Bud Light is planning a major marketing blitz after its sales got slammed by an ill-fated partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — and the company is promising beer distributors there won’t be another screwup, The NY Post reports.
At a closed-door meeting this week in Washington, DC, Anheuser-Busch executives told US beer distributors they will “spend heavily on the brand after spending fell off a cliff last year,” Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights, told The Post.
Bud execs said at the Monday meeting that the fresh marketing push will begin this week, Steinman said, as the beer giant scrambles to reverse the damage from the controversial Mulvaney campaign, which sent sales of Bud Light plunging 17% during the week ended April 15.
Anheuser-Busch “did promise to spend lotsa dough on Bud Light [marketing] this spring and summer, starting with big push this week for the NFL draft,” Steinman wrote in a report to clients on Wednesday that was obtained by The Post.
The company has been largely tight-lipped since April 1, when the 26-year-old Mulvaney released videos on social media of herself swigging Bud Light in a bubble bath and showing off a commemorative Bud Light can with her image on it to celebrate her first year as a woman.
Charly Arnolt, a host for a new OutKick show currently in development, scorched ESPN for their "hypocritical" tribute, deeming the move as a "slap in the face" to women everywhere.
"The whole issue is that ESPN always makes such a big deal about keeping politics out of programming. And then yet during Women's Month, they found it appropriate to air a one-minute-long tribute about biological male swimmer Lia Thomas, which I just found to be very hypocritical," Arnolt argued during an appearance on "Varney & Co."
"And as a woman, quite frankly, a huge slap in the face that during Women's Month, when there are so many incredible female athletes to be celebrated, they turn to the most controversial figure in sports right now, Lia Thomas — a man — to be celebrated."
Arnolt said that she felt "stifled" as an ESPN reporter and was uncomfortable speaking out on topics that did not "fit within the narrative."
The "f***ing c***" barb that ex-ESPN reporter Marly Rivera hurled at a female journalist earlier this month was captured on video ... and in the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see it all went down right in front of Aaron Judge.
The incident -- which resulted in ESPN firing Rivera from her ESPN role as a national baseball reporter earlier this week -- happened on April 18 at Yankee Stadium ... just before New York took on the Los Angeles Angels in the Bronx.
According to the New York Post, Rivera had set up an interview with Judge ... but grew frustrated when freelance reporter Ivón Gaete showed up at the same time looking to speak with the Yankees superstar as well.
Gaete was clearly taken aback by the remark -- and asked a nearby camera person if they had caught it on video.
➦In 1922...WOI-AM, Ames, Iowa, became the country's first licensed educational radio station.
The history of WOI can be traced back to 1911 when Physics Professor "Dad" Hoffman set a transmission line between the Campus Water Tower and the Engineering Building and set up a wireless telegraph station. By 1913 this was known as experimental station 9YI and it was sending and receiving weather reports by morse code on a regular basis. The first sound broadcast was an hour of concert music on November 21, 1921.
The Commerce Department issued a full radio license for station WOI in April 1922 and the first regular broadcast took place on April 28, 1922. It is the oldest fully licensed noncommercial station west of the Mississippi River. The original callsign 9YI is now WOYI and is retained by the ISU Campus Radio Club, with the amateur radio station located in the Electrical Engineering building. The first regular programming on WOI was farm market reports gathered by ticker tape and morse code and broadcast throughout the state.
➦In 1932..."One Man's Family" was first aired on the NBC Radio Network.
One Man's Family, was an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. It was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions of the series aired in prime time from 1949 to 1952 and in daytime from 1954 to 1955.
One Man's Family debuted as a radio series on April 29, 1932 in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco, moving to the full West Coast NBC network the following month, sponsored by Snowdrift and Wesson Oil. On May 17, 1933, it expanded to the full coast-to-coast NBC network as the first West Coast show heard regularly on the East Coast. The show was broadcast as a weekly half-hour series (1933-1950), sponsored by Standard Brands from 1935 through 1949, then shifted to daily 15-minute installments, initially originating from the studios of San Francisco radio station KPO, NBC's flagship station for the West Coast, eventually moving to Los Angeles.
