The latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey found that, overall, 64.2% of all radio stations in the Survey report running local news: 66.5% of AM stations and 63.3% of FM stations. Those numbers are all down from last year — down 4 points overall from a year ago. FM stations dropped 3 points, but AM stations fell by almost 7.
Overall, 65% of commercial stations run local news in this year’s Survey. That’s nearly identical to last year’s 66.2%. A year ago, we saw a 10-point drop in non-commercial stations running local news. This year, the percentage of non-commercial stations running local news fell another 2 points — down to 60.7%. We don’t know why there’s been a drop in local news at non-commercial stations. This year’s numbers back up the idea that last year’s drop was neither a fluke nor a survey anomaly.
There’s a common perception that locally owned radio stations are more likely to produce local news than stations that are not locally owned. But that’s never been the case every time we’ve looked at the issue — until this year. Overall, 75.3% of locally owned station groups run local news, and 71.5% of non-locally owned station groups run local news. The percentage of locally owned groups running local news is virtually unchanged from last year, but non-locally owned station groups fell 12 points from a year ago.
If we look at individual stations, the difference is even sharper. Overall, 68.4% of locally owned stations run local news versus 54.1% of non-locally owned stations.
Overall, the typical (median) amount of weekday local news dropped by 8 minutes. Last year, minutes increased by 3 per weekday. The average fell by over 20 — back to just about where it was two years ago. The biggest drop in average minutes came in large markets, suggesting that fewer all news or news/talk stations there filled out the Survey this year. Medium markets are down a bit; small markets dropped an average of over 20 minutes per weekday.
Commercial station minutes decreased on average, while non-commercial stations saw an increase in average minutes but a slight drop in median minutes.
Meanwhile, average minutes decreased across the board on the weekends, with the typical station not running local news at all on the weekend — except 5 minutes on Saturdays in small markets.
According to a recent survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, local TV news in the U.S. remains the most trusted news source.
An impressive 62% of respondents expressed trust in local TV news, which is the highest score among both online and TV sources1. It’s heartening to see that local news continues to play a vital role in informing and connecting communities.
TVTechnoloy.com reports the Digital News Report 2024 from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism provides a detailed breakdown of consumer attitudes towards news consumption as well as deep dives into such topics as the use of AI in journalism for both global audiences and consumers in specific countries like the U.S.
In terms of the U.S., only 28% of American surveyed said they had accessed local TV news in the last week while overall trust in the news media remained stable but low. Only 32% said they trusted the news in 2024 (same level at 2013). The global average was 40%; the U.S. ranked 35th out of 47 countries surveyed.
Local TV news in the U.S., however, fared much better, with 62% trusting it, the highest score of any other online or TV source. Regional and local newspapers came in second (58%).
Among the broadcast networks ABC and CBS raked the highest (52%). NBC/MSNBC was trusted by 49% followed by CNN at 48% and Fox News at 43%.
In terms of their preferred way to access news, 72% of Americans said online news sources, including social media, remained a top choice slightly down from 75% in 2013. TV came in second at 51% (down from 72% in 2013 but up 3 percentage points since 2023), followed by social media at 48% (up from 27% in 2013) and print at 16^, down from 47% in 2013.
The researchers also reported that: "Concern about what is real and what is fake on the internet when it comes to online news has risen by 3 percentage points in the last year with around six in ten (59%) [globally] saying they are concerned. The figure is considerably higher in South Africa (81%) and the United States (72%), both countries that have been holding elections this year. Worries about how to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy content in online platforms is highest for TikTok and X when compared with other online networks."
In the U.S. respondents indicated they were concerned about the use of AI to produce news, with only 23% saying they would be comfortable with AI produced news versus 52% saying they were comfortable with news produced by humans. About 42% they were comfortable with news produced mostly by humans with AI, versus 30% who were uncomfortable.
Key findings globally include:
“In many countries, especially outside Europe and the United States, we find a significant further decline in the use of Facebook for news and a growing reliance on a range of alternatives including private messaging apps and video networks. Facebook news consumption is down 4 percentage points, across all countries, in the last year," the researchers wrote.
“News use across online platforms is fragmenting, with six networks now reaching at least 10% of our respondents, compared with just two a decade ago. YouTube is used for news by almost a third (31%) of our global sample each week.”
“Linked to these shifts, video is becoming a more important source of online news, especially with younger groups. Short news videos are accessed by two-thirds (66%) of our sample each week, with longer formats attracting around half (51%). The main locus of news video consumption is online platforms (72%) rather than publisher websites (22%), increasing the challenges around monetization and connection.
“Although the platform mix is shifting, the majority continue to identify platforms including social media, search, or aggregators as their main gateway to online news. Across markets, only around a fifth of respondents (22%) identify news websites or apps as their main source of online news – that’s down 10 percentage points on 2018.
