Trump's 'Go Back' Tweet Criticized On Fox News Channel

Several Fox News personalities, contributors and correspondents criticized President Trump on Monday for a series of tweets telling four progressive, nonwhite congresswomen to “go back” to other countries, reports The Hill.

Fox's chief White House correspondent John Roberts confronted Trump in person about the attack, asking the president during an impromptu news conference on Monday, “Does it concern you that many people saw that tweet as racist, and that white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you on that point?”

“It doesn’t concern me at all because many people agree with me,” Trump responded. "And all I’m saying is if they want to leave, they can leave."

“Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade, who often expresses support for the president, said on the network's “Outnumbered” that Trump's attacks were “a mistake” but argued that the president was trying to make them the controversial faces of the Democratic Party.

"In one way, the president saying ‘Why did he weigh in the way he did?’ It makes him the story. The other thing is he is underlying it. He’s saying ‘Democrats, these are your leaders, these are your rock stars, good luck,' " he said.

Co-panelist Harris Faulkner called the attacks “an old trope that has been used against people of color” but also accused the congresswomen of “pick[ing] on a man who likes to fight.”

The remarks came after Trump started a firestorm of controversy Sunday when he tweeted that " 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen" should "go back and fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

The tweets appeared to be directed at Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), all of whom are U.S. citizens. Only Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia, was born outside the U.S. The comments have widely been condemned by the Democratic Party as racist.

Fox News political analyst Jessica Tarlov compared the tweets to Trump’s promotion of the racist "birther" conspiracy theory that former President Obama was not born in the United States.

Most Fox contributors and personalities stopped short of calling Trump's statements racist. Fox's Brit Hume tweeted that the president's attacks were "nativist, xenophobic, counterfactual and politically stupid."

L-A Jury Awards SportsUSA $2M

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP has secured a significant trial victory on behalf of Sports USA, the nation’s largest independent syndicator of live play-by-play on radio.

Manatt’s Robert Platt, a senior litigation partner, represented Sports USA in the Los Angeles Superior Court, where a jury ruled unanimously in favor of Sports USA in its multiyear breach of contract litigation against Sun Broadcasting Group. The jury awarded Sports USA damages in excess of $2 million – the full amount requested – as compensation for Sun’s breach of its advertising representation agreement with Sports USA.

“Sports USA is absolutely thrilled with today’s outcome,” said Platt. “Despite numerous, non-meritorious countersuits and claims, our client would not be deterred in seeking the recovery of amounts that it was rightfully owed. After fighting tirelessly on behalf of Sports USA for two years, we are happy that the jury arrived at this just conclusion.”

Larry Kahn

Larry Kahn, the CEO of Sports USA, reacted after the jury verdict, “Jason Bailey, the CEO of Sun, thought he could breach the contract by filing claims against us which had no factual or legal basis, but under no circumstance would we back down and drop our valid claims.” Kahn added that, “The jury’s decision completely affirms what we have said since day one, that Sun breached the agreement and had no valid justification for doing so.”

In September 2015, Sports USA and Sun signed an advertising representation agreement under which Sun agreed to serve as Sports USA’s exclusive sales representative for the 2016 and 2017 college football seasons. In January 2017, when Sun could not fulfill its financial obligations to Sports USA under the contract, Sun attempted to terminate the agreement.

On behalf of Sports USA, Manatt filed suit against Sun for breaching the agreement. In response, Sun filed suit against Sports USA, making a number of claims, including that it was fraudulently induced into signing the agreement. In addition to the jury’s significant award of more than $2 million to Sports USA, it also unanimously rejected each of Sun’s claims against Sports USA.

Sun Broadcast Group CEO Jason Bailey stated he was saddened by the verdict.

“Despite establishing wrongdoing by Sports USA from even before the inception of the agreement between the parties, the jury granted judgment in favor of Sports USA. The jury reached that verdict without the benefit of being able to consider key evidence of Sports USA’s wrongdoing. Sun was barred from introducing that evidence at trial on hearsay grounds. This verdict involves the old Sun, which has not traded since late 2018. It does not involve the current SBG, owned and operated by Gen Media Partners.”

