A former New York Times editorial page editor was put on the defensive on Tuesday in Sarah Palin's defamation trial against the newspaper over a 2017 editorial that incorrectly linked the former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor to an earlier mass shooting in Arizona.
Reuters reports James Bennet, the former editor, testified in the trial's fourth day that he relied upon research from colleagues before adding language, under deadline pressure, that suggested Palin's political action committee might have incited the 2011 Arizona shooting.
Six people died and former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded in that shooting.
The June 14, 2017, editorial about gun control and the decline of political discourse followed a shooting at a Virginia baseball practice in which Steve Scalise, a member of the House of Representatives' Republican leadership, was wounded.
"I was really concerned ... that something like this didn't seem like such a big deal any more," Bennet told Palin's lawyer Shane Vogt. "It seemed like a huge deal that several Republican congressmen had been shot, and I did want to get our readers' attention to that."
The trial is a test of legal protections that have long safeguarded U.S. media from defamation claims by public figures.
Lawyers for Palin have accused the Times of trying to falsely smear her, and questioned other Times journalists about the newspaper's writing and editing procedures.
She is trying to prove that Bennet and the Times acted with "actual malice," a high standard adopted in the Sullivan decision, meaning they knew the editorial was false or had reckless disregard for the truth.
The editorial originally drafted by board member Elizabeth Williamson referenced Palin's political action committee having circulated a map before the Gifford's shooting that put the congresswoman and 19 other Democrats under cross hairs.
Bennet added language that "the link to political incitement was clear" and that there was no sign of incitement in the Scalise shooting as direct as in the Gifford's shooting.
In a subsequent correction, the Times said there was no such link.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America is proud to announce that the hosts for this year’s BFOA Golden Mike Award dinner and ceremony will be husband and wife broadcasters Al Roker, Weather and Feature Anchor for TODAY and Co-Host of Third Hour for TODAY, and Deborah Roberts, award-winning ABC News Senior National Affairs Correspondent for 20/20, Nightline, Good Morning America, and World News Tonight with David Muir.
The 2022 BFOA Golden Mike Award returns following a one-year hiatus, due to the pandemic, and will take place Monday, March 14, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The annual event is the biggest fundraiser for the Broadcasters Foundation, whose sole mission is to provide aid to broadcasters in acute need.
Roker is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, actor, author, and producer. In 2018, he was honored for 40 years at NBC. He has been named Best Weatherman twice by New York Magazine. Roker is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious Seal of Approval and has been a pioneer in the use of computer graphics for weathercasting. Roker has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of TODAY’s recognition as the best morning newscast (2007, 2009, 2010).
Roberts, who serves on the Broadcasters Foundation Board of Directors, has been awarded multiple Emmy® Awards for her international and national coverage of world events. Her long-form reports on 20/20 have consistently produced extraordinary narratives, such as an intimate profile of former first lady Michelle Obama and former first daughter Ivanka Trump. In 2021, Roberts was awarded a Peabody Award for the 20/20 special, “Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor.”
As previously announced, this year’s BFOA Golden Mike Award honoree will be Hilton Howell, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Gray Television and Atlantic American Corporation. The Lifetime Achievment Award will be presented to renowned sportscaster Lesley Visser.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award dinner attracts a who’s who of broadcast media executives and celebrities. Previous Golden Mike recipients include Dave Lougee, Emily Barr, David Barrett, Michael Bloomberg, Cathy Hughes and Alfred Liggins, Bob Pittman, Gordon Smith, Jeff Smulyan, Perry Sook, and more. Lifetime Achievement Award recipients have included George Beasley, Ed McLaughlin, Bill Hoffman, Charles Osgood, and Dick Clark. For information, or to reserve a seat or table, please contact the Broadcasters Foundation at 212-373-8250 or info@thebfoa.org.
Since its inception 70 years ago, the Broadcasters Foundation has distributed millions of dollars in aid to broadcasters who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or unforeseen tragedy. Personal donations can be made to the Foundation’s Guardian Fund. Corporate contributions are accepted through the Angel Initiative, and bequests can be made through the Foundation’s Legacy Society. For more information, please visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, call 212-373-8250, or email info@thebfoa.org.
➦In 1902...radio actor Chester H. Lauck was born in Allene Arkansas. With fellow Arkansan Norris Goff he would create one of radio’s alltime favorite programs, “Lum & Abner,” hillbilly proprietors of the “Jot ‘Em Down Store” in Pine Ridge Arkansas.
Their idea was a switch on Amos ‘n’ Andy. He died Feb. 21 1980, 12 days after his 78th birthday.
➦In 1934...FCC granted 500kw license to WLW for W8XO.
Powel Crosley studio of radio station WLW
On March 22, 1922, the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation began broadcasting with the call sign WLW and 50 watts of power. Crosley was a fanatic about the new broadcasting technology, and continually increased his station's capability. The power went up to 500 watts in September 1922, 1000 watts in May 1924, and in January 1925 WLW was the first broadcasting station at the 5000 watt level. On October 4, 1928, the station increased its power to 50 kilowatts. Again it was the first station at this power level, which still is the maximum power currently allowed for any AM station in the United States.
At 50 kilowatts, WLW was heard easily over a wide area, from New York to Florida. But Powel Crosley still wasn't satisfied. In 1933 he obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 ($9.02 million in 2014) building the transmitter and antenna.
