Radio History: Nov 22

➦In 1899…Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America registered in New Jersey

➦In 1904...Actor Roland Winters was born in Boston.  He was the longtime radio announcer for John J Anthony’s Goodwill Hour.  In TV he had recurring roles on the series Mama, Door With No Name & Green Acres, as well as dozens of guest spots. He died Oct. 22 1989 after a stroke, at age 84.

➦In 1906...Actor & announcer Howard Petrie was born in Beverly Mass. He had many bigtime radio announcing assignments with Garry Moore, Jimmy Durante & Judy Canova, frequently taking part in the skits himself. In TV he had recurring acting assignments on Bat Masterson & The Edge of Night, plus scores of guest roles.  Howard died March 24 1968 at just 61.

➦In 1934...“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” was aired on radio for the first time, on NBC’s Eddie Cantor Show.

➦In 1955...RCA paid the unheard of sum of $25,000 to Sam Phillips of Memphis for the rights to the music of a truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi: Elvis Presley. Thanks to negotiations with Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, RCA tossed in a $5,000 bonus as well — for a pink Cadillac for Elvis’ mother.

➦In 1963…Most U-S radio stations suspended regular programming following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.  The Number One song that week was 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs.

More than three hours of KLIF 1190 AM audio from November 22, 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination.

Coverage begins at 11:30 AM (Dallas time) on 11/22/63, with Joe Long of Dallas radio station KLIF reporting live from Love Field Airport as President Kennedy arrives in "Big D".

Today 1190 AM is the home of Talk KFXR.

Kennedy coverage as heard on WBAP 820 AM Fort Worth:

And From The Big One, WLW 700 AM Cincinnati (then an NBC Affiliate):

Here is the initial bulletin heard on the NBC Radio Network about the shooting of President Kennedy in Dallas. Robert MacNeil reports live from a telephone located inside the Texas School Book Depository Building, which is where the gunshots came from.

This is the line feed from the ABC Radio Network News in the initial moments of the coverage of the JFK Assassination. Included is the ABC Log Book notes on what they were airing. Someone in ABC Master Control had to log literally everything that was broadcast each day. Also included UPI and AP wire copy which you can see the network anchors are relying on for information.

➦1963…The Parlophone label released the Beatles' second album in the U-K, "With the Beatles," and the single, "Roll Over Beethoven." Capitol Records in Canada issued the album as "Beatlemania! With the Beatles," which has the distinction of being the first Beatles album ever released in North America. Most of the songs from the album were not released in the United States until January 20, 1964 when Capitol Records issued "Meet the Beatles!"

➦In 1980...actress Mae West  died at her Hollywood home at age 87 following a stroke.

CMA Music Awards: Broadcasters Honored

The 58th Annual CMA Awards took place on Wednesday night from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Luke Bryan and former NFL star Peyton Manning returned to host the ceremony, with last year’s entertainer of the year award winner – country music superstar Lainey Wilson – joining as cohost.

Morgan Wallen earned the most nominations with seven, followed by Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton with five. Post Malone and Wilson earned four nods each.

Despite being seemingly plagued by sound quality issues, the show included several starry performances, including a show-opener from Malone and Chris Stapleton and a tribute to this year’s lifetime achievement award recipient George Strait.

Ladies and gentlemen, the King of Country Music@GeorgeStrait
#CMAawards pic.twitter.com/8abAESzNM6

— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) November 21, 2024

Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Luke Combs, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, among many others, also took the stage to perform.

🎵CMA MUSIC AWARDS: Winner's List

🎤2024 CMA Broadcast Personality Of The Year Winners:

• Weekly National: Crook & Chase Countdown (Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase) – Jim Owens Entertainment
• Daily National: The Bobby Bones Show (Bobby Bones, Amy Brown, “Lunchbox” Dan Chappell, Eddie Garcia, Morgan Huelsman, “SZN Raymundo” Ray Slater, “Mike D” Rodriguez, Abby Anderson, “Kick Off Kevin” O’Connell and Stephen “Scuba Steve” Spradlin) – iHeartMedia
• Major Market: Frito & Katy (Tucker “Frito” Young and Katy Dempsey) – KCYY, San Antonio, Texas
• Large Market: Jesse & Anna (Jesse Tack and Anna Marie) – WUBE, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Medium Market: Steve & Gina In The Morning (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) – KXKT, Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa
• Small Market: The Eddie Foxx Show (Eddie Foxx and Amanda Foxx) – WKSF, Asheville, N.C.

