ESPN Radio Reveals National Weekday Lineup

ESPN has announced its new, national weekday lineup from 6 a.m.-1 a.m. ET, led by a deep roster of veteran radio hosts. The new schedule will kick off September 5.

“All of the pieces really came together for this exciting new weekday lineup, featuring a deep team of credible and diverse voices,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive editor & head of event & studio production. “The combination of ESPN fan favorites and respected voices from across the radio industry, led by the powerful trio of Evan, Chris and Michelle in the morning, will provide listeners with engaging conversations and a personal connection with the hosts, only found on radio.”

🎧ESPN Radio weekday lineup details

Fox News Airs First Republican Debate Wednesday

FOX News Channel (FNC) will present special live programming surrounding the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday. 

Moderated by Bret Baier, FNC’s chief political anchor and executive editor of Special Report (6 PM/ET), and Martha MacCallum, anchor and executive editor of The Story (3 PM/ET), the debate will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 9-11 PM/ET at Fiserv Forum. Coverage will be available across FOX News Media’s platforms, including FOX Business Network, FOX News Digital, FOX Nation and FOX News Audio.

Emanating from FOX News Channel’s headquarters in New York City, the network’s live coverage will begin at 8 PM/ET with a special 30-minute edition of Jesse Watters Primetime. From 8:30-9 PM/ET, America’s Newsroom co-anchors Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer will headline pre-debate coverage with a team of FNC commentators including Harold Ford Jr., Brit Hume, Trey Gowdy, Karl Rove and Kellyanne Conway. Following the two-hour debate, Hannity will air at 11 PM/ET with post-debate analysis from host Sean Hannity and guests live from Milwaukee. At 12PM/ET, FOX News @ Night with Trace Gallagher will continue the network’s coverage.

Leading up to the night of the debate, several FNC programs, including The Story and Special Report, will be anchored live from the debate site in Milwaukee. Additionally, FOX & Friends, America’s Newsroom and The Five will each have special broadcasts from Milwaukee. FNC’s White House correspondent Peter Doocy will report live from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue while correspondents Alexis McAdams and Bill Melugin will update viewers on reaction across the country.

X-Twitter Plans To Drop The Block Feature

Users of X, formerly known as Twitter, will no longer be able to block comments from unwanted followers, according to CNBC citing a post by X owner Elon Musk on Friday, eliminating what’s long been viewed as a key safety feature. Blocking will only be available for direct messages, he said.

“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” Musk wrote Friday. He was responding to a post from the account of Tesla

Since acquiring Twitter last year for $44 billion, Musk has overhauled the company, laying off many employees, reinstating previously banned accounts and recently rebranding the company and platform as X. He didn’t provide a reason or a time frame for eliminating the block function, only saying in a follow-up response that “it makes no sense” and that the mute function will still be available.

Users have been able to use the block function to make sure that hateful content and harassment doesn’t show up in their feed in response to their posts. The mute feature just keeps the individual user from seeing the undesired responses, but doesn’t eliminate them from others’ feeds.

Twitter users have also long employed the block feature in boycotts and to avoid seeing ads from specific brands or promoters on the platform.

Louis Jones, a longtime media and advertising executive who now works at the Brand Safety Institute, said Musk’s latest plan is very concerning as users could be inundated with spam, threats and other harmful content.

Conservative actor James Woods, who said he would likely leave the platform entirely if the feature is taken away. Musk was quick to fire back at Woods’ claim and tweeted back, “Then delete your account.”

FCC License Fees Provide Some Relief To Stations

 The regulatory fees that U.S. broadcasters will pay this year will indeed go down.

The National Association of Broadcasters expressed appreciation that the Federal Communications Commission has adjusted its formulas.

TV Technology reports the commission lasr week formalized the 2023 fee schedule after conducting “a high-level, yet comprehensive, staff analysis of the work being performed by commission employees.”

The NAB has done a lot of lobbying on this issue, arguing that the way the FCC has been calculating fees obliges broadcasters to subsidize commission work done on behalf of other industries.

The changes reallocate some costs to industries that benefit from the work performed. NAB said this translates to a “significantly lower cost burden’ for broadcasters.” The FCC also made bigger reductions in regulatory fees for small radio broadcasters serving populations of less than 10,000.

Anna Gomez FCC Nomination on Track

It has been more than one month since the Senate Commerce Committee favorably reported the nomination of Anna Gomez to fill the fifth, and vacant, seat on the Federal Communications Commission, but the Senate has teed up the nomination for a vote likely in September, said one observer who will welcome the Democratic majority, according to NextTV.