Cooling Pond
It was the first large amplifier used in the United States for public domestic radio broadcasting and was in operation between 1934 and 1939. It was an experimental amplifier and was driven by the radio station's regular 50 kW transmitter. It operated in class C with high-level plate modulation. The amplifier required a dedicated 33 kV electrical substation and a large pond complete with fountains for cooling. It operated with a power input of about 750 kW (plus another 400 kW of audio for the modulator) and its output was 500 kW.
In January 1934 WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental callsign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal.
As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. In December 1934 WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50 ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada.
With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station.
The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest.
As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. In 1962 the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation again applied for a permit to operate at 750 kilowatts, but the FCC denied the application.
📻For more, visit Jim Hawkins WLW Transmitter Page: Click Here.
➦In 1958...the CBS Radio Network first aired “Frontier Gentleman” starring John Dehner. The classy western production came too late in the OTR era to achieve the success it deserved, and it was pulled from the schedule that November.
➦In 1964...ABC's American Bandstand moved from Philadelphia to the ABC Television Center in Los Angeles (now known as The Prospect Studios), which coincidentally was the same weekend that WFIL-TV moved from 46th and Market to their then-new facility on City Line Avenue as well as the day before the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
➦In 1964...The Beatles made the first of three record-breaking appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show”. The audience viewing the Fab Four on CBS TV was estimated at 73,700,000 (34 percent of the American population).
Ed Sullivan and the Beatles
The Beatles sang “She Loves You” “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. The songs were barely audible above the screams of the girls in the theatre. The Beatles made their first appearance on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sullivan Show."
The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964 to great anticipation and fanfare as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had swiftly risen to No. 1 in the charts.
Their first appearance on February 9 is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers, at the time a record for US television. The Beatles followed Ed's show opening intro, performing "All My Loving"; "Till There Was You", which featured the names of the group members superimposed on closeup shots, including the famous "Sorry girls, he's married" caption on John Lennon; and "She Loves You". The act that followed Beatles in the broadcast was pre-recorded, rather than having someone perform live on stage amidst the pandemonium that occurred in the studio after the Beatles performed their first songs. The group returned later in the program to perform "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand.
With Cassius Clay
The following week's show was broadcast from Miami Beach where Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) was in training for his first title bout with Sonny Liston. The occasion was used by both camps for publicity. On the evening of the television show (February 16) a crush of people nearly prevented the band from making it onstage.
A wedge of policemen were needed and the band began playing "She Loves You" only seconds after reaching their instruments. They continued with "This Boy", and "All My Loving" and returned later to close the show with "I Saw Her Standing There", "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
They were shown on tape February 23 (this appearance had been taped earlier in the day on February 9 before their first live appearance). They followed Ed's intro with "Twist and Shout" and "Please Please Me" and closed the show once again with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
The Beatles appeared live for the final time on August 14, 1965. They performed "I Feel Fine", "I'm Down", and "Act Naturally" and closed the show with "Ticket to Ride", "Yesterday", and "Help!"
A future music star from Britain also appeared on the Sullivan stage that night: Davy Jones, two years before he would became a member of The Monkees, performed as part of the cast of the Broadway show "Oliver!" Jones said of that night, "I watched the Beatles from the side of the stage, I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, this is it, I want a piece of that."
With Murray The K
➦In 1964...1010 WINS DJ Murray The K took John, Paul & Ringo to NYC's 'Peppermint Lounge' nightclub, a hot spot. He subsequently accompanied the band to Washington, D.C. for their first U.S. concert, was backstage at their The Ed Sullivan Show premiere, and roomed with Beatles guitarist George Harrison in Miami, broadcasting his nightly radio shows from his hotel room. He came to be referred to as the "Fifth Beatle", a moniker he said he was given by Harrison during the train ride to the Beatles' first concert in Washington, D.C.
➦In 1976...Musical conductor Percy Faith died of cancer aged 67. His 1960’s ‘Theme From A Summer Place’, was No.1 for nine weeks, and won the Grammy’s Record of the Year in 1961.
➦In 1981...Early Rock 'n' roll singer Bill Haley was found dead, fully clothed on his bed at his home in Harlington, Texas from a heart attack & a brain tumour at age 55. Haley, with his Comets, recorded the so-called anthem of rock and roll: “Rock Around the Clock”, from the movie, “Blackboard Jungle”.
He has sold over 60 million records worldwide and has been described as the greatest musical pioneer of the 20th century
Johnny Michaels
➦In 2002...NYC Radio Personality Johnny Michaels died. Michaels had stints at WOR FM, WMCA, WNEW FM, WCBS FM, WKTU, WBLS, WNBC
➦In 2012... Longtime WBZ host Dave Maynard died in Citrus Hills, FL, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 82 years old.
Maynard was a fixture in Boston television and radio for 48 years. He began his career in 1952 at WHIL radio (now WXKS-AM) and then moved on to WORL radio, working as a rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey at both stations. In 1979 he began doing talk radio on the night shift from 12 A.M. to 5 A.M. One of Maynard’s most memorable on-air moments was one summer night when he kept a suicidal caller on the air for over an hour, saving the man’s life by tracking down his whereabouts.
One year later, Maynard was offered the position of WBZ 1030 radio’s morning man taking over for Carl deSuze who moved to the afternoon shift. In the 1980s he was the top rated morning man in the region. He retired in 1991, but appeared frequently filling in for other people for another several years.
Maynard was honored as the 1999 Massachusetts Broadcast Association “Broadcaster of the Year,” and was later inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcaster Hall of Fame.
Carole King is 80
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor Janet Suzman is 83.
Actor-turned-politician Sheila James Kuehl (“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”) is 81.
