R.I.P.: Burt Bacharch, Gifted Pop Composer

Composer Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and dozens of other hits, has died at 94, reports AP News.

Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.

Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.”

Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. “Walk On By” alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.

Class Action Lawsuit Alleges iHM Secretly Tracks Subs

Proposed class action lawsuits against iHeartMedia, Inc. and DotDash Meredith, Inc. allege that the respective owners of iHeart.com and People.com secretly share digital subscribers’ personal information with Meta Platforms (Facebook) without consent.

According to ClassActions.org the lawsuits out of Florida and New York, the defendants “knowingly” transmit users’ information to the third parties in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), which prohibits “video tape service providers” from sharing data on consumers’ video-viewing habits without express consent. The unauthorized disclosures to Facebook include subscribers’ unique Facebook IDs and the names and URLs of any videos they watched while on iHeart.com or People.com, the suits say.

Because of the “automatic and invisible” manner in which users’ information is transmitted, subscribers to the websites cannot “defend themselves” against the companies’ use of their sensitive data for commercial profit, the cases charge.

The complaints contend that both iHeart.com and People.com use a Facebook tracking pixel to gather and share subscribers’ information with the social media giant. The Facebook tracking pixel—a coded tool that advertisers can embed into their websites to collect personal information and trace user activity—documents when a visitor enters iHeart.com or People.com and records what video content is viewed, the filings say. The details of the viewed content and the subscriber’s Facebook ID are then reported back to Facebook via the tracking pixel, the lawsuits claim.

Importantly, a Facebook ID can be used to identify a specific Facebook profile and see any public information that appears on the user’s personal page, the suits relay.

TV Ratings: CBS, NBC, ABC 1-2-3

Viewership for CBS’ coverage of the Grammy Awards was up 30.8% from last year, but still the third-lowest on record.

The first 3 hours, 12 minutes of Sunday’s ceremony from Crypto.com Arena averaged 12.545 million viewers, according to The L-A Times citing live-plus-same-day figures released Tuesday by Nielsen. Under Nielsen rules, the ratings cover the time from the start of the ceremony until the end of the final commercial break.

The Grammys set a record low in 2021, 9.227 million, when much of the ceremony was virtual. The only Grammy ceremonies on record to average fewer than 17 million viewers have come since 2021. 

Like nearly all forms of programming, viewership for awards shows has declined in recent years because of increased options available on streaming services, including the same programs as on traditional television. Figures are available dating back to 1977. The record audience for the Grammys was in 1984, when it averaged 51.671 million. Michael Jackson won a record eight awards.
CBS had each of the eight top-ranked prime-time programs and 10 of the top 11 for its second victory in the 20-week-old 2022-23 prime-time television season, both coming in the last two weeks.

CBS averaged 5.26 million viewers, NBC 2.89 million and ABC 2.73 million.

CBS’ “Young Sheldon” was the week’s highest-rated scripted program, averaging 7.31 million viewers, third for the week. Each of its 11 first-run episodes this season has been its week’s top comedy.

The top 20 prime-time programs consisted of two segments of the Grammys; nine CBS scripted programs, “60 Minutes” and “The Price is Right at Night”; three NBC scripted programs and “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars”; and the ABC alternative programs “Celebrity Jeopardy!” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” Shark and its scripted series “The Rookie.”

The five editions of the Fox News Channel political talk show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” topped the cable rankings for the second consecutive week, topped by the Monday edition, which averaged 3.487 million viewers, 29th overall.

TV Ratings: Rowdy SOU Viewership Dips

President Biden delivered State of the Union address on Tuesday punctuated by several ad-libbed exchanges with Republican hecklers, an unusual dose of improv for an annual broadcast that usually runs strictly to script.

According to The NY Times citing Nielsen data, though, fewer Americans than last year tuned in to see it.

About 27.3 million people watched Biden’s speech live on television, Nielsen said on Wednesday, the lowest rating for a presidential address to Congress since Biden’s first go-round in April 2021. Tuesday’s audience fell by 29 percent from Mr. Biden’s previous State of the Union, which drew about 38.2 million viewers.

