After losing the fall quarter to WEPN ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show” with Kay, Peter Rosenberg and Don La Greca, WFAN’s “Carton & Roberts” with Craig Carton and Evan Roberts has won the winter book of the January to March quarter, reports The NY Post.
From 3:00 to 6:30 p.m., the time period when both shows overlap, ESPN got a 4.5 percent audience share and WFAN 5.7 percent among men 25-54, the demographic for which sports talk radio advertisers target.
ESPN finished seventh in the market in this time slot, while WFAN finished with a tie for second.
These numbers include both terrestrial radio and streaming.
This result is not altogether surprising, as WFAN won the battle for the first two months of the book. For the rest of the day, WFAN beat ESPN by an even bigger margin.
Most notably, “Boomer and Gio” with Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti finished first in the market with a 10.8 percent share.
During that 6:00-10:00 p.m. time slot, ESPN New York airs “DiPietro & Rothenberg” with Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg for the first two hours and “Keyshawn, JWill & Max” with Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams and Max Kellerman for the final two. ESPN got a 2.1-percent share and is tied for 17th in the market during that period.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., WFAN’s new midday show of Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney finished fifth with 4.1% of the audience compared to ESPN’s 16th and 2.1 during that time.
Netflix Inc. said it is exploring offering a lower priced ad-supported version of the platform to boost its subscriber base, after the streaming giant posted its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade.
The Wall Street Journal reports the move is a significant change for a company that has sold itself since its inception as a commercial-free haven for its members. Netflix is grappling with slowing revenue growth caused by stiffer competition from rival services and rampant account sharing among its customers.
In a Tuesday analyst interview to discuss the company’s first quarter-results, Netflix Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Reed Hastings said an ad-supported version of Netflix makes a lot of sense.
“Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” Mr. Hastings said. “But as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice.”
Netflix earlier in the day said it ended the first quarter with 200,000 fewer subscribers than it had in the fourth, missing on its own projection of adding 2.5 million customers in the period. Netflix said it expected to lose two million global subscribers in the current quarter.
Netflix shares were 25% lower in after-hours trading. Through Tuesday’s close, the stock has declined by more than 40% so far this year.
The company blamed password sharing among its members and increased streaming competition for pressuring revenue growth. Netflix estimated that besides its almost 222 million paying households, the service is being shared with an additional 100 million homes including 30 million in the U.S. and Canada.
In its letter to investors, Netflix said it is testing password-sharing subscription models that it believes will allow it to monetize sharing and build revenue. Mr. Hastings said password sharing combined with competition “is what we think is driving the lower acquisition and lower growth.” He added that when Netflix was growing fast, trying to reduce password sharing “wasn’t a high priority to be working on.”
The streaming company said revenue growth has slowed considerably after years of 20%-plus gains. Revenue in the first quarter rose roughly 10% to $7.87 billion, below analysts’ projections of $7.93 billion.
Netflix warned that gains made during the Covid-19 pandemic hid the fault lines that have emerged in its business over the past few years. “Covid clouded the picture by significantly increasing our growth in 2020, leading us to believe that most of our slowing growth in 2021 was due to the Covid pull forward,” the company said in its letter.
With a rate of growth that has been the envy of the industry for more than a decade, Netflix has long been seen as a barometer for streaming, and any challenges it faces might have broader implications for its rivals.
Netflix’s subscription decline brought its paid global subscriber base to 221.6 million, down from 221.8 million in the prior quarter. Net profit was $1.6 billion, down from $1.71 billion a year earlier.
Veteran sports talk radio host George Plaster, who will be inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame this year, will leave Nashville Sports Radio WNSR 560-AM / 95.9-FM to join Main Street Media of Tennessee this summer, reports The Tennessean.
“The George Plaster Show,” which has been a staple of Nashville sports talk radio since 1989, will air on Main Street Media’s streaming platforms beginning in mid-July.
“We couldn’t be more excited about having George join Main Street Media,” said Dave Gould, founder and owner of Main Street Media of Tennessee. “George is a Nashville sports icon, and we believe our audience will really enjoy listening to him and the shows we have planned.”
Plaster's co-host and former Vanderbilt football coach Watson Brown will join him in the move.
"The George Plaster Show” will air Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. as a streaming TV show on Main Street Media’s OTT channel, YouTube and social channels.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to join Watson Brown in this new venture,” Plaster said. “I am really impressed with Main Street Media; it’s an incredible media story. I also want to say a big thank you to Ted Johnson and the WNSR staff for a really fun sports talk experience. I can’t wait to get started at Main Street Media.”
