ICE Agents Will Be In Attendance At Bad Bunny Half-Time Show

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed at the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California, where Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is set to headline the halftime show. 

In an interview on Friday with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on The Benny Show, Noem responded to a question about ICE enforcement at the event, stating, “There will be,” and that agents would be “all over” the Super Bowl. 

BREAKING: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem CONFIRMS that ICE will be at the Super Bowl and enforcing at the Bad Bunny Halftime Show.

“We’ll be all over that place. We are going to enforce the law. You shouldn’t be coming to the Super Bowl unless you are a law abiding American citizen.”… pic.twitter.com/r4GbYd4CZZ

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 3, 2025

She emphasized that only “law-abiding Americans who love this country” should attend, adding that her role is to ensure attendees can “enjoy it and leave” safely.

Bad Bunny, born in Puerto Rico and known for hits like “MIA,” “I Like It,” and “Me Porto Bonito,” faced criticism from far-right commentators, including Johnson, after the NFL announced his performance. 

Critics highlighted his Spanish-language music and vocal opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, with Johnson labeling him a “massive Trump hater” on social media. Bad Bunny recently completed a 31-show residency in Puerto Rico and has cited fears of ICE targeting his fans as a reason for avoiding U.S. mainland performances, noting it was a significant concern in planning his tours.

Johnson suggested the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny was a deliberate jab at the Trump administration. Noem responded dismissively, saying, “They suck and we’ll win and God will bless us.” 

In a statement following the NFL’s announcement, Bad Bunny dedicated his performance to “those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown,” emphasizing his Puerto Rican heritage and Latino culture.

Neither Bad Bunny’s representatives, the NFL, nor Roc Nation, the halftime show producer, responded to requests for comment.

MS NOW Starts Severing From NBC News

In a seismic shift for the cable news landscape, MSNBC is severing its 29-year editorial and operational ties with NBC News, transitioning to a fully independent newsgathering operation under a new parent company. 

The move, part of Comcast's broader strategy to spin off its cable assets into a separate entity called Versant (sometimes referred to as "SpinCo"), allows MSNBC to forge its own path while NBC News remains anchored within the core NBCUniversal portfolio. 

The split culminates a year-long buildup, with key milestones marking the end of shared resources and the birth of a standalone MSNBC newsroom. Below, I'll break down the background, timeline, key changes, and implications.

MSNBC launched in 1996 as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC, evolving into a left-leaning cable news and opinion network that heavily relied on NBC News' vast newsgathering infrastructure—think shared correspondents, bureaus, and live feeds for everything from election nights to breaking stories. Over the years, this synergy created efficiencies but also blurred lines between NBC's straight-news broadcast model and MSNBC's more partisan commentary style, drawing criticism for potential bias bleed.

The catalyst was Comcast's November 2024 announcement to divest underperforming cable channels (including MSNBC and CNBC) into Versant, a new publicly traded company focused on cable and streaming. 

This "divorce," as media insiders have called it, aims to streamline NBCUniversal around high-growth assets like the NBC broadcast network, Peacock streaming, and sports while giving MSNBC freedom to innovate without the constraints of NBC's journalistic standards. 

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler emphasized in an internal memo that the separation enables the network to "set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation."Comcast retains majority ownership of both Versant and NBCUniversal post-spinoff, expected to finalize by January 2026, but the editorial walls are going up now.

Official: Bari Weiss To Lead CBS News

Paramount Global's CEO, David Ellison, is banking on Bari Weiss to transform CBS News with a $150 million acquisition of The Free Press, the news and opinion platform Weiss launched in 2021 to counter what she viewed as the media’s “woke” bias. 

Ellison has named Weiss, a prominent and outspoken journalist, as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, tasking her with shaping the network’s editorial direction.

Ellison envisions a CBS News that, combined with The Free Press, becomes a trusted news source for the 70% of Americans identifying as center-left to center-right. “We want to create a news organization that speaks to that audience,” he said in an interview. 

Weiss will also oversee a new CBS debate-style program, modeled after The Free Press’ streamed debates on topics like immigration and gene-editing ethics, while continuing her role as CEO and editor of The Free Press.Weiss, 41, emphasized a shared goal with Ellison for “news that reflects reality” and journalism that seeks to understand rather than vilify. The acquisition, announced Monday, involves cash and Paramount stock, though specific terms remain undisclosed.This role marks a surprising return for Weiss to legacy media, which she famously rejected five years ago when she resigned from The New York Times with a scathing critique, calling it out of touch with most Americans. 

