Edison Research announces the Top Podcast Genres in the U.S. for Q1 2022, and comedy takes the top spot as the genre consumed by most weekly podcast listeners. The list ranks the most popular podcast genres based on audience size from Edison Podcast Metrics.
“As advertisers increasingly seek to target podcast listeners, it becomes more important to understand the appeal of various genres in the space,” said Edison Research SVP Melissa Kiesche.
Podcasts are classified according to the self-identified genre submitted by the podcast to Apple Podcast API. Nineteen genres are identified as having at least one percent reach among those in the U.S. age 18+.
Edison Podcast Metrics is the only podcast measurement service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks in the U.S. It is the only measurement based on actual podcast listening, not downloads, and does not require an opt-in from podcast networks. The genre ranker is derived from data collected continuously Q2 2021 – Q1 2022, from surveying weekly podcast consumers ages 18 and older in the U.S. Participants indicate which podcasts they listened to in the past week along with a variety of demographic, psychographic, and purchase behavior information. Surveys of 8,000 podcast listeners in the U.S. were conducted Q2 2021 through Q1 2022.
Current subscribers to Edison Podcast Metrics include the top networks in podcasting as well as leading technology platforms.
For information about Edison Podcast Metrics contact Edison Research SVP Melissa Kiesche at mkiesche@edisonresearch.com
In his first six years playing “the beautiful music” on KABL 960 AM, Bill Moen was not allowed to mention his own name on the air, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
The station format dictated that soothing instrumental standards would be interrupted only by the news and a recording of a ringing cable-car bell. On-air talent was restricted to utterances of “KABL music,” between songs, but Moen was able to inject enough personality in those two words to launch an improbable 33-year career as the morning drive host at KABL. His signature was the 15- to 30-second city-centric vignette that came to be known as “Bill Moen Moods.”
Moen’s show on KABL ran from 1960 to 1993, outlasting Don Sherwood and Dr. Don Rose, among his morning drive-time competitors. Moen’s ratings were consistently high and his listeners loyal to the point that when he ran a promotion for a travel agency booking a tour of Europe, enough people signed up and paid their own way to command two tour buses of 35 passengers each, hitting 14 cities in 21 days.
He was the play-by-play announcer for the cable car bell ringing competition and a leader in the campaign to save the cable cars. When when he was finally eased out of KABL following a format shift, he took his morning show to KXBX in Lakeport (Lake County) where he spent another 20 years on the air.
Moen died from complications of an infection he developed while living in Lake County. He died Easter Sunday at a hospital in Napa, said his daughter, Heather Moen. He was 93.
Moen wrote all his own material or told stories spontaneously, always playing up the sentimentality of the San Franciscans who chose KABL over its competitors, KSFO and KGO.
In 1990, Moen was assigned a co-host, a South Bay shock jock named Trish Bell, to handle weather and traffic. The format switched from easy listening and standards to soft adult contemporary, and was simulcast on FM, at 98.1. “Soft and easy KABL” was the slogan. In 1993, Moen was let go. The AM station evolved into KNEW business talk, and the FM station became KISQ, the Breeze.
➦In 1941...Singer Richie Valens born Richard Steven Valenzuela (Died at age 17 – February 3, 1959) was a rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted eight months and abruptly ended when he died in a plane crash.
During this time, he had several hits, most notably "La Bamba", which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958, making Valens a pioneer of the Spanish-speaking rock and roll movement. He also had the American number 2 hit ''Donna''.
On February 3, 1959, on what has become known as "The Day the Music Died", Valens died in a plane crash in Iowa, an accident that also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as pilot Roger Peterson. Valens was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
➦In 1943..in the middle of WWII. Adolph Hitler and his Nazi occupiers of the Netherlands and other European countries confiscated all radios.
➦In 1956... after 16 years on CBS Radio, “Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch,” aired its final episode. The half-hour broadcast for Wrigley’s Gum featured 10 to 15 minute western action skits featuring Autry and his sidekick Pat Buttram, plus musical selections by “the ‘Singing Cowboy.” Autry went on to be owner of a chain of West Coast radio stations, Golden West Broadcasters, and LA TV station KTLA.
➦In 1963...Station Manager Marlin Taylor (1st employee) and Sales Manager Jerry Lee (2nd employee) launched David L. Kurtz's new Philadelphia FM, WDVR, Delaware Valley Radio.
