The FCC said on Monday it has awarded $9.2 billion to provide high-speed broadband internet service to 5.22 million unserved homes and businesses, boosting access in rural areas, reports Reuters.
The FCC said in its “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund” auction that Charter Communications Inc won $1.22 billion to provide service to 1.06 million locations, while Elon Musk’s SpaceX won $885 million to serve 642,000 locations.
The Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium also won $1.1 billion to serve 618,00 locations and LTD Broadband LLC won $1.32 billion to serve 528,000 locations.
A lack of internet access in rural areas is a major political issue in the United States and hinders economic growth and economic opportunities in places without access, lawmakers say. President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to expand broadband access to all Americans.
A May FCC report said 18.3 million people in the United States lack access to broadband, but Democrats say that underestimates the problem, while Republicans note the report found the number without access has fallen by 30% since 2016.
The FCC estimated the latest funding will expand broadband to more than 10 million rural Americans.
Comcast Corp. will continue to offer two months of free internet to low-income individuals and keep its public Wi-Fi hotspots open until June 30, reports the Philly Business Journal.
The Philadelphia-based company said it’s extending the Covid-19 support and response programs, the third time it’s done so since the pandemic began, into the summer in part to help keep students connected during the school year.
When Covid-19 first hit, Comcast suspended broadband shut offs, suspended data caps on broadband in areas where it applied and started offering new Internet Essentials customers, low-income households that are eligible to receive broadband for about $10 a month, two months of free internet service.
The Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge that Comcast and other major internet providers signed onto when suspending broadband shutoffs expired in June. The company now says it's offering customers who have been a part of those assistance programs "a variety of flexible and extended payment options."
The company is again enforcing limits on data usage and fees for exceeding them — which has so far mostly applied to its western and southern footprint — but it increased the limit from 1 terabyte to 1.2 terabytes.
Apple Inc.’s streaming music service is now available on smart speakers from Google and others running its voice-based Google Assistant, opening a large new market, reports Bloomberg.
Subscribers to Apple Music will now be able to play songs on Google’s speaker hardware, including the Nest Audio and Nest Mini speakers as well as devices with screens, Alphabet Inc.’s Google said in a statement Monday.
Apple Music has been available on Amazon.com Inc.’s devices like the Echo since 2018. But the expansion to Google marks another selling point for Apple’s music offering, which is key to a growing services portfolio that topped US$50 billion in annual revenue in 2020. Providing some content, including Apple Music and Apple TV+, to rival platforms has helped drive that growth. Apple Music has been available as an app on Android phones since 2015.
The service will be available starting Monday on speakers running Google Assistant in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and Japan, Google said. Apple launched its own new smart speaker, the HomePod mini, last month, but still trails rivals. Google will hold 32 per cent of the smart-speaker market in 2021, according to data from eMarketer.
Beasley Media Group Southwest Florida’s WXKB-FM B103.9 will partner with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation of Lee County to host the 3rd Annual Big Mama’s Bike Drive.
Big Mama’s Bike Drive will be accepting donations at the Wal-Mart in Estero from Monday, December 7th until Thursday, December 10th, 2020. WXKB-FM will be broadcasting live all week long, encouraging listeners and businesses to stop by and donate a bike or an unwrapped toy. Last year, 947 bikes were raised in addition to $17,750 in gift cards and cash for the Toys for Tots Foundation. The station’s goal this year is to raise 10,000 toys, 1,000 bikes and $20,000 in gift cards and cash for the local community.
“The need is three times bigger than last year so we are doing it three times longer with three times the goal,” said WXKB’s Jason “Big Mama” Jones. “Together we can make sure Christmas is magical not just for some kids, but for all kids in our community.”
➦In 1927…The term "Grand Ole Opry" was used for the first time to refer to the Saturday Night aired on WSM, Nashville. The show was originally named WSM Barn Dance, and George D. Hay billed himself as "The Solemn Old Judge."
The Barn Dance was broadcast after NBC's Music Appreciation Hour, a program featuring classical music and grand opera. On this day in, the final music piece on the Music Appreciation Hour depicted the sound of a rushing locomotive. After the show ended, "Judge Hay" opened the WSM Barn Dance with this announcement:
“Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch [host of the program] told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the 'earthy'.”
Hay then introduced the man he dubbed "The Harmonica Wizard," DeFord Bailey, who played his classic train song, "The Pan American Blues," named for the crack Louisville and Nashville Railroad passenger train The Pan-American. After Bailey's performance, Hay commented, "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the Grand Ole Opry."
➦In 1940...the first NFL championship game heard nationally aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Red Barber called the game and the Bears beat the Redskins, 73-0, in the most one-sided NFL final ever.
➦In 1941…A Presidential Address was delivered at 12:30 p.m. to a Joint Session of Congress by U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after the Empire of Japan's attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii. Roosevelt described the previous day as "a date which will live in infamy."
Within an hour of the speech, Congress passed a formal declaration of war against Japan and officially brought the U.S. into World War II. Britain and Canada also declared war on Japan, although both countries already had been fighting World War II in Europe against Germany.
➦In 1962…DJ-promoter Alan Freed appeared at his payola trial in NYC and admitted to receiving money from record labels to play their songs on the air.
