Trump to Experience Joe Rogan Today

Donald Trump is making a much anticipated stop at the Austin studio for the nation’s No. 1 podcaster, with a taping scheduled for Friday that could air as soon as Saturday. The visit to “The Joe Rogan Experience” is part of his final push to reach voters just over a week ahead of the election

Vice President Kamala Harris’s camp has also been in discussions to come on the show, but an appearance looks increasingly unlikely, with sticking points including the location and timing, according to The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the talks.

Podcasts are wielding unprecedented power in this election, as the biggest names in the medium prove they can deliver audiences that rival or even surpass the viewership of network or cable news.

A slot on Rogan’s show—which regularly draws 15 million listeners across platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, including a lot of young men—became increasingly attractive to both campaigns in recent weeks as they duke it out in battleground states for undecided votes in a close race. 

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are both on media blitzes—but they are different from previous presidential campaigns. Here is how each candidate is using podcasts to reach niche audiences. Photo Illustration: Alexandra Larkin

Trump has opened a narrow lead in the race, according to a Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. 

The former president’s challenge appears to be in motivating the young men who lean toward him to come out and vote. Harris has run stronger with women, and has been looking for nontraditional ways to reach younger men and peel some away from Trump.

“In an election where a lot of undecided voters are younger, it’s imperative to reach them where they are,” said Ben Leiner, a lecturer on media, technology and democracy at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. The sheer volume of interviews in these final weeks reflects the candidates’ need to break through, particularly with younger voters whose worldviews might be more influenced by their trusted fitness podcaster than by mainstream media.

More than half of Americans now consume at least one podcast a month, according to new data from industry advisory and data tracker Sounds Profitable.

Rogan’s show features candid conversations with celebrities, athletes, politicians, scientists, executives, comedians and others. They often last three hours or more.

Longtime Dodgers Radio Voice To Miss The World Series

Charley Steiner

As the Yankees and Dodgers are set to play in the World Series, an announcer with ties to both teams has received some great news. Longtime broadcaster Charley Steiner revealed to Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke that his multiple myeloma blood cancer — which he had not previously disclosed — is in remission.

“Remission is a beautiful word,” Steiner told the outlet. “Monday was one of those days where it was like, OK, we’re good.”

Steiner, 75, has called Dodgers games on the radio since 2005. He has also filled in on TV on dates when Scully and his successor, Joe Davis, were out.

Previously, Steiner called Yankees games with John Sterling for three years on the radio after Michael Kay became the team’s TV announcer. Before that, Steiner spent over a decade as a “SportsCenter” anchor and boxing analyst at ESPN, according to The NY Post.

Steiner has missed the last year of Dodgers broadcasts but had not previously revealed his cancer battle. With the recent good news, the expectation is he’ll be ready to return to the Dodgers’ booth next season.

Steiner said that he has been wheelchair-bound, lost 50 pounds and has had what the story described as “constant debilitating lower back pain.”

“It’s been really weird and tough watching the Dodgers and the Yankees,” Steiner said. “I broadcast both of them, yet I can’t do either of them.”

Steiner said his back pain started last November and that he was ultimately diagnosed with cancer in January..

R.I.P.: Grammy Singer Jack Jones, Best Known For The Love Boat Theme

Jack Jones, the crooner who beguiled concert fans and stage, screen and television audiences for decades with romantic ballads and gentle jazz tunes that even in large venues often achieved the intimacy of his celebrated nightclub performances, died on Wednesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

He was 86, according to The NY Times. His wife, Eleonora Jones, said the cause of his death, in a hospital, was leukemia.

While his popularity peaked in the 1960s, Mr. Jones found a new audience in later years singing the theme to the hit television show “The Love Boat.” 

But even then he seemed always to have stepped out of an earlier generation, one that dressed in tuxedos for the songs of Tin Pan Alley and reminded America of its love affairs with the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen.

