CMA To Honor Alan Jackson With Lifetime Achievement Award

CMA has revealed its 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient—chart-topping Country Music superstar Alan Jackson.

Jackson will accept the honor during “The 56th Annual CMA Awards,” broadcasting live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, Nov. 9 on ABC. Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson will take the CMA Awards stage for an all-star tribute to the Country Music Hall of Fame member.

“We are thrilled to honor Alan Jackson this year with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “A three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, he is responsible for so many iconic moments in CMA Awards history. Just as Alan has been influenced by many Country legends throughout his career, he too has inspired a generation of artists to stay true to the authenticity of Country Music. We are so excited to bring Dierks, Jon, Carrie and Lainey together on the CMA Awards stage for what will surely be an incredible and touching tribute to an artist they each deeply admire. Having had the great fortune of working with Alan over the years, I am delighted we are honoring him with this milestone award next month.”

Tampa Radio: Ron deCastro Named MM For Beasley Cluster

Ron deCastro has been named Market Manager of Beasley Media Group’s Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg-based radio properties. He will officially begin his new position on Oct 27, 2022.

In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company’s radio operations, including WLLD-FM, WQYK-FM, WRBQ-FM, WYUU-FM, WPBB-FM and WHFS-AM.

Ron deCastro

A more than 30-year veteran of the radio industry, deCastro most recently served as Market President and Chief Revenue Officer at New York City’s Hot 97 and WBLS and has spent his career leading radio operations in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. Previously, he led Townsquare’s Media’s Flagship station NJ 101.5 as Market President and Chief Revenue Officer for nearly five years. Prior to that, deCastro was responsible for leading sales teams at CBS Radio in New York, Clear Channel in Philadelphia and New York, including Power 105.1 and Barnstable Broadcasting on Long Island.

“I’ve spent a significant amount of my career leading some of the most iconic brands in America and I am excited to join the team at Beasley and help continue grow these fantastic brands,” said deCastro.

John Zellner Named Pres/Ops For Digital Music At iHM

iHeartMedia announced today Jon Zellner has been named President of Programming Operations and Digital Music for iHeartRadio.

Jon Zellner

Zellner will report to Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. “Jon’s leadership in providing the delivery of our national resources to our markets for their use at the local level has been invaluable to our company,” said Poleman. “We are excited that he’ll be taking on an even larger role in our company-wide programming initiatives and expand and grow our digital channels and playlists on the iHeartRadio app.”

“For years, Jon has made innumerable contributions to our company’s success, and has demonstrated exceptional leadership in both day-to-day operations and forward-thinking innovation when we needed it most,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeart Digital Group. “I’m thrilled to see him step into a new role and bring his skills and expertise to help us continue to build and grow during an exciting time in the industry. He has an incredible range of experience and adding more facets of the business to his purview puts us in an even better position to expand our reach and scale.”

Philly Radio: DeCamara, Ritchie Moving To Mornings On 94WIP

Audacy unveils a new weekday morning show for SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia. Following the conclusion of the Philadelphia Eagles season and upcoming retirement of 94WIP veteran Angelo Cataldi in early 2023, the station’s current midday show hosts Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie will move to morning drive, weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ET. The show will also feature longtime WIP morning anchor Rhea Hughes and producer James Seltzer.

A new midday show will be announced in the coming months.

“We are very excited to announce Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie will be leading the WIP morning show,” said Rod Lakin, Brand Manager, SportsRadio 94WIP. “For the last three decades Angelo Cataldi set the standard for morning drive in Philadelphia and helped define the sports narrative of this great city. Joe and Jon, along with Rhea Hughes and the other talented members of the WIP morning show, will adhere to the standard that Angelo created and develop a connection with the Philadelphia sports audience for years to come.”

“I am ecstatic for the opportunity to host mornings on WIP,” said DeCamara. “There is a remarkable tradition of success long established by the legend, Angelo, and the entire current morning team, and my aim is to continue to uphold that level of excellence. I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude to WIP and Audacy management, to Angelo, and to WIP listeners and callers whose intense passion drives the heartbeat of Philly sports. We look forward to assembling the full team that will comprise our show as we move to mornings. And I look forward to multiple parades down Broad Street over the next four months!”

Comcast Tops Expectations

 

• Comcast third quarter revenue slipped 1.5% to $29.85 billion, compared with the prior-year quarter that included the Tokyo Olympics, beating analyst expectations.
• The company added 14,000 new broadband customers, a continued demonstration of the slowing broadband business growth among U.S. cable companies.
• Comcast reported that its Xfinity Mobile business now has 5 million customer lines.