Singer Carole King is 80.
Singer Barbara Lewis is 79.
Actor Joe Pesci is 79.
Author Alice Walker (“The Color Purple”) is 78.
Actor Mia Farrow is 77.
Singer Joe Ely is 75.
Actor Judith Light (“Ugly Betty,” ″Who’s the Boss”) is 73.
Actor Charles Shaughnessy (“The Nanny”) is 67.
Actor Ed Amatrudo (TV’s “Nashville”) is 66.
Sax player Steve Wilson is 61.
Country singer Travis Tritt is 59.
Sharon Case is 50
Actor Julie Warner (“Nip/Tuck,” ″Family Law”) is 57.
Actor Sharon Case (“The Young and the Restless”) is 51.
Actor Jason George (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 50.
Actor Amber Valletta (“Blood and Oil,” “Revenge”) is 48.
Actor Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 46.
Singer Chad Wolf of Carolina Liar is 46.
Actor A.J. Buckley (“CSI: NY”) is 45.
Guitarist Richard On of O.A.R. is 43.
Actor Tom Hiddleston (TV’s “The Night Manager,” film’s “The Avengers”) is 41.
Actor David Gallagher (“Seventh Heaven”) is 37.
Actor Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed”) is 35.
Actor Rose Leslie (“Game of Thrones,” ″Downton Abbey”) is 35.
Actor Camille Winbush (“The Bernie Mac Show”) is 32.
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. today announced operating results for the for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021.
Net revenue during the three months ended December 31, 2021 increased 3.3% to $70.7 million, primarily reflecting a year-over-year increase in audio and digital advertising revenue and other revenue due to the continued recovery of the commercial advertising market from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by a decrease in political revenue.
Beasley reported operating income of $6.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to operating income of $19.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease largely reflects higher operating expenses related to the Company’s digital agency build out, and the return of certain expenses that had been reduced in 2020 due to temporary measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The comparable 2020 period also benefitted from a $4.4 million gain on dispositions and $3.6 million in other operating income partially offset by $2.2 million of non-cash impairment losses, which were non-recurring in 2021.
Interest expense increased $2.5 million to $6.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 resulting from the issuance of senior secured notes in February 2021. Beasley recorded a $10.0 million gain on forgiveness of long-term debt as the Company’s loan granted under Paycheck Protection Program received approval for forgiveness in November 2021. As a result of these factors, Beasley reported net income of $10.6 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, in the three months ended December 31, 2021, compared to net income of $11.0 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, in the three months ended December 31, 2020.
SOI decreased by $6.2 million to $13.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 from $20.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease is primarily attributable to higher operating expenses, including the continued build out of the Company’s digital agency.
Caroline Beasley
Commenting on the financial results, Caroline Beasley, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Beasley delivered a strong finish to a solid year of operating and financial performance, as the strength of our content and continuing improvement in advertising trends, combined with the ongoing success of our digital transformation and revenue diversification strategies, continue to fuel our recovery.
"Throughout the year, we made significant progress on our near-term goal of returning all of our revenue sources to pre-pandemic levels, as reflected by the 17% increase in full year net revenues to $241 million. Top-line growth was the primary factor contributing to a 75% year-over-year increase in SOI to $42.0 million. Overall, we believe these results demonstrate the strength and relevance of our industry-leading audio content and our teams’ extraordinary efforts to serve our listeners, customers and communities through challenging circumstances.
“Growing consumer and advertiser demand for Beasley’s digital audio content drove a 47.3% year-over-year increase in digital revenue, with digital accounting for 15% of total fourth quarter revenue. Notably, our digital network delivered record digital audience impressions for the third consecutive quarter, with total digital impressions growing 20% over third quarter 2021 levels and 39% over the prior year period."
CBS News has hired a consulting firm to draw up plans for a corporate slimdown where an executive is the brother of the network’s cost-slashing co-president, The NY Post has learned.
Neeraj Khemlani joined CBS as co-president in May and quickly signaled he planned to cut expenses across the third-place news network, which is owned by media giant ViacomCBS. Almost immediately after Khemlani took the reins, executives from the firm FTI Consulting were brought in, employees told The Post.
FTI doesn’t appear to have significant experience in media and broadcast consulting, but it got the plum job.
“A month or two after Neeraj started, we got emails,” a CBS employee said. The source added that upward of 100 consultants were soon organizing Zoom meetings across CBS’s broadcast, digital and local news divisions and asking for presentations on their departments.
“They were looking for ways to create efficiencies in the news organization,” the source said, adding that it ultimately translated to layoffs and consolidation for many.
“Everyone knows Neeraj is an accountant masquerading as a journalist,” another insider told The Post. “It’s no surprise his brother is a consultant he hired to cut costs — his sole job is to slim everything down for sale.”
Sources inside CBS told The Post they were questioning the hire of FTI because it is not known for media consulting like rivals McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group. According to its website, FTI hasn’t had any major TV clients recently outside of CBS.
FTI’s top media consultant Luke Schaeffer, who has worked on the CBS account, boasts of non-TV clients like the digital publication Refinery29 when it merged with Vice Media, or radio giant Entercom when it merged with CBS Radio.
Sources previously told The Post that Khemlani, a former Hearst exec and “60 Minutes” producer, has been “cutting CBS to the bone,” slimming down the company’s digital newsroom and opting to use some local news reporting in broadcast news reports.
