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- Early 1960s KOL DeeJays October 5, 2026
- What a team!! KIRO Newsradio 710 June 26, 2025
- Finalists for the 2021 NAB Marconi Radio Awards August 5, 2021
- Burn Out: Liz Dueweke’s Unofficial Mental Health Survey May 12, 2021
- Apollo Global Management & Partners Make Serious Moves On Tegna September 21, 2021
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Never saw that coming!
Bill Taylor • October 5, 2026
President Trump recruited a fleet of Fox News personalities for his second administration, filling key cabinet positions with the likes of Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy and Mehmet Oz.
Now a homegrown star of the Trump White House is headed to Fox News.
Karoline Leavitt, who until August served as Mr. Trump’s press secretary and chief spokeswoman, is joining the Rupert Murdoch-owned channel next month as an on-air contributor, the network said on Monday.
— New York Times
“That face… and those lips. They move like a machine gun, right?”
— D. Trump, Oct. 13, 2025
Another Fox Joins FOX News
Jason Remington • October 5, 2026
Them lips, them dimples, that smile…
CBS and CNN
Bill Taylor • October 4, 2026
Could CBS and CNN eventually merge operations? That’s complicated.
“Combining CNN and CBS News would be fraught with challenges. The two organizations have different business models, newsroom cultures and labor structures. Most CBS News employees work under union contracts, while CNN is largely nonunion, which would complicate efforts to combine staff and newsgathering operations. The companies would also have to sort through overlapping bureaus, talent contracts and questions over how much of their editorial operations could be shared while maintaining the distinct identities of the two news outlets.”
— Wall Street Journal
“CNN and CBS News are expected to consolidate some of their operations, such as its overseas bureaus.”
— LA Times
Mark Thompson, who took over at CNN in 2023, is well-liked and well-respected by CNN staff, so news that he is being asked to stay likely calms some fears by those worried about Weiss taking over the network.
But, again, it sounds as if Thompson will insist that CNN continues to have editorial independence.
Can't Stop This Train
Duke Stern • October 4, 2026
Consolidation is inevitable. Downsizing and then consolidation. Costs trump the plan for seperate entities.
Corporate Name: Skydance
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
David Ellison announced on October 2, 2026, that the combined company will be called Skydance (legally Skydance Corporation) once Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closes.
The deal is expected to close on October 6, 2026. Paramount and Warner Bros. stay as studio and consumer brands under that corporate name rather than being folded into a new shared brand. The stock ticker is set to change from PSKY to SKYD, with the listing moving from Nasdaq to the NYSE.
Skydance is the name of the film company Ellison founded in 2006, which already became the parent of Paramount in 2025 as Paramount Skydance. Ellison has said the corporate name is meant to give the combined company its own identity without overshadowing the Paramount and Warner Bros. brands.
Full House
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
Under the new structure, Skydance will be led by Ellison as chairman and chief executive, with former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO. The company plans to change its ticker from PSKY to SKYD and to amend its certificate of incorporation to Skydance Corporation. The combined business will house two of Hollywood’s major film studios, the HBO Max and Paramount+ streaming services, and television brands including CBS, CNN, MTV and others.
CBS Finds Reason To Cast Off Romo
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
Tony Romo and CBS Sports have “mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement Friday. The announcement comes just over two months after Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) in Milwaukee.
Sports media insiders indicate the legal incident was ultimately the “excuse” rather than the sole reason for the split. CBS had reportedly been looking for a way to move on from Romo’s massive 10-year, $180 million contract due to declining broadcast reviews and performance over recent seasons.
When You Have It All
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
• Brand Reputation & Public Image: As the network’s No. 1 NFL analyst, Romo was the public face and voice of CBS Sports. Publicly traded corporations are highly sensitive to the backlash and bad press that accompanies high-profile legal issues like drunk driving.
• Morality Clauses: Standard high-level talent contracts feature explicit “morality clauses.” These allow companies to terminate or renegotiate deals if an employee engages in behavior that brings public disrepute, contempt, or scandal to themselves or the company.
• Liability & Advertiser Pressure: Major corporate sponsors and advertisers pay millions to associate their brands with clean, family-friendly sports broadcasts. A network risk losing critical ad revenue if a prominent figure remains on air after an arrest.
• Performance Context: In Romo’s specific case, his blood-alcohol level was registered at 0.15%, and he subsequently pleaded no contest to the OWI charge. While Romo took accountability and noted that a struggle with pain medications and alcohol following career-ending back surgeries led to the incident, the legal fallout gave CBS the leverage it needed to buy out the remaining four years and $72 million left on his deal. (NY TIMES)
Paramount CEO asks Mark Thompson to stay on at CNN after the merger. Will he?
WJE • October 3, 2026
The mega media deal of Paramount acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be finalized next week. Paramount owns CBS News and Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN.
So the big question in media circles is what’s to become of CNN when the companies merge?
A possible answer:
“Paramount CEO David Ellison has asked Mark Thompson to stay on as the big boss at CNN. Nothing is finalized, but Ellison does want Thompson to stay.”
— Wall Street Journal
“It is possible that Mr. Thompson and Mr. Ellison do not reach an agreement that allows him to run CNN for the foreseeable future. But the arrangement, if it pans out, is likely to assuage some critics who worried that Mr. Ellison would quickly bring significant changes to the 24-hour cable network.
CBS Editor in Chief Bari Weiss isn’t expected to have a role involving CNN at close of the deal, people familiar with Ellison’s thinking said.”
— NY Times
So, for now, it would appear that Thompson, if he agrees, will remain in charge of CNN. Reports state that Thompson will insist that CNN has editorial independence in order to remain on board.