In addition to hosting his daily show, Plaster has been the play-by-play announcer for Vanderbilt, Memphis State and Georgia Tech and was named by Talkers Magazine as one of the 250 most influential talk radio hosts in America.
NBC Sports has announced its new Sunday Night Football announce team, featuring Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth and Melissa Stark on the sidelines.
Tirico and Collinsworth have teamed to call 21 NFL games (19 regular season, two preseason) since Tirico joined NBC Sports in 2016. Stark, NBC Sports’ newest team member, served as sideline reporter for ABC’s Monday Night Football for three seasons (2000-02), and has been a host and reporter for NFL Network since 2011.
“Sunday Night Football is destination viewing and we are thrilled to have Mike, Cris and Melissa call the action and tell the stories that football fans have come to expect from primetime TV’s #1 show,” said Pete Bevacqua, NBC Sports Chairman.
The trio will work its first game together at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in primetime on Thursday, Aug. 4 on NBC and Peacock. On Thursday, Sept. 8, Tirico, Collinsworth and Stark will call the NFL Kickoff Game on NBC and Peacock.
Following is a look at the NBC Sunday Night Football announce team:
Mike Tirico (Play-by-Play)
Calls primetime NFL games for his 17th consecutive season this fall
Recently nominated for a Sports Emmy in the Outstanding Sports Personality–Host category for the third consecutive year following a stretch in which he anchored the Tokyo Olympics in primetime, the Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show, Football Night in America, horse racing’s Triple Crown, golf’s U.S. Open, and the Indianapolis 500
One of only four play-by-play announcers to work primetime NFL package for at least 10 seasons (ESPN Monday Night Football, 2006-15)
Served as on-site and studio host of NBC’s Football Night in America – the most-watched studio show in sports – since 2016.
Serves as NBC’s primetime Olympics host
Cris Collinsworth (Analyst)
Begins 14th season in NBC Sunday Night Football booth this fall, following three seasons on NBC’s Football Night in America (2006-08)
Previously called NFL games on NFL Network from 2006-08, FOX from 2002-04 and NBC from 1990-95, and served as a studio analyst for NBC, FOX and HBO
A 16-time Sports Emmy Award-winner for his work on games and in-studio, has been a finalist for Outstanding Event Analyst in 15 of the last 16 years (including 2021 NFL season)
Majority owner of Pro Football Focus, which utilizes an exclusive and proprietary grading system to analyze the performance of every NFL and college player on each snap
In eight-year NFL career as wide receiver with Cincinnati Bengals (1981-88), earned three Pro Bowl trips and played in two Super Bowls
Melissa Stark (Sideline Reporter)
Spent three seasons as sideline reporter for ABC’s Monday Night Football (2000-02)
Host and reporter with NFL Network since 2011 (including host of Sports Emmy Award-winning NFL 360), and will continue select assignments
After MNF role, spent four years (2003-07) with NBC News, serving as TODAY show national correspondent and newsreader, and MSNBC anchor
Worked three Olympics with NBC Sports (2004, 2006 and 2008)
Prior to joining MNF, served as an ESPN reporter/correspondent on a range of properties and shows, including NFL Countdown
NBC’s Sunday Night Football has been primetime TV’s #1 show for an unprecedented 11 consecutive years.
Black News Channel has won a federal judge’s permission to borrow desperately needed funds from its owner so the troubled media outlet can keep operating while it searches for a buyer.
Bloomberg reports U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen Specie said in a hearing Tuesday she’d let the television network borrow about $1.6 million from an entity affiliated with Shahid Khan, the billionaire who has been financing BNC since 2018. The cash will let BNC keep paying vendors and its few remaining employees while it tries to quickly line up a buyer for the operations.
BNC, a television outlet catering to people of color, was on the precipice of shutting down entirely and selling itself in pieces late last month after running desperately low on funds. The outfit shrank its operations and fired almost all of its employees, many of whom still haven’t been paid for work done just before the bankruptcy, court papers show.
Instead of liquidating, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has since worked to keep operating on a much smaller scale. Just 17 employees remained when it filed for bankruptcy, a fraction of the more than 300 people working for the Tallahassee-based broadcaster six months ago, but BNC in the last week moved to rehire seven employees that’ll help the channel stay on the air, according to court papers.