📻2024 CMA Radio Stations Of The Year:

• Major Market: WYCD – Detroit, Michigan
• Large Market: WQDR – Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
• Medium Market: WUSY – Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Small Market: WYCT – Pensacola, Florida

📻CMA BROADCAST AWARDS: Winner's List

The CMA Awards aired live on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu on Thursday.

Rosenworcel To Step Down As FCC Chair

Jessica Rosenworcel

Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on Wednesday she will step down from the agency that oversees U.S. telecommunications companies on Jan. 20 when Donald Trump assumes the presidency.

According to Reuters, Rosenworcel, who joined the FCC in 2012 and is the first female permanent chair, oversaw a dramatic expansion of commission work on space policy including the establishment of a Space Bureau.

She was also behind efforts to help more students get internet access, oversaw a government subsidy program to help 23 million households get broadband access and led an agency crackdown on the proliferation of Chinese telecoms equipment and other national security issues.

Rosenworcel said the job had been the honor of a lifetime, guiding "the FCC during a time when communications technology is a part of every aspect of civic and commercial life."

She led efforts to restore landmark net neutrality rules that were reversed by the FCC under then President Donald Trump and have since been put on hold by a court.

Net neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds or blocking content for certain users. A federal appeals court in August blocked the FCC from enforcing the rules while an industry legal challenge plays out.

It's back with Jenin here 5 million two. Here it is. 5 million, two, would you say three online?

Rosenworcel is following long-standing commission precedent by stepping down when a new president takes office, which will leave the commission divided 2-2 between Democratic and Republican appointees.

This week, Trump named FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a critic of the Biden administration's telecom policies and Big Tech, as new chair effective Jan. 20. Trump will need to nominate a replacement for Rosenworcel and win Senate confirmation before Republicans can take full control of the agency.

TV Ratings: Fox News Channel Wins With 28-Year High

During the week of November 11-17, FOX News Channel (FNC) triumphed posting the highest share of the cable news audience with total day in the network’s 28 year history across viewers and the younger demos.

The viewership wave that followed President-elect Donald Trump’s Election Night victory greatly benefited Fox News as the network crested to ratings high. And viewers have continued to stay tuned to Fox News as the new administration takes shape, with some appointees coming from within the network.

According to Fox News, the outlet drew a 69% share of the cable news audience in total day and a 72% share in primetime—the best performance in its 28-year history Meanwhile, MSNBC and CNN continued to swim at the bottom of that viewership wave as viewers continue to abandon both networks en masse. It should be noted that even as Fox News had plenty to boast about, all three networks saw double-digit drops compared to Election Week.

TV Newser reports Nielsen live plus same-day data for the week saw FNC average 2.974 million total viewers and 360,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. That translates to respective declines of -31% and -59% in the A25-54 demo relative to the week prior.  

In total day, Fox News averaged 1.862 million total viewers and 236,000 A25-54 viewers for declines of -29% and -50%, respectively.

Among all basic cable networks, Fox News finished as the No. 1 cable network with primetime total viewers, and No. 2 in the primetime demo. Across total day, it continued to lead in total viewers and dropped one spot to land at No. 2 in the demo.

MSNBC’s primetime lineup averaged 684,000 total viewers and 65,000 A25-54 viewers for steep week-to-week drops of -57% and -82%, respectively.

MSNBC dropped from third place to fifth place with primetime total viewers and tumbled from fourth to 28th in the primetime demo, tied with the Lifetime Movie Network. During total day, it was the No. 4 network in total viewers and feel from fourth to 21st in the demo.

In primetime, CNN averaged 464,000 total primetime viewers and 88,000 A25-54 viewers for week-to-week declines of -62% and -80%, respectively.

