Elton John Reveals Loss Of Eyesight

Elton John revealed he has lost his eyesight after his battle with a “severe” infection.

Page Six at The NY Post reports the iconic musician, 77, made the shocking confession on Sunday night while addressing guests at Dominion Theatre in London’s West End following “The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical” charity gala night performance.

“As some of you may know, I have had issues and now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance, but I have enjoyed listening to it,” John told the crowd, per the BBC.

The Grammy winner also credited his husband, David Furnish, for helping him throughout the ordeal.

“To my husband, who’s been my rock, because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight, so it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it,” John continued, per a video posted on TikTok.

The “Rocket Man” singer previously addressed his eyesight in early September, revealing he only had “limited vision in one eye” after dealing with a “severe eye infection” over the summer.

“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” John wrote in a statement at the time.

He further elaborated on his condition in an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” last week.

.@eltonofficial shares a glimpse into his personal life with new documentary, "Elton John: Never Too Late." The music legend revealed to @robinroberts that he lost sight in his right eye in July due to an infection. pic.twitter.com/sKza3RMbQo

— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 25, 2024

“I, unfortunately, lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France and it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see,” he said.

“And my left eye’s not the greatest so there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but I’m kind of stuck at the moment…”

NYC Radio: Elvis Duran On His Special Bond With Z100 Listeners

If you don't recognize his face, you may know his voice. Since 1996 the 60-year-old disc jockey has been host of "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show," the country's most popular Top 40 morning program. "I can't believe it's been 30 years, because it's been nothing but fun," he said.

Every day, millions of listeners nationwide wake up to Duran and his crew dishing about music, pop culture … pretty much whatever's on their minds. "I've been working with some of the same people for 25-30 years," he said. "The energy with each other is what makes it work. I don't need to be the center of attention."

With 70 markets across the country listening, Duran's a rarity these days – a nationally-known radio DJ.

But it's everyday listeners with whom Duran feels a special bond. He said, "We are in the friendship business. I think about you when you hop in your car in the morning. You're either leaving a house that may be full of turmoil, or going to a job with a boss you don't like. But I have you for 20-30 minutes, and I can be your friend."

Houston Radio: John McClain OUT At KILT AM

Longtime Houston radio host John McClain has been an icon in the local media scene for the better part of four decades. However, Awful Announcing reports he learned on Wednesday that his lengthy tenure at SportsRadio KILT 610 is coming to an end.

McClain got his start in radio all the way back in 1985, covering the Houston Oilers for NewsRadio 740 for 15 years. He then moved to SportsRadio 610, where he has been for the last 24 years.

1) This will take a few tweets, so please bear with me. For the first time in 24 years, I won't be appearing on @SportsRadio610 because I've been laid off. Friday is my last day. I'd been making 6 appearances, writing 4 columns and doing 3 Houtopia Football Podcasts each week.

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 31, 2024

The legendary radio personality took to social media on Wednesday to inform his fans that he has been laid off, with his last show set to take place on Friday.

In a series of 12 follow-up tweets on the matter, McClain went on to express his gratitude to his colleagues at the station over the years, as well as expressing that he has no ill will towards the station after this decision.

R.I.P.: Andy Paley, Record Producer, Composer

Andy Paley, a record producer, composer and rock ’n’ roll chameleon who worked with artists as varied as Madonna, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jonathan Richman, and who helped resuscitate the career of the Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson after his much-chronicled emotional flameout, died on Nov. 20 in Colchester, Vt. He was 73.

The NY Times reports his wife, Heather Crist Paley, said the cause of his death, at a hospice facility, was cancer.

A curator of the spirit of classic 1960s pop, Paley played many roles over an ever-evolving career. He got his start in the late 1960s as the frontman for a Boston-area power-pop outfit called the Sidewinders, which briefly included the future FM radio staple Billy Squier on guitar and opened for groups like Aerosmith.