Now know as WBEB 101.1 FM, the station was also known as WEAZ during 1980s, before becoming WBEB-FM in 1993.
In spite of having a poor signal for its' first four years, WDVR became the top-rated FM in the Hoope Ratings within three months, pioneering the Beautiful Music format.
(Photo Courtesy of Marlin Taylor)
The station featured pop tunes reworked in the form of instrumentals. They played two vocalists per hour, as the instrumentals would be based on the works of such artists as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond and The Carpenters. By the 1980s, the station increased the amount of music with vocalists to four per hour as they also added more artists suited to an adult contemporary format. Also in 1980, WDVR changed its call letters to WEAZ, and began using the slogan EAZY 101 with Patrick O'Neal (later Robert Urich) as its spokesperson. By 1984, EAZY 101 became the #1 rated station in Philadelphia.
In 1988, the station dropped Beautiful Music for a soft adult contemporary format. This format change came after research tests showed that people who grew up after the advent of rock and roll did not like instrumental music. With the format change, the station was satellite-delivered, but by the next year, some of the airstaff returned. By 1990, the station's name was shortened to "EZ 101". The station would shift to a mainstream adult contemporary format in 1993, and its call letters would eventually change to WBEB, B101.
Airchecks form 1982-84...
On December 10, 2013, WBEB announced they would be rebranding as "MoreFM at 101.1". The DJs and format would stay the same. The name change took place on December 26. With the name change, the station dropped their "Saturday Night 80's" program.
On July 19, 2018, Entercom announced that it would acquire WBEB for $57.5 million. To comply with FCC ownership limits, Entercom divested Country WXTU 92.5 FM back to its previous owner Beasley Broadcast Group. WBEB was, at that time, one of the last major-market radio stations to be independently owned. The sale closed September 28, 2018.
On November 8, 2018, WBEB returned to its previous "B" branding as B101.1.
➦In 1973.."The Beatles 1962-1966" Red was released in 1973 along with "The Beatles 1967-1970" Blue album. The album was compiled by Beatles manager Allen Klein. Even though the group had success with cover versions of songs, most notably with "Twist and Shout", which made No. 2 on the Billboard charts, only songs composed by the Beatles were included. Also noteworthy is the exclusion of any George Harrison compositions from the era (e.g. "Taxman"), with the result that all the included tracks are Lennon-McCartney originals. In contrast, the companion 1967–1970 compilation includes several Harrison-penned songs, and even one written by Ringo Starr.
➦In 2010...one of the most prolific organists in the Golden Age of Radio, Rosa Rio died at age 107.
Known as "Queen of the Soaps," Rio worked for 22 years in radio, providing the organ background music for 24 radio soap operas and radio dramas, and playing an average of five to seven shows per day. Some days she went from one program immediately to another—as when Lorenzo Jones and Bob and Ray were adjacent on NBC's schedule during the early 1950s—with less than 50 seconds to run from one NBC studio to another. Some of the programs she played for included Bob and Ray, Ethel and Albert, Front Page Farrell, Lorenzo Jones, My True Story, The Shadow and When a Girl Marries.
During World War II she had her own radio show, Rosa Rio Rhythms.
➦In 2016…Retired advertising executive Bill Backer died at the age of 89.
He became an ad industry legend for creating the slogans "Things go better with Coke", further defining the product as "the real thing", and convinced the world that Miller Lite was "everything you ever wanted in a beer, and less", and should be consumed at "Miller Time".
In 1971, Backer created the Coca-Cola campaign and accompanying song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)".
His advertising career started in the mailroom of McCann Erickson in 1953, rising to creative director in 1972, and vice chairman of the agency in 1978. In 2015, when the AMC television series Mad Men concluded with fictional character Don Draper's conception of the "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing..." campaign while the character was working at McCann Erickson, media outlets contacted Backer, asking him if he was the basis of the Don Draper character. He told the New York Times, "I'm not Don Draper".
In 1979, he co-founded Backer & Spielvogel (with Carl Spielvogel), which eight years later became Backer, Spielvogel & Bates Worldwide, Inc., one of the world's largest marketing and advertising communications companies. This worldwide corporation had 178 companies in 55 countries, and employed 8,500 persons—1,000 Americans and 7,500 nationals of the countries in which business was being conducted.