➦In 1935...'Your Hit Parade' debuted on NBC, as a 60-minute program with 15 songs played in a random format.
Initially, the songs were more important than the singers, so a stable of vocalists went uncredited and were paid only $100 per episode. In 1936-37, it was carried on both NBC and CBS. The first number one song on the first episode was "Soon" by Bing Crosby. The dramatic countdown to the #1 song was adopted several years later, after the show had moved to CBS.
Some years passed before the countdown format was introduced, with the number of songs varying from seven to 15. Vocalists in the 1930s included Buddy Clark, Lanny Ross, Kay Thompson and Bea Wain (1939–44), who was married to the show's announcer, French-born André Baruch. Frank Sinatra joined the show in 1943, and was fired for messing up the No. 1 song, "Don't Fence Me In" by interjecting a mumble to the effect that the song had too many words and missing a cue. One source says his contract was not renewed due to demanding a raise and the show being moved to the West Coast. As he zoomed in popularity he was rehired, returning (1947–49) to co-star with Doris Day.
Hugely popular on CBS through the WWII years, Your Hit Parade returned to NBC in 1947. The show's opening theme, from the musical revue George White's Scandals of 1926, was "This Is Your Lucky Day", with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva, Stephen W. Ballantine and Lew Brown.
Dozens of singers appeared on the radio program, including "Wee" Bonnie Baker, Dorothy Collins, Beryl Davis, Gogo DeLys, Joan Edwards (1941–46), Georgia Gibbs, Dick Haymes, Snooky Lanson, Gisèle MacKenzie, Johnny Mercer, Andy Russell, Dinah Shore, Ginny Simms, Lawrence Tibbett, Martha Tilton, Eileen Wilson, Barry Wood, and occasional guest vocalists. The show featured two tobacco auctioneers, Lee Aubrey "Speed" Riggs of Goldsboro, North Carolina and F.E. Boone of Lexington, Kentucky. The radio series continued until January 16, 1953.
The success of the show spawned a spin-off series, Your All-Time Hit Parade, sponsored by Lucky Strike and devoted to all-time favorites and standards mixed with some current hits.
➦In 1952...the "Big Show" finished a two year run on the NBC Radio Network.
The Big Show was radio 90-minute variety program featuring top-name comics, stage, screen and music talent, and was aimed at keeping American radio in its classic era alive and well against the rapidly growing television tide. For a good portion of its two-year run (November 5, 1950-April 20, 1952), it was hosted by legendary stage actress and personality Tallulah Bankhead,
The Big Show began November 5, 1950 on NBC with a stellar line-up of guests: Fred Allen, Mindy Carson, Jimmy Durante, José Ferrer, Portland Hoffa, Frankie Laine, Russell Knight, Paul Lukas, Ethel Merman, Danny Thomas and Meredith Willson.
The show's success was credited to Bankhead's notorious wit and ad-libbing ability in addition to the show's superior scripting. She had one of the funniest writers in the business on her staff: Goodman Ace, the mastermind of radio's legendary Easy Aces. She included renowned ad-libbers in the show—particularly Fred Allen (he and his longtime sidekick and wife, Portland Hoffa, appeared so often they could have been the show's regular co-hosts) and Groucho Marx, both of whom appeared on the first season's finale and appeared jointly on three other installments.
As Bankhead recorded in her memoirs, she took the show because she needed the money but nearly changed her mind when she feared she'd be little more than a glorified mistress of ceremonies with nothing to do but introduce the feature performers. "Guess what happened?" she continued. "Your heroine emerged from the fracas as the Queen of the Kilocycles. Authorities cried out that Tallulah had redeemed radio. In shepherding my charges through The Big Show, said the critics, I had snatched radio out of the grave. The autopsy was delayed."
➦In 1961…The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved FM stereo broadcasting.
Invented in 1933 by American Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capable of better sound quality than AM broadcasting
In the late 1950s, several systems to add stereo to FM radio were considered by the FCC. Included were systems from 14 proponents including Crosby, Halstead, Electrical and Musical Industries, Ltd (EMI), Zenith, and General Electric. The individual systems were evaluated for their strengths and weaknesses during field tests in Uniontown, Pennsylvania using KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh as the originating station.
The Crosby system was rejected by the FCC because it was incompatible with existing subsidiary communications authorization (SCA) services which used various subcarrier frequencies including 41 and 67 kHz. Many revenue-starved FM stations used SCAs for "storecasting" and other non-broadcast purposes. The Halstead system was rejected due to lack of high frequency stereo separation and reduction in the main channel signal-to-noise ratio.