Last month, the Senate unanimously invoked cloture on debate over the nomination, which means both that the nomination can be placed on the Senate calendar for a vote and also signals she will almost certainly be approved.

Viewers Support Strikers But Not Higher Sub Fees

With Hollywood writers and actors alike on strike together for the first time since the Kennedy Era, the whistle-stop pace of streaming content is suddenly being slowed. And according to recent research by Horizon Media, a majority of viewers are supportive of the strike but won’t back it in the event of higher subscription costs.

Horizon Media recently released "The Tipping Point," a survey conducted on July 18-19 with 600 respondents in the U.S., to gain a little insight on the audiences’ points of view.

To no major shock, consumers largely sided with the creatives (with 45% supporting writers and 39% supporting actors) over the Goliath conglomerate of studios, networks and streaming services — which only garnered a collective 26%. But that support slowed at the topic of rising streaming prices, where 28% of respondents indicated they would be willing to pay higher subscription costs to support union demands. While that number rose to 38% for those supporting the strikers and further for viewers 18-25 and 26-34 (46% and 41% respectively), the majority still fell to budgets unwilling to budge.

Twin Cities Radio: Falen & Zach Debut On KDWB

iHeartMedia's 101.3 KDWB, the Twin Cities has announced the debut of the new Falen and Zach Show.

The Falen and Zach Show will air weekdays from 2p-6p. and will feature Falen’s signature open book style and share her life on-air as she’s been doing for years as part of the Dave Ryan Show. Zach will continue to connect with the afternoon audience that already knows and loves his quick wit and local stories about what’s hot and happening in the Twin Cities.

Falen & Zach

“I could not be more excited to launch the Falen and Zach Show. I’ve grown so in love with the community here over the last 12 years, I’m thrilled to work with Zach and connect with a new audience in the Twin Cities,” said Falen, 101.3 KDWB On-Air Host. Zach Dillion, 101.3 KDWB On-Air Host, adds, “The last seven plus years doing afternoon drive on 101.3 KDWB has been the greatest years of my career. Growing the show to where it is now, has been incredible! Now, with the evolution of the Falen and Zach Show, it’ll be even better, here we go!”

“The ability to partner two of my best air talents in afternoon drive is a huge opportunity for 101.3 KDWB. Falen has more than proven herself in the nearly 12 years since I hired her for the Dave Ryan Show.  She is beloved in the Twin Cities for her humor and candor; adding her personality with Zach will be fun to listen to.  Zach’s been my afternoon guy and right-hand man since 2016 and is consistently one of our highest-rated personalities. With his background doing morning radio, he’s the perfect person to join Falen on the weekday ride home,” said Rich Davis, 101.3 KDWB Program Director.

8/21 WAKE-UP CALL: Hilary Ain't No Lady

Daily Mail Composite 8/21/23

Tropical Storm Hilary unleashed furious flash floods east and west of Los Angeles on Sunday as the system made its historic arrival in California after barreling through Mexico's Baja California peninsula with deadly force. One person died in Mexico amid reports of flash flooding in the peninsula, where some roads were swept away and images on social media showed raging torrents gushing down city streets that been turned into rivers.

 California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California, with flash flood warnings in effect until at least 3 a.m. on Monday in a region that is more accustomed to drought.

‼️ Tropical Storm #Hilary is hitting Southern California with heavy rain, flash flooding, and supercell storms. pic.twitter.com/oFbLCBQF6o

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) August 20, 2023

Mountain and desert areas could get 5 to 10 inches of rain, as much as the deserts typically see in a year, forecasters said. The first tropical storm to pelt Los Angeles County since 1939 triggered serious flooding in the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city and coastal areas to the northwest in Ventura County. San Bernardino County ordered evacuations of a number of towns in the mountains and valleys where social media images showed torrents of water, mud, rock and trees.

➤'NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS': The storm stunned people in the nearby town of Rancho Mirage, where water and debris rushed over closed roads and stranded at least one pickup truck that was stuck in water nearly to the top of its bed. "It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything like this," said Sean Julian, 54, of Rancho Mirage. "I'm seeing a lot more trees down. And there's a big tree that just fell over there, and I probably shouldn't be out here." DJ Hilton of neighboring Cathedral City said: "We've had storms before, but never anything quite this windy and rainy at the same time."