Khemlani and his co-president Wendy McMahon replaced legendary newshound Susan Zirinsky, who had succeeded David Rhodes as CBS News president following a turbulent period marred by sexual misconduct allegations that ousted CBS CEO Les Moonves, “60 Minutes” boss Jeff Fager and others.
Now, sources told The Post that Khemlani is looking to cut the salary of “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, who currently makes in the ballpark of $8 million.
Some of CNN’s biggest on-air hosts during a meeting Monday pressed WarnerMedia Chief Executive Jason Kilar for details regarding CNN President Jeff Zucker’s resignation, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Zucker resigned last week, citing his failure to disclose a consensual relationship with a close colleague. The colleague he referred to was CNN Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust, who remains at the company.
"Change absolutely is here. It's around us. And it is coming," said Kilar at the top of the meeting, according to Insider. "The mission of CNN remains, which is strong, independent journalism."
He added, "I do consider the matter of Jeff's resignation closed and I'm not going to be speaking about the details of it as a matter of policy."
New York-based anchors including Don Lemon, Brian Stelter, Richard Quest and Alisyn Camerota asked Kilar a range of questions relating to Zucker’s departure and its aftermath, including what to tell network viewers and employees about the executive shuffle. Kilar appeared in the meeting through a video connection.
Quest, the anchor of CNN’s “Quest Means Business,” asked Kilar during the question-and-answer session whether he considered alternate decisions that would have allowed Mr. Zucker to stay on instead of having him resign and opening the network to intense scrutiny.
There was the possibility of a more imaginative result that would’ve allowed you to keep the captain, instead of throwing the captain overboard while the ship is about to go through icebergs,” Mr. Quest said.
Oliver Darcy, a reporter who covers media at CNN, asked Mr. Kilar whether CNN would pay former “Cuomo Prime Time” host Chris Cuomo a severance package. Mr. Cuomo has hired an attorney after being fired by CNN in December after a network investigation into his efforts to aid his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in responding to allegations of sexual harassment.
A poll conducted by Forrester Research found that 19% of Spotify users said they had already canceled or plan to. 54% of Spotify users said they had no intention of canceling their subscription. Meanwhile, 18.5% said canceling would be on the table if more artists pull out of Spotify, reports Digital Music News.
Around 8.5% of those surveyed said Spotify’s features were too important to cancel their subscription
Spotify abruptly removed around 70 Joe Rogan episodes on Friday without much explanation. On Saturday, Rogan issued an apology for a compilation video featuring cuts of him using the n- word. “He shouldn’t even be uttering the word,” India Arie says. “Don’t even say it, under any context. Don’t say it. That’s where I stand. I have always stood there.”
Rogan says he opted against using the ‘n-word’ substitution on his show. He explained that in many cases, he was discussing the use of the word itself by referencing comedians’ use of the word. “I know that to most people, there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast, and I agree with that now,” Rogan said in his apology.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek called censoring Rogan over this a slippery slope. In a letter to Spotify staffers, Ek wrote, “I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe Rogan is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
It’s also worth noting that the poll size was 657 online consumers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Only about one-third of that number actually used Spotify – so the sample size is rather small. Researchers also note that the data is not weighted to be representative of total country populations.
Rumble Inc, a YouTube-style website popular among U.S. conservatives, has offered Joe Rogan $100 million over four years for all his shows, days after the podcaster apologized for using racial slurs in his content, Reuters is reporting.
Rogan is also facing backlash for COVID-19 misinformation in his program hosted on Spotify, after singer-songwriters including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their content from the streaming platform.
The incidents prompted Spotify to add a "content advisory" to any episode featuring discussion of COVID-19 as scientists and medical professionals urged the platform to prevent Rogan from spreading falsehoods. read more.
"Dear Joe, we stand with you, your guests and your legion of fans in desire for real conversation," Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said in an email to Rogan posted on Rumble's twitter page on Monday.
"How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years?"
His show, "The Joe Rogan Experience," has become one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify after the streaming platform started featuring it in 2020. The Wall Street Journal had then reported that Spotify's exclusive licensing deal for the show was worth more than $100 million.
Shares of CF Acquisition VI (CFVI.O), the SPAC that has agreed to take Rumble public, surged more than 18% on the news. The deal, announced in December, had valued Rumble at $2.1 billion.
President Biden met with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House yesterday, and said that if Russia invades Ukraine, the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany pipeline, which has been completed, but hasn't yet begun operating, will be blocked. Biden stated, "If Russia invades, that means tanks and troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it." Doing so would hurt Russia economically, among tough sanctions the U.S. has promised in the event of an invasion. Biden and Scholz also spoke about contingency plans for providing gas supplies to Europe should Russia cut off the supply. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron met yesterday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to defuse the crisis. Macron said the talks were "substantial" and "deep," focused on conditions that could help de-escalation. He stated, "The upcoming days will be crucial and deep discussions together will be needed." Putin again denied Russia intends to invade Ukraine.
Pres. Biden: "If Russia invades...then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."
Reporter: "But how will you do that, exactly, since...the project is in Germany's control?"
➤SUPREME COURT PUTS COURT RULING ON HOLD DIRECTING ALABAMA TO DRAW NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday put a lower court ruling on hold that had directed Alabama to draw new congressional districts before the midterm elections in November. The 5-4 decision -- in which Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the high court's liberals -- means the elections will be held under a map drawn by the state's Republican-controlled legislature after the 2020 Census that has only one majority-Black district in a state in which more than one-quarter of the population is Black. The lower court had ruled the state had likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the political power of Black voters by not creating a second district in which they made up a majority, or close to it. Alabama asked the Supreme Court to put the ruling on hold while it appeals and it agreed, with two of those in the majority, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito, saying the lower court's order came too close to the 2022 election cycle. The justices will at some point later decide on the issue of the case, whether the Alabama map violates the Voting Rights Act.
