Radio History: Sep 19

➦In 1921..Boston's WBZ radio, which now broadcasts at 1030 kHz AM and is the oldest surviving commercial radio station in New England, signed-on broadcasting from Springfield, MA.

The station has long been one of the highest-rated stations in the Boston area, and covers much of the eastern United States and Canada at night with its 50,000-watt clear-channel signal from its transmitter location in Hull, Massachusetts, which has been used by the station since 1940. The transmitter is a two tower directional array where each tower is 160 meters (520 ft) tall. The signal is intentionally directionalized from their coastal location for maximum power transmitted into the continental United States, giving WBZ outstanding multi-state coverage after sunset.

WBZ's initial license, for operation in Springfield, was issued by the Department of Commerce to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company on September 15, 1921; it was the first license to specify broadcasts on 360 meters (833 kilohertz), and was subsequently deemed to be the first license for a commercial broadcast station. However, other stations, such as WWJ in Detroit, 1XE/WGI in Medford Hillside, and sister station KDKA in Pittsburgh, were already broadcasting under different license classifications.

Original Studio on Page Blvd.

The station's original transmitter and studios were located at the Westinghouse factory on Page Boulevard in East Springfield. However, WBZ's inaugural program, on September 19, 1921, was a remote broadcast from the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.

The original format was general entertainment and information, which included live music (often classical music and opera), sports, farm reports, special events, and public affairs programming. Despite WBZ being housed in Springfield, it somewhat difficult to attract top-flight artists to the station,  leading Westinghouse to open a studio at the Hotel Brunswick in Boston on February 24, 1924.  WBZ also expanded its news programming via a partnership with the newspaper Boston Herald and Traveler.  It also carried a considerable amount of sports broadcasts, including Boston Bruins hockey, Boston Braves baseball, and Harvard Crimson football.

Because of its comparatively wide reach, the station often referred to itself as "WBZ, New England" as opposed to associating itself solely with Springfield or Boston. 

However, even after several power boosts (the station broadcast at a power of 100 watts in 1921, but was using 2,000 watts in April 1925, the station still had some trouble reaching Boston, leading Westinghouse to sign on WBZA, a 250-watt station at 1240 kHz, on August 20, 1925.  Efforts were soon made to operate WBZA as a synchronous repeater of WBZ, by then at 900 kHz; this process was difficult, as the two transmitters often interfered with each other even in Boston, and WBZA went back and forth between the two frequencies for nearly a year before finally going to full-time synchronous operation in June 1926.

WBZ also continued to boost the power of its primary East Springfield transmitter; it was granted permission to operate with 5,000 watts on March 31, 1926, and by 1927 it was operating with 15,000 watts. Meanwhile, a combination of WBZ's growth and continued difficulties with the WBZA signal led the station to move its Boston studio to the Statler Hotel (now the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers) on June 1, 1927 and activate a new WBZA transmitter on June 9.  The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) moved WBZ and WBZA to 990 kHz on November 11, 1928.

Amidst the technical changes, WBZ also began engaging in network activities. By 1925, it often shared programs with WJZ in New York City (which Westinghouse had also started in 1921, but sold to the Radio Corporation of America two years later), and a WBZ special commemorating the 150th anniversary of Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride" was also fed to WRC in Washington, D.C. and WGY in Schenectady, New York. This paved the way for the station to become a charter affiliate of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on November 15, 1926, carrying the WJZ-originated NBC Blue Network beginning on January 1, 1927.

Today, WBZ is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a News/Talk format.

➦In 1932...The radio soap  Just Plain Bill started airing It aired for about 20-years. It was a 15-minute daytime radio drama program heard on CBS Radio and NBC Radio. Originally called Bill the Barber, it told the story of Bill Davidson (Arthur Hughes), a barber in the town of Hartville, and his daughter Nancy (Ruth Russell). Bill often became involved in helping his friends and neighbors when he wasn't cutting hair. Also in the cast: Dick Janaver (1911-1999).

➦In 1955...Radio-TV personality Bill Cullen started at WRCA 660 AM in NYC.

Media Purge At The White House

President Donald Trump said Friday he is immediately banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the outlets of “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS” and warning that more news organizations will face the same treatment. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that media outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America.” 

He did not cite any specific stories. He added: “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” 

The president singled out MS NOW as having changed its name from MSNBC “due to lack of viewership and credibility” and claimed Politico received an “illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription” from the Biden administration. 

