Ford To Link Some Cars To Amazon's Alexa System

By Paul Lienert and Alexandria Sage

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Some Ford  owners will soon be able to turn up the heat at home from their cars using Amazon’s Alexa voice service or start their vehicles from their desks using the same system.

Ford Motor Co said that three models, the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi, by year's end will be able to communicate with smart home devices using Alexa by pressing a voice recognition button on the steering wheel.

Consumers can send instructions to their Ford vehicles from home by using Amazon’s Echo smart home device and Alexa, an “intelligent assistant,” similar to Apple’s Siri, that enables users to access Internet services and interact with devices using voice commands. Vehicle owners also will be able to send simple commands via Alexa to smart home appliances and systems.

The Ford-Amazon partnership was announced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January. Production plans were shared last week with Reuters during a demonstration of the service at Ford’s Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto, California. A Ford spokesperson said the service has entered a final phase of testing with Amazon before its planned release at the end of the year.

Among the functions that Alexa can provide are the ability to preset temperature in the home, check the security system or turn on the outside lights from the car. Using an Echo device in the home or office, Alexa users can start the vehicle, lock or unlock their doors and check the range between charges, after providing a security code.

Alexa also can be used to update shopping lists, get weather reports, check appointments and cue up music in the car.

Some of the in-vehicle services through Alexa will be rolled out to other Ford models starting early next year, according to Ford spokesman Alan Hall.

Carmakers are increasingly trying to improve the customer experience inside cars with features to rival the convenience of smartphones. The growing focus on network-connected appliances and other home devices — part of the so-called "Internet of Things" phenomenon — has inspired collaborations between automakers and technical service providers such as the Ford-Amazon alliance.

National Treasure Vin Scully Signs-Off

He spoke to the game, to its history, to the unique situation of being honored at a retirement party disguised as a baseball game, reports The LA Times.

He spoke to the adoring folks who filled San Francisco’s AT&T Park, to the admiring announcers sitting in the next booth, to family members who surrounded his chair and wrapped him in a giant midgame hug.

Then, finally, after three hours of a brilliant final broadcast that will rank among his finest,  Vin Scully stripped away all the decorations and did what he has done best for 67 years.

He spoke directly to the hearts of Dodgers fans.



With the cameras focused on the celebrating Giants after their 7-1, wild-card clinching win against the Dodgers, the retiring Scully uttered his final live call of a baseball game.

 “I have said enough for a lifetime and, for the last time, I wish you all a very pleasant good afternoon,” he said.

Moments later, at the end of a postgame message taped earlier from the broadcast booth, he signed off for good.

“There will be a new day, and eventually a new year, and when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, ah, rest assured, once again, it will be time for Dodgers baseball!” he said. “So this is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon, wherever you may be.”

Thanks, Vin.
He spoke like he was a caring uncle to all of us.

RT"@Dodgers: Dear friends... pic.twitter.com/pdhJmKGtJo"

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 2, 2016

Padres Voice Dick Enberg Bids Farewell

Dick Enberg has wrapped-up up his seven-year run as the Padres' main television voice. His final home broadcast was Thursday night at Petco Park. His final season concluded Sunday in Phoenix.

While baseball is but one part of his sterling resume, Enberg's involvement in the sport at the major league level dates to the 1960s.

The Sporting News reports that fragmented half-century isn't the 67 continuous years Vin Scully has spent with the Dodgers, but Enberg, 81, deserves recognition for his diamond work, too.

Scully did his part during a pregame video salute Thursday night: "Dick has done every sport imaginable, and, more importantly, he has done them perfectly. I don't mean pretty good, or good, or very good, I mean perfectly," he said.

"Wherever I am, if your name comes up, I will say from my heart, 'As good as they come,'" Scully concluded.

Scully knows of what he speaks. Enberg was the lead national voice on NFL, college basketball and Grand Slam tennis broadcasts for decades, primarily on NBC. He chronicled UCLA's men's basketball dynasty.

Enberg joined Scully in the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame last year.

