TV Ratings: Fox News Tops All During February

FOX News Channel (FNC) finished February 2023 surpassing CNN and MSNBC with total day and primetime viewers and A25-54 for two straight years. 

Within basic cable, FNC was the most watched network in all of cable across primetime and total day. FNC also notched 94 of the top 100 cable news telecasts for the month. In total day, FNC delivered over 1.4 million viewers, 189,000 in the 25-54 demo and 121,000 in the 18-49 demo. In primetime, FNC netted 2.3 million viewers, 299,000 in the 25-54 demo and 198,000 with the 18-49 demo. The network secured the top 13 programs in cable news with viewers and the top 15 cable news programs in the 25-54 demo. The Five continued to make history, marking eleven consecutive months as the most-watched program in cable news, while Tucker Carlson Tonight led cable news in the younger 25-54 demo. Notably, Gutfeld! surpassed CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the 25-54 demo for the second time since launch. CNN This Morning secured its worst month since launch, seeing just 360,000 viewers and 73,000 with A25-54.

Attracting 56% of cable news viewers across primetime and 55% in total day, FNC continued to deliver over half the genre’s audience share. According to Nielsen MRI-Simmons Fusion, FNC also remained the most-watched network across the political spectrum with more Independents and Democrats choosing FNC as their preferred network than MSNBC and CNN across total day and primetime. FNC was also number one in cable news with Asian and Hispanic viewers across both total day and primetime.

TV Ratings: CBS and NBC Place One and Two

“Chicago Fire” was last week’s top-ranked prime-time program, averaging 6.993 million viewers, and “Chicago Med,” which preceded it on NBC, was among only four other prime-time programs to average more than 6 million viewers.

The L-A Times reports CBS had three of the week’s five most-watched programs and finished first in the network race for the fourth time in five weeks, a run interrupted only by Fox’s coverage of Super Bowl LVII. CBS did not finish first during any of the first 18 weeks of the 2022-23 television season. NBC finished first 14 times during the season’s 17 weeks to date, mainly thanks to “Sunday Night Football.”

CBS averaged 3.78 million viewers, NBC 3.43 million and ABC 2.97 million.

“FBI” was CBS’ ratings leader, averaging 6.892 million viewers to finish second, one spot ahead of “60 Minutes,” which averaged 6.879 million. “The Equalizer” averaged 6.514 million viewers following “60 Minutes” on CBS, fifth for the week.

“American Idol” led ABC’s programs for the second time in the two weeks it has aired this season, averaging 5.247 million viewers, retaining 99.6% of the audience from its season premiere a week earlier, which averaged 5.269 million viewers.

Fox averaged 2.04 million viewers for its prime-time programming, topped by “The Masked Singer,” 23rd for the week, averaging 3.833 million viewers.

The top 20 prime-time programs consisted of nine CBS scripted programs, its newsmagazine “60 Minutes” and the alternative program “The Price Is Right at Night”; five NBC scripted programs and the alternative program “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars”; and the ABC alternative programs “American Idol” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and its scripted police drama “The Rookie.”

Liberty Media: Racing Provided Revenue Uptick

Liberty Media rode the surging popularity of Formula 1, an uptick in revenue from the Atlanta Braves, and strong results from SiriusXM to a profitable fourth quarter and full year in 2022, reports Front Office Sports.

F1, which begins its 2023 season this weekend in Bahrain, grew fan attendance 36% from 2019 to 5.7 million. F1’s full-year revenue rose 20% from 2021 to $2.6 billion, $1.2 billion of which was passed on to teams.

The racing series’ operating income more than doubled to $239 million.

Quarterly revenue dipped 8% to $568 million, which Liberty attributed to one fewer race in Q4 2022 than in the same period the previous year.

The Atlanta Braves, MLB’s only publicly traded team, saw revenues rise only slightly despite winning the World Series in 2021. The Braves were bounced out by the eventual National League pennant winner Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series in 2022 — giving them only two postseason home games to the previous year’s eight.

The Braves saw average home game revenue rise from $6 million to $6.4 million, leading to a 4% increase to $588 million in total 2022 revenue. Increased operating expenses led to a $15 million loss on the year.

Liberty Media is set to split off the Braves into a separate stock listing called Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc.

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine May Retreat From Embattled City

The Ukrainian military might pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine’s president said Wednesday in remarks that suggested Russia could capture the city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Kremlin forces have waged a bloody, monthslong offensive to take Bakhmut, a city of salt and gypsum mines in eastern Ukraine that has become a ghost town.