Bari Weiss

She founded The Free Press with her wife, Nellie Bowles, known for the humorous “TGIF” column, and her sister, Suzy Weiss, a columnist. The Free Press has gained traction with its contrarian takes on politics and culture, often criticizing progressive orthodoxy and strongly supporting Israel in its conflict with Hamas. The outlet boasts 1.5 million subscribers, including over 175,000 paid subscribers.Ellison, whose Skydance merged with Paramount in August, began talks with Weiss earlier this year, with discussions intensifying at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in July. 

As editor-in-chief, Weiss plans to take a hands-on approach, focusing on editorial priorities and delivering news that informs and clarifies a complex world. “It’s about telling people something they don’t know and helping them make sense of a strange, upside-down world,” she said.

Weiss will work alongside CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, who joined from Disney’s ABC in February. While described as partners, Weiss reports directly to Ellison, while Cibrowski reports to George Cheeks, chair of TV media. 

Cibrowski praised Weiss’s intellect and sees her appointment as a bold step to reinvent CBS News for new audiences, noting, “The status quo just doesn’t work.”Weiss’s arrival comes as broadcast news struggles with declining relevance amid competition from cable news, social media, and podcasts. Many view network newscasts as politically and culturally disconnected. 

For the 2024-25 season, CBS’s “Evening News,” alongside ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “Nightly News,” averaged 17.8 million nightly viewers combined—half their audience from 25 years ago, per Nielsen. 

Inside CBS News: Gloom

Reports are detailing widespread anxiety among CBS News staffers over the appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, amid broader turmoil at the network following its acquisition by Paramount Skydance. 

The move, part of a $150 million deal to buy Weiss's digital outlet The Free Press, is seen by many employees as a risky overhaul that could undermine the network's journalistic integrity, especially as layoffs are expected to cut up to 10% of the staff (potentially hundreds of positions) in the coming weeks. The official announcement slated for Monday.

Paramount Skydance, led by CEO David Ellison (son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison), is acquiring The Free Press—a contrarian, opinion-heavy site founded by Weiss in 2021 after her high-profile resignation from The New York Times. The site has about 1.25 million subscribers (12% paid) and focuses on critiques of "woke" culture, pro-Israel commentary, and challenges to mainstream media narratives. The Free Press will operate independently but under the Paramount umbrella.

As editor-in-chief, Weiss will guide CBS News's editorial direction, reporting directly to Ellison rather than to CBS News President Tom Cibrowski (who will focus on production). This unusual structure bypasses traditional newsroom hierarchy and signals a push for "transparency and accountability," including an ombudsman role (previously filled by a conservative figure like Kenneth Weinstein).

The 41-year-old Weiss gained fame as a New York Times opinion editor, where she positioned herself as a "heterodox" voice criticizing left-wing excesses and "cancel culture." She resigned in 2020, citing an "illiberal environment." Critics view her as anti-woke, stridently pro-Israel, and unqualified for broadcast leadership due to her opinion-journalism roots and lack of experience managing a large news operation like CBS (thousands of global staff vs. The Free Press's 50+ employees).

Sources describe the CBS News environment as "depressing" and "doomsday-like," with employees "literally freaking out."  Key concerns include:

✔Lack of Experience: Staff question whether Weiss can handle operational decisions, like deploying crews for breaking news or maintaining 60 Minutes' storied credibility. One reporter told The Independent "Does she know how to do this stuff? Forget what her political views are."
✔Ideological Shift: Many fear a rightward tilt, given Weiss's history of opposing DEI programs, defending Israel's Gaza actions as a "war of defense," and allying with Trump-era critiques of media bias.  A former CBS executive called it "dropping a grenade" in the newsroom.

✔Layoffs and Resentment: Ellison's $2 billion cost-cutting plan exacerbates tensions, especially the irony of a $100-200 million payout to Weiss while journalists face pink slips. A correspondent lamented: "We don't have money to pay journalists, but we have money to pay Bari Weiss." Reports predict resignations, though industry-wide layoffs may deter an exodus.

