One of the most popular and highly rated morning show hosts in the country, Todd Pettengill -- one half of the multiple award-winning Scott & Todd in the Morning -- will host The Broadcasters Foundation of America (BFOA) Media Mixer at Morning Show Boot Camp (MSBC). The Media Mixer will take place on Thursday, August 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm CT, at Austin Marriott Downtown in the Waterloo Foyer, a kick-off to the three-day MSBC, which runs from August 7 to August 9. The BFOA is the only charity devoted exclusively to helping broadcasters in acute need from debilitating illness or tragedy.
Todd Pettengill
Scott & Todd In the Morning was co-hosted by legendary air personalities Scott Shannon and Pettengill and aired on WPLJ, New York. When Shannon announced his departure, the show was rebranded The Todd Show in the Morning.
“We are in the business of entertainment and having a morning show celebrity like Todd host our Media Mixer brings star-power to the event,” stated Tim McCarthy, President of the BFOA. “I want to thank Todd for giving his time to helping us create more awareness about the BFOA’s charitable purpose.”
“Giving back to the industry that I love is an honor,” said Pettengill. “I’m looking forward to having fun with a room full of colleagues who love broadcasting as much as I do.”
BFOA Media Mixers celebrate the camaraderie and connection within the broadcasting community. Attendees mix and mingle with peers, on-air talent, and executives. It is the first Media Mixer to take place at MSBC, which attracts radio industry executives, program directors, morning show talent and producers.
“I want to thank Don Anthony for his support and for partnering with us to present our Media Mixer during Morning Show Boot Camp,” added McCarthy. “The BFOA Media Mixer is free to all in broadcasting, with special thanks to Benztown for sponsoring this event.”
Don Anthony, Founder of MSBC, commented, “For most of us, broadcasting is more than a way to earn a living, it’s part of our DNA. The BFOA Media Mixer is an opportunity for Boot Camp attendees, as well as broadcasters in the Austin area, to join us.”
The BFOA Media Mixer is free, although registration is required. Please click here. To register for Morning Show Bootcamp, please click here.
Previous Media Mixers have been held in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with more planned for cities across the country.
Since launching Media Mixers in 2023, awareness of the Broadcasters Foundation and its charitable mission has increased among young professionals in radio and television.
For information about the Broadcasters Foundation, including how to make a donation or apply for aid, please visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, or contact the BFOA at 212-373-8250, or info@thebfoa.org.
Podcaster Megyn Kelly has announced that Hope Hicks, a former White House communications director under President Donald Trump and ex-Fox Corp. executive, has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Kelly’s media company, Devil May Care Media.
This hire marks a significant step in the expansion of Kelly’s independent media empire, which she launched in 2020 after leaving traditional cable and network news.
Hicks will oversee business development, manage day-to-day operations, and drive growth for Devil May Care Media. The company encompasses The Megyn Kelly Show (a top-ranking podcast and YouTube program with 3.7 million subscribers), AM Update with Megyn Kelly, the MK Media podcast network, and the upcoming MK True Crime channel. Hicks will report directly to Kelly and lead a team focused on expanding the company’s portfolio and partnerships.
Kelly praised Hicks as “strong, smart, strategic, and the embodiment of class and poise,” emphasizing her potential to elevate the company. Kelly noted, “She’s at the top of a growing media conglomerate, and there’s no limit to where she can take it.”
Hicks expressed enthusiasm for joining Kelly’s team, stating, “Megyn has used her talent, integrity, and unparalleled credibility to create content unlike anything else available today.” She highlighted Kelly’s “impeccable eye for talent” and the company’s “flourishing” trajectory, expressing excitement about future opportunities.
Hicks’ Background: Hicks, 36, brings extensive experience in media and politics. She served as press secretary for Trump’s 2016 campaign, White House communications director from 2017 to 2018, and counselor to the president in 2020.
Devil May Care Media has evolved from The Megyn Kelly Show, launched as an audio podcast in September 2020, into a multi-platform operation. The company now includes video content on YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms, with a reported hundreds of millions of monthly views. Recent expansions include the MK Media podcast network, featuring shows like The Nerve with Maureen Callahan, Next Up with Mark Halperin, Spot On with Link Lauren, and After Party with Emily Jashinsky, alongside plans for a true-crime venture.
FOX Business Network (FBN) has acquired the rights to air Marcus Lemonis’ new series, The Fixer. The series will make its debut tonight, July 29 and run at 8 PM/ET every Tuesday through September 16. The series will also be made available on FOX Nation, FOX News Media’s streaming service.
In commenting on the announcement, Lemonis said, “I’m proud to be a part of the FOX Business family where investors, business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs turn for real time market data and a no-nonsense approach to all things money.”
FBN will present an encore episode each week after the program airs on FOX Entertainment. The Fixer features Lemonis as he works with small business owners from across the country spanning from gourmet popcorn to car accessories. The show follows Lemonis as he helps owners overcome obstacles and turnaround operations to achieve success.