He won two Grammy Awards and recorded numerous albums of American Songbook favorites that hit the upper reaches of Billboard’s charts on the strength of his smooth vocal interpretations. He performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the White House and the London Palladium, and for more than 60 years drew crowds to cabarets and nightclubs around the world.

He recorded dozens of albums n the Kapp label, including “Dear Heart,” “Shall We Dance,” “She Loves Me,” “Call Me Irresponsible,” “I’ve Got a Lot of Livin’ to Do” and “The Jack Jones Christmas Album.” He won Grammy Awards for best solo male vocal performance for “Lollipops and Roses” in 1962 and “Wives and Lovers” in 1964.

Mr. Jones reached No. 1 on the Billboard easy listening chart with “The Impossible Dream” (1966) and “Lady” (1967). He was a staple on television variety shows hosted by Dinah Shore, Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Carol Burnett, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Judy Garland and Steve Allen. And millions more heard him when they tuned into “The Love Boat” on ABC from 1977 through 1985. (He was replaced by Dionne Warwick for the show’s last season.)

TV Ratings: 3.3M Watched CNN's Harris Town Hall

 CNN‘s Town Hall with Kamala Harris drew 3.33 million viewers, beating its cable news rivals in the 9 p.m. ET slot and topping cable overall, according to Deadline citing Nielsen figures from CNN..

That figure is still well below the 7.8 million who watched Fox News’ Bret Baier’s sit-down with Harris last week on the network’s Special Report.

In the time period, the event edged out Fox News, which drew 3.23 million with Hannity, and MSNBC, which drew 1.33 million with Alex Wagner Tonight.

In the 25-54 demo, the town hall drew 744,000, compared to 423,000 for Fox News and 155,000 for MSNBC.

The CNN town hall also ranked ahead of other port-primary Harris and Trump town halls, and topped any single candidate town hall all year among the 25-54 demo.

Report Shows Local News Deserts Expanding

The number of local news deserts expanded in the U.S. this year with 127 newspapers shuttering, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited to no access to local news, according to the Medill State of Local News Report 2024 released this week.

Medill researchers also discovered some reasons for optimism in their annual study of local news outlets: There’s been a net increase of more than 80 stand-alone local digital news sites in the past year.

For the third consecutive year, the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, conducted a nationwide, county-by-county study of local news outlets to help quantify trends in the fast-changing local media landscape.

To Enlarge: Right Click, then Click Magnify Image

This year’s report is the most comprehensive undertaken by Medill, with the research including the growing number of national network news sites providing local coverage. The Medill database includes newspapers, digital-only local sites, ethnic media and public radio stations providing original local reporting.

Key findings from the Medill study:

• The nation has lost more than one-third of its newspapers since 2005. With 127 newspapers closing in the past 12 months — nearly two and a half per week — the U.S. has now seen a decline of 3,300 since 2005 as of September. The pace of newspaper closures did not slow appreciably in the past year.
• As a result of those losses, the number of news desert counties rose to 208 this year from 204 in 2023. News deserts are counties without any locally based source of local news. In addition, the number of counties with only one news source rose to 1,563. Taken together, those counties include nearly 55 million people with limited or no access to local news. More than half of the nation’s 3,143 counties have little to no local news.
• More than 7,000 newspaper jobs vanished between 2022 and 2023, compared to a few hundred the year before.
• The number of newspaper mergers and acquisitions skyrocketed 43% this year, with 258 papers changing hands in 75 transactions. Smaller and newer chains, including Carpenter Media Group, are leading the acquisition surge.
• Using predictive modeling developed by the school’s Spiegel Research Center, the Medill team substantially increased the number of counties on its “Watch List” — those at high risk of losing local news — to 279 from 228 last year. That’s a 22% percent rise.
• For the first time, Medill tallied the growing number of national networks providing original local reporting. Researchers counted 740 network digital sites, but none of them are covering previous news desert counties.
• There’s been a net increase of 81 stand-alone local digital news sites, the biggest one-year gain in recent years. About one-third of them are less than five years old. That gain, however, includes 30 newspapers that converted from print to digital. Nearly 90% of them are in metro areas, not in hard-hit rural counties.
• For the second consecutive year, Medill mapped every local news startup in the U.S. And the Medill Local News Initiative identified 12 “Bright Spots” news outlets that are showing promise after receiving more than 60 nominations for that designation. The Bright Spots map was developed with support from Microsoft.