In 1999, Advertising Age included his name in a list of the top 100 players in advertising history.
➦In 2019...actress/singer Doris Day succumbed to pneumonia at age 97. In the 1950’s and 60’s she had a string of hit movies, but that followed her radio career. She sang weekly on NBC Radio’s Bob Hope Show, was the gal singer for part of the 1947 season of Your Hit Parade, and recorded many smash hits for Columbia Records. When her hit movies ended she starred for five seasons in her own self-titled sitcom on CBS.
Debbie Ryan is 29
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Actor Buck Taylor (“Gunsmoke,” ″Gods and Generals”) is 84.
Actor Harvey Keitel is 83.
Actor Zoe Wanamaker (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) is 74.
Actor Franklyn Ajaye (“Car Wash,” TV’s “Deadwood”) is 73.
Singer Stevie Wonder is 72.
Actor Leslie Winston (TV: “The Waltons”) is 66.
Comedian Stephen Colbert (“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”) is 58.
Stevie Wonder is 72
Drummer John Richardson of The Gin Blossoms is 58.
Actor Tom Verica (“American Dreams”) is 58.
Singer Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) is 56.
Actor Susan Floyd (“All My Children”) is 54.
Drummer Andy Williams of Casting Crowns is 50.
Actor Brian Geraghty (“The Alienist,” ″Boardwalk Empire”) is 47.
Bassist Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 is 43.
Actor Iwan Rheon (“Game of Thrones”) is 37.
Actor Lena Dunham (“Girls”) is 36.
Actor Robert Pattinson is 36.
Actor Candice Accola King (“The Vampire Diaries”) is 35.
Audacy has announced the return of Kevin Weatherly as Senior Vice President of Programming for KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, effective June 6.
In this role, Weatherly will oversee KROQ’s content strategy, talent, operations and branding. Weatherly will also serve as Format Vice President for Audacy’s portfolio of alternative stations across the country. As Format Vice President, he will oversee alternative format strategy and collaborate with artist, label and management partners in creating successful music initiatives and concert events.
“We’re so excited to welcome Kevin back to KROQ to oversee the iconic brand he was instrumental in building,” said Jeff Federman, Regional President and Market Manager, Audacy Southern California. “KROQ is a pillar in the SoCal community and not many people understand the bond between this station and its fans like Kevin. We look forward to him returning and evolving the brand even further.”
“KROQ is one of the most recognizable and iconic brands in all of radio,” said Weatherly. “I’ve had the privilege of spending the majority of my career programming KROQ and I’m energized and ready for the next chapter. We have a lot of work ahead of us to return KROQ to its rightful position in the hearts and minds of longtime listeners and partners, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Weatherly rejoins the company after serving as the head of North American programming for Spotify. This marks Kevin’s second stint with KROQ, after serving as the station’s program director from 1992 to 2020. During that time, Weatherly helped evolve KROQ into one of the top alternative stations and radio brands in the country. Additionally, he helped launch Los Angeles sister station 93.1 Jack FM (KCBS-FM) in 2005. He also grew KROQ’s annual “Weenie Roast” and “Almost Acoustic Christmas” concerts into major events.
The 2021-22 TV season is drawing to a close, just in time for upfront week, and a new network has taken the ratings crown in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic, reports AdWeek.
NBC narrowly pulled ahead of Fox—which had been the demo champion for the past two seasons—while CBS continued its streak as No. 1 in total viewers for the 14th consecutive season.
Most of the broadcasters have reason to celebrate this year, with three of the networks seeing gains in total viewership year-over-year: CBS, NBC and Fox. Only ABC and The CW saw audience dips.
In the demo, however, NBC was the only network to add viewers, on the strength of broadcasting Super Bowl 56 and the Winter Olympics. The network was No. 1 with a 1.1 rating, a 10% increase from last season’s 1.0. Fox came in second, also with a 1.1 (flat from last season) but slightly behind NBC in actual 18-49 viewers (1.37 million to NBC’s 1.5 million), followed by CBS at 0.8 (down 20% from last year’s 1.0), ABC with 0.7 (a 22% drop from 0.9) and The CW with a 0.1 (a 50% drop from last season’s 0.2).
The NFL was once again the strongest programming on linear, with football games and pre- and postgame programming accounting for seven of the season’s Top 10 primetime shows in total viewers and eight in the 18-49 demo.
