Joe Rogan made the headlines last year when his highly lucrative exclusivity deal with Spotify was revealed. The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the most successful podcasts in the world first appeared on Spotify on September 1 and from December 1, all episodes were released exclusively on the streaming platform, having previously boasted a huge following on YouTube.
While the financial benefits for Rogan and the show are undeniable, has restricting his reach led to a drop in relevance? Google Trends data for the U.S. suggests that this may be the case. As originally covered by TecTalk, there has been a clear dampening of search interest for the term 'Joe Rogan' since the episodes were moved over to Spotify. Previous spikes of interest generated when the show was more widely accessible have largely disappeared, relatively speaking.
As noted by TecTalk "In the six months leading up to the show’s December 1st exclusive start, [there was] an average search index for ‘Joe Rogan’ of 57.9. After the week of December 1 that index value has dropped to 34.6, which constitutes a 40.2 percent drop in search volume." Although the podcast is not behind a paywall, Spotify's popularity and accessibility is still nothing compared to that of YouTube and, despite the integration of video, the chances of an episode going viral are clearly lower at the moment.
Now Media! had announced that Kary “Doc” Bowser is joining Bob & Sheri as Associate Producer. The announcement was made by Tony Garcia, Co-Founder of Now Media!, which syndicates Bob & Sheri, currently on 70 markets across the country, including Minneapolis, Memphis, Columbia, SC, and Albuquerque.
“Kary is the perfect person to join our team, especially now as we embark on soon-to-be announced digital initiatives,” stated Garcia. “Kary’s expertise will be valuable as we expand Bob & Sheri’s already robust listener engagement on social media, and our daily podcasts, which includes our daily show, as well as podcast-only content, The Oddcast, and Bob & Sheri Fun Size
Bowser has been in radio for 15 years, starting out as an intern at WLNK in Charlotte and rising to associate producer of the station’s local afternoon drive-time show.
“I’ve always wanted the opportunity to do something bigger,” noted Bowser. “I’m excited to create content for a top-quality nationally syndicated program like Bob & Sheri. I’m surprisingly reserved in real life, and I love breaking out of that in the fast-paced on-air environment.”
“We are delighted that Kary has chosen to join team,” said Sheri Lynch. “We’ve watched him grow as a professional who understands the importance of developing new and relevant content. He’s experienced at working with affiliates to provide local customization elements that allow stations to connect with our content while remaining relevant to local audiences.”
Bob & Sheri is syndicated via Now! Media to more than 70radio stations across America and in 170 countries via the American Forces Radio. To learn more about Bob & Sheri, please visit www.bobandsheri.com.
General Motors Co. says it is changing its "approach to diverse media relationships" after Black-owned media executives called out the automaker in prominent print ads last month.
On Friday, GM said it has adopted an action plan with five components, including an increase in its spending with diverse media. The automaker said it plans to double its commitment for spending with Black-owned media from 2% in 2021 and 4% by 2022, with a goal of reaching 8% by 2025.
GM is implementing an Inclusive Measurement Rubric to "allow for more flexibility based on the size and scale of the media organization." Lastly, GM, along with its media buying agencies, will use a "multi-factor analysis" to select diverse media that assesses "capabilities, reach and analytics to drive more opportunity for diverse media."
“This action plan will transform our engagement model with diverse media in a sustainable way,” Deborah Wahl, GM global chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Over the course of several weeks, we met with many diverse-owned media organizations. We are grateful for the transparency and spirit of collaboration, which helped us frame this inclusive approach.”
Here are the five key parts of the plan GM said it will provide:
Better measurement tools such as Nielsen ratings
More favorable payment plans from GM and multiyear advertising deals.
Boost its ad spend with Black-owned media from 2% to 8% by 2025.
Earmark $50 million over 10 years to further support diversity in marketing and sponsorships beyond advertising.
GM will also hold a "summit" on May 14 exclusively with leaders of companies with diverse ownership. This will allow those leaders to pitch their proposals to GM ahead of the mainstream media pitch session that occurs later in the month, thereby giving them earlier access to GM's advertising budget allocation process .
Byron Allen, owner of The Weather Channel and other outlets, and six other executives from Black-owned media companies signed a full-page ad that appeared in a Sunday Detroit Free Press criticizing GM CEO Mary Barra, claiming she refused to sit down with them. The ad later ran in The Wall Street Journal.
In 2020, GM spent $2.7 billion on advertising and promotions, according to an SEC filing.
The White House said yesterday that the U.S. will send more supplies and support to India as it's dealing with a deadly surge in coronavirus cases, with the world's worst daily case numbers for several days, and is running out of many needed supplies, including oxygen. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his counterpart in India, and a White House readout of their call said the U.S. has, quote "identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India. The United States also is pursuing options to provide oxygen generation and related supplies on an urgent basis." The U.S. will also be sending "raw material" needed for India to manufacture the Covishield vaccine, and, according to the readout, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation will fund a, quote, "substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE, the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2022." President Biden said in a tweet Sunday, "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need."
