on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide; and on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service.

Now in its fifth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards is a star-studded event celebrating the most played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations throughout 2017 and a preview of the upcoming hits of 2018.

In addition to celebrating music and artists, the iHeartRadio Music Awards celebrates the fans, millions of whom cast their votes for the winners through social media. The 2017 awards show scored tremendous audience growth for TBS, TNT and truTV, reaching a total of 9.6 million viewers across multiple platforms, +6% over the prior year.

“We created the iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate the artists and songs we play every day across America on our more than 850 radio stations and the iHeartRadio App,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises for iHeartMedia. “This is the first ever awards show that is truly driven by fans and we found the perfect partner in Turner, with their deep programming assets and diverse audience reach that reflects our 265 million monthly listeners.”

More information about the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, including the award categories and ticket info, will be announced at a later date.

Critics Say Sky Bid Gives Murdoch Too Much Media Power

Performers pose outside Houses of Parliament, wearing constumes depicting Rupert Murdoch and PM Theresa May

By Paul Sandle and Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain intends to subject Rupert Murdoch's takeover of European pay-TV group Sky <SKYB.L> to a lengthy in-depth investigation after finding the $14.8 billion deal risks giving the media mogul too much power over the news agenda.

Media Secretary Karen Bradley said she was persuaded that Twenty-First Century Fox's <FOXA.O> bid could give the Murdoch family too much influence over the media, after regulator Ofcom assessed the impact of the deal.

"The proposed entity would have the third largest total reach of any news provider - lower only than the BBC and ITN - and would, uniquely, span news coverage on television, radio, in newspapers and online," Bradley said.

Murdoch, 86, and his family have long coveted full control of Sky, despite the damaging failure of a previous attempt in 2011 when their British newspaper business became embroiled in a phone-hacking scandal which forced them to abandon that bid.

A public inquiry into the affair revealed deep ties between Murdoch and the political establishment, making the renewed bid potentially toxic for Prime Minister Theresa May's government which is fighting for survival after losing its majority.

Bradley had asked regulators to examine whether Fox would have too much control of the media, and whether it would be committed to upholding broadcasting standards if it was allowed to buy the satellite company which broadcasts in Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Fox said it was disappointed by the government's rejection of its plans to maintain editorial independence of Sky News, and said a full investigation could push the deal's completion date back to next June.

"We will continue to work constructively with the UK authorities," it said.

"FIT AND PROPER"

The government said on Thursday Ofcom had no concerns about Fox's genuine commitment to broadcasting standards but wanted to look further into the impact a deal would have on the range of media providers in the country.

Ofcom also carried out a separate investigation as to whether a Fox-controlled Sky would be a 'fit and proper' owner of broadcast licenses in Britain.

The regulator said allegations of sexual and racial harassment at Fox News in the U.S. were extremely serious and disturbing but had found no clear evidence to suggest senior executives at Fox were aware of the misconduct.

Fox tried to pre-empt government concerns over the impact on Sky's editorial independence by proposing the creation of an independent board to run Sky News, the company's hugely influential 24 hour news channel.

But Bradley said she was minded to reject the proposal after Ofcom suggested that the undertakings were not strong enough.

Bradley said the parties involved had until July 14 to respond to her concerns before she finally decided whether to go ahead with the full investigation.

"Sky will continue to engage with the process as the Secretary of State reaches her final decision," the company said in a statement.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION

The latest delay to the deal will come as a blow to the Murdoch family after they split their newspapers from television and film assets into two separate companies, even though they retained a grip on both due to their ultimate ownership.

Rupert's son James, who is chief executive of Fox and is currently chairman of Sky, said in March that worries about his family exerting too much power were unfounded in an era of online providers such as Facebook, Buzzfeed, Netflix and Google.

Shares in Sky have been trading at a discount to the 10.75 pounds offer, indicating that although investors were not expecting outright rejection, there was still some concern about any undertakings required from Fox to get the deal through.

Shares in Sky rose after the statement and were trading up 3.5 percent at 990 pence on the belief that Fox would find a resolution. Analysts at Citi said they believed Fox could even find a resolution before the July 14 deadline and avoid the lengthy referral.

"Ultimately this is a positive outcome for the Fox/Sky in the sense that it makes deal completion more likely," it said.

"Concerns about broadcasting standards would have been almost impossible to work around while we believe the groups will be able to offer concessions that adequately address concerns about plurality."