#Ukranian fighter said: I get it #Bakhmut became a symbol but
Here a Company survives only one night. Every day we lose 1-2 companies. Sometimes entire Battalion. This isn't working pic.twitter.com/T4lLYGXeHZ

— Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) March 2, 2023

“Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options. So far, they’ve held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back,” Alexander Rodnyansky, an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told CNN. “We’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing.” 

➤RUSSIA SUFFERS HEAVY TOLL IN UKRAINE: Between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian troops have died during the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a study published by the Center for Strategic International Studies. “Some types of authoritarian regimes are willing to accept high casualties in interstate conflicts but Russian casualty numbers are unprecedented for post-World War II Russia,” the report says. On Tuesday, a series of drone attacks were made on targets inside Russia, including a hit at a Russian air base. Ukraine authorities did not take responsibility but have asserted their right to such action in order to thwart Russia.

The battle for Bakhmut has come to embody Ukraine’s determination as the city’s defenders hold out against relentless shelling and Russian troops suffer heavy casualties. Bakhmut lies in Donetsk province, one of four provinces Russia illegally annexed last fall. 

Marc Muffley

➤PA MAN CAUGHT WITH EXPLOSIVE DEVICE AT AIRPORT: A Pennsylvania man faces federal criminal charges after he checked in a suitcase with an explosive device hidden in the lining on a flight to Florida, authorities said Wednesday. 40-year-old Marc Muffley is charged with possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors allege that the material was found in a suitcase Muffley had checked in Monday at Lehigh Valley International Airport to Allegiant Air Flight 201, which was bound for Orlando-Sanford International Airport in Florida. After an alert during security screening, the bag was examined and found hidden in the lining was a “circular compound” about three inches in diameter encased in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap.

Cruz, Roy demand answers from Garland on FBI allegedly secretly recording progressive anti-abortion group https://t.co/ldlrYavUCn

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 2, 2023

➤LAWMAKER PANNEL OKs GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIK TOK: The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday along party lines to give President Joe Biden the power to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, in what would be the most far-reaching U.S. restriction on any social media app. Lawmakers voted 24 to 16 to approve the measure to grant the administration new powers to ban the ByteDance-owned app - which is used by over 100 million Americans - as well as other apps considered security risks.

➤TIK TOK SETTING TIME LIMITS FOR TEENS: TikTok has been criticized for its addictive algorithm, but a solution might be on the horizon. The social media app is implementing a screen time limit for users aged 13 to 17 in the coming weeks. Those under 18 will need to enter a passcode if they're on the app for an hour, and will also receive a weekly recap of their screen time. "It is the crack cocaine of algorithms," Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate said of TikTok. "It is the most addictive, it is the most dangerous and the one that needs to be dealt with most urgently."

➤RFK KILLER DENIED PAROLE: Sirhan Sirhan, the man who murdered Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1968, was again denied parole by a California parole board. The board said that Sirhan, now 78 years old, still lacks insight into his motive for murdering the senator and presidential candidate. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after accepting victory in the state’s Democratic primary.

NAB On Record As Opposing Non-Compete Ban

The NAB has signed its name to a letter sent to members of Congress this week that opposes a proposal by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit non-compete clauses in contracts, according to The Desk.

The proposal made by the FTC in January would bar employers in the United States from imposing non-compete clauses when hiring or promoting workers. Such clauses are routinely found in contracts for television and radio talent, online journalists, editors, producers, photographers, voice-over artists, actors and other media and entertainment workers.

Non-compete clauses typically prohibit an employee from accepting a job offer at a company that offers goods or services in the same industry for a pre-determined period of time. That time frame generally lasts from six months to a year, though some non-compete clauses can extend beyond that.

In the letter sent to Congress and the FTC this week, NAB officials and others said the FTC “lacks the constitutional or statutory authority to issue such a rule and, in attempting to do so, the agency is improperly usurping the role of Congress.”

The FTC hasn’t weighed in on the accusation that it lacks the authority to ban non-compete clauses, but the agency is standing by its proposal.

“The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy,” Lina M. Khan, the chairwoman of the FTC, said in a statement. “Non-competes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand. By ending this practice, the FTC’s proposed rule would promote greater dynamism, innovation, and healthy competition.”

2 Groups Partner To Cut AM Radio Interference In EVs

NIA Broadcasting's President Neal Ardman has announced a partnership with CircuitWerkes President Kyle Magrill,to force the big Electric Vehicle manufacturers to stop causing interference to the AM band.