“This research shows that the crisis in local news is deepening, and fewer Americans have access to news they need about their communities to be informed citizens,” said Tim Franklin, director of the Medill Local News Initiative and John M. Mutz Chair in Local News. “At the same, this report includes glimmers of hope in the growing number of local digital news sites across the country.”

Cleveland Radio: State Athletics Expands Broadcasts With iHM

Cleveland State Athletics has  announced an expanded multi-year partnership with iHeartMedia Cleveland as the official broadcast partner for Cleveland State basketball. The agreement covers all men's basketball regular season and postseason games as well as an expanded selection of women's basketball regular season and postseason games. iHeartMedia will also carry coaches show broadcasts which provide fans an inside look at both programs.

📻Fox Sports 1350 AM will continue as the flagship home for Cleveland State game broadcasts. Select games will also be broadcast on WTAM 1100 AM. WTAM serves as the flagship station for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians and boasts the largest signal strength of any station in the greater Cleveland market.

 
The coaches show broadcasts begin on Monday, October 28 with the first episode of the Women's Basketball Radio Show, live from the fifth floor Viking Loge inside the Wolstein Center. The Coach Robinson Show kicks off the next night on Tuesday, October 29 at Viking Public House.

Savannah Radio: Rock I-95 Raising Funds For Breast Cancer Charity

Cumulus Media announces that I-95, The Rock of Savannah (WIXV-FM) partnered with Savannah Harley-Davidson and the Savannah H.O.G. Chapter for the 4th Annual Savannah Harley-Davidson SAVE THE TA-TAS Poker Run. 

The event was held on Saturday, October 19th, and brought in $6,200 for Margie’s Army Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for and empowering women in their fight against breast cancer and raising awareness about the significance of knowing their breast density.

Billie Marshall, On-Air Host, “Bad Ass Rock Show,” heard weekdays from 3:00-7:00pm on I-95, was emcee for the annual community fundraiser. Over 120 motorcycle riders registered for the charitable event, representing a nearly 50% increase in participants from last year’s Poker Run. Participants enjoyed music, food, a silent auction, and door prizes – including a prize for the best-dressed participant in pink.

Billie Marshall said: "Not only is it an honor to help Savannah Harley-Davidson and Savannah H.O.G. Chapter raise money for a foundation educating women about their breast density for early detection, but it's also always fun! We can't wait for the 5th annual run, to be held on October 18th, 2025!"

📻For more information or to stream I-95, The Rock of Savannah, visit: https://www.i95savannah.com/.

R.I.P.: Rob Dempsey, 30-Year Greenville SC Radio Veteran

R.I.P. Rob Dempsey

Rob Dempsey, a 30-year veteran of the radio industry, died on Wednesday evening. The morning radio show host had been hosting Rob and Lizz in the Morning on WLFJ HIS Radio. His passing was announced on the air on Thursday morning. Dempsey reportedly passed away following a battle with bladder cancer.

"It’s a sad day in local radio… Rob Dempsey (from His Radio 89.3 FM) was called home to Heaven last night following a battle with cancer. He used his platform to serve the Lord & share the Gospel. Praying for his family, friends, colleagues, & all who knew him," the announcement read.

Dempsey died after 24 years with the station, serving as both a host and a program director. His death was announced on Thursday morning by his co-hosts on the Rob and Lizz in the Morning show.