Gannett, Tronc Deal Reported to Be Imminent

Gannett’s long quest to buy the newspaper company known as Tronc is nearing the finish line.

Politico is reporting that asset purchase agreement drafts have been exchanged by Gannett, the country’s second-largest newspaper chain and publisher of USA Today, and Tronc, formerly known as Tribune Publishing and the publisher of such broadsheet mainstays as The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun.

The announcement of a deal could come as soon as business opens on the fourth quarter of the year, as early as Monday morning.

Tronc’s board of directors held a meeting Thursday, sources said, that was likely focused on the sale. Attorneys, they said, were at work on documents at the end of last week.

The likely price: $18.50 to $19, a slight rise from Gannett’s most recent offer of $18, one rejected by Tronc chairman Michael Ferro and his board August. Such a price would have represented a 140 percent premium over the then-trading price of Tribune Publishing shares before Gannett CEO Bob Dickey made his first offer for the company’s nine metro newspapers in the spring. Those papers, and their growing digital news operations, include some of the country’s largest and best known ones. The Los Angeles Times, still employing the U.S.’s third largest daily newsroom, and the Chicago Tribune have served as Tronc’s twin flagships, and would add great luster to Gannett.

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Spotify Exec: Radio Is 'Not Relevant'

Austin Kramer

Is music-streaming the new radio? At least one Spotify executive has escalated the idea to declare radio’s obituary, according to musically.com.

“Radio is of the past – it’s not relevant,” said Austin Kramer, the global head of dance & electronic music at Spotify, during a panel on playlists at Paris Electronic Week. “We are getting information [on tracks] 24 hours after their placement [on playlists]. Radio can’t do that.”

The former SiriusXM staffer added: “Being from radio, it’s sad to say, but that’s really the truth of it. There are certain companies in the US like CBS that say they do look at Spotify. I think it’s just a matter of time before radio either adopts that philosophy and admit they are looking at things like Shazam and Spotify, or they die.”

Emmanuelle de Hosson

Speaking on the same panel was Emmanuelle de Hosson, digital account manager at Warner Music France. She said that not only is radio being trumped by streaming on a label promotion level, but that the shift towards streaming in France could undermine the quota system that has previously defined French radio (whereby a defined percentage of tracks played have to be by French acts and another percentage sung in French).

“It is really changing at the moment because before you really had to have a single playing on NRJ [the country’s major top 40 station], for example, to have a hit,” she said of the French market which has recently added streaming data to the charts for the first time. “That’s still true, but not entirely. Now we have playlists, we have more space to expose our tracks. On radio, they cannot play all your catalogue.”

She continued, “It’s really a new way to work on promo because sometimes, and it has happened this year for Warner, you can have a track that is not played by radio but you can have success on streaming. So now you can take that [evidence] to push it on radio. That is really a new way to work with promo – as it works contrary to how we did before. Radio in France has to push the local repertoire, but in streaming you see you have more and more international [repertoire]; so that changes how we work catalogue, too.”

Beyond the central point about streaming’s growing importance and, perhaps, radio’s shrinking importance in some respects, both Kramer and de Hosson expanded on how playlisting strategies are being used to build audiences and introduce new acts.

Kramer said that new acts believe this is their fast track to success and he has to disabuse them on this notion, suggesting that a slow, but steady, build is the only way to go.

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Entravision CRO: Radio No Longer About Just Listening

Entravision Communications Corporation held its second annual Upfront presentation Thursday night in New York City.

Entravision also unveiled a new investment in Chanclazo Studios, Inc. ("Chanclazo"), an innovative digital production studio that creates and distributes animated content for Hispanic audiences with extensive 3D animation, visual effects, augmented reality and virtual reality production capabilities.

Entravision delivers a multiplatform solution through its extensive radio, TV and digital media assets which touch the massive and growing total Hispanic market across acculturation levels.

Mario Carrera

"Radio is no longer about just listening; audio now includes video content, across multiple devices and on demand. Our robust distribution platforms, captivating content and effective integrated marketing programs position us well to enhance our relationship with our audience and thrive in the new media landscape," stated Mario M. Carrera, Chief Revenue Officer during the presentation.

