Wave of Exits At The DOJ

Eisenberg, Blacnhe

Attorney General Todd Blanche forced out the Justice Department’s top national security official after the two clashed over the pace of White House-directed media leak investigations, according to news media reports citing senior administration officials.

Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Eisenberg was ordered to resign following a rocky tenure in which he quickly fell out of favor with department leadership, the officials said. He is one of three Senate-confirmed Justice Department leaders to depart this week after Democrats swept the midterm elections.

Eisenberg frustrated Blanche by trying to slow President Donald Trump’s demands to compel grand jury testimony from reporters about their sources in stories critical of the administration, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Blanche and his aides pressed Eisenberg to approve the unusual step of subpoenaing reporters to identify sources of sensitive information, including New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns involving a jet donated by Qatar.

Radio History: Nov 7

➦In 1922..WNAX 570 AM in Yankton, South Dakota, signed-on. The station is now owned by Saga Communications and airs News/Talk.

WNAX broadcasts at 5,000 watts around the clock from a tower in eastern Yankton. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, transmitter power, and South Dakota's flat land (with near-perfect ground conductivity) the station's 5,000-watt signal provides at least secondary coverage during the day to most of the eastern half of South Dakota, much of western Iowa, and most of the densely populated portion of Nebraska. 

WNAX was first licensed on November 7, 1922, to the Dakota Radio Apparatus company, and is the oldest surviving radio station in the state of South Dakota. The call-letters came from a sequentially assigned list, and WNAX was the last station in the state to receive a callsign starting with a W instead of K (other than sister station WNAX-FM), as additional stations in the state were established after the January 1923 shift that moved the K/W call letter boundary from the western border of South Dakota to the Mississippi River.  (H/T David Ocar)

'Buck Rogers'

➦In 1932..."Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" was first broadcast on the CBS Radio Network.

➤In 1935...Broadcasting Magazine Flashback...

➦In 1937…"The Vaseline Program," aka "Dr. Christian's Office" and later simply "Dr. Christian," sbegan a run on CBS Radio. Jean Hersholt played the part of the kindly, elderly Dr. Christian who practiced on the air until 1954. Laureen Tuttle, Kathleen Fitz, Helen Kleeb and Rosemary De Camp played his nurse, Judy.  Sponsors of the show included Vaseline (petroleum jelly, hair tonic and lip ice).

➦In 1938...Radio station "W9XZY" broadcasted a facsimile of the St Louis Post-Dispatch by radio.

➦In 1938...the first broadcast of “This Day is Ours” was heard on CBS radio. Eleanor McDonald, played by Joan Banks and later by Templeton Fox, had all kinds of problems. Her child was kidnapped, she lost her memory, helped a friend find a killer, etc. The soap opera ran for two years.

➦In 1940..WBZ-FM Boston first signed-on-air.

Bradshaw On MNF Feud: Not As Nasty As Reported

Terry Bradshaw

Terry Bradshaw says the reported feud between longtime “Monday Night Football” partners Troy Aikman and Joe Buck is not as nasty as media accounts suggest, and he does not believe it centers on money.⁠

Bradshaw, who worked alongside both men at Fox Sports from 2002 to 2022, made the comments during an appearance on FOX News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show.” He said he had texted Buck to express skepticism about the public reports and emphasized his personal relationships with both broadcasters.

Nexstar Reports Revenue, Profit Increases

Nexstar Media Group reported higher third-quarter revenue and profits, fueled by its acquisition of TEGNA and record political advertising. Political ads generated $317 million, while TEGNA contributed approximately $765 million in revenue, the company said.

Net income rose to $250 million from $65 million a year earlier, and operating income increased to $532 million from $175 million. Net income attributable to Nexstar reached $255 million, compared with $70 million in the prior-year quarter.

Garth Brooks' Accuser I-D To Remain Concealed

A woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault may be allowed to keep her identity confidential, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Billboard reports the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a trial judge’s ruling that Jane Roe had to use her real name in the case. Roe accuses Brooks of assaulting her while she worked for him as a hairstylist.

The lower-court judge had said Roe’s privacy interest was “weakened” because her name was already “out of the bag”: Brooks had disclosed it in court filings, and it was also included by mistake in a separate filing. But in a decision issued Wednesday, the appeals court rejected that reasoning.

Carr Talk: Ready To Work With Democrats

Democrats’ midterm victories will give the party control of both chambers of Congress in January, opening the way for tougher scrutiny of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the Trump administration’s telecommunications policies. Lawmakers will have greater power to investigate agency decisions, hold hearings and challenge the administration’s agenda.

Carr said he is unconcerned about possible investigations or subpoenas and remains willing to work with lawmakers of either party when they share his policy goals. He noted that he has already testified several times before House and Senate panels.

Entravision Communications Reports Revenue Surge

Entravision Communications reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $226.3 million, up 88% year over year, and nine-month revenue of $651.2 million, up 108%.

Advertising Technology and Services (ATS) revenue rose 133% to $177.2 million for the quarter and 182% to $514.6 million for the first nine months, driven by growth in active advertisers and revenue per advertiser. Media revenue increased 10% to $49.1 million for the quarter and 4% to $136.6 million year to date, supported mainly by advertising and retransmission revenue.

