Pittman: iHeartPodcasts Use 'Firehose of Radio Promotion'

iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman was in Las Vegas, Wednesday, attending a Wells Fargo financial conference. The first topic addressed to Pittman by the Wells Fargo questioner was podcasting, a topic Pittman loves to talk about.

The Podcast Business Journal reports Pittman told potential investors that podcasting at iHeartMedia was an extension of radio. “It’s profitable for us with good margins and it will grow as we scale more.”

To point out just how popular podcasting has become with consumers, Pittman said before the company purchased HowStuffWorks, the two companies had about 11 million listeners. Today, they’ve added another 12 million on top of that number. 

He attributed the growth, at least in part, to the “firehose of radio promotion.” iHM uses all of its 750-plus radio stations to promote podcasts, and every Sunday night iHeart radio stations across the country are running a lineup of podcasts on their stations.

Pittman says the reason podcasts are an extension of radio is because listeners have the same experience: companionship. “People bond to the host.”

Pittman said if you were to put a figure to it, iHeart is spending over $100 million per year to promote podcasts on its radio stations. “We use our own airtime to promote, which is why we can be profitable.”

Toronto Radio: Bell Media Stations Experience Ratings Growth

With final data from the Numeris PPM quarterly survey (August 26 to November 24, 2019) now confirmed, Bell Media’s iHeartRadio Canada is the most-listened to radio broadcaster in Toronto.

Following brand and strategy refreshes for CHUM 104.5 and CKFM Virgin Radio 99.9 earlier this year, both stations have experienced growth, with CHUM 104.5 now outpacing their closest competitor by 41% among F25-54 and 99.9 Virgin Radio seeing 38% growth in the quarter with F18-34.

“These numbers are testament to the strong relationships our four Toronto stations continue to build with listeners despite a very competitive landscape,” said Hilary Whyte, General Manager, Toronto, Bell Media Radio.

“With our refreshed morning shows on both 99.9 Virgin Radio and CHUM 104.5 connecting with audiences, and NEWSTALK 1010 and TSN 1050 continuing to perform well in key demos, we know there are great things ahead for iHeartRadio in Toronto in 2020.”

Additional highlights from Bell Media Radio Toronto stations include:

• CHUM 104.5 is #1 in the coveted adult and female 18-49 and 25-54 audiences.
• 9 ‘Virgin Radio is #1 with A18-34 and F18-34.
• CHUM 104.5’s MARILYN DENIS and JAMAR and NEWSTALK 1010’s MOORE IN THE MORNING WITH JOHN MOORE, are the overall Top 2 commercial morning shows in Toronto.
• NEWSTALK 1010 is Toronto’s #1 commercial news station among A18-49 and A18-34.
• TSN 1050 experienced significant growth among all male demos and is up 32% among A25-54.

CHUM 104.5, 99.9 Virgin Radio, NEWSTALK 1010, and TSN 1050 are available to stream at iHeartRadio.ca and the iHeartRadio Canada app.

Source: Numeris PPM, Fall 2019, Toronto CTRL, Mo-Su 2a-2a, Average Minute audience. CHUM 104.5 #1 in Adults and Females / 18-49 / 25-54. CHUM 104.5 lead over closest competitor in F25-54. 99.9 Virgin Radio #1 in A18-34 and F18-34. Virgin increase vs Fall 2018. CHUM 104.5 and NEWSTALK morning shows (Mo-Fr 5:30a-9a) in All 2+. NEWSTALK commercial #1 talk station in A18-34 and A18-49. TSN 1050 increase vs Fall 2018, A25-54.

Fox News Sued By Former Playboy Model

A former Playboy model who has said she had an affair with Donald J. Trump before he was president sued Fox News on Thursday, saying that Tucker Carlson, one of the network’s hosts, had intentionally defamed her on his television show.

Karen McDougal

The NY Times report Karen McDougal claims Carlson had falsely accused her of extortion last year when he said that she “approached Donald Trump and threatened to ruin his career and humiliate his family if he doesn’t give them money.”

McDougal said in the lawsuit, which was filed in New York State court in Manhattan, that she never threatened Mr. Trump. She is seeking damages from Fox News for harming her reputation, but she does not name Mr. Carlson as a defendant. The network is responsible for his comments, she said, and his accusations were reckless and easy to verify as false.

Fox News said in a statement that it would “vigorously defend Tucker Carlson against these meritless claims.”

Eric R. Bernstein, the lawyer representing Ms. McDougal, said she was “harassed, embarrassed and ridiculed” after Mr. Carlson’s comments.