According to Carrera, 97% or 41 million of U.S. Hispanics listen to radio an average of nearly 13 hours a week, Entravision attracts their fanaticos and fans with compelling content (Source: Nielsen, State of the Media: Audio Today, A Focus on Black & Hispanic Audiences, September 2016).

The Upfront presentation featured Entravision's radio program formats and radio hosts, including:

• Erazno y La Chokolata –The voice behind this fantastic program, Oswaldo Diaz, has the most YouTube views of any Spanish-language personality. Honored with a day named after him in Las Vegas in 2015, he was commemorated with a star on the Vegas strip last fall. Most notably, Oswaldo was a finalist in the coveted Marconi Award this year for Syndication Personality of the Year.
• Eddie "Piolín" Sotelo – Piolín returned last January with a new show "El Show de Piolín" – a refreshing twist on the traditional morning show format that features its beloved host.
• "El Show de Alex 'El Genio' Lucas" – Hosted by Alex Lucas, El Genio can be heard in markets that cover 62% of the U.S. Hispanic population and is a popular morning show what provides families with wholesome anecdotes and motivational messages.
• "Armida y La Flaka" – By providing a unique Latina perspective and fun digital content, Armida y La Flaka is gaining popularity as a distinctly modern and relatable show.

Trump: NYTimes Tax Return "Illegal"

This weekend, The New York Times obtained a portion of  Donald Trump‘s 1995 income tax returns that seem to suggest that he could have avoided paying federal income taxes for the last 18 years. The reason? Trump reported a $916 million loss back then, which could have helped him legally avoid paying taxes for years.

According to lawnews.com, the story behind how the Times got a hold of the returns is even more mysterious. The three pages were apparently sent to Times reporter Susanne Craig anonymously. Even stranger, the document had a return address of Trump Tower.

Trump’s attorney immediately sent a letter to the editors of the Times arguing that publishing the records is “illegal” because Mr. Trump has not authorized the disclosure of any of his tax returns.” The Times will likely assert a First Amendment defense, and they may have a very strong defense.  However, there is one provision in federal law that will make this difficult for the newspaper.

Federal law does make it illegal for “any person” to publish an unauthorized tax return:

It shall be unlawful for any person to whom any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) is disclosed in a manner unauthorized by this title thereafter willfully to print or publish in any manner not provided by law any such return or return information. Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution

Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times, said during a September panel discussion at Harvard that he would risk jail time in order to print Trump’s taxes, as it was a matter of “public concern.”

In addition, whoever sent the returns to the newspaper could also be in some legal trouble.

Instant Tax Karma For NY Times

The New York Times has excited the Clinton campaign and the rest of the media with a revelation that Republican nominee Donald Trump declared a $916 million loss in 1995 that might have resulted in him not paying taxes in some subsequent years.

The implication, reinforced by CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday morning, is that Trump “avoided” paying taxes, when in fact his tax liability was zero.

But, reports Breitbart.com,  the Times itself has “avoided” paying taxes — in 2014, for example.

As Forbes noted at the time:

… for tax year 2014, The New York Times paid no taxes and got an income tax refund of $3.5 million even though they had a pre-tax profit of $29.9 million in 2014. In other words, their post-tax profit was higher than their pre-tax profit. The explanation in their 2014 annual report is, “The effective tax rate for 2014 was favorably affected by approximately $21.1 million for the reversal of reserves for uncertain tax positions due to the lapse of applicable statutes of limitations.” If you don’t think it took fancy accountants and tax lawyers to make that happen, read the statement again.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended Trump on Sunday, telling NBC News’ Meet the Press that Trump was a “genius” in business who was simply doing what the tax code allows every American to do by counting losses against tax liabilities, and bouncing back from failure to success.