CRB Board Of Directors Announced

The Country Radio Broadcasters have completed their elections for the organization’s 2019-2020 Board of Directors. Returning as CRB Board President is Kurt Johnson (Townsquare Media), elected as Vice President is John Shomby (Cumulus Media) and returning as Secretary is Beverlee Brannigan (SummitMedia).

Serving on this year’s Board of Directors are: Chuck Aly (Country Aircheck), Beverlee Brannigan (SummitMedia), Becky Brenner (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Consulting), Johnny Chiang (KKBQ-FM), George Couri (Triple 8 Management), Andy Denemark (United Stations), Ryan Dokke (Curb), Mike Dungan (UMG), John Esposito (Warner Music Nashville), Dan Halyburton (Falls Media), Debra Herman (Apple), Steve Hodges (Sony Nashville), Clay Hunnicutt, Dave Kelly (Big Machine Label Group), Jon Loba (BBR/BMG), Mike McVay (McVay Media), Charlie Morgan (Emmis Communications), Rod Phillips (iHeartCountry), Tim Roberts (WYCD), Royce Risser (UMG), Bob Richards (Emmis Communications/WLHK), Brittany Schaffer (Spotify), John Shomby (Cumulus Media), Lesly Simon (Pearl Records), Matt Sunshine (CFSS), Joel Raab (Joel Raab Country Radio/Media), Ryan Redington (Amazon Music), and Kristen Williams (Warner). 

Charlie Monk continues as a Lifetime Director Emeritus.

CRB/CRS President, Kurt Johnson commented, “This is one of the strongest boards CRB has ever had. So proud to work with this group of radio and Music Row leaders to present country with the best CRS ever February 19-21, 2020.”

The CRS Board of Directors is made up of volunteer professionals from all areas of the country music industry. Together, they govern the organization and see that its mission is being fulfilled. Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. was created to provide a platform and structure for education and growth for the country music format, serving as the conduit connecting the interests of country radio with the country music industry.

ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen Discloses Parkinson's

Bill Rasmussen

ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen announced Monday he's battling Parkinson's disease in an essay on the company's website.

Rasmussen, 86, co-founded ESPN in 1979 alongside his son, Scott. He said he was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 but chose to share his condition now on a public platform in an effort to help others. Nearly 1 million people in the U.S. will be affected by the disease by 2020, according to parkinson.org.

"Now, by expanding the circle, by sharing my experiences, my hope is that I can help others who are impacted by Parkinson's and we'll all learn more together," Rasmussen wrote.

According to USAToday, Rasmussen will throw out the ceremonial first pitch alongside current ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro on Sept. 8 at Fenway Park when the Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees.

"I'll be talking a lot about PD in the weeks and months ahead — not as a victim, but as living, breathing proof that when you or a loved one hears the dreaded words, 'You have Parkinson's disease,' life is not over — it's just the beginning of a new chapter," Rasmussen wrote.

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain and results in the progressive loss of coordination and movement.

July 16 Radio History

➦In 1934...the NBC Red radio network premiered the musical drama, 'Dreams Come True'. The show concerned the lives of baritone singer Barry McKinley and his novelist sweetheart.

➦In 1981...Harry Forster Chapin died in a traffic accident on the Log Island Expressway after suffering a heart attack (Born -  December 7, 1942).  He was a singer-songwriter, humanitarian, and producer best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs, who achieved worldwide success in the 1970s and became one of the most popular artists and highest paid performers. Chapin is also one of the best charting musical artists in the United States. Chapin, a Grammy Award winning artist and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, has sold over 16 million records worldwide and has been described as one of the most beloved performers in music history.

Chapin recorded a total of 11 albums from 1972 until his death in 1981. All 14 singles that he released became hit singles on at least one national music chart.  Chapin was best known for “Taxi,” a top-20 hit in 1972, and “Cat’s in the Cradle,” which hit number-one in ’74.