“Media outlets like Fox News must learn that they can’t mislead for ratings,” he said. “They hurt real people like Karen McDougal when they do so.”

Ms. McDougal has said she first met Mr. Trump at the Playboy Mansion in 2006 when he was filming an episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” They had a 10-month affair, she said, until she ended the relationship because she felt increasingly guilty about Mr. Trump cheating on his wife. Mr. Trump has denied the affair.

Country Artist John Rich Joins Fox Nation

John Rich

John Rich, half of country duo Big & Rich, will be hosting a new program for the streaming service, Fox Nation’s Executive Vice President of Development John Finley announced on Thursday.

In February 2020, Rich, 45, will be opening up his Nashville, Tennessee, home to film The Pursuit! With John Rich. The show will welcome both stars and friends of the singer that will delve into their personal journeys to achieving the American dream.

“Joining Fox Nation is a new and exciting venture that I am looking forward to pursuing. Through my program, I hope to further connect with the Fox News family and continue to create meaningful content,” Rich said in a statement.

Said Finley, “John has been an asset to Fox News throughout the year, helping us raise money for Folds of Honor through the hit single ‘Shut Up About Politics’ and his role in the recent Fox Nation Patriot Awards. We are overjoyed to have him join our platform and bring our subscribers a new realm of entertainment we know they will enjoy.”



He is no stranger to Fox audiences.

Earlier this year, Rich teamed up with Fox New Channel’s The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld to write the song “Shut Up About Politics,” which asks listeners to stop talking about politics so constantly. The song, which made its way to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes country songs chart, was performed by Rich on the program in May.

As a country music singer and songwriter, Rich is well known for his work as one half of the multi-platinum super duo Big & Rich. In addition to his musical career, Rich is the owner of Redneck Riviera, his personal brand which encompasses apparel, jerky and his signature whiskey.

FOX Nation is a direct-to-consumer on demand streaming service designed to complement the FOX News Channel experience with a members only destination for its most passionate and loyal super fans.

Taylor Swift Releases New Song For Christmas

Taylor Swift gets intp the holiday season, realing a news a Christmas song overnight.

The video of the song takes Swifties on a journey through the singer's home movies.


The song is the first holiday offering from swift since 2007 when she released "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection."

Westwood One Offers Kix Brooks' Christmas Special

Kix Brooks

CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One is ringing in the holidays with its 13th annual An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks holiday special.

As always, this show is the gift that keeps on giving, featuring special guests sharing holiday music, favorite traditions, and memories. This year Kix has invited some very famous friends to join in the festive fun, including Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Kelsea Ballerini, Brett Eldredge and more.

Radio stations can air Westwood One’s An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks any time on Saturday, December 21, 2019 through Wednesday, December 25, 2019, between 6:00 am and 12 midnight. For those who are interested, stations can carry up to 24 hours of this unique and star-studded holiday content and cheer!

For information, contact Country@WestwoodOne.com.

December 6 Radio History

➦In 1877...Thomas Edison made his first recording of a human voice. On the recording Edison recited, “Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.”  Edison recordings were made on tin foil and could sustain replaying only a few times.  Nevertheless, Edison’s little machine was an immediate sensation, widely demonstrated and covered by the press.

After the initial excitement around his invention, Edison turned from work on his “talking machine” to improve the electric light bulb.  He would not work on the phonograph again until the late 1880s, when wax cylinders replaced tin foil as his recording medium.

Sound recording instruments before Edison’s did exist, but they were not intended to replay what had been recorded.  Notable among these was Frenchman Leon Scott’s phonautograph.

Inspired by Edison’s work with sound recording, other inventors sought to improve the phonograph. Among the most noted were Alexander Graham Bell and Emile Berliner.  Bell and his associates experimented with disc and cylinder recordings and their graphophone, which employed wax cylinder records, became a popular dictating machine.  Berliner had commercial success with disc records and the machine to play them—the gramophone.

➦In 1923...President Coolidge became the first president to address the American people on broadcast radio  from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC.  Coolidge delivered a message about national priorities and the state of the nation to a joint session of Congress. Nowadays, that speech is known as the State of the Union address.