In terms of sources for news that people pay most attention to on various platforms, there was “an increasing focus on partisan commentators, influencers, and young news creators, especially on YouTube and TikTok.”
FOX News Channel (FNC) finished the second quarter of 2024 as cable’s most-watched network in total day and primetime for 90 consecutive quarters according to Nielsen Media Research.
FNC is the only network to show growth across the board versus 2023 while CNN and MSNBC both shed double-digits in the key 25-54 demo. For the second quarter in a row, CNN hit a 33-year low in total day, 18-49 and 25-54 demos, delivering its smallest younger audience since 1991. As FNC posted double-digit growth in total day and primetime, the network continued to topple CNN and MSNBC combined during both dayparts and was number one in all of cable total day viewers for 13 consecutive quarters.
Through the second quarter of 2024, FNC delivered 89 of the top 100 telecasts in cable news, while CNN netted just three and MSNBC only had eight. In total day, FNC delivered 1,304,000 viewers, 154,000 with 25-54 demo and 96,000 with 18-49 demo, securing a 176% advantage over CNN viewers and 61% over MSNBC. In primetime from 7-11 PM, FNC saw 2,037,000 viewers, 214,000 in the 25-54 demo, and 135,000 with 18-49 demo, a whopping 230% lead over CNN and 77% over MSNBC. FNC continued to dominate the share of the cable news audience, capturing 50% of viewers across total day and 54% of prime viewers, the highest level of share for the network since 1Q’2023. Notably, more Independents continued to tune in to FNC over any other network, according to data from Nielsen MRI Fusion and the network was number one among Hispanic viewers.
During the month of June, FNC was number one in all of cable in total day and primetime viewership and furthered its dominance for the 40th consecutive month. FNC occupied more than half the audience share — 55% in primetime and 53% in total day — among total viewers and again was the only network to grow its audience across the board. In comparison to same time last year, FNC gained 52% of viewers in 8-11 PM primetime and 72% in the 25-54 demo, while MSNBC lost viewers in both categories, dropping 19% of its younger audience. Among total day, CNN and MSNBC also experienced steep declines, shedding viewers in both categories.
At 5 PM/ET, FNC’s The Five continued to shatter records by becoming the first non-primetime program ever to top all of cable news for 11 consecutive quarters. Notably, on Friday, June 28th the powerhouse program even managed to grow its audience by double-digits in both categories, delivering over 4 million viewers and 417,000 in the 25-54 demo for its roundtable debate reaction. Overall, for the quarter, The Five averaged above 3.1 million viewers and 270,000 in 25-54 demo, outpacing every program on CNN and MSNBC across the board. Following the hour, Special Report with Bret Baier (weeknights, 6 PM/ET) averaged 2.1 million viewers and 199,000 in 25-54 demo, easily dominating its timeslot.
Just ahead of his one-year anniversary in the 8 PM/ET timeslot, Jesse Watters Primetime was the number one show in all of primetime viewership. For the quarter, Watters delivered a whopping 2.7 million viewers and 260,000 in the 25-54 demo, crushing the hour and nearly doubling his closest competition. Notably, year-over-year, Watters grew the timeslot by 69% with total viewers and 65% with 25-54 viewers, establishing the program as the fastest growing program in all of cable news. Additionally, Watters saw his highest-rated month in June and year-over-year, gained 71% viewers and 78% in 25-54 demo to the key timeslot.
Gutfeld!, which is also approaching one year in its new hour, saw its highest quarter yet and garnered 2.3 million viewers and 295,000 in the 25-54 demo. For the second time in the program’s history, Gutfeld! led the quarter in younger viewers and notched double-digit increases in the timeslot (+26% P2+ and +38% A25-54.) Gutfeld! has remained the highest-rated late-night program in broadcast and cable television in viewers, topping CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and CBS’ After Midnight with total viewership. Additionally, Gutfeld! outpaces Meyers in the younger 25-54 and 18-49 demos and has continued to trounce Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in viewers and 25-54 demo despite Stewart’s much touted return to the program. For the quarter, Gutfeld more than quadrupled Stewart’s 500,000 viewers and more than doubled his 146,000 in the 25-54 demo. Gutfeld! is on track to have its most-watched year in program history.
Audacy has announced a contract extension with WCBS-FM 101.1 midday show host Race Taylor. Taylor will continue to be heard on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET as he rings in 25 years on the air in New York City.
“It's been incredible to work alongside Race and watch him make meaningful relationships throughout the Tri-State for decades,” said John Foxx, Brand Manager and morning show co-host, WCBS-FM 101.1. “He is a one-of-a-kind talent, and we’re thrilled to create many more memories with him as he continues to entertain our loyal listeners.”