Dempsey's cause of death was reportedly linked to his recent disclosure of cancer. On October 15, Rob took to his Facebook page to share the news of his diagnosis with fans: "A big thank you to all who have been praying for me. I saw the report today. I have bladder cancer, and it looks aggressive."

Sadly, just over a week after his public announcement, Rob was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment where he went into cardiac arrest, ultimately passing away.

R.I.P.: Tom Jarriel, Former ABC News Correspondent, Anchor

Tom Jarriel, a former correspondent and anchor for ABC News, has died, his family announced Thursday. He was 89.

Born in Georgia, Jarriel grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1958, he launched his career in broadcast journalism at Houston's KPRC.

Former ABC News correspondent and anchor, Tom Jarriel has died at the age of 89. A fixture at the network for nearly four decades, Jarriel gained national attention for his coverage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. @DavidMuir reports. https://t.co/ah6mqhNVV8 pic.twitter.com/1awVU8JFEG

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) October 25, 2024

Jarriel joined ABC News in 1965 and quickly gained national attention for his coverage of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By 1969, he was elevated to Chief White House Correspondent, covering both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

The year 1979 proved a pivotal year in Jarriel's career, being named anchor of ABC’s Weekend Report, along with joining ABC’s fledgling, primetime news magazine, "20/20."

Over the more than two decades at "20/20," his impactful reporting earned him numerous accolades, including six Emmy awards, before his retirement in 2002.

Radio History: Oct 25

➦In 1937...The soap opera "Stella Dallas" made its debut on WEAF in New York City.

It aired until December 23, 1955. The New York Times described the title character as "the beautiful daughter of an impoverished farmhand who had married above her station in life."

She was played for the entire run of the series by Anne Elstner (1902–1982). Her husband Stephen Dallas was portrayed by various actors.  The series was created and produced by the husband and wife team of Frank and Anne Hummert, based on the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty. The 15-minute drama began on October 25, 1937, as a local show on WEAF in New York City, in the wake of the successful movie version starring Barbara Stanwyck, and it was picked up by the NBC Radio network beginning June 6, 1938, running weekday afternoons.

➦In 1959...Chicago-based announcer & host Bob Murphy (not to be confused with sportscaster Bob Murphy) died at age 42.  He was best known nationally for his announcing & substitute hosting on Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club on ABC Radio.

➦In 1984...The summer ratings book…

Los Angeles – KIIS-FM (top-40) gets a 10.0 share. Rival KKHR is up to a 3.0. Talk KABC is up to a 7.9. Easy JOI – 4.4 and Easy KBIG – 4.1. Rock KLOS down to a 3.5 from a 3.9. Nostalgia KMPC at a 3.4 and AC KOST gets a 2.7. Rock KMET is at a #.1, All news KNX and  KFWB are tied at a 2.9.  A/C KFI is up to a 1.8 from a 1.4. KHTZ is at a 2.0.

New York – WHTZ – 6.6 and rival WPLJ – 5.3.  WRKS gets a 5.4. WOR – 4.7. WINS – 4.4 and Easy WRFM – 3.7. Urban WBLS at a 3.5. WBLS is the “Quiet Storm” at night. WKTU – 3.1. WNBC – 3.0 and Country WHN – 2.9. WNEW AM and WNEW-FM both at a 3.1. WLTW and WYNY are tied at a 2.8. WABC gets a 2.6. WAPP – 2.4 and WMCA – 1.5

Chicago – Top-4- WBBM FM – 5.0. WGN-AM – 11.4 share. Easy WLOO – 6.8.

Boston – Rock WBCN – 8.6. A/C WHDH – 8.4. Top-40 WXKS – 7.5. WBZ – 7.4. Top-40 WHTT – 6.6. Talk WRKO – 4.7

➦In 1984...CKLW Windsor/Detroit switched to a nostalgia music format.

Out was long-time music director Rosalie Trombley who served in that capacity since CKLW’s influential heyday in the ‘60’s. In the summer ratings book, CKLW dropped again, from a 1.2 to a .7.