Across total day, the network attracted 337,000 total viewers and 58,000 A25-54 viewers, which translates to respective declines -53% and -73% compared to the previous week. The silver lining for CNN was that it once again finished ahead of MSNBC in the demo during primetime and total day. 

On the basic cable charts, CNN 10th most-watched network among primetime total viewers and 16th in the primetime demo.  

Fox News took all 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week, with The Five (4.369 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET) remaining at No. 1.

FNC’s daytime programming continued its reign over the competition as Outnumbered (weekdays 12 PM/ET; 2.4 million P2+), The Story (weekdays, 3 PM/ET; 2.3 million P2+), The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 2.2 million P2+), America’s Newsroom (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 2.2 million P2+) and America Reports (weekdays, 1-3 PM/ET; 2.2 million P2+) each surpassed CBS Mornings (2.1 million viewers), NBC’s TODAY Third Hour (1,945,000 P2+), NBC’s Today with Hoda and Jenna (1,365,000 P2+) ABC’s GMA3 (1,253,000 P2+), CBS’ The Talk (1,221,000 P2+) and NBC News Daily (1,160,000 P2+).

For the week: 

• The Five averaged a whopping 4.4 million viewers and 480,000 in the 25-54 demo, leading all of television. Notably, the program beat SNL with viewers. 
• At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 3.3 million viewers and 402,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 3.4 million viewers and 416,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. 
• At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 4.1 million viewers and 474,000 in the 25-54 demo. 
• At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 3.3 million viewers and 398,000 with A25-54. 
• At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 1.9 million viewers and 281,000 in the 25-54 demo. FNC’s Gutfeld! continued to lead all late-night television across the board. 
• For the week, Gutfeld! drew 3.4 million viewers and 501,000 in the 25-54 demo, placing first with the younger demo. The program crushed CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (1.8 million P2+; 321,000 A25-54), ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.5 million P2+; 220,000 A25-54), NBC’s The Tonight Show (1.3 million P2+; 379,000 A25-54) and Late Night with Seth Meyers (823,000 P2+; 203,000 A25-54).

Over the weekend, FNC won every hour with viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 11-11-24 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name.

Details Emerge About The Comcast Spin-Off Plan

Comcast Corp. detailed a plan Wednesday morning to spin off a $7 billion portfolio of its cable networks into their own publicly traded company.

The Philadelphia Business Journal ewpoera the new independent media business — tentatively dubbed SpinCo — is made up of NBCUniversal brands. The spinoff will group together brands including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel. With them will come certain other media assets including Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as sports management software GolfNow and Sports Engine.

The brands that will make up the spinoff generated about $7 billion in revenue in the last 12 months ending Sept. 30, according to Comcast. The company posted total revenue of $121.6 billion in 2023.

The new public company will not include the legacy NBC channel or streaming service Peacock, which Comcast has invested heavily in. Bravo and Telemundo are also not included. Additionally, production studios DreamWorks and Universal Pictures, as well as the Universal theme parks are not part of the spinoff.

The Philadelphia-based tech and media conglomerate is aiming to complete the spin off in about a year. It will have the same dual-class share structure as Comcast. The transaction will be structured as a tax-free spin to existing Comcast shareholders.

Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts will not be on the board of the new venture, but will hold a one-third voting stake.

NBCUniversal has its headquarters in New York, and the television studios mostly operate out of Hollywood, so it remains to be seen what impact — if any — the standalone media company will have on Comcast's Philadelphia operations.

The spinoff will be led by CEO Mark Lazarus, the current chairman of the NBCUniversal Media Group. He will team with COO and CFO Anand Kini, the current CFO of NBCUniversal and an executive vice president of strategy at Comcast.

Staffers Panic At MSNBC

The future of the relationship between NBC News and MSNBC, following Comcast’s decision to spinoff its cable networks on Wednesday, is now a mystery — even to those working at 30 Rock.

Panic engulfed MSNBC headquarters on Wednesday after parent company Comcast confirmed a massive spinoff of its cable properties — with a top executive even suggesting the left-leaning network may be forced to change its name.

MSNBC stars Rachel Maddow, Chris Jansing and Katy Tur joined a tense 10 a.m. meeting at 30 Rock in Midtown led by NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus, who will lead the new company, sources told The NY Post.