He was found guilty, fined $300, and given six months probation, but the irreparable damage to his reputation and career had been done.
Dick Clark, host of ABC-TV's "American Bandstand," was also questioned but was cleared of all charges.
➦In 1962...During the 1962–63 New York City newspaper strike,WABC 95.5 FM programmed news for 17 hours daily. This was about two-and-a-half years before 1010 WINS launched its own around-the-clock, all-news format in April 1965.
The all-news effort on WABC-FM was followed by stints with Broadway show tunes and general freeform programming, including broadcasts of New York Mets baseball games.
➦In 1980...John Lennon, formerly of The Beatles, was fatally shot in the archway of the Dakota, his residence in New York City.
The perp was Mark David Chapman, who stated that he was incensed by Lennon's lifestyle and public statements, especially his much-publicized remark about the Beatles being "more popular than Jesus" and the lyrics of his later songs "God" and "Imagine". Chapman also said he was inspired by the fictional character Holden Caulfield from J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye.
Chapman planned the killing over the course of several months and waited for Lennon at the Dakota in the morning.
During the evening, he met Lennon, who signed his copy of the just-released album 'Double Fantasy'. Lennon then left with wife Yoko Ono for a recording session at Record Plant Studio. Later that night, the couple returned to the Dakota.
As they walked toward the archway entrance of the building, Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver, four of which hit Lennon in the back. Chapman remained at the scene until he was arrested by the police, reading The Catcher in the Rye.
Lennon was rushed in a police cruiser to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Ono asked the hospital not to report to the media that her husband was dead until she had informed their 5-year-old son Sean, who was at home. However, news producer Alan J. Weiss of WABC-TV7 NYC had been waiting to be treated in the Roosevelt Hospital ER after being injured in a motorcycle accident earlier in the evening. Weiss recalled in a 2013 interview for the CNN series Crimes of the Century that he had seen Lennon being wheeled into the room surrounded by several police officers. After he learned what happened, Weiss called back to the station to relay the information. Eventually, word made its way through the chain of command to ABC News president Roone Arledge.
Arledge, who was also the president of the network's sports division, was presiding over ABC's telecast of Monday Night Football in his capacity as its executive producer. When Arledge received word of Lennon's death, a game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins was tied with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots were driving toward the potential winning score. As the Patriots tried to put themselves in position for a field goal, Arledge informed Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell of the shooting and suggested that they be the ones to report on the murder.
Cosell, who had interviewed Lennon during a Monday Night Football broadcast in 1974, was chosen to do so but was apprehensive of it at first, as he felt the game should take precedence and that it was not their place to break such a big story. Gifford convinced Cosell otherwise. (see video above).
Chapman pleaded guilty of murdering Lennon and was given a sentence of 20-years-to-life imprisonment. He has been denied parole ten times since he became eligible in 2000.
➦In 2004…Iconic "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark suffered what was initially termed a minor stroke. The 75-year-old was hospitalized in Los Angeles and it was later announced that Clark would be unable to host his annual New Year's Rockin' Eve broadcast.
Clark returned to the series the following year, but the dysarthria that resulted from the stroke rendered him unable to speak clearly for the remainder of his life. On April 18, 2012, Clark died from a fatal heart attack in April 2012 at the age of 82 while undergoing a transurethral resection procedure to treat an enlarged prostate.
➦In 2012…Hartford radio personality Arnold Dean, who aired for nearly 65 years as host of WTIC's "SportsTalk", died at age 82 following surgery for a pacemaker replaced.
He began his career at WKRT in Cortland, New York, later moving onto WAGE in Syracuse. He then returned to his home state, joining WTIC in 1965.
In 1976, Dean launched his own radio show, which would host celebrities and sports celebrities.
➦In 2015...Bonnie Lou, a pioneering country music artist and rockabilly singer died at age 91.
In 1941, aged 16, she was singing and performing on WJBC-AM in Bloomington, Illinois. At 17, after she graduated from high school, she sent an audition record to KMBC in Kansas City, MO, and was signed to a five-year contract to perform on the Brush Creek Follies barn dance show as "Sally Carson," and with a group called The Rhythm Rangers. The show was broadcast nationwide on the CBS, and has been described as "one of the biggest music programs in the country" at the time.
In 1945, Bill McCluskey, executive at WLW in Cincinnati, first learned of Bonnie Lou from a salesman he met on a train who “proceeded to rave about a young teenage country and western singer named Sally Carson who in his opinion was the best in the business..."
McCluskey had the girl send a transcription of her singing to WLW. Impressed, he then requested a recording of her singing and yodeling "Train Whistle Blues." He hired her, however because KMBC owned the rights to "Sally Carson" had to change her name. She said "My real name is Mary Jo". He said "Not Country enough" and redubbed her as Bonnie Lou.
She was promptly featured on Boone County Jamboree, which became Midwestern Hayride Country & Western Radio Program broadcasts and live tours. During her years with WLW, Bonnie Lou often performed at country music in Nashville on weekends, including several times at the Grand Ole Opry.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Singer Jerry Butler is 81.
Flute player James Galway is 81.
