MSNBC is set to announce it is dropping The ReidOut — hosted by Joy Reid — from its primetime lineup, as Jen Psaki and hosts of The Weekend could see expanded roles.
Reid has hosted the program since 2020 after the departure of Chris Matthews from the network. She is expected to host her final program in the daypart in the coming week.
In its place, MSNBC is eyeing the hosts of The Weekend — anchored by Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez — to take over the 7 PM ET timeslot vacated by Joy Reid. The plan would be for the show to air for two hours on Mondays as a lead-in to Rachel Maddow’s weekly show, and then air for just one hour on Tuesday through Friday, with All-In with Chris Hayes being seen in the 8 PM ET window.
Currently, Rachel Maddow is hosting a nightly show at 9 PM ET during the first 100 days of the second Donald Trump administration. She has remained adamant, however, that she will not continue hosting a nightly show at the conclusion of May. Alex Wagner has previously hosted the 9 PM ET show from Tuesday through Thursday. She is not expected to return to the timeslot after serving as a correspondent for Maddow’s temporary program. Instead, Jen Psaki, who hosts a Sunday morning and Monday primetime program, is being eyed to replace Wagner in the lineup.
The news of changes at MSNBC comes as Rebecca Kutler assumes the role of President at the network. She was tabbed to replace Rashida Jones, who departed in January after spending four years leading the cable network.
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The third and final day of CRS 2025 in Nashville culminated with a strong mix of sessions, on-site networking, and live performances. Barrett Media’s Jason Barrett and Stephanie Eads were in attendance along with hundreds of Country radio and music industry professionals. Highlights from the event can be found all across social media.
Here are some of the notable items from the final day of the Country Radio Seminar.
Session Recaps
The morning crowd on day three was sparse compared to the prior two days, but plenty of content options were available. Kenny Jay offered tips on getting hired, the importance of workplace culture was examined, and AI’s legal impact on the Country Music industry was debated and discussed. In fact, AI was a much larger area of focus on day three, with four sessions exploring AI’s role in various aspects of the business.
Highlights from day three included ‘30 Sales Ideas in 30 Minutes’ led by KSON’s Scott Roddy. The voiceovers delivered by John Willyard, Brian Peck, Brad Davidorf, Melissa Chase, and Kimo Jensen to create interest in various promotions were highly entertaining and had the room laughing throughout.
The annual Friday Big Machine Label Group Luncheon included performances by Jack Wharff, Caroline Jones, Greylan James, Jackson Dean, Chris Janson, Shaylen, Chase McDaniel, Mackenzie Carpenter. Preston Copper, Riley Green, and Rascal Flatts.
BMLG Luncheon
Other sessions focused on evolving playlists, voice tracking, building your brand on social media, and voice tracking and imaging tips. Jelly Roll and Eric Church put a bow on CRS 2025, sharing the stage for a 50-minute artist to artist conversation.
Looking Ahead
Jason Barrett’s Monday column will reflect on what stood out most from the show. Additional information about CRS can be found here.
Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal in overtime for Canada to defeat the United States in the championship matchup of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament on Thursday night. The seminal international game emanated from TD Garden in Boston, Ma. in front of a capacity crowd and was witnessed from afar by a reported average audience of 16.1 million viewers across both countries.
The venture replaced traditional NHL All-Star festivities and has been considered by many media members and fans to be a resounding success for the sport as a whole. Thursday’s championship game was televised on ESPN, ESPN+, Rogers Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Compared to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, the game averaged 200,000 fewer viewers across the United States and Canada.
ESPN secured an average of 9.3 million viewers for the prime time broadcast, marking the most-watched non-Olympic hockey game on record, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. The previous high for an NHL game in U.S. history was the average of 8.9 million viewers attained in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues.
Compared to its presentation of the NHL All-Star Game last season, the international game achieved a 560% year-over-year proliferation in viewership, and it averaged 1.6 million viewers more than Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, analyst Ray Ferraro and reporter Emily Kaplan called the championship game on ESPN.
Rogers Sportsnet and SportsNet+ in Canada attained an average minute audience of 5.7 million viewers for its broadcast of the game, according to viewership data from Numeris. The concurrent audience peaked with 7.3 million viewers when McDavid scored the tournament-winning goal. In terms of audience reach, the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off is estimated to have been promulgated to 10.7 million consumers. When combined with TVA Sports, the average consumption of the game rises to 6.9 million viewers.
The first matchup between the United States and Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament reached 10.1 million viewers across North America, which represented a 203% proliferation over the last time the two teams faced off from the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. The game started with three fights in nine seconds before the U.S. secured a 3-1 victory, which ended as the most-watched non-Stanley Cup Final game broadcast since 2014. ESPN and TNT Sports platforms attained an average of 1.8 million viewers for the six games preceding the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
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NASCAR’s Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Speedway Motorsports’ Performance Racing Network (PRN) are teaming up for a new venture, delivering turn-by-turn coverage to racing fans across the country. The new broadcast venture, called NASCAR Racing Network (NRN), is now the new home of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
“The NASCAR Racing Network builds on each other’s strengths and creates a new path for us to elevate the NASCAR radio landscape for fans and stakeholders of the sport,” said MRN President Chris Schwartz.
The network’s coverage of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series kicked off last Friday from Daytona International Speedway with the season-opening Fresh From Florida 250 race. The annual series launch will carry all races through the final race on October 31 in Phoenix, AZ.