CBS averaged 6.26 million total viewers, winning the season for the 14th year in a row. It gained a little over 1% from last season’s audience of 6.19 million. NBC was second with 6.11 million, a 17% bump from last season’s 5.24 million. Fox was third place with 4.56 million (a 9% gain from last season’s 4.18) and ABC was in fourth with 4.16 (down 10% from last year’s 4.64). The CW had 650,000, down nearly 23% from last season’s 840,000.
All numbers reflect Nielsen’s “most current” ratings, which are live-plus-7 for the entire season except for the last two weeks, which are live-plus-same-day.
Once again, the season numbers demonstrate how rapidly the linear landscape has shifted—and cratered—in just a few years. NBC’s 1.1 demo win this season was a lower rating than all of the Big Four broadcasters just three seasons ago. And one year before that—during the 2017-18 season—NBC won the demo with a 2.2 rating, which is double its rating this season and represents the last time a broadcaster broke a 2 season rating in adults 18-49.
📺Most-watched shows
NBC has eight of the top 20 shows in the demo, with This is Us as the No. 1 entertainment show for adults 18-49 in its final season with a 1.4 rating—a number that could increase for its series finale on May 24.
NBC’s Sunday Night Football was once again the No. 1 broadcast primetime series in the demo (5.1 rating). CBS NFL postgame specials in primetime did rate higher, with 18.8 million total viewers (versus SNF’s 18.1 million, which was No. 2 in total viewers), and second in the demo (4.7). Thursday Night Football, moving exclusively to Amazon next fall, was No. 3 in the demo with a 3.7.
Other top 10 shows in the demo include NBC’s Chicago Fire and Chicago PD, both with a 1.3 rating, and Chicago Med with a 1.1. CBS’ NCIS and FBI pulled in a 0.9 and 1.0 respectively, and comedy Young Sheldon rated a 1.0.
When it comes to total viewers, NFL programming made up seven of the top 10 slots. CBS’ NCIS (No. 6 overall with 11 million) and FBI (No. 8, 10.3 million) took two of the spots, while NBC’s Chicago Fire (No. 9, 9.9 million) filled the last.
Strategic agreement to integrate the streaming services of PRISA Media's spoken-word radio networks into the iHeartRadio catalog.
iHeartRadio has more than 3 billion downloads and 159 million registered users and is available on more than 250 platforms.
iHeartMedia reaches 90 percent of Americans each month, offering PRISA Media the opportunity to reach the US Spanish-language market at scale.
PRISA Media and iHeartMedia have reached an agreement to integrate the streaming services of PRISA Media's spoken-word radio networks into the iHeartRadio catalog. With iHeartMedia’s more than a quarter of a billion monthly listeners through its broadcast radio stations across the country and its more than 3 billion downloads, 159 million registered users on the iHeartRadio app, this partnership will help PRISA Media build massive awareness in the U.S., further validating it position as the leading media group in the Spanish-speaking world.
According to Carlos Núñez, executive chair of PRISA Media, “the agreement allows us to make a significant leap forward in the Group's commitment to the Spanish-language market in the United States, solidifying our position as media leader in the Spanish-speaking world, while scaling up our content and opening new lines of business.”
For María Jesús Espinosa de los Monteros, managing director of PRISA Audio, “iHeart has set the gold standard as a platform when it comes to user-centered usability and customization. Signing a deal with a partner with this level of specialization and this position in the US market is testament to our firm commitment to the development of digital audio.”
“We are excited to partner with PRISA Media to help expand their reach, offering their content and programming to a wider audience,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeart Digital Audio Group. “iHeartMedia reaches 9 out of 10 Americans monthly and collaborating with PRISA also gives us the opportunity to offer even more diverse content to our hundreds of millions of listeners.”
PRISA Media’s programming will be available to listeners via iHeartRadio on June, with a second phase of this partnership to include PRISA Media's podcasts joining the iHeartPodcast Network.
Liz Alesse has been promoted to vice president of ABC Audio. She will oversee ABC News Radio, podcasts and our entertainment content service.
In a staff memo sent by ABC News SVP Streaming/Digital Content, Reena Mehta Alesse was called a trusted member of the ABC Audio team, most recently serving as director and executive producer of Podcast Programming.