➤AT LEAST 82 KILLED IN FIRE AT IRAQI COVID HOSPITAL: The death count rose to at least 82 Sunday from a large fire the day before at a hospital for coronavirus patients in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. At least 110 people were also injured in the fire at the Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which was set off by an exploding oxygen cylinder and swept through the intensive care unit that was only treating Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi blamed widespread negligence by health officials and key health officials were suspended, including the health minister and the governor of Baghdad province. Others, including the hospital director, were fired. Iraq is currently dealing with severe second wave of the pandemic.
Houston hospital threatens to fire workers who refuse COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/Dct1wbXL8X
➤REPORT...FULLY VACCINATED AMERICANS WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO EUROPE THIS SUMMER: Americans who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to travel to European Union nations this summer, the president of the European Commission told the New York Times on Sunday (April 25th.) Ursula von der Leyen, however, didn't give a timeline as to when travel to from the U.S. to E.U. nations might resume after it was stopped more than a year ago due to the pandemic.
➤EVACUATION ORDERS FOR 200 ARIZONA HOMES DUE TO 'OUT OF CONTROL' WILDFIRE: Evacuation orders were issued Sunday for the residents of some 200 homes in Arizona that are in potential danger due to a wildfire that officials described as "raging out of control." The wildfire, named the Flag Fire, is about 600 acres in size and is located in the Hualapai Mountains near Pine Lake. The evacuation orders were issued for residents of Pine Lake, which is about two hours north of Phoenix.
➤JUDGE DISMISSES LAWSUIT OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN CONNECTICUT GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS: A federal judge in a ruling released on Sunday dismissed a lawsuit that was seeking to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls high school sports in Connecticut. The lawsuit was filed a year ago by cisgender runners who charged they were being deprived of wins, state titles and athletic opportunities by being forced to compete against two transgender sprinters. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Chatigny threw out the lawsuit on procedural grounds, saying there was no dispute to resolve because the two transgender athletes have graduated and the plaintiffs couldn't identify other female transgender athletes. The Justice Department under the Trump administration and the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights had sided with those who brought the lawsuit, but the Biden administration withdrew that support in February.
🎥NOMADLAND WINS THREE OSCARS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE: Nomadland won Best Picture at the Oscars last night during the 93rd Academy Awards show.
Frances McDormand, who also starred in the film, won Best Actress. Praised and nominated for its cinematography, she asked that people - please watch the movie on a big screen. She also let out a howl at the end of her speech, in respect to Michael Wolf Snyder, the movie’s sound mixer who recently committed suicide. The film celebrated three awards in all, including Chloe Zhao’s win for Best Directing.
The film, Mank won for Best Cinematography.
As for Best Actor, Joaquin Phoenix opened the envelope and announced Anthony Hopkins as the winner for his role in The Father. Hopkins did not attend the event. At 83, he now becomes the oldest-ever acting Oscar winner.
What is sure to be the viral moment of the evening was when Glenn Close stood up to dance to “Da Butt” by E.U., a song from Spike Lee’s film, School Daze.
The show started with Regina King, the One Night in Miami director, strutting down the red carpet and onto the stage to get the show going. She explained how everyone in the audience was vaccinated and tested and that the show would run like a movie… “When the cameras were on, the masks would be off and when the cameras were off, the masks would be on.”
The ceremony was held at Union Station in Los Angeles and The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Some winners accepted from other locations.
👉HIGHLIGHTS
Laura Dern announced the winner for Best International Feature Film.
Brad Pitt announced Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Maria Bakalova blushed when he complimented her for her nomination.
Harrison Ford explained the importance of a movie editor and shared editorial notes from Blade Runner.
Reese Witherspoon announced the winner for Best Animated Short.
At the end of her acceptance speech, Frances McDormand said, “Give this one to our Wolf” and looked up and howled.
Halle Berry presented the Oscars for both - Production Design and Cinematography.
Glenn Close stood up from her table and proved she could dance to E.U.’s “Da Butt.”
Joaquin Phoenix presented for Actor in a Leading Role. Winner Anthony Hopkins for The Father was unable to attend.
Renee Zellweger presented for Actress in a Leading Role.
Some audience members accepted via zoom from the British Film Institute in London and other locations.
Bryan Cranston appeared from the Dolby Theatre to tell the history of the Humanitarian Award.
Best Picture: Nomadland – Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloe Zhao (producers)
Best Actress: Frances McDormand for Nomadland
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Best Supporting Actress: Yuh-Jung Youn - Minari
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman - Emerald Fennell
Adapted Screenplay: The Father - Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller
Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens, I Love You – Will McCormack and Michael Govier
International Feature Film: Another Round – Denmark- Director, Thomas Vinterberg
Documentary Feature: My Octopus Teacher – Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster
Documentary Short Subject: Colette – Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard
Live Action Short Film: Two Distant Strangers – Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe
Animated Feature Film: Soul – Pete Doctor and Dana Murray
Directing: Chloe Zhao for Nomadland
Original Song: Fight For You – from Judas and the Black Messiah – H.E.R., Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas
Makeup And Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Sergio Lopez Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson.
Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt for Mank
Film Editing: Mikkele E. G. Nielsen - Sound of Metal
Production Design: Mank – Production design, Donald Graham Burt Set decoration, Jan Pascale
Sound: Sound Of Metal – Nicolas Becker, Jamie Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortes, and Philip Bladh
Original Score: Soul – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste
Costume Design: Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Humanitarian Award: Motion Picture Television Fund
Jean Hershold Humanitarian Award – Tyler Perry
➤POLL..NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICAN CAN NO LONGER STAND CROWDS DUE TO PANDEMIC: Americans aren't too happy about being in crowds these days, and not surprisingly, the pandemic is to blame. A new survey of 2,000 Americans found that just under two-thirds -- 65 percent -- say they can no longer tolerate crowds and will do anything they can to avoid standing in lines, especially at the airport. The OnePoll survey for conversational AI company LivePerson also found that 61 percent say they get annoyed easier now than ever before. Respondents said simple tasks are a struggle now because of face masks and gloves, with 54 percent naming eating and drinking, 49 percent unlocking phones and 48 percent wearing glasses.
➤MILLENNIALS MOVED BACK TO THEIR TEENAGE BEDROOMS DURING THE PANDEMIC: Many millennials moved back home during the pandemic. A new Pew Research Center analysis reveals that by July 2020, 52 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds, or 26.6 million adults, were now residing with a parent—the highest number since the Great Depression. A 39-year-old woman who left her Manhattan apartment during the pandemic to move back in with her family in Fresh Meadows, Queens, says, “I originally thought I would only stay for a couple of weeks, but with COVID still out of control, I just stayed, ‘Titanic’ posters and everything!” Others say when they moved back home they updated every aspect of their childhood bedrooms, making them more modern and nicely decorated. Geraldine Anello, the founder of Handy Women, says there are some easy ways to update your childhood bedroom: 1) organize your bookshelf and get rid of anything you don’t want, 2) get a proper desk, 3) take down old posters, and 4) invest in a sander so you can sand and stain your furniture to give it fresh life and match your new color scheme.
➤MILLIONS OF AMERICANS NOT GETTING THEIR SECOND COVID SHOT: As Americans have been getting their coronavirus vaccinations, there are millions of them who haven't been going back to get their second Pfizer or Moderna shot, according to the New York Times. Reported reasons include feeling they have enough protection from just the first shot, being concerned about the side effects of the second shot, and scheduling issues. According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, eight percent of Americans who got their first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine and are eligible for their second dose haven't gotten it.
➤FATHER, THREE SONS FACING FEDERAL CHARGES FOR SELLING BLEACH AS CURE FOR COVID, OTHER AILMENTS: A 62-year-old father and his three sons, ranging in age from 26 to 34, are facing federal charges for selling industrial bleach as a miracle cure for Covid-19 and other ailments. Mark Grenon and his sons Jonathan, Joseph and Jordan were selling what they called Miracle Mineral Solution, but the Food and Drug Administration said that once it's ingested, it becomes chlorine dioxide, a bleach for industrial purposes. They've been selling it for years as a cure for autism, cancer and other illnesses, and when Covid arrived last year, they claimed it cured that too. A federal indictment alleges the family made more than $1 million. The Grenons marketed the product through their church, the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida, which they describe as non-religious. Mark Grenon is an archbishop in the church. A New York Times report said it's unclear if anyone's gotten sick from the solution they were selling, but an earlier Spectrum News story said people had been getting sick from it.
➤TOURISTS IN HAWAII RENTING U-HAULS BECAUSE RENTAL CARS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE: Tourists visiting Hawaii are now renting U-Haul trucks because the price of rental cars has soared as the travel industry continues to recover from the depths of the pandemic. Local station and CNN affiliate KHNL-TV found that the cheapest rental car in Maui in March cost $722 a day. A rental car shortage isn't just happening in Hawaii, but across the country. Because of the pandemic, rental car companies parked their cars in unused lots or sold them as used cars -- about one-third of the industry's combined fleets were sold off -- and the cars they held on to were rented at a much reduced rates. When the tourism industry started coming back, prices soared.
➤REGULAR CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS DIPPED DURING COVID, OPENING A DOOR FOR MEASLES OUTBREAKS: Childhood vaccination rates remained low for months after last year’s lockdowns, especially among teens, and a new study says this raises the risk of measles outbreaks as schools continue to reopen. Researchers analyzed the percentage of kids in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health system who were completely vaccinated at specific age benchmarks set by the CDC. They found that during the lockdown, the number of vaccines going to under-twos dropped by about 25 percent, but among older children it dropped by more than 80 percent. Lead study author Bradley Ackerson adds, “We saw the [measles] vaccination coverage for 16-month kids declining as time went on. That means that all those kids, from 16-months to kindergarten, those are all the kids that are undervaccinated.” She adds that when international travel resumes, and those kids return to daycares in coming months, measles outbreaks could become a real threat.