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNN, MS NOW, Politico and the National Press Club also did not immediately comment. 

The announcement is the administration’s latest test of First Amendment press protections. It follows Trump’s February 2025 decision to keep Associated Press journalists out of the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited-access events after the AP declined to adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico. The AP sued; that case remains ongoing. A judge previously ruled the White House cannot bar AP reporters and photographers from those spaces. 

Legal challenges to Friday’s broader ban are widely expected. 

Trump has long attacked coverage he considers unfavorable, filed lawsuits against news organizations including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC, and pressed the FCC over stations whose programming he dislikes. Friday’s post continues that pattern without identifying particular reports that prompted the exclusion. The three outlets remain major sources of political news even as cable audiences have aged and polarized. 

Fox News still leads cable news ratings; CNN and MS NOW draw smaller, older, more Democratic-leaning television audiences. Politico’s influence is concentrated among Washington professionals rather than mass cable viewership. 

Nationwide EAS Test Date Set

FEMA and the FCC will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, the agencies announced. 

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau issued a Public Notice setting the date. 

If conditions force a postponement, the backup date is Dec. 3. The test is the first national periodic EAS exercise since 2023. FEMA plans to send the test at 2:20 p.m. ET through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. 

FL Radio: MARC Media To Acquire 5 More Stations

MARC Media Group is buying five radio stations just north of metro Tampa along Florida’s Gulf Coast, pending FCC approval. 

The company will acquire Hits 106 WGHR 106.3 FM, Citrus 95.3 WXCV 95.3 FM, Nature Coast Country simulcast partners WXCZ 103.3 FM and WXZC 104.3 FM, and classic hits WXOF 96.7 FM “The Fox” from licensee WGUL-FM, Inc.  Industry reports put the deal at $2.5 million. 

Two of the stations fall in the Tampa market; the other three are counted in Gainesville-Ocala, where MARC already owns a cluster and has asked the FCC for an ownership-cap waiver. 

TV Ratings: ESPN MNF Sets Season Opener Record

ESPN’s Monday Night Football season opener between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs delivered an audience of 23.2 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and NFL+, becoming the most-watched Week 1 game in ESPN’s Monday Night Football era (2006-present, 36 games).

Among all ESPN Monday Night Football games, the marquee AFC West showdown ranked as the third-most-watched Monday Night Football telecast of ESPN’s era (2006-present; 362 games) and the most-watched MNF game since 2023. Only two telecasts have drawn larger audiences during that span: the 2023 Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and Chiefs and the 2023 Christmas-night matchup between the Ravens and 49ers.

The audience was up 5% from last season’s Week 1 Vikings-Bears matchup, continuing the strong momentum of ESPN’s signature NFL franchise.

Buffalo, Erie PA Radio: Mike Sheffield to PD WGRF-FM, WQHZ-FM

Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted Mike Sheffield, Programming Operations Manager, Cumulus Erie, PA, to Program Director of Classic Rock station 97 ROCK/WGRF-FM in Buffalo, NY, and Z102.3/WQHZ-FM Erie, PA. 

Sheffield will continue to program Erie stations ERIE COUNTRY 97.9/WXTA-FM (Country), CLASSY 100/WXKC-FM (AC), and THE TOUCH 104.3/WXKC-HD2 FM, in addition to his new role programming Buffalo’s 97 ROCK and Erie’s Z102.3. Sheffield joined Cumulus Media in July 2006 after more than five years with iHeartMedia/Clear Channel Communications.

TV Ratings: Record U.S. Open Men’s Championship Viewing

ESPN’s U.S. Open men’s final drew 3.2 million viewers on ABC on Sunday, the largest audience for the match since ESPN began televising the tournament in 2009. Ben Shelton faced eventual champion Alexander Zverev in the title match. 

Viewership peaked at 4.0 million from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. ET. The women’s final a day earlier averaged 2.7 million viewers as Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka. That audience peaked at 3.2 million from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m., rose 13% from a year ago, and was ESPN’s largest women’s final since 3.4 million watched Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in 2023.

Together, the men’s and women’s championships averaged 3.0 million viewers, up 9% year over year.

Texas Coach Says He Should Have Shown More Patience

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday he should have shown more patience after cutting short a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe following the Longhorns’ 24-23 comeback win over No. 1 Ohio State.