CNN, with 2.4 million viewers, suffered the biggest decline compared with a year ago, losing about half of its audience from 2022. That year, CNN’s viewership topped that of NBC and MSNBC. On Tuesday, CNN was the lowest-rated of the major networks, except for Fox’s broadcast affiliates. But CNN did beat its rival MSNBC among 25- to 54-year-old viewers, a coveted demographic that matters most to advertisers

Fox News attracted the night’s biggest viewership, with 4.7 million watchers; it was the highest-rated TV network for last year’s State of the Union, as well. ABC, with 4.4 million viewers on Tuesday, took in the biggest ratings of the Big Three broadcast networks; ABC also beat every cable and broadcast network in the coveted 25-54 age demographic.

Nielsen, the leading ratings agency, said that nearly 75 percent of Tuesday’s TV viewership consisted of adults 55 and older.

The dip in viewership may reflect a broader fatigue among Americans who are paying less attention to political news.

Iger: The ESPN Brand Is "Very Healthy"

Disney CEO Bob Iger said there were no plans to spin off ESPN despite calls from activist investors, reports Front Office Sports.

“ESPN is a differentiator for this company,” said Iger. “It is going through some obviously challenging times because of what’s happened in linear programming. But the brand of ESPN is very healthy, and the programming of ESPN is very healthy.”

The Mouse House saw revenues hit $23.5 billion for the three-month period ending Dec. 31, up 8% year-over-year. The company’s media and entertainment wing held steady at $14.8 billion in revenue, up 1% from last year.

The company spent less on NFL and College Football Playoff rights, but saw sports production costs tick upward. Disney is expected to compete for NBA media rights in the league’s next set of deals.

Its parks segment brought huge growth coming out of the pandemic, hitting $8.7 billion, up 21% from $7.2 billion the previous year.

Disney beat overall revenue expectations, and its stock was up 6.3% in early after-hours trading.
ESPN+ Plus

Disney saw its linear networks slip 5% to $7.3 billion in revenue, with operating income falling $244 million to $1.3 billion. Streaming revenue rose 13% to $5.3 billion, but losses climbed to just over $1 billion.

ESPN+ ticked up to 24.9 million subscribers from 24.3 million the previous quarter and saw a 14% jump in monthly revenue per subscriber in that time to $5.53.

Disney Restructures: Cuts 7K Jobs, $5.5B In Expenses

Walt Disney Co. said it plans to trim 7,000 jobs and eliminate $5.5 billion in costs as part of a major corporate reorganization that gives more power to the company’s content executives and puts a greater emphasis on sports media at the company. 

The Wall Street Journal reports the announcement of layoffs and cuts come in the first earnings report since Robert Iger returned to the role of chief executive in November.

“It’s time for another transformation,” Iger said on the company’s earnings call. He said the changes would, among other things, reshape the company around creativity, reduce expenses and lead to profits in its streaming business.

Disney on Wednesday also reported better-than-expected sales and earnings for its December quarter, as well as a narrower loss in its streaming business and a decline in the number of Disney+ subscribers.

Iger and the company face pressure from activist investor Nelson Peltz, whose Trian Fund Management LP last month launched a proxy campaign against Disney with the goal of convincing shareholders to add him to Disney’s board of directors. In addition, Disney is facing questions about the health of its streaming business, what to do with Hulu and ESPN, and how to navigate a challenging economic climate with its debt-heavy balance sheet.

Investors and employees have been waiting for months for details about the reorganization, which Mr. Iger put in the hands of a committee known internally as the “Fabulous Four,” made up of Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy, studio chairman Alan Bergman, ESPN head James Pitaro and television chief Dana Walden.

Reporter Arrested During Ohio Governor's Presser

A NewsNation reporter was released from jail late Wednesday after being arrested earlier in the day during a news conference being held by Ohio’s governor about a train derailment.

The Hill reports correspondent Evan Lambert was giving a live report during NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” when he was told by law enforcement personnel at the news conference to be quiet because Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was speaking.

Lambert finished the live report but was then asked to leave by authorities, who tried to forcibly remove him from the event. The charges Lambert is facing are disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. After Lambert was taken into custody, DeWine said he didn’t personally order the arrest.

