WHP 580 AM Harrisburg talk host Ken Matthews has entered talk radio syndication and is determined to Build Back Better the highly important Noon to 3 p.m. ET daypart as Ken Matthews Media and Talk Media Network have entered in to a long-term agreement to produce and syndicate The Ken Matthews Show.
Ken Matthews is widely known for his guest hosting of The Rush Limbaugh Show for the last four years, including the final two episodes of the beloved program.
Talk Media Network CEO Josh Leng attempted to set the record straight, “Let’s be clear here… Ken Matthews isn’t filling anyone’s shoes. He doesn’t wear shoes. Literally, he was raised by a wolfpack. Ken’s life experiences & radio background make for such an interesting and engaging show. His humor and delivery are truly unique and will soon be heard far and wide, once again, on radio stations across America.”
To help better understand his eponymous show, Ken offers, “The Ken Matthews Show is a place where you can come to openly examine what is really going on in our country. We have everyday conversations about pop culture, people and politics, without censorship and trendy wokeness. Life is funny, even when it’s challenging; most listeners get this. You leave the show amused, entertained, and always informed.”
Ken continued, saying, “This show takes the conversation beyond the news media narrative. The commentaries and discussions we have on The Ken Matthews Show are so much better than network news. That’s just another reason I love talk radio.”
Leng stepped on his soap box to share, “I cannot emphasize enough the solemn duty we have to put the best radio talent in syndication, to deliver the best results for our affiliate radio stations. We’re laser focused on helping talk radio stations succeed with The Ken Matthews Show. It’s going to be a fun and unforgettable ride. The train is leaving the station. Get on, or get left behind.”
Matthews quips about his program, “Politicians and elites have a tough time laughing at themselves… we more than make up for that on The Ken Matthews Show.”
A well-informed, well-prepared radio ringmaster, Matthews knows when to be serious, and when we all need a good laugh… in a way that only a proven radio pro can.
Matthews explains his mindset, “I approach my show knowing I have an obligation to you, which I enjoy, to deliver humor, insight, and content you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else. It’s important to me that you leave my show better informed, and just feeling better, than when you tuned in.”
Leng praised Matthews by saying, “We need an advocate for hard-working Americans who care about our future – that’s Ken Matthews.”
About his new syndication partner, Matthews says, “I appreciate that fact that Talk Media Network recognizes the reach and future of LIVE TALK RADIO.”
Ken Matthews didn’t get a shortcut pass to syndication via political office, podcasting, or PR. He went through the morning show meat grinder for a radio eternity, learning, developing, honing his craft. Ken succeeded for decades in multiple radio formats, until he found his sweet spot having great conversations about what is important to Americans.
Matthews encourages his fellow Americans to, “Join the conversation because it’s all about free speech. Use it or lose it!”
Radio stations interested in airing The Ken Matthews Show should visit https://TalkMediaNetwork.com or call 616-884-8616
KIRO 97.3 FM has added a new complement to its afternoon programming. The John Curley and Shari Show began Thursday, Dec. 2, airing weekdays 3-7 p.m.
The announcement follows the retirement of Tom Tangney from the now former Tom and Curley Show.
The John Curley and Shari Show will feature live news, traffic, and weather updates at the beginning and end of every hour from KIRO Radio’s award-winning news team and CBS News.
John and Shari
“We’re thrilled for this next chapter on KIRO Radio,” said Cathy Cangiano, SVP/market manager for Bonneville Seattle. “We think John and Shari will connect with our audience in a compelling and entertaining way and help Bonneville Seattle continue as the Pacific Northwest’s media choice.”
Shari Elliker will be a familiar voice for regular Tom and Curley listeners: She has cohosted the show Fridays since January 2021.
Prior to joining KIRO, Shari hosted WBAL Baltimore, XM Radio, WHFS and WUSA in Washington D.C. She received “Outstanding Talk Show” awards from the Associated Press in 2007 and 2008, along with two “Achievement in Radio” awards.
John Curley has been with KIRO Radio for a decade, hosting the Tom and Curley Show since 2013. Prior, John was an Emmy Award winning television host.
“We’re really excited about this new show,” said Bryan Buckalew, KIRO Radio program director. “John and Shari have great chemistry. They’re fun to listen to and really complement KIRO Radio’s continued commitment to delivering the most important local news every weekday afternoon.”