According to Ardman "EVs don't just cause noise to the radios built into the EV, they also cause harmful interference to the cars that are nearby."

Magrill added, "The RF noise from EVs has caused so much interference on the AM band that the EV manufacturers have chosen to remove AM radio from the cars rather than solve the interference problem." He added, "While that hides the problem in the EV, it makes it impossible for the person driving next to the EV to enjoy AM radio in their own car.

NIA Broadcasting was founded in 1994 by Neal Ardman and currently owns and operates radio stations in Florida and Georgia. The company is also in the television syndication business on a national level.

CircuitWerkes, Inc. was founded in 1989, owns and operates FM translators in Florida and is a manufacturer of products for radio such as broadcast transmitters and remote controls.

Ardman noted that AM radio is protected from unintended interference by law and AM serves a very diverse audience including groups listening to sports, talk, ethnic and religious programming. WTMP-AM has programmed all Black programing for the last seven years. Other AM stations in Tampa serve the Hispanic community as well as other small minority groups.

Experts Believe There's A Strong Case Against Fox News

Dominion Voting Systems is out for blood in its defamation case against Fox News.  The company is suing Rupert Murdoch's network for $1.6 billion in damages, saying the mogul and his top lieutenants knew that former President Trump’s claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election were false but gave them continued coverage to placate its viewers and boost ratings, reports The L-A Times.

To prevail, Dominion's lawyers must prove the network acted with malice by knowingly spreading false information.

Fox News maintains that its reporting and commentary was protected by the 1st Amendment because allegations presented by a sitting president are newsworthy even if false. In the network's coverage, Dominion was wrongly accused of using its machines to manipulate votes to throw the election to Joe Biden and of being owned and controlled by the Venezuelan government.

Dominion has filed two legal briefs that expose internal discussions showing that some Fox News personalities, executives and even Murdoch himself did not believe Trump's claims but still gave his lawyers and supporters a forum to spread their unfounded theories because they were concerned about declining ratings. The briefs include stunning deposition testimony from Murdoch, who admitted he knew that some of the statements his on-air personalities and guests were making were false.

How strong is Dominion’s argument against Fox News?

Hudson Valley Radio: Bold Gold Media Promotes Chase Daniels

Bold Gold Media Group has elevated Hot A/C 98.3 WSUL Program Director / Morning Host Chase Daniels to Director Of Programming for the New York cluster in the Catskill Mountains / Hudson Valley Region. In addition to his programming of WSUL. Chase officially adds Programming stripes of the rest of the group, which includes: Classic Hits: WVOS-FM / WVOS-AM, and Country: WDNB-FM / WHNB-FM.

Chase Daniels

Chase joined Bold Gold in the Fall of 2021 after departing iHeartMedia Hudson Valley in November of 2020 where he served as the Program Director and Afternoon host at Country 107-3 WRWD.

GM Dawn Ciorciari says: “Chase’s talent has been a huge asset for Bold Gold Media, his work has elevated our stations and our company. He is a true leader in the radio industry, and we are lucky to have him as part of our management team.”

President & CEO Vince Benedetto added: “Chase brings a great deal of experience, energy and creativity to our team. He’s a true broadcast professional and a tremendous talent. I know he will do bold things in his expanded role.”

Chase says: “I’m thrilled to continue in the mission of making great local radio with Bold Gold Media. We have accomplished a lot in a short period of time together. Improving the Quality and Expanding the Programming of these heritage stations. I’m looking forward to this next chapter as we have more exciting things to come.”

Kyle Santillian Joins The Morning Hustle

Urban One Inc.’s Reach Media and Radio One has announced that Kyle Santillian, one of Chicago’s most popular personalities, is joining the nationally syndicated show The Morning Hustle.

“Kyle is an exceptional morning show anchor. His years of experience and passion for morning radio will be a fantastic addition to The Morning Hustle,” said Colby Tyner, Senior VP Programming of Urban One’s Radio One and Reach Media divisions.

For the past seven years Kyle anchored The Chicago Morning Takeover, where he served as ringleader for a cast that woke up the city every morning with laughs, news, interviews, entertainment gossip , skits, parodies, features, mix shows and more. He’ll bring that infectious energy to The Morning Hustle, now heard in approximately 30 urban markets. Prior to his run in Chicago, he led the WJMH morning show in Greensboro, North Carolina.

March 2 Radio History

➦In 1897...British patent No. 12,039 (1897) "Improvements in Transmitting Electrical impulses and Signals, and in Apparatus therefor", was granted to a 22-year-old Marconi.