Is Jimmy Kimmel returning to ABC next year?
Bill • October 3, 2026
A rumor that occasionally pops up is that ABC might eventually part ways with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel when his current contract is up. Again, mind you, these are just rumors. But when legendary radio host Howard Stern appeared on Kimmel’s show Wednesday night, he had a message for ABC: “There is no man more loyal to this company than this guy.”
Stern talked about all the promotion Kimmel does for ABC, then added, “He has done everything for the company. And I hope that they keep that in mind. Oh my God. I don’t know about you, but if something goes wrong, oh, is ABC going to have hell to pay. Am I correct? Are you with me?”
Two-faced Stern
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
When Don Imus was 45 years old (back in the WNNNNBC days), Stern complained that Imus had over-stayed his welcome, was old & tired, not funny and should retire. Stern is now in his 70s and hanging on to the microphone. Such a narcissist, Howard Stern. Oy vey!! He stopped being funny decades ago and began sucking up to the liberal left of Hollywood and Washington DC because his much younger wife liked the party scene, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.
Here we have pictures of a much younger Howie and Stern today. He is old, haggard and should have gotten out of the business when he was 45.
Knowing when to leave
Jason Remington • October 3, 2026
His broadcasting career fell from having 20 million listeners a day at his peak to figures as low as 125,000 listeners a day, according to The New York Post. (2025) Now, down to one day each week, Stern should know it’s time to walk away.
Jop Opening
WJE • October 2, 2026
Braiden Bell’s stint as the new face of the Portland Trail Blazers’ television broadcast lasted about eight hours.
The team abruptly fired its new play-by-play commentator only hours after announcing the hire. The move came after a series of troubling, years-old tweets from Bell came to light.
The tweets, which were authored when Bell was a teenager, expressed racist and misogynistic views. KGW unearthed the tweets, reached out to the Blazers for comment, and the organization rescinded its contract offer to the 29-year-old broadcaster.
Bell had been hired after the departure of Kevin Calabro, previously the longtime voice of the Seattle SuperSonics.
“The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist or harmful comments,” the team told The Oregonian/OregonLive via a statement. “Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster.
“The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception. We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better.”
It’s unclear if the team will turn to the person who finished runner-up in their search for a new play-by-play broadcaster — Kyle Draper — or open a new search.
— Oregonian
Standing strong
Bill Taylor • October 2, 2026
Thursday was CNN’s turn to handle the TV pool coverage of President Donald Trump, but the administration is still banning CNN from the pool. In a sign of solidarity, the other networks in the TV pool — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — decided to not have a replacement fill in for CNN.
Ted Boutrous, the attorney representing CNN, MS NOW, Politico — all recently banned from the White House before getting a restraining order — said in a statement about CNN’s ban from the TV pool:
“As we explain in our latest brief, the White House is persisting in unpredictably and inconsistently implementing the President’s unconstitutional ‘ban on the free press’ by barring CNN from fulfilling its role as a designated television network pooler — to the detriment of CNN, its fellow pool members and, ultimately, the American public.”
Whatever the market will bear
Jason Remington • September 30, 2026
I think this is so outrageous! I just have to share:
(Media Confidential) McDonald’s is using an artificial-intelligence pricing engine to recommend “optimal” prices for menu items at individual restaurants across the United States and some overseas markets, a system that estimates how much local customers are willing to pay and has widened price gaps between nearby stores, Reuters reported Tuesday.
The tool analyzes millions of daily transactions from nearly 14,000 restaurants and generates location-specific prices for items ranging from Big Macs to senior coffee discounts. Screenshots of the franchisee interface reviewed by Reuters include messages such as “Your restaurant is showing MEDIUM SENSITIVITY to Price,” based in part on “customer willingness to pay in your area.” The platform also pulls public menu prices from nearby competitors such as Wendy’s and Burger King.
And watch out at Walmart– prices are being adjusted on shelves “remotely” and could change by the time you reach the check-out counter.
Keep current on these and other price scams — https://www.youtube.com/@RossenReports
KNWN metamorphosis
Bill • September 29, 2026
Northwest Newsradio (KNWN AM 1000 / FM 97.7) has eliminated its local midday news blocks, replacing them with syndicated programming.
Schedule Changes:
• 10:00 AM hour: Bloomberg’s Balance of Power.
• 11:00 AM hour: Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.
• 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Dave Ramsey Show.
Staff and Anchor Updates:
• Mornings (6:00 AM – 10:00 AM): Brian Calvert and Denise Whitaker continue hosting.
• Afternoons (2:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Previous midday anchor Scott Carty moved to afternoons alongside Aaron Wright, replacing Marina Rockinger.
Reasons for the Shift:
Station management and staff pointed to ongoing changes in the radio industry, including shifting advertising revenue and listener ratings. KNWN held a 3.2 share in the August 2026 Nielsen.
Program moves
Jason Remington • September 29, 2026
Hmmm. Would you consider that midday programming to be WEAK? I do. It doesn’t appeal to the majority. Syndicated talk would be a better fit. (In my humble opinion)
Scott is witty and an enjoyable radio voice.
Scott and Marina
Bill • September 29, 2026
Weak? Feeble, fatigued, and anemic are words that spring to mind.
Concur with your assessment of Scott, and he brought actual broadcast journalism experience to the midday news. Marina, nice lady, a holdover from her time as a KBSG DJ, but no prior experience as a newscaster or reporter, and it often showed.
Will be interesting to see how many of the staff survive the programming changes, but it’s very likely a dark day in the newsroom.