Wake-Up Call: Voices Go Silent In Quake Zone

Rescue teams in Turkey and Syria continue to race against time to find earthquake survivors. More than 19,300 people are already confirmed dead with an unknown number still missing and hundreds of corpses being pulled from the wreckage every hour. The number of survivors has slowed to a trickle as rescue workers reach the crucial 72 hours that most disaster experts say is the most likely window to save lives. By Wednesday evening, the temperatures had dropped below freezing for the third night in a row. Snowstorms and bitter cold are hampering the rescue operation, which has been criticized for logistical problems, poor resourcing and slow response times. In some regions, survivors have waited days for aid to arrive—and in some cases watched helplessly as trapped family members’ cries for help eventually fell silent.

LATEST: More than 15,000 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the Turkey-Syria earthquake, officials say. https://t.co/LwCHKS3lF0

— ABC News (@ABC) February 9, 2023

➤BIDEN DISMISSES AGE CONCERNS: President Joe Biden (left) dismissed concerns about his age ahead of an expected 2024 reelection campaign, citing his performance in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. “Watch me. It’s all I can say,” Biden said Wednesday in an interview on PBS Newshour about questions some Democratic voters have about his health and fitness to handle another campaign and potential second term.  “It goes from one extreme to another, last night I heard people saying, ‘Well, just watch Biden, by God, age is not an issue any more,’ ” he added.  “I would be completely thoroughly honest with the American people if I thought there was any health problem, anything that would keep me from being able to do the job,” said Biden.  “We’ll see but I think people just have to watch me.” Biden, at 80, is already the oldest president in American history. He has said he intends to run for a second term, but has yet to officially announce a decision. He is expected to begin a campaign in the spring. 

➤FETTERMAN HOSPITALIZED: US Senator John Fetterman (right), who suffered a stroke while running for election in Pennsylvania last year, was hospitalized in Washington on Wednesday after feeling lightheaded. “Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke, but doctors are running more tests and John is remaining overnight for observation,” his communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement. Fetterman, 53, who attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday night, had gone to a Democratic Senate retreat on Wednesday. 

NJ councilwoman murder: Shadowy figure seen on camera running near site of unsolved killing https://t.co/c7rsFgaAjX

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 9, 2023

➤MEDICAL RULING..ABC NEWS PRODUCER WAS DRUNK: An ABC News producer who died after he left his kids at a hotel so he and his wife could go to a posh Midtown restaurant choked to death because he was drunk, officials revealed Wednesday. New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to The Post that Dax Tejera’s official cause of death was “asphyxia due to obstruction of airway by food bolus complicating acute alcohol intoxication.” Tejera, who was the executive producer of ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” died suddenly on Dec. 23 at 37. ABC News president Kim Goodwin had originally said Tejera died of a heart attack.

➤WALMART SHOOTER PLEADS GUILTY: More than three years after 23 people were shot dead in a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, the man who carried out the massacre pleaded guilty to 90 federal charges. The charges included hate crimes, as authorities determined that the shooter was a White supremacist who targeted Mexican immigrants. The plea by Patrick Crusius was part of an agreement in which prosecutors will recommend that he be sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences. He also will face state charges.

➤HALF OF AMERICANS ARE ‘WORSE OFF’: Half of Americans say their personal financial situation has gotten worse over the past year, according to a new Gallup poll. That is the worst level since May 2009, during the Great Recession. Only 35 percent say they are better off. Not surprisingly, lower-income Americans were most downbeat.

➤WHAT’S UP WITH THOSE CHINESE SPY BALLOONS? The Chinese spy balloon that was brought down by the U.S. military last Saturday was one of many such aircraft that China has been deploying all over the world, American military and intelligence officials told The New York Times. Their balloons have been spotted over Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Europe. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that China “has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.” The aim is to find out more about the military capabilities of other nations, particularly the U.S., in case of any future conflict. They use balloons instead of satellites because balloons fly closer to the ground and can evade radar.

NewsGuild of NY Walks Out On NBC News

More than 200 employees of NBC represented by the NewsGuild of New York plan to walk off the job for 24 hours on Thursday to signal frustration with the company’s decision to lay off seven union-covered journalists last month.

The Washington Post reports the NBC News Digital union has filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board over the cuts, which it described as abrupt and illegal, as well as a claim that some digital staffers for MSNBC were told by management that they were no longer part of the union.

