KC Radio: Curt Schilling Sez Clinton 'Should Be Buried Under A Jail'

ESPN baseball analyst Curt Schilling appeared to violate the network's guidelines when he told a radio station that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be "buried under a jail."

ESPN said Wednesday, "We are addressing it" and would not go into further details.

Curt Schilling

Schilling, however, said jokingly at the end of the radio interview that he would "probably get fired."
The former all-star pitcher made the controversial comments Tuesday with Sports KCSP 610 AM in Kansas City, Missouri.

Schilling, who has been known for his outspoken political comments, was asked if Clinton should go to prison for accusations that she put classified State Department emails on a private server.

"I hope she does. If I'm going to believe, and I don't have any reason not to believe, that she gave classified information on hundreds if not thousands of emails on a public server after what happened to General Petraeus, she should buried under a jail somewhere," Schilling said.

CNN Money reports then asked about the possibility of Clinton vs. Donald Trump in the general election, Schilling responded, "If she's allowed to get to the general election before she's in prison, I'll be stunned and I'll be upset."

Randy Michaels: The FCC is About To Ruin AM Radio

Randy Michaels

Whether you’re a small market AM operator or you run a Class A, your hope is that the FCC’s plan to revitalize the band will improve the quality of the sound the band spits out to your listeners, reports RadioInk.

Over the years, The AM band has become sensitive to every product we plug in the wall giving it added buzz, crackles and other assorted sounds that instantly turn off the listener now living in a digitally clear world.

The FCC’s plan to allow AM stations to retain power at night, therefore causing interference with those big booming Class A’s, has gotten many of you riled up. Randy Michaels knows his stuff when it comes to the AM band. RadioInk asked him to break out of his shell and give his opinion on what the FCC is about to do. Here’s part one of what he had to say…

RI: What are your thoughts on what you see the FCC doing to these signals?

Michaels: I think many at the FCC don’t understand the physics of broadcasting. Unfortunately the commissioners do understand the politics of broadcasting. Allowing some stations to have big coverage and allowing other stations to have less coverage seem somehow unfair and un-American. But the fact is, the AM band can’t hold the number of stations we have now. By great measure, new stations that have been created in the past many years have caused more interference than created service. The FCC was created to stop the interference that was so prevalent in the early 1920s, and they did a great job for years. What the FCC doesn’t understand is that by breaking down the Clears, they are going to destroy far more service than could be created because Clears are going to make a mess of those channels. Even at relatively high power, you’re going to have small service areas, small islands of service in a sea of interference. If they proceed, this will put the majority of the American landmass outside the reach of interference-free AM at night. In your city, you will get AM, but out in the country, you will have to go to FM. I think it’s crazy. The physics of the band, given where it is, sounds like a good idea, but for many reasons, it’s not."

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Chicago Radio: Norm Winer Exiting WXRT

Norm Winer

Chicago radio legend Norm Winer, who’s been the heart and soul of WXRT 93.1 FM FM for 37 years, resigned Wednesday — just weeks after he lost his position as program director of the CBS Radio adult album alternative station.

His last day is Friday, according to Chicago Media write Robert Feder.

“I have decided to leave WXRT and CBS Radio,” Winer wrote to his staff. “I have been exceptionally fortunate to have been here, surrounded by people who mean so much to me.”

Since January 13 Winer had been relegated to a vaguely defined role as director WXRT music initiatives and special programming. The job of program director was eliminated, and Winer’s former duties were divided between operations director Mitch Rosen and music director Kelly Ransford.

Winer, 67, never publicly embraced his new position and declined to comment when it was announced in a statement by Rosen.

On Wednesday Rosen had nothing but praise for Winer: “When you think of the Mount Rushmore of ’XRT, Norm will always be front and center,” Rosen said.

The Brooklyn-born, Brandeis-educated Winer joined WXRT in 1979 after stints at progressive rock stations in Boston and San Francisco.

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Report: Republicans 'Desperate' To Stop Trump

Alarmed by Donald Trump's victories in seven states on Super Tuesday, Republicans desperate to sink his presidential bid moved on Wednesday to battle him on two fronts, attacking him with millions of dollars in Radio, TV ads in several Florida market while getting ready for what would be the party's first contested convention in 40 years.

