The White House is set to take control of the seating chart for the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, a move that shifts a long-standing responsibility away from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA).
Historically, the WHCA, an independent organization of journalists, has managed the assignment of the 49 seats in the briefing room, determining which news outlets and reporters sit where based on factors like tenure, attendance, and audience reach. This tradition dates back to the early 1990s when the White House press staff relinquished the task to avoid the contentious process of choosing among media outlets.
The decision, first reported by Axios, reflects the Trump administration's intent to reshape media dynamics at the White House. A senior White House official described it as a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today."
The new seating plan will reportedly prioritize a mix of traditional TV, print, and digital outlets, including newer organizations and online influencers, while still incorporating major legacy media. The goal, according to the official, isn’t just to favor friendly coverage but to align seating with current media consumption patterns, though consistent White House coverage remains a key criterion.
This shift follows other efforts by the administration to assert greater influence over press interactions, such as taking over the designation of press pool reporters for tight spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One—another role previously handled by the WHCA. The change has sparked varied reactions. Some see it as a way to diversify voices in the room, potentially elevating digital creators and conservative outlets, while others view it as an attempt to marginalize established media or control the narrative by altering who gets prominent access.
Practically, front-row seats matter because they offer better visibility for asking questions and appearing on camera, a perk long held by major networks like NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and wire services like AP and Reuters. The WHCA’s current chart, last updated in 2022, keeps these outlets upfront, with newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times in the second row, and a mix of smaller or newer outlets further back. The White House’s new approach could shake up this hierarchy, though specifics—like whether legacy outlets will be pushed to the back or simply rearranged—remain unclear as of March 31, 2025.
Social platforms are increasingly rivaling traditional TV and movies for consumer attention, and they appear to be winning, according to Deloitte's 2025 Digital Media Trends study.The report highlights that "social video platforms provide an apparently limitless array of free content, tailored algorithmically for maximum engagement and advertising potential." It adds that "these platforms leverage cutting-edge ad technology and AI to connect advertisers with worldwide audiences, now capturing more than half of US advertising expenditures."
The study further explains that video entertainment is being transformed by "social platforms, content creators, user-generated content (UGC), and sophisticated algorithms for content recommendations and advertising."
This shift is likely affecting publishers as well. The report observes that "younger consumers are dividing their attention more equally across SVOD (subscription video on demand) services, social platforms, gaming, and even audio entertainment such as music and podcasts."
According to the survey, 23% of Gen Z respondents plan to cancel their cable or TV subscriptions, compared to 18% of millennials and just 8% of boomers.
The report notes that media companies and advertisers are vying for a fixed average of six hours of daily consumption time per individual, a figure that remains stagnant.
Meanwhile, subscription fatigue is setting in among viewers. Only 49% of those surveyed currently have a cable or satellite TV subscription, down from 63% three years prior.
Furthermore, 63% of Gen Z respondents indicated that ads or product reviews on social platforms sway their purchasing choices, in contrast to 49% of millennials.
Deloitte conducted this survey of 3,595 US consumers in October 2024.
Fox News host, co-host of Fox & Friends and radio host Brian Kilmeade remains vocal in his criticism of how CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News have covered the so-called "SignalGate" controversy involving Pete Hegseth, who serves as Defense Secretary in the Trump administration.
The controversy centers on a leaked Signal group chat where top Trump officials, including Hegseth, allegedly discussed sensitive military plans, such as forthcoming strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, in a manner that some have deemed reckless or a breach of security protocols.
Pete Hegsmith
Kilmeade has argued that these mainstream outlets are overblowing the story, attempting to turn it into a major scandal akin to past political controversies, such as the Russia investigations during Trump’s first term. On a recent episode of Fox & Friends, he suggested that the coverage by CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News is an effort to "Russiafy" the SignalGate story—implying they are exaggerating its significance to damage Trump’s administration. He has expressed frustration that these networks are fixating on the issue despite what he sees as more pressing matters, like Trump’s legislative agenda or other national priorities.
In an X post, Kilmeade wrote that these outlets “all try to Russiafy this #signal story,” asserting that it “won’t work” because Trump is “moving too quick with substantial orders and legislation to be gummed up in it,” and that the American public sees through this media pattern.
Kilmeade’s comments highlights the polarized media landscape, with Kilmeade positioning himself and Fox News as countering what he sees as biased, sensationalized reporting from CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News on SignalGate and Hegseth’s involvement.