GOVERNORS OF FOUR STATES PLAN TO END SCHOOL MASK MANDATES: The governors of four states -- Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon -- announced yesterday that they will lift statewide mask requirements for schools by the end of February or March because of the rapid decline of the omicron-driven Covid-19 surge. The four states are among a dozen that have mask mandates for schools. New Jersey and Connecticut will allow individual school districts to keep their mask mandates if they choose. It's unclear if Delaware and Oregon will.
➤POLICE LOOKING FOR MAN WHO OPENED FIRE IN WASHINGTON SUPERMARKET, KILLING ONE: Police are looking for a man who opened fire at a Fred Meyer supermarket in Richland, Washington, on Monday, killing one person and critically wounding another. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Aaron Christopher Kelley, has had contact with law enforcement in the past. Police responding to the store just after 11 a.m. found the two victims, both of them men, near each other, one of them already dead. Video footage showed the suspect and the man who died had an interaction before the shooting, but police said they don't know what it was about and don't know if they two men knew each other. The person who died didn't work at the store, while the critically injured man does.
➤BIDEN'S TOP SCIENCE ADVISER RESIGNS OVER TREATMENT OF STAFF: President Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, resigned yesterday over his treatment of staff. The resignation of the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy came hours after the White House confirmed that an internal investigation found credible evidence that he mistreated his staff. The probe, which came after a workplace complaint, found evidence Lander bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully. He said in his resignation letter, "I am devastated that I caused hurt to past and present colleagues by the way in which I have spoken to them." The resignation came after the administration had earlier in the day indicated Lander would be allowed to stay in the job.
➤IRS TO STOP USING FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY: The Internal Revenue Service said Monday that it will stop using facial recognition to authenticate the identity of people who create online accounts. The action to stop using a third-party service, called ID.me, that was doing the facial recognition was taken after criticism from some members of Congress and from privacy advocates. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said, "The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised. . . . we are quickly pursuing short-term options that do not involve facial recognition."
➤NATIONAL ARCHIVES: 15 BOXES OF DOCUMENTS RETURNED THAT TRUMP IMPROPERLY TOOK FROM WHITE HOUSE: The National Archives said Monday that former President Donald Trump had to return 15 boxes of documents that were improperly taken from the White House, confirming a Washington Post report. They were returned last month. The Post said that among them were letters between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the handwritten letter former President Barack Obama had left in the Oval Office for Trump, following presidential tradition. The National Archives said it believes Trump has more records that need to be turned over, and that his representatives told them they are looking for any additional documents.
Singer-songwriter Neil Young has asked employees of Spotify to quit their jobs while urging people to withdraw their money from big American banks, in protests over coronavirus misinformation and climate change https://t.co/nUTIccZIcYpic.twitter.com/FoMM6NFflk
➤NBC OKAYS LESLIE JONES TO KEEP SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES: Beijing Olympics broadcaster NBC said last night that it's okay for Leslie Jones to keep doing her social media commentary on the Games, hours after the former Saturday Night Live star said she might stop doing the live tweeting because some of the posts were getting blocked due to their use of video of NBC's coverage. An NBC spokesman said some of Jones' videos were blocked because of a, quote, "third-party error," not because of NBC, stating, "We have resolved the situation. He told AP, "She is free to do her social media posts as she has done in the past. She is a super fan of the Olympics and we are super fans of her."
Jones had said earlier on Twitter and Instagram, "I love the athletes and they love me doing it. And I know y’all love it. But now it’s just gotten too hard. And no one is fighting for or with me. Soooo I guess I’ll leave it to the professionals." Jones has live-tweeted about the Olympics since the 2016 Rio Summer Games. She was a guest of NBC in Rio and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.
➤STUDY..LIFTING WEIGHTS FOR AS LITTLE AS A FEW SECONDS A DAY CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON MUSCLE STRENGTH: It doesn’t take much to increase your muscle strength. Edith Cowan University researchers found that participants who performed one muscle contraction each day, specifically an eccentric bicep curl, at maximum effort for three seconds per day had their muscle strength increase more than ten percent after doing so five days per week over a four-week period. Lead researcher Professor Ken Nosaka explains, “The study results suggest that a very small amount of exercise stimulus—even 60 seconds in four weeks—can increase muscle strength. Many people think you have to spend a lot of time exercising, but it's not the case. Short, good quality exercise can still be good for your body and every muscle contraction counts. […] Also, performing only one maximal contraction per day means you don’t get sore afterwards.”
U.S. Figure Skater Chen in First Place After Record-Breaking Men's Short Program - U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen is in first place after the men's figure skating short program, scoring 113.97 points to set a new world record, putting him in front by more than five points ahead of the free skate. Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan stunningly bailed out of his opening quad jump attempt and is nearly 20 points back.
U.S. Figure Skater Zhou Withdraws After Covid Positive - Hours before the men's figure skating short program, American Vincent Zhou officially withdrew from the singles competition after further testing confirmed an initial positive Covid-19 test. Zhou, who was expected to contend for a medal, shared the news in an emotional Instagram video, calling the situation "pretty unreal," explaining, "[I]'ve taken all the precautions I can. I've isolated myself so much that the loneliness I felt in the last month or two has been crushing at times." Zhou competed with the U.S. in team event, winning the silver medal with them.