Kansas Newspaper Is The Talk of The Town

The chief of a Kansas police department that recently raided a local newspaper alleged that a reporter lied or misrepresented herself when accessing documents, according to court records.

The Marion County Record raid, which drew national attention, was led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody on Aug. 11. Cody alleged that a reporter lied about her intentions or impersonated someone else when she was gathering the driving records of local restaurant owner Kari Newell.

Fox News Digital reports Newell previously argued that the weekly paper violated her privacy and committed a crime by gathering the information about her, but the newspaper has maintained their methods were legal.

Reporter Phyllis Zorn had accessed a public website when gathering information about Newell. Zorn had used Newell's name in the search, and police said it was identity theft to do so. A source had also given the paper Newell's date of birth and license number unsolicited.

"Downloading the document involved either impersonating the victim or lying about the reasons why the record was being sought," Cody said.

The raid caused outrage and sparked a debate about press freedoms as the newspaper's employees were hindered from doing their job and were forced to work overnight to print the next day's paper. During the raid, authorities took the newspaper's computers and a router plus the personal cellphones of employees.

Downloads Could Send Oliver Anthony To No. 1

Artists have long complained that streaming pays poverty wages — fractions of a cent per stream — and increases the difficulty of sustaining a recording career through a slow trickle of royalties. But, according to Billboard, some conservative-leaning artists are proving to be an exception to the rule with fans who still buy downloads at a time when streaming dominates music consumption.  

Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” became a surprise hit — and could reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 — thanks to a confluence of two factors, according to Glenn Peoples at Billboard: "As we’ve seen with several other songs recently, when a song gets caught up in — or leans into — the American culture wars, conservatives often buy downloads". 

“Rich Men North of Richmond” was an instant success: From Aug. 10 — the day with the first sales and audio streaming activity — to Aug. 15, daily U.S. streams went from zero to nearly 700,000 in just two days, according to Luminate, while daily U.S. downloads went from zero to more than 20,000 in each of the next four days. To put that in context, in a typical week the top track on the Hot 100 might sell 15,000 downloads.

In the seven-day period ended Aug. 15, “Rich Men North of Richmond” had 11.2 million on-demand audio streams that earned him roughly $40,000, Billboard estimates. But the track amassed an impressive 117,000 track downloads that netted Anthony about $81,000 — or 65% of the royalties earned from U.S. sales and streams. And because the track is distributed by DistroKid, which charges a flat fee for distribution, and owned by Anthony, he pockets the entire amount.

Coleman Insights Looks At YouTube Impact On Podcasts

In a survey of 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the U.S., 75% say a podcast should be defined as "audio-only or available with video," 22% say a podcast is "audio-only," while 3% define a podcast as "video-only." This insight is one of many surprising findings from a new study focused on YouTube's impact on the podcasting universe from media research firm Coleman Insights and podcast consultancy Amplifi Media.

Coleman Insights Vice President/Consultant Jay Nachlis and Amplifi Media Founder/CEO Steve Goldstein will debut the data from the research study titled "The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube" at the conference's keynote session at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center on Thursday, August 24 at 8:30am.

According to Nachlis, the changing podcast definition finding is more remarkable when you dig into users of specific platforms. "It's not just YouTube podcast users that are warm to the idea of calling a video a podcast. Our study finds more than two-thirds of Spotify and Apple users feel the same way."

Another study finding lays waste to the notion that most consumers have one destination for podcasts, showing that 72% use multiple apps. But there is a clear leadership hierarchy. Goldstein explains, "While most podcast consumers use more than one app, three-quarters prefer one of the big three - Apple, Spotify, and YouTube."

Former Rogers CEO Joe Natale Files $24M Wrongful Dismissal Suit

Joe Natale

Former Rogers Communications CEO Joe Natale is suing for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract over his ouster during the 2021 family power struggle for control of the company led by Edward Rogers.

Broadcast Dialouge reports Natale’s statement of claim, filed in Ontario Superior Court this week, seeks $24 million in damages, including $4 million related to an unpaid bonus due upon closure of Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw Communications, under terms of his employment contract.

A former TELUS CEO, Natale served as Rogers’ CEO from 2017 to Nov. 2021, when current President & CEO Tony Staffieri was appointed to the role.

The company told Broadcast Dialogue it plans to vigorously defend itself against the allegations, going further to confirm Rogers will file a counterclaim alleging Natale awarded himself “excessive compensation without proper board approval” just a month prior to his departure.