FCC's Gomez Calls For Specifics On 'Public Interests'

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez last week delivered remarks at the University of Mississippi’s Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation. In her speech, Gomez advocated for the FCC to formally define broadcasters' "public interest" obligations through a new rule.

She argued that the current vagueness of the term—rooted in the Communications Act of 1934—allows regulators to "weaponize" it for politically motivated censorship of TV and radio content. This call comes amid heightened tensions at the FCC under Republican Chairman Brendan Carr, where the agency has increasingly scrutinized broadcasters' editorial decisions under the guise of public interest enforcement.

Gomez emphasized that while broadcasters must operate in the public interest to hold licenses for public airwaves, the lack of clarity risks First Amendment violations. She stated: "I don’t think the FCC walking away from enforcing the public interest standard has been a good thing," but stressed the need for boundaries to prevent abuse.

Under Section 309 of the Communications Act, the FCC licenses broadcasters on the condition they serve the "public interest, convenience, and necessity." This has historically included:

• Local news and emergency alerts.
• Community programming (e.g., events, public affairs shows).
• Diverse viewpoints without government interference. The FCC is explicitly barred from censorship: "No regulation or condition shall be promulgated... which shall interfere with the right of free speech by means of [over-the-air] broadcast communication." 

Yet, Gomez noted that without a firm definition, the term has been invoked to pressure stations on political content, potentially chilling speech.

Specific Concerns and Examples Cited

Gomez highlighted recent instances where regulators have leveraged the undefined standard:

✔Kimmel Case: In September 2025, Chairman Carr urged ABC affiliates to preempt episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel's monologue criticizing President Trump and Republicans following the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. Carr cited potential violations of public interest obligations, prompting fears of reprisals.

✔Broader Patterns: Under Carr's leadership, the FCC has launched "sham investigations" into newsrooms (e.g., targeting outlets critical of Trump) and scrutinized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as "invidious discrimination." 

Gomez warned this creates a "chilling effect" on journalism, echoing former Chair Jessica Rosenworcel's 2025 statement: "The FCC should not be journalism’s censor-in-chief."

FCC's Carr Hints At Auction System To Bypass Regulatory Issues

Chairman Brendan Carr has floated a proposal for an auction system allowing broadcasters to pay to opt out of public interest obligations, a response partly spurred by the recent controversy involving Jimmy Kimmel.

During a Friday, News Conference Carr expressed frustration with the FCC’s decades-long retreat from enforcing public interest standards for local broadcasters. “The FCC has walked away from enforcing the public interest standard, and I don’t think that’s been a good thing,” he said. 

He dismissed complaints about how these obligations are enforced, suggesting broadcasters who dislike them could relinquish their licenses and pivot to unregulated platforms like streaming, cable, or podcasting.

He then introduced a novel idea: an auction where broadcasters could bid for a new class of licenses with reduced regulatory constraints, resembling the flexible-use licenses held by mobile carriers.

“Maybe there’s a future where broadcasters can bid to get out from under the public interest obligation,” Carr said, contrasting these with traditional licenses that mandate public interest compliance.

Such a shift would mark a dramatic departure from the regulatory framework established by the 1969 Red Lion ruling, which upheld public interest obligations due to spectrum scarcity. The auction model could appeal to broadcasters wary of FCC oversight on political coverage, news distortion, or indecency rules, leveling the playing field with unregulated competitors like SiriusXM, streaming services, and podcasts while generating revenue for the FCC.

However, implementing this system would likely require congressional approval, as federal law ties broadcast licenses to public interest duties.

Bad Bunny Says Even Fox News Is Happy About Super Bowl Gig

Bad Bunny opened Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live” with a bilingual monologue, highlighting his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show and addressing the conservative backlash to his casting.

“I’m very happy,” he said of the gig. “And I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News.”“SNL” then aired a satirical supercut of Fox News clips, where the network had criticized the NFL for choosing a Spanish-language artist, focusing on Bad Bunny’s comments about avoiding U.S. tour stops due to ICE-related concerns for his fans. 

The edited clips humorously rearranged anchors’ words to say: “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next president.”

Bad Bunny on SNL trolling Fox News. pic.twitter.com/zl8UKTXLca

— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) October 5, 2025

Switching to Spanish, Bad Bunny expressed gratitude to those excited for his Super Bowl performance, particularly Latinos and Latinas in the U.S. who’ve paved the way. “It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us,” he said. “Our footprints and contributions in this country can never be erased.”