John Catsimatidis, Chairman/CEO of Red Apple Group, has announced the launch of Red Apple Audio Networks, a coast-to-coast radio syndicate which will broadcast New York City-based radio personalities to a nationwide audience for the first time beginning Jan. 1, 2022. Red Apple Audio Networks becomes the first, all-new slate of syndicated broadcasts to begin from a radio station in over a decade. 77 WABC Radio has recently seen unprecedented ratings growth for weekday and weekend programming.
Red Apple Audio Networks will feature a multi-platform rollout, including a Podcast Network, Streaming Platform, for several “best in class” broadcasters, including economist Larry Kudlow, longtime news anchor, correspondent, and best selling author Rita Cosby, television and radio host Greg Kelly, Judge Jeanine Pirro, common sense liberal radio and TV personality Chris Hahn, and “America’s Mayor” Rudy Giuliani. The John Catsimatidis Roundtable will also be available on the new networks.
“I could not be more excited to launch Red Apple Audio Networks, and make these leading voices in talk radio available coast-to-coast. Red Apple Audio Networks will tell the stories, report the news, bring common sense opinion, and explore the truth with both sides of the story, and is poised to bring a fresh new approach to talk radio – with ‘Stories That Shape Our World,’” said John Catsimatidis.
“Every day and every week, I will look at the financial news, policies, and market moves and discuss how it affects Americans in real-time,” said Larry Kudlow. “The program will go in depth with major players here, and around the world, and bring them to you – the listeners – every day and on weekends. I am excited to be a part of Red Apple Audio Networks and help Americans stay informed, aware, and in-tune with the news of the day.”
The anemic ratings for Chris Cuomo’s CNN show shot up — after he disappeared on suspension.The total number of “Cuomo Prime Time” viewers spiked to 897,000 on Tuesday night when Anderson Cooper filled in for the missing host, according to The NYPost citing Nielsen TV ratings data posted online by AdWeek’s TVNewser website.
That figure was up nearly 19 percent from Monday, when Cuomo attracted just 754,000 pairs of eyeballs.
It also exceed his 9 p.m. weekday show’s average of 774,00 viewers during November, when it ranked No. 25 among all cable TV news programs, right behind Cooper’s.
The surge of interest came hours after CNN announced it had “indefinitely” benched Cuomo “pending further evaluation” of official documents from the sexual harassment probe that forced his older brother, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to resign August.
The records included damning text message exchanges with his brother’s top aide and a sworn interview in which he admitted that he called news industry “sources” for information and also tried to dig up dirt on at least one of Andrew Cuomo’s accusers, saying he’d heard she might have been “put up to it.”
On Wednesday, Chris Cuomo told listeners of his SiriusXM radio show that being suspended from CNN “hurts” and was “embarrassing” but added, “I understand it. And I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did.”
Sources have told The Post that CNN president Jeff Zucker was infuriated by Monday’s revelations, which came after the network stood by Chris Cuomo in May when the Washington Post revealed that he participated in strategy sessions with his brother’s aides and advisers.
At that time, CNN called Chris Cuomo’s conduct “inappropriate” but said he wouldn’t be disciplined.
Cooper is expected to fill in for Chris Cuomo through the end of the week, according to Variety.
NuVoodoo Media Services has announcesd findings of a Quick Turn Study on Americans’ initial perceptions of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, fielded nationwide on November 29-30, 2021, to 1,854 adults aged 18-64, balanced by age, gender and geography.
Among people 18-64, 65% report being at least partially vaccinated for COVID-19, with nearly 1 in 5 who also report having had a booster shot. Of those surveyed who are either undecided, intend to get jabbed but haven’t yet done so, or who have no plans to get the shot, more than one-third of the study sample are still not vaccinated.
Geographically, NuVoodoo found that respondents from the U.S. Midwest and South lag the rest of the country in total levels of inoculation but lead with better than 1 in 5 who do not intend to get vaccinated.