Over the years, technology has greatly changed the way Presidents deliver the State of the Union address. We've moved from broadcast radio to television, and now the Internet. Here's a timeline of some of the digital "firsts" when it comes to the State of the Union address:

• President Calvin Coolidge in 1923: First radio broadcast of the address
• President Harry Truman in 1947: First televised broadcast of the address
• President George W. Bush in 2002: First live webcast on the Internet of the address
• President Barack Obama in 2011: First to live-tweet the address

While there isn’t an exact number of how many people listened to President Coolidge’s first State of the Union address, the White House Historical Association estimates that his 1925 inaugural address reached more than 23 million radio listeners. In past administrations, reaching that many Americans was practically unheard of.

In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) spoke on the telephone to the instrument’s inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. Two years later, Hayes had his own telephone in the White House, but the invention was so new that very few homes or offices in Washington had phones, so Hayes had few people to talk to. In fact, the president’s telephone number was "1".

➦In 1943...the prestigious hour-long drama show “Theatre Guild On the Air” began an almost ten-year run, debuting on CBS radio.  For much of its run it was known as “The United States Steel Hour” first on ABC and then NBC radio, before moving to TV in 1953.

➦In 1957... Elvis Presley visited Memphis radio station WDIA 1070 AM where he met two of his music idols, R&B singers Little Junior Parker and Bobby “Blue” Bland.

➦In 1960...Gene Autry was attending the baseball winter meetings hoping to secure a broadcasting contract for KMPC, his Los Angeles radio station. The “Singing Cowboy” wound up as the owner of the expansion Los Angeles Angels (when no one came forward to bid for the team, Autry made a bid of his own). The team became the showpiece for KMPC.



➦In 1963...The Beatles issued their first of seven Christmas recordings featuring several renditions of the traditional carol "Good King Wenceslas" and individual messages from the four, ending with a closing chorus of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ringo".

➦In 1971… John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band released the single “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” with the Harlem Community Choir, was released in North America.




➦In 1980...BBC Radio aired a telephone interview with John Lennon in which he said he most enjoyed living in New York City because people there left him alone.

➦In 1988... Singer Roy Orbison suffered a fatal heart attack while on a visit to his mother near Nashville. He was aged just 52. His biggest hit was the million-selling No. 1 song “Oh, Pretty Woman.” During his heyday in the early 1960’s he had 27 straight records make the charts. He had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Earlier in 1988 Orbison had joined the superstar collaboration the Traveling Wilburys.

➦In 1993...actor Don Ameche died of prostate cancer at age 85.  The movie star was first a star of bigtime radio, with such program credits as Betty & Bob, Grand Hotel, First Nighter, The (Battling) Bickersons, & the Charlie McCarthy Show.  On TV the Frances Langford-Don Ameche Show ran just one season.

➦In 1994...WRKS NYC changed to a classic soul format

➦In 2003...Pat St. John aired first show on WAXQ NYC.  He began his radio career on Windsor, Ontario's CKLW 800 AM in 1969 and 1970, followed by WKNR 1300 AM in late 1970 to early 1972, followed by WRIF 101.1 FM in  April 1973.

St. John is best known for the 42 years he spent in the New York City radio market working for WPLJ, WNEW-FM, WAXQ and WCBS FM. He can now be heard on SiriusXM Radio '60s on 6 Weekdays 3PM to 7 PM ET and on Classic Rewind Weekends 6PM to midnight ET.  St. John has done television voice-over work, including announcing for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 2000 to 2010.

St. John is known for his conversational on-air style interspersed with bits of music trivia, along with "Collectible Cuts" from his extensive record library. He has been called a "walking encyclopedia" when it comes to his knowledge of music.St. John has interviewed many musicians.

➦In 2015…Washington D.C. sports talk host Ken Beatrice, who hosted a call-in show for 23 years, first on WMAL between 1973 and 1995 later on WTEM from 1995 to 2000, died of complications from pneumonia at age 72.

Viacom, CBS Together Again

ViacomCBS Inc. late Wednesday announced the completion of the merger between CBS Corporation and Viacom Inc. The combined company, which is renamed ViacomCBS, creates a premium content powerhouse with global scale, including leadership positions in markets across the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.

The deal brings Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and cable channels such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET together with the CBS broadcast network, Showtime, 28 O&O TV stations, CBS All Access and Simon & Schuster. The combined company, lead by Viacom CEO Bob Bakish, will have annual revenue of about $28 billion.

Bob Bakish

“This is a historic moment that brings together two iconic companies to form one of the world’s most important content producers and providers,” said Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer of ViacomCBS. “Through the combination of CBS’s and Viacom’s complementary assets, capabilities and talented teams, ViacomCBS will create and deliver premium content for its own platforms and for others, while providing innovative solutions for advertisers and distributors globally. I am excited about the opportunity we have to serve our audiences, creative and commercial partners, and employees, while generating significant long-term value for our shareholders.”