U.S.-Born Gu of China Wins Gold in Women's Freestyle Big Air - American-born Eileen Gu of China won gold in women's freestyle big air. The 18-year-old, who grew up in San Francisco, landed a 1620 -- four-and-a-half spins -- on her final jump, the first of her career in competition. It also made her only the second woman to land one in competition.
"Getting an Olympic medal is definitely a dream so it'd be pretty cool."
Ryan Cochran-Siegle talks about carrying on his family's Olympic legacy and bringing home an Olympic medal like his mother, Barbara, did at the 1972 Olympics. pic.twitter.com/eK5aZFcVKx
American Cochran-Siegle Wins Silver in Men's Super-G - American skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle won the silver medal in the men's super-G, the first Alpine medal for the U.S. in Beijing. It came 50 years after his mother, Barbara Cochran, won gold in the slalom in the 1972 Olympics. He finished .04 seconds behind Matthias Mayer of Austria, who won gold for a second straight Olympics. Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde took bronze.
U.S. Women's Hockey Team Beaten 4-2 By Archrival Canada - The defending Olympic champion U.S. women's hockey team was beaten 4-2 by archrival Canada in the Group A finale. Canada now has the tournament's top seed entering the playoff round. Unless there's a major upset, it's expected the U.S. and Canada will face each other again in the gold-medal final game.
Dutch Speedskater Wust Sets Olympics Record with Gold in Fifth Games - Dutch speedskater Ireen Wüst won gold in the women's 1,500 meters, and the victory putting the 35-year-old in the record books. Wust became the first Olympic athlete, including both men and women, and the Winter and Summer Games, to win individual gold medals at five different Olympics. Already the most decorated speedskater in Olympics history, Wust now has 12 medals, six of them gold.
MEDAL COUNT: (As of 4:00 a.m. ET) - The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is in first place with eight medals, followed by Austria with seven and Canada with six. In the gold medal count, China and Sweden are tied with three each and six countries have two. The U.S. has four medals overall, all of them silver. ESPN'S MEDAL TRACKER: https://es.pn/3LhCHxF
OTHER SPORTS:
🏈TEXANS HIRE LOVE SMITH AS NEW HEAD COACH: The Houston Texans hired Lovie Smith as their new head coach Monday, replacing David Culley, who was fired after one season. It will be the third NFL head coaching job for Smith, who is Black, the second minority candidate to be hired this offseason. Brian Flores, who was fired by Miami after two seasons, interviewed for the Houston position, and filed a lawsuit accusing the NFL, Dolphins and two other teams of racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers. He issued a statement through his legal team applauding the Texans for hiring a Black man, but questioning why he wasn't offered the job, stating, "it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL."
🏈REPORTS: SAINTS CHOOSE DENNIS ALLEN AS HEAD COACH: Dennis Allen has been chosen as the New Orleans Saints as their new head coach, elevated from being the team's defensive coordinator, according to media reports yesterday. This is Allen's second NFL head-coaching position. He'll be replacing Sean Payton, who resigned last month after 16 years with the Saints, during which he was the franchise's all-time leader in victories and led them to their only Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season.
⚾MLB DRUG TESTING HAS STOPPED DURING ONGOING LOCKOUT: Drug testing in Major League Baseball has stopped for the first time in nearly 20 years since the ongoing lockout began on December 1st, the Associated Press reported Monday. The testing stopped because of the expiration of the drug agreement at the same time that the five-year labor contract expired before the league imposed the lockout. The AP said both MLB and the union declined to comment, but Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said, "It should be a major concern to all those who value fair play," adding "[Y]ou would have hoped they would have been able to get that figured out, so that when the game does restart, you don’t have questions hanging over individual players[.]" The two sides remain far apart on a new labor deal.
REPORT: Alvin Kamara facing five years in prison for battery charge following arrest in Las Vegas. 😳https://t.co/cdsRC4dMrl
🏈POLICE: VIDEO SUPPORTS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SAINTS' KAMARA: Video surveillance supports the battery charges against New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, according to a Las Vegas police report that says it shows him punching a man eight times in a casino Saturday morning, before people with him stomped on the man several times on the ground. The man, who was knocked unconscious, suffered an orbital fracture to his eye and other injuries. He told police the altercation began after he started a conversation with a member of Kamara's group while waiting for an elevator. When the elevator doors opened and he walked toward it, Kamara put his hand on the man's chest to stop him. He said he pushed the hand off and Kamara pushed back hard enough to make him stumble, and he then remembered being hit and kicked by multiple people. Kamara told police the man called one of his friends ugly and later said, "I'll whup your ass too." Kamara said he saw a fight break out. When asked why he punched the man, Kamara said he thought he was running away and had done something to the people with him. A hearing is scheduled for March.
For years, even as Facebook came under increasing scrutiny from Washington politicians and regulators, the controversial billionaire Peter Thiel kept his seat on the company's board, and, with it, his position as one of Silicon Valley’s most important power brokers. Now, according to Bloomberg, Thiel is finally giving up that seat — one that he has held since 2005 — a move that will likely spare Meta Platforms Inc. from added political headaches. It will also allow Thiel to do what he has long signaled was a desire: to go all-in on far-right politics.
Peter Thiel
The investor and co-founder of PayPal Holdings Inc. and Palantir Technologies Inc. has long seemed ambivalent about Facebook, a company where he was the first outside investor and a mentor to Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg. He sold much of his stock shortly after the company went public in 2012 and has been privately critical of the social network, even as he acted as an intermediary between Zuckerberg and then-President Donald Trump.