Staffers fearing looming layoffs peppered him with questions about if the network will need to change its name, logos and headquarters after reports surfaced that the new entity could be cut off from the reporting muscle of NBC News, sources said.

The Wrap/Pro reports editorial staffers are “in the dark” on what the spinoff means for the NBC News-MSNBC connection moving forward.

The expectation, though, is that the two news teams will no longer work together, once the spinoff takes place in 2025.

Mark Lazarus

Comcast’s spinoff plan will create a separate company, aptly dubbed SpinCo, that houses CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Golf Channel, Oxygen, and Syfy. Combined, those channels generated $7 billion in sales between September 2023 and September 2024. Comcast will retain its Peacock streaming service, Bravo and NBC — which includes its news division.

The deal, which is expected to take about a year to complete, will likely sever ties between MSNBC and NBC News, one of its major news gathering arteries. How MSNBC will adjust will be worth monitoring — whether it’s beefing up its own news gathering team or leaning more into commentary from talking heads.

Another real possibility is that MSNBC will revamp its on-air lineup. The cable channel enjoyed a strong Election Night, beating CNN in the ratings for the first time ever, but its viewership has since cratered by 51% following the election. The corporate changes, combined with the ratings drop off, has MSNBC talent like “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough questioning their longterm future at the channel.

The man tasked with leading MSNBC going forward is Mark Lazarus, the current chairman of NBCUniversal’s media group who was named CEO of SpinCo on Wednesday.

News Corp Shareholders Reject Activist Bid

News Corp shareholders voted in favor of maintaining the company’s dual-class share structure, rejecting an activist investor’s proposal aimed at reducing the Murdoch family’s influence over the media conglomerate.

The Wall Street Journal reports the nonbinding proposal, which was submitted by activist investment firm Starboard Value in September and had garnered broad support from proxy-advisory firms, would have made each outstanding share of News Corp’s common stock equal to one vote. Currently, Class B have greater voting power than Class A shares.

Rupert Murdoch

The family of Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch owns about 40% of Class B shares.

Starboard argued in a letter to shareholders in September that the dual structure wasn’t a best-in-class corporate-governance practice. The firm said the continuing legal fight involving Murdoch and his children over control of the media conglomerate was one example of a risk to the organization.

News Corp responded that the dual-class share structure promoted stability at the company.

News Corp said Wednesday that it was pleased its stockholders had convincingly supported the company and board on all matters. The company’s full slate of directors was also elected at the annual meeting of shareholders.

News Corp is the parent company of Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires.

Reports: Trump Considering Don Bongino To Head Secret Service

Don Bongino

President-Elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering radio host Dan Bongino to head the Secret Service, as the embattled security outfit seeks to rebuild credibility after multiple near-miss assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.

The host of the Westwood One syndicated Dan Bongino Show political podcast previously served as a Secret Service agent, and was a regular commentator and host on Fox News until last year.

Bongino said on his podcast last week he hadn’t had any formal conversations with the Trump administration.

In addition to his stints in the Secret Service and at Fox, he has previously served as a New York City police officer, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress three times.

In his media appearances, Bongino has frequently defended Trump and echoed his ideas, including criticizing the Mar-a-Lago search by the FBI that uncovered thousands of classified documents, and spreading unfounded claims about the 2020 election.

Bongino was permanently banned from YouTube in 2022 for allegedly spreading Covid misinformation.

The Secret Service has come under heavy scrunity during the 2024 election season, after two assassination attempts against Donald Trump, and after a third armed man was stopped outside a Trump rally.

NYC Radio: Yankees' Michael Kaye Negotiating New ESPN 880 Deal

After nearly two decades as a staple of New York Sports radio in the afternoon drive, the future of “The Michael Kay Show” is in limbo as host Michael Kay and ESPN negotiate, according to Andrew Marchand at The Athletic.

With Kay’s contract ending in the middle of December, ESPN 880 AM has indicated a desire to keep him on the air, but has yet to make a concrete offer for him to remain in drive time, the sources said.