Back in English, he quipped: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

Trump in Talks for 60 Minutes Interview

President Donald Trump is negotiating with CBS News for a potential 60 Minutes interview, signaling a possible détente following a $16 million legal settlement in July 2025. 

The settlement resolved Trump's 2024 lawsuit accusing CBS of manipulatively editing a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, which he claimed constituted election interference. The suit centered on a segment about Harris' comments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. CBS, while denying wrongdoing, agreed to pay for Trump's legal fees and a donation to his presidential library, and committed to releasing unedited transcripts for future candidate interviews. 

The talks were first reported by Semafor on October 2, 2025, citing sources close to the discussions.

Trump’s relationship with 60 Minutes has been fraught. In 2020, he walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl over a dispute about COVID-19 coverage, labeling it “fake news.”

The White House originally aimed to schedule the interview during Trump’s late September 2025 New York visit for the U.N. General Assembly and Ryder Cup, with correspondent Bill Whitaker (who conducted the 2024 Harris interview) set to lead. A scheduling conflict delayed it, and no new date is confirmed, though talks continue.

Trump’s team insists the interview air unedited, reflecting distrust in CBS’s editing practices. This aligns with CBS’s new “live-to-tape” policy and full transcript releases for major interviews, adopted after the settlement.

The talks occur amid CBS’s transition under Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount in August 2025. Skydance reportedly plans to acquire The Free Press for $150 million, with its founder, Bari Weiss, a media bias critic, potentially becoming CBS News editor-in-chief. This shift toward conservative-leaning content may facilitate smoother relations with Trump’s administration.

Mark Sanchez Released From Hospital, Next Stop Jail

Former NFL quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was released from the hospital and arrested in Indianapolis following a stabbing incident early Saturday, according to reports. 

The altercation, involving a dispute with a 69-year-old food delivery truck driver, led to Sanchez’s arrest on misdemeanor charges of battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication, per Indianapolis police.

The Victim

TMZ reported that Sanchez, who was in town to cover the Colts-Raiders game for Fox, has been discharged from the hospital and is now being processed through jail, with his $300 cash bond paid by his attorney. Graphic images shared by Fox59 anchor Angela Ganote revealed the driver’s injuries, including a deep cheek laceration and bloodied face and neck.

Police allege Sanchez threatened, followed, and attacked the driver, who responded with pepper spray before stabbing him in self-defense.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office announced Sunday that Sanchez, 38, is charged with battery causing injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle. An initial court hearing is set for Tuesday.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears stated, "This incident should not have escalated to violence or serious injury. What started as a dispute between a former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man will now be addressed through the legal process, guided by the facts and the law."

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by CBS News, the incident began as a parking dispute near Loughmiller's Pub & Eatery in downtown Indianapolis around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The altercation turned violent, resulting in Sanchez being stabbed in the upper torso. 

He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition but was later reported stable. The 69-year-old man, a truck driver, claimed self-defense, stating he pepper-sprayed Sanchez after feeling threatened. When Sanchez allegedly continued advancing, the man stabbed him "two or three times," believing his life was in danger. 

The driver also reported being thrown against a dumpster during the confrontation.

Court documents indicate the man acted in self-defense. Sanchez told police at the hospital he could not recall who stabbed him, according to detective Christopher Edwards' affidavit.

Fox Sports gave a brief statement Sunday, Oct. 5, in the wake of the arrest of Fox NFL analyst Mark Sanchez, who faces three misdemeanor counts in the wake of an altercation early Saturday.

"Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that we're still trying to wrap our heads around," Charissa Thompson said during pregame NFL coverage. "At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family, and all of those involved."

Taylor Swift Culture Impact Reaches Iconic Status

Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was released on Friday, accompanied by a major promotional campaign featuring midnight sales at Target, a global movie theater release party, and pop-up events in New York and Los Angeles. 

Following the success of The Tortured Poets Department, which topped the Billboard 200 and sold 8 million equivalent albums in the U.S. (per Luminate), the new album is expected to resonate strongly with Swift’s global fanbase, despite mixed reviews from critics. It became Spotify’s most-streamed album of 2025 in under 11 hours.