Building on an extraordinary collection of culture-defining franchises and partnerships with creative talent around the world, ViacomCBS will be home to more than 140,000 premium TV episodes and 3,600 film titles, with global production capabilities and more than $13 billion in annual content investment. The company will account for 22% of TV viewership in the U.S. and hold the highest share of broadcast and cable viewing across key audience demographics, with strength in all categories, including News, Sports, General Entertainment, Pop Culture, Comedy, Music and Kids.

Through the strength and scale of these assets, ViacomCBS will be well-equipped to maximize the value of its content for its own platforms and for others, as it meets the growing global demand for third-party premium content. The company’s content scale will support a robust streaming strategy, including ViacomCBS’s own suite of advertising and subscription-based offerings. In addition, the company’s broad reach, extensive intellectual property portfolio and expertise in advanced marketing solutions will enable it to strengthen its partnerships with distributors and advertisers globally.

ViacomCBS Class A and Class B shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 5, 2019 under the ticker symbols “VIACA” and “VIAC”, respectively.

Shari Redstone will serve as chairman of ViacomCBS. Variety reports that’s a capstone on her three-year quest to reshape her family’s media holdings after years of executive rivalries, fiefdoms and executive largess at the companies that are less vulnerable to shareholder pressure on performance because of National Amusements Inc’s iron grip on about 80% of voting shares in both firms. Indeed, the merger process was able to close quickly because the Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal regulators already considered Viacom and CBS to be under the same roof.

TV Ratings: NBC Wins November Sweeps

NBC’s victory during the November ratings sweeps period means there’s a new king of broadcast television — at least for now.

Citing Nielsen date, the Associated Press reports the network ended CBS’ 18-year winning streak in November, a period when ratings are watched closely to set advertising rates. A combination of factors, including football, producer Dick Wolf and the absence of “The Big Bang Theory” all contributed.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” telecast has averaged 20.2 million viewers this fall, making it the most popular program on TV. The closest entertainment program is CBS’ “NCIS,” with 14.5 million. The splintering of television’s audience increases the relative importance of football in the ratings and should give NBC some pause before doing a victory dance, since it goes away soon.

NBC has also shown strength with Wolf’s trio of Chicago-based dramas, which have come to dominate broadcast television on Wednesday nights. NBC’s “This is Us” ranks below “NCIS” and “FBI” as the third most-popular entertainment show.

On Thanksgiving Day, the 22.1 million people who watched the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” on NBC made it the most popular entertainment show on TV since the Oscars, Nielsen said.

For Thanksgiving week in prime time, NBC averaged 8.9 million viewers. CBS had 6.3 million, ABC had 3.6 million, Fox had 3.1 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Univision had 1.3 million, Telemundo had 880,000 and the CW had 790,000.

⏩ Broadcast Primetime Top 20 (Total viewers):

1. NFL Football: New England at Houston, NBC, 21.45 million.
2. NFL Football: New Orleans at Atlanta, NBC, 20.81 million.
3. “NFL Pregame Show” (Sunday), NBC, 15.13 million.
4. “NFL Pregame Show, Part 2” (Thursday), NBC, 14.74 million.
5. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12.53 million.
6. NFL Football: Baltimore at L.A. Rams, ESPN, 11.35 million.
7. “Football Night in America, Pt. 3,” NBC, 11.12 million.
8. “NCIS,” CBS, 11.05 million.
9. “NFL Pregame Show, Part 1′ (Thursday), NBC, 9.99 million.
10. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 8.97 million.

11. “FBI,” CBS, 8.82 million.
12. “60 Minutes” (Sunday, 8:30 p.m.), CBS, 8.3 million.
13. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 7.87 million.
14. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 7.76 million.
15. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 7.34 million.
16. “Football Night in America, Pt. 2,” NBC, 7.07 million.
17. “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry,” NBC, 7 million.
18. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 6.87 million.
19. “Survivor,” CBS, 6.49 million.
20. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 6.42 million.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.3 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 9.1 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 6 million viewers.

⏩ Basic Cable Top 10 – Prime Time (Total viewers):

1. ESPN (2,828,000)
2. Hallmark Channel (2,400,000)
3. Fox News (2,193,000)
4. MSNBC (1,310,000)
5. HGTV (973,000)
6. Discovery (969,000)
7. A&E (964,000)
8. TBS (926,000)
9. Freeform (897,000)
10. USA (886,000)

⏩ Basic cable ranker: 

Study: News Podcasts Have Stickiness

Daily news podcasts are experiencing the most rapid growth of advertising spend in the podcast market as they dominate podcast charts, reveals a new report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ).