The GE and Zenith systems, so similar that they were considered theoretically identical, were formally approved by the FCC in April 1961 as the standard stereo FM broadcasting method in the United States and later adopted by most other countries.
➦In 1972...Bertram Lebhar Jr., a retired radio and television station operator, who formerly broad cast sports in NYC under the name of Bert Lee and who was long a leading tournament bridge player, died at age 65.
He gave up a law career to go into radio advertising sales. He got his initial training with the Columbia Broadcasting System, switched to WOR for four and a half years, and for four years was vice president of WMCA. In 1939, he became director of sales for WHN.
Bert Lee, sportscaster (right), broke into sports announcing while at WMCA, when he had to pinch hit for an announcer who was ill. He did one of the earliest New York Rangers hockey broadcasts.
At WHN, doubling as sales director and sportscaster, he did the shows “Warm‐Up Time” and “Sports Extra” before and after the Brooklyn Dodgers’ baseball games.
On his WHN sports program “Today's Baseball,” with Marty Glickman, he gave listeners a play‐by‐play description of the best games of the day—all crowded into a quarter of an hour with sound effects.
He sold the idea of this specially compressed baseball game to a sponsor, not expecting to take part in it himself. But when the sponsor was not satisfied with the work of several announcers who auditioned for the job, he stepped up to the mike to show them how it should be done.
In his enthusiastic play‐by play description of a game he hadn't seen, Bert Lee would draw with such enthusiasm on his vivid imagination that he sometimes ran over his allotted time. When listeners, not interested in sports, sent in letters of complaint, Bertram Lebhar, executive, wrote hack apologies for Bert Lee, sportscaster.
From 1957 to 1964 he was a partner in and general manager of WEAT radio and television station in West Palm Beach. He continued as a part owner until 1966. From 1968 to 1970 he operated radio station WXVI in Riviera Beach, Fla.
➦In 1985...Flashback..From the pages of Radio&Records...
➦In 2011…Ted Quillin died (Born Theodore Quillin: February 17, 1930 in Oklahoma City). He was a radio personality who was one of the original "Swingin' Seven DJ's" who brought rock and roll into its first major market in 1958 at KFWB in Los Angeles. He was in radio for over 60 years.
Ted Quillin
Born in Oklahoma City, Quillin moved to El Paso, Texas where he finished high school and attended Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy now known as UTEP. During this time, while still in high school Ted started his broadcast career at KEPO, an ABC station in El Paso. He started as a ‘gofer’ on a morning show from 6 to 7 AM, before he went to school. He graduated to staff announcer. After that he took a job in Corpus Christi, Texas at KSIX. The program director from KXYZ in Houston heard him, and hired him as a staff announcer. From there he went to WACO in Waco, Texas. Ted moved to KELP which was a Gordon McClendon station, doing top 40. This is where he met Chuck Blore and when Chuck got the call to Hollywood he took Ted with him and Ted became one of the original "Seven Swingin’ Gentlemen", who took Rock and Roll into its first major market, at KFWB. His listeners became known as the "Quiverin' Quillin Clan."
Quillin's years in radio include: KFWB–Hollywood, 1958–61; KRLA–Pasadena, 1962–64; KORK–Las Vegas, 1964–1966, KFI- L.A, 1969; KFOX-Long Beach 1969-71; XPRS-1972, and finally, KORK-Las Vegas, 1972, when he became a permanent resident of Las Vegas.
In 2005 Ted was inducted into the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in Nevada.
Johnny Tillotson is 84
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor George Takei (“Star Trek”) is 85.
Singer Johnny Tillotson is 84.
Actor Ryan O’Neal is 81.
Bluegrass musician Doyle Lawson of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver is 77.
Keyboardist Craig Frost of Grand Funk Railroad is 74.
Carmen Electra is 50
Actor Gregory Itzin (“24″) is 74.
Actor Veronica Cartwright (TV’s “24: Legacy, film’s “Aliens”) is 73.
Actor Jessica Lange is 73.
Actor Clint Howard is 63.
Actor Crispin Glover is 58.
Actor Andy Serkis (“Lord of the Rings”) is 58.
Country singer Wade Hayes is 53.
Actor Shemar Moore (“Criminal Minds”) is 52.
Actor Carmen Electra is 50.
Actor Joey Lawrence (“Blossom,” ″Brotherly Love”) is 46.
Multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook of the Zac Brown Band is 44.
Actor Clayne Crawford (TV’s “Lethal Weapon”) is 44.
Audacy has promoted media veteran André Yancey to assistant brand manager of WXBK 94.7 The Block in New York.
With the move, Yancey transitions from Audacy New York sister station WCBS 101.1 FM, where he has served as executive producer of "Scott Shannon in the Morning” since 2021.
Andre Yancey
“I am so excited to have André on the Block team,” said Skip Dillard, brand manager, 94.7 The Block. “His versatility and passion impress me every day. André understands and demonstrates the energy, content, social and digital finesse needed to cut through the clutter in today's media landscape.”
“I want to thank Skip Dillard for inviting me to join this incredible group,” said Yancey. “We have a great team with Nick Cannon, Shelley Wade and Ed Lover, with more on the way. The Block is a living, breathing organism that's quickly becoming a part of the community's social fabric. I extend gratitude to Chris Oliviero, Jim Ryan, and Scott Shannon for your blessings and support in embarking on this new venture. My time with WCBS-FM has been fulfilling and prosperous, with remarkable moments and milestones.”
Before joining Audacy, Yancey served as creative strategist/content developer, including Carmen's Calls and Nick Cannon Radio. He served as Director of New Media for United Stations Media Networks developed apps for Alice Cooper, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Open House Party, and HardDrive Radio. His radio experience includes stops at 92.3 NOW in New York as personality/producer for the “Rollin’ with Nick Cannon” morning show.
Joseph F. Kahn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning China correspondent who rose to lead the international desk of The New York Times, and then as managing editor helped steer the newspaper into the digital era, has been selected to be The Times’s next executive editor, the top newsroom job.
Kahn, 57, currently the No. 2-ranking editor at The Times, will take on one of the most powerful positions in American media and the global news business. He is to succeed Dean Baquet, whose eight-year tenure is expected to conclude in June.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the publisher of The Times, A.G. Sulzberger.
“For many people, especially those who have worked alongside Joe — a brilliant journalist and a brave and principled leader — this announcement will come as no surprise,” Sulzberger wrote in a memo to the Times staff. “Joe brings impeccable news judgment, a sophisticated understanding of the forces shaping the world and a long track record of helping journalists produce their most ambitious and courageous work.”
In elevating Mr. Kahn, Mr. Sulzberger chose a veteran journalist steeped in the values of traditional newspaper reporting and editing to lead an institution undergoing enormous change. After decades devoted to the “daily miracle” of the print edition, The Times is focused on a digital future and competing for audiences around the world.
Kahn has in recent years spearheaded the paper’s efforts to re-engineer its newsroom for the speed and agility required of modern media. He dismantled the print-focused copy desk, expanded the use of real-time news updates and emphasized visual journalism as much as the written word. He has also led the paper’s international expansion, building out hubs in Europe and Asia.
He succeeds Baquet, whose tenure yielded 18 Pulitzer Prizes for The Times, a stretch punctuated by the political rise of Donald J. Trump and a pandemic that disrupted the globe.
Podcast giant Joe Rogan offered his support to Elon Musk as the Tesla CEO continues his battle to take over Twitter, reports Fox News.
There has been a cultural firestorm ever since Musk revealed he bought over 9% stake of Twitter, Inc., which was later followed by an offer to buy the entire company for $43 billion after declining a seat on Twitter's board of directors, which last week adopted a "poison pill" to block his efforts.
Musk's advocacy to turn Twitter into a true free speech platform has sparked praise among conservatives while members of the legacy media have decried the prospects of the outspoken billionaire taking over the tech giant, advocating for "content moderation" which Musk backers say is calling for censorship.
On Saturday's installment of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Rogan suggested Musk was among the "powerful leaders" Americans turn to for guidance.
"That’s why, me included, everyone is so excited that Elon Musk is trying to buy Twitter," Rogan said. "We’re like, ‘Yes! The great one!'"
"He's the super-intelligent leader-type character that seems to have great ethics and morals too," the podcast host continued. "And he seems to be, like, a guy that if you had a movie character, and the movie character was like this super billionaire who didn’t give a f---, but he was super f---ing smart, and he's really, genuinely working to save humanity, that’s that guy."
"Real Time" host Bill Maher similarly cheered on Musk's moves towards Twitter, exclaiming "I'm for it!"