After Texas erased a 23-3 deficit Saturday, ESPN cut to Rowe on the field with Sarkisian. As she started her first question, he interrupted.“Let’s go! Texas Fight! Hook ’em!” Sarkisian said, flashing a “Hook ’em” salute and walking toward his team. Rowe turned to the camera and walked off.

Steve Sarkisian being a bit of a pain for reporters tonight. Holly Rowe obviously upset by Sark blowing off the interview...

"TEXAS FIGHT, HOOKEM" pic.twitter.com/vQ8BvVUGqm

— Watch The Tape (@WatchTheTapeNFL) September 13, 2026

“If hindsight’s 20/20, if I could do it all over again, I would have exuded more patience in that moment and sat through and waited for the interview with Holly,” Sarkisian told reporters Thursday. “Obviously, we have a ton of respect for ESPN and Holly. Holly and I go way back to even to my days of playing at BYU, and we’ve got a great relationship. ESPN is a great partner of ours.”

Don't Always Believe Google: Billy Joel Confirmed To Be Alive

Searches for the singer’s name displayed an Google information box reading, “Died Sept. 17, 2026.”

“Billy’s not dead,” his publicist, Claire Mercuri, told Newsday Thursday afternoon. “I was just emailing with him.”

Joel, 77, canceled all upcoming concerts last year after a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder that can affect hearing and balance. He has still made occasional appearances, including on “Club Random With Bill Maher” and Rick Beato’s YouTube podcast. 

Last week on his SiriusXM channel, he told fans he had surgery to place a shunt in his brain.

“I noticed that my balance was not good. I had this sense of, like, being on a boat, like this rocking motion,” Joel said. A neurologist diagnosed NPH, warned that it could worsen and recommended a shunt. Joel said he agreed after learning the procedure could improve his memory.

FCC OKs PSKY's Foreign Investment, But Denies Voting Stock

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday waived the 25% foreign-ownership cap so Paramount Skydance can use overseas capital to fund its $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, but barred those investors from holding voting stock or influencing the company’s content, management, or U.S. customer data.

The Media Bureau said individual foreign investors may own up to 20% of Paramount’s equity. It also said they “will not have any influence, direction, or control over or provide any commentary or guidance on Paramount’s content decisions, company management,” and will not get access to non-public data on U.S. citizens.

Disney Urges Judge to Block FCC's Early License Reviews

Disney asked a U.S. judge on Thursday to block the FCC from conducting an early review of eight ABC station licenses, arguing that President Donald Trump’s threats against reporters and broadcast networks show the review is retaliatory.

In a court filing, Disney and ABC said FCC Chair Brendan Carr is carrying out Trump’s directives “aimed at curbing speech critical of the administration.” The company said Carr’s actions were improper but unsurprising, because Trump has indicated he could fire the chairman “at will” if Carr is “insufficiently responsive to his directives.”

The White House and Carr did not immediately comment.

Carr ordered the early reviews in April, a day after Trump urged ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. The stations’ licenses were not due for consideration until October 2028. The FCC had not ordered an early review in more than 50 years.

Traditional TV Competing With Mobile Video For Eyeballs

Nearly three in four U.S. television viewers regularly use their smartphones for other media while the TV is on, according to new consumer research from U.K.-based Omdia. 

The finding, presented at IBC by María Rúa Aguete, Omdia’s global head of media and entertainment, underscores a widening fight for attention between the living-room screen and the phone in the viewer’s hand. 

TV is no longer competing only with another channel or streaming service. It is competing with mobile video, especially short-form and vertical clips, at the same time the set is on. The habit is no longer confined to younger audiences. 

TGIF: Here's The Pulse Briefing For Sep 18

Radio Broadcasting

MARC Buys Even More: MARC Media Group is buying five radio stations just north of metro Tampa along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Sheffield Get Triple-Duty: Cumulus has promoted Mike Sheffield, Programming Operations Manager, Cumulus Erie, PA, to Program Director of Classic Rock station 97 ROCK/WGRF-FM in Buffalo, NY, and Z102.3/WQHZ-FM Erie, PA.

Billy Joel Is Okay:  Searches for the singer’s name displayed a Goole information box reading, “Died Sept. 17, 2026.” “Billy’s not dead,” his publicist, Claire Mercuri, cinfirmed. “I was just emailing with him.”