Carolyn Gilbert, President, NuVoodoo Media Services, commented: “The massive Omicron media coverage over the past few days has led to an overall increase in concern about COVID. It’s one-in-four in our sample overall, but increased concern among the vaccinated (29%) nearly doubles the concern among those who have not received their shot (17%). It may not seem intuitive based on the regional breakouts shown earlier, but increased concern since news of Omicron broke is most pronounced in the less-vaccinated South (28%), eclipsing concerns even in the highly vaccinated Northeastern U.S. (25%).”
Leigh Jacobs, EVP, Research Analysis, NuVoodoo Media Services, noted: “News about Omicron is not even a week old, but awareness for the new COVID variant is widespread. Only 20% in our sample haven’t yet heard of it. But overall concern levels fall short of the kinds of numbers we tracked in 2020, when Americans were first starting to live with the virus. Still, 37% overall and 39% among the fully vaccinated are concerned enough now to take at least a few extra precautions as the result of this new COVID strain.”
Mike O’Connor, EVP, Product Development, NuVoodoo Media Services, observed: “Most Americans appear to be taking a “wait and see” attitude about how Omicron will affect their outside activities. Around 2 in 3 aren’t likely to be deterred, at least for now, to shop in a store, dine indoors or attend a holiday party. By comparison, more are cautious overall when it comes to going to the movies or catching a plane. Better than 4 in ten are avoiding those things at least until the pandemic subsides or more is known about this new COVID strain.”
As a former music manager who once counted Elton John, Beyonce and Guns N’ Roses as clients, Merck Mercuriadis has an eye for talent and a knack for identifying trends.
As streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music gained mainstream popularity, Mercuriadis formed the Hipgnosis Songs Fund to acquire music rights. The fund, which went public in 2018, has invested $2.5 billion acquiring the publishing rights to 64,000 compositions from such hitmakers as Timbaland, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Rick James and Neil Young.
Now, Reuters reports he is looking at another emerging technology for music: non-fungible tokens, one-of-a-kind digital assets - frequently artwork, photos, videos or digital files - that are traded on the blockchain. Mercuriadis said the blockchain, which keeps a ledger of transactions across a network of computers, can bring a new level of transparency to music royalties.
\“Someone like Nile Rodgers, whose songs have done incredibly well for 40 years … every six months, (he’ll) get a statement from Sony that’s 10,000-pages long and has billions of microtransactions on it,” Mercuriadis said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference. “In the future, with NFT and blockchain, those billions of transactions will be able to come back to you in real time.”
NFTs also could provide a new type of collectible for music fans, such as music or videos, for the same price as a traditional tour book sold at concerts, Mercuriadis said. These more engaging experiences are “an important part of the future,” Mercuriadis said.
Mercuriadis is focused, more immediately, on establishing songs as an “asset class” that will deliver reliable and predictable revenue.
“Once the pandemic hit, it really proved the point that Merck made about those songs, as far as being a reliable asset,” said Rodgers, a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who advises Hipgnosis. The opportunity has attracted institutional investors, including Investec Wealth & Investment, Aviva Investors and the Church of England.
Mercuriadis says Hipgnosis can do a better job than the traditional music publishers of managing its collection of hits, seeking “off-market transactions” and exploiting new platforms such as Peloton, TikTok or Roblox. A new partner, Blackstone, which has pledged to invest $1 billion in buying music rights, will help Hipgnosis further refine its approach to managing songs.
“The music industry is a very, very unsophisticated for as long as I can remember,” Mercuriadis said. “What we’re getting to is something that's going to be much, much more sophisticated.”
Andy Chanley, the afternoon drive host at Southern California's public radio station KCSN 88.5 FM, has been a radio DJ for over 32 years. And now, thanks to artificial intelligence technology, his voice will live on simultaneously in many places.
"I may be a robot, but I still love to rock," says the robot DJ named ANDY, derived from Artificial Neural Disk-JockeY, in Chanley's voice, during a demonstration for Reuters where the voice was hard to distinguish from a human DJ.
Our phones, speakers and rice cookers have been talking to us for years, but their voices have been robotic. Seattle-based AI startup WellSaid Labs says it has finessed the technology to create over 50 real human voice avatars like ANDY so far, where the producer just needs to type in text to create the narration.
Zack Zalon, CEO of Los Angeles-based AI startup Super Hi-Fi, said ANDY will be integrated into its AI platform that automates music production. So instead of a music playlist, ANDY can DJ the experience, introducing the songs and talking about them.