According to the memo: "She has been instrumental in growing and re-organizing our award-winning podcast team, developing successful content and monetization strategies, and partnering closely within the news division and across The Walt Disney Company to promote our work.
"Liz oversaw the successful launches of new podcasts, including, “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson,” “Close Up” and “The Book Case with Kate and Charlie Gibson.” She also spearheaded creating the “GMA” Channel on Apple Podcasts, which holds the new “Good Morning America” podcast and ABC Audio’s growing library of lifestyle, culture and entertainment on-demand audio content. Under her leadership, the team received Webby Awards, a Gracie Award, GLAAD Special Recognition honors and more."
Before joining Audio, Liz was the supervising producer for ABC’s White House and Capitol Hill unit. She began her career in local news in her hometown of Albany, New York and also worked at New England Cable News (NECN) and WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts.
Audacy announces the promotion of Tom Millikan to Assistant Brand Manager of 97.1 The Ticket (WXYT-FM) in Detroit.
Millikan will continue in his role as executive producer of the station’s “The Morning Show with Stoney and Jansen.”
“Tom has done an outstanding job as an executive producer and has played a vital role in the success of the station,” said Debbie Kenyon, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Detroit. “He is very deserving of this promotion and we look forward to even greater success with Tom in his new role.”
“Throughout my twenty plus years in radio, I’ve been blessed with countless memories of championships and pure joy,” said Millikan.
“I’m living out a dream. I wanted to work in sports radio since the format exploded in the early 90s and I’ve been blessed by the tutelage of all of my co-workers and peers. I was born and raised in Detroit and Detroit sports are part of my DNA. Listeners might not agree with my opinions or show content all of the time, but I genuinely try to produce shows that Detroit sports fans want every single day.”
Millikan started his career in sports radio in 1998 as an intern at WDFN-AM. In 2012, he joined 97.1 The Ticket as executive producer and served as the station’s affiliate relations manager for the Detroit Tigers, Lions, Red Wings and Pistons throughout the state of Michigan. Millikan also helped to manage University of Michigan athletics on Detroit sister station WWJ News Radio 950 (WWJ-AM).
Ukraine yesterday offered to release Russian prisoners of war in exchange for the safe evacuation of injured Ukrainian fighters trapped inside the sprawling steel mill in Mariupol that remains under siege by Russian forces as the last remaining resistance in the devastated city. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said negotiations were underway to release the injured fighters, saying there were different options, but, quote, "none of them is ideal." The fighters at the plant have refused to surrender to the Russians, saying they fear being tortured or killed.
In fighting elsewhere, the Ukrainian general staff said Russia was having, quote, "partial success" in its advance in the eastern Donetsk and Lunhansk regions, while also saying Ukrainian forces had repulsed nine attacks and destroyed several drone and military vehicles. In the Kherson region in the southern part of Ukraine, a Russian-appointed regional leader told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that officials there want President Vladimir Putin to annex the area. That suggests Russia may try to annex Kherson they way it did Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula in 2014 following a disputed referendum.
The war in Ukraine is looking more like a stalemate that could last months or even years as neither Russia nor Ukraine moves toward a decisive military victory. pic.twitter.com/SILCyf0Xx8
Meanwhile, Ukraine's top prosecutor said they were readying for the first war crimes trial of a captured Russian soldier. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said her office charged 21-year-old Russian Sergeant Vadin Shyshimarin for allegedly shooting and killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian who was riding a bicycle four days after Russia's February invasion. He's accused of firing through a car window at the man in the village of Chupakhivka. Venediktova didn't say when the trial would start. The prosecutor's office has said it's been investigating more than 10,700 allegations of war crimes by Russian forces and has identified over 600 suspects.
➤SENATE VOTE TO ENSHRINE ROE V. WADE IN FEDERAL LAW FALLS SHORT: A measure put forward by Senate Democrats to enshrine Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law fell short 51-49 yesterday, with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia siding with all 50 Republicans, and also way short of the 60 votes that would be needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. Manchin said he supported keeping Roe v. Wade, but believed the bill put forward was too broad. The move came after last week's Supreme Court draft opinion leak showed the high court is poised to overturn Roe after nearly 50 years. President Biden charged Republicans, quote, "have chosen to stand in the way of Americans’ rights to make the most personal decisions about their own bodies, families and lives." He said the administration would explore other ways to secure abortion rights and urged voters to elect more pro-choice lawmakers in the midterm elections this fall.