Comcast on Thursday reported third-quarter earnings that beat analyst estimates, despite seeing revenue slightly decline and continued softness in broadband customer growth, reports CNBC.

Here’s how Comcast did in the third quarter of 2022 compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

• Earnings per share: 96 cents, adjusted vs. 90 cents expected
• Revenue: $29.85 billion vs. $29.65 billion expected
• The company said it added 14,000 broadband customers during the third quarter – an improvement from the second quarter, when Comcast didn’t add any new customers for the first time ever. Still, it’s a sign that cable broadband providers are facing increased competition from telecom and wireless internet companies.  

Comcast’s revenue declined 1.5% to $29.85 billion compared with the same quarter last year, when the company’s NBCUniversal unit reaped more advertising dollars from airing the Tokyo Olympics on its TV networks. The company also recorded non-cash impairment charges related to its Sky business in the U.K. 

Pelosi Urges Scrutiny Of Broadcast Deal After Hefty Donations

NY Post 10/27/22

Nancy Pelosi is creating static over a deal to take a massive group of TV stations private — after she and fellow House Democrats got more than $500,000 in campaign donations from Byron Allen, a comedian-turned-media mogul who wants to block the deal, reports The NY Post..

The House Speaker sent an Oct. 6 letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel expressing “serious concerns” about an agreement by Tegna — a publicly traded chain of 64 local TV stations that was spun off from newspaper giant Gannett in 2015 — to sell itself to the hedge fund Standard General for $8.6 billion.

Meanwhile, Federal Election Commission filings show that in the fourth quarter of last year Pelosi got $271,300 in campaign donations from Allen, who owns a group of cable-TV networks including The Weather Channel and is angling to nab Tegna’s nationwide broadcasting empire to widen their distribution.

During the same quarter, Allen — who earlier this month made headlines for buying a $100 million estate in Malibu, Calif. — also donated $275,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which backs Democratic candidates for the House, FEC filings show.

In the letter, Pelosi, along with Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone Jr., said she was worried the deal would raise cable bills, crimp local news coverage and spur job losses. In a written response to the FCC, Standard General denied plans to diminish local coverage and cut station jobs, calling them speculation and saying it “made a commitment in the FCC record that it was not planning any such actions.”

A spokesman for Pelosi, Henry Connelly, declined to comment on Allen’s donations. 

Edison Adding Download Metrics To Its Podcasts Metrics Services

Edison Records, provider of Edison Podcast Metrics, the largest and most complete survey of podcast listening, announced today that it has developed a complementary service to count downloads for participating publishers. After months of research, Edison is utilizing a new method for determining U.S. downloads that does not employ a redirect nor involve delivery of log files.

“We have developed an elegant new solution that will enhance our unique Edison Podcast Metrics survey,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin. “While our survey of 20,000 podcast listeners each year provides the most complete look at the totality of actual listening to podcasts, download data will provide deeper information to subscribers, especially for smaller and short-run shows.”

Edison Podcast Metrics is the only survey measurement of U.S. weekly podcast listeners currently available. It covers the entire podcasting category with data about listening, not downloading. As such, it covers listening across all platforms and cannot be manipulated. The download counts will be a supplement to the established service. “This combination, designed using input from various publishers, will make our data even richer and more comprehensive – allowing podcast producers and advertisers to have even more understanding of the space,” said Rosin.

Using its Podcast Metrics, Edison takes look at the podcast consumption among weekly podcast listeners in the U.S. In the graphic below, you can see percentage of 18-24-year-old weekly podcast listeners who have listened to podcasts of a certain genre in the last week. The column on the right shows the same data for weekly podcast listeners age 25+.

Comedy is number one for both groups, but has a dramatic lead among those age 18-24. Sixty-two percent of weekly podcast listeners age 18-24 reported listening to a Comedy podcast in the last week, with Society & Culture finishing a distant second at 24%. True Crime charts in third place at 20% followed by News at 13%, and a tie between Sports and Education, both at 9%.

For those age 25+, the top two genres are much closer in reach with 39% listening to a Comedy podcast in the last week, followed by 31% listening to News podcast in the last week. Society & Culture ranks third at 27%, True Crime in fourth place at 19%, and a tie between Sports and Business, both at 11%.

Edison Research is an independent, third-party research supplier. It is not owned by nor affiliated with any publisher or sales house in the podcasting field. The new service will be available sometime near the end of fourth quarter.

SiriusXM's Howard Stern Finally Returning To Studio

Howard Stern will return to his Manhattan studio for the first time since the start of COVID-19 shutdowns to host Bruce Springsteen on Monday. It’ll also be the New Jersey rocker’s first time on the show, reports The NY Daily News.