Later that decade, he banded with his younger brother, Jonathan, to form a highly regarded, if short-lived, pop duo, the Paley Brothers. With their winsome looks and mops of blond hair, they appeared in the pages of teen bibles like 16 magazine and Tiger Beat and toured with the pop confection Shaun Cassidy.

A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Paley often went on the road with his close friend Mr. Richman and filled in on keyboards on Patti Smith’s 1976 tour of Europe.

Influenced by studio wizards like Phil Spector, Paley also produced songs for numerous performers, including Debbie Harry, K.D. Lang, NRBQ, Little Richard and Brenda Lee. In the 1980s, he began to produce for Seymour Stein, the visionary label chief of Sire Records.

Paley was also a songwriter. Among his many credits, he helped write two songs for Madonna’s 1990 album “I’m Breathless” — “Now I’m Following You” and “I’m Going Bananas” — released in conjunction with the film “Dick Tracy,” in which Madonna co-starred with Warren Beatty. Mr. Paley produced and contributed songs to the film’s soundtrack album as well.

Five years later, he produced and co-wrote several songs for “Young Blood,” a return-to-roots album by the combustible rock ’n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. And he wrote songs for the cartoon series “The Ren & Stimpy Show” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Social Media: Journalists Flock to Bluesky

When Ashton Pittman, an award-winning news editor and reporter, first joined the app Bluesky, he said, he was the only Mississippi journalist he knew to be using it. Until about five weeks ago, he said, that was the case. But now, Pittman said, there are at least 15 Mississippi journalists on Bluesky as it becomes a preferred platform for reporters, writers, activists and other groups who have become increasingly alienated by X.

NBC News reports Pittman’s outlet, the Mississippi Free Press, already has more followers on Bluesky (28,500) than it ever did on X (22,000), the platform formerly known as Twitter, and Pittman said the audience engagement on Bluesky is booming.

“We have posts that are exactly the same on Twitter and on Bluesky, and with those identical posts, Bluesky is getting 20 times the engagement or more than Twitter,” Pittman said. “Seeing a social media platform that doesn’t throttle links really makes it clear how badly we were being limited.”

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, has turned the platform into an increasingly difficult place for journalists, and many had come to suspect that the platform had begun to suppress the reach of posts that include links to external websites. On Sunday, Musk confirmed the platform has deprioritized posts including links, which was how journalists and other creators historically shared their work. But four journalists told NBC News that after millions of users migrated to Bluesky, an alternative that resembles a pared-back version of X, after the election, they are rebuilding their audiences there, too. 

Platform and audience editors at The Guardian and The Boston Globe have publicly noted higher traffic to their news websites from Bluesky than from competitors including Threads, Meta’s X alternative. Rose Wang, Bluesky’s chief operating officer, quoted the Guardian’s stats, writing: “We want Bluesky to be a great home for journalists, publishers, and creators. Unlike other platforms, we don’t de-promote your links. Post all the links you want — Bluesky is a lobby to the open web.”

➤Read Full Story: HERE

TV Ratings: Giants, Cowboys Attracted 38.5M Viewers

The Thanksgiving Day game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys drew an impressive 38.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the 2024 NFL regular season. Despite both teams having subpar seasons and missing their starting quarterbacks, the game still managed to attract a massive audience.

The Cowboys-Giants game aired at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox and peaked at 41.3 million viewers during the second quarter2. This viewership number is the fourth-highest for a Thanksgiving game ever. The Cowboys' strong viewership draw, regardless of their performance, and the Giants' presence from the country's biggest media market contributed to these high numbers.

Interestingly, the primetime Thanksgiving game between the Packers and Dolphins drew 26.6 million viewers, slightly down from last year's 26.9 million for 49ers-Seahawks2.

MLB Wants Control of Local TV Broadcasts

Before baseball commissioner Rob Manfred can enact his plan to reshape the sport’s television landscape, he’s going to have to clear one major hurdle: the big-market teams.