Report: Merger Could Put Zucker In Cross Hairs

AT&T will look to “neutralize” CNN President Jeff Zucker after it buys Time Warner, The NYPost is reporting.

The buzz from the telecommunications giant comes as CNN is being slammed for highly publicized missteps — including botched reports tied to the federal probe of possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia, according to three sources familiar with the thinking of AT&T brass.

The $85 billion acquisition of CNN parent Time Warner by AT&T could win antitrust approval by the Justice Department in the next 60 days, sources said.

“There was early talk about the way Zucker managed that wasn’t a good fit for the new organization,” one source said. “They were eyeing ways to neutralize him.”

That desire leaves Zucker facing an uncertain future that includes the possibility of getting unceremoniously dumped, one source said.

Other potential scenarios include AT&T kicking the 52-year-old executive upstairs with a corporate title that strips him of any power over CNN — or a sale of the network that would let AT&T wash its hands of any future messes.

“The news business doesn’t seem to be central to AT&T’s content strategy,” said Craig Moffett, a co-founder of independent media research firm MoffettNathanson. “They seem much more interested in the entertainment brands. If selling CNN would make regulators happy, they’ll sell it. I can’t imagine AT&T would let CNN stand in the way of securing approval for the merger.”

Zucker could also cash out his significant holdings of Time Warner stock and walk away from the network filthy rich, media execs said.

Sharyl Attkisson: 'Well-Funded Actors' Manipulate News

Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson slammed what she called "transactional journalism," calling it "wholly inappropriate."

"Transactional journalism" refers to inappropriate dealings behind the scenes some journalists have with political actors, the television host and author of the new book The Smear said.

"Virtually every image you run across, whether it is in the news or on social media or elsewhere, even on comedy shows is being put there, [the players I interviewed in the 'smear universe'] say, for a purpose by somebody who wants you to think something that may not necessarily be a consensus at all, or may not even be true," Attkisson told Fox host Shannon Bream.

"Well-funded actors" with "fake accounts" on social media and "a ton of money" use them to manipulate how we think, Attkisson said.

CNN Anchor: Trump Putting Journalists In Danger

CNN's Clarissa Ward, a foreign correspondent, served as guest co-host on Wednesday's broadcast of CNN's News Day. Ward fretted that "people" in war zones have been "emboldened" by President Trump's "declaration of war on the media."

RealClearPolitics reports Ward, expressing concern for members of the media in dangerous areas of the world, said to guest Chris Cillizza (The Washington Post), 'I can only imagine what a person like you is dealing with. At what point does this become reckless or irresponsible?'

Playboy White House correspondent Brian Karem, who has received new-found fame after his exchange with White House deputy spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders at Tuesday's press briefing, said Ward is "absolutely right" and talked about the trial and tribulations of reporters who have been jailed and even killed.

"Our newspapers after Donald Trump's election, we've gotten threats from both the far left and the far right," Karem said. "They are emboldened, it is dangerous, and the fact of the matter is, it is insulting to the memory of the people who have given their lives for the cause for providing information to the public to then be told you are fake media, you do not matter, and what you're doing is false."



Karem went as far to predict "we are going to see a reporter face physical harm because" of Trump.

"And quite frankly, every one of us should stand up against that because it is undermining the First Amendment. It is dangerous, making it dangerous for reporters. You're absolutely right, there is going to come a time, and it's not going to be too far off I surmise when we're going to see a reporter is going to face physical harm because of this," he said.

President To Nominate Brendan Carr To FCC

By David Shepardson | WASHINGTON

(Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he planned to nominate a Federal Communications Commission attorney to fill one of two vacant seats at the nation's telecommunications regulatory agency.

The White House said Trump would name Brendan Carr, a Republican who previously served as an adviser to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, to an open seat. Carr currently is general counsel at the FCC and also has worked at the Wiley Rein LLP law firm.

Brendan Carr

Carr did not respond to a request for comment.

The five-seat FCC currently has only three members. Earlier this month, Trump nominated Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, to another open seat at the FCC. The U.S. Senate must confirm both Carr and Rosenworcel before they can be seated.

Rosenworcel served as a commissioner for the regulator until the end of 2016 when lawmakers failed to take up her renomination under former President Barack Obama, giving Republicans a 2-1 majority on the five-seat commission.