The study, News Podcasts and the Opportunities for Publishers, interviewed around 30 publishers, platforms and producers in five countries (US, UK, Australia, France and Sweden) and looked at trends in the respective and overall podcast markets.

Generally, it found that news podcasts continue to outperform all other podcast categories, despite accounting for a smaller market space. For example, just six per cent of the 770,000 Apple podcasts are categorised as 'news podcasts'. At the same time, news podcasts account for just less than a fifth of the top 250 podcasts in the UK, and more than a third in France.

➤Key Findings:

• News podcasts make up a small proportion (6%) of the 770,000 existing podcasts, as categorised by Apple, but the general appeal and stickiness of news content means that the category punches well above its weight in terms of consumption. 
• News makes up around a fifth (21%) of the most popular episodes in the United States Apple charts. It is a similar picture in other countries, with a third (34%) of the top podcast episodes in France categorised as news, and just under a fifth in Sweden (18%), Australia (18%), and the United Kingdom (16%).
• The category itself is also growing rapidly. The number of new news podcasts globally rose by almost 12,000 between January and October 2019 – an increase of around a third (32%) according to data provided by Chartable. Talk and interview shows are the most popular sub-genre within news, along with one-off narrative series, but daily news has become an increasingly important focus. 
• Some of the most popular daily news podcasts in the United States – such as The Daily from the New York Times – are attracting audiences of millions, while others are struggling in an increasingly competitive market. Elsewhere audiences are more modest but are showing consistent growth. 

The study identified three sub-categories of daily news podcasts:

1. Micro-bulletins, with a length of between 1 and 5 minutes.
2. News round-ups, with a length of between 6 and 15 minutes.
3. Deep-dives, with a length of 20 minutes or more.

Some commercial publishers are already deriving significant revenue from podcasts, especially in the United States. More than half of Slate’s total revenue now comes from podcasts. NPR is expecting to earn $55m from podcasting next year, overtaking radio in terms of sponsorship income.

New platforms are shaking up the podcast market, bringing new ideas and extra investment. Apple still accounts for the majority of podcast use but Spotify has doubled its market share in the last year.

TV's Biggest Ad Buyers, Categories Are...

With the holiday season just around the corner, there’s no better time to examine which companies are dishing out the most money for TV advertisements, and while many of the names on the top-10 biggest TV ad spenders are nearly identical to last year’s, the amount each company has spent has increased drastically.

Fox Business report the top TV marketing industries remain the same as they were in 2018, with retail, insurance and communications companies topping the list, according to iSpot.tv, but the amount spent totals $741.7 million in November, a 10 percent increase compared to the $672 million this time last year, according to Media Post.

Insurance giant Geico tops the national/regional TV ad spending list, having paid $121.8 million to air 32,273 commercials across 98 different advertisement spots. Next is telecommunications company Verizon, which spent $81.9 million for 13,011 airings of 61 different commercials, then Walmart with $76.2 million, which got it 15,496 airings of 67 different commercials.

Progressive Insurance comes in next with $76.8 million, netting it 11,922 airings of 29 different commercials, followed by T-Mobile, which spent $75.4 million for 12,442 airings of 71 creative spots.

Making its way down the list, State Farm, another insurance company, spent $73.9 million for 13,620 airings of 69 different commercial spots, with retail giant Target coming in next with $70.3 million for 16,109 airings of 69 different commercial spots, and Amazon coming in surprisingly low at $59.2 million for 10,226 commercial airings for 23 different spots, according to Media Post.

Rounding out the bottom of the spending list is AT&T Wireless with $54.8 million, earning it only 4,687 airings for 36 commercial spots, and finally Allstate, which paid $52.6 million for 9,505 airings of 17 different commercial spots.

Compared to last year, Target is the only company to fall out of the top-five TV advertising spenders, with T-Mobile taking its spot in 2019, with the telecommunications company paying just $54.5 million last year, nearly $20 million less than it did for 2019.

NBC, Union Meet Over AGT Tenure

Actress Gabrielle Union, whose abrupt exit as a judge on the NBC reality show “America’s Got Talent” sparked controversy, said Wednesday she had a “productive” meeting with the network executives and was able to present her “unfiltered truth” regarding her rocky short-lived tenure on the show.