On Monday, President Donald Trump requested a U.S. judge to order a prompt deposition of billionaire Rupert Murdoch in Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal.
The suit, filed on July 18, targets the Journal, its owners including Murdoch, and reporters over a July 17 article claiming Trump’s name appeared on a 2003 birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein, featuring a suggestive drawing and a reference to shared secrets.
In a Miami federal court filing, Trump’s lawyers urged the court to compel the 94-year-old Murdoch to testify within 15 days, citing his age as a factor.
Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, did not immediately comment but has previously stated it stands by its reporting and will robustly defend against the lawsuit.
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour has become the highest-grossing country tour ever, generating over $400 million in revenue, Live Nation announced Monday, referencing a Reuters report.
The “Cuff It” star also set records as the highest-grossing Black artist and R&B artist of all time, according to Live Nation. Additionally, the 43-year-old made history as the first woman and American act with two tours surpassing $400 million.
Beyonce
Kicking off in late April in Los Angeles, the tour featured hits like “Texas Hold ‘Em” and included performances with Beyoncé’s daughters. It concluded Saturday in Las Vegas with guest appearances by Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, and country artist Shaboozey. Throughout, Beyoncé honored Black contributions to country music, spotlighting artists featured on her “Cowboy Carter” album.
Despite her Texas roots and winning Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammys—the first Black woman to do so—Beyoncé faced resistance in the genre. Her 2016 CMA Awards performance drew racist backlash, with critics claiming her music wasn’t “real” country.
The tour’s 32 sold-out stadium shows across North America, the UK, and Europe drove its record-breaking revenue. For comparison, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, spanning March 2023 to December 2024, earned over $2 billion, the highest-grossing tour ever.
➦In 1911...Florence Freeman born (Died at age 88 – April 25, 2000). She was an actress in old-time radio. She was known as a "soap opera queen" for her work in daytime serial dramas.
Freeman's initial job in radio came in 1933 as the result of a challenge. After a friend dared her "to make good as a radio actress", Freeman applied — and was hired — at WOKO in Albany, NY. She went on to become a member of the casts of a number of serials in old-time radio, including being "the heroine of not one but two serials that ran more than a decade."
In 1949, Freeman won the "Your Favorite Daytime Serial Actress" award from Radio Mirror magazine.
➦In 1914...Theodore Vail, the president of AT&T, succeeded in transmitting his voice across the continental U.S. in July 1914. It the first test phone conversation between New York and San Francisco.
Peter Jennings
➦In 1938...Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings born (Died from cancer at age 67 – August 7, 2005). He was a Canadian-American journalist who served as the sole anchor of ABC World News Tonight from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. Despite dropping out of high school, he transformed himself into one of American television's most prominent journalists.
Jennings started his career early, hosting a Canadian radio show at the age of nine. He began his professional career with CJOH-TV in Ottawa during its early years, anchoring the local newscasts and hosting a teen dance show, Saturday Date, on Saturdays. In 1965, ABC News tapped him to anchor its flagship evening news program. His inexperience was attacked by critics and others in television news, making for a difficult first stint in the anchor chair. Jennings became a foreign correspondent in 1968, reporting from the Middle East.
He returned as one of World News Tonight's three anchors in 1978, and was promoted to sole anchor in 1983. Jennings was also known for his marathon coverage of breaking news stories, staying on the air for 15 or more hours straight to anchor the live broadcast of events such as the Gulf War in 1991, the O.J. Simpson phony phone call and subsequent trial in 1994, the Millennium celebrations in 2000, and the September 11 attacks in 2001. In addition to anchoring, he was the host of many ABC News special reports and moderated several American presidential debates. Jennings was always fascinated with the United States and became a naturalized United States citizen in 2003.
Along with Tom Brokaw of NBC and Dan Rather of CBS, Jennings formed part of the "Big Three" news anchors who dominated American evening network news from the early 1980s until his death in 2005, which closely followed the retirements of Brokaw in 2004 and Rather in 2005.
➦In 1940...the pilot for the radio comedy Duffy’s Tavern aired on CBS. Duffy’s won its own weekly slot the following March, and would continue as a radio staple into 1952.
The program often featured celebrity guest stars but always hooked them around the misadventures, get-rich-quick schemes and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, portrayed by Ed Gardner, the writer/actor who co-created the series. Gardner had performed the character of Archie, talking about Duffy's Tavern, as early as November 9, 1939, when he appeared on NBC's Good News of 1940
Clint Buehlmann
➦In 1977...Buffalo radio personality Clint Buehlmann aired his final show on WBEN 930 AM. He had been a highly-rated morning personality for about 40 years.
➦In 1995...bandleader Les Elgart died of heart failure at age 76. Elgart’s recording of Bandstand Boogie was adopted by Dick Clark as the theme for American Bandstand. Elgart also had two top-selling albums in the 50’s: The Elgart Touch and For Dancers Also. He often jointly led a band with his brother Larry in the 1950s and 60s.