As a boy he took a keen interest in physical and electrical science and studied the works of Maxwell, Hertz, Righi, Lodge and others. In 1895 he began laboratory experiments at his father’s country estate at Pontecchio where he succeeded in sending wireless signals over a distance of one and a half miles.

In 1896 Marconi took his apparatus to England where he was introduced to Mr. (later Sir) William Preece, Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office, and later that year was granted the world’s first patent for a system of wireless telegraphy.

The apparatus that Marconi possessed at that time was similar to that of one in 1882 by A. E. Dolbear, of Tufts College, which used a spark coil generator and a carbon granular rectifier for reception. A plaque on the outside of BT Centre commemorates Marconi's first public transmission of wireless signals from that site. A series of demonstrations for the British government followed—by March 1897, Marconi had transmitted Morse code signals over a distance of about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) across Salisbury Plain. On 13 May 1897, Marconi sent the world's first ever wireless communication over open sea.

➦In 1950...Karen Anne Carpenter born (Died - February 4, 1983 at age 32).  She was a singer and drummer who was part of the duo the Carpenters alongside her brother Richard. She was praised for her contralto vocals, and her drumming abilities were viewed positively by other musicians and critics.

Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California, in 1963 with her family. She began to study the drums in high school, and joined the Long Beach State choir after graduating. After several years of touring and recording, the Carpenters were signed to A&M Records in 1969, achieving commercial and critical success throughout the 1970s. Initially, Carpenter was the band's full-time drummer, but gradually took the role of frontwoman as drumming was reduced to a handful of live showcases or tracks on albums.

Carpenter had the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, which was little-known at the time, and was briefly married in the early 1980s. She died at age 32 from heart failure caused by complications related to her illness; her death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders. Her work continues to attract praise, including being listed among Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers of all time.

➦In 1974....Super WCFL 1000 AM Chicago Survey From March 2, 1974

➦In 1983…Sony and Philips introduced their jointly-developed compact disc system.  Within a decade of the CD’s introduction, vinyl records had virtually disappeared from stores. The compact disc is an evolution of LaserDisc technology, where a focused laser beam is used that enables the high information density required for high-quality digital audio signals.

iHM Reports 4Q Was Best-Ever For Revenue

iHeartMedia, Inc. Wednesday reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022.  Financial Highlights:

Q4 2022 Consolidated Results

• Q4 Revenue of $1,126 million, up 6%; at high end of guidance of up approximately 2%-6%Excluding Q4 political Revenue, Q4 Revenue up 1%
• GAAP Operating income of $173 million vs. GAAP Operating income of $123 million in Q4 2021, up 41%GAAP Operating income margin of 15.4%, up 377 bps from 11.6% in Q4 2021
• Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA of $316 million increased 7%; at middle of guidance of $305 million to $325 millionConsolidated Adjusted EBITDA margin of 28.0%, up 34 bps from 27.7% in Q4 2021
• Cash Flows from operating activities of $213 million
• Free Cash Flow of $165 million

Q4 2022 Digital Audio Group Continues Strong Growth

• Digital Audio Group Revenue of $301 million up 10%Podcast Revenue of $113 million up 17%
• Digital Revenue excluding Podcast of $188 million up 7%
• Segment Adjusted EBITDA of $99 million flatDigital Audio Group Adjusted EBITDA margin of 33.0%

Q4 2022 Multiplatform Group Demonstrates Resilience

• Multiplatform Group Revenue of $733 million up 1%
• Segment Adjusted EBITDA of $230 million decreased 8%Multiplatform Group Adjusted EBITDA margin of 31.4%

Q4 Strong Cash Flow Generation, Proactive Capital Structure Improvement Through Debt PaydownFree Cash Flow of $165 million  Cash balance and total available liquidity2 of $336 million and $761 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2022

Bob Pittman

“We are pleased to report another quarter of solid operating results for iHeart in consumer usage, revenue, and earnings growth. The fourth quarter was our best quarter for Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA -- and on a full year basis, in 2022 we generated the highest revenue and the second highest Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow year in iHeart’s history,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Inc. 

“Even in this continuing challenging and uncertain economic environment, we continue to make strong progress in our transformation of iHeart into a true multiplatform audio company -- driven by innovation, supported by data and technology, and powered by the largest sales force in audio -- and we are positioning iHeart to take advantage of the coming economic recovery.”

Richard Bressler

“We had a solid quarter despite the increasingly challenging macroeconomic environment, with our consolidated revenues up approximately 6% year-over-year at the high end of our guidance range and our fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $316 million at the middle of our guidance range,” said Rich Bressler, President, COO and CFO of iHeartMedia, Inc. 