➥In 1958...Herb Oscar Anderson started at WMCA 570 AM NYC. H-O-A became the morning personality at 77WABC during most of the 1960s. When he arrived at WABC in 1960, the station was in the early stages of a battle for listeners with WMCA, WINS and WMGM. He was one of the station’s “Swingin’ 7” air personalities, a group that included Scott Muni and was known as the All Americans. But Anderson was a throwback in a changing music scene, a fan of the big band sound, not necessarily the rock ’n’ roll he was playing on a 50,000-watt station that reached well beyond the city limits.
As the station’s low-key “morning mayor,” Mr. Anderson had a mandate: to appeal to adults whose buying power was critical to advertisers, more than to the teenagers who were already tuning in. Each morning, his booming, melodic voice crooned his lyrics to his signature song, “Hello Again”:
“Hello again, here’s my best to you. Are your skies all gray? I hope they’re blue."
➦In 1965...at 3 p.m., Top 40 radio visionary Bill Drake took over KHJ 930 AM in Los Angeles, and introduced the ‘Boss Radio‘ format, featuring the top hits of the day, quick jingles, fast DJ talk, and fewer commercials. Drake installed his protege Ron Jacobs as PD. KHJ hit #1 within six months and was quickly copied across North America.
The format featured a restricted playlist and restrained commentary by announcers (although a few, such as Robert W. Morgan, Charlie Tuna, Humble Harve and The Real Don Steele, were allowed to develop on-air personalities). Other DJs from 1965-68 included Roger Christian, Gary Mack, Dave Diamond, Sam Riddle, Johnny Williams, Frank Terry, Johnny Mitchell, Tommy Vance, Scotty Brink, Steve Clark, Bobby Tripp, Tom Maule and Bill Wade. Part of the format, known as "Boss Radio", were jingles by the Johnny Mann Singers.
"Boss Radio" spread throughout the U.S., bringing high ratings to KFRC in San Francisco, WFIL in Philadelphia, KGB in San Diego, WQXI in Atlanta, CKLW in Windsor, Ontario and WRKO in Boston. Drake and Gene Chenault brought many of their announcers from the other "Boss" stations, using them as a proving ground for talent.
The format brought high ratings to the station until the late 1970s, when FM radio became the dominant form of music broadcasting. In November 1980, during the Bob Shannon show, "93 KHJ" switched from top-40 to country music. The country format, with the slogan "We all grew up to be cowboys", lasted three years before it was changed to an oldies format: "The Boss is Back", with the original Johnny Mann Singers "Boss Radio" jingles, on April 1, 1983.
➦In 1972...Arthur Godfrey aired his last show on CBS Radio Network.
Godfrey became nationally known in April 1945 when, as CBS's morning-radio man in Washington, he took the microphone for a live, first hand account of President Roosevelt's funeral procession. The entire CBS network picked up the broadcast. Unlike the tight-lipped news reporters and commentators of the day, who delivered news in an earnest, businesslike manner, Godfrey's tone was sympathetic and neighborly, lending immediacy and intimacy to his words. When describing new President Harry S. Truman's car in the procession, Godfrey fervently said, in a choked voice, "God bless him, President Truman."
Godfrey made such an impression on the air that CBS gave him his own morning time slot on the nationwide network. Arthur Godfrey Time was a Monday-Friday show that featured his monologues, interviews with various stars, music from his own in-house combo and regular vocalists. Godfrey's monologues and discussions were usually unscripted, and went wherever he chose. "Arthur Godfrey Time" remained a late morning staple on the CBS Radio Network schedule until 1972.
➦In 1975…Influential radio progressive personality Tom Donahue died from a heart attack at age 46.
He has been credited as the inventor of 'free form, 'deep cuts' and 'classic rock' radio. During his career, he made stops at KSAN San Fracisco, KMET Los Angeles, KPPC Los Angeles, KMPX San Francisco, KYA San Francisco and WIBG Philadelphia.
➦In 2006…When syndicated radio talk host Rush Limbaugh was accused by Florida prosecutors of "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers, his attorneys worked a deal under which a single prescription fraud charge would be dismissed after 18 months, provided Limbaugh remained drug-free and did not violate any laws.
The Property Brothers are 45
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor-singer Ann-Margret is 82.
Actor Paul Guilfoyle (“CSI”) is 74.
Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno is 73.