The next step will be for the AI to automate the text that is created by humans as well. "That's really the triumvirate that we think is going to take this to the next level," Zalon said.
This achievement could raise concerns of deep fakes as AI perfects its mimicking of people in real time.
"On a weekly basis, we have a team of content moderators that will cancel accounts," said MartÃn RamÃrez, head of growth at WellSaid. "If you're creating content that is not in alignment with our values and our ethical claims, goodbye. It is that straightforward for us."
Ramirez said once the voice avatars are created, WellSaid manages the commercial agreements according to the voice owner's requests. WellSaid voice avatars are doing more than DJ work. They are used in corporate training material or even to read audiobooks, said Ramirez.
For Chanley, leaving a voice avatar behind has extra significance, since his recovery from Stage 2 lymphoma, which he discovered he had two years ago, while he was recording his voice.
"It was perhaps the way that my 11- and six-year-old kid, if things didn't turn out the way I wanted, might never forget what I sound like," Chanley said, emotion in his voice. "Elvis Presley fed his family a long time after he was gone. Maybe this is, you know, somehow what might send my kids to college someday."
Radio Guest Quest, the celebrity guest booking service for radio stations, is moving its affiliate and advertising sales operations to G Accelerate Networks. The announcement was made by Jim Higgins, President and Chief Executive Officer of G Accelerate Networks and Art Sears, Founder and Host of Radio Guest Quest, and a former morning show executive producer in Boston and New York City.
“Art and Radio Guest Quest are well known across the industry for securing and delivering interviews with marquee-status celebrities and delivering personalized services, including one-on-one communications with radio show producers,” stated Higgins. “We’re excited that Radio Guest Quest is joining G Accelerate Networks, as we build out our portfolio of top-quality programs and services for radio stations.”
“I have worked with Jim in the past and signing with him and G Accelerate Networks was an easy decision,” commented Sears. “Jim is a consummate network radio executive who knows how to build an exceptional team that understands what stations need and what advertisers want.
“I produced radio morning shows for years and saw the need for someone to help book guests,” Sears explained. “With meetings and early hours, it’s difficult for a producer to find the time to book guests. I also find that publicists respond more readily to one email that can satisfy all their radio needs, rather than individual requests from stations across the country.”
“Having been a morning show producer, Art knows the importance of keeping a show topical. To that end, if big news happens overnight, affiliates will likely be offered a pertinent guest by the morning,” stated Rich O’Brien, Chief Development Officer. “Radio Guest Quest delivers an invaluable service to radio stations across the country, and we welcome radio stations who are not affiliates to jump on this opportunity.”
Radio Guest Quest interviews can also be used in a radio host’s podcast, giving listeners more reasons to stay connected to the radio station on a digital platform. Snippets of the interview can be used as teasers in morning shows to drive listeners to the podcast.
Celebrity guests previously booked by Radio Guest Quest for radio station interviews include Ron Howard, Kevin Costner, Spike Lee, Chance the Rapper, Steve Martin, LeAnn Rimes, Anderson Cooper, and many, many more.
Radio stations interested in becoming a Radio Guest Quest affiliate can contact O’Brien at 212-380-9338 and richo@gognetworks.com.
Ric Edelman, named six times to “The Heavy Hundred” by TALKERS magazine as one the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America, is launching THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FUTURE with Ric Edelman, a new nationally syndicated radio show debuting in 24 radio markets nationwide and all major podcast platforms.
The program replaces The Ric Edelman Show, which Edelman has hosted for the past 30 years.
Edelman’s new program will focus on what he calls “the five personal finance topics that matter most” today: longevity, retirement security, exponential technologies, digital assets, and health & wellness. Using his trademark humor and unique delivery that makes complex topics easy to understand, Edelman will give listeners the education they need to help them achieve financial success in the 2020s and beyond.
“I’m thrilled to launch my new show and podcast,” Edelman said. “Advances in technology are disrupting every aspect of our lives, but also creating massive new investment opportunities. My mission is to help you learn how you can improve your wealth, health and lifestyle for the rest of your life.”