Union was let go from the show after appearing as a judge for one season after the actress reportedly raised allegations regarding several sexist and racially inappropriate incidences on set, Variety magazine first reported last month.

Union met with NBC executives and show producers Tuesday to address her concerns, reports NBC News.

We had a lengthy 5-hour, and what I thought to be, productive meeting yesterday. I was able to, again, express my unfiltered truth. I led with transparency and my desire and hope for real change.

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 4, 2019

NBC said in a statement Wednesday that the “conversation was candid and productive.” The network went on to say that there will be a “further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution.”

Among the alleged incidents reported on set was an issue involving a racist joke by comedian and guest judge Jay Leno that Union felt was offensive and wanted reported to the company’s human resources department, according to the magazine. However, “it was never escalated to that department,” Variety reported.

Separately, Union was allegedly told several times that her hairstyles were “too black” for the audience, Variety reported.

Union allegedly also expressed concern over "a white male performer crossing a line in portraying people of color,” producers allowed the performance to proceed but it was later cut from the episode, the magazine said.

The network and Screen Actors Guild have launched investigations into Union’s claims of what has been reported as a “toxic work environment” and “racially insensitive situations.”

Union, Hough

Meanwhile, Julianne Hough is breaking her silence on her controversial exit from "America's Got Talent," which came at the same time as fellow judge Gabrielle Union's departure.

During an interview on People Now, Hough was asked regarding "America's Got Talent": "How are you handling that situation and is there anything you wanted to clear up?"

“I would just say that – my goodness. I just believe and value at the highest regard that everybody has a voice and should be heard, first and foremost,” she said. “And then I believe that the paradigm of the workplace and how you do business and work with people now, it’s shifting, and I think that the people that really want to see change happen are going to authentically and positively... do that. And so that’s all I really have to say about that.”

Hough is set to star in NBC's Christmas special "Holidays with the Houghs," which also features her brother Derek. She's also making an appearance during the network's annual "Christmas in Rockefeller Center."

S-F Radio: NFL 49ers Suspend Tim Ryan Over 'Dark' Comments

Tim Ryan

The NFL 49ers have suspended color commentator Tim Ryan for controversial comments made about Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson earlier this week on KNBR’s Murph & Mac Show.

“He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin color with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing,” Ryan said on air. “I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point and if you’re a half step slow on him in terms of your vision forget about it, he’s out of the gate.” Ryan has been suspended for the upcoming game on Sunday vs. the Saints.

“We are disappointed in Tim Ryan’s comments earlier this week, and have suspended him for the upcoming game,” The 49ers said in a statement. “We hold Tim to a high standard as a representative of our organization and he must be more thoughtful with his words. Tim has expressed remorse in a public statement and has also done so with us privately. We know Tim as a man of high integrity and are confident he will grow and learn from this experience.

Snippet of Tim Ryan’s comments RE: Lamar Jackson’s “dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform... you could not see that thing” via KNBR. He has since been suspended by the team pic.twitter.com/vpRI3veoXK

— 49ersHive (@49ersHive) December 5, 2019

“We have reached out to the Baltimore Ravens organization to extend our apologies and assure them the matter is not being taken lightly.”

“I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game,” Ryan said in a statement. “Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended.”

The Ravens won 20-17 last Sunday in Baltimore, with Jackson rushing for 101 yards, his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Ryan will not broadcast the 49ers' game this coming Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Hillary Clinton To Howard Stern: No Lesbian Affairs

Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton made an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" Wednesday, and discussed President Donald Trump, some of his supporters on Capitol Hill, the 2016 election, and even her sexuality.

USAToday reports Clinton denied years-old rumors and tabloids claiming that she was interested in women, telling Stern jokingly that “contrary to what you may hear, I actually like men” when describing her dating life before her relationship with President Bill Clinton.

Stern then asked Clinton to raise her right hand and swear that she “never had a lesbian affair.”

"Never, never, never," she responded. "Never even been tempted, thank you very much."


Clinton was on the show promoting "The Book of Gutsy Women," a book about heroic women co-written with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

Clinton also criticized her former colleague, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, saying it was like he "had his brain snatched."

Graham had been a critic of Trump during the 2016 election but has since become one of his fiercest defenders.

“Has he sold his soul to the devil?” Stern asked about the South Carolina senator.

Clinton responded, “I don’t know. That’s a fair question, however,” continuing to discuss his support of Trump despite the president's attacks on the late Sen. John McCain, whom Graham was close to.