“I am elated to remain at Audacy surrounded by the infectious sound of these legendary stations and celebrate 25 years in New York City,” said Taylor. “The first note of thanks belongs to my wife, Patty, whose dedication to our family has been the very foundation of any success that has found me. I’m also grateful to Workhouse Media’s John McConnell for the friendship and guidance that has helped me navigate my career. I’m looking forward to the journey ahead supported by Chris Oliviero, Jim Ryan, John Foxx and the Audacy team in New York, who have made this achievement more special than I ever imagined.”
Taylor joined WCBS-FM 101.1 in 2019 after dominating the New York market at 95.5 PLJ (WPLJ-FM) for nearly 20 years. He also spent several years at THE NEW MIX 102.9 (KDMX-FM) in Dallas and nearly a decade at Q102 101.9 (WKRQ-FM) in Cincinnati.
📻Listeners can tune in to WCBS-FM 101.1 in New York on-air and nationwide on the Audacyapp and website. Fans can also connect with the station via X, Facebook and Instagram.
Paramount Global agreed to merge with Skydance Media in a deal that hands control of the storied Hollywood studio to producer David Ellison, ending one of the industry’s most dramatic acquisitions.
As part of the complicated deal that was months in the making, Paramount Chair Shari Redstone agreed to sell her family’s National Amusements Inc., which controls about 77% of the voting stock in Paramount, for $2.4 billion, according to a statement from the company on Sunday.
Bloomberg reports the accord marks an abrupt turnaround after talks between Redstone and Ellison, the son of Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison, collapsed last month. Redstone’s decision at the time to end discussions shocked the board and frustrated employees and investors, sending the stock tumbling.
According to terms of the new deal, the Ellison familThe deal would allow non-Redstone voting shareholders to cash out for $23 a share or roll their shares into the new company. Non-voting shareholders would be able to receive $15 a share in cash or 1 share in the new company. Those terms represent a 48% premium for non-voting shareholders and a 28% premium for voting shareholders compared with Paramount’s share price as of July 1.
After the deal closes, which is expected in the first half of 2025, the Ellison-led group will own about 70% of Paramount’s shares outstanding. The sellers have 45 days to seek better offers. The Skydance deal includes a $400 million breakup fee if it falls apart.
Midwest Communications has named Deanna Marie as its new nightime host on AC WJXA Mix 92.9 in Nashville, effective July 15th.
“We took our time with the search and found the perfect person to take nights to the next level,” says Operations Manager Barbara Bridges. “She’s the right fit for our audience and her warm upbeat delivery and talent for connecting to the target audience will be an ideal complement to our successful brand.”
Deanna was previously part of mornings at Top 40 KLCA/Reno, Nevada. From there she became the host of Deanna and Justin In The Morning at WJBR/Wilmington, Delaware. Recently she’s hosted weekends and swing shifts at two legendary Philadelphia stations, Active Rock WMMR and Classic Rock WMGK, as well as AC WMJQ in Somerset, NJ.
Deanna commented, “I’m so excited to join this legendary brand and create something new and exciting at night!”
Heading into a crucial restructuring hearing at the end of July, the news continues to trend south for bankrupt Diamond Sports Group.
NextTV.com reports the operator of the troubled Bally Sports regional sports networks initiated the loss of its second NHL franchise in a week on Wednesday, when it asked the court overseeing its bankruptcy to allow it to cut ties with the Dallas Stars, a linchpin tenant on Bally Sports Southwest, ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season.
"The Debtors also have been engaged in ongoing discussions with the NHL and the Stars regarding, among other things, the Stars Agreement and the parties’ go-forward relationships. During these discussions, the Stars requested that the parties mutually terminate the Stars Agreement in advance of the 2024–25 NHL season," Diamond said in its motion, filed Wednesday.
Should the court grant the request, Diamond would be left with nine remaining NHL teams under the Bally Sports banner.
Earlier this week, the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers announced they will not be returning to Bally Sports next season and instead will broadcast their games in over-the-air channels in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers via a broadcast deal with Scripps Sports.
The deal will cover most of the Panthers’ regular-season games and the first round of the playoffs. And a direct-to-consumer streaming service is also part of the plan. The move by the Florida franchise follows a similar one made by 2022-23 Stanley Cup winner the Vegas Golden Knights, who also fled the RSN business for a hybrid broadcast/DTC arrangement with Scripps Sports.
Diamond Sports Group, the subsidiary set up by Sinclair Broadcast Group to manage the 19 Fox SportsNet RSNs in purchased in 2019 for $10.6 billion, filed for Chapter 11 protection in March 2023. In January, the unit appeared to turn the corner following what had seemed like certain liquidation.