As a dedicated humanitarian, Chapin fought to end world hunger; he was a key participant in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. Chapin is credited with being the most politically and socially active American performer of the 1970s. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.




➦In 1990..DJ Rick Dees debuted his TV show "Into The Night" on ABC-TV.





➦In 1991…Radio announcer Dwight Weist died of a heart attack at age 81.  He announced on radio shows such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries), Mr. District Attorney, The Shadow and March of Time.  He was known as the "Man of 1,000 Voices." He also narrated countless film documentaries from the 1930s through the 1950s.




➦In 2003…Baltimore radio, TV personality Buddy Dean died from the effects of a stoke at age 78.

The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957 until 1964. It was similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand.

Many top acts of the day appeared on The Buddy Deane Show. Acts that appeared on the show first were reportedly barred from appearing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, but if they had been on Bandstand first they could still be on The Buddy Deane Show. The rivalry with Dick Clark meant that Deane urged all his performers not to mention American Bandstand or visits to Clark in Philadelphia.

Although WJZ-TV, owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting (now CBS), was an ABC affiliate, the station "blacked out" the network broadcast of American Bandstand in Baltimore and broadcast the Deane program instead, reportedly because Bandstand showed black teenagers dancing on the show (although black and white teenagers were not allowed to dance together until the show was moved to California in 1964). The Deane program set aside every other Friday for a show featuring only black teenagers. For the rest of the time, the show's participants were all white.

Leslie Whittle Named VP/HotAC Formats For Cumulus Media

Leslie Whittle

Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted veteran radio programming professional Leslie Whittle as Vice President, Hot AC Formats.

In her new role, Whittle will serve as a corporate programming resource for the company’s HOT AC-formatted stations across the U.S. Whittle continues in her role as Program Director for CUMULUS MEDIA’s KRBE 104.1 FM in Houston.

Whittle started her radio career at KHFI in Austin, TX, where she ultimately became Program Director. She joined KRBE in 2000 as Assistant Program Director and was named Program Director for the station in 2006. Whittle has been honored for her work with awards including a Marconi Award for CHR Station of the Year 2017 and The Conclave’s Major Market Station of the Year 2018.

Brian Philips, Executive Vice President, Content and Audience, CUMULUS MEDIA, said: “With great strategy and spirit, Leslie has built a Cumulus CHR powerhouse in Houston. She understands all nuances of contemporary music radio, and we are fortunate to enlist her as VP of our Hot AC formats. Her name has hit every list of the “Best PDs in America”, and we are glad to spread Leslie’s brainpower and influence through our important Hot AC stations.”

Whittle said: “I’m honored to have this opportunity and look forward to working with these amazing programmers and their teams, along with the talented people at Westwood One. A huge “thank you” to Brian Philips for believing I have what it takes to succeed in this new role, and to Mike McVay for his guidance over the years. Also, a big high five to our team here at KRBE led by Alex Cadelago and Dan Bennett for allowing me to take on these additional duties as we continue to do great things in Houston!”

Day 3: June PPMs For Portland, Orlando, 10 More Markets

Nielsen on Friday, July 12, 2019 released the thurd batch of June 2019 PPM data for the following markets:

   22  Portland OR

   23  Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC

   25  San Antonio

   27  Sacramento

   28  Pittsburgh

   29  Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo 

   30  Las Vegas

   31  Orlando

   32  Cincinnati

   34  Cleveland

   35  Kansas City

   36  Columbus OH

Click Here for topline numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations.

Syracuse Radio: 93Q’s Ted & Amy Headed to Hall of Fame

Cumulus Media Syracuse 93Q morning team Ted Long and Amy Robbins will be inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame this October.

The Ted & Amy in the Morning morning show recently marked a milestone: waking up Central New Yorkers for 30 years and still going strong, 5:30-10:00am weekdays on 93Q WNTQ 93.1 FM Syracuse.

