TV Ratings: 'Judge Judy' Wins Syndication Sweeps

The verdict is in and Judge Judy has won the May sweep for the 10th year in a row with a nosebleed-level 7.1 live-plus-same day national Nielsen average, matching its second-highest May rating in five years. According to TV NewsCheck, that beat back a furious challenge from a surging Jeopardy and its most dominant player in years, James Holzhauer.

By the end of the sweep, which ran from April 25 to May 22, trivia titan Holzhauer had ratcheted up the popular game show’s ratings 19% from last year to a second-place 7.0 while already winning 25 straight games and more than $1.9 million.

Judge Judy, which has been syndication’s highest-rated show in the May sweep every year since 2010, not only made it a full decade at No. 1, but finished with a bigger average than the four other nationally rated court shows combined and easily out-rated the Jeopardy sweep episodes that did not feature Holzhaurer by double-digit percentages.

⏩ Talk Shows:  Dr. Phil waltzed to victory among the talk shows in May for the eighth year in a row with a 2.8 sweep average and approximately 3.8 million daily viewers. The sweep’s top-rated daytime talk shows in the women 25-54 demo were:

1. Dr. Phil (1.2 average, -8% from last May)
2. Live with Kelly and Ryan (0.9, unchanged)
3. Ellen DeGeneres (0.8, -20%), tied with Maury (0.8, unchanged) and Wendy Williams (0.8, unchanged)

In the household rating rankings that follow, % change is from May 2018; * indicates a new season-high rating; ** indicates a new season low; NC indicates no change from the previous week; NA mean not applicable.

⏩ Court Shows:
Judge Judy  7.1 NC
Hot Bench 2.3 NC
People’s Court 1.4 -7%
Judge Mathis 1.0 NC
Divorce Court (20th Television) 0.7 -22%

⏩ Game Shows:
Jeopardy 7.0 +19%
Family Feud  5.9 -5%
Wheel of Fortune  5.9 +2%
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 1.6 NC
Funny You Should Ask  0.5 +25%

⏩ Magazine Shows: Entertainment Tonight remained the top-rated magazine in a tie with sister show Inside Edition at a 2.8 and approximately 4 million daily viewers.
Entertainment Tonight 2.8 -7%
Inside Edition 2.8 -7%
TMZ  1.2 -8%
Access  1.2 NC
Extra 1.0 -9%

⏩ Off-Net Sitcoms:
Big Bang Theory 4.3 -2%
Last Man Standing 2.0 -5%
Modern Family 1.7 -19%
Two and a Half Men 1.4 -7%
The Goldbergs 1.4 -7%

DOJ To Review Music Licensing Decrees

The Justice Department said Wednesday it would review two consent decrees reached with music licensing groups ASCAP and BMI in 1941, a decision that could upend the business of licensing music to online companies, movie companies, commercials, bars and restaurants.

Reuters reports the department said it planned to review settlements reached with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI) to set how the organizations, which license most music in the United States, must operate.

Companies that license music have worried about a sharp increase in costs if the system is changed because ASCAP and BMI license about 90 percent of music.

In the complicated world of music royalties, songwriters and publishers hire the two organizations to license their songs to digital streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify Technology SA, radio and television stations and other music users.

Under the consent decrees, the two organizations are required to license to anyone upon request, with pricing disputes settled by a judge.

The consent decrees may remain as they are, or be changed or scrapped altogether, the department said.

“There have been many changes in the music industry, ... and the needs of music creators and music users have continued to evolve,” said Makan Delrahim, head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, in a statement Wednesday.

Under Delrahim, the department is reviewing old consent decrees, many of which do not have an expiration date, with an eye toward dropping those which are out of date.

The MIC Coalition, which represents groups whose members include streaming companies like Spotify and Pandora, argued that the consent decrees were needed, despite their age, because BMI and ASCAP control so much music.

The Justice Department will accept comments on the matter through July 10.

In response to the review of the consent decrees, NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith issued a statement:

“Broadcasters welcome the opportunity to participate in the Justice Department’s review of the music antitrust consent decrees, and appreciate that the tone of DOJ’s inquiry recognizes the ongoing importance of this antitrust framework.

"For decades, these BMI and ASCAP antitrust consent decrees have ensured a fair and efficient licensing of musical works to local radio and TV stations. The decrees benefit songwriters, broadcasters, music licensees, and music listeners. Absent broader legislative reforms, their preservation is essential to a fully functional music marketplace.”

New Bill O'Reilly Program Adds 3 More Outlets

Key Networks announces that 15-minute daily radio program, The O’Reilly Update, starring bestselling author and former #1 cable news personality Bill O’Reilly, has been added to the regular programming lineup at new affiliate stations WBT-AM/FM in Charlotte, NC, KFYI-AM in Phoenix, AZ, and KFMB-AM in San Diego, CA.