Actor Mary McDonnell is 71.
Singer-bassist Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is 70.
Rapper Too Short is 57.
Actor Bridget Moynahan (“Blue Bloods”) is 52.
Actor Chris Young is 52.
Rapper Big Gipp of Goodie Mob is 51.
Actor Elisabeth Rohm (“Law and Order”) is 50.
Actor Jorge Garcia (“Hawaii Five-0,” “Lost”) is 50.
Actor Penelope Cruz is 49.
Actor Nate Richert (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 45.
TV personalities Drew and Jonathan Scott (“The Property Brothers”) are 45.
Actor Jessica Alba is 42.
Actor Harry Shum Jr. (“Glee”) is 41.
Actor Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”) is 37.
Actor Aleisha Allen (“School of Rock,” ″Are We There Yet?”) is 32.
✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
In 1988..B. W. Stevenson, Country singer, dies at 38
In 1991..Ken Curtis, Actor (Festus - Gunsmoke), dies at 74
In 2015..Jack Ely, Singer and guitarist (The Kingsmen - "Louie, Louie"), dies at 71
In 2020..Bobby Lewis, Rock and roll singer ("Tossin' and Turnin'"), dies at 95
Cumulus Media Inc. today announced operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Mary G. Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cumulus Media, said, “Extending our track record of strong operational and financial execution during challenging times, in the first quarter, we grew our digital marketing services revenue by more than 23%, completed the sale of WFAS-FM, continued to repurchase shares and retire debt at a discount, and have now executed $10 million of additional annualized cost reductions. That said, the impact of the considerable macro-driven weakness in the national advertising market, as well as the unfavorable prior year political and WynnBET comparisons, ultimately resulted in total revenue and Adjusted EBITDA declines.”
Comcast topped analyst expectations with its first quarter earnings report Thursday, despite the cable and media giant’s residential broadband business’s slowing growth and mounting Peacock losses.
For the quarter ended March 31, Comcast reported earnings of $3.83 billion, or 91 cents per share, compared with $3.55 billion, or 78 cents per share, a year earlier. Adjusting for one-time items, Comcast posted earnings per share of 92 cents in the most recent period.
Revenue dropped 4% to $29.69 billion from $31.01 billion in the prior-year period, with the company noting that last year it had broadcast both the Super Bowl and Beijing Olympics during the first quarter.
CNBC reports the Philadelphia-based company said its first-quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization grew 3% to $9.42 billion during the first quarter.
Comcast said it returned $3.2 billion to shareholders during the quarter through a mix of $1.2 billion in dividend payments and $2 billion in share repurchases.
Comcast lost 21,000 residential broadband customers during the quarter, but received a slight boost from its business customers. Company executives had warned earlier this year that Comcast was likely to lose broadband subscribers in the first quarter.
Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson surfaced publicly on Wednesday for the first time since abruptly leaving the network this week, releasing a videotaped statement in which he criticized the state of public discourse on U.S. television.
Carlson in the videotaped statement did not directly address his departure from Fox, where he hosted the highest-rated cable news program in the key age demographic on the most-watched U.S. cable news network.
Instead, he took aim at American media and the U.S. political system.
“Fox News Tonight” — the program temporarily filling the slot long occupied by Carlson — pulled in 1.7 million viewers with “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade, according to Nielsen data.
The L-A Times reports the number is 47% below what “Tucker Carlson Tonight” delivered in the 8 p.m. Eastern hour a week earlier on April 16. Carlson averaged 3.2 million viewers in the first quarter of 2023.
Carlson was fired on Monday, a stunning move that sent shockwaves through the TV news industry and made global headlines. Rupert Murdoch’s conservative network gave no reason for the departure, but it’s believed to be related to the mounting legal problems facing the organization.
Fox News now is faced with replacing a top-rated prime-time star, a situation it has dealt with successfully in the past. But in the short term, the network may be in for a rocky ride from a ratings standpoint
“Fox News Tonight” managed to top cable news competitors CNN and MSNBC in total audience. But the channel, typically a ratings powerhouse, suffered a rare loss in the hour among the advertiser-coveted demographic of viewers age 25 to 54.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper won the hour in the demo with 163,000 viewers, with MSNBC’s “All in With Chris Hayes” close behind at 162,000. Kilmeade scored 149,000 in the category. The ratings indicate Kilmeade won’t be giving up the morning shift anytime soon.