As The Athletic reported last week, Manfred is pushing for Major League Baseball’s central office to take control of local team broadcast rights so it can sell more inventory nationally come 2028. That’s the year MLB’s national broadcast deals expire, and when MLB hopes deep-pocketed streaming companies scoop up more games than they feature today.

But Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, whose local media rights dwarf the value of most other teams’ — and who already has a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video to broadcast Yankees games — wants clubs to be able to choose whether they’re in or out.

“We’ve had discussions with Rob in the past,” Steinbrenner said last week at MLB headquarters when asked about Manfred’s plan. “He knows my take, which is that at the very least, it needs to be an optional thing, but I’m gonna leave it at that. But we’ve got a good board of directors at the YES Network, and we’ve got a good network, and we’re doing pretty good right now.”

The YES Network, the regional sports station partially owned by the Yankees, televised 125 of the Yankees’ 162 regular-season games in 2024. Almost all were exclusive telecasts: most of the time, no other national MLB partner like Fox simultaneously carried the game. YES and the Yankees are under contract through 2042.  Another 21 games in 2024 were carried exclusively by Amazon, which owns a piece of YES.

Under Manfred’s plan, the number of games available for YES — or any team’s typical broadcasting partner — would likely drop. Instead, more games would be televised exclusively by the streaming company that wins the bidding for a given package.

Why couldn’t the games be available both via the national package and YES at the same time? It’s technically possible, were all the parties to agree, just unlikely. Streaming companies will pay more if fans have to sign up for their service to get the games, and Manfred has a big-dollar blueprint in mind.

Bloomberg Audio Renews Multi-Year Deal With Audacy

Key Networks, a next generation radio syndication company, and Bloomberg Audio   ,   a leading provider of radio business news in the U.S., announce that Bloomberg Audio and Audacy have renewed their agreement to deliver Bloomberg Audio business and consumer news programming across the majority of Audacy’s 26 all-news and news talk stations. 

Audacy owns and operates many of the most influential news and news talk stations in America, including 92.3 FM and 1010 WINS (WINS-AM)/92.3 FM in New York, News KNX-FM 97.1 and 1070 AM News Radio (KNX-AM/FM) in Los Angeles, WBBM Newsradio (WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM) in Chicago, and many more. 

Bloomberg Audio has been Audacy’s primary business and consumer news provider for several years.

Under the new multi-year agreement, Bloomberg Audio will continue to provide Audacy with business and consumer news provider for several years.

Under the new multi-year agreement, Bloomberg Audio will continue to provide Audacy stations with access to its world-class radio news content, including live, customized reports, Bloomberg Money Minutes, and specialty features including: Bloomberg Business of Sports, Bloomberg Business of Entertainment, Green Report, Small Business Report, Real Estate Report, and more. 

FCC's Carr: Social Media Should Follow X On Free Speech

Brendan Carr, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, praised Elon Musk’s advocacy for free speech with X, arguing more people need to move in his direction and “away from government control,” reports The Washington Examiner.

When asked about a ban of social media platform TikTok in the United States and whether or not Trump would take action to stop this ban, Carr pointed to how this topic is “in the court system,” adding that “we’ll see the actions” that Trump takes regarding it.

“I think we’re all going to follow President Trump’s lead on that one, but what’s clear is we need a lot more competition,” Carr said on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, guest-hosted by Jackie DeAngelis. “We need more competition to Facebook. What Twitter has done, what X has done now with Elon Musk in terms of restoring freedom of speech, that’s so important and integral to this country. We need to continue to move in that direction; we need to move away from government control and towards freedom of speech.”

🇺🇸NEW: Trump FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is dead serious about taking on the Censorship Industrial Complex:

“Combatting Big Tech censorship is going to be a top priority. We need to restore Americans' right to free speech…[Tech companies] have been part of a censorship cartel… pic.twitter.com/l8uDexbSxy

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 1, 2024

Carr contended that restoring freedom of speech is vital to the nation, adding that Facebook and other social media platforms have been part of a “censorship cartel” in cooperation with advertisers to censor people. He added that when censorship abounds, people’s ideas become silenced, going against the boundary-pushing for which the U.S. is known.