That makes 125 affiliates across the U.S. in the show’s first month on-air.

Key Networks further announces that in response to The O’Reilly Update’s popularity in weekdays, it will debut an O’Reilly Update-Weekend Edition for affiliates of the weekday show in July. The weekend edition of The O’Reilly Update will feature the best content of the show from the week along with other material from the Bill O’Reilly Archives. The O’Reilly Update is now available on smart speakers.

Bill O'Reilly

The O’Reilly Update is heard across media companies including: Alpha Media, Beasley Media Group, Cox Media Group, Entercom Communications, Hubbard Broadcasting, iHeartMedia, Midwest Communications, Saga Communications, Salem Media Group and Townsquare Media. Out of the more than 125 stations broadcasting The O’Reilly Update, 23% are non-News/Talk stations, including Country and Classic Hits stations. 70% of the affiliates are heard on FM.
 
The O’Reilly Update cuts through the anonymous sources and phony stories dominating today’s news cycle and brings O’Reilly’s trademark “no spin” analysis to listeners across the U.S. in a unique format made for appointment listening. The O’Reilly Update marks a return to broadcast radio for O’Reilly, who hosted the nationally syndicated show, “The Radio Factor”, from 2002-2009.

Key Networks delivers The O’Reilly Update to stations of all market sizes every weekday beginning at 11:30am EST. All advertising is included, with no additional barter units and 2 minutes of local avails in the feature.

Bill O’Reilly said: “Obviously, we are all pleased with the rapid expansion of the O’Reilly Update franchise but also gratified by the positive listener reaction which has been phenomenal. No Spin works again!”

O’Reilly will speak about his return to radio in a special keynote presentation at the Talkers Conference in New York City on Friday.

For more information and to get The O’Reilly Update on your station, contact Dennis Green, Chief Revenue Officer, Key Networks, at 844.KEY.NETS or dennis@keynetworks.com.

LI Radio: Katelin Tinley New DOS For Cox Media

Katelin Tinely

Cox Media Group/Long Island proudly promotes Katelin Tinley to director of sales.

Tinley will utilize her decade of sales management experience to oversee sales operations for Long Island’s radio brands, including WBAB-FM, WBLI-FM, and its digital media platform, Local Solutions.

“Katelin’s strategic planning, creativity and passion for building and maintaining relationships makes her the ideal director of sales for our market,” says John Shea, vice president and general manager of CMG Long Island. “She is well-respected as an innovative marketer and is a strong, supportive leader that drives results for our customers.”

Tinley started her career with CMG in 2005 as an account executive for WBLI-FM. She spent a few years with ESPN-FM before returning to CMG Long Island in 2009 as a local sales manager. In 2013, she was promoted to general sales manager, where she successfully contributed to WBAB and WBLI’s growing market share.

“It is truly an honor to work every day with our amazing team and products at WBAB, BLI and Cox Local Solutions,” says Tinley. “I couldn’t be more excited to take on this new role and build upon the success that our winning team has created at CMG Long Island!”

Media Monitors, Nielsen Audio Partner For ''Audio Overnights''

Media Monitors, in partnership with Nielsen Audio, has announced the launching of Audio Overnights, a new programming tool that can reveal changes in PPM listening faster than ever before.

Nielsen Audio Managing Director Brad Kelly said, "Audio Overnights provides next-day information about the audio tuning behavior of PPM panelists," said Kelly. "The data is designed to enable programmers and station management to react faster to market and station changes."

Media Monitors President and CEO Philippe Generali says the final hours of secular WPLJ-FM in New York last week as an example of the sort of major listening changes revealed by Audio Overnights.

He said, "We found that the number of quarter hours increased towards the close down of WPLJ on Friday. This was due to more panelists tuning in more often just to hear the swan song of that station."

"This is a perfect example of how Audio Overnights will provide radio programmers and management with next day insights about their station's listening. If this had been a major show change which produced surprising results - positive or negative - the radio station could very rapidly adjust to the information, without having to wait weeks for data."

Report: The Showdown At CBS News

Susan Zirinsky

“60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley last fall tried to quash CBS executive Susan Zirinsky’s chances of becoming his boss at the award-winning news show, sources tell The NY Post.

Zirinsky was named head of all CBS news programming this year. But a few months earlier, in October, she had been considered for the job of “60 Minutes” executive producer.

Bill Owens

The Post reported correspondents from the magazine-style news show were apoplectic over the idea that Zirinsky — then boss of crime-focused news show “48 Hours” — could take the job over Bill Owens, then “60 Minutes” executive editor.