Drummer Bobby Elliott of The Hollies is 79.
Actor Mary Woronov (“Eating Raoul,” “The Munsters” films) is 77.
Actor John Rubinstein (“Family,” ″Crazy Like a Fox”) is 74.
Actor Kim Basinger is 67.
Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (Duran Duran, Missing Persons) is 64.
Guitarist Phil Collen of Def Leppard is 64.
Country singer Marty Raybon (The Raybon Brothers, Shenandoah) is 61.
Wallis Currie-Wood is 29
Guitarist Marty Friedman (Megadeth) is 58.
Actor Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Treme”) is 57.
Actor Teri Hatcher is 56.
Actor David Harewood (“Supergirl,” ″Homeland”) is 55.
Singer Sinead O’Connor is 54.
Actor Matthew Laborteaux (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 54.
Guitarist Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is 48.
Actor Dominic Monaghan (“Lost,” ″Lord of the Rings”) is 44.
Actor Ian Somerhalder (“The Vampire Diaries,” ″Lost,”) is 42.
Singer Ingrid Michaelson is 41.
Singer Chrisette Michele is 38.
Country singer Sam Hunt is 36.
Singer Kate Voegele (“One Tree Hill”) is 34.
Drummer Jen Ledger of Skillet is 31.
Actor Wallis Currie-Wood (“Madam Secretary”) is 29.
Actor AnnaSophia Robb (film’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” TV’s “The Carrie Diaries”) is 27.
Griffin Communications today announced the launch of KVOO 98.5 The Bull – the Tulsa home of Today’s Hot Country.
With a locally-based lineup of hosts, the station plays the biggest hits from artists like Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Thomas Rhett and many more.
The whole new lineup was designed with Tulsa in mind.
98.5 The Bull Weekday Lineup:
6 to 10 a.m. – The Tige & Daniel Show with Tige Rodgers, Daniel Baker and Amber Glaze
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Nikki Reid
3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – The Bud and Broadway Show
7 p.m. to Midnight – Tanner
“I am so excited to bring together such incredible radio talent all day that Tulsans are sure to love,” said Steve Hunter, Griffin Radio Director of Operations. “Having Tige, Daniel and Amber in the morning, followed by Nikki in middays, Bud and Broadway in afternoons and Tanner at night is a winning combination.”
WALR KISS 104.1 FM in Atlanta has announced legendary radio host Frank Ski will be returning o Atlanta, hosting mornings beginning on February 1, 2021, Monday – Friday 6a.m-10a.m.
‘The Frank Ski Show’ has been a top-rated radio program since 1985, with record breaking performances in Baltimore, Atlanta and Washington D.C on WHUR, where Frank currently anchors afternoon drive. Ski will continue his D-C shift.
Frank Ski
Ski’s distinctive hosting style and sense of humor, balances music with celebrity guests and discussions of culture, local and national headlines, and topical subject matter. Off the air, Frank works tirelessly to engage the audience and deliver support to community organizations throughout Atlanta, and the nation. Frank Ski is also signed to a global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. He is known for his impressive catalogue of hip-hop, rap, gospel, and Baltimore club-music, which has greatly influenced some of hip-hop’s most memorable singles. One of his popular songs was recently sampled in the No.1 Billboard Hot 100 single “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion which won an American Music Award for Favorite Song Rap/Hip-Hop, and as well as the 2018 hit “In This House” by Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane.
Terri Avery, KISS 104.1 Director of Branding and Programming, says, “I’m thrilled to usher in this new era of “The Frank Ski Show” on KISS 104.1. Frank Ski is a proven leader and trusted voice in Atlanta’s African American community. We welcome Frank to the KISS 104.1 team.”
Frank Ski says, “I’m excited that I will continue to serve the Atlanta community and work with this dynamic Cox Media Group team. I am grateful to Rob Babin, Chris Eagan, Terri Avery, Steve Smith, and of course, my agent Gary Bernstein who came together to create this perfect partnership.”
We’re very excited to announce Frank Ski is joining the CMG Atlanta team. Our commitment to building a new local morning show for Atlanta on Kiss 104.1, combined with Frank Ski’s passion for his audience and our community, will be a winning combination” says Rob Babin, Cox Media Group Atlanta Radio Vice President and Market Manager.
Entercom announced Nate Dixon as Vice President of Sales for Entercom St. Louis, effective immediately.
In this role, Dixon will oversee sales efforts for the company’s St. Louis market including 102.5 KEZK (KEZK-FM), 96.3 The Lou (WFUN-FM), 97.1 FM Talk (KFTK-FM), HOT 104.1 (WHHL-FM), News Radio 1120 KMOX (KMOX-AM) and Y98 (KYKY-FM).
“Nate has an incredible track record of performance, community outreach, and team building throughout his career in St. Louis,” said Becky Domyan, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom St. Louis. “He is going to elevate our performance to new heights, and I look forward to him leading the way for our sales operation, turbo-charging revenue on all fronts.”
“I am so excited and thrilled to be a part of Entercom St. Louis,” said Dixon. “I look forward to working with Becky and helping build the strongest cluster in the region.”