Final Nielsen Ratings: NBC News Dominates

• ‘Kornacki Cam’ More Than Doubles Election Night Views, Surpassing 63 Million Across Platforms
• NBC News Dominates TikTok with More Than 39 Million Views

NBC News drew the largest primetime audience for 2026 midterm election coverage, leading a total of about 31.2 million viewers across 13 television networks, according to Nielsen.⁠

NBC averaged 6.74 million viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, ahead of ABC News (5.19 million) and Fox News (about 4.32 million). The overall audience was up roughly 23% from the 2022 midterms (about 25.4 million viewers across 12 networks), though it remained below the 2018 peak of roughly 36 million.

TV Ratings: ABC's WNT Continues Winning Ways

“World News Tonight with David Muir” ranked as the No. 1 newscast in all of broadcast and cable in Total Viewers (8.454 million), Adults 25-54 (1.157 million) and Adults 18-49 (805,000) during the week of Oct. 26, 2026, based on Live+Same Day Big Data Plus Panel Program Ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

Graphic Courtesy of RoadMN

• “World News Tonight” outdelivered “NBC Nightly News” (6.652 million, 1.049 million and 771,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+27%/+1.802 million), Adults 25-54 (+10%/+108,000) and Adults 18-49 (+4%/+34,000).

Americans Concerned: Who's Influencing News Media

Democrats who reclaimed majorities in the House and Senate this week are expected to examine the Trump administration’s dealings with media companies, including the government’s role in recent corporate mergers and sales involving Paramount and TikTok and the Federal Communications Commission’s review of broadcast licenses.

The potential inquiries come as many Americans express concern about outside influence on news organizations. A June survey by the Pew-Knight Initiative found that a large majority of U.S. adults believe news outlets are at least somewhat influenced by both corporate and political interests. Roughly half said news organizations are influenced a great deal by corporations and financial interests (54%) or by government and political interests (49%).

The survey also showed broad support for the media’s watchdog role. Eighty percent of U.S. adults said criticism from news organizations helps keep political leaders from doing things they shouldn’t, up from 75% in 2025. Majorities in both parties held that view: 89% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans, including those who lean toward each party.

Scripps Reports A Profitable Quarter

The E.W. Scripps Co. reported a profitable quarter Thursday, even as it cut jobs and restructured operations to reduce costs.

The broadcaster earned $37.7 million on revenue of $544.9 million. Strong political advertising at its local television stations helped drive the results, generating $82.6 million during the quarter, up from $5.5 million a year earlier.

USA Today Reports Net Loss for 3Q

USA TODAY Co. reported a 7.4% decline in third-quarter revenue and a $4.6 million net loss as it began a cost-cutting program expected to save $100 million annually. The company did not say how many jobs would be eliminated.

Revenue was $519.2 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30. Same-store revenue, which excludes acquisitions and divestitures, fell 5.8%. The net loss narrowed from $39.2 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

ESPN Digital & Social 2026: Best month ever in September

ESPN Digital & Social had its best month ever in September with 236.5 million unique users, up 8% YoY and reaching 86.7% of U.S. adults across digital, YouTube and social media platforms, according to recently released Comscore data. 

Cable News' Ad Spend Surges

The three major national cable news channels drew $156 million in advertising from Oct. 5 through Nov. 3, a 47% increase over the previous 30-day period, according to iSpot estimates. The rise came as political news attracted strong viewership ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Dolly's Estate Drops Lawsuit Against Nephew

Dolly Parton’s estate has dropped its lawsuit against Bryan Seaver, her nephew and longtime head of security, according to a court filing Thursday.

The filing voluntarily dismisses the estate’s claims without prejudice, meaning they could be brought again. Lawyers for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the dismissal resulted from a settlement. Seaver’s attorneys said in a court filing last week that the sides had been “engaged in good faith discussions in an attempt to resolve this matter.”

She’s Alive LLC, the entity managing Parton’s posthumous affairs under longtime manager Danny Nozell, sued Seaver in September. The estate alleged he had tried to extort money since Parton’s death a month earlier, citing messages that included “I’m a killer” and “all I do is warfare.”

The Pulse Briefing Has The Day's Big News For TGIF, Nov 6

Radio Broadcasting

Carr Talk:  FCC Chair says he is unconcerned about possible investigations or subpoenas and remains willing to work with lawmakers of either party when they share his policy goals. He noted that he has already testified several times before House and Senate panels. MORE

Family Feud: Dolly Parton’s estate has dropped its lawsuit against Bryan Seaver, her nephew and longtime head of security, according to a court filing Thursday. MORE

Secrecy Remains: A woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault may be allowed to keep her identity confidential, a federal appeals court has ruled. MORE

Media Industry

Broadcast Dominates: NBC News drew the largest primetime audience for 2026 midterm election coverage, leading a total of about 31.2 million viewers across 13 television networks, according to Nielsen. MORE

FNC Wins Cable: Among cable networks in primetime total viewers, Fox News finished first (ahead of CNN at about 4.14 million and MS NOW at about 3.74 million). CNN led the adults 25-54 demographic among cable outlets. MORE

Not So Nasty: Terry Bradshaw says the reported feud between longtime “Monday Night Football” partners Troy Aikman and Joe Buck is not as nasty as media accounts suggest, and he does not believe it centers on money. MORE

Jacobs Media's Techsurvey 2027 Launches in January

Jacobs Media announced today that registration is now open for commercial radio stations in the U.S. and Canada to participate in Techsurvey 2027.

The 2026 survey was fielded this past January and February with more than 500 participating radio stations across North America. Nine different formats were represented among a diverse group of broadcasting companies, yielding nearly 31,000 respondents to radio’s largest research survey devoted to media and technology.