But the relationship between Thiel and Zuckerberg has grown chillier, especially over the last year, as Thiel has become a prominent supporter of political candidates who have added Zuckerberg to their lists of foes—targeting him alongside civil rights activists, democratic politicians, private equity executives and others they say are ruining America.
Bloomberg News reported that a person close to Thiel said he’d left the board to avoid creating a distraction. He plans to focus on supporting Masters, Vance and other candidates with similar views. The move comes as Thiel has intensified his political engagement.
Audacy announced the promotion of Dominic “Nard” Nardella to Brand Manager of WNCX 98.5 FM in Cleveland.
In this role, Nard will oversee content strategy, talent, operations and branding for the station. He will also serve as the station’s midday show host.
Dominic Nardella
“Nard is the ideal candidate for this job because of his experience in Cleveland and his knowledge of the NCX brand,” said Tom Herschel, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Cleveland. “We’re looking forward to having him join our team to help take 98.5 WNCX to even greater heights in Cleveland.”
“I am honored to be taking the WNCX reins,” said Nardella. “The station and the city of Cleveland have always been close to me. I look forward to working with the Audacy team of Tom Herschel, Dave Popovich, Dave Richards and Vince Richards.”
Nard hails from Youngstown, OH, just outside of Cleveland. He is no stranger to Cleveland radio having spent a decade in the market starting in 2001 as an on-air personality on 92.3 Xtreme Radio and then program director for 92.3 K-Rock and Radio923.
SiriusXM has announced its extensive programming plans for the week of Super Bowl LVI, when the biggest game of the NFL season and all the excitement surrounding lands in the city of Los Angeles. SiriusXM listeners will get multiple broadcasts of the game, a dedicated Super Bowl LVI pop up channel, plus a mix of sports and entertainment programming that only SiriusXM can deliver.
On Super Bowl Sunday, February 13 (6:30 pm ET), SiriusXM will offer multiple live broadcasts of Super Bowl LVI. Listeners can tune in to the Cincinnati Bengals team broadcast, the Los Angeles Rams team broadcast, the Westwood One national radio broadcast and a Spanish-language broadcast. Channels can be found at www.siriusxm.ca/live-sports/nfl.
Super Bowl game broadcasts - as well as SiriusXM programming airing throughout Super Bowl Week - are available to subscribers on the SiriusXM radios in their cars and on the SXM App.
For the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, SiriusXM will offer listeners the broadcast of the highly anticipated on-field musical performance by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Listeners can hear it live on Eminem's Shade 45 channel (SiriusXM 45) and Super Bowl LVI Radio (SiriusXM 104).
SiriusXM's 24/7 NFL channel - SiriusXM NFL Radio (SiriusXM 88) - will broadcast live from Radio Row at the Los Angeles Convention Center each day of Super Bowl Week starting at 9 am ET/6 am PT. SiriusXM NFL Radio hosts in Los Angeles will include Gil Brandt, Rich Gannon, Torry Holt, Pat Kirwan, Ed McCaffrey, LeSean McCoy, Jim Miller, Kirk Morrison, Torrey Smith, Solomon Wilcots, Alex Marvez and Bruce Murray.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre will host a special edition of his show, The SiriusXM Blitz with Brett Favre and Bruce Murray, live from SiriusXM's L.A. studios on Friday at 3 pm ET/noon PT.
On Thursday, February 10, SiriusXM NFL Radio will have live interviews from the red carpet before the annual NFL Honors event that salutes the top players and performers of the 2021 season, including the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year presented by Nationwide, the AP Most Valuable Player, AP Coach of the Year and more. Listeners will also hear live coverage of the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2022.
Super Bowl LVI Radio launched as a special week-long pop-up channel today, February 7 (SiriusXM 104). The channel will feature former NFL quarterback Danny Kanell conducting interviews with players and personalities throughout the week and will be the home for highlights from the best programming happening across several SiriusXM channels during Super Bowl Week. Super Bowl LVI Radio will air the NFL press conferences featuring NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the halftime performers, replays of past Super Bowls, music specials and more. Throughout the week, the channel will also be a source for info on the NFL activities happening in Los Angeles, including Super Bowl Experience and GameDay Fan Plaza, and game day specifics on transportation, parking, stadium security and more.
"It's been a dramatic NFL postseason and with fans everywhere looking forward to the big game on February 13, SiriusXM will capture all the excitement of the Super Bowl and Super Bowl Week," said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM's President and Chief Content Officer. "Our subscribers will be able to access multiple broadcasts of the game, live coverage of the highly-anticipated halftime show performance, and the unique mix of sports, music and entertainment programming that only SiriusXM can deliver. Wherever you are, we want to make you feel like you are right in the middle of the action every day of Super Bowl Week."
Edison Research has announced the comprehensive U.S. Top 50 Podcast chart for Q4 2021. This list ranks the 50 biggest podcasts by audience size, based on the Podcast Consumer Tracking Report, the only podcast measurement service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks.
The Podcast Consumer Tracking Report is the only measurement based on actual listening, not downloads.
“It was an eventful year for podcasting, said Edison Research SVP Tom Webster. True Crime, Comedy, and News continue to be the most popular genres, but the entire list is a vibrant and diverse list of shows”
The Edison Research Top 50 Podcasts of Q4 2021 list is derived from data collected continuously Q1 2021 – Q4 2021, from surveying weekly podcast consumers ages 18 and older in the U.S. Participants indicate which podcasts they listened to in the past week along with a variety of demographic, psychographic, and purchase behavior information. The results are then coded and analyzed to ascertain the genre, network, and sales representation for each podcast. The relative audience size of each podcast network is then calculated and expressed as the percentage of weekly podcast listeners reached by that network. Surveys of 8,000 podcast listeners in the U.S. were conducted Q1 2021 through Q4 2021.