The self-proclaimed “King of all Media” began broadcasting from his house in the Hamptons at the start of pandemic closures in 2020 and has remained there, being cautious about contracting COVID.

Stern, 68, announced on his SiriusXM show Wednesday that The Boss had persuaded him to come into Midtown for an interview.

“Bruce was saying he thinks it would be nice if we’re sitting together in the studio — I’ve spoken to Bruce and agreed to do that,” Stern said. “You know me, I haven’t been out of the house in two years.”

Wake-Up Call: Trump Eyes '24 Campaign Manager

Former president Donald Trump and his team are eyeing a longtime Virginia operative to take on a senior role in his next presidential campaign, which could be announced shortly after the midterms, according to four people familiar with the matter. No decisions have been made on the exact role that Chris LaCivita would take in Trump’s campaign, though discussions have included a possible role as campaign manager or senior adviser. LaCivita is a longtime Republican political consultant who helped lead the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth campaign against Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry in 2004 and who is now directing a super PAC tied to Trump.

Could the controversial Georgia lawmaker go from congressional newcomer to potential vice president after just a few years in office? https://t.co/cCWXh5yg0T

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 27, 2022

➤CHRISTMAS PARADE KILLER FOUND GUILTY: The man who drove an SUV into a Christmas parade crowd in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year has been found guilty of intentional homicide. He killed six people and wounded dozens more when he barreled into the parade last November. Darrell Brooks opted to represent himself in the trial and was repeatedly removed for making outbursts in court. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Elon Musk posted a video Wednesday showing him strolling into Twitter headquarters ahead of a Friday deadline to close his $44 billion deal to buy the company. https://t.co/bv7DxlTWJo

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 27, 2022

➤ARIZONA VOTERS FACE INTIMIDATION, SUIT ALLEGES: The League of Women Voters has filed a lawsuit alleging that two groups tied to the Oath Keepers are carrying out a campaign of voter intimidation at ballot drop boxes in Maricopa County, Arizona. The groups are accused of recruiting volunteers, some of them masked and armed, to stake out the ballot boxes and take videos of voters lawfully casting their votes.

➤ANOTHER WOMAN CLAIMS HERSHEL WALKER GOT HER PREGNANT: A second woman has come forward to accuse Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker of pressuring her to get an abortion after she became pregnant with his child. The former football star has denied both allegations. “I didn’t kill JFK either,” he said yesterday at a campaign event. “The Democrats are doing whatever they can to win this seat.”

➤RUSSIA STEPS UP UKRAINIAN RHETORIC: Russia is cranking up its rhetoric regarding its assault on Ukraine. In a letter to the United Nations, the government alleged that Ukraine is preparing to use a nuclear “dirty bomb” on its own territory. There are fears that Russia will drop such a bomb and try to blame it on Ukraine. Meanwhile, a member of Russia’s security council has called for the “de-Satanization” of Ukraine, claiming that it is home to hundreds of satanic sects and radical groups.

Wokeness Forces Taylor Swift Video Edit

Taylor Swift has updated her new music video following backlash and debate surrounding her use of the word “fat.”

Bloomberg reports fans of the singer noticed the change in the video for the song “Anti-Hero” that is uploaded to Apple Music. A previous version of the video featured Swift stepping onto a scale that read “fat” while an evil version of the singer points and laughs. Now, the video shows Swift stepping on the scale, but the word doesn’t appear.

The change comes days after Swift released her latest album “Midnights” to widespread anticipation. Debate surrounding the scene reached a fever pitch online: Some listeners argued the singer was engaging in fatphobia because the way the word was used was coded as being bad or something to fear. Others said the video itself was a critique of anti-fat bias. Swift discussed her history with body image and eating disorder in the 2020 Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” and fans suggested that those experiences may have influenced what she described as her “nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts” on Twitter.

Revenue Decline Accelerates For Meta, FB Parent

CNBC Graphic 10/27/22

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sounded flabbergasted at times during a call with analysts explaining his company’s long-term bets.
• The company said that “Reality Labs operating losses in 2023 will grow significantly year-over-year.”
• “I think we’re going to resolve each of these things over different periods of time, and I appreciate the patience and I think that those who are patient and invest with us will end up being rewarded,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. META posted its second revenue decline in a row, as the social-media giant wrestles with a vortex of challenging business conditions that have combined to shave more than half a trillion dollars from its market value so far this year.

The Wall Street Journal reports the company reported quarterly revenue of $27.7 billion, down more than 4% from a year ago, after posting a 1% decrease last quarter. Meta’s share price fell more than 5% on Wednesday, amid a broad selloff of tech shares, and is now trading at a price last seen in 2017.

Meta shares dropped a further 15% in after-hours trading following the earnings report.