“An independent investigation has revealed that Joe Natale engaged in serious misconduct during his time as CEO,” said Rogers in a statement. “As a result, we have made the necessary decision to terminate him for cause.” 

R.I.P.: Ray Hildebrand, 'Paul' of Paul and Paula Fame

Ray (Paul) Hildebrand (1940-2023)

Ray Hildebrand, the “Paul” in ‘60s pop duo Paul & Paula, died Friday (Aug. 18) in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 82, according to Billboard.

Hildebrand passed away “peacefully,” and was surrounded by his family, according to a statement from his publicist.

Born December 21, 1940, in Joshua, Texas, Hildebrand met his singing partner Jill Jackson (Paula) while attending Howard Payne College (now called Howard Payne University) in Brownwood the Lone Star State.

Though never romantically involved, Paul & Paula landed a string of songs on Billboard’s charts, including “Young Lovers,” “First Quarrel,” “First Day Back at School,” and “Something Old, Something New,” and their best-known hit, the multi-million-seller from 1963 “Hey Paula,” which Hildebrand penned. The single logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Radio History: August 21

➦In 1900... Announcer Ken Carpenter born (Died – October 16, 1984). He was best known for being the announcer for singer and actor Bing Crosby for 27 years.

Ken Carpenter

Carpenter moved to Hollywood in 1929, one year after resolving to move there after listening to radio legend Graham McNamee call the Rose Bowl. In 1930, he was a newspaper copywriter. Not long afterward, he became a staff announcer for KFI radio. As part of that job, Carpenter announced USC and UCLA football games for the Pacific Coast and the NBC radio networks from 1932 until 1935.  In 1935, Carpenter announced the Rose Bowl for NBC radio. Carpenter became the color man for Bill Stern for all NBC-originated radio programming from Los Angeles from 1938 until 1942, which included the Rose Bowl.

In 1936, Carpenter became Crosby's announcer after Crosby began hosting the Kraft Music Hall radio variety program. Carpenter continued to announce for Crosby on various programs for the next 27 years. Crosby famously once called Carpenter "the man with the golden voice." Carpenter also announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen as well.  By virtue of his extensive announcing career, he wound up with uncredited roles in well-known movies, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Susan Slept Here. He was also the narrator for producer Jerry Fairbanks' theatrical short-subject series Unusual Occupations, released by Paramount Pictures from 1938 through 1948.

From 1949 until 1952, Carpenter was the announcer for the NBC Radio sitcom The Halls of Ivy. He was also the announcer for Lux Radio Theater from 1952 through the end of the series in 1955; from 1955 until 1957, Carpenter hosted NBC's Lux Video Theatre program during its summer seasons. Other programs for which Carpenter was an announcer on radio included The Great Gildersleeve, The Chase and Sanborn Program (featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy) and a stint on The Life of Riley from 1947 through 1949.

He died following a brief illness Oct. 16 1984 at age 84.

➦In 1923...Sportscaster Chris Schenkel born (Died at age 82 – September 11, 2005).  Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.

Chris Schenkel 1964

He began his broadcasting career at radio station WBAA while studying for a premedical degree at Purdue University where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He worked in radio for a time at WLBC in Muncie, IN and then moved to television, in Providence, RI, and in 1947 began announcing Harvard football games. For six years he did local radio and called the Thoroughbred horse races at Narragansett Park.

In 1952, Schenkel was hired by the DuMont Television Network, for which he broadcast New York Giants football and hosted DuMont's Boxing From Eastern Parkway (1953-1954) and Boxing From St. Nicholas Arena (1954-56), replacing Dennis James as the network's primary boxing announcer.

Schenkel was at the microphone for DuMont's last broadcast and its only color telecast, a high school football championship game held on Thanksgiving in 1957.

He then moved to CBS Sports, where he continued to call Giants games, along with boxing, Triple Crown horse racing and The Masters golf tournament, among other events. Along with Chuck Thompson, Schenkel called the 1958 NFL Championship Game for NBC. He was the voiceover talent for the first NFL Films production ever made, the 1962 NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants.

ABC Sports hired Schenkel in 1965, and there he broadcast college football, Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, golf and tennis tournaments, boxing, auto racing, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. He became widely known for covering professional bowling, mainly for the Professional Bowlers Association (with the program becoming known as the Professional Bowlers Tour). He covered bowling from the early 1960s until 1997

➦In 1924...Sportscaster Jack Buck was born (Died from lung cancer at age 77 – June 18, 2002).  He was best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous Halls of Fame, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.