EAS Nat'l Test: FEMA and the FCC will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, the agencies announced. 

Six Different Polls Favor Democratic Win In Mid-Terms

Democrats lead the 2026 generic congressional ballot by 7 to 13 points in five recent high-quality polls, a range associated with a potential midterm wave with less than seven weeks until Election Day.

The New York Times, CBS News, Reuters, Quinnipiac University and Marquette Law School all show that spread this month, after an earlier stretch when the race looked closer than Democrats wanted. The 2026 primary season ended Tuesday.

Polls can shift, and seven weeks remain. Still, the Times-Siena survey and the other new polls point to several supporting findings. Likely voters in the Times-Siena poll favor Democrats on 7 of 8 major issues, each by at least 7 points. That includes typically Republican-leaning topics: the budget deficit (51%–41%), foreign wars (50%–43%) and immigration (52%–45%).

Judge Pauses Action In Newsmax-Fox Legal Beef

A Florida federal judge this week paused Newsmax’s antitrust lawsuit against Fox Corp. and Fox News while he decides whether to throw the case out entirely, freezing document production and other discovery. 

Newsmax alleges Fox illegally monopolizes the market for right-leaning pay-TV news—claiming roughly 90 percent share—and uses restrictive carriage deals with cable, satellite, and streaming distributors to keep rivals such as Newsmax and One America News off popular packages or bury them with penalties and poor placement. 

The suit also accuses Fox of intimidation and smear tactics. Newsmax seeks damages under the Sherman Act and state antitrust laws. 

Fox calls the case an attempt by Newsmax to “sue their way out of their own competitive failures,” arguing the complaint shows no real harm to competition and that the networks compete in a broader news market. The dispute began in September 2025 when Newsmax sued in Florida. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed that complaint as a “shotgun pleading.” Newsmax dropped the case and refiled in Wisconsin the same day. A Wisconsin judge later sent it back to Florida, saying Newsmax had engaged in forum shopping. 

The case is now before Judge Ed Artau. If he grants Fox’s motion to dismiss, the lawsuit ends; if he denies it, discovery resumes. No trial date is set.

FCC Acepting Public Comments On 'Lowest Unit Charges'

The FCC Media Bureau has set Friday Sept. 25 as the deadline for comments — and Wednesday Sept. 30 for replies — on its March guidance expanding which groups qualify for “lowest unit charge” discounts on political ads.

The short window is tied to the approaching midterms. The Bureau says the guidance could affect those elections by extending broadcast ad discounts to a wider set of political organizations. Republicans have generally supported the expansion; Democrats have opposed it, arguing it would force privately owned stations to deepen subsidies and lose revenue.

The March guidance was issued without a public-comment period. The Bureau has maintained it was not required to seek comment then, but it is soliciting comments now. Broadcasters and Democrats quickly challenged the policy. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Jon Ossoff and congressional candidates Roy Cooper and Kristen McDonald Rivet filed an application for review.

Barbra Streisand Rips Trump's 'Unchecked Ego'

Barbra Streisand said it is “galling and painful” to watch the Kennedy Center become the subject of a bitter fight over Donald Trump’s name, blaming this week’s closure on a “thoroughly defeated Trump” and a board stacked with his appointees.

In a post on her personal website, the singer and 2008 Kennedy Center honoree called President John F. Kennedy a “true champion of the arts” and the building “one of America’s great cultural venues.” 

She said a federal court had ordered Trump’s name removed from the facade and that “a humiliated Trump ordered a large tarp placed over the façade, where it remains today.” Streisand noted that there was “oddly” no talk of closing the center while his name was still on it.

She framed the dispute as a “bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego” and urged Americans to vote in the midterms, without endorsing a party. Quoting Kennedy’s view that a society loses its vitality when creativity cannot flourish, she wrote that this was “yet another reason why it is so important that Americans exercise their right to vote.”

The comments follow a ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper blocking the center from inscribing Trump’s name on the marble facade without congressional approval. Trump responded on Truth Social that needed renovations will not proceed until a court reverses the decision and has threatened to demolish the building, calling it dilapidated. 

On Thursday, Cooper ordered the board to give 30 days’ notice before any construction changes, including possible demolition. Trump’s appointed board has argued his name must be added to help raise renovation funds.