FOX News Media (FNM) will present live programming surrounding the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) beginning Sunday, July 14th through Thursday, July 18th. Originating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the network’s convention coverage will be available across all of FOX News Media’s platforms, including FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Audio, FOX News Digital and FOX Nation.
Special coverage emanating from Milwaukee will begin on Sunday with FOX News Sunday’s Shannon Bream anchoring live coverage on FOX Network (check your local listings). From 12-2 PM/ET on FNC, Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino will anchor America’s Newsroom, followed by The Story with Martha MacCallum at 3 PM/ET, America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith from 4-6 PM /ET and Bret Baier’s Special Report at 6 PM/ET. The Ingraham Angle, Jesse Watters Primetime and Hannity will broadcast live at 7 PM, 8 PM and 9 PM/ET respectively.
Co-anchored by chief political anchor and Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story anchor and executive editor Martha MacCallum, FNC will helm a live nightly special titled FOX News Democracy 2024:
The Republican National Convention Monday, July 15-Thursday, July 18 at 10 PM/ET. Baier and MacCallum will be joined by a rotating team of commentators and hosts, including chief political analyst Brit Hume, senior political analyst Juan Williams, Sunday Night in America host Trey Gowdy, FOX News Radio’s Guy Benson, Outnumbered’s Kayleigh McEnany, The Five’s Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr. and contributors Kellyanne Conway, Karl Rove, Charlie Hurt, Katie Pavlich, Marc Thiessen and Mary Katharine Ham to break down the latest developments from the day’s events. FNC’s late-night show Gutfeld! will air each night during the convention live at 11 PM/ET in front of an audience in Milwaukee.
Co-anchored by chief political anchor and Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story anchor and executive editor Martha MacCallum, FNC will helm a live nightly special titled FOX News Democracy 2024: The Republican National Convention Monday, July 15-Thursday, July 18 at 10 PM/ET. Baier and MacCallum will be joined by a rotating team of commentators and hosts, including chief political analyst Brit Hume, senior political analyst Juan Williams, Sunday Night in America host Trey Gowdy, FOX News Radio’s Guy Benson, Outnumbered’s Kayleigh McEnany, The Five’s Jessica Tarlov and Harold Ford Jr. and contributors Kellyanne Conway, Karl Rove, Charlie Hurt, Katie Pavlich, Marc Thiessen and Mary Katharine Ham to break down the latest developments from the day’s events. FNC’s late-night show Gutfeld! will air each night during the convention live at 11 PM/ET in front of an audience in Milwaukee. FOX News Sunday’s Shannon Bream will anchor special coverage made available to FOX Network stations on Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18 at 10 PM/ET.
FNC’s Bill Hemmer will report live from the convention floor throughout the week, providing viewers with the latest from the RNC. Additional reporting surrounding the event will be contributed by FNC’s congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie, correspondents Alexis McAdams, Bill Melugin and Mark Meredith as well as FBN correspondent Grady Trimble. Griff Jenkins and Mike Tobin will be reporting inside and surrounding the Milwaukee RNC protest zone.
For the twelfth edition of the Podcast Download series, Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights retained MARU/Matchbox to conduct an in-depth study of 603 weekly podcast consumers from April 19-24, 2024.
Two studies are conducted annually. The Spring 2024 Report highlights trends from prior studies and examines topics such as platform preference, content trends, perceptions of brand safety and content appropriateness, and more.
31% say it is the platform they use the most, followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple (12%)
YouTube is used most among Podcast Newcomers, Podcast Pioneers, and heavy podcast consumers
YouTube podcast audience profile: Male and younger than the Apple Podcasts audience
As the world’s entertainment search engine, YouTube is the dominant podcast discovery platform where audiences are more likely to find podcasts
Those who discover a podcast on YouTube say they stick with the platform for video, comments, community, entertainment, recommendations, and platform features
However, the YouTube podcast audience is not exclusively tied to the platform
Watching and listening to podcasts are equally favored
Podcast Newcomers are more likely to prefer actively watching podcast videos; Those who began listening to podcasts 4+ years ago favor the audio-only experience
YouTube dominates association as the platform where podcasts can be watched and heard
Not all genres work for watchable podcasts: Consumers who prefer to watch are more likely to like News/Current Events and Sports podcasts; Among those who prefer to listen, True Crime is the leading podcast genre
The vast majority of the Apple and Spotify platform audience uses the smartphone, while 38% of YouTube’s podcast audience uses laptops and TV
Audacy and KWCH-TV, a CBS Wichita affiliate, have announced a partnership that will launch a video simulcast of KFH Radio’s morning show “Sports Daily” on the station’s 12 News streaming service, 12 News Connected, beginning July 8. The show, which stars co-hosts Jacob Albracht and Tommy Castor, airs weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CT.