The controversy itself has seen mixed reactions, even within conservative circles, with some Fox News colleagues like Jennifer Griffin calling out the administration’s excuses as inadequate, while Kilmeade has consistently framed the coverage by rival networks as an unfair attack on Trump and his team.
President Donald Trump expressed fury over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Friday remarks questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership credibility, calling them misguided and saying he was “very angry” and “pissed off.”
Putin, per Agence France-Presse, proposed a transitional Ukrainian government, potentially sidelining Zelenskyy. In a Sunday morning NBC News phone call, Trump threatened secondary tariffs on Russian oil if he blamed Russia for stalling Ukraine peace talks, stating, “If Russia and I can’t stop the bloodshed, and I think it’s Russia’s fault—though it might not be—I’ll hit all Russian oil with a 25% to 50-point tariff.” He added, “Buy oil from Russia, and you can’t do business in the U.S.”
Donald Trump telling Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker that he’s “pissed off” at Putin and threatening secondary tariffs on Russian oil is comical.
Also, him saying “if I think it is Russia’s fault, which it might not be” is a joke.
This follows Trump’s own past attacks on Zelenskyy, whom he falsely labeled a dictator and criticized for war mismanagement. The U.S., under former President Joe Biden, banned Russian oil imports post-2022 invasion, slashing imports to 10,000 barrels in 2023, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Trump also announced similar "secondary tariffs" on Venezuelan oil buyers via Truth Social, potentially targeting top Russian oil importers like China, Turkey, Brazil, and India, based on Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air data.
Ending the Ukraine war was a key Trump campaign pledge. Recent U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian talks yielded a limited Black Sea ceasefire last week, halting energy attacks and easing navigation. Trump’s tariff threats signal a hardline shift if progress falters.
During her interview with The New York Times, published Sunday, Megyn Kelly spoke candidly about embracing her bias and rejecting traditional journalistic norms. The former Fox News host, now a prominent YouTube and podcast personality with nearly 3.5 million subscribers, discussed her professional evolution and her decision to openly endorse Donald Trump at his final campaign rally before the 2024 election.
Kelly acknowledged crossing a significant boundary by publicly declaring her support for Trump, a move she said she "never would have crossed" during her days in "straight news." She described this shift as part of a "weird new hybrid lane" she now occupies, blending commentary with her journalistic roots. Addressing interviewer Lulu Garcia-Navarro’s observation that this endorsement breached a "red line for most journalists," Kelly responded, "There’s no question that I owned my bias on Trump and crossed a line that I had never crossed before... It’s just this new medium allowed me to even consider saying yes to the invitation."
.@MegynKelly explains to the @nytimes the state of the new media: "Yes I'm still a journalist, but I'm in this new ecosystem, where the old rules don't apply. I'm in this world with yes, Charlie Kirk, Dan Bongino, Ben Shapiro, but my world is also Joe Rogan, with these in-depth… pic.twitter.com/PRFQ3cBXoF
She framed this as a "before-and-after moment," noting she had already begun moving away from traditional objectivity prior to that event.
Kelly further elaborated on how success in today’s media landscape requires abandoning old rules of journalism, where personal opinions were suppressed.
She stated, "The only way one succeeds in this medium is by violating all those rules that we used to have in journalism, where you don’t really talk about yourself at all. You don’t talk about your opinions." She argued that maintaining some integrity in this space means being willing to criticize even those she admires on her "side," suggesting that her open bias doesn’t preclude holding her preferred figures accountable.
Reflecting on her Trump endorsement, Kelly told The Times, "If you haven’t sold your soul, you have to be willing to criticize the people you admire... and my owning my bias by going out there onstage with Donald Trump and saying, ‘I’m voting for him, and you should, too’ is a reflection of that."
She positioned this transparency as a strength, contrasting it with the pretense of objectivity she once maintained, and emphasized her comfort with this new role despite its departure from her past as a mainstream journalist. The interview underscores Kelly’s belief that the evolving media environment rewards authenticity and opinion over neutrality, a stance she’s fully embraced in her current career phase.
The latest developments regarding the potential ban on TikTok in the United States center around efforts to avert the enforcement of a federal law set to take effect on Saturday, April 5.. The law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024, mandates that TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, divest the app to an American buyer by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. The Supreme Court upheld this law on January 17, 2025, rejecting TikTok’s First Amendment challenge, citing national security concerns over data collection by the Chinese government.