Tom Snyder
➦In 2007...Talk Show Host and newscaster Tom Snyder died at age 71.
Snyder had loved radio since he was a child and at some point changed his field of study from pre-med to journalism. He once told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tim Cuprisin that broadcasting became more important to him than attending classes, and he skipped a lot of them.
Snyder began his career as a radio reporter at WRIT (unrelated to the present-day FM station) in Milwaukee and at WKZO in Kalamazoo (where he was fired by John Fetzer) in the 1950s. For a time he worked at Savannah, Georgia, AM station WSAV (now WBMQ).
After moving to TV in the 1960s, he was a news anchor for KYW-TV in Cleveland (now WKYC-TV) and, after a 1965 station switch, Philadelphia, and WNBC-TV and WABC-TV in New York City.
President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr are pushing for major changes in American broadcast media, starting with CBS.
On Thursday, the FCC approved an $8.4 billion merger between CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media by a 2-1 vote, with conditions to eliminate bias in CBS news and entertainment, hire an ombudsman for two years to handle complaints, and end diversity programs. Carr, speaking to CNBC, signaled a broader effort to address perceived liberal bias in mainstream media, leveraging the FCC’s public interest standard for broadcast outlets. Trump has criticized networks for biased coverage and urged license revocations.
Anna Gomez
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called the merger conditions a violation of First Amendment rights, accusing Paramount of yielding to Trump.
Paramount recently settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, prompting some Democrats, like Rep. Frank Pallone, to label it a bribe and pledge investigations. Carr has also revived complaints against ABC News for its debate moderation and NBC for Harris’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance, with ongoing scrutiny of “60 Minutes.”
Carr told Reuters Thursday the FCC is not closing its investigation into the "60 Minutes" interview.
President Donald Trump posted over the weekend on Truth Social, criticizing NBC News for what he described as "terrible" programming and accusing the network of being a "pawn" of the Democratic Party.
In his posts, he claimed NBC's management was biased and suggested that their broadcast licenses should be revoked due to their alleged political alignment.
He specifically wrote, "Networks aren’t allowed to be political pawns for the Democrat Party. It has become so outrageous that, in my opinion, their licenses could, and should, be revoked! MAGA."
His call to revoke NBC’s licenses echoes similar threats made during his first term and the 2024 campaign, where he suggested the FCC should strip licenses from networks like CBS over edited interviews or ABC over debate moderation. However, the FCC does not directly license national networks like NBC; it regulates individual broadcast stations, many of which are network affiliates.
Revoking licenses based on content is legally challenging due to First Amendment protections, as noted by former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in 2017 and ex-Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in 2024, who both emphasized that the FCC cannot revoke licenses over editorial content or political disagreements.
The feasibility of Trump’s threat is limited.
Current FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and current chairman, has supported investigating media bias but acknowledged that revoking licenses is "essentially impossible" under current law due to high legal standards and First Amendment barriers. Despite this, Trump’s rhetoric and the FCC’s recent actions under Carr, such as reinstating complaints against NBC, CBS, and ABC for alleged bias, suggest an intent to pressure media through regulatory scrutiny, potentially creating a chilling effect on coverage.
Weather watchers are expecting a forecast shift in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, predicting increased activity starting in August, according to USAToday.
Despite a relatively quiet start with only three named storms—Andrea, Barry, and Chantal—the season is poised for a significant uptick, driven by several meteorological factors.
🌩Key Warning Signs for an Active August
Favorable Tropical Environment: Meteorologists, including Phil Klotzbach from Colorado State University and Michael Lowry from WPLG-TV, note that the tropical environment in the Atlantic is becoming more conducive for hurricane activity. Conditions such as reduced wind shear and enhanced large-scale rising motion are expected to support storm development in the coming weeks.
The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), an eastward-moving disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds, and pressure, is expected to cross into the Atlantic in August, enhancing conditions for storm formation, particularly in the second and third weeks.
Increased Tropical Wave Activity: Tropical waves originating from Africa, which often seed major Atlantic storms, have become more robust. Long-range forecast models indicate a busier outlook for early August, with stronger waves emerging in the Central Atlantic and potential development near the Caribbean Islands.
Historical Climatology: August typically marks the beginning of the peak hurricane season, with the first hurricane forming on average around August 11. Over 95% of major hurricane activity and 93% of Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE)—a measure of storm intensity and duration—occur after early August.
The article emphasizes that hurricanes are rare in June and July due to atmospheric hurdles like dry air and high wind shear, but these barriers diminish in August, allowing storms to form rapidly.
Ocean and Atmospheric Conditions: Above-average Atlantic Ocean temperatures set the stage for an active season, as noted by NOAA’s 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. Warmer waters provide the heat energy needed for storm intensification.