"We're delighted to expand the reach of our wildly popular morning show, 'Sports Daily,' and introduce the program to a broader audience in video form,” said Tony Duesing, Operations and Brand Manager, KFH Radio. “Co-hosts Jacob Albracht and Tommy Castor have a unique chemistry that resonates with Wichita’s biggest sports fans, and now viewers can enjoy their insights and banter on 12 News Connected every weekday morning.”
“‘Sports Daily’ is a great addition to our local streaming portfolio,” said David Herrmann, Vice President and General Manager, KWCH. “As the leader in local news, weather and sports, 12 News is always looking to add exceptional local content to our platforms. ‘Sports Daily’ has been a staple of sports radio since former 12 News sportscaster Bruce Haertl launched the show. We’re happy to work with Jacob and Tommy as they build upon the success of Wichita’s longest-running local sports program.”
FOX Nation will debut a new weekly series entitled “Here’s the Deal with Kellyanne Conway” on Thursday, July 11th.
With a new episode dropping each week through the presidential election in November, FOX News Channel (FNC) contributor and former White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway will provide an in-depth look into the major topics driving the election cycle, including predictions for 2024, the role of Independents in the election and the top issues impacting the ballot, including inflation, immigration, and abortion.
In making the announcement, FOX Nation president Lauren Petterson said, “During an unprecedented election year, we are proud that Kellyanne’s insights into the inner workings of political campaigns based on her unique experience will be available to FOX Nation subscribers.”
Conway added, “The American people are smart; they are also worried about the state of our nation and paying close attention to the issues, individuals and ideas that will govern our future. We will go beyond the news headlines and polling toplines to have a deeper conversation and equip the viewers with the compelling illustrative anecdotes and thoughtful analysis that they crave.”
➦In 1933...Radio producer/voice actor Dick Orkin was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Orkin was 16 when he began his radio career as a fill-in announcer at WKOK 1070 AM Sunbury PA . After earning his BA in speech and theater from Franklin & Marshall College he attended the Yale School of Drama, then returned to Pennsylvania to become the news director at WLAN 1390 AM Lancaster in 1959. Later he joined the staff of KYW Cleveland. In 1967 Orkin moved to WCFL Chicago and created 'Chickenman', a Batman parody which chronicled the exploits of a crime-fighting “white-winged warrior” and his secret identity as mild-mannered shoe salesman Benton Harbor.
Chickenman’s 250-plus episodes have been syndicated around the world and can still be heard on internet, making it the longest-running radio serial of all time. At WCFL Orkin also produced more than 300 episodes of another popular serial, 'The Secret Adventures of the Tooth Fairy'.
Inspired by the commercial parodies on Stan Freberg and Bob & Ray’s radio shows, Orkin created the Famous Radio Ranch in 1973 to produce his own comedic radio spots. Stationed in California since ’78, the Radio Ranch, currently headed by his daughter Lisa, has produced hundreds of memorable ads for a variety of clients, ranging from Time magazine to First American Bank to the Gap, and garnered more than 200 awards in the process.
Dick Orkin was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2014. He died December 26, 2017.
➦In 1955..."(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & The Comets peaked at Number One, where it remained for eight weeks. It was the first rock 'n roll record to hit Number One on the Billboard charts.
Dick Clark
➦In 1956…In Philadelphia, 26-year-old Dick Clark made his debut as host of "Bandstand" on WFIL-TV following the DUI arrest of the show's former host, Bob Horn. The program's name changed to "American Bandstand" when it became a network show on ABC in 1957. Clark relinquished his hosting duties in 1989 to David Hirsch, but the program was cancelled within a matter of months.
➦In 1960…77WABC-AM, New York introduced the WABC MusicChart
➦In 1972....Johnny Donovan started at Musicradio 77 WABC.
He grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, nicknamed "Sarge," after his father's rank in the United States Army during World War II.
A radio enthusiast from an early age (with an amateur radio station K2KOQ in a corner of the basement), he became a DJ ("Large Sarge") on WHVW in nearby Hyde Park, after helping build the station.
He went on to stations in Kingston (WBAZ) and Binghamton (WENE), New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey (WMID) before landing in New York City, first at WOR-FM, and finally at WABC.
Donovan stayed on at WABC as Production Director and staff announcer when WABC went to a talk format in 1982.
After 44 years of service at both MusicRadio and TalkRadio 77 WABC production guru Johnny Donovan retired in May 2015.
Eric Sevareid
➦In 1992…News correspondent and commentator Eric Sevareid died of stomach cancer at age 79 in Washington, D.C. He was one of a group of war correspondents who were hired by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and nicknamed "Murrow's Boys." Sevareid was the first to report the Fall of Paris in 1940, when the city was captured by German forces during World War II.