However, President Donald Trump, upon taking office on January 20, 2025, issued an executive order delaying enforcement of the ban by 75 days. The reprieve came after TikTok briefly went offline on January 18, 2025, only to resume service the next day following Trump’s promise to negotiate a solution. Trump’s order instructed the Attorney General not to enforce the ban during this period, aiming to facilitate a sale that addresses security concerns while keeping the app operational.
The latest reports indicate that Vice President JD Vance, alongside Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz, is actively working on a deal to prevent the ban. Posts on X and various news outlets suggest that an announcement could be imminent, possibly within this week, detailing a transaction with an investor group to keep TikTok in the U.S. This deal might involve a grace period to finalize terms, potentially altering the app’s algorithm or feed to mitigate espionage fears linked to ByteDance’s Chinese ownership. Trump has also hinted at broader negotiations, suggesting on March 27, 2025, that China might agree to a TikTok sale in exchange for tariff reductions, though TikTok has dismissed rumors of specific buyers like Elon Musk as speculative.
Public support for a TikTok ban now stands at 34% among U.S. adults, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. That’s down from 50% in March 2023.
A line chart showing that support for TikTok ban is down since March 2023, now at 34%.
For the first time, we also asked people what’s behind their view on a potential ban. Most who support one say concerns about data security and the platform’s Chinese ownership are major reasons for their view. Most who oppose think a ban would threaten free speech.
The share of Americans who perceive TikTok as a national security threat has also dipped – from 59% in 2023 to 49% now. These findings come ahead of an April deadline for TikTok to be sold or face a nationwide ban.
Support for a TikTok ban has declined overall in both parties since March 2023, but Republicans remain more likely than Democrats to back the idea (39% vs. 30%). Still, the share of Democrats who support a ban has ticked up slightly since last summer.
Among the 34% of Americans who support a TikTok ban, majorities cite each of the four factors we asked about as at least a minor reason. But data security risks and concerns about the platform’s Chinese ownership stand out: About nine-in-ten or more say each of these is a reason they support a ban.
The White House Correspondents Association revealed Saturday that its board had unanimously decided to eliminate the customary comedic act from this year’s dinner.
WHCA president Eugene Daniels addressed the membership in a letter, saying, “At this pivotal time for journalism, I want to shift the spotlight away from divisive politics and fully onto recognizing our peers’ exceptional achievements, while also supporting scholarships and mentorship for future journalists.”
Amber Ruffin
This comes just under two months after Daniels had named Amber Ruffin as the featured entertainer for the event. At the time, he praised her, writing, “Amber’s distinctive skills perfectly suit the current political and cultural moment. Her voice will align seamlessly with the dinner’s tradition of celebrating press freedom while playfully skewering the most influential figures across the political spectrum and the reporters who cover them.”
Ruffin sparked backlash earlier in thr week on The Daily Beast Podcast, where she recounted the WHCA’s guidance: “They were like, ‘you need to be fair and hit both sides,’ and I was like, ‘there’s no way I’m doing that.’” She added defiantly, “Under no circumstances.”
CNN’s Brian Stelter notes that the move to scrap the comedy portion was “already in progress” before Ruffin’s remarks surfaced.
Ruffin is a familiar face to late-night audiences, having spent years as a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers. She also previously hosted her own Peacock series and currently serves as a team captain on CNN’s Have I Got News For You.
Donald Trump’s relationship with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—and the WHCA itself—has long been a rocky one, marked by tension and mutual disdain.
Music investors remain largely unconcerned about the slowing growth in streaming and revenue within the recorded music industry, despite recent data showing a deceleration in some markets, due to a combination of long-term optimism, untapped global potential, and evolving strategies to maximize returns.
Here’s why their confidence persists:
First, the broader trajectory of the music industry suggests sustained growth, even if the pace has moderated in mature markets like the U.S. Industry insiders, as reported last week by Billboard, point to Goldman Sachs’ widely respected forecast projecting an 8% annual growth rate for global recorded music and publishing revenue through 2030. This aligns with Universal Music Group’s outlook of 8-10% subscription growth through 2028, a projection equity analysts have embraced.
A key factor is the untapped potential in emerging markets.
While U.S. and U.K. subscription penetration rates hover in the high 40% range, countries like Poland (17%), Brazil (16%), China (13%), Indonesia (1.8%), and India (1.3%) signal massive room for expansion, according to MIDiA data. Investors see these low penetration rates as a promise of future subscribers, bolstered by streaming platforms’ ability to build local infrastructure and convert free users to paid tiers over time. The IFPI’s 2024 Global Music Report, cited in sources like The Economic Times, confirms this optimism, with regions like the Middle East and North Africa (up 22.8%) and Latin America (up 19.4%) driving double-digit revenue spikes, offsetting slower growth in saturated markets.