Ye Shows-Up At Skecher Offices..If Doesn't End Well

Shecker USA says Kanye West, the rapper and fashion-brand owner who goes by Ye, was escorted from one of its California corporate offices after visiting unannounced and engaging in unauthorized filming there.

The Wall Street Journal reports the footwear maker said Wednesday that two company executives escorted Ye and his party from the building in Los Angeles after a brief conversation. The company didn’t elaborate further on the nature of the conversation.

“Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West,” the company said. “We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech.”

The Skechers announcement comes as companies, including Adidas AG and Gap Inc., have distanced themselves from the artist in the wake of his erratic behavior and anti-Semitic comments in recent weeks.

Adidas executives have described the yearslong partnership between Ye and the company as one of the most successful collaborations in the sneaker industry. In the arrangement, Ye provided the Yeezy brand name to Adidas in return for royalties of about 15% of the sales of Yeezy products, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Adidas designed and manufactured the products, and also owned the designs.

TV Ratings: ‘House of the Dragon’ Finale Has Wings on HBO

Sunday’s first-season finale of “House of the Dragon” averaged 9.3 million viewers across all platforms, the most for an HBO finale since the 2019 series finale of “Game of Thrones,” according to what the cable network and its streaming service HBO Max called a “combination of Nielsen and first-party data.”

According to a story in the L-A Times, the 9 p.m. airing of the “Game of Thrones” prequel on HBO was second among the night’s prime-time cable programs, averaging 1.846 million viewers. Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on TBS finished first, averaging 4.67 million viewers, according to live-plus-same-day figures released by Nielsen Tuesday.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the ratings leader for the night and the week, averaging 15.534 million viewers, a season low. The total audience for the Miami Dolphins’ 16-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers — which includes streaming viewership on Peacock, NBC Sports and NFL digital platforms — was 16.5 million viewers, also the lowest this season. The game included the first scoreless second half in the “Sunday Night Football” package since the 2008 NFL Kickoff game. “Sunday Night Football” has been the top-rated prime-time program each of the seven weeks of the 2022 NFL season.

TV Ratings: MLB World Series Starts Friday

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies may not be a dream World Series matchup for Major League Baseball and Fox Sports executives, but both teams have the goods to produce something that should be far from a ratings disaster, reports Reuters.

Few would disagree a more tantalizing World Series this year would have featured the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers as they are storied MLB franchises that play in the two biggest U.S. media markets.

But the Dodgers, who enjoyed a franchise-record 111 wins in the regular season, lost in the National League Division Series while the Yankees lost to the Astros in the American League Championship Series.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was already hitting TV ratings out of the park this year as he chased down the American League single-season home run record.

Rogers, Shaw Shares Jump As Deal Prospects Brighten

Shaw Communications Inc's shares rose as much as 10% on Wednesday after the government's intervention raised hopes that Canada is likely to approve Rogers Communications' $14.7 billion bid for Shaw, reports Reuters.

Analysts said they expected the deal to close before year end as the terms put forward by Industry Minister Francois Champagne late on Tuesday brings Canada's anti-trust authority and Rogers-Shaw a step closer to a settlement.

However, Canada's anti-trust authority still has objections to the deal.

"We remain firm in our decision to challenge this proposed merger to protect the public interest," a competition bureau spokesperson said in an email. The bureau declined to comment further and said the matter will be determined by courts.

Atlanta Radio: WNNX Launches of 99X Interactive Museum

Cumulus Media announces that its Atlanta Rock radio station WNNX-FM marks 30 years on-air this week, as WNNX launched as 99X on October 26, 1992. 99X would go on to solidify itself as one of the most influential Alt-Grunge-Rock stations of the 90’s and early 2000’s. 

The iconic WNNX call letters are now the anchor for Cumulus Atlanta’s ROCK 100.5 and the station carries on the legacy of bringing Atlantans the best new Rock, along with the Alt-Grunge and Rock that helped define its historic past.

To celebrate the station’s 30th anniversary, Cumulus Atlanta has launched the 99X Interactive Museum at https://www.99x.com/, loaded with content from the early days of 99X – including photos from the early 90’s and streams of the legendary LiveX performances from Chris Cornell, Dave Matthews, R.E.M., Lenny Kravitz, Smashing Pumpkins and more. Check out the station’s treasure trove of archived videos, old airchecks, celebrity interviews and more at the 30th anniversary 99X Interactive Museum at 99X.com.

Axel Lowe, Program Director and Host, PM Drive, WNNX-FM, said: “30 years later, Atlantans still talk about the music, live events and on-air memories that 99X brought them during the 90’s. The 99X digital museum is a great way to relive some of those memorable moments.”