According to Talk Media News Victoria Jones, the focus on Florida - primary 15 March - where many of the anti-Trump forces hope to see Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla) prevail so he can continue in the race - netted $5 million of airtime in the state for three groups planning sustained attacks on Trump. Stopping Trump in Ohio, also 15 March, is also crucial to the anti-Trump forces

Veteran GOP officials and aides to Trump's rivals said they're now focused above all on denying him the 1,237 delegates he would need to clinch the nomination before the party gathers in Cleveland in July. That would be the first GOP convention since 1976 without a predetermined nominee

Round 2: Kelly vs. Trump During GOP Debate

(Reuters) -- Thursday's Republican debate on Fox News Channel could be Round 2 of Megyn Kelly versus Donald Trump. But the journalist and fellow moderators say they are not preparing to stoke the fire with questions about his headline-grabbing battles with the network.

Trump accused Kelly of lobbing him tougher questions than those directed at his rivals in an August debate that was the Republican candidates' first televised encounter. Kelly asked about Trump's remarks about women, prompting a stream of attacks from the candidate, who skipped a Fox debate in January.

"Frankly, I have been ready for seven months to move beyond what happened after that August debate," Kelly said in a recent interview. "I feel like it's getting boring. Trump has bigger things to worry about, and so do I."

The brash billionaire's unfiltered style has helped generate unprecedented ratings for news networks including Fox, owned by Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox Inc.

The cable channel's August debate attracted 24 million viewers, a record for a presidential primary debate on any network, according to Nielsen. The January forum without Trump drew 12.5 million, still the second-largest audience in the network's history.

Trump is set to appear at Thursday's rematch with Fox News anchors Kelly, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. "Mr. Trump will be at the debate tomorrow and looks forward to participating," spokeswoman Hope Hicks said on Wednesday.

The moderators said they do not plan to mention Trump's comments about Kelly, his complaints about unfair treatment by the cable news network or his absence from Fox's January debate.


Kelly said she has not prepared a comeback if Trump gets personal. "I have my questions," she said. "That's all I need."

Last week's debate on Time Warner Inc's CNN turned into a raucous match where rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio ganged up on Trump, who fired back. Wallace called it an "embarrassment" to Republicans.

The three "seemed hell-bent on taking out each other on a lot of fairly minor points," he said, "rather than discussing issues that affect people's lives."

On Tuesday, Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton took big steps toward securing their parties' nominations with a series of state-by-state victories.

After 10 Republican debates, there remains plenty to explore because the remaining candidates - Trump, Cruz, Rubio and John Kasich - have now staked out positions, Kelly said.

"They will have to own those positions or try to wiggle out," she said. "But there is not that much wiggle room left on some of these things."

A fifth candidate, Ben Carson, appeared set to end his campaign and said he would skip Thursday's debate.

Cruz has clashed with Wallace on air and accused him of being too soft on Trump. The contenders "try to work the refs and complain and hope they will get it a little easier next time," Wallace said.

All three moderators said they ask tough questions of each candidate. "I think Fox has been fair across the board," Baier said.

He said he hopes for a discussion that is "fiery" but "the most substantive debate so far" as rivals try to score points.

"We will let the contrasts and the conversations between candidates go," Baier said. "But there will be some balance. That's what it's always about, not letting it get off the rails."

Report: Fox News Cools To Rubio

Throughout the primary, Fox New Channel provided Marco Rubio with friendly interviews and key bookings, including the first prime-time response to Barack Obama's Oval Office address on ISIS.

Many of the network's top pundits, including Stephen Hayes and Charles Krauthammer, have been enthusiastic boosters. Bill Sammon, Fox's Washington managing editor, is the father of Rubio's communications director, Brooke Sammon.

But, New York Magazine reports,  this alliance now seems to be over. According to three Fox sources, Fox chief Roger Ailes has told people he's lost confidence in Rubio's ability to win. "We're finished with Rubio," Ailes recently told a Fox host. "We can't do the Rubio thing anymore."