Traveling into Burma in the Pacific theater in 1943, his transport aircraft was shot down, and he was rescued from behind enemy lines by a U.S. Army Air Forces search and rescue team.
Sevareid followed in Murrow's footsteps as a commentator on the CBS Evening News for thirteen years, for which he was recognized with Emmy and Peabody Awards.
➦In 2004...longtime Cleveland deejay Bill Randle succumbed to cancer at age 81. He had been instrumental in introducing Elvis Presley, along with the likes of Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Rosemary Clooney, Johnnie Ray, Sarah Vaughan and Fats Domino to the national music scene.
Paramount Global agreed to merge with David Ellison’s Skydance Media in a complicated deal that ends the Redstone family’s involvement with the Hollywood company.
The Wall Street Journal reports Shari Redstone is selling her family’s controlling stake in Paramount Global and merging the entertainment giant with Skydance Media, drawing to a close a nearly four-decade run by her and her father as entertainment power players.
Skydance and its investors have agreed to spend more than $8 billion to acquire National Amusements, the family company that controls Paramount, and invest in the new iteration of the iconic company. The deal gives the beleaguered entertainment giant an injection of cash at a time when the traditional media landscape is in decline.
The deal, announced Sunday night, comes after a special committee of Paramount Global directors agreed to the merger with Skydance. On Tuesday, the Redstones had agreed in principle to sell National Amusements, weeks after turning down a similar deal with Skydance, shocking many on Hollywood and Wall Street.
The merger will marry Paramount—which owns the iconic movie studio behind “The Godfather,” broadcaster CBS and cable networks including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV—with Skydance, a production company run by the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Skydance also owns an animation studio and a gaming division, and has a joint venture with the National Football League.
Skydance said it plans to improve and “reinvigorate marquee Paramount and CBS brands,” while improving profitability and bolstering investment in digital platforms. It aims to improve the technology behind streaming platforms Paramount+ and Pluto and bolster the company’s cable channels.
Under the agreement, Skydance will buy National Amusements in a deal with an equity value of $1.75 billion. Skydance then plans to merge with Paramount.
The merger is expected to take months to close as regulators review the deal.
Axios reports Redstone, who for years resisted merger interest, is striking this deal when Paramount is under massive pressure.Its market value was $8.3 billion as of Sunday evening, down from nearly $60 billion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while its debt rating was cut to junk by S&P in late March.
While Paramount+ has grown its subscriber base to 71 million globally, it's still well behind streaming leaders like Netflix and Disney and it loses hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter. Moreover, the industry-wide pivot to streaming has hurt Paramount's legacy cable business.
"Given the changes in the industry, we want to fortify Paramount for the future while ensuring that content remains king," Redstone said in a statement. "Our hope is that the Skydance transaction will enable Paramount's continued success in this rapidly changing environment."
The head of a Philadelphia radio station said Sunday it has parted ways with a host who acknowledged that she interviewed President Biden with questions submitted by his campaign, going against the station’s practice and those of most news outlets.
“On July 3, the first post-debate interview with President Joe Biden was arranged and negotiated independently by WURD radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders without knowledge, consultation or collaboration with WURD management,” Sara M. Lomax, president and CEO of WURD Radio said in a statement.
“The interview featured pre-determined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet accountable to our listeners. As a result, Ms. Lawful-Sanders and WURD Radio mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately.”
The Washington Post reports Lomax described the station as Philadelphia’s only independently owned Black talk radio station. She said such a move violated the trust the station has developed with its audience over the last two decades, and “is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”
She added: “WURD Radio is not a mouthpiece for the Biden or any other Administration,” and that “we will commit to reviewing our policies, procedures, and practices to reinforce WURD’s independence and trust with our listeners. But mainstream media should do its own introspection to explore how they have lost the trust of so many Americans, Black Americans chief among them.”
In a one-minute video posted on Facebook on Sunday, Lawful-Sanders said, “effective immediately I am no longer an on-air host at WURD. I tendered my resignation yesterday. It was accepted.”
BREAKING: The Philadelphia radio show host who admitted she was given the questions to ask President Biden for an interview, has been cut by WURD Radio.
Holy sh*t.
During an interview with CNN yesterday, host Andrea Lawful-Sanders admitted that she was given questions to ask… pic.twitter.com/mcIU4jza5A
Lawful-Sanders’s interview was one of two Biden recorded last week after his June 27 debate against the 78-year-old presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. In it, Biden, 81 appeared at times tired, confused and incoherent, touching off calls from a growing number of Democrats to question whether he should continue running.
After the debate, the White House press secretary announced that Biden had recorded two radio interviews, one with Lawful-Sanders on WURD and the other with Earl Ingram, whose show is broadcast across Wisconsin.