Swift collaborated again with producers Max Martin and Shellback, known for her hits 1989 and Reputation. The 12-song album, featuring a title track with Sabrina Carpenter, was praised by Rolling Stone for its “fresh echelon of superstardom” (five stars) and by the BBC as a “triumphant pop victory lap.” However, The Financial Times (two stars) called it charismatic but lacking sparkle, and The Guardian found it “dull razzle-dazzle.”

Tatiana Cirisano of MIDiA Research noted Swift’s rare ability to unite a massive, loyal fanbase, predicting chart-topping success. The Recording Industry Association of America recognized Swift as the first female artist to surpass 100 million album sales. Google Trends reported surges in searches for new songs like “Opalite,” “Ruin the Friendship,” and “Actually Romantic.” 

Academics compare Swift’s cultural impact to icons like Elvis and Michael Jackson, citing her influence on NFL viewership and voter registration drives.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Film Collects $33M At the Cinema

“The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” an 89-minute promotional film for Taylor Swift’s latest album, grossed $33 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday to Sunday, topping the box office, per Comscore. Screened in 3,702 theaters, the feature—more a DVD bonus collection than a traditional movie—drew an 88% female and 70% white audience, per PostTrak. 

Swifties gave it an A+ in CinemaScore polls, though critics didn’t review it. The film added $13 million overseas; production costs were undisclosed.

Swift’s theatrical return, following 2023’s “The Eras Tour,” outshone Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.), which earned $11.1 million in its second weekend, reaching a $42.8 million domestic total. A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” a $40 million sports drama starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, directed by Benny Safdie, took third with a disappointing $6 million. 

Despite strong Oscar buzz for Johnson and warm reviews, it scored a B-minus in CinemaScore polls. A24 called it a “creative achievement” with lasting impact.

Swift’s one-weekend-only release, announced with just two weeks’ notice, boosted struggling theaters still recovering from the pandemic’s blow to the industry, which saw its worst summer since 1981 (inflation-adjusted, excluding pandemic years). However, her minimal marketing—relying on social media and news coverage—frustrated some Hollywood executives, who typically spend millions on promotion for wide releases.

WaPo Adds Three Conservative Opinion Writers

The Washington Post's new opinions editor, Adam O'Neal, announced the hiring of three conservative-leaning writers—Kate Andrews, Dominic Pino, and Carine Hajjar—to join the section next month. 

They will report to deputy opinion editor James Hohmann and contribute bylined columns, unsigned editorials, social videos, and appearances on the Post's opinion podcast network. This move comes amid O'Neal's push to "diversify viewpoints" at a paper he described as having an "overwhelmingly liberal" readership, following recent "tough staffing decisions" that included the departure of several high-profile liberal columnists. 

The hires signal owner Jeff Bezos's reported shift toward emphasizing "free markets and personal liberties" in the paper's editorial voice.

The New Hires:

• 
  Kate Andrews: U.S. deputy editor at The Spectator (a British conservative magazine) and a contributor to The Telegraph. Andrews, a British citizen based in the U.S., is known for sharp critiques of progressive policies; in a recent column, she warned that a win by Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York would leave the "whole country... suffer[ing] from nightmares."
• Dominic Pino: Economics editor at National Review, a leading conservative outlet. Pino is a prominent advocate for free-market policies and a frequent critic of Democratic economic initiatives. O'Neal praised him as "one of the most astute writers on the economy in the country," noting his recent guest contributions to the Post.
• Carine Hajjar: A member of The Boston Globe's editorial board and a regular Fox News commentator. A Harvard alum and former National Review reporter covering higher education and Iran nuclear talks, Hajjar focuses on national security, elections, immigration, and transgender issues. She recently eulogized Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk (following his fictionalized murder in reports) as a "generational conservative voice" and one of the era's most influential figures.

The announcement, detailed in an internal memo from O'Neal, has been framed as part of a broader rightward pivot at the Post, especially after losing liberal voices.

R.I.P.: Belva Davis, Pioneering San Fran Journalist

(1932-2025)

Belva Davis, a pioneering African American journalist widely regarded as the first Black woman hired as a television reporter on the U.S. West Coast, passed away on September 24, 2025, at her home in Oakland, California. She was 92 years old and had been battling a long illness. Her death was confirmed by family members and multiple Bay Area news outlets, including KPIX, KQED, and KRON4, where she had worked during her nearly 50-year career.

Davis's passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, public figures, and the journalism community, celebrating her as a trailblazer who shattered racial and gender barriers in broadcast news. 