"We live in a different age where Twitter is the public square now. If you deny someone's right to speak on Twitter, you're basically saying you don't have free speech rights," Maher said earlier this month. "We're not living in 1980 anymore. This is a different world we live in where social media controls this. So social media is sort of a… it's living in a space that's not exactly a publication, but it's not exactly a private company either… That's why it's so tricky."
However, members of the legacy media have had a collective meltdown over Musk's latest aspiration.
Among the most outspoken are the staff of The Washington Post, which is notably owned by fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed Frank Bell as the new morning host on Salt Lake City AC station, B98.7/KBEE-FM.
A Salt Lake City market veteran, Bell has been sharing his life and entertaining Utah audiences for decades, most recently as weekend host for B98.7. He was also a part of the KBEE-FM lineup in the 90s. Since that time, Bell has been heard on many FM stations across Utah, including Salt Lake City stations KODJ, KRSP and KSFI.
Patrick Reedy, Regional Vice President//Market Manager, Cumulus Salt Lake City, said: “A proven professional, Frank Bell is instantly recognizable to Salt Lake City audiences. We’re extremely excited to add him to our team.”
Chris Hoffman, Operations Manager, Cumulus Salt Lake City, and Program Director, KBEE-FM, commented: “Frank Bell is the perfect choice to join B98.7. His smile jumps out of the speakers – You can’t help but be in a good mood when you listen to him.”
Frank Bell remarked: “B98.7 is a historic Salt Lake City station. To be a part of such a rich radio history and begin a new chapter helping people start their day, truly is an honor.”
La Mega Media and Steel City Media have partnered to bring the first Spanish language radio station to serve the growing Hispanic community in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. La Mega Media already has well-established radio stations in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio.
The company's newest station will join the print and digital products already in Pittsburgh. La Mega Nota is an award-winning monthly people's gazette in Spanish with entertainment, culture, and news. Its website, www.lamegapittsburgh.com, features national, international, and local news by the hour in Spanish, which also serves as the website for the new radio station La Mega Pittsburgh. Listeners can download the mobile app LaMega1 to access music and news.
The Hispanic population in Allegheny County has exploded over the past decade, from 19,000 to nearly 47,000 adults 18+. This fast-growing segment of the population will, for the first time ever, have a Hispanic-owned, multifaceted media company to reflect its prerogatives and serve as a bridge to businesses and institutions with the vision and savvy to reach this population of 80,000 for western Pensilvannia.
Together with existing organizations like the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, La Mega Media's goal is to be the primary resource for trusted and reliable information for the community it serves and support the development of Hispanic owned businesses.
Steel City Media is a Pittsburgh based multimedia and digital company with market leading radio stations in Kansas City and Pittsburgh.
The Rural Oklahoma Networks, a subsidiary of Hilliary Media Group, LLC, has acquired the rights for radio news and weather content from Griffin Media and their top-rated television stations, Oklahoma’s Own News 9 in Oklahoma City and News On 6 in Tulsa.
The Radio Oklahoma News Network news team will have the ability to use audio news in their reports from News 9 and News On 6.
Griffin’s weather products will also be part of the network and will consist of radio weathercasts throughout the day from the News 9 and News On 6 Oklahoma Weather Experts providing weathercasts on radio stations throughout the State of Oklahoma.
“We are very pleased to provide our family of great radio stations across our state Oklahoma News and Weather and to partner once again with Griffin News,” said Tim West, Rural Oklahoma Networks General Manager.
The news and weather networks will join the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network with Hall of Fame farm broadcaster Ron Hays, newly named Farm Director KC Sheperd and Operations Director Dave Lanning in providing rural Oklahoma radio stations the very best radio products for News, Weather, Ag News, Energy News and Capital news.
The news product is scheduled to begin May 2, 2022.
Russian forces have launched an all-out assault on 300 miles of territory near its border in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian sources. The attack in the region known as the Donbas follows a series of missile and artillery strikes aimed at targets scattered around Ukraine.
Russian forces have attacked along a broad front in eastern Ukraine as part of a full-scale ground offensive to take control of the country’s industrial heartland. Moscow also has continued to blockade and shell Mariupol and fire missiles at other cities. https://t.co/iEYyzwjxRO
Intense fighting continues in Mariupol, where a couple of thousand Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold off a Russian assault on that city.
#Ukraine: Ukrainian army forces shelling a building used by #Russia-n forces with artillery. The soldiers can be seen fleeing, several soldiers had been killed and some captured. Donetsk region. pic.twitter.com/7JaoktF6g7
More than 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the war began, according to the United Nations.