The FCC is working to reverse a number of Obama-era regulations, including the former Democratic president's landmark 2015 net-neutrality rules prohibiting broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.

Pai, chosen by Trump in January to head the agency, also has said he wants to dismantle other significant regulations as part of a sweeping review he said would remove barriers to business and modernize rules. Pai also has proposed significant changes to local TV ownership limits and plans other changes to media regulations.

Pai praised Carr's appointment. "Brendan’s expertise on wireless policy and public safety will be a tremendous asset to the commission," he said in a statement.

Republican Michael O'Rielly and Democrat Mignon Clyburn also serve on the commission.

Democrats insisted Republicans had agreed in 2015 to reconfirm Rosenworcel as part of a deal to confirm O'Rielly. Republicans denied there was a deal but the standoff had delayed consideration of telecommunications legislation in the Senate.

Pai would be forced to leave the commission if he is not reconfirmed by the Senate by the end of the year.

Under Pai, the FCC chose not to review AT&T Inc's planned $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc.

The FCC must review Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc's proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media Co, one of the largest U.S. TV station operators.

Pandora Interim CEO: Out To Nail 'Passive Listening'

Naveen Chopra

Just one day after being handed the title of interim CEO, chief financial officer Naveen Chopra's debut as the face of streaming music operator Pandora Media Inc. (P) was little short of a hit.

According to TheStreet, shares of the company, which had tumbled 35% this year before Wednesday, June 28, were up 5.7% to $8.97 in early afternoon trading.

Chopra, who was hired at Pandora in February, was named interim CEO on Tuesday, taking over for co-founder Tim Westergren, whose 15 months atop the company were clouded by concerns that it had lost focus on its core business of advertising-supported internet radio as it sought to build an on-demand streaming service.

"Our strategy is to nail the passive listening experience and make sure we have on-demand as an option but not lose sight of our strength," Chopra said at a media conference hosted by Bernstein Research. "The winners and losers in the music streaming space will be really be determined by who can build the most compelling consumer product."

For Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) , the satellite radio operator which agreed on June 9 to invest $480 million in exchange for a 19% stake in Pandora, that product is its free, ad-supported radio platform accessed by 80 million listeners per month.

Greg Maffei, who is both chairman of Sirius and CEO of its parent, Liberty Media Corp., often chided Pandora's management for its decision to spend millions of dollars to launch Pandora Premium, the company's on-demand streaming service that debuted in March, when that business is already dominated by Spotify Ltd., Apple Inc.'s  Apple Music. Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime service and YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc.

San Diego Radio 'Jeff & The Showgram' OUT At KYXY

“Jeff and the Showgram” – co-hosted by Jeff Detrow, Tommy Sablan, Laura Cain and Emily Griffiths – was “in the air” as usual Tuesday morning on CBS Radio's KYXY 96.5 FM. But on Wednesday, when listeners tuned in during the morning commute, the show was abruptly gone.

Tommy Sablan confirmed to NBC 7 that the “Showgram” was canceled.

Sablan said he’s proud of the work the show has done over the past three decades – not only on the air but in the community. He said that, by now, listeners are more like “family.”

“I love it when we get messages from someone saying, ‘Hey I take my kids to school listening to you guys, my mom took me to school listening to you guys too,’” Sablan said.

While the "Showgram” is gone, for now, Sablan is confident the radio program will land on its feet.
“I am optimistic we will be back,” he added.

The radio show, formerly called "The Jeff and Jer Showgram," had been on the air in San Diego since May 3, 1988.

For 27 years, it was helmed by broadcasters Jeff Detrow and Jerry Cesak, with Sablan serving as producer and on-air sidekick. Cain joined the team in 1992, while Hoag joined in 1993. Griffiths rounded out the ensemble in 2009.

When Cesak retired from radio in October 2015, the program was renamed "Jeff and the Showgram." At that time, Sablan said KyXy had signed the show on for a few more years.
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In 2016, the "Showgram" saw another change when Hoag left the program. Since then, Detrow, Sablan, Cain, and Griffiths had been holding down the fort.

Over the decades, the show has bounced around several different local radio stations, including a run on Star 94.1 where a contract dispute took the show off the air in 2009. For a couple of years, Cesak and Detrow produced an online radio show from Cesak's garage.

The show eventually found a home on KyXy, debuting its first broadcast on that station on Jan. 24, 2011. "The Jeff and Jer Showgram" was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2016.