⚾BUMGARNER PITCHES SEVEN-INNING NO-HITTER, BUT WON'T BE RECORDED AS OFFICIAL 'NO-HITTER': The Arizona Diamondbacks' Madison Bumgarner pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in the second game of a double-header against the Atlanta Braves yesterday, but the 7-0 win won't be officially recorded by MLB as a "no-hitter." That's because a no-hitter has to be a game of nine or more innings, and MLB switched to seven-inning doubleheaders during the pandemic last year, and have kept it for this season too. Bumgarner struck out seven, and only one Braves batter reached base, on a shortstop throwing error in the second inning. Bumgarner's gem was the second great pitching performance by Arizona yesterday, after Zac Gallen threw a one-hitter in the Diamondbacks' 5-0 win in the opening game.
⚾OAKLAND'S WINNING STREAK ENDS AT 13 GAMES: The Oakland A's winning streak ended at 13 games on Sunday, as they lost to the Baltimore Orioles 8-1. It was the A's third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and the longest in MLB since the Cleveland Indians won 22 straight in 2017.
🏀HALL OF FAME WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH MULKEY LEAVING BAYLOR FOR LSU: Hall of Fame women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey is leaving Baylor for LSU in her native Louisiana, the school announced on Sunday. The 58-year-old Mulkey won three national championships with Baylor in her 21 years there as head coach. She was the the fastest coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins, and was a member of the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class.
🏀NETS' STAR DURANT GETS 33 POINTS IN RETURN FROM THREE-GAME INJURY LAYOFF: Brooklyn star Kevin Durant came off the bench to score 33 points in the Nets' 128-119 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday as he returned after missing three games due to an injury. Durant, who didn't come into yesterday's game until the second quarter, had been out after bruising his thigh in a game last Sunday.
🏀MAGIC COACH TO MISS SEVERAL GAMES AFTER POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford missed yesterday's game against Indiana and will be out for more games after testing positive for the coronavirus. Clifford originally tested positive Thursday night, then tested negative twice on Friday, before testing positive again on Saturday. He was tested again after that positive, and it was revealed Sunday that he had to enter the NBA's Covid protocols. Clifford was vaccinated with both shots of the Moderna vaccine, but he'd just gotten the second one Thursday. Two weeks after the second shot have to pass before someone is considered fully vaccinated. Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin has taken over in Clifford's absence.
Beasley Media Group’s WCSX 94.7 FM Morning Show Personalities Big Jim & Ryan from Big Jim’s House will drive 300 miles on an Ultimate Restaurant Road Trip from Detroit to St. Ignace, Michigan to help raise money to help provide meals for Veterans returning home from military service.
Over the past three months, Big Jim’s House highlighted restaurants located throughout the Motor City.
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, Big Jim & Ryan will drive 300 miles in a Shelby Mustang (provided by Ford) from Detroit to Clyde’s Burgers in St. Ignace. The duo will be asking for a $10 donation for each mile traveled as well as sponsorship donations to raise money to benefit Veterans Returning Home, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding area veterans.
“It’s an absolute honor to raise money for a great organization like Vets Returning Home,” said Big Jim. “I spent eight years in the service and thank God for the men and women who I served with! Anything we can do to make sure they know how much we care about him is time and money well spent!”
Big Jim’s House Ultimate Restaurant Road Trip has already received donations from Former Detroit Lions player TJ Lang, Roger Penske Corporation, Paul Rodgers – lead singer of Bad Company, Phil Collen – lead guitarist of Def Leppard, Former Detroit Red Wings player Darren McCarty and Paul Glantz (CEO of Emagine Theatres).
Cord-cutting is expected to get worse in 2021 and 2022, offset somewhat by growth of virtual multichannel video programming distributors, according to Broadcasting+Cable citing a new report from S&P Global.
S&P said legacy MVPDs--cable, satellite and telco--will lose 8.2% of their subscribers in 2020 after losing 7.9% in 2019. In 2022, another 10.3% of subscribers are expected to cut the cord.
The pay TV losses are offset somewhat by growth among streaming distributors such as Hulu Live and YouTube TV. S&P estimates those vMVPDs will grow by 15.7% in 2021 and 12.3% in 2022.
That will leave the overall pay TV universe down 4.5% for 2020 and 6% for 2021.
S&P’s report said the cable subscriber losses come primarily from the larger cable operators.
“This increased pace should continue for the cable industry because the sector is increasingly indifferent as to whether unprofitable customers get their video service from cable companies or a third-party service,” the report said.
S&P notes that Charter Communication bucked the trend by increasing subscribers in 2020, but will lose about 4% of its TV customers in 2021. “Longer term, we expect Charter to use ‘skinny bundle’ options to keep its video subscriber losses lowest in the industry,” the report said.