Trump’s FCC chairman nominee was also asked if he had any information on Trump’s recent meeting with Meta-CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to which he said he did not, but that Zuckerberg will “hopefully” continue to embrace freedom of speech.

In November, shortly after Trump nominated Carr to be part of his Cabinet, the nominee said that combating tech censorship would be one of his priorities as part of the incoming Trump administration. Another major factor would be to eliminate the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the FCC, for which Carr argued “there’s no place.”

Michigan, Ohio State Fined Over TV Footbrawl

The Big Ten Conference has fined Michigan and Ohio State $100k each for their involvement in Saturday’s postgame brawl, the conference announced.

“The Big Ten Conference has determined that the actions of both teams following the Michigan-Ohio State football game on Saturday, November 30, 2024, violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy,” the conference said in a press release.

Following Michigan’s 13-10 victory, a Wolverines player attempted to plant a Michigan banner on the Buckeyes logo at midfield in Ohio Stadium, which led to pushing and shoving and eventually punches being thrown by members of both teams. Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer was seen snatching the flag and throwing it away.

Massive fight ensues after @UMichFootball tries to plant flag midfield in Ohio Stadium

Players from both teams engaged in a massive brawl after Michigan pulled off a shocking 13-10 upset of No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus Saturday, prompting officers to deploy pepper spray. pic.twitter.com/qJkIURI4xt

— Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) December 1, 2024

CNN reports it took several minutes for stadium security and police to separate the two teams, with pepper spray being deployed to get the situation under control, according to multiple media reports. The television broadcast showed players wiping their eyes and coughing in the aftermath of the brawl.

“Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders,” the Big Ten added.

According to the Big Ten, no other fines or suspensions will be handed out.

“For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game. Bad for the sport. Bad for college football,” Michigan running back Kalel Mullings told the Fox broadcast.

“At the end of the day, some people got to learn how to lose. You can’t be fighting this stuff just because you lost the game. All that fighting, we had 60 minutes, we had four quarters to do all that fighting and now people want to talk and fight. That’s wrong. It’s bad for the game. Classless in my opinion. People got to be better.”

Pending Business: NAB Pushes For AM Radio Act

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is gaining traction in a lame-duck Congress. The bill aims to require carmakers to keep AM radio in dashboards, citing its importance for emergency alerts and public safety. With a filibuster-proof majority of 63 Senators and 268 House members co-sponsoring the bill, it has strong bipartisan support.

There are two main strategies being considered to pass the bill. One is to attach it to must-pass legislation, such as government funding bills or disaster relief efforts. The other is to wait until the newly-elected Congress takes office in January, when Republicans will hold the majority in both chambers.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is actively working with congressional leaders to find the best path forward. However, the auto industry is lobbying against the requirement, citing interference issues between electric vehicle batteries and AM signals.

If passed, the bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule mandating access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. Automakers would have at least two years to comply, with smaller manufacturers given up to four years.

X Stepping Into Legal Fight Over Infowars

Elon Musk’s X is intervening in the bankruptcy sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars, in what is believed to be the first time a social media platform has stepped in to a legal dispute over account ownership.

CNN reports Jones’ Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, was recently auctioned off to help pay some of the nearly $1.5 billion Jones owes the families of Sandy Hook massacre victims after he was found guilty of defamation. The satirical news site The Onion was declared the winner of the auction, with the backing of some of the families, in a seven-figure bid that Jones and his allies are challenging in court.

The sale includes Infowars’ website, studio equipment, online dietary supplement store and social media accounts, which are followed by millions of users.

In past legal disputes over account ownership, social media companies have left it to the courts and parties involved to work it out. But in this case, X is stepping in, objecting to Jones and Infowars’ X accounts being part of the sale.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a social media platform arguing to a court that no one can transfer ownership during a dispute over who owns an account because they will just switch it off,” said Toby Butterfield, who teaches social media law at Columbia University’s Law School.