Ailes was already concerned about Rubio's lackluster performance in GOP primaries and caucuses, winning only one contest among the 15 that have been held. But the more proximate cause for the flip was an embarrassing New York Times article revealing that Rubio and Ailes had a secret dinner meeting in 2013 during which the Florida senator successfully lobbied the Fox News chief to throw his support behind the "Gang of 8" comprehensive immigration-reform bill. "Roger hates seeing his name in print," a longtime Ailes associate told Gabriel Sherman. "He was appalled the dinner was reported," the source said.

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Trump Jr. Appears With White Supremacist On Radio Show

Donald Trump Jr.

(Reuters) -- One of Donald Trump’s sons appeared along with a white supremacist while giving an interview on a conservative radio show, adding to concerns that the front-runner in the battle to be the Republican candidate in November’s presidential election is willing to accept support from extremist supporters.

Donald Trump Jr., who is actively campaigning for his father, gave an interview on Tuesday on "Liberty Roundtable," a conservative Utah-based radio show hosted by Sam Bushman.

During the show he was questioned by James Edwards, another radio host whose show "The Political Cesspool" is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading U.S. civil rights group, as "racist and anti-Semitic."

During the interview, conducted over the telephone, Trump Jr. talked about what a good father Donald Trump was and how his campaign is changing the Republican Party.

“It’s not a campaign anymore, it’s a movement,” he told his interviewers. (Click Here)

The show, founded in 2005 and syndicated by Bushman's Liberty News Radio organization, has featured such extremists as former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and Holocaust denier Willis Carto.

Edwards also said on his blog he had attended a Memphis rally for the billionaire candidate as a credentialed media member last Saturday.

The Trump campaign, asked about an interview in the presence of the Tennessee-based Edwards, denied any knowledge of it. The campaign also said it did not know about Edwards' personal views.

Donald Trump Jr. told Bloomberg he wouldn’t have consented to an interview with a pro-slavery radio host had he known the host held those views.

“This is clearly the mainstream media trying to turn a story into nothing -- much like they did with my father, who I witnessed denouncing David Duke and any KKK endorsement on multiple occasions,” the younger Trump says

Record Audiences Reported for Super Tuesday

CNN led on the demo side and Fox News Channel in total viewers for coverage of Super Tuesday, with both networks establishing all-time highs for a night of primary and caucus coverage. MSNBC, on the other hand, lagged well behind its rivals and was the only network down from 2008 Super Tuesday.

Overall, Variety reports, preliminary Nielsen estimates show roughly 11 million people watched one of three cable news networks during primetime Tuesday, when primary and caucus results from eleven states were revealed — up from 9.3 million on the comparable night eight years ago. About a month ago, FNC, CNN and MSNBC drew 10.2 million for primetime coverage of the Iowa caucuses.

CNN registered the largest audience in the adults 25-54 news demo than any cable network on record for a primary/caucus night, averaging 1.6 million from 8 to 11. Fox News followed with 1.36 million, and MSNBC lagged far behind with 625,000.

In total viewers, Fox delivered another record-breaking primary night with 4.88 million viewers during primetime. CNN drew 4.10 million, and MSNBC about 1.98 million.

Tribune Co. Purges Publishers

Tribune Publishing Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, unveiled sweeping strategy and management changes Wednesday, less than a month after a new major investor took over as chairman.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the most substantial development involves merging the roles of publisher and editor at Tribune’s 11 dailies, jobs that the industry has traditionally kept separate to avoid the possibility of business matters affecting editorial decision making.

At all of its brands, which include the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The Sun Sentinel in South Florida, The Allentown Morning Call and the Hartford Courant, current editors will assume the newly created dual roles.

The new Publishers & Editors-in-Chief are:

• Bruce Dold, Chicago Tribune
• Howard Saltz, Sun Sentinel
• Jeff Light, The San Diego Union-Tribune
• Avido Khahaifa, Orlando Sentinel
• Trif Alatzas, The Baltimore Sun
• Andrew Julien, Hartford Courant
• Dave Erdman, The Morning Call
• Marisa Porto, Daily Press

“These managers are in a unique position of understanding their local communities, having the trust of their readers and maintaining the highest standards of journalistic integrity, while implementing key initiatives that drive the business forward,” Chief Executive Justin Dearborn said in a call with analysts.