Without the tentpole that Carlson’s program provided, the ratings for other Fox News shows were down as well. “Hannity” averaged 2 million viewers, a decline of 20% from the previous week. “The Ingraham Angle” scored 1.56 million, down 12%.
Newsmax appeared to be the beneficiary of Carlson fans looking for an alternative. “Eric Bolling The Balance” pulled in 562,000 viewers in the 8 p.m. Eastern hour, a fivefold increase over last Tuesday when Carlson was his competition (with guest Elon Musk). Bolling is a former Fox News host.
A representative for Newsmax said the network also is seeing a boost in viewing on its streaming platforms. The channel is available as a free streaming app.
The final five editions of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” accounted for each of Fox News Channel’s five biggest prime-time audiences last week, while the only prime-time cable programs to draw more viewers than even the least-watched edition were NBA playoff games, reports The L-A Times citing Nielsen data.
The political talk show’s top-rated edition between April 17 and Friday aired April 18 and averaged 3.223 million viewers, seventh among prime-time cable programs and 37th among all prime-time programs airing between April 17 and Sunday, according to live-plus-same-day figures released Tuesday by Nielsen. The least-watched was Friday’s, which averaged 2.646 million viewers, 16th among prime-time cable programs and 58th overall.
Fox News Channel announced the stunning departure of its top-rated host Monday with no explanation, but people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment publicly said the decision to fire Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch with input from board members and other Fox Corp. executives.
📺CABLE TV
The week’s top-rated prime-time cable program — with the biggest audience for a sporting event — was TNT’s coverage of the Sacramento Kings’ 114-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference first-round series April 17, which averaged 4.322 million viewers, 18th for the week.
NBA playoff coverage put TNT at the top of the cable network race, averaging 2.801 million viewers, making it the third spot among networks, behind CBS and ABC and ahead of NBC.
Fox News Channel averaged 2.058 million viewers to finish second after three consecutive first-place finishes and 11 the previous 12 weeks. ESPN was third, averaging 1.499 million. MSNBC was the only other cable network to average more than 1 million viewers for its prime-time programming, averaging 1.111 million.
The cable prime-time top 20 consisted of 12 NBA playoff games — 10 on TNT and two on ESPN; and eight Fox News Channel weeknight political talk shows — five broadcasts of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and three of “Hannity.”
Audacy has announced a new weekday lineup for Y108 WDSY-FM in Pittsburgh beginning May 1.
The station welcomes “Broadway and Friends,” hosted by Academy of Country Music and Country Music Award-winning personality Jerry Broadway, to kick off weekday mornings live from Pittsburgh. Maria D’Antonio will move back to middays and Cadillac Jack will now host afternoon drive.
“We’re excited to build on Y108’s rich tradition in this market with a lineup full of engaging personalities and station veterans that will deliver live and local entertainment to country fans all over the region,” said Michael Spacciapolli, senior vice president and market manager, Audacy Pittsburgh.
“We’re looking forward to kicking off our weekdays with the move of ‘Broadway and Friends’ live from Pittsburgh every day. Maria D’Antonio may be one of the best midday talents in country radio in America, so we are thrilled to have her back in middays. Over his career, Caddy has had tremendous success in afternoon drive so it is a natural fit for him to bring his personality-driven show to Pittsburgh every afternoon.”
Y108’s new weekday lineup is as follows.
6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET: “Broadway and Friends”
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET: Maria D’Antonio
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET: “Caddy in the Afternoon”
📻Listeners can tune in to Y108 (WDSY-FM) in Pittsburgh on air and nationwide on the Audacyapp and website. Fans can also connect with the station via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Jill Testerman as On-Air Host, Middays, for Indianapolis Country radio station 95.5 WFMS-FM and as Digital Content Coordinator for Cumulus Indianapolis’ six-station group. Testerman, who goes by the on-air name of “Taylor,” will be heard on 95.5 WFMS Monday through Friday from 10:00am-3:00pm. Her appointment is effective Monday, May 1, 2023.