Price increases in mature markets further ease concerns. After years of static subscription fees—often described as “subsidized” relative to music’s value by investors like Jeremy Tucker of Raven Music Partners—platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer raised prices in 2022, with Spotify hinting at similar moves. This shift, now that global subscribers exceed 818 million (MIDiA), allows labels and services to extract more per user, cushioning the impact of slower subscriber growth. Investors view this as a sign that the industry can pivot from scale to profitability without losing momentum.
Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, also fuels confidence. Insiders anticipate AI will enhance catalog value by enabling cost-effective translations of songs into multiple languages, expanding global reach, and improving royalty collection efficiency. These incremental gains—less flashy than a biopic-driven catalog surge but financially sound—align with investors’ focus on steady returns over time. A music investment expert cited by Billboard emphasizes this shift to “better execution,” suggesting that after 15 years of chasing subscribers, the next phase prioritizes optimizing existing assets.
2024 was another good year for the music industry. According to IFPI’s latest Global Music Report, worldwide recorded music revenues climbed 5 percent to $29.6 billion last year, a new record - at least in nominal terms. This marks the tenth consecutive year of growth for the global music industry after nearly two decades of gradual decline.
Streaming was once again the biggest driver of that growth, reaching $20.4 billion in 2024 as physical music sales declined slightly after three consecutive years of growth.
According IFPI, the music industry bottomed out in 2014, when revenue was at a 20-year low of $12.8 billion, more than $9 billion less than 15 years earlier, when physical music sales alone had amounted to almost $22 billion at the peak of the CD era. After some initial hesitance by the music industry to embrace streaming services, record labels and artists appear to have followed consumers’ lead in accepting that the future of music lies in digital distribution.
Last year, digital music accounted for the lion's share of worldwide music revenues, with streaming services alone accounting for almost 70 percent of the industry’s total haul. According to IFPI, 752 million people were using a paid music streaming subscription by the end of 2024 and streaming revenues are now almost five times the size of download sales at their peak in 2012.
As the chart illustrates, the transition to digital distribution has both fueled the music industry’s decline and helped stop it. After the golden age of the CD, which propelled worldwide music revenues to unprecedented highs through the 1990s, the advent of MP3 and filesharing hit the music industry like an earthquake. Between 2001 and 2010, physical music sales declined by more than 60 percent, wiping out $13 billion in annual revenue. During the same period, digital music sales grew from zero to $4 billion, which wasn’t even remotely enough to offset the drop in CD sales. It wasn’t until the appearance and widespread adoption of music streaming services that the music industry’s fortunes began turning around again.
Recent valuations of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams for the 2025 season have been reported by both Forbes and Sportico, offering a detailed look at the financial landscape of the league. These valuations reflect enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and are based on revenue estimates, historical transactions, and market trends, though the two sources provide slightly different figures due to methodological differences.
Forbes’ 2025 MLB valuations, released on March 26, 2025, peg the average team value at $2.6 billion, an 8% increase from 2024’s $2.4 billion.
Forbes notes that while MLB team values continue to rise, growth is slower compared to the NFL and NBA, with four teams—the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and Tampa Bay Rays—showing no change year-over-year, and the Chicago White Sox dropping 2% to $2 billion.
Sportico, which published its valuations on March 25, 2025, estimates a higher average team value of $2.82 billion, with a collective league worth of $84.5 billion. It also ranks the Yankees and Dodgers at the top, but with a combined value of $16 billion (implying approximately $8 billion for the Yankees and $8 billion for the Dodgers, though exact splits weren’t specified). Sportico’s approach includes revenue from team-related businesses and real estate, alongside interviews with industry insiders, which may account for the higher average.
It highlights challenges like revenue disparity and media distribution issues, noting that MLB’s valuation multiples (averaging 6.6 times revenue) lag behind the NBA (11.9), NFL (9.3), and NHL (7.7), reflecting slower growth—28% since 2021 compared to 87% for NFL teams and 101% for NBA teams.