Long-term, S&P said that the vMVPDs won’t stop the decline in pay TV.
While there was much fanfare when these low-priced, slimmed-down alternatives were launched, these services now resemble a traditional full-size pay-TV bundle and the rapid price escalation (eliminating much of the price difference) has quickly reduced the competitive advantage of these alternatives,” the report said.
As consumers shift away from traditional pay TV and toward subscription streaming services, the digital antenna will emerge as a necessary component of people’s viewing habits, EW Scripps Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson said in an interview.
CNBC reports EW Scripps plans to begin an advocacy campaign this year to explain the value of the antenna, Symson said. While he declined to say if his plan would involve giving away antennas for free or at a discounted price to consumers, Symson said he has “a large group of people” at EW Scripps working on ideas to educate Americans on how an antenna can supplement subscription streaming video.
Americans will need to find other, free ways to supplement streaming services as they max out on monthly subscription charges, Symson said. Broadcast stations, which offer local news, sports, soap operas, game show staples like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” and prime time content from their national networks, will continue to air must-have content in American homes -- even after streaming services replace linear TV as the dominant form of viewing, he said.
Adam Symson
“There is no digital platform that reaches the ubiquity and availability of broadcast television,” Symson said. “Everyone is paying attention to the subscription video services. They’re all spending enormous amounts of money in very high-risk ventures, trying to create platforms. But for the average American consumer, if you sign up for all of them, I don’t think it’s economically sustainable.”
The shift to streaming is happening quickly. The average American already pays for four video streaming services, according to a Deloitte survey released this week. Nearly 7 million American households likely dropped their traditional pay-TV service in 2020, a record high.
But there’s significant risk to broadcast station groups -- companies including Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, TEGNA, EW Scripps and Gray Television -- as Americans ditch live linear TV for a mishmash of Disney+, Netflix, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, AT&T’s HBO Max, ViacomCBS’s Paramount+, and others.
The biggest existential concern for network affiliates is the hypothetical loss of billions of dollars in retransmission fees as Americans cut the cord and ditch pay TV.
For the past decade, broadcast station groups have collected fees from pay-TV operators -- Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, Charter, etc. -- for the right to carry their stations. The trend began around 2006 when station groups realized consumers wanted access to their local TV channels just as much as -- if not more than -- they wanted the most popular cable networks (such as ESPN or CNN) which had long charged carriage fees.
On April 29-30, 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter anchors Elle Duncan and Kevin Negandhi will provide NFL Draft fans with all the need to know information, in-depth perspective and must-watch interviews to begin and end Days 1-2 of ESPN’s expansive coverage of the annual event. The duo will get the coverage started each day hosting the network’s morning show Get Up, followed both nights by leading ESPN Radio’s NFL Draft broadcasts.
Get Up with Duncan & Negandhi (8 a.m., ESPN): Duncan and Negandhi will start each day hosting the network’s morning show Get Up from 8-10 a.m. from Bristol, Conn. They will also be joined by a panel of NFL analysts and special guests throughout the two days.
ESPN Radio NFL Draft Broadcasts (Thu. 7 p.m. | Fri. 6 p.m.): Duncan and Negandhi will return Thursday and Friday to lead ESPN Radio’s NFL Draft broadcasts alongside NFL Front Office Insider Mike Tannenbaum, ESPN Radio’s Bart Scott and reporter Ian Fitzsimmons.
ESPN Radio’s coverage will continue Saturday, May 1, with host Jason Fitz, NFL Draft analyst and Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy, Tannenbaum and Fitzsimmons. Saturday’s NFL Draft on ESPN Radio coverage will also be simulcast on many of ESPN’s digital and social platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. In addition, ESPN Radio’s weekday and weekend studio show lineups will break down the latest storylines and welcome special guests to get fans ready for each day’s NFL Draft on ESPN Radio presentation.
Other ESPN Radio NFL Draft highlights include: April 24-25 – ESPN NFL Nation reporters and local affiliate hosts will join the network’s weekend lineup to break down teams’ draft prospects and storylines
April 26 – The 90-minute, final pre-Draft episode of the First Draft podcast will be released
April 28 – A Daily Wager NFL Draft special from 9-11 p.m.
Duncan & Negandhi on SportsCenter:
Monday, April 26-Wednesday, April 28, Duncan and Negandhi will have all the need-to-know NFL Draft week news and updates every night on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter. On Monday, May 3, Duncan and Negandhi once again return to their usual timeslot on ESPN’s signature news and information show, to recap all the action from every round of the NFL Draft and look ahead at the upcoming season.
Jacobs Media will present its Techsurvey 2021 results in a free webinar on Thursday, May 6 at 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific, sponsored by Veritone.
This year’s annual study, “Radio in the Year of COVID,” is comprised of more than 42,000 core radio listeners from 470 participating stations and charts the impact of COVID-19 and its disruptive effect on radio listening and other media consumption.
Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs comments, “This year’s Techsurvey reveals seismic shifts in radio listening, and all types of media consumption, owing to the impact of the pandemic. Digital platforms have already seen impressive growth in the past few years, and it is clear there is even greater momentum now due to the transcendent changes of the last thirteen months. We will continue to closely monitor the media landscape as we more and more continue towards a return to normal. We hope you can join our webinar Thursday, May 6 as we reveal these important insights and more.”
U-K Musicians are fuming over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s megabucks $25 million deal to produce feel-good, woke podcasts for Spotify, The NY Post reports.
Paul McCartney, Chris Martin, Kate Bush, Robert Plant and Stevie Nicks and others have called on the U-K government this week to reform the way musicians are paid when their songs are streamed online – with many being paid less than a penny per stream.
Meghan, Harry
Many were especially irked when Spotify boss Horacio Gutierrez told Parliament the Sussexes virtue signaling podcast deal created a “virtuous cycle” that help struggling musicians by getting more people on the site.
But struggling musicians beg to differ.
“I’ve been writing songs since I was 12 years-old,” singer-songwriter Callum Gardner told the Star. “I don’t get paid from Spotify, it’s never broken even from the money I used to put songs on Spotify. It’s hard, I don’t know what we are supposed to do because they have all the power and somehow all of the artists have all agreed.”
Another young musician, Harrison Rhys said the Spotify deal with he Prince and his woke wife was an “unethical kick in the teeth.” Rhys, who headlines gigs and has had his music play on the BBC, told the paper: “I believe what Spotify have done is unethical, we are only being paid £0.0038 per stream but they are able to pay out what is probably a multi-million dollar fee to Harry and Meghan.
Bob Fass, who for more than 50 years hosted an anarchic and influential radio show on New York’s countercultural FM station WBAI that mixed political conversation, avant-garde music, serendipitous encounters and outright agitation, died on Saturday in Monroe, N.C., where he lived in recent years.
His wife, Lynnie Tofte, said he had been hospitalized with Covid 19 earlier in the month, but he died of congestive heart failure.
Fass called his long-running show “Radio Unnameable,” because its freewheeling format did not fit into conventional categories like Top 40 or all talk.
Fass was not the first freestyle disc jockey in the country, but he became the most prominent. He helped forge the identity of WBAI, a noncommercial, listener-sponsored station already known for his leftist stance, and paved the way for other popular WBAI hosts like Larry Josephson and Steve Post.
At times Fass, who helped found the Yippies, served as the instigator of what today might be called crowdsourcing. In February 1967, he urged listeners to flood the International Arrivals Building at John F. Kennedy International Airport for a “fly-in,” to greet incoming travelers after midnight. About 3,000 people, many of them intoxicated both by marijuana and by the excitement of taking part in a seemingly pointless communal escapade, showed up.
Fass’s provocateur persona sometimes got him into trouble. In 1977, he was a leader of a unionizing effort at WBAI, exploiting his microphone to garner support against his employers, the Pacifica Foundation, and changes it had instituted in management and format. He even barricaded himself in the studio, which at the time was in a church at East 62nd Street, and continued broadcasting until executives called in the police. He was banned from the station for five years.
While other hosts got more mainstream jobs in public radio, Fass was determined to find another formless show, according to an account in the 2007 book “Something in the Air: Radio, Rock and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation,” by Marc Fisher. Having never earned more than $175 a week, he was forced to live off unemployment checks and the proceeds of fund-raising benefits. His obduracy alienated friends; Mr. Josephson, another WBAI host, said, “None of us were pure enough for him.”
He finally accepted an unpaid offer to do his show once a week on WFMU, a noncommercial New Jersey station. The station let him retain his “Radio Unnameable” format, but it did not have the New York City audience he craved. He was miserable until WBAI took him back in 1982, although the station no longer granted him five nights a week, and in 2006 his airtime was reduced to once a week.
➦In 1916...Vic Perrin born (Died of cancer at age 73 – July 4, 1989). He was a radio, film, and television actor, perhaps best remembered for providing the "Control Voice" in the original version of the television series The Outer Limits. He was also a radio scriptwriter as well as a narrator in feature films and for special entertainment and educational projects, such as the original Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Perrin was a regular performer on many commercial radio programs. In 1941 he became a staff announcer for NBC, staying there for several years before moving to ABC and becoming chief announcer at the Blue Network. His first credited role came in 1943, when he served as the announcer for "The Last Will and Testament Of Tom Smith", a radio episode of Free World Theatre, which was produced and directed by Arch Oboler. He narrated too "A Star With Two Names", part of the segment "Behind The Scenes Hollywood Story" of The Hollywood Music Hall radio program. At the same time, he joined Charles Laughton's theatrical repertory group.