Long and Robbins will formally receive this statewide recognition in a  ceremony at the Javits Center in New York City on October 17. Previous Hall of Fame inductees  include: Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace, Barbara Walters, Al Roker, Regis Philbin, David Muir, and other industry leaders.

Ted & Amy are being recognized for their years of on-air companionship and entertainment, along with their relentless ongoing support of Central New York charity and nonprofit organizations.

Cumulus Media Syracuse Vice President/ Market Manager Beth Coughlin said, “When two amazing people create and produce a dynamic and platinum standard product, and fine-tune it for many years on air, it can’t be duplicated. Ted and Amy’s influence as part of not only the 93Q family, but also within the Central New York community, has set them apart. We congratulate them, and thank the New York State Broadcasters Association for this Hall of Fame recognition.”

'Deepfaking' Called Potential Trust Issue for Journalism

President Donald Trump has been warning about “fake news” throughout his entire political career putting a dark cloud over the journalism professional. And now the real wolf might be just around the corner that industry experts should be alarmed about, reports CNBC.

The threat is called “deepfaking,” a product of AI and machine learning advancements that allows high-tech computers to produce completely false yet remarkably realistic videos depicting events that never happened or people saying things they never said.

The danger goes far beyond manipulating 1980s thrillers. Deepfake technology is allowing organizations that produce fake news to augment their “reporting” with seemingly legitimate videos, blurring the line between reality and fiction like never before — and placing the reputation of journalists and the media at greater risk.

Ben Zhao, a computer science professor at the University of Chicago, thinks the age of getting news on social media makes consumers very susceptible to this sort of manipulation.

“What the last couple years has shown is basically fake news is quite compelling even in [the] absence of actual proof. ... So the bar is low,” Zhao said.

The bar to produce a convincing doctored video is lower than people might assume.

Earlier this year a clip purporting to show Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi slurring her words when speaking to the press was shared widely on social media, including at one point by Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani. However, closer inspection revealed that the video had been slowed to 75% of its normal speed to achieve this slurring effect, according to the Washington Post. Even with the real video now widely accessible, Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Information and a digital forensics expert, said he still regularly receives emails from people insisting the slowed video is the legitimate one.



To make one of these fake videos, computers digest thousands of still images of a subject to help researchers build a 3-D model of the person. This method has some limitations, according to Zhao, who noted the subjects in many deepfake videos today never blink, since almost all photographs are taken with a person’s eyes open.

The journalism industry is going to face a massive consumer trust issue, according to Zhao. He fears it will be hard for top-tier media outlets to distinguish a real video from a doctored one, let alone news consumers who haphazardly stumble across the video on Twitter.

CBS News Takes Some Chances With Norah O'Donnell

Long consigned to the evening news ratings basement, CBS News figures it can’t hurt to take some chances.

According to The Associated Press, the first chance was the appointment of a new anchor, Norah O’Donnell, who takes over Monday at the start of what promises to be a busy midsummer week. The second comes in November, when the “CBS Evening News” leaves New York for Washington, D.C.

CBS News President Susan Zirinsky is bullish on the advantages the moves will offer, and says CBS will guard against any temptation to become Washington-centric. That’s a consideration for a broadcast where its strongest markets competitively are in the middle of the country.

“Why not try something that could distinguish us and have the ability to bring us closer to the people who make decisions that are in the news?” said Zirinsky, who enjoyed nearly 20 years working in CBS’ Washington bureau. “That’s not constricting. That’s liberating. That opens channels for us.”

The “CBS Evening News” has been behind ABC and NBC in the ratings for decades, through anchors Dan Rather, Katie Couric, Bob Schieffer, Scott Pelley and Jeff Glor. This season, ABC’s “World News Tonight” is averaging 8.7 million viewers, NBC’s “Nightly News” is at 8.1 million and CBS is at 6 million, the Nielsen company said. Behind Glor, the gap widened: CBS’ drop of 5% in viewership from last year is steeper than the others, who had little change.