Dixon started his career in St. Louis as an account executive for both Sinclair Broadcasting and later Clear Channel, selling both alternative and country formats. He later moved to Radio One St. Louis, where he served as a general sales manager before elevating to Director of Sales and later Station Manager. Dixon spent the last 15 years with Radio One St. Louis.
EXPERTS WARN TO FOLLOW GUIDELINES WITH TOUGH WEEKS AHEAD: The good news about the first two coronavirus vaccines being very effective has given everyone hope and let them finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. But health experts are warning that before we get to a point next year when vaccines will be more widely available, we're going to first go through a tough time for many weeks, with the fall-winter surge continuing to expand. They say that means we need to continue to follow the guidelines of wearing masks, social distancing, and other basic measures. White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on NBC's Meet the Press yesterday, "The vaccine’s critical. But it’s not going to save us from this current surge. Only we can save us from this current surge."
As of early this morning, more than 282,300 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S., and deaths amid the ongoing surge have risen to a daily average of more than 2,100, a level not seen since April, when New York City was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Hospitals across the country are being stressed, with the number of hospitalizations now at more than 101,000 and breaking records daily. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb had a stark warning on CBS' Face the Nation yesterday that the death toll could be nearing 400,000 by the end of January, saying, "As bad as things are right now, they’re going to get a lot worse."
➤CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL LIKELY, BUT WON'T INCLUDE ANOTHER $1,200 PAYMENT TO AMERICANS: It's looking likely that Congress will pass a new $908 billion coronavirus relief bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will agree to and President Trump will sign, but it won't include a second round of $1,200 payments to Americans, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said yesterday. Cassidy, who's involved in the bipartisan talks on the proposed legislation, said on Fox News Sunday, "The pain of the American people is driving this, and I’m optimistic that both those leaders will come on board." The proposed measure set to be released today would include some $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits, give a second round of funds through the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, and extend a freeze on evictions for people who can't pay their rent. The $908 billion plan represents a compromise on both sides, at less than half of the $2.2 trillion the Democrats had earlier proposed and nearly double the $500 billion package put forward by McConnell.
My Dad @RudyGiuliani is resting, getting great care and feeling well. Thank you to all the friends who have reached out concerned about his well being. https://t.co/0FVceiNnHc
➤GIULIANI HOSPITALIZED AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has tested positive for the coronavirus, with Trump tweeting the news on Sunday afternoon. The 76-year-old former New York City mayor was experiencing symptoms and was reportedly admitted yesterday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Giuliani tweeted last night: "I’m getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything." Giuliani has been traveling to key swing states as part of his efforts to try to overturn Trump's election loss. In them, he's met with officials and appeared in at least one hearing maskless.
➤BIDEN CHOOSES CALIFORNIA AG BECERRA TO BE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly chosen California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, where he'll have a leading role in overseeing the Biden administration's coronavirus response. Becerra, a former House Democrat, was involved in steering the Affordable Care Act through Congress in 2009 and 2010, and as California's attorney general has led the coalition of Democratic states defending the law, also known as Obamacare, from the Trump administration's latest attempt to overturn it, a case that was recently heard by the Supreme Court. If confirmed, he will be the first Latino to head HHS.
Migraines, dizziness, memory loss and other ailments that dozens of U.S. diplomats have complained of while serving in Cuba and China “are consistent with the effects of directed, pulsed, radiofrequency energy,” a new report finds.https://t.co/eaT8M4k7gi
➤REPORT: MICROWAVE ENERGY LIKELY MADE U.S. DIPLOMATS MYSTERIOUSLY SICK IN CUBA, CHINA: A new report by a National Academy of Sciences committee has an explanation for a mysterious illness that has struck U.S. diplomats in Cuba and China, concluding that directed microwave energy was the likely cause. Cases of the illness first surfaced in late 2016 among U.S. diplomatic personnel in Havana, Cuba, with symptoms including intense head pressure, dizziness and cognitive difficulties. Some reported hearing high-pitched sounds similar to crickets. The study didn't suggest a source for the microwave energy or say whether it was an attack. However, it noted that previous research on this type of injury was done in the former Soviet Union.
➤INAUGURATION CEREMENT LIKELY TO BE SCALED DOWN: President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20th is expected to be different than normal because of the pandemic, with the ceremony itself and all the festivities scaled down. Biden on Friday spoke about the plans, saying that many details still aren't settled, but that his transition team is speaking with those who helped organize the Democratic National Convention, which was held almost entirely virtually. He said, for instance, that it's, quote, "highly unlikely" huge crowds of people will be encouraged to gather on the National Mall for the swearing-in, and stated, "My guess is that there probably will not be a gigantic inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue." Instead, he said there likely will be, quote, "a lot of virtual activity in states all across America." Biden taking the oath will almost certainly be in person, but there will likely be fewer people on the platform outside the U.S. Capitol, who'll be more spread out and required to wear masks. Inaugural balls may also either not be held, or be reimagined in some way, possibly including a virtual component.