A letter was delivered to NBC management stating the reasoning for the walkout on Wednesday morning. Soon after the action was announced internally, guild-covered NBC and MSNBC staffers began changing their statuses on an internal messaging system to “ready to walk out.

Union members and supporters plan to protest in front of the company’s 30 Rock office building in Manhattan on Thursday morning.

The NBC Guild — comprising digital reporters, editors, designers, video journalists, animators and social media strategists — has been locked in contract negotiations with company management ever since its 2019 founding.

Tate James, a video editor for NBC News who serves as chair of the unit, said the decision to walk out was borne out of a growing belief that NBC management is excluding the union from key employee matters, such as the process of negotiating layoffs and the terms of severance agreements. NBC management did not follow the correct steps before last month’s layoffs, the union has charged.

NYTimes Earnings Boosted By Digital Bundle

 

The New York Times Co beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly earnings on Wednesday as more people signed up for its digital subscription bundles, offsetting a slowdown in ad sales and helping the newspaper unveil a $250 million share buyback, reports Reuters.

The Times has in the past few years embarked on a bundling push, combining its core news reports with digital content ranging from podcasts to cooking recipes and games in hopes of getting more revenue from readers.

The company's shares rose 10% to $40 as the publisher added 240,000 digital-only subscribers in the fourth quarter, compared with 180,000 in the third quarter.

For the year, the newspaper added more than a million subscribers, the second most since 2020 when the pandemic dominated headlines. It has a goal of 15 million subscribers by 2027.

"With each passing quarter, we saw more proof that there is strong demand for a bundle of our news and lifestyle products," Chief Executive Meredith Kopit Levien said.

In the December quarter, the New York Times' revenue was $667.5 million, beating the $646.4 million estimated by analysts. Adjusted profit of 59 cents per share was also above estimates of 43 cents.

NY Post Editorializes SOU's Claims vs Reality

In an editorial The NY Post stated President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Tuesday surely set a record for lies, distortions and sheer hollowness, yet most media’s coverage was preposterously positive — indeed, almost equally unhinged:

• Biden’s “message was one of unadulterated optimism — even in the face of open hostility,” puffed CNN.
• The prez came out with “vim and vigor” and “proceeded to mop the House floor with the howling, discombobulated remains of the Republican Party,” cheered USA Today’s Rex Huppke.
• He “vowed” to protect the country, applauded a Reuters headline.
• “This is the worst possible night for [House Speaker] Kevin McCarthy,” beamed MSNBC. “This is over for McCarthy.”
• Biden challenged House Republicans to work with him, “even as the emboldened opposition geared up to try to force him to change course,” began The New York Times’ front-page coverage.
• The speech “had to make Democrats more comfortable with the idea of Biden as the standard-bearer in 2024,” insisted NPR, touting “the pluck he showed.”

OK, Biden was feisty and pulled no punches — but mostly all below the belt. He dishonestly claimed he’d “created” 12 million jobs, cut the deficit, restored manufacturing and lowered gas prices. Republicans want to “hold the economy hostage,” he fibbed, and “sunset” Social Security and Medicare.

The Post recapped Biden's SOU claims versus reality:

R.I.P.: Randy Reets, Longtime Brenham, TX Radio Voice

Randy Reets

Emil Kocurek Jr., known to radio audiences as Randy Reets, died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to KWHI Radio. Reets was hospitalized last week after suffering what his family revealed on Facebook was a catastrophic stroke.

Reets was born in Wharton, and his family later settled in Sealy, where he graduated high school.

He later went to college at the University of Houston to study for a career in broadcasting.

After college, Reets first joined the staff here at KWHI in 1958 as a disc jockey. By his own admission, he adopted the “Randy Reets” name after deciding that his given name, Emil Kocurek Jr., didn’t sound like a radio name.

His broadcasting career spanned over 60 years, most of which were here at KWHI where he wore a variety of hats including disc jockey, news director, sports director, operations manager, salesman, and sales manager.

Reets was also a long time play-by-play voice for the Brenham Cubs, Burton Panthers, Blinn Buccaneers, and Washington County Little League. During his career, he called games for nearly every high school in Washington and the surrounding counties.  

Reets also played in band that was first known as Randy and the Rockets, and later became the Serenaders.