🔥WIND-DRIVEN WILDFIRES RAGING IN CALIFORNIA: Around 20 homes in Southern California are feared burned in a wind-driven wildfire that raced up slopes near coast Wednesday, officials said. A vegetation fire that would become the Coastal Fire in the Laguna Niguel region was reported around 2:44 p.m. and was driven by strong winds toward homes, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said. The fire had burned 195 acres as of late Wednesday night, the agency said. There had been no reports of any injuries, but officials estimated 20 or more homes could have been destroyed, Fennessy said at a Wednesday evening press conference.
➤NORTH KOREA CONFIRMS FIRST COVID OUTBREAK, IMPOSES NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN: North Korea has confirmed its first acknowledged Covid-19 outbreak and imposed a nationwide lockdown Thursday to try to control it. North Korea has had strict anti-virus controls at its border since the start of the pandemic, but experts had still questioned its claims of not having any outbreaks until now. The official Korean Central News Agency said tests confirmed cases in the capital of Pyongyang. The scale of the outbreak isn't immediately known, and there are concerns because of North Korea's poor health care system and the belief that most of its people are unvaccinated. Some experts suggested the North's rare admission of an outbreak may be an effort to get outside aid. South Korea has said it's willing to provide medical assistance and other help to the North based on humanitarian considerations.
The Baby formula shortage that began in the early days of the pandemic has worsened significantly in recent weeks because of labor shortages and a major product recall. https://t.co/629iWxHdaT
➤NEARLY $1 BILLION SETTLEMENT REPORTEDLY REACHED IN FLORIDA CONDO COLLAPSE: A nearly $1 billion tentative settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit brought by families of the 98 people killed and the survivors of last June's condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, attorney Harley S. Tropin announced yesterday (May 11th). Tropin revealed the $997 million settlement, which is still pending final approval, during a court hearing. It involves developers of an adjacent building, insurance companies, and other defendants. The main lawsuit on behalf of the Champlain Towers South victims and family members charges that work on the neighboring Eighty Seven Park tower damaged and destabilized the 12-story condo, which was in need of major structural repair.
NY Post Graphic
➤INFLATION SLIPPED IN APRIL, BUT UPWARD PRESSURES REMAIN: U.S. inflation edged down to an 8.3% annual rate in April but remained close to the fastest pace in four decades as the economy continued to face upward price pressures. The Labor Department’s consumer-price index reading last month marked the first drop for inflation in eight months, down from an 8.5% annual rate in March. The decline came primarily from a slight easing in April gasoline prices, which have since reached a new high. Broadly, the report offered little evidence that inflation was cooling.
HOWARD KURTZ: Why journalists are going bonkers over Musk’s plan to lift Trump’s Twitter ban https://t.co/rw59dIUHev
➤STUDY: COFFEE AFFECTS CHOLESTEROL LEVELS DIFFERENTLY IN MEN, WOMEN: Coffee can affect cholesterol, but a study shows its link with higher cholesterol varies by the gender of the drinker, as well as how the coffee is brewed. Researchers found that consuming three to five cups of espresso per day resulted in higher total cholesterol, particularly in men, compared to non-coffee drinkers. They also found drinking six or more cups of plunger coffee daily raised cholesterol, to a similar degree in both men and women. In addition, drinking six or more cups of filtered coffee every day was associated with an increase in total cholesterol in women, but not in men. And although instant coffee consumption was linked to an increase in cholesterol in men and women, it didn’t rise in tandem with the number of cups consumed. The Cleveland Clinic says coffee contains naturally occurring chemicals, such as diterpenes, cafesrol and kahweol, which are known to raise levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Parents are being asked to look out for symptoms of hepatitis in their kids as an unexplained outbreak of cases in children continues across the U.S. https://t.co/CzACCVLZHo
➤STUDY: WOMEN ARE SEEN AS MORE ATTRACTIVE WHEN WEARING HIGH HEELS: Some stereotypes will never go away. Bucknell University researchers surveyed nearly 500 participants, who were asked to rate a silhouette of a woman wearing high heels, and another of a woman without high heels. The majority of participants rated the woman in the heels as being more sexually attractive, physically attractive, feminine and of higher status. However, female participants rated both women as having a higher status regardless of the shoe she was wearing, and male participants rated the women as having higher short- and long-term mating potential regardless of the shoe she was wearing. Also, researchers note that the women in high heels were NOT rated as being more dominant, strong, warm, enthusiastic, trustworthy, nurturing, socially competent, healthy, intelligent, affectionate, friendly or successful. Researchers claim high heels do not seem to objectify and sexualize women as other articles of clothing and accessories do. They also added that the increased perception of attractiveness might have to do with changing the heel wearer’s lumbar (spinal) curve, which gives the breasts and buttocks a lift.
🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
Milwaukee Bucks 110, Boston Celtics 107 - Milwaukee leads series 3-2
Memphis Grizzlies 134, Golden State Warriors 95 - Golden State leads series 3-2
🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
New York Rangers 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - Pittsburgh leads series 3-2
Florida Panthers 5, Washington Capitals 3 - Florida leads series 3-2
🏀JOKIC ANNOUNCED AS NBA MVP WINNER FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR: The NBA made official last night what had been reported earlier this week, that Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had been voted the Most Valuable Player for a second straight year, become the 13th player to win back-to-back MVPs. Jokic had 65 first-place votes from the panel of writers and broadcasters, the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid was second with 26 first-place votes, and the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo came in third with nine first-place votes. Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists, and became the first NBA player to pass 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
🏒PENGUINS' CROSBY LEAVES GAME AFTER HIT, BEING EVALUATED FOR INJURY: Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby left in the second period of Game 5 of the Penguins' first-round NHL playoffs matchup against the New York Rangers last night after taking a high hit. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that Crosby was being evaluated for injury, so it's unclear if he'll be available for Game 6 on Friday. The Rangers won the game 5-3 to narrow Pittsburgh's series lead to 3-2. Crosby is second in the playoffs in scoring with nine points in five games.
⚾BREWERS' YELICH HITS FOR CYCLE FOR RECORD-TYING THIRD TIME: Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich hit for the cycle yesterday for a record-tying third time in his career, his feat coming in a 14-11 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Coincidentally, every time Yelich has hit for the cycle it's been against the Reds, with the previous two times coming within a span of three weeks in 2018. He is now the sixth player in MLB history to hit for the cycle three times, meaning he had at least one home run, triple, double, and single in the same game.
⚾GUARDIANS-WHITE SOX GAME POSTPONED DUE TO COVID OUTBREAK, FIRST IN MLB THIS SEASON: Yesterday's scheduled game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago White Sox was postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak on the Guardians that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several coaches. No players are known to have tested positive. It was the first Covid-caused postponement in MLB this season.
⚾PADRES MANAGER MELVIN HAS PROSTATE SURGERY: The San Diego Padres announced during the team's 7-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs yesterday that manager Bob Melvin had undergone prostate surgery. There were no further details released, and the Padres said they likely wouldn't have any updates until next week. Melvin had said Tuesday that he didn’t think he had prostate cancer, but that doctors wouldn’t know until the surgery. Bench coach Ryan Christenson took over as interim manager.
🎾TENNIS STAR NAOMI OSAKA TO START HER OWN SPORTS AGENCY: Tennis star Naomi Osaka left her previous agency, IMG, when her contract expired at the end of last year and is starting her own sports agency, called EVOLVE, according to Sportico, making her the first female athlete to do so. The four-time Grand Slam champion told Sportico, "I’ve spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn’t what was expected or traditional. Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman, as well as a way to continue being myself and doing things my way." Osaka is founding EVOLVE with former IMG agent Stuart Duguid. Osaka is ranked 20th on Sportico's 2022 list of the world's highest-paid athletes with prize money and endorsements totaling $53.2 million and is the top earner among women. She has equity in some 12 brands, founded a skin care company, and has her own swimwear and sleepwear lines.
➤MUCH OF U-S COULD SEE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES: Record high temperatures will be challenged across a 2,000-mile-long stretch of the U.S. this week thanks to an early season heat wave. The scorching heat that's already been in place for several days in Texas will be coming to the Midwest, the northeastern U.S. and part of southeastern Canada, AccuWeather said. "Highs near 100 degrees in the south-central states, the 90s in parts of the Midwest and the 80s in portions of the Northeast will challenge record highs set as far back as the late-1800s in some cases," said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. Along with the heat will be summerlike humidity, a sharp change from recent chilly weather in the Midwest, Weather.com said.