➤RS STILL HASN'T PROCESSED ON MILLION PAPER TAX RETURNS: If you filed your tax returns this year using a paper form and are due a refund that you still haven't gotten all these months later, that's something else you can blame on the coronavirus. The Motley Fool reports that the IRS still hasn't processed an estimated one million paper tax returns, after a backlog was created when it closed its offices earlier this year at the start of the pandemic in the U.S. In a normal year, it still usually takes longer to process returns that are filed on paper, with it taking about an average of six weeks to get a refund compared to three weeks for returns filed electronically. The good news for paper filers who are still waiting on a refund is that the IRS has said it will pay interest on the overdue refunds. The IRS hasn't given an estimate of when it will get through the backlog of paper returns.
➤SPACEX SENDS SUPPLY SHIP TO SPACE STATION WITH CHRISTMAS GOODIES: SpaceX launched a new version of its Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station yesterday (December 6th), which has Christmas treats and presents among its cargo. The food being sent to the astronauts for the holiday includes roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, shortbread cookies and icing. The Dragon, which should reach the space station today, will join another Dragon in orbit that delivered four astronauts to the outpost last month. It will be the first time two SpaceX capsules will be in orbit at the same time.
➤UNEXPLODED 1,100 BOMB FROM WORLD WAR TWO FOUND IN GERMANY: An unexploded 1,110-pound bomb from World War Two was found at a construction site in Frankfurt, Germany. Explosive experts were able to disarm and dismantle the bomb in about two hours yesterday (December 6th), three days after it was found. While the process took place, some 13,000 residents were evacuated and mass transit was stopped in the area. Finding unexploded bombs from World War Two is not that uncommon of an event in Germany.
🏈SAINTS, CHIEFS FIRST TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOTS: The New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL teams to clinch playoff spots yesterday. The Saints were guaranteed a playoff berth with their 21-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears' 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Chiefs secured their playoff spot with a 22-16 defeat of the Denver Broncos.
🏈PACKERS' QB RODGERS BECOMES FASTEST TO 400 TOUCHDOWN PASSES: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers yesterday became the seventh quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 touchdown passes, but he reached the mark faster than any of the others. Rodgers made it to 400 in his 193rd regular-season game, 12 fewer than the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees, who'd previously held the record. The 37-year-old Rodgers reached the mark in the Packers' 30-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he threw three touchdowns, the exact number he needed to reach 400. The other five QBs with 400 touchdown passes are: Peyton Manning; Tom Brady; Dan Marino; Brett Favre; and Philip Rivers.
🏀GONZAGA SUSPENDS TEAM ACTIVITIES, CANCELS FOUR GAMES DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CASES: Number 1 Gonzaga has suspended all men's basketball activities through December 14th and will have to cancel four games after there were two positive coronavirus tests in the program, one player and one member of the traveling party. Among the games postponed was the highly-anticipated on against Number 2 Baylor that was supposed to be played this past weekend. It's the most significant so far of the many college basketball games that have been postponed due to the virus.
🏀NBA PLAYERS BARRED FROM BARS, CLUBS UNDER NEW CORONAVIRUS PROTOCOLS: The NBA has released new coronavirus protocols for the upcoming season under which players, coaches and staff will be barred from going to bars and nightclubs, according to a memo sent to teams this past weekend. According to CNN, which obtained the memo, they also won't be allowed to go to public gyms, spas or indoor gatherings of 15 people or more. When the NBA resumed last season from its coronavirus suspension, games were played in a "bubble" in Orlando. But the new season, which will begin December 22nd, will be back to normal with teams playing at home and traveling, although many teams have said they won't have fans in the stands.
🥊MAYWEATHER JR. TO HAVE EXHIBITION FIGHT AGAINST YOUTUBER LOGAN PAUL: Retired boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced on Instagram yesterday that he will fight a exhibition bout against YouTube personality Logan Paul on February 20th. The match will be streamed as a pay-per-view event. Paul fought against another YouTuber, KSI, in November 2019 in a six-round bout that he lost. He's also the brother of pro boxer Jake Paul.
Universal Music Publishing Group today announced the acquisition of Bob Dylan's entire catalog of songs. This landmark agreement encompasses more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years, from 1962's cultural milestone "Blowin' In The Wind" to this year's epic "Murder Most Foul."
UMPG Chairman & CEO Jody Gerson said, "To represent the body of work of one of the greatest songwriters of all time - whose cultural importance can't be overstated - is both a privilege and a responsibility. The UMPG global team is honored to be Bob Dylan's publishing partner and I especially want to acknowledge Marc Cimino whose passion and perseverance were instrumental in bringing this opportunity to us. We look forward to working with Bob and the team in ensuring his artistry continues to reach and inspire generations of fans, recording artists and songwriters around the world."
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said, "As someone who began his career in music publishing, it is with enormous pride that today we welcome Bob Dylan to the UMG family. It's no secret that the art of songwriting is the fundamental key to all great music, nor is it a secret that Bob is one of the very greatest practitioners of that art. Brilliant and moving, inspiring and beautiful, insightful and provocative, his songs are timeless—whether they were written more than half a century ago or yesterday. It is no exaggeration to say that his vast body of work has captured the love and admiration of billions of people all around the world. I have no doubt that decades, even centuries from now, the words and music of Bob Dylan will continue to be sung and played—and cherished—everywhere."