“The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved of them,” she said. Ingram was not asked about his questions during an appearance on CNN, but later told ABC News: “Yes, I was given some questions for Biden.” Ingram said he was given five questions and asked Biden four of them, according to the outlet. “I didn’t get a chance to ask him all the things I wanted to ask,” he said.
WURD, simulcast on 96.1 FM and 900 AM, is Pennsylvania’s only independent Black-owned talk radio station and has an urban talk format. Lomax, whose late father Walter Lomax bought the station 20 years ago, said in her statement that the station takes pride in holding elected officials accountable.
“This is something we take very seriously,” she said. “Agreeing to a pre-determined set of questions jeopardizes that trust and is not a practice that WURD Radio engages in or endorses as a matter of practice or official policy.”
The Philadelphia Business Journal reports Lomax added that when WURD was invited to the White House on Feb. 26 to host a day-long live broadcast featuring interviews with cabinet secretaries and other high-ranking officials, the station agreed with the explicit understanding that it was not constrained to their suggested topics or talking points.
“We were clear that our hosts would ask difficult and provocative questions of their own determination based on the needs and interests of WURD’s listening audience — Black Philadelphians,” Lomax said.
On August 2, the FCC’s FM radio duplication rule will be reinstated. This rule applies to commercial FM stations in the United States. Here are the key points:
Duplication Threshold: The rule prohibits FM stations from duplicating programming beyond a 25% threshold. In other words, stations cannot air identical content for more than 25% of their broadcast week.
Grace Period: For licensees exceeding the duplication allowance, there’s a six-month grace period that runs until February 3, 2025.
Waivers: Licensees can request waivers of the reinstated rule. While the FCC encourages submitting waiver requests by the end of October, it’s not a strict deadline. Until a waiver request is denied, stations can continue duplicating beyond the 25% limit.
Background: The rule was eliminated for both AM and FM services in 2020 but has now been restored by the current Democratic majority at the FCC. The National Association of Broadcasters opposed its reinstatement.
The rule prohibits duplication of FM programming beyond a 25% threshold. The FCC eliminated the rule for both AM and FM services in 2020, when the agency had a Republican majority, but the Democratic majority now has restored it. The National Association of Broadcasters opposed the reinstatement.
Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of time spent with audio in America. Edison surveys 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent with all forms of audio. This analysis focuses on what advertisers care about – ad-supported audio.
➦In 1954…Memphis' leading Top40 station of the day earned a historical first when personality Dewey Phillips, played a recording of "That's Alright Mama" by Elvis Presley, a young truck driver and budding musician, marking the first time an Elvis recording was broadcast on the radio. Phillips played the song a total of 14-times based on strong listener reaction.
Phillips started his radio career in 1949 on WHBQ, and was the city's leading radio personality for nine years and was the first to simulcast his "Red, Hot & Blue" show on radio and television.
Phillips' on-air persona was a speed-crazed hillbilly, with a frantic delivery and entertaining sense of humor. However, he also had a keen ear for music the listening public would enjoy, and he aired both black and white music, which was abundant in post-World War II Memphis, a booming river city which attracted large numbers of rural blacks and whites (along with their musical traditions). He played a great deal of rhythm and blues, country music, boogie-woogie, and jazz as well as Sun Records artists.
Phillips briefly hosted an afternoon program on WHBQ-TV/13 in the mid-1950s. It mostly consisted of Phillips playing records while he and others clowned around in front of the camera.
Though Phillips was not involved in the payola scandals of the time, he was fired in late 1958 when the station adopted a Top 40 format, phasing out his freeform style. He spent the last decade of his life working at smaller radio stations, seldom lasting long. A heavy drinker and longtime drug user (mainly painkillers and amphetamines, which contributed to his manic on-air behavior), Phillips died of heart failure at age 42.
➦In 1957...Radio Personality Herb Oscar Anderson debuted at 77 WABC (first time, before station flipped to Top40.)
➦In 1960...Storer Broadcasting Company purchased 1010 WINS radio in New York City for $10 million.
It was the highest price paid for a radio station at the time. Many great radio personalities including Murray the K, Bruce Morrow and Alan Freed were stars on WINS Radio. WINS, under Storer ownership, also aired some very clever promotions, including the clay tablet, ostensibly of Egyptian origins, found in the back seat of a taxicab. Upon closer examination, it read, “Everybody’s mummy listens to 10-10 WINS!”
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the transistor radio became popular, especially with young people who could carry radios with them everywhere, rock and roll solidified as a genre, thanks in large measure to what became known as Top 40 radio. In New York, four stations battled in the category: 570 WMCA, 1050 WMGM, 770 WABC, and WINS. While WMCA was only 5,000 watts, it was at the bottom end of the dial, which gave it better coverage than might be expected for its power. The other three were all 50,000 watts, but only WABC was both non-directional and a clear channel station. Of those three, WINS was the most directional (aimed straight at New York's inner boroughs), with a weaker signal than the others toward the New Jersey suburbs and the Jersey Shore.