Testerman was previously Program Director and On-Air Personality for iHeartMedia Top 40 station KKDM-FM in Des Moines, IA, where she was also heard on-air in Middays. Prior to that, she was Director of Marketing & Promotions for iHeartMedia in St. Louis, MO, where she was also heard on-air.
Jill Taylor
Christopher “Boomer” Layfield, Operations Manager, Cumulus Indianapolis and Program Director, 95.5 WFMS, said: “Taylor is among the very best on-air talent in America. She’s real, authentic, engaging, and entertaining. What’s more, Taylor has lengthy programming and promotions experience, both beneficial in service to our clients and to our community. Plus, Taylor’s digital game is strong and will help all our brands stand out across social media platforms. I’m really looking forward to working with Taylor again and watching her flourish in these new roles.”
Testerman commented: “20 years ago, I made the ‘leap o’ the week’ when Boomer plucked me out of Quincy, Illinois, and brought me to (CHR) KSLZ-FM in St. Louis. He is the greatest mentor I’ve ever had, and I cannot believe I get to work with him again. No one cultivates an atmosphere that brings out the best in everyone like he does. I am so excited to be on-air at 95.5 WFMS - I have the same butterflies I had 20 years ago when I think about all the amazing things we’re going to accomplish and look forward to getting started in Indy!”
📻Cumulus Media owns and operates six popular radio stations in Indianapolis, including: 104.5 WJJK/WJJK-FM (Classic Hits); 93.9X/WNDX-FM (Rock); 95.5 WFMS-FM (Country); 107.9 The Mix/WNTR-FM (AC); 99.5 ZPL/WZPL-FM (CHR); and CBS Sports Radio/WXNT-AM (Sports).
For the first time in its more-than four decades on air, popular Philadelphia-based NPR talk show Fresh Air with Terry Gross is adding a cohost.
Tonya Mosley, a correspondent and former host of the Boston-based news radio show Here & Now, has been named cohost of WHYY’s Fresh Air, the station announced Wednesday. She will begin with the revered public radio program on May 1, a spokesperson said.
Tonya Mosley
Mosley — who is also the creator and host of the award-winning Truth Be Told podcast, which explores Black liberation through multiple lenses — has been a regular contributing interviewer on Fresh Air since 2021, speaking with actors Brooke Shields, Halle Berry, Michelle Yeoh, comedian Robin Thede, among others.
Meanwhile, Gross, a fixture of the show since 1975, is not going anywhere and will remain on as Fresh Air’s executive producer and host, said WHYY CEO and President Bill Marrazzo.
“Fresh Air listeners will be pleased to learn that Terry Gross’ role remains unchanged,” Marazzo said in a statement. “At the same time, we are adding another top-notch interviewer and host who brings her own distinctive voice and expertise to the program.”
Cumulus Mediaannounces that it has appointed Mike O’Reilly as On-Air Host for the 94.9 KCMO Morning Show. O’Reilly joins Morning Co-Host, Mackenzie, on Cumulus Kansas City’s popular Classic Hits station Monday through Friday from 5:00am-10:00am, beginning Monday, May 1, 2023.
O’Reilly steps up to fill the role previously held by longtime 94.9 KCMO Morning Host Kelly Urich, who will retire this year after 33 years on Kansas City radio. O’Reilly previously served Cumulus Kansas City as Integrated Marketing & Digital Content Director for the seven-station group. O’Reilly joined Cumulus in 2015 as Program Director for 95.7 The Vibe/KCHZ-FM and 105.1 The X/KCJK-FM, after more than eight years as Program Director for 100.7 Jack FM//KFMB-FM in San Diego, CA.
Cumulus Media promotes Brandon Berman to President of Sales at Westwood One, reporting to Suzanne Grimes, President, Westwood One.
Berman (right) has built his career at Westwood One, with 17 years of increasingly senior positions, from his earliest days as an account executive to his most recent post, EVP Sales and Sports Partnerships. Berman is replacing Ron Russo, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.
“Brandon is a natural leader with a smart, strategic approach to the business that will enable us to manage through these economic headwinds and beyond with confidence, commitment, resilience, and results,” said Grimes. “With his unparalleled command of our powerhouse sports business, proven success with integrated, and multi-platform client-focused selling, Brandon is uniquely well-suited to lead the team.”