Many believe that CKLW started to decline in popularity after Canadian content regulations went into effect. Although having to play some "CanCon" songs that generated little in the way of sales put the station at a competitive disadvantage compared to its U.S.-based competition, CKLW still managed to help break a number of Canadian songs and artists in the United States.

Just as, if not more, responsible for the decline in CKLW's ratings as the 1970s wore on was the rise of FM radio as an outlet for contemporary music, as the station gained a direct FM Top 40 competitor, WDRQ, in 1972, and its listening audience was also fragmented between album oriented rock outlets such as WWWW, WRIF and WABX and adult contemporary stations like WNIC and WMJC.

DOJ Warns Elon Musk About Million-Dollar Handouts

The Justice Department has warned tech billionaire Elon Musk and his pro-Trump political action committee that its $1 million daily handouts to registered voters in swing states may violate federal election law, media outlets reported Wednesday.

The department’s public integrity section, which investigates potential election-related law violations, sent the letter to Musk’s America PAC "in recent days," according to CNN.

The Justice Department declined to comment in response to requests from USA TODAY. Musk did not respond to a request for comment sent to him on X, his social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

In recent weeks Musk has very publicly thrown his support – and his money – behind Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, adding the $1 million daily lottery last weekend.

Musk has defended what he said are random giveaways in a post on X, saying those eligible for the $1 million prizes "do not need to register as Republicans or vote in the Nov. 5 election.

But his PAC’s online petition offering the money says that those eligible must pledge to support the Second Amendment, a political shorthand for anti-gun control measures that are favored by Trump and opposed by his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Our goal is to get 1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the Constitution, especially freedom of speech and the right to bear arms,” it says. It also provides links to online voter registration forms in the eligible states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

So far, Musk has not publicly addressed the potential legal problem of only opening the lottery to registered voters.

TV Ratings: Harris Interview Drives Fox To Weekly Win

During the week of October 14 - 20th, FOX News Channel (FNC) led all of cable television with total day viewers for the 41st consecutive week powered by Special Report’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. In primetime (8-11 PM/ET), FNC earned 2.6 million viewers and 331,000 in the 25-54 demo, commanding all of cable news with viewers. In total day (6AM-6AM/ET), FNC posted 1.6 million viewers and 209,000 in the 25-54 demo. 

Powered by its exclusive with Vice President Kamala Harris, Special Report saw a 53% increase with viewers and 63% increase with A25-54 compared to same period last year. The interview was the second most-watched telecast in cable TV for the week behind Monday Night Football. Additionally, FNC secured 81 of the top 100 telecasts in cable news.

Looking solely at the news networks, the vice president’s interview did give Fox News a win as it was the only network to post week-to-week gains in both measured categories during primetime and total day. Meanwhile, CNN was the only network to see across the board declines during both dayparts.

Nielsen live plus same-day data for the week of October 14 saw FNC average 2.619 million total viewers and 331,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up in total viewers by +5% and +10% in the A25-54 demo relative to the week prior. 

Fox News averaged 1.630 million total viewers and 209,000 A25-54 viewers in total day viewing for week-to-week gains of +4% in both measured categories. Among all basic cable networks, Fox News held on to the No. 2 spot behind ESPN in total primetime viewers, and remained in fourth place in the primetime demo.

MSNBC’s primetime lineup averaged 1.277 million total viewers and 134,000 A25-54 viewers, for gains of +3% in both categories relative to the week prior. Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC dropped from fourth to fifth in total primetime viewers and climbed from 10th to eighth in the demo. During total day, it was the No. 2 network in total viewers and No. 5 position in the demo. 

CNN averaged 622,000 total viewers and 117,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. That translates to week-to-week declines of -19% and -28%, respectively. On the basic cable standings, CNN slid from sixth to seventh place with total viewers in primetime and from No. 9 to No. 11 in the primetime demo.