Perrin was also a regular guest star on the radio version of Gunsmoke, and he wrote or co-wrote five scripts for that popular Western series between 1959 and 1961. Perrin was a series regular as well on the anthology radio drama Family Theatre, played Ross Farnsworth on One Man's Family, and was featured as cavalry trooper Sergeant Gorse in Fort Laramie in 1956. He performed too as several characters in Escape, Pete Kelly's Blues, Dragnet, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and Have Gun – Will Travel. In an uncredited role, he also impersonated Clyde Beatty on The Clyde Beatty Show.
He played supporting roles on TV, many of them as a voicist on cartoons, for more than 30 years.
➦In 1921…Radio stationWEW was the first to broadcast weather news and forecasts.
Saint Louis University established the station 9YK around 1912, using Morse code to communicate seismological and weather information.
Brother George E. Rueppel, assistant director of the Meteorological Observatory at SLU, worked with 9YK before he founded WEW in 1921.
Audio transmissions began at 10:05 a.m. on April 26, 1921; the first voice heard was SLU president Rev. William Robison. The station received radio license #560 to broadcast on 618.6 kHz (wavelength 485 meters) as WEW on 23 March 1922.
➦In 1924...WHO Des Moines is believed to have signed-on, although the actual on-air start date is in dispute.
A WHO memo from June 14, 1951 states that the first broadcast was on April 10, 1924; this is contradicted by Barry Mishkind Database which states that the First Broadcast License was effective on April 10, 1924 (the FCC's records indicate that the license took effect on April 15, 1924) with the first broadcast on April 26, 1924.
In any event, the station was originally owned by Bankers Life, which is now the Principal Financial Group.
After the FRC's General Order 40 reallocated frequencies in 1928, WHO (We Help Others) ended up sharing time on the same frequency with WOC in Davenport.
In 1930, B. J. Palmer, owner of WOC, bought WHO, and the two stations operated together as WOC-WHO until a new 50,000-watt transmitter near Mitchellville began operating on November 11, 1933. (WOC ceased broadcasting that day but returned on another frequency a year later.)
WHO moved from 1000 AM to the current 1040 AM on March 29, 1941, as a result of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement. Today WHO is one of only two 50,000-watt AM radio stations in Iowa (KXEL in Waterloo is the other, however, it is not on a "1928 Band Plan" clear channel like WHO, but is on a NARBA band plan clear channel, dually allocated to The Bahamas (Class I-A) and to Waterloo, IA (Class I-B)), though WHO's signal is non-directional and KXEL's is directional, as are most, but not all Class I-Bs.
Ronald Reagan
WHO was owned by the Palmer family until Jacor Broadcasting purchased the station in 1997; Jacor merged with Clear Channel Communications a year later. WHO and the other Clear Channel radio stations in Des Moines (KDRB, KPTL, KKDM, and KXNO) continued to share a building with WHO-TV until they moved into a new facility in 2005.
For many years, WHO has used an owl as its mascot—an apparent play on its call letters.
United States President Ronald Reagan worked as a sportscaster with WHO from 1932 to 1937. Among his duties were re-creations of Chicago Cubs baseball games as did many radio stations in those days when sports networks had not yet become widespread.
Broadcasting ad 1960
Today, WHO is owned by iHeartMedia airing news/talk.
➦In 1931...The radio comedy Lum & Abner aired for the first time on KTHS in hot Spring, Arkansas. The popular program starring Norris Goff and Chester Lauck, began on NBC from Chicago three months later and continued on various networks for 22 years. Lum and Abner and their ‘Jot-em Down Store’ hailed from the fictitious town of Pine Ridge, Arkansas. Fictitious, that is, before 1936, when Waters, Arkansas, changed its name to Pine Ridge.
Over the course of its life, Lum and Abner appeared on all four major radio networks: NBC, Mutual, CBS and ABC (formerly NBC Blue).
Ed Wynn
➦In 1932...Early radio comedian Ed Wynn made his debut on radio. Wynn began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies starting in 1914.
In the early 1930s Wynn hosted the popular radio show The Fire Chief, heard on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline.
Like many former vaudeville performers who turned to radio in the same decade, the stage-trained Wynn insisted on playing for a live studio audience, doing each program as an actual stage show, using visual bits to augment his written material, and in his case, wearing a colorful costume with a red fireman's helmet.
Wynn was offered the title role in MGM's 1939 screen adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but turned it down, as did his Ziegfeld contemporary W. C. Fields. The part went to Frank Morgan.
➦In 1952...The radio series Gunsmoke first aired on CBS with the episode "Billy the Kid", written by Walter Newman, and ended on June 18, 1961. Matt Dillon was played on radio by William Conrad and on TV by James Arness. Two versions of the same pilot episode titled "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" are in the archives with two different actors, Rye Billsbury and Howard Culver, playing Marshal "Mark" Dillon as the lead, not yet played by Conrad. Conrad was one of the last actors to audition for the role of Marshal Dillon.
➦In 1976…CBS Radio newsman Allan Jackson died at the age of 60. For over 25 years he was the head anchor at CBS Radio News in New York, reading the 6:00 PM (Eastern) national evening news (then the network’s main news program) and anchoring coverage on much of their “Breaking News” events of the times. He presided over CBS coverage of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, of the joining of US and Soviet forces in April of 1945, and of V-E Day in May of that year.