In a filing last week with the Texas bankruptcy court, attorneys for X said the company does not object to the overall sale of Infowars’ parent company, but “objects to any proposed sale or other purported transfer of any account used by Jones or FSS that is maintained on the X platform (“X”).”

That’s because X says its terms of service make it clear that accounts cannot be sold, and are ultimately owned by X.

NYC Radio: 77 WABC to Raise Money on Giving Tuesday

77 WABC Radio has partnered with Shriners Children’s™️ for a multi-media campaign that will increase awareness and support for the mission of providing The Most Amazing Care Anywhere™️.

Running through Giving Tuesday on December 3, 77WABC is airing promos on air and in its e-newsletter soliciting donations to Shriners Children’s healthcare system. WABC Radio personality and legendary New York TV anchor Ernie Anastos is the voice of the campaign.

On Giving Tuesday, WABC Radio will expand the promotion to include a stream display on the 77WABC app, video social media posts from all talent, and pre-rolls on its podcasts, with the call to action to donate to Shriners Children’s. Donations to Shriners Children’s on Giving Tuesday will be 3X matched by one of their supporters for triple the impact on children’s health.

WABC's Sid Rosenberg

In addition, on Giving Tuesday listeners will be invited to donate $225 per person to the WABC Radio Foundation, with net proceeds earmarked for Shriners Children’s, to be part of an intimate, 40-person audience for a live broadcast of Sid & Friends In The Morning with host Sid Rosenberg. The live broadcast will take place in January at Studio 77, WABC Radio’s state-of-the-art audio/video event space. These audience members will have the opportunity for a picture with Sid and will receive a Shriners Children’s Love to the rescueÒ blanket. In addition, a silent auction to benefit Shriners Children’s will take place for listeners attending the live broadcast, who will have the opportunity to bid on Shriners Children’s Love to the rescue baskets, including items signed by 77WABC on-air personalities.

“Shriners Children’s gives hope to children and their families across the country and around the world, regardless of their ability to pay,” said John Catsimatidis, owner of Red Apple Media and WABC Radio. “At WABC Radio, we are proud to help support Shriners Children’s mission to deliver specialty medical care to children.”

Radio History: Dec 2

➦In 1917...actor/director Ezra Stone was born in New Bedford Mass.  ezra-stone His major acting success was as the teenaged son, Henry, in the popular radio comedy The Aldrich Family. As director he shot that show when it came to TV, as well as The Munsters & Lost in Space. He died at age 76 in an auto accident Mar 3, 1994.

➦In 1932..."The Adventures of Charlie Chan" first aired on the NBC Blue Radio Network. The Chinese detective became even more popular on the movie screen in the 1930s and 1940s.

On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948.  Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater.  Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer.

➦In 1963...Jay Nelson aired his first morning show on CHUM 1050 AM Toronto.

Born Frank Coxe in Scranton, Pa., Nelson was a disc jockey there before arriving in  Buffalo, where WKBW was riding the crest of rock's surging popularity.

He joined Joey Reynolds, Danny Neaverth, Fred Klestine and a handful of other star disc jockeys who were kings of radio and school record hops. Owing to the station's 50,000 watts of power, their irreverent voices and record selections boomed into homes up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

On weekends Nelson changed into a pith helmet and khakis for his role as host of WKBW-TV's "Jungle Jay Show," a humorous audience participation series that aired on Saturday morning.

The program was a hit with Canadian viewers as well, and it was Nelson's cross-border popularity that earned him the morning job at CHUM.

Nelson had a 17 year run in morning drive at CHUM, finally stepping down in 1980.

Nelson went on to gigs at CITY-TV, CKFM, CKEY, CHFI and CJEZ and was teaching radio at George Brown College in Toronto shortly before his death.

On February 18, 1994, Toronto radio fans were shocked at the news that long-time CHUM morning man Jay Nelson had died.

➦In 1971...Don Imus started at 660 WNBC, New York City.

Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis.  After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California.