Both reports underscore key trends. MLB revenue hit a record $12.75 billion in 2024 per Sportico ($425 million per team), up from Forbes’ $11.344 billion in 2023 ($378 million per team), driven by tickets, sponsorships, and media deals. However, operating income growth is modest (6% per Forbes in 2023), and local media rights—21% of revenue—are under pressure due to the Diamond Sports bankruptcy affecting 14 teams. The Dodgers’ revenue, estimated at $1 billion before revenue-sharing, exemplifies big-market dominance, while smaller markets like the Marlins and Rays struggle to keep pace. Posts on X echo these findings, with users noting the Yankees’ and Dodgers’ lead and the Marlins’ bottom ranking.
Lesly Somerville Simon, a Nashville music executive with over 20 years of industry experience, died on March 27 after battling breast cancer for seven years. She was 52 years old.
A longtime music business professional, Simon was the General Manager of Garth Brooks' Pearl Records and Trisha Yearwood's Gwendolyn Records and spent time as the Vice President of Promotion for Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville.
As a member of SOURCE, the Country Music Association (CMA), the Academy of Country Music (ACM), Leadership Music Class of 2013, the Board of Directors for Country Radio Broadcasters and one of Billboard’s Top 100 Country Power Players, Simon was an integral part of the Nashville music community.
In Music City, Simon started her music business career at the RCA Label Group. There, she worked in roles with artist management, promotion and marketing with both pop and country record labels.
Simon acted as the tour manager for country artist Mindy McCready on renowned tour runs with Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson and George Strait.
In promotion at Capitol Records, Simon also served an integral role in the airplay success of artists including Coldplay, The Beastie Boys, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Jane’s Addiction and Snoop Dogg.
Before she joined Gwendolyn and Pearl Records, Simon worked at Arista Nashville/ Sony Music Nashville.
As the Vice President of Promotion, she oversaw radio promotion and marketing for a number of artists, including Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Cam.
Richard Chamberlain, the acclaimed actor known for Dr. Kildare, Shogun, and The Thorn Birds, passed away on March 29, 2025, at 90 in Waimanalo, Hawaii, from stroke complications. His six-decade career included iconic TV roles, earning him the "King of the Miniseries" title with Golden Globe wins for Shogun (1980) and The Thorn Birds (1983), and films like The Towering Inferno (1974). After moving to England to refine his craft with roles like Hamlet, he later lived in Hawaii with partner Martin Rabbett. Tributes followed his death, with Rabbett noting, "Richard is with the angels now," as fans on X mourned the loss of a versatile talent.
Born on March 31, 1934, in Beverly Hills, California, Chamberlain first gained widespread fame in the 1960s as the charming Dr. James Kildare in the NBC medical drama Dr. Kildare, which aired from 1961 to 1966. The role made him a teen idol, reportedly receiving up to 12,000 fan letters a week at the height of the show's popularity.
Chamberlain’s career saw a significant resurgence in the 1980s when he became known as the "King of the Miniseries." His standout performances included the rugged English navigator John Blackthorne in Shogun (1980), for which he won a Golden Globe, and the tormented priest Father Ralph de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds (1983), another Golden Globe-winning role that captivated audiences worldwide. These roles, along with appearances in Centennial (1978-1979) and Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story (1985), solidified his reputation as a versatile leading man capable of carrying sprawling, dramatic narratives. He also portrayed Jason Bourne in the 1988 TV movie The Bourne Identity, long before Matt Damon’s cinematic take on the character.
On the big screen, Chamberlain starred in notable films such as The Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequels, where he played Aramis, and The Towering Inferno (1974), holding his own alongside stars like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. His adventurous side shone in the 1980s with roles in King Solomon’s Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986), both as the explorer Allan Quatermain.
➦In 1903...legendary broadcaster Arthur Godfrey was born in New York City. From the late 40’s into the 1970’s Godfrey was a unique force in daytime radio, at his peak occupying three hours of CBS network time daily. He espoused & successfully pioneered the concept of talking to just one listener, which was particularly effective in his commercial delivery. He died of emphysema March 16 1983, just two weeks short of his 80th birthday.
➦In 1908...Lester Joseph "Les" Damon born in Providence, RI (Died at age 54 from an apparent heart attack – July 21, 1962). He was a character actor best known for his nearly 30 years performing on radio. Out of all his appearances on radio, Damon was best remembered for his roles as Nick Charles on The Adventures of the Thin Man from 1941-1943 and again from 1946-1950 on NBC then CBS and as Michael Waring on The Falcon from 1950-1953 on Mutual.
➦In 1915...Henry Morgan born as Henry Lerner Van Ost Jr. (Died at age 79 – May 19, 1994).
He first became familiar to radio audiences in the 1930s and 1940s as a barbed but often self-deprecating satirist; in the 1950s and later, he was a regular and cantankerous panelist on the game show I've Got a Secret as well as other game and talk shows. Morgan was a second cousin of Broadway lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner.