Bob Dylan's songs have been recorded more than 6,000 times by an array of artists representing dozens of countries, cultures and music genres. Some of his best known works include the aforementioned "Blowin' In The Wind," "The Times They Are a-Changin'," "Like A Rolling Stone," "Lay Lady Lay," "Forever Young," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Tangled Up In Blue," "Gotta Serve Somebody," "Make You Feel My Love," and the Academy Award-winning "Things Have Changed."
Bob Dylan is one of our culture's most influential and groundbreaking artists. In the decades since he first burst into the public's consciousness via New York City's Greenwich Village folk music scene in the early 1960s, Bob Dylan has sold more than 125 million records around the world and amassed a singular body of work that includes some of the greatest and most popular songs the world has ever known. He continues to traverse the globe each year, performing nearly 100 concerts annually in front of audiences who embrace his new music with the same fervor as they do his classics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 – the first songwriter to receive such a distinction – cited by the Swedish Academy "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
In a move that will ratchet up the NYC radio ratings war, WEPN 98.7 FM ESPN New York will for the first time have its own local program to compete against WFAN, The NY Post is reporting.
Rick DiPietro, Chris Canty and Dave Rothenberg are moving to mornings and will be on from 5-8 a.m. daily on 98.7 FM, setting up a battle with WFAN’s No. 1 rated “Boomer & Gio.”
Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams and Zubin Mehenti will lose an hour in the New York market, but will remain on from 8-10 a.m. The moves were all made in the wake of Dan Le Batard’s departure that shuffled ESPN Radio’s national lineup.
After the morning shows on 98.7 FM, Mike Greenberg’s show from 10-to-noon will precede the newly made national program featuring Bart Scott and Alan Hahn from noon-to-2.
Max Kellerman will remain with an hour prior to Michael Kay’s heavyweight battle with WFAN’s new program, “Carton & Roberts,” from 3-7 p.m. Carton & Roberts’ first hour has the advantage of starting its 2 p.m. show against Kellerman for an hour.
When reached for comment by The Post, ESPN New York’s GM Tim McCarthy confirmed the moves. The changes will go into effect next month.
It all sets up a new morning competition in New York sports radio that ESPN New York has ceded since its inception in 2003. From “Imus in the Morning” to “Boomer & Carton” and now “Boomer & Gio,” WFAN has had the luxury of going against national programming. Though “Mike & Mike” was a huge success, while “Golic & Wingo” was less so, it has been difficult for ESPN New York to start its day strong without a local focus.
Bernie Miklasz (left) and Steve Savard, major St. Louis media figures who lost high-profile broadcasting jobs this year because of what was said to be coronavirus-fueled economic downturns at their stations, are set to return to the local airwaves to jabber about sports on KFNS 590 AM and give the station a roster of big-name sportscasters, reports stltoday.com.
Miklasz is the former Post-Dispatch sports columnist who moved full-time into radio in 2015 but was dropped from his sports-talk show at WXOS 101.1 FM in May. Savard, longtime sports director at KMOV Channel 4 before becoming a lead news anchor there seven years ago, was jettisoned in September. He also was the Rams’ radio play-by-play voice for their last 16 seasons in St. Louis.
Now they are bouncing back after having had to sit out for a period because of “non-compete” clauses in previous contracts.
John Hadley, who is running KFNS operations while a group he has assembled is in the process of buying the station, said “The Bernie Show” will air from 3-6 p.m. weekdays starting Monday. Then beginning Jan. 4, “Middays with Seve” will occupy the 1-3 weekday slot.
The arrival of those two will bolster the lineup of a station that already has well-known St. Louis sportscasters in place. Tim McKernan and Doug Vaughn are featured with others from 7-10 a.m., Frank Cusumano follows until noon then Cam Janssen and Charlie Marlow are on for an hour before Savard eventually begins at 1 p.m., leading into Miklasz, who also will be writing for Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin’s website (https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com). Charlie "Tuna" Edwards is on in the evening.
Out in the afternoons will be a show that primarily features Hadley with others, as well as national programming that has been airing since Frank O. Pinion’s entertainment show was canceled in October to clear the way for KFNS to return to its sports-intensive roots.
Hadley is proud of the lineup he has gathered and indicated that the goal is to not only be stronger than WXOS 101.1 FM, the market’s other full-time sports station and the longtime local leader in that genre, but also AM stations that have a considerable sports presence — KMOX 1120 AM and KTRS 550 AM.
Major market local TV stations -- and their newscasts -- will be getting a boost with TV news content distribution deals on Amazon Fire TV, the streaming OTT and app service with 40 million monthly active users.
Mediapost reports newscasts from 12 local U.S. TV stations -- New York, LA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle -- will be added to Amazon’s news app. Another 90 will join in 2021.
Amazon Fire TV deals have been made with Walt Disney’s ABC owned-and-operated stations, Altice USA, ViacomCBS’ CBSN, the E.W. Scripps Company and Cox.
The app already offers free live and on-demand news from ABC News Live, CBS News, Reuters, Entertainment Weekly, Black News Channel and Cheddar. Amazon Fire TV app already part of smart TV on-screen user interfaces and other streaming players.
Amazon sees growth in news viewership, pointing to 48% higher news consumption this year, according to Nielsen.