“iHeart has unparalleled assets that have proven their resiliency through economic downturns like this one, and as we navigate these uncertain economic conditions, we remain committed to driving shareholder value through our rigorous allocation of capital, identifying additional cost savings opportunities, utilizing new technologies to expand our product offerings, and improving our operational efficiency, and we believe the strength of our assets will become even more apparent as the economic environment and the advertising sector recovers.”

QVC To Lay-Off 400 Staffers

Qurate Retail Group, the owner of QVC, HSN and several other properties, said Tuesday it was laying off roughly 400 employees as part of a broader turnaround plan, reports The Philadelphia Business Journal.

Colorado-based Qurate said the job cuts impact QVC, HSN and its corporate shared services teams in the U.S. The last day for most of the impacted employees was Tuesday, the company said in a statement on the eve of its fourth-quarter earnings report Wednesday morning.

“These decisions are not easy but are necessary in realigning how we manage the business and heighten focus on critical priorities,” Qurate said in a statement.

Shares rose 9% in after-hours trading Tuesday to $2.30.

Qurate said it is offering impacted employees severance pay, extended COBRA benefits and outplacement services — including access to an alumni talent directory — as well as extended access to its employee assistance program. It did not provide a geographic breakdown of the impacted employees.

According to its annual report at the end of 2021, Qurate had nearly 27,000 full- and part-time employees, though it said employment levels fluctuate due to seasonal factors affecting its business. Those numbers do not include independent contractors and temporary staffing agency personnel used to supplement its workforce, particularly on a seasonal basis.

Megyn Kelly Mocks Savannah Guthrie Current Case of Covid

Megyn Kelly had little sympathy for her onetime colleague Savannah Guthrie, who had to leave her co-hosting duties on NBC’s “TODAY” Show on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19 during the morning broadcast.

“This is reportedly Savannah’s third bout of COVID and I guarantee you she’s had all the vaccines and the boosters because you won’t be able to go into 30 Rock without them,” Kelly, who hosted her own hourlong morning show “Megyn Kelly Today” on NBC from 2017 until 2018, said on her SiriusXM podcast on Tuesday.

“There’s zero chance NBC is not requiring all boosters,” Kelly added. “And this is [Guthrie’s] third bout of COVID.”

Hoda Kotb

“All of it is such a perfect indication of how the left — and especially the left in New York — continues to live.

Kelly seemed bewildered at the fact that there are still people who test for COVID-19.

“I mean, at this point, seriously?…is anyone still even testing for COVID?” she said. “It’s amazing to me. These guys are leftists and it’s amazing to me to see how the leftists still live under the grip of COVID…”

She added: “I don’t test for COVID anymore. Who’s testing for COVID still?”  Kelly predicted that “TODAY” weatherman Al Roker will appear on the air with a protective mask over his face.

Meanwhile,  the reason for the recent absence of NBC “Today” Hoda Kotb  has been revealed. Craig Melvin, who was co-helming Wednesday’s broadcast of NBC’s flagship morning news program alongside veteran weatherman Al Roker and fill-in co-host Sheinelle Jones, told viewers that “Hoda’s okay.”

“She’s got a family health matter that she has been dealing with,” Melvin said.

Here's Why Savannah Guthrie Walked Out During Today Show: Covid

Savannah Guthrie and Sheinelle Jones

There was a morning scramble Tuesday on NBC’s Today show. The morning program had to move fast in replacing one of its co-hosts while on the air after it was discovered that Savannah Guthrie tested positive for Covid-19.

TV Newser reports Guthrie was forced to abruptly vacate her anchor chair this morning, leaving Sheinelle Jones with the task of handling her flagship morning news show duties.

Guthrie’s co-anchor Hoda Kotb has already been off the program for seven days, her absence remains unexplained.

Jones explained Guthrie’s absence, which happened during the first half-hour of the 7 a.m. block, by saying that she had to “leave a little early this morning.”

Jones later on, at the end of the 8 a.m. broadcast, revealed the true reason for Guthrie’s disappearance, saying, “It’s been an interesting morning for us. As we said, Savannah left early. She wasn’t feeling great, she took a Covid test, and it came back positive.”

This is Guthrie third bout with Covid.  The others in January and May 2022.

Jones, who was joined on set by Al Roker and Carson Daly when delivering this message, added, “So as soon as we found out, she rushed home to rest up. So Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery.”