Henry Morgan
He began his radio career as a page at New York City station WMCA in 1932, after which he held a number of obscure radio jobs, including announcing. In 1940, he was offered a daily 15-minute series on Mutual Broadcasting System's flagship station, WOR. This show was a 15-minute comedy, which he opened almost invariably with "Good evening, anybody; here's Morgan."
In his memoir, Here's Morgan (1994), he wrote that he devised that introduction as a dig at popular singer Kate Smith, who "...started her show with a condescending, 'Hello, everybody.' I, on the other hand, was happy if anybody listened in." He mixed barbed ad libs, satirizing daily life's foibles, with novelty records, including those of Spike Jones. Morgan stated that Jones sent him his newest records in advance of market dates because he played them so often.
Morgan appeared in the December 1944 CBS Radio original broadcast of Norman Corwin's play, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, taking several minor roles including the narrator, Ivan the Terrible and Simon Legree. He repeated his performance in the December 1944 production of the play.
Later, he moved to ABC in a half-hour weekly format that allowed Morgan more room to develop and expand his topical, often ad-libbed satires, hitting popular magazines, soap operas, schools, the BBC, baseball, summer resorts, government snooping, and landlords. His usual signoff was, "Morgan'll be here on the same corner in front of the cigar store next week."
Life Savers candy, an early Morgan sponsor, dropped him after he accused them of fraud for what amounted to hiding the holes in the famous life saver ring-shaped sweets. "I claimed that if the manufacturer would give me all those centers," Morgan remembered later, "I would market them as Morgan's Mint Middles and say no more about it."
Earle C Anthony
➦In 1922...KFI-AM, Los Angeles signed-on.
In 1922 Earle C. Anthony was the founder and owner of what eventually became 50,000 watt KFI 640 AM, a station he controlled until his death in 1961.
From 1929 to 1944, he also owned KECA 790 AM, now KABC. The E.C.A. in KECA stood, of course, for Earle C. Anthony.
He was an early president of the National Association of Broadcasters and, during his term, oversaw the establishment of the organization's first paid staff.
He was also a founder of one of the earliest television stations in Los Angeles, KFI-TV, channel 9, and KFI-FM, both of which were disposed of in 1951.
The original KFI station used a 50-watt transmitter (above) and was made out of a crank telephone. Early on, Anthony operated the station from his garage, and later from atop his Packard automobile dealership. In its early days, it was typically on the air for only four and a half hours a day.
This is the original KFI 50 kW transmitter, an RCA 50B. Installed in 1931, it served as the main until a Continental 317B was installed in 1959.
From the time of its inception in 1926, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) operated two networks, the Red Network and the Blue Network. The Red Network carried the commercial programs, while the Blue Network carried the sustaining ones (those without commercial sponsors). The red and blue designations came from the colors of the U.S. flag.
Being an NBC affiliate, Anthony operated two radio stations to carry both networks. KFI-AM, 640 kHz, carried the Red Network, and KECA-AM, 790 kHz, carried the Blue.
KFI helped to keep the calm during the dark days of World War II by airing President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats." Later, it carried "Monitor (NBC Radio)," the network's very successful weekend radio service.
As a side note to KFI's participation in World War II, there is a bullet hole in the ceiling of the transmitter building, located in La Mirada, California, where a National Guardsman accidentally discharged his rifle on December 10, 1941, three days following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The bullet hole is still there to this day, preserved as a monument to KFI's wartime service.
The "FI" segment of its call sign was an abbreviation of "farmer's information." Every winter evening between 1924 and 1956, KFI would deliver a frost report at 8 pm that would tell citrus farmers whether to turn on wind machines or light "smudge pots" to keep their orange and lemon groves from freezing. The frost warnings moved to 7 pm until the late 1970s when they were removed from the schedule.
After the end of radio’s golden age, KFI-AM moved toward a full-service format of music, sports and local news. Cox Broadcasting purchased the station in 1973.
It moved KFI into a Top 40 format in the mid 1970s. That playlist softened in the early 1980s as KFI moved toward a more adult contemporary format.
By the mid 1980s, KFI had slipped in the ratings. By 1988, KFI dropped music and focused on issue-oriented talk radio. Chancellor Media acquired the station in 1999. Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) assumed control in 2000. KFI continues to broadcast a news/talk format.
➦In 1925...WOWO-AM, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, signed-on.
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