CableTV News Ratings: Sean Hannity Wins 25-54

Sean Hannity

Fox News’ “Hannity” finished the month of September as the most-watched cable news program among the key demo of adults age 25-54, marking the first time Sean Hannity‘s show won a month since moving to 10 p.m. ET in 2013.

According to The Wrap, “Hannity” averaged 525,000 demo viewers, topping his lead-in “The Kelly File” by roughly 22,000 viewers per night. Kelly won the demo for the third quarter of 2016, which includes September, but Hannity has surged recently because of numerous exclusive interviews with Donald Trump.

Hannity has been criticized by liberal media watchdogs for his chummy relationship with the GOP presidential candidate and even appeared in a recent Trump promotional video. However, Hannity will be the first to tell critics that he’s not a journalist and his program is based on his opinion.

With “Hannity” leading the way, Fox News Channel had seven of the Top 10 programs on cable news for the month of September. “The O’Reilly Factor” follows “Hannity” and “The Kelly File,” giving Fox News’ primetime lineup a sweep of the top three.

MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” and Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” round out the top five. CNN’s most-watched show among the key demo was “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” which averaged 339,000 demo viewers to finish ninth overall.

Viacom’s CBS Committee Loaded With New Redstone Appointees

Viacom Inc. named six directors to a special committee that will explore a merger with CBS Corp., including five recently appointed to the board by the Redstone family’s National Amusements Inc., which controls both companies, according to Bloomberg.

Independent directors Thomas May and Nicole Seligman will act as co-chairs, and be joined by Kenneth Lerer, Judith McHale, Ronald Nelson and Charles Phillips.

All but Phillips are recent appointees by National Amusements, which requested the companies consider combining after a corporate shake-up at Viacom that included the ouster of Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman.

A decade after billionaire mogul Sumner Redstone split Viacom and CBS in two, his daughter Shari Redstone is pushing to reunite the companies under CBS CEO Leslie Moonves and revive Viacom’s flagging television and film businesses.

On their own, CBS and Viacom are much smaller than peers such as Time Warner Inc. and 21st Century Fox Inc. Together, the company would rival them in annual sales, with the most-watched broadcast network, a suite of cable networks and the Paramount Pictures film studio.

CBS has also formed a committee to evaluate a merger, according to a spokeswoman, who didn’t specify its members.

Kim Kardashian Tied-Up And Robbed In Paris

(Reuters Photo)

UPDATE 3:00PM 10/3/16: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian returned to New York "badly shaken" on Monday after being robbed at gunpoint in her Paris residence by masked men who stole some $10 million worth of jewelry from her.

Kardashian, wearing sunglasses and with her head bowed, was pictured entering her Manhattan apartment with her rapper husband Kanye West. She had left Paris by private jet hours after robbers tied her up in the bathroom and put a gun to her head.

UPDATE 9AM 10/3/16:   Masked men put a gun to reality TV star Kim Kardashian's temple, left her tied up in the bathroom of her luxury residence in Paris and stole millions of dollars' worth of jewelry in the early hours of Monday, police and her publicist said.

Kardashian, wife of rapper Kanye West, later left France aboard a private jet from Le Bourget airport after spoken to investigators.

Five attackers, wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings, struck around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) inside the exclusive apartment block where Kardashian was staying while attending Paris Fashion Week, a police source told Reuters.

Two of the men entered Kardashian's apartment after threatening the night guard with a hand gun. Kardashian was not beaten, but the robbers put a handgun against her temple before tying her up, the source said. iTELE television said she had been tied up with packing tape.

The robbers stole a box with $5.6-$6.7 million worth of jewels and a ring worth about 4 million euros, the source said.

Graphiq

Earlier Posting...

(Reuters) -- Masked men robbed U.S. reality TV star Kim Kardashian West at gunpoint in a luxury residence in Paris early on Monday, stealing millions of dollars of jewelry, police and her publicist said.

Five attackers struck around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) inside the block used by celebrities and wealthy individuals behind the city's Madeleine church, a police source told Reuters.

Kardashian West's husband, rapper Kanye West, abruptly ended a performance in New York less than an hour into his set, as news of the robbery spread.