🛫JUDGE STRIKES MASK MANDATE: A federal judge in Florida has struck down the Biden administration’s mandate that passengers wear masks on planes, trains and public buses. Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the mask rule exceeded the statutory authority of the Centers for Disease Control. The White House said that the ban will no longer be enforced as a result of the ruling.
Plane applauded as the stewardess announced the end of the mandate. She broke into tears as she got to take off her mask for the first time in 2 years 😭 pic.twitter.com/WlCpZk30QM
➤MALL SHOOTING SUSPECT ARRESTED: Police have arrested a second suspect and are seeking a third man in connection with the mass shooting at a Columbia, South Carolina, mall that injured 15 people. Police said yesterday that they believe the motive for the shooting was a dispute among the suspects. All of the victims survived.
➤FORECAST FOR GLOBAL GROWTH LOWERED: The World Bank has slashed its forecast for global economic growth this year from 4.1 percent to 3.2 percent. The organization cited overlapping crises including the war in Ukraine, inflation, and the lingering effects of the Covid pandemic.
MSNBC under fire over lack of Rachel Maddow succession plan as network has ‘no remotely comparable talents’ https://t.co/ZtAN60KfCF
➤BURIED IN SPAM: If you think you’re getting more spam text messages than you used to, you’re right. The average American received 42 spam text messages in March alone, according to Axios. In fact, we’re being hit with more spam from every direction. Spam emails and phone calls also rose during the pandemic, taking advantage of our increased reliance on devices. Many of the spam operators are running scams of various kinds.
STUDY...YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW BICKERS WITH YOU DUE TO EVOLUTION: If you bicker with your mother-in-law it might not be your fault. Arizona State University researchers polled over 300 people about their relationships with their parents, children, and in-laws. They found participants were more likely to report poorer relationships with their mother-in-law compared to their genetic mother, and mothers reported having slightly less conflict with their daughters than with their child’s spouse. Another findings: fathers got along better with their daughter-in-law than their genetic daughter. Financial resources and childcare were the most common reasons for arguments between mother-in-laws and daughters-in-law, and researchers note this is “striking” because both are “central to long-term reproductive success as resources and time and effort spent on kin care are finite.” Researchers add that arguments with in-laws are likely “influenced by genetic conflict,” as each person “unconsciously act[s] in the interest of their genetic kin.” The scientists also say that fathers may get along better with their daughter-in-law than their genetic daughters because the father-daughter relationship may experience strain when the daughter enters a new relationship, but the strain may lessen over time if the father believes her partner strengthens the family unit.
Charles Payne rips claim student loan debt cancellation is 'racial justice': 'The whole thing is a sham' https://t.co/m8naKsYFQ0
➤DINING OUT IS GETTING PRICEY: Menu prices at restaurants increased an average 6.9 percent nationwide over the past year, according to the American Restaurant Association. That’s the biggest annual increase since 1981. Fast-food restaurant costs rose even more, by an average eight percent. Higher food and labor prices are blamed.
➤STUDY...AMERICAN MEN’S PENISES ARE THE 59TH BIGGEST IN THE WORLD: American men fall in 59th place in terms of penis length, compared to men from across the globe. Online pharmacy From Mars analyzed Google data from 86 different countries to come up with the findings. Their data shows that men in Ecuador have the longest average erect penis length at 6.93 inches, followed by Cameroon (6.56 inches), Bolivia (6.5 inches), Sudan (6.48 inches), and Haiti (6.3 inches). The US came in 56th place with 5.35 inches (just below India with 5.4 inches, and just above Japan with 5.34 inches), while Taiwan came in 85th place with 4.24 inches, and Cambodia came in last place (86th) with 2.95 inches.
🏈RECORD PAYDAY FOR DENZEL WARD:Denzel Ward has reached a deal for a record-breaking $100.5 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns, according to a report on ESPN. That makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Ward just finished his fourth season with the Browns.
🏈BROWNS GRAB TWO FREE AGENTS: Defensive end Stephen Weatherly signed with the Cleveland Browns and defensive tackle Sheldon Day re-signed with them, the team has announced. Both players became unrestricted free agents a month ago.
🏀CELTICS’ SMART GETS TOP NBA ACCOLADE: The Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. He’s the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics got it in the 1995-1996 season.