Pressure from shrinking traditional pay TV marketplace - in addition regular difficult, ongoing retransmission negotiation deals between pay TV providers and TV stations -- are focusing more TV station groups to find ways to extend scale and increased monetization.
The upcoming transfer of power in Washington could be bad news for the networks in general and the CableTV news channels in particular.
CNN and MSNBC saw record-high ratings over the past four years thanks to President Trump, who supplied just the right kind of drama for their wine-sipping audiences.
What will the networks talk about if they’re not melting down over Trump? Can anything capture the attention of college-educated whites like Rachel Maddow’s bizarre Trump tax return conspiracies or Jake Tapper keeping tally of how many cabinet officials have resigned or been fired.
According to The Spectator, CNN president Jeff Zucker, who recognized Trump’s TV prowess during the 2016 campaign and offered him a weekly show on his network, admitted to Vanity Fair that cable news loses its audience when anchors cut away from constant Trump coverage.
‘We’ve seen that anytime you break away from the Trump story and cover other events in this era, the audience goes away,’ he said in 2018. ‘So we know that, right now, Donald Trump dominates.’
The biggest challenge for cable news, then, is finding something else for viewers to obsess over. The Biden administration can hardly fill the outrage gap — left-wing audiences will angrily tune out if reporters appear to be attacking the former VP.
At least right now and presumably for the next couple of months the media can cash in on COVID, what with their death tickers and maps showing the spread in various states. But this will fade too as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines get distributed around the country. Plus the media will not want to focus too much on the body count once Biden takes office, lest they come too close to criticizing his response.
The media has made quite clear already that they have no intention of covering the incoming administration half as aggressively as they did Trump, according to The Spectator.
After a two month audition, Tino Cochino Radio makes it official and hires the former KMEL/ KALV Phoenix personality Serina.
Serina
In regards to the new gig, Serina said: It's been a 10-year journey and I have put so much into radio praying for an opportunity like this. I've always stayed positive and determined and it's finally paid off! I'm so thankful to Tino Cochino Radio for welcoming me into their family and proving if you work hard, believe in yourself and never quit, nothing can stop you!"
Tino added: “Serina went above and beyond during her audition and has made it clear that she’s perfect for this position. She’s been chasing her radio dream for years and it’s finally time for it to pay off. Serina, you’ve earned this and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome you to our family.”
Miner established himself early as a staple in the local music scene. He most recently co-hosted nights on Radio One CHR WNOW-FM Radio Now 100.9. Jones was one of the original air personalities on Radio Now and also mixed on co-owned WHHH-FM (Hot 96.3) for over 20 years.
"He personified hip-hop," Amp Harris, a former Indianapolis DJ and current music promoter and manager, said. "Hip-hop was what motivated Ron to live... and Ron Miner was hip-hop."
Miner first started DJing in the early 1980s at his father's business, Melody Skateland. He sold records and CDs at Camelot Music in Lafayette Square Mall for a few years and eventually began making trips to New York in the early 1990s, working to establish himself in the industry.
After a stint in New York, where he promoted artists like the Boogiemonsters and Heather B., Miner returned to Indianapolis and became manager of local hip-hop group the Mudkids, according to longtime friend Alan "Topspeed" Roberts, also an Indianapolis DJ.
Miner started to DJ more in the early 2000s, taking on the name DJ Indiana Jones. He co-founded Crush Entertainment, a management group that represents artists across the Midwest, and owned the Casba Bar in Broad Ripple.
➦In 1907...Arch Oboler born (Died at age 79 – March 19, 1987). He was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, and director who was active in radio, films, theater, and television. He generated much attention with his radio scripts, particularly the horror series Lights Out, and his work in radio remains the outstanding period of his career. Praised as one of broadcasting's top talents, he is regarded today as a key innovator of radio drama.
➦In 1921...KWG (now 1230 AM) in Stockton, CA was licensed. It was initially licensed to the Portable Wireless Telephone Company as the second formally licensed broadcasting station west of the Mississippi River. In addition, it traces its history to an earlier amateur station operated by Paul Oard. Today it is owned by IHR Educational Broadcasting and airs inspirational "Catholic Talk Radio" programming.
➦In 1930…Experimental Boston TV station W1XAV broadcast a video portion of CBS radio’s “The Fox Trappers” orchestra program.
➦In 1938...The St. Louis Dispatch begins a two-year experiment to deliver newspapers by radio facsimile, first transmission via W9XZY KSD-AM (now KTRS). It was the world’s first daily newspaper transmitted by radio signals to facsimile printers located in homes. The daily special edition of the Post-Dispatch was published for two years. The newspaper was dubbed the “radio edition” and was transmitted via ultra-high frequency.
➦In 1941... For most Americans, news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor came as an interruption to their favorite radio programs on an otherwise tranquil Sunday afternoon on December 7th, 1941. An Associated Press bulletin at 2:22 PM Eastern Standard Time first reported the attack to mainland news organizations and radio networks. After confirming the initial bulletin with the government, the major radio networks interrupted regular programming beginning at 2:30 PM, bringing news of the attack which was still in progress,
In New York City, station WOR broke into the local broadcast of the Giants and Dodgers game while CBS informed listeners of the attack at 2:25 PM EST. NBC broadcast their first bulletin nearly 4 minutes later at 2:29:50 PM . Within minutes the CBS radio network broke into normal programming with more information read by announcer John Daly.