According to three sources with knowledge of those events, Pelley was among those protesting, marching with Owens into the office of CBS interim Chief Executive Joe Ianniello to demand that Owens be named “60 Minutes” executive producer — not Zirinsky.

The problem was solved several months later, in January, when Zirinsky was promoted to head of all CBS news programming in a reshuffling led by Ianniello that forced out then-president David Rhodes. As the new boss, Zirinsky named Owens head of “60 Minutes.”

“I strongly advocated for Susan Zirinsky to become president of CBS News and for Bill Owens to be executive producer of 60 Minutes,” Pelley said in a statement. “With these principled leaders in place, the public should have the greatest confidence in the future of CBS News.”

St. Louis Radio: FCC Designates Hearing For 4 Stations

The FCC’s Media Bureau has called for a hearing to determine if Entertainment Media Trust “committed serious violations of the Communications Act and the commission’s rules” and would thus have its four licenses cancelled, reports RadioWorld. Dennis J. Watkins is listed as the trustee on this and other EMT-related commission documents.

The alleged violation stems from an assertion that EMT is actually controlled by a felon, who under the Communications Act and the commission’s rules is ineligible to hold these licenses. Robert S. “Bob” Romanik was convicted of obstruction of justice and bank fraud.

The commission was alerted to the issue when listener and former St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern filed a petition to deny EMT’s 2012 renewal applications for KFTK 1490 AM, Silent-WQQW 1510 AM, KZQZ 1430 AM and KQQZ 1190 AM.

The Bureau claims that Romanik provided EMT with the initial $500,000 it used to buy WQQW, $1.2 million to purchase KZQZ, $450,000 to acquire KFTK and $600,000 to pick up KQQZ. But in its response to a Letter Of Inquiry last year, EMT didn’t provide the Commission with any documents reflecting the formation of the Trust in 2006. Instead, EMT said “all correspondence” about forming the 2006 trust “was verbal and therefore there are no documents to provide.” The trust agreement EMT provided the Commission shows the formation of EMT wasn’t put in writing until December 2012 – after the four stations had been purchased.

Romanik calls himself 'The Grim Raper' during his talk show on KZQZ-AM.

A multiyear investigation by the Media Bureau was recently completed and it unearthed evidence that Romanik established EMT, provided the funding to purchase the stations and “exercised de facto control,” despite not being listed as a party in the applications.

However, Romanik did identify himself as a station owner political disclosure forms, but indicated Katrina M. Sanders, his longtime girlfriend, was recipient of the stations’ beneficial interest. Romanik also was found in 2016 to have participated in negotiations for KFTK to enter into a local programming and marketing agreement  with Emmis Radio.

While a trust instrument was executed in 2012, the investigation indicates that it did not properly insulate Romanik from the stations (and also was not created in a timely manner, since the stations were acquired between 2006 and 2010).

Comcast Shareholders Reject Proposal For Ditching CEO Brian Roberts

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is safe as the chairman of the board and Comcast, one of the nation’s biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington, doesn’t have to disclose more information about its grassroots lobbying, according to inquirer.com.

Comcast held its annual shareholder meeting online on Wednesday where the votes on these shareholder proposals were taken, though the exact shareholder vote tallies won’t be released until next week.

One of the activist Comcast proposals voted down on Wednesday called for an independent chairman of the board. Comcast and Roberts opposed it.

Brian Roberts

A Comcast proposal from Friends Fiduciary Corp. in Philadelphia, a Quaker group, called for the company to disclose more information on its local lobbying and membership in trade associations and nonprofit groups and was voted down, Comcast said.

“In the past we have seen significant amounts of outside shareholders vote for our proposals," Kate Monahan, shareholder engagement manager at Friends Fiduciary, said on Wednesday. "Comcast is part of a highly regulated consumer-facing industry so when their lobbying does not align with their public statements they risk damage to their reputation which can affect the bottom line.”

Comcast was the 14th-largest federal lobbying spender for 2017, doling out $15.3 million, Friends Fiduciary said in its statement to shareholders, basing the ranking on the non-profit Opensecrets.org.

Comcast also belongs to the NCTA—The Internet & Television Association, which spent $132.8 million on lobbying between 2010 and 2017.

Comcast discloses trade association payments used for political contributions, but not payments used for lobbying, the Friends Fiduciary said in the statement to shareholders, adding that “trade associations generally spend far more on lobbying than political contributions.”

Comcast shareholders approved executive compensation levels, an advisory vote that’s not binding.

Comcast shareholders also approved the ten existing board members to one-year terms and approved Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent auditors for 2019. Comcast spent $24 million on auditors on 2018.