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FUTURE with Ric Edelman will initially air in 24 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia. For a complete list of affiliates, podcast platforms and airtimes, visit thetayf.com
➦In 1927...singer Andy Williams was born in smalltown Iowa. After singing with three siblings in The Williams Brothers quartet on midwest radio as early as 1938, he became a featured soloist on NBC-TV’s Tonight Show, hosted in the early 50’s by Steve Allen. Later he was host of his own TV series (1962-71) and a number of Christmas specials on NBC. Most of his 44 albums were featured on MOR radio stations throughout his life. He succumbed to bladder cancer Sept. 25 2012 at age 84.
➦In 1928…NBC radio gave birth to what would be the longest run of any semi-classical music broadcast. It began as The Firestone Hour, evolving soon into the 30-minute Voice of Firestone, which aired o Monday evenings for 28-years. It was also a simulcast on NBC TV beginning in 1949, it moved to ABC in 1954 and ended its almost 35-year run on ABC-TV in 1963.
➦In 1948...Bing Crosby's song "White Christmas" debuted on the U.S. music charts. That was 7 years after it was first sung on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941.
A Young Paul Harvey
➦In 1950...ABC Radio began airing Paul Harvey news and comment nationwide.
Paul Harvey Aurandt broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays on the ABC Radio Network. He also voiced his famous "The Rest of the Story" segments. From the 1950s through the 1990s, Harvey's programs reached as many as 24 million people a week. Paul Harvey News was carried on 1,200 radio stations, 400 Armed Forces Network stations and 300 newspapers.
Harvey made radio receivers as a young boy. He attended Tulsa Central High School where a teacher was "impressed by his voice." On her recommendation, he started working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1933, when he was 14. His first job was helping clean up. Eventually he was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and the news.
While attending the University of Tulsa, he continued working at KVOO, first as an announcer, and later as a program director. Harvey, at age nineteen spent three years as a station manager for KFBI AM, now known as KFDI, a radio station that once had studios in Salina, Kansas. From there, he moved to a newscasting job at KOMA in Oklahoma City, and then to KXOK, in St. Louis in 1938, where he was Director of Special Events and a roving reporter.
Harvey then moved to Hawaii to cover the United States Navy as it concentrated its fleet in the Pacific. He was returning to the mainland from assignment when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He eventually enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces but served only from December 1943 to March 1944.
Harvey then moved to Chicago, where in June 1944, he began broadcasting from the ABC affiliate WENR. In 1945, he began hosting the postwar employment program Jobs for G.I. Joe on WENR.
Harvey added The Rest of the Story as a tagline to in-depth feature stories in 1946.
On April 1, 1951, the ABC Radio Network debuted Paul Harvey News and Comment "Commentary and analysis of Paul Harvey each weekday at 12 Noon". Paul Harvey was also heard originally on Sundays; the first Sunday program was Harvey's introduction. Later, the Sunday program would move to Saturdays.
Harvey died on February 28, 2009, at the age of 90 at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
➦In 1955...Elvis Presley's first single release for RCA Victor. No, it wasn’t ‘Hound Dog’ or ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ The first two sides were actually purchased from Sam Phillips of Sun Records: ‘Mystery Train’ and ‘I Forgot to Remember to Forget.’ RCAVictor called Elvis "The most talked about personality in recorded music in the last 10 years."
➦In 1961…The Beatles met Brian Epstein for the first time at his Liverpool record store, NEMS. That evening they discuss Epstein's management of the group.
➦In 1968...Elvis' comeback TV special aired on NBC. Taped the previous summer, it included Elvis’s first appearance before an audience in more than seven years. The special was a powerful performance after years of generally mediocre movies.
➦In 1979...Shadow Traffic made its debut in the NYC market.
The company originated in 1975 by Michael Lenet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name was derived from Lenet’s handle, or nickname; he called himself the "Silver Shadow." Lenet began the operation as an informal traffic reporting service that was provided over citizens' band radio. Soon after, Lenet began providing traffic information to various radio stations in Philadelphia.
(NY Times photo)
The company grew and expanded into other markets, beginning in 1978 with Chicago, Illinois. New York City followed in December, 1979. This expansion continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that time the company began offering news, weather, and sports services to its affiliates. The primary business philosophy was to provide broadcast services at little or no cost to their affiliates. The majority of the revenue was brought in through sponsorship deals; direct sponsoring of the traffic reports themselves did this.