Honolulu NBC radio affiliate KGU, provided the first and most comprehensive radio coverage of the event. What was not known at the time was that Japanese planes, still swarming overhead in Honolulu, had used the station's signal to guide their planes to Hawaii.
While the attack was still in progress a reporter for KGU radio climbed to the roof of the Advertiser Building in downtown Honolulu with microphone in hand and called the NBC Blue Network on the phone with the first eyewitness account of the attack, "This battle has been going on for nearly three hours... It's no joke, it's a real war" said the reporter. Ironically, a Honolulu telephone operator interrupted the broadcast after 2 ½ minutes declaring a need for the line for an emergency call.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,402 and wounded 1,282. Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
The nation's only Sunday afternoon newspaper was the only paper in the country that got word of the attack on Pearl Harbor into its regular edition. On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Publisher George B. Utter stopped the presses to get the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the front page. While the attack occurred at 2:22 p.m. EST, the Sun reported it as 2:23 p.m. in its headline. With history altered by a minute, the Sun got the story in its regular Sunday edition.
Click Here for a Timeline of attack Coverage on US Radio.
Note: America First Committee, referenced at the end of the story above, was an isolationist organization that was opposed to America becoming involved on the War in Europe.
The committee claimed a membership of 800,000 and attracted such leaders as General Robert E. Wood, the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, and Senator Gerald P. Nye. Though failing in its campaigns to block the Lend-Lease Act, the use of the U.S. Navy for convoys, and the repeal of the Neutrality Act, its public pressure undoubtedly discouraged greater direct military aid to a Great Britain beleaguered by Nazi Germany. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the committee dissolved and urged its members to support the war effort.
➦In 1941...Chattanooga Choo Choo by The Glenn Miller Orchestra was the number one song in the U-S.
➦In 1947...NBC Radio presented the “Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program” for the first time. The talent show earned Dick Contino, an accordionist, the $5,000 prize as the program’s first national winner. Over the years Heidt gave some big stars their big starts: Art Carney, Frankie Carle, Gordon MacRae, the King Sisters, Alvino Rey, Ken Berry, Frank DeVol, Al Hirt and many others.
➦In 1955...Robert Sarnoff was elected president/CEO of NBC. Sarnoff, the eldest son of network founder David Sarnoff, was promoted to put NBC on the road to economic self-sufficiency, replacing the rather flamboyant (and big spending) president/CEO Pat Weaver.
➦In 1959... Montreal’s later-to-become legendary “Top 40” radio station, CKGM, signed on for the first time, at 980 KHz with 10,000 watts. Today it is all-sports CHRF with 50,000 watts.
➦In 1960...WABC-AM, launched its "Top 40" format. Courtesy of musicradio77.com, the Top40 WABC tribute site. Here's the Day One line-up:
6AM HERB OSCAR ANDERSON
10:00 Breakfast Club - Don McNeill
11:00 CHARLIE GREER
1:00 FARRELL SMITH
3:00 JACK CARNEY
6:00 Newscope
7:30 CHUCK DUNAWAY
10:00 SCOTT MUNI
12Mid BIG JOE'S HAPPINESS EXCHANGE
4:00A BILL OWEN
Plus, here's an early WABC aircheck. July 3, 1961 was Dan Ingram's first day on-air at WABC.
➦In 1977…Peter Goldmark, developer of the LP (long playing) 33 1/3 rpm record and the first commercial color television system, died in a car accident at the age of 71.
➦In 1994...Radio personality Howard Stern talked a man out of trying to kill himself.
➦In 1999...The RIAA filed a lawsuit against file-sharer Napster file-sharing, on charges of copyright infringement.
➦In 2014...New York-based Radio, TV personality John Bartholomew Tucker died at age 84. Along with Big Wilson, Tucker was one of the last two hosts of the long-running NBC Radio weekend show Monitor. On TV in the early 70’s he hosted a morning show on WABC-TV called A.M. New York, which served as the genesis for what is now Good Morning America.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne of the Osborne Brothers is 89.
Actor Ellen Burstyn is 88.
Country singer Gary Morris is 72.
Singer Tom Waits is 71.
Actor Priscilla Barnes (“Three’s Company”) is 63.
Announcer Edd Hall (“The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”) is 62.
Shiri Appleby is 42
Bassist Tim Butler of Psychedelic Furs is 62.
Actor Patrick Fabian (“Better Call Saul”) is 56.
Actor Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”) is 55.
Actor C. Thomas Howell is 54.
Actor Kimberly Hebert Gregory (“Kevin (Probably) Saves The World”) is 48.
Rapper Kon Artis of D12 is 46.
Singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints is 45.
Singer Frankie J (Kumbia Kings) is 44.
Country singer Sunny Sweeney is 44.
Actor Shiri Appleby (“UnREAL,” “Roswell”) is 42.
Singer Sara Bareilles is 41.
Actor Jennifer Carpenter (“Limitless,” “Dexter”) is 41.