Current subscribers to the Podcast Consumer Tracker include the top networks in podcasting as well as leading technology platforms, and is growing quarterly. Subscribers include SXM Media, Google, NPR, Spotify, Wondery, ESPN/ABC/Disney, WarnerMedia, and more.
Will Lee, an experienced media executive with a strong track record of digital innovations and brand transformation, who most recently served as SVP/Head of Digital, Entertainment Group at Meredith Corporation, will become NPR's Chief Operating Officer, announced John Lansing, President and CEO of NPR. The Technology; Audience Technology; Product; Content Operations; Research, Archives & Data Strategy; Member Partnership' and Change Management and Transformation teams will report up to this role. This portfolio brings together the teams that are leading the way in how NPR reaches and serves audiences now and into the future. Lee's appointment as Chief Operating Officer begins March 14 and follows an extensive national search.
"NPR is a media force and a news institution like no other in the world. Its journalistic mission is more essential and critical to the American public than ever before," said Lee. "I'm truly honored to join this incredible team and work closely with NPR's remarkable network of Member stations to ignite and drive continued growth, transformation, and brand momentum to reach new and more diverse audiences everywhere they encounter NPR."
"Will is a creative and successful digital media leader who has spent his career transforming legacy media brands by expanding and growing audience engagement and revenue. He understands that to serve NPR's critical public service mission we must meet audiences where they are — on the radio, and on other on-demand platforms and devices," said NPR CEO John Lansing. "Will is also keenly aware of the unique competitive advantages of NPR, most notably the scale and strength of our 252 Member stations."
Lee brings more than two decades of experience in content creation, audience expansion, commitment to and evolution of DEI in organizations, and brand development. In his previous role at Meredith, he led and directed the digital, platform, and video businesses of People, Entertainment Weekly, People en Español, and PeopleTV, with over 130 million total monthly users and over a billion monthly content views. In his time there, digital audiences and revenue more than tripled. He formerly served as the Vice President of Digital Content and Programming at The Hollywood Reporter, where he drove record-breaking audience growth for THR.com and THR video and led a complete renovation and relaunch of the digital newsroom. Lee currently sits on the Board of Advisors of the New York University Center for Publishing, and Nekton Mission, a non-profit devoted to protecting the oceans.
SiriusXM has fired former PGA Tour pro Mark Lye, who made controversial comments about women's basketball during a show Saturday, reports ABC News.
"You know the LPGA Tour, to me, is a completely different tour than it was 10 years ago," Lye said on SiriusXM's PGA Tour Radio. "You couldn't pay me to watch. You really couldn't, because I couldn't relate at all. It's kind of like, if you were a basketball player, and I'm not trashing anybody, please don't take it the wrong way.
"I saw some highlights of ladies' basketball. Man. Is there a gun in the house? I'll shoot myself [before] I watch that."
"I was terminated about comments made about the WNBA, which I apologized for starting the next segment," he said.
After making the comments on Saturday, Lye attempted to explain what he said on Twitter.
Lye, 69, played on the PGA Tour from 1977 to 1994 and won the 1983 Bank of Boston Classic. He finished tied for sixth at the 1984 Masters.
The Radio Music Licensing Committee and Irving Azoff’s performance rights organization Global Music Rights announced Monday that they’d finalized an agreement to resolve more than five years of contentious antitrust litigation, reports Billboard.
The completion of the settlement, announced last month, had been contingent on a sufficient number of RMLC’s 10,000 member radio stations signing off on the agreement – a condition that both sides say has now been satisfied.
“This settlement puts an end to more than five years of litigation and represents a shared desire by both sides to find a way for radio stations and GMR to work together on a long-term basis without repeatedly resorting to litigation,” said RMLC chairman Ed Atsinger III said in a joint statement.
“Global Music Rights stands for songwriters and the value of their music,” Azoff said in the same joint statement. “I am proud of the GMR team for the hard work on behalf of songwriters in achieving this settlement.”
The deal, which paves the way for long-term licensing agreements that start in April, will resolve more than five years of testy litigation over the power exerted by each side in negotiations over how much radio stations must pay to songwriters.
RMLC represents thousands of radio stations in negotiations with performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI, which provide blanket licenses covering hundreds of thousands of songs. Founded by Azoff in 2013, GMR is an upstart competitor to those major PROs, but one that sports a star-studded repertoire including Bruce Springsteen, Drake and Bruno Mars.
In 2016, the two groups filed dueling lawsuits, each accusing the other of violating federal antitrust laws by illegally coordinating the actions of their members to win unfair leverage in such licensing negotiations.
NRG Media, LLC has announced Jim Smith has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Smith spent the last 14 years at NRG Media as Chief Financial Officer.
In addition to continuing to oversee the financial component of NRG Media as the company’s CFO, he will lead the operational oversight of NRG’s 9 markets and 38 radio stations throughout the Midwest in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
“Jim understands the importance of NRG’s mission to provide great local radio and plays an instrumental role in leading the company through operational challenges created by the pandemic over the last two years,” commented NRG Media President/CEO Mary Quass.
“I am excited for our future. We have a great team and I look forward to us continuing to drive The NRG way,” stated Smith.
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