In March, 1996 Shadow Broadcast Services was partially acquired by Westwood One, and then was fully owned by Westwood One in May, 1998. By that time Shadow Broadcast Services had affiliate relations with more than 350 radio and TV stations in 15 major markets.
In March, 1999 Shadow Broadcast Services formed what was referred to as a “strategic alliance” with SmartRoute Systems, which was a technology based company that provided traffic information and data for local DOT (Department of Transportation) and broadcast use. This partnership eventually dissolved when the acquisition of Metro Networks took place by Westwood One, which was announced in June, 1999, and then completed in September of that same year. Westwood One merged their two companies together to form Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Service, commonly abbreviated as Metro/Shadow. In June, 2000 Westwood One announced its acquisition of SmartRoute Systems. That company was eventually combined under the Westwood One umbrella of subsidiaries, which include Metro/Shadow.
In September, 2008 Westwood One announced that they were reducing their Metro/Shadow operations centers from 60 offices to 13 regional hubs. Metro/Shadow claimed to have more than 1,800 traffic reporters, with radio and TV affiliates in all of the major US markets.
On April 29, 2011, Westwood One sold Metro Networks to iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) for $119.25 million. Metro Networks' traffic service was eventually folded into Total Traffic Networks later that year, with Clear Channel keeping the Total Traffic name for the operation.
➦In 1991...Disc jockey Alan Feed posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
➦In 2003...Canadian broadcast pioneer Allan Waters died in his sleep at the age of 84. Waters founded 1050/CHUM, once one of Canada's most prominent Top 40 radio stations.
Allan Waters
Waters worked in a drug company and quit in 1954 and with partner Jerry Grafstein purchased a then money-losing station, 1050 CHUM. From this small humble station, Waters built his media empire.
Getting ideas from a visit to Florida, Waters returned to Toronto and introduced the CHUM Chart, CHUM Chicks and CHUM bugs to attract teenage listeners.
Waters expanded from radio into the television market by buying Barrie CBC affiliate CKVR in 1969, four television stations in the Maritimes in 1972 which formed the CTV-affiliated Atlantic Television System (ATV), and then Toronto's fledgling CITY in 1978. Today CHUM consists of 33 radio stations, 12 television stations and 21 specialty channels, including MuchMusic, Bravo and Space.
Waters stepped down from the Board of Directors on October 29, 2005.
➦In 2007...Don Imus aired for the first time on WABC, NYC, now owned by Cumulus Media. On January 22, 2018, Imus announced that the show would air its final episode on March 29, 2018. While his contract with Cumulus Media was set to end in December, the company requested that he retire sooner as a cost-savings measure due to the company's bankruptcy.
Ozzy Osbourne is 73
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Director Jean-Luc Godard is 91.
Singer Jaye P. Morgan (“The Gong Show”) is 90.
Actor Nicolas Coster (“The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo”) is 88.
Actor Mary Alice is 80.
Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 73.
Singer Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship is 72.
Bassist Paul Gregg of Restless Heart is 67.
Actor Steven Culp (“Desperate Housewives”) is 66.
Actor Daryl Hannah is 61.
Anna Chlumsky is 41
Actor Julianne Moore is 61.
Actor Brendan Fraser is 53.
Singer Montell Jordan is 53.
Actor-comedian Royale Watkins is 52.
Actor Bruno Campos (“Nip/Tuck,” ″Jesse”) is 48.
Actor Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed”) is 48.
Actor Lauren Roman (“Bold and the Beautiful”) is 46.
Musician Daniel Bedingfield is 42.
Actor Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”) is 42.
Actor Anna Chlumsky is 41.
Actor Jenna Dewan (“The Resident,” ″Supergirl”) is 41.
Actor Brian Bonsall (“Family Ties”) is 40.
Actor Dascha Polanco (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 39.
Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is 38.
Drummer Michael Calabrese of Lake Street Dive is 37.
Actor Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia”) is 36.
Actor Jake T. Austin (“The Fosters,” ″Wizards of Waverly Place”) is 27.
UPDATED 6PM 12/2: Iconic industry figure Solomon "Kal" Rudman has died in Camden NJ.