YouTube Cracking Down On Extremist Videos

YouTube on Wednesday announced that it updated its policies to officially ban videos that promote extremist ideologies such as white supremacy or caste superiority, a move that will likely result thousands of videos being removed, reports The Hill.

In a blog post on Wednesday, YouTube said it will begin "prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status."

The Google-owned company said videos that "glorify Nazi ideology" would fall under that category.

It also said it would begin promoting more "authoritative content" in recommendations, an attempt to address the deluge of conspiracy theories on the platform and criticisms that users are often drawn into a "rabbit hole" of false or hateful content by YouTube's recommendation algorithm.

"For example, if a user is watching a video that comes close to violating our policies, our systems may include more videos from authoritative sources (like top news channels) in the "watch next" panel," YouTube wrote.

Gretchen Carlson EXITS As 'Miss America' Chair

Gretchen Carlson

Gretchen Carlson stepped down as board chairwoman of Miss America — following reports of behind-the-scenes feuds over the elimination of the pageant’s swimsuit competition.

According to The NY Post, the former Miss America was part of the leadership group that cut the swimsuit competition, prompting some state pageants to call for her and the rest of the board to step down.

Reps from nearly two dozen state pageants signed a petition last July calling for the board’s resignations, while 30 former Miss Americas signed their own letter expressing their full support of Carlson.

Carlson released a statement saying she was “extremely proud of the work we have collectively done.”

“With a promising network partnership, the time is ideal to give new leadership the opportunity to move forward with what has been accomplished,” Carlson said. “Miss America will always be a part of who I am and I will enthusiastically watch as the organization continues to grow and succeed.”

Carlson will be replaced by Shantel Krebs, a former South Dakota secretary of state, and remain as an adviser to the board during the transition.

Phoenix Radio: Marty Manning To Hang-Up His Headphones

Marty Manning

After an impressive 50-year radio career, Marty Manning is putting down the mic.

Manning got his start in radio in 1969 at KCAC 1010 AM voicing commercials and working as a part-time on-air host. His career has taken him from Arizona to Texas, California, Ohio and eventually back to Phoenix, Arizona in 1985 when he became the Creative Director for 99.9.

Manning has been the “Man on the Street” for KESZ 99.9 FM for over 30 years and has become an advocate for the local community. Manning hosted and produced the Valley Views public affairs program where he has done approximately 750 interviews with local organizations. In addition, Manning has hosted and participated in countless community events and programs including 99.9 KEZ’s Excellence In Education program which he has piloted for 14 years recognizing Arizona’s educators. Manning’s last day on air will be June 21st, 2019.

“Marty’s contributions over the years will benefit 99.9 KEZ and the community for many years to come. Marty’s talent, devotion and community focus have been exemplary,” said Paul Kelley, Program Director of 99.9 KEZ. “I want to thank Marty for all he’s done for the development and progress of 99.9 KEZ over the years.”

“Marty and I started at the radio station within 8 months of each other and have been friends and colleagues ever since.” said morning show host Beth McDonald “It’s hard to fathom coming in and not having him here, but his retirement is well deserved! He’s one of the smartest and kindest people I know. I consider Marty to be the conscience of the radio station. He makes us want to be better. And I feel that I am just for having known him. I’ll miss him.”

“Marty Manning is a pro who has built his career here at KEZ and is among the best of the best. Always giving 100% of himself to the KEZ brand, audience and especially all the people he worked with inside and outside of the building. I also want to thank Marty for his commitment to giving back to our community over the years. I am sure we will see him continue those good works well into his retirement years.” added Linda Little, President, iHeartMedia Phoenix.

75th Anniversary of D-Day: June 6, 1944

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Commemorations started in Portsmouth in the UK yesterday, the departure point for much of the invasion fleet. Events will continue today in Normandy with world leaders, veterans and thousands of members of the public expected to honor the allied soldiers who risked and lost their lives during the invasion.

Considering the scale of the operation, Statista has created a special infographic to show some of the key facts behind Operation Overlord 75 years on.

You will find more infographics at Statista

More than 150,000 allied troops landed by sea and air in Normandy and while precise casualty figures are controversial, the U.S. National D-Day Memorial Foundation puts the number killed on June 6th at 4,414. Total German casualty numbers are unknown but are thought to be between 4,000 and 9,000 killed, wounded or missing.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France. The invasion is often known by the famous nickname “D-Day,” yet few people know the origin of the term or what, if anything, the “D” stood for. Most argue it was merely a redundancy that also meant “day,” but others have proposed everything from “departure” to “decision” to “doomsday.”

According to the U.S. military, “D-Day” was an Army designation used to indicate the start date for specific field operations. In this case, the “D” in D-Day doesn’t actually stand for anything—it’s merely an alliterative placeholder used to designate a particular day on the calendar.