Fox News occupied 12 of the 15 spots of the most-watched cable news shows of the week in total viewers, with The Five (3.645 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET) remaining in the top spot. MSNBC occupied the remaining spots, with Deadline: White House with Nicole Wallace (1.715 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET).

FOX News Channel’s (FNC) Special Report with Bret Baier delivered 7.8 million viewers and 1,126,000 in the 25-54 demo during anchor Bret Baier’s exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris from 6 – 6:30 PM/ET on October 16th. The interview was the highest rated of the Harris-Trump political season and delivered the highest rated non-prime interview in the history of cable news, outrating Harris’s appearances on 60 Minutes, The View, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CNN and MSNBC. Combined with the show’s midnight airing (6-6:30 PM/ET and 12-12:30 AM/ET), Special Report’s interview with Vice President Harris nabbed 9.2 million viewers and 1.4 million in the 25-54 demo, beating ABC’s interview with President Biden before he dropped out of the race (8.5 million viewers).

FNC’s The Faulkner Focus’ women’s issues town hall with former President Donald Trump in Georgia on Wednesday hosted by Harris Faulkner, nabbed 3.1 million viewers and 440,000 in the 25-54 demo, leading the cable news competition combined in its timeslot. This marked the show’s second highest-rated show since launch and surpassed the cable news competition combined across all categories. For the full week, The Faulkner Focus averaged over 2.1 million viewers marking a 24% increase in viewers compared to the prior year.

For the week, The Five averaged 3.6 million viewers and 353,000 in the 25-54 demo. At 6 PM/ET, Special Report with Bret Baier drew 3.5 million viewers and 420,000 in the 25-54 demo. The Ingraham Angle saw 3 million viewers and 363,000 in the 25-54 demo at 7 PM/ET. At 8 PM/ET, Jesse Watters Primetime delivered 3.6 million viewers and 477,000 in the 25-54 demo, making it the top show in cable news across in the 25-54 demo. At 9 PM/ET, Hannity posted 3.1 million viewers and 416,000 with A25-54. At 11 PM/ET, FOX News @ Night secured 1.7 million viewers and 266,000 in the 25-54 demo.

FOX News Channel’s Gutfeld! continued to lead all late-night television across the board. For the week, Gutfeld! averaged 3 million viewers and 415,000 in the 25-54 demo, topping CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2.1 million P2+; 351,000 A25-54) and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.8 million P2+; 340,000 A25-54).

FNC also saw a number of its daytime programs outrank the broadcast competition. Most notably, Harris Faulkner’s The Faulkner Focus (weekdays, 11 AM/ET; 2,120,000 P2+), Outnumbered (weekdays, 12 PM/ET; 2,109,000 P2+), America’s Newsroom with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer (weekdays, 9-11 AM/ET; 1,860,000 P2+), America Reports with Sandra Smith and John Roberts (weekdays, 1-3 PM/ET; 1,850,000) and The Story with Martha MacCallum (weekdays, 3 PM/ET; 1,750,000 P2+) all outpaced NBC’s Today with Hoda and Jenna (1,383,000 P2+) and ABC’s GMA3 (1,330,000 P2+).

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD. Week of 10-14-24 ratings data. Average audience for cable news networks Monday-Sunday based on Total Day and Prime (6a-6a, 8P-11P), P2+, P25-54, P18-49. Cable News/Broadcast Program averages exclude repeats and include the corresponding program name. 

Harris Promises 'New Generation' Of Leadership

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris told a town hall in Pennsylvania on Wednesday her administration would be different from that of President Joe Biden's, as Republican Donald Trump campaigned in Georgia, another battleground state.

Reuters reports Harris's attempt to distance herself from Biden comes as several polls show the president is a drag on her candidacy and that voters are eager for a new direction with less than two weeks to go until the Nov. 5 election.