Two years ago, Kay threatened to leave afternoons before then head of programming, Norby Williamson, gave Kay a multi-million dollar deal to keep him. This time, one of ESPN’s top executives, David Roberts, is at the helm.

Kay could remain on ESPN’s air with a lighter schedule. He could move to 1-3 p.m. with a work-from-home arrangement to continue opining on New York sports. If this happens, he is expected to be a solo act. There is a remote chance of a complete reversal and the afternoon trio of Kay, Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg stays together.

It is unclear if Kay’s show would continue to be simulcast on YES. However it plays out, Kay will remain the voice of the New York Yankees on the network.

The Kay decision will have an impact throughout the station. Kay, La Greca and Rosenberg were the trio that upended WFAN’s Mike Francesa’s long run of rating superiority.

If Kay were to move to mid-days, then the leading candidates for the afternoon spot are La Greca and Alan Hahn, according to sources briefed on the plans. Rosenberg also has an expiring contract but could be left without a chair in the La Greca-Hahn scenario. Rosenberg has other jobs, as he is a morning host on Hot 97 and is on WWE telecasts.

Hahn currently works with former Jet Bart Scott on ESPN New York mid-days. Scott would potentially continue with Dan Graca on a 10-1 slot, the sources said. That would mean Mike Greenberg’s show would not be on 880 AM in New York anymore.

Biden's DOJ Wants Google To Divest Of Chrome

The Department of Justice is calling for Google to divest its Chrome browser, following a ruling in August that the company holds a monopoly in the search market, reports CNBC.

Chrome, which Google launched in 2008, provides the search giant with data it then uses for targeting ads. The DOJ said in a filing on Wednesday that forcing the company to get rid of Chrome would create a more equal playing field for search competitors.

“To remedy these harms, the [Initial Proposed Final Judgment] requires Google to divest Chrome, which will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet,” the 23-page filing reads.

Additionally, the DOJ said that Google be prevented from entering into exclusionary agreements with third parties like Apple and Samsung. The DOJ also said that Google be prohibited from giving its search service preference within its other products.

The DOJ also said that remedies should prevent Google from eliminating “emerging competitive threats through acquisitions, minority investments, or partnerships.” The DOJ said that the “proposed remedies run for a period of 10 years.” The filing also says the search company should be required to provide a technical committee with a monthly report outlining any changes to its search text ads auction.

“The proposed remedies are designed to end Google’s unlawful practices and open up the market for rivals and new entrants to emerge,” the filing reads.

Search advertising accounted for $49.4 billion in revenue in parent company Alphabet’s third quarter, representing three-quarters of total ad sales in the period.

The DOJ’s request represents the agency’s most aggressive attempt to break up a tech company since its antitrust case against Microsoft, which reached a settlement in 2001.

R.I.P.: Vic Flick, James Bond's Guitarman

 Vic Flick, a British guitarist whose driving riff in the theme for the James Bond movies captured the spy’s suave confidence and tacit danger, died on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. He was 87, according to The NY Times.

His death, in a nursing facility, was announced on social media by his son, Kevin, who said the cause was Alzheimer’s disease.

The Bond films produced signature catchphrases (“shaken, not stirred,” “Bond, James Bond”) that have been endlessly recited and parodied since “Dr. No,” the first in the series, was released in Britain in 1962. But it was the sound of Mr. Flick’s guitar in the opening credits that helped make the spy thrillers instantly recognizable.

During the title credits of “Dr. No,” when moviegoers were introduced to or reacquainted with the works of the author Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond books, Mr. Flick’s thrumming guitar sounded out through a brass-and-string orchestra.

“He was a musician’s musician,” Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues wrote in the foreword to “Guitarman.” “He played for all the greats, and on so many treasured records. He was in demand, and he delivered.”

The result has been imprinted into the annals of cinema, and Mr. Flick would go on to work on the theme music for several more Bond films, including “Goldfinger” (1964).

He became a successful session musician, playing on tracks for Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield and Peter and Gordon’s album “A World Without Love.” His guitar playing can be heard in the 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night,” featuring the Beatles, and he worked with Paul McCartney on the 1977 album “Thrillington.”

In 2013, he received a lifetime achievement award from the National Guitar Museum.