🏈COMMANDERS DENY POCKETING CASH DUE TO NFL: The Washington Commanders are flatly denying an allegation that they pocketed $5 million in security deposits from season ticket holders instead of returning it. Worse yet, the money wasn’t shared with the NFL under its revenue-sharing agreement. A whistle-blower made the allegations to a Congressional committee, which reported the matter to the Federal Trade Commission.
🏒NCAA HOCKEY STAR BANNED FOR DOPING VIOLATION: Dryden McKay, this year’s winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player, has accepted a six-month ban from competition, according to ESPN. A drug test turned up one trillionths of a gram of a banned muscle growth drug. The Minnesota State player says it might have come from a vitamin supplement he was taking. The ban was imposed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday (April 18th):
Toronto Raptors 97, Philadelphia 76ers 112 (Philadelphia leads 2-0)
Denver Nuggets 106, Golden State Warriors 126 (Warriors lead 2-0)
Apollo Global Management Inc. is considering participating in a bid for Twitter Inc., according to The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter, after Elon Musk’s $43 billion bid put the social-media company in play.
Apollo, one of the world’s largest buyout firms, has held discussions about backing a possible deal for Twitter and could provide Musk or another bidder like private-equity firm Thoma Bravo LP with equity or debt to support an offer, the people said.
Apollo, which owns Yahoo and Cox Media Group, has also been evaluating potential cooperation between the online-media company and Twitter, the people said. There is no guarantee Twitter would be receptive to that, or any other deal.
Twitter is expected to rebuff Mr. Musk’s offer in the coming days, some of the people said. The company is set to report earnings April 28 and may detail its stance then.
Either way, Apollo’s interest adds to a list of Wall Street heavyweights, including Morgan Stanley, lined up to support a deal for Twitter, which despite the popularity of its platform has struggled to grow.
There is no guarantee any private-equity firm will end up making a firm bid, whether for the entire company or just a portion, and there may well be no deal in the end—with Mr. Musk or anyone else.
Taking Twitter private would rank as one of the largest leveraged buyouts of all time, and the company doesn’t have the attributes of a typical LBO target like strong, stable cash flow.
New York-based Apollo is a private-equity and lending behemoth with roughly $500 billion under management, known for buying companies in a range of sectors including media and for its big insurance arm. The firm often invests across a company’s capital structure, providing preferred equity or debt, in addition to doing straightforward buyouts.
Meanwhile, Mr. Musk has continued trolling Twitter on its own platform. On Saturday, he tweeted, “Love Me Tender” with music note emojis, in an apparent reference to Elvis Presley’s hit song. Many viewed it as Mr. Musk signaling his intent to launch a direct appeal to Twitter’s shareholders in the form of a tender offer. If he goes that route, shareholders would have the option to tender their shares at his offer price.
Megyn Kelly said she considered moving to CNN from Fox News after then-network boss Jeff Zucker made what she described as a “huge offer,” reports The NY Post.
Kelly, who now hosts “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast, said she ultimately decided against taking the offer because she didn’t think she would be able to bring her Fox News fan base over to the left-leaning network.
She made the comment during an interview on Friday with conservative commentator Buck Sexton.
Kelly recalled that when she departed Fox News in 2017, she seriously mulled jumping ship to rival CNN.
“I considered going to CNN,” according to Kelly. “CNN made me a huge offer. Huge.”
Kelly instead opted to sign on with NBC News, where she hosted a morning talk show that ended up getting canceled due to low ratings and controversy.
“I said no, Buck, because I knew: Who is my fanbase going to be over there? I knew who my fans were and I knew that my Fox viewers were not going to follow me to CNN and that the CNN viewers were going to hate my guts,” she said
Kelly said Chris Wallace, who departed Fox News for a show on CNN+, the fledgling streaming service that has drawn very few subscribers, is “suffering from that very problem right now.”
She said she was surprised that Wallace left Fox News because he managed to earn a substantial, multimillion-dollar annual salary even though “he was in last place [in the ratings] every week, every year, every month.”
“He was always in last, and they still paid him,” Kelly said of Wallace and her former bosses at Fox News.
Kelly also lambasted CNN executives for conceiving of the idea of CNN+ in the first place.
“Who is the moron at CNN who actually thought, ‘You know what we need with our ratings in the toilet? More of us. We need more CNN,’” Kelly said.
Sexton echoed the sentiment, adding: “I do love all of the jokes about how while Elon [Musk] is offering to buy Twitter for tens of billions, there are lots of people out there right now who are willing to buy CNN+ for tens of dollars.”