Harris has mostly brushed off questions on the campaign trail over how – and to what extent – she would break from Biden on policy.

"My administration will not be a continuation of the Biden administration," Harris said during a televised CNN town hall. "I bring to this role my own ideas and my own experience. I represent a new generation of leadership on a number of issues and believe that we have to actually take new approaches."

Harris's town hall in Chester Township was an attempt to persuade the dwindling number of undecided voters to support her in a closely divided race where even a small percentage of votes could be critical.

Fielding several questions from attendees, Harris vowed to tackle high grocery prices, said it was time to end the war in the Middle East and called Trump a fascist and "danger to the well-being and safety of America."

The vice president also tackled questions on her changing position on policies such as fracking, saying she does not believe in having "pride associated with a position" when the important thing is to build consensus on issues.

CNN Staffer Operated Drone Which Crashed Injuring Celtics Fans

The drone that crashed at the banner night Boston Celtics watch party at City Hall Plaza, injuring fans and sending one to the hospital, was being operated by a CNN employee.

The Boston Herald reports the pumped up fans had gathered for the opening night game game against the NY Knicks Tuesday night, along with musical performances and the TNT pregame, halftime and postgame shows.

Meanwhile, a CNN employee — under the same Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella with TNT — was operating a drone to get footage of the stage performance.

“(H)e flew the drone between two trees and accidentally struck a light pole causing the drone to crash,” the Boston Police report reads.

“(He) further stated he was operating the drone as an employee of Cable News Network,” the police report adds.

Two fans at the watch party were struck by the falling drone.

CNN Panel: Harris Word Salads Missed Opportunities

Vice President Kamala Harris’ performance at CNN’s Wednesday town hall with Pennsylvania swing voters underwhelmed the network’s journalists and pundits — as she left the more than hourlong forum with verbose and evasive answers to queries posed by on-the-fence residents.

“What I’m hearing from people who I’ve been talking to … if her goal was to close the deal, they’re not sure she did that,” CNN anchor Dana Bash said immediately after the event outside Philadelphia.

“Having said that, any time that she can be in front of an audience and interacting with voters is a win as far as her campaign goes — and they are very happy about that.”

In this clip, CNN's Dana Bash struggles to make excuses for how idiotic Kamala is. pic.twitter.com/EKvBJxP4eC

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) October 24, 2024

Veteran Democratic operative David Axelrod, the chief strategist on Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaigns said, “The things that would concern me is when she doesn’t want to answer a question, her habit is to kind of go to Word Salad City.”

🇺🇸 DAVID AXELROD ON KAMALA’S TOWN HALL: SHE GOES TO ‘WORD SALAD CITY’

David Axelrod criticized Kamala Harris for avoiding direct answers during her town hall.

Axelrod: “Kamala Harris has a habit of going to ‘word salad city’ when she doesn’t want to answer a question,”.

He… pic.twitter.com/gr2vFTLZtf

— The Ledger Report (@LedgerRPT) October 24, 2024

“And she did that on a couple of answers,” Axelrod said on a CNN panel following the town hall.

“One was on Israel — Anderson [Cooper] asked a direct question, ‘Would you be stronger on Israel than Trump?’ And, there was a seven-minute answer, but none of that related to the question he was asking.” 

Axelrod argued that Harris, 60, also “missed an opportunity” when asked about immigration.

“She would acknowledge no concerns about any of the administration’s policies. And that’s a mistake,” he said. “Sometimes you have to concede things, and she didn’t concede much.” 

“She just didn’t want to go there,” CNN host Abby Phillip said on the post-event panel, pointing out that the answers were light on policy.

The bleak reviews came after Cooper, who moderated the town hall, forcefully pushed Harris on policy matters — at times uncomfortably asking her the same question repeatedly when she failed to give a straight answer.

National Democrats have told The Post that they’re concerned about Harris’ standing less than two weeks ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5 — as former President Donald Trump leads in polling averages of all seven major battleground states.