➦In 1982...the CBS Radio Network launched its youth-oriented network “Radio Radio“.
➦In 1995...NYC Radio personality Bob Dayton died.
Hired from WIL in St. Louis where he had worked under the air name of "Rockin' Robin Scott", Bob arrived at WABC in 1963. According to the tribute website musicradio77.com, He was known for his acerbic wit which ultimately resulted in his firing on August 6, 1965 after his "Happy Birthday Hiroshima" introduction to the Crests "16 Candles".
Dayton might have gotten away with that comment had not the wife of ABC Chairman Leonard Goldenson been listening while she was in her office receiving the "Hiroshima Maidens" who were ladies horribly burned in the bombing. She was furious and that was it for Bob Dayton on WABC; he was fired immediately after his show that day.
He shifted to Los Angeles' KRLA. Bob later returned to New York and worked at two New York radio stations; WPIX-FM and WCBS-FM.
➦In 2005...Radio, TV actor and voiceover artist Mason Adams died at age 86. Adams was heard on many radio programs during Radio's Golden Age. A notable recurring role was that of Pepper Young in Pepper Young's Family, which aired from 1947 to 1959. He also portrayed the deadly Nazi Atom Man in a classic 1945 serial on the radio version of The Adventures of Superman.
Besides his best known role as Charlie Hume in TV’s Lou Grant series. In the TV era his voice was heard on commercials all over the dial, notably for Chiffon margarine, Crest toothpaste & Smucker’s preserves.
Pete Fornatale
➦In 2012...Peter "Pete" Fornatale died at age 66. (Born -August 23, 1945). He was a New York City radio personality and author of numerous books on rock and roll.
He is considered a "pioneer of FM rock," who played an important role in the progressive rock era of FM broadcasting. He was the first person to host a rock music show on New York City's FM band, commencing November 21, 1964 on WFUV.
By broadcasting progressive rock and long album tracks, he was noted for introducing a musical alternative to Top 40 AM radio in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Billboard called his station "a legend, affecting and inspiring people throughout the industry."
He gave early exposure to country-rock bands like Buffalo Springfield and Poco, and did one of the first American interviews with Elton John. In 1991 he was co-host of "Paul Simon Live in Central Park" and was often called to be an expert guest commentator on PBS specials, including those featuring Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and others.
➦In 2014…Lee Marshall died at age 67 (Born Marshall Aaron Mayer; November 28, 1949). He was an American professional wrestling announcer formerly of the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Women of Wrestling (WOW!)
Marshall was also a longtime radio announcer, working at such stations as KABC and KGFJ (now KYPA) and KBLA and KHJ in Los Angeles, KRIZ in Phoenix and CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Detroit).
At CKLW, he was one of the anchors for the station's "20/20 News" updates. Marshall can be heard at 1:31 on this terrific CKLW Radio News video.
Marshall was also the voice of Tony The Tiger between 2005 and 2014.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Carol Burnett is 88
Actor-comedian Carol Burnett is 88.
Guitarist-songwriter Duane Eddy is 83.
Singer Maurice Williams of Maurice and the Zodiacs is 83.
Singer Bobby Rydell is 79.
Singer Gary Wright is 78.
Actor Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 63.
Drummer Roger Taylor of Duran Duran is 61.
Actor Joan Chen (“Twin Peaks”) is 60.
Drummer Chris Mars of The Replacements is 60.
Actor-singer Michael Damian is 59.
Actor Jet Li is 58.
Guitarist Jimmy Stafford (Train) is 57.
Actor-comedian Kevin James (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” ″The King of Queens”) is 56.
Keyboardist Jeff Huskins of Little Texas is 55.
Actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste (film’s “Secrets and Lies”) is 54.
Fiddler Joe Caverlee of Yankee Grey is 53.
Singer T-Boz of TLC is 51.
Emily Wickersham is 37
Actor Shondrella Avery (“Napoleon Dynamite”) is 50.
Bassist Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts is 50.
Actor Simbi Kali (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) is 50.
Bassist Michael Jeffers of Pinmonkey is 49.
Drummer Jose Pasillas of Incubus is 45.
Actor Jason Earles (“Hannah Montana”) is 44.
Actor Leonard Earl Howze (“Barbershop”) is 44.
Actor Amin Joseph (“Snowfall”) is 44.
Actor Tom Welling (“Smallville”) is 44.
Actor Pablo Schreiber (“Orange is the New Black,” ″Weeds”) is 43.
Actor Nyambi Nyambi (“The Good Fight,” “Mike and Molly”) is 42.
Actor Jordana Brewster (“The Fast and the Furious”) is 41.
Actor Stana Katic (“Castle”) is 41.
Actor Marnette Patterson (“Something So Right”) is 41.
Actor Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike, “Step Up”) is 41.
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