Dismissed by many in television for its older audiences, the evening newscasts are still durable institutions. Even the “CBS Evening News” routinely draws more eyeballs than attention-seeking cable news hosts.

O’Donnell, 45, spent seven years on “CBS This Morning,” but her roots are in Washington reporting. She covered the White House for both CBS and NBC, and got her start in the business following Congress at Roll Call.

Shoppers Ready To $pend During Amazon Prime Day(s)

Shoppers in the US will spend more on Prime Day this year than they did in 2018. reports MarketingCharts.com.  In a survey of Amazon Prime members from Profitero, three-quarters (76%) plan on shopping on Prime Day today and tomorrow in 2019, with 56% of those who shopped Prime Day last year saying they plan to spend more this year.

Prime Day 2019 Looks Promising

For Prime Day 2019, the top 3 shopping categories for US Amazon Prime members who are planning to buy are Electronics (71%), Apparel (58%) and Home Goods (56%). (Profitero)

Seven in 10 shoppers like to use Prime Day for finding deals and discovering new products, with 58% of shoppers saying that Prime Day flash sales help them do this. (Valassis)

Almost half (46%) of shoppers say that Prime day offers greater savings than Black Friday or Cyber Monday. (Valassis)

Brands benefit from the halo effect of Prime Day, with two-thirds (66%) of products seeing a lift in traffic during Prime Day with average daily sales higher for two weeks after the event compared to average sales prior to the even. (Profitero)

But It’s Not All Rosy

Shoppers do not take the deals at face-value, with nearly 6 in 10 saying they compare prices on other sites before making a Prime Day purchase. (Profitero)

Prime Day ceases to be just an Amazon event, as shoppers plan on also shopping at other retails stores such as Walmart (44%), Target (40%) and Best Buy (24%). Reasons for straying away from Amazon include that they are able to find better sales (32%) or because there is a physical store nearby (31%). (Bazaarvoice)

With consumer reviews and ratings an influential factor for shoppers they are considering a purchase, fake product reviews on Amazon has stopped some potential Prime Day shoppers in their tracks. 

Some 44% of shoppers say that fake reviews will have an impact on whether they will shop on Prime Day, with one-third (37%) of them saying they will be more cautious and the remaining 7% saying they will not participate in Prime Day at all. (Bazaarvoice)

July 15 Radio History

➦In 1913... Lloyd Estel Copas born (Died at age 49 – March 5, 1963).  He is known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, and was a country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Copas was born in 1913 in Blue Creek, Ohio, in Adams County. He began performing locally at age 14, and appeared on WLW-AM and WKRC-AM in Cincinnati during the 1930s. In 1940 he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he performed on WNOX-AM with his band, the Gold Star Rangers.

In 1943, Copas achieved national fame when he replaced Eddy Arnold as a vocalist in the Pee Wee King band and began performing on the Grand Ole Opry. His first solo single, "Filipino Baby", released by King Records in 1946, hit No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and sparked the most successful period of his career.

➦In 1929...“Music and the Spoken Word” debuted on KSL Salt Lake City.  It is still on the air today, the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in the world.  It is a 30-minute of inspiring messages and music produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; the music is performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

➦In 2000…Radio personality Douglas “Jocko” Henderson - WOV, WADO died.

Jocko Henderson

Henderson began his broadcast career in 1952 at Baltimore station WSID, and in 1953 began broadcasting in Philadelphia on WHAT.  He hosted a show called "Rocket Ship" out of New York radio stations WOV and WADO from 1954 to 1964, which was an early conduit for rock & roll.

He was known for a distinctive style of rhythmic patter in his radio voice, which he had learned from a Baltimore deejay, Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert.   Henderson continued on the stations WDAS and WHAT until 1974, as a personality  in Philadelphia and New York as well as hosting concerts in both cities and a TV music program in New York. 

In addition to Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore, Henderson was also broadcast on stations in St. Louis, Detroit, Miami, and Boston.

The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Henderson into their Hall of Fame in 2004.