"I'm sorry I have a family emergency, I have to stop the show," West said in video footage posted on Twitter by fans at the Meadows Festival in the city's borough of Queens.

Kardashian West's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, had earlier said two masked gunmen dressed as policemen held up the star in her room.

The 35-year-old reality star had '$11 million' worth of jewellery stolen by at least two armed masked men dressed as police officers. The men stole a jewellery box worth $6.7 million and a ring worth $4.5 million, reports claim.

"She is badly shaken but physically unharmed," the statement added. daughter, North, three, and 10-month-old son Saint, are not believed to have been in the room at the time, reports The Daily Mail.

Kardashian West was in Paris with her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian.

Kardashian West has stayed in the residence at least once before, in 2014, before her marriage to rapper Kanye West.

Police were guarding the apartment block on Monday morning, a discreet building behind the city's Madeleine church, with several secret entrances, often frequented by movie and music stars who pay up to 15,000 euros a night.

The robbery set social media alight, with many users expressing disbelief at the latest headline-grabbing event in the life of a TV star whose every living moment seems to be documented on screen and the internet.

The armed robbed could add to worries about safety in Paris, hit by a series of attacks by Islamist militants last year.

Tourist numbers to what is traditionally the most visited city in the world, fell 6.4 percent in the first half of 2016 as many Asians and Americans stayed away.

"We worry about the image of Paris. This will be all over the news channels, imagine the negative publicity," Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, head of the conservative opposition in Paris, told Europe 1 radio.

October 3 Radio History

In 1901...The first record company, The Victor Talking Machine Company, is incorporated, later merging with the Radio Corporation of America to become RCA-Victor.

The famous Victrola phonograph logo, with Nipper the dog, and the words “His Master’s Voice”, appeared on all RCA-Victor phonographs and record labels.


In 1946...singer Dennis Day  started his own radio show on NBC. Dennis, a popular tenor featured on The Jack Benny Show, played the same naive young bachelor he played on the Benny show. “A Day in the Life of Dennis Day” aired for five years.


In 1949...radio staion WERD, the first black-owned radio station, went on the air in Atlanta, Georgia.





In 1952...The long-running radio hit The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet , now featuring a 12-year-old Ricky Nelson, debuts on CBS-TV, where it will run for another 14 years, bringing the total life of the show to 22 years.


In 1954…After five years on radio, "Father Knows Best," starring Robert Young, began its eight-year run on television, first on CBS, then moving to NBC in 1956. Young was the radio show's only cast member to make the transition to the TV version. He was joined by actors Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin who played Anderson family members Margaret, Betty, Bud and Kathy, respectively.


In 1960...a program called "Flair" premiered on radio featuring with Dick Van Dyke.


In 1985...CBS radio/TV newsman Charles Collingwood, one of Edward R. “Murrow’s Boys” for more than 40 years, died of cancer at age 68, three years after retiring.  For two years he hosted the celebrity interview program ‘Person to Person’ after Murrow left CBS in 1959. Collingwood was plagued for years with longtime alcohol & gambling addictions.

In 1987...The Hot 100"Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston was #1 with Whitesnake in the bridesmaid's position with "Here I Go Again".  Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam were back with the #3 song "Lost In Emotion", followed by "I Heard A Rumour" by Bananarama and Europe's "Carrie".

The rest of the Top 10:  Prince and Sheena Easton with "U (sic) Got the Look", Heart's 23rd career hit "Who Will You Run To", which cleared the Top 10 moving 13-8, "When Smokey Sings" from ABC, John Cougar Mellencamp and his 16th hit "Paper in FIre" and Smokey Robinson in person with "One Heartbeat".

In 2011…Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr., who transformed the company his father founded in 1923 into an international leader in market research, its name synonymous with television ratings, died at the age of 92.


In 2014...legendary programmer Kevin Metheny died suddenly. He was 60-years-old and apparently died from a heart attack. He was found unresponsive at his desk.

Metheny was Operations Manager of KGO 810 AM and KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco at the time of his death.