Last week, Tribune appointed Mr. Dearborn as CEO, succeeding Jack Griffin.

Media watchdogs said the decision to merge the publisher and editor roles marked a key evolution in the industry as traditional publishers struggle to transform their businesses into digitally focused news operations.

Report: Print Newspapers Far From Dead

Newspaper readership is changing, though perhaps not as fast as you might imagine.

According to Media Life Magazine, The greatest share of newspapers’ readers remains in print, even though mobile is increasing at a fast rate.

A new study from Nielsen examines newspaper readership across all media, and it finds that more than half of newspapers’ audience is exclusively in print.

The percentage who read on a mobile device has shot up from 13 percent in 2011 to 33 percent in 2015.

While the way audiences consume papers may be evolving, the makeup of that audience is not. Newspaper readers remain an upscale group, whether they’re reading in print or online.

Erin Andrews' Stalker Called 'A Terrorist'

Erin Andrews (AP Photo)

A hotel security expert said Wednesday that Erin Andrews' stalker was solely at fault for secretly recording nude videos of the sports broadcaster, calling the man a criminal and a terrorist.

The Tennessean reports Stephen Barth, a professor at the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton hospitality management college, said based on his review of the case involving Andrews, there was no evidence hotel staff violated standards in 2008 when a man altered the peephole to Andrews' room and recorded her nude at the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University.

Michael David Barrett was sentenced in 2010 to 2 1/2 years in prison for stalking Andrews and recording her in three hotels, including in Nashville while she was working for ESPN covering a Vanderbilt football game. She now works for Fox Sports and ABC "Dancing With The Stars"..

Andrews' $75 million lawsuit claims the Nashville hotel owner, West End Hotel Partners, and manager, Windsor Capitol Group, allowed Barrett to identify her room and stay next to her, giving him access to film her. She also is suing Barrett.

Defense attorneys began their case on Tuesday, suggesting that Andrews' career success showed she was not severely impacted by the viral videos. They say Barrett is to blame.

Barth said he reviewed testimony and depositions in the case and saw no evidence hotel staff verbally released Andrews' room number, or intentionally placed Barrett in the room next to Andrews. Barth said much of his opinion was based on Marriott's good reputation in the industry.

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St. Louis Radio: WXOS Expands Coverage of Hockey, Soccer

WXOS 101. ESPN – St. Louis’ Sports Station – has added new programs to their show lineup, focusing on two sports St. Louis fans and radio listeners are clamoring for – St. Louis Hockey Central and Barclays Premier League Now:

St. Louis Hockey Central  will feed the insatiable hockey hunger of Blues fans. St. Louis is one of America’s great hockey towns with routine sell-outs at Scottrade Center - the passion for the Blues is deep and well-earned by one of the NHL’s original expansion teams.
                                     
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Blues beat reporter Jeremy Rutherford, who covers “The Coolest Game on Earth” like no one else, will be joined on-air by 101ESPN’s Dan Bettlach.  
                                                 
Every Wednesday night at 7:00 pm, Rutherford and Bettlach will drop the puck for an hour of the best NHL talk in town.  From dazzling offensive displays to scoring performances in net, all aspects of the 82-game march to the Stanley Cup playoffs will be chronicled. The new Blues Hockey show will feature player interviews with fan favorites, analysis from media in opposing cities, and insider information unavailable anywhere else.

With this week’s debut, St. Louis Hockey Central will be a Regular Season show, with the potential to follow the Blues into the NHL playoffs.

WXOS 101.1 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Barclays Premier League Now is a “new to St. Louis” show is a weekly two-hour live program, covering the world's most popular sports league.

From live play-by-play action and highlights, to live updates during matches, and news from reporters on location at the soccer stadiums around England, Westwood One’s Barclays Premier League Now will transport St. Louis listeners to the best action from the Barclays Premier League each weekend.

This new internationally-focused soccer radio show will air on Saturday mornings from 9:00-11:00 am on 101 ESPN, beginning Saturday, February 27th.