Rudman was an American disc jockey, long-time publisher of the music industry magazine "Friday Morning Quarterback," and a philanthropist. He founded the Kal and Lucille Rudman Foundation with his wife.
Born in Philadelphia, Rudman attended Ferguson School, then graduated from Central High School with a strong interest in radio.
He received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951, and worked as a special education teacher.
Rudman became a Top 40 disc jockey at WCAM in Camden, New Jersey, and later Billboard magazine's first R&B editor.
In 1968, out of his basement, he began publishing Friday Morning Quarterback, a music industry trade magazine.
Rudman appeared on The Merv Griffin Show more than 30 times, was a music-expert regular on the Today Show, and was known as "Killer Kal" for his work as an announcer for the World Wrestling Federation.
He advised Bruce Springsteen on how to make his music more popular with females. "Hungry Heart" on The River album, released in 1980. "Kal explained to me that Top 40 radio is mainly listened to by girls and that my female demographic was low," Springsteen said in an interview at the time.
Forbes once called Rudman one of the major influences in the leisure and entertainment industry in the United States.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Rudman’s death after a long illness was confirmed by Deane Media Solutions, the company that he sold FMQB to in 2020. Rudman died with his wife of 63 years, Lucille, by his side on Tuesday at their home in Cherry Hill. Two days later, Lucille Rudman, also 91, died, according to Michael Lessner, a music business associate and longtime friend of the family.
“Kal was a man who was truly passionate about music and he communicated that passion so enthusiastically and so colorfully,” legendary music executive Clive Davis told Deane Media Solutions about Rudman. “For many vibrant years, his voice was distinctively heard by everyone working in music. Kal was indeed one of a kind.”
The Rudmans were active philanthropist’s through the Kal and Lucille Rudman Foundation, which supported public safety, children’s programs, and religious institutions, as wells as the Rudman Institute at Drexel University and the Kal & Lucille Rudman Media Center at Temple University, both of which focus on education. Kal Rudman was awarded a 2011 Lew Klein Alumni Honoree from Temple, from which he held a graduate degree.
CNN news anchor Chris Cuomo said Wednesday his suspension from the cable news network over efforts to help his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, respond to allegations of sexual misconduct was "embarrassing" and cited an earlier apology for his actions, reports Reuters.
Cuomo, the network's top news anchor, was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday after documents were published indicating he was more involved than the company had known in advising his brother how to respond to the allegations that ultimately led to Andrew Cuomo's resignation from the governorship.
"I've been suspended from CNN... You know this already," Cuomo told listeners to a radio show he hosts on SiriusXM. "It hurts to even say it. It's embarrassing."
Cuomo went on to say he understood why he was suspended and why colleagues were upset with him.
"It's the last thing I ever wanted to do was compromise any of my colleagues," he said.
Cuomo, who hosts CNN's most-watched prime time news show in the United States, had admitted in May he breached some of the network's rules in advising his brother how to handle the allegations from a public relations perspective. He also pledged not to report on the case on air.
In journalism it is considered a breach of ethics to use one's position to advocate for a personal cause or to conduct investigations for personal reasons.
CNN said in a statement on Tuesday that Cuomo's suspension followed the release of new court documents on Monday.
Andrew Cuomo stepped down as governor of New York in August after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. He has denied any wrongdoing.
A criminal complaint charging Andrew Cuomo with a misdemeanor sex offense was filed on Oct. 29 in a New York court.
Even at a time football generally dominates television ratings, the long Thanksgiving Day weekend was notable.
CBS’ turkey day telecast of the Dallas Cowboys against the Las Vegas Raiders reached 37.8 million viewers, the biggest audience for an NFL regular season game since Thanksgiving 1993, reports The Associated Press citing Nielsen stats.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s victory over Ohio State in the Big 10′s annual rivalry game was seen by 15.9 million people on Saturday afternoon. That’s the most-watched regular season college football game since LSU-Alabama two years ago, Nielsen said.
It was also the biggest audience for a college football game on Fox ever, the network said.
For the week in prime time, NBC led with an average of 6.8 million viewers. CBS had 4.8 million, Fox had 3.4 million, ABC had 3.2 million, Univision had 1.3 million, ION Television had 990,000 and Telemundo had 840,000.