Newspaper Clipping
In 1962, WMGM adopted a beautiful music format under its previous call letters, WHN, while WINS was purchased by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. WMCA enjoyed some early success after WINS and WMGM left the Top 40 format. But WABC became the dominant Top 40 station in New York City by 1965. On April 18, 1965, around 8 p.m., WINS bowed out of Top 40 competition with the song "Out in the Streets", by The Shangri-Las,
On April 19, 1965, after weeks of speculation, WINS changed its format radically. It became the third radio station in the United States to attempt all-news programming, going with the new format around the clock. WINS immediately established a template for its format with an easily identifiable, distinctive Teletype sound effect playing in the background. Most other all-news stations later dropped this, but WINS continues to use it to this day despite Teletype machines themselves becoming obsolete by the mid-1980s. WINS used memorable slogans such as "All news, all the time"; "The newswatch never stops"; "Listen two, three, four times a day"; and "You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world". The latter tagline was a reference to WINS's format clock, which returns to the top stories every twenty minutes.
➦In 1979…Radio-TV quiz show host John Reed King died at age 64 following a heart attack.
King was one of the announcers for The American School of the Air on CBS, and he had one of the top-rated radio shows of the 1930s in New York City with Missus Goes A-Shopping. He was also an announcer for the radio version of Death Valley Days and for The Jack Berch Show.
He worked at KDKA radio and television in Pittsburgh during the 1960s. He was a morning news anchor and hosted a daily talk show on television. In 1970, he was a news anchor at KGO 810 AM and KGO-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated television station in San Francisco, California.
Kevin Bacon is 66
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Drummer Jaimoe Johanson of The Allman Brothers is 80.
Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 80.
Actor Kim Darby is 77.
Actor Jonelle Allen (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 76.
Children’s singer Raffi is 76.
Actor Anjelica Huston is 73.
Actor Kevin Bacon is 66.
Actor Robert Knepper (“Prison Break,” “iZombie”) is 65.
Guitarist Graham Jones of Haircut 100 is 63.
Singer Joan Osborne is 62.
Actor Rocky Carroll (“NCIS”) is 61.
Actor Michael B. Silver (“Instinct,” ″NYPD Blue”) is 57.
Actor Billy Crudup (TV’s “The Morning Show,” film’s “Almost Famous”) is 56.
Actor Michael Weatherly (“NCIS,” ″Dark Angel”) is 56.
Singer Beck is 54.
Country singer Drew Womack of Sons of the Desert is 54.
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is 51.
Guitarist Stephen Mason of Jars of Clay is 49.
Actor Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us,” ″Gilmore Girls”) is 47.
Actor Lance Gross (“House of Payne”) is 43.
Actor Sophia Bush (“Chicago P.D.,” ″One Tree Hill”) is 42.
Guitarist Jamie Cook of Arctic Monkeys is 39.
Actor Maya Hawke (“Little Women,” ″Stranger Things”) is 26.
Actor-musician Jaden Smith (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) is 26.
✞REMEMBRANCES:
In 1967..Vivien Leigh, English actress (Gone With The Wind; A Streetcar Named Desire), dies of tuberculosis at 53
In 1985..Phil Foster, American comedian (Frank De Fazio-Laverne & Shirley), dies at 72
In 1990..Howard Duff, Actor (Flamingo Road, Knots Landing), dies of a heart attack at 76
In 1991..James Franciscus, Actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Mr Novak, Longstreet), dies of emphysema 57
In 1994..Dick Sargent [Richard Stanford Cox], American actor (Darren in "Bewitched"), dies of cancer at 64
In 1999..Pete Conrad, American astronaut (b. 1930)
In 2006..June Allyson, Actress ("Too Young to Kiss"; "The DuPont Show with June Allyson"), dies of respiratory failure and bronchitis at 88
In 2011..Betty Ford, First Lady of the United States (1974-77) and founder of the Betty Ford Center clinic, dies at 93
In 2012..Ernest Borgnine, Academy Award-winning actor (Marty; From Here To Eternity; McHale's Navy; The Poseidon Adventure), dies from renal failure at 95
In 2015..Ken Stabler, American Pro Football HOF quarterback (4 x Pro Bowl; NFL MVP, First-team All-Pro 1974; Super Bowl 1976; Oakland Raiders), dies of colon cancer at 69
In 2022..Larry Storch, American stage and screen comic and character actor (F Troop - "Cpl. Agarn"; Tennessee Tuxedo - "Prof. Whoopee"), dies at 99