KQED President and CEO Michael Isip called her death "a great loss for the Bay Area," highlighting her unflappable demeanor and mentorship role. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), which inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2008, mourned her as a barrier-breaker whose legacy would endure.

The Early Years

Born Belvagene Melton on October 13, 1932, in Monroe, Louisiana, Davis grew up amid poverty and racism in the Jim Crow South. Her family fled to Oakland in the early 1940s, where they squeezed into a cramped two-bedroom apartment—eleven relatives in all—before moving to a West Oakland housing project. Despite these hardships, she graduated from Berkeley High School in 1951 and, without a college degree, broke into journalism as a freelancer for Jet magazine in 1957.

Her radio career began in the early 1960s at Oakland's KDIA, where she hosted The Belva Davis Show, interviewing celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Bill Cosby. In 1967, she made history at KPIX-TV (CBS affiliate in San Francisco) as the West Coast's first Black female TV reporter, facing overt discrimination—such as being ejected from press conferences—but persisting with poise and professionalism. She later worked at KRON4, KTVU, and KQED, hosting the acclaimed public affairs show This Week in Northern California for nearly two decades until her retirement in 2012.

Over her career, Davis earned eight Emmy Awards and covered landmark stories, including the 1968 Republican National Convention (where she and her crew were physically attacked by segregationists), Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., the Patty Hearst kidnapping, Fidel Castro in Cuba, and the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Tanzania.

Radio History: Oct 6

➦In 1866...Reginald Aubrey Fessenden born (Died at age 65 – July 22, 1932). He was a Canadian-born radio pioneer, who did a majority of his work in the United States and also claimed U.S. citizenship through his American-born father.  During his life he received hundreds of patents in various fields, most notably ones related to radio and sonar.

Reginald Fessenden

Fessenden is best known for his pioneering work developing radio technology, including the foundations of amplitude modulation (AM) radio. His achievements included the first transmission of speech by radio (1900), and the first two-way radio-telegraphic communication across the Atlantic Ocean (1906). In 1932 he reported that, in late 1906, he also made the first radio broadcast of entertainment and music, although a lack of verifiable details has led to some doubts about this claim.

After studies at Bishop University, Fessenden went to work for Thomas Edison, then the Westinghouse labs and the US Weather Service. In 1902, he started his own company to develop his superheterodyne discoveries, and in 1906 accomplished the first two-way radio voice transmission between Scotland and his shore station at Brant Rock Massachusetts.

That Christmas he broadcast the world’s first public program of music and voice transmitted over long distances, from Brant Rock to the ships at sea. He had over 300 patents, and was awarded $2.5 million by the US Radio Trust for his inventions, many of which were used by the US in World War I without his permission.

➦In 1949...Japanese-American broadcaster, Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $10,000 for treason.

Tokyo Rose

Tokyo Rose was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific and North America to demoralize Allied forces abroad and their families at home by emphasizing troops' wartime difficulties and military losses. Several female broadcasters operated under different aliases and in different cities throughout the Empire, including Tokyo, Manila, and Shanghai.  The name "Tokyo Rose" was never actually used by any Japanese broadcaster, but it first appeared in U.S. newspapers in the context of these radio programs in 1943.

Tokyo Rose ceased to be merely a symbol in September 1945 when D'Aquino, an American-born Japanese disc jockey for a propagandist radio program, attempted to return to the U-S.  Toguri was accused of being the 'real' Tokyo Rose, arrested, tried, and became the seventh person in U.S. history to be convicted of treason.  Toguri was eventually paroled from prison in 1956, but it was more than 20 years before she received an official presidential pardon for her role in the war.

U.S. President Gerald Ford pardoned Toguri in 1977.

➦In 1953...Rocky Fortune, an American radio drama, debuted on NBC Radio beginning in October 1953. The series ended its run in March 1954 after 25 episodes. The program was created by George Lefferts. Frank Sinatra voiced the title role of Rocky Fortune for the entire series.

Rocky Fortune aired Tuesday nights on NBC at 9:35pm Eastern, immediately following Dragnet (and a five-minute John Cameron Swayze newscast). It was a sustaining series, meaning that NBC presented the program without corporate sponsorship.

➦In 1976...“Disco Duck” by Memphis radio personality Rick Dees (and His Cast of Idiots) was certified as a Gold Record.