📺Top 20 Prime-Times Shows:
1. NFL Football: Buffalo at New Orleans, NBC, 19.38 million.
2. NFL Football: Cleveland at Baltimore, NBC, 16.23 million.
3. “NFL Post-Game,” CBS, 15.19 million.
4. “NFL Pregame,” NBC, 12.24 million.
5. “The OT,” Fox, 11.7 million.
6. NFL Football: N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, ESPN, 10.35 million.
7. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 8.48 million.
8. “Yellowstone,” Paramount, 7.89 million.
9. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.56 million.
10. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 6.57 million.
11. College Football: Oklahoma at Oklahoma St., ABC, 6.49 million.
12. “One Last Time: Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett,” CBS, 6.38 million.
13. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 6.34 million.
14. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 6.33 million.
15. “The Equalizer,” CBS, 5.94 million.
16. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 5.64 million.
17. “Survivor,” CBS, 5.54 million.
18. “NFL Pregame,” ESPN, 5.43 million.
19. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Monday), Fox News, 5.05 million
20. “FBI,” CBS, 5.04 million.
David Muir, Lester Holt, Norah O'Donnell
TV Newser reports Live-plus-same-day Nielsen data for the week of Nov. 22, 2021 is in, and for the first time in 3 years (156 weeks), NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt averaged more total viewers than any other evening newscast, 8.58 million. That’s the the newscast’s largest average weekly audience since last December, and the largest average audience of any weekday program for the week, excluding sports and syndication.
Despite finishing runner-up in average total viewers for the first time in years, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir remained the top evening newscast during Thanksgiving week among adults 25-54, and has earned more viewers in the ad-friendly demo 84 of the last 86 weeks.
World News Tonight averaged 1.48 million viewers from the key demo, and 8.39 million total viewers during the Thanksgiving-shortened week. Unlike NBC, World News Tonight’s weekly ratings average is based on just two days (Monday and Tuesday). ABC decided to retitle the evening newscast on Thanksgiving eve (Wednesday) and Thanksgiving Thursday, and the Friday edition of WNT was preempted in most of the country by primetime college football.
📺Cable TV:
ESPN led the cable networks, averaging 2.83 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 2.11 million, Hallmark had 2.01 million, Paramount had 1.18 million and TBS had 888,000.
Month of November: On the regularly-scheduled programming front— Tucker Carlson Tonight ended November as the most-watched show on all of cable news, regaining the title after being edged by The Five in October. Carlson’s 8 p.m. show averaged 3.67 million total viewers, and a cable news-high of 651,000 adults 25-54. Carlson’s interview with the aforementioned Rittenhouse lifted the program past the network’s 5 p.m. offering in the rankings. The Five finished No. 2 on cable news in average total viewers (3.51 million), and second among adults 25-54 (557,000).
Additionally, Hannity took third place in average total viewers, posting an average of 3.23 million at 9 p.m., followed by Special Report with Bret Baier (2.77 million) and The Ingraham Angle (2.66 million) rounding out cable news’ top five for November in average total viewers. Fox delivered 14 of the top 15 cable news programs in overall viewers, along with the top 14 programs in the younger 25-54 demo.
Lastly, the network’s 11 p.m. comedy show, Gutfeld! beat The Rachel Maddow Show for the first time since launch. Not something we necessarily expected to see, according to TV Newser.
After a rare second place finish in October, Tucker Carlson Tonight regained its status as cable news’ most-watched show during the month of November, averaging nearly 3.67 million viewers in Fox News’ 8 p.m. timeslot this past month. The program held on to its top spot among adults 25-54, averaging 651,000 from the measurement this past month.
TV Newser reports Carlson’s interview with Kyle Rittenhouse almost singlehandedly lifted the program to No. 1. The interview, which aired Nov. 22 on Tucker Carlson Tonight, attracted 5.05 million viewers and 913,000 adults 25-54 to Fox News’ 8 p.m. hour.
The Five, cable news’ most-watched show for the month of October, returned to No.2, both in total viewers (3.5 million) and among adults 25-54 (557,000).
Fox News Channel delivered 71 of the 100-most-watched telecasts on cable, nine of the ten-most-watched cable news shows, and the network had seven shows that averaged more than two million viewers.