“Working side by side, MRN and PRN have built one of the largest radio networks in sports,” Schwartz added. “Delivering the excitement of NASCAR racing to hundreds of thousands of race fans coast to coast.”
PRN Senior Vice President and General Manager Gerry Horn says he’s thrilled to form a partnership and work together with MRN, saying it will strengthen both networks’ coverage for racing fans nationwide.
“Longtime fans of the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series may notice new voices but will hear the same great coverage they have come to expect over the years,” said Horn.
MRN, dubbed “The Voice of NASCAR,” enters its 55th year of broadcasting as a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR, serving as the primary source for NASCAR stock car racing audio programming. Live programming can be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and streamed on over 500 individual radio stations’ websites, as well as MRN.com, NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Mobile App, and TuneIn.
PRN, a Speedway Motorsports, LLC subsidiary, is one of two NASCAR-licensed multi-broadcast radio networks that produce motorsports programming 365 days a year. PRN races can be heard nationwide on over 385 affiliate radio stations, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90, and streamed on GoPRN.com, the PRN mobile app, NASCAR.com, and TuneIn.
Race Fans, meet the NASCAR Racing Network! 🎙️
NASCAR’s Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) and Speedway Motorsports’ Performance Racing Network (@PRNlive) have announced the creation of the NASCAR Racing Network.
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The Associated Press has been barred from certain events at the White House after it has failed to fall in line by calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America at the behest of Donald Trump and his administration. Conservative cable news channel Newsmax has said it supports the AP on principle.
A letter to the Trump administration, signed by more than 40 news outlets, has shared that the news media will stand in solidarity against any pushback due to failing to simply act in the manner in which the administration wishes.
One of the more surprising names on the list of those who had signed the letter was Newsmax. The network has been one of the most ardent supporters of Donald Trump in the past. It was joined by conservative cable news giant Fox News in pushing back against the response to the Associated Press.
However, Newsmax company stated that, on principle, it could not agree with the sentiment that the executive branch of the federal government should be involved in the editorial process of any news media organization.
“We can understand President Trump’s frustration because the media has often been unfair to him, but Newsmax still supports the AP’s right, as a private organization, to use the language it wants to use in its reporting,” the company said in a statement to Barrett Media.
“We fear a future administration may not like something Newsmax writes and seek to ban us. This is why news organizations like Newsmax and Fox News are supporting the AP’s First Amendment rights though we may disagree with its editorial point of view from time to time.”
Trump administration officials have stated they will not walk back their denial of access to the Associated Press until the organization falls in line with its recommended use of the term Gulf of America.
“The Associated Press continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said on social media.
“While their right to irresponsible and dishonest reporting is protected by the First Amendment, it does not ensure their privilege of unfettered access to limited spaces, like the Oval Office and Air Force One. Going forward, that space will now be opened up to the many thousands of reporters who have been barred from covering these intimate areas of the administration. Associate Press journalists and photographers will retain their credentials to the White House complex.”
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Former Opie & Anthony radio host Anthony Cumia has shared on social media that he is set to join the team at 77 WABC in New York as a new host.
In a post on social media, the former SiriusXM talk show host shared that he is joining the Red Apple Media-owned station.
“Looks like I’m the newest member of the WABC Talk Radio family,” Cumia wrote. “Details about show days & times to come next week. This will not affect my show on CompoundCensored at all. Looking very forward to my triumphant return to broadcast radio in NYC. Thanks to everyone at WABC Radio.”
Looks like I’m the newest member of the WABC Talk Radio family. Details about show days & times to come next week. This will not affect my show on CompoundCensored at all. Looking very forward to my triumphant return to broadcast radio in NYC. Thanks to everyone at WABC Radio.
Cumia previously hosted afternoons at WNEW from 1998 to 2002, before Opie & Anthony were fired by Infinity Broadcasting for what the company considered an uncouth promotion. It was one of several times Cumia exited a broadcasting job under similar circumstances. Cumia was fired in 2014 by SiriusXM for sharing racially charged tweets after claiming to be the victim of an attack by a Black woman.
Anthony Cumia had spent a decade with the satellite broadcaster, joining then XM Radio in 2004. Other radio stops include working at WAAF in Boston.
Since his high-profile ouster from SiriusXM, Cumia has hosted a digital show on his subscription-based Compound Media. Since 2021, he has hosted CompoundCensored with VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes.
77 WABC has yet to confirm the news of Anthon Cumia’s hiring.
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San Diego FC begins its inaugural season this year as the newest franchise of Major League Soccer. The soccer league has grown from 20 clubs just a decade ago to 30 clubs this season. Friday, iHeartMedia’s San Diego Sports 760 announced that it will be the official English-language radio broadcasting flagship of the club, beginning with its first match on Sunday against the LA Galaxy.
Per a statement posted to the station’s account on X, the multi-year partnership will provide live match coverage and exclusive club content for San Diego FC fans across the region.
“We are thrilled to welcome iHeartMedia and Grupo PSN as our official radio broadcast partners,” San Diego FC CEO Tom Penn said.
As part of the agreement, Grupo PSN’s TUDN 1700 will serve as the club’s official Spanish-language radio partner.
Adrian Garcia Marquez will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster for the English broadcasts on San Diego Sports 760. He previously served as a key figure in both English- and Spanish-language broadcasts with Apple TV, FOX Deportes, CBS Sports, Telemundo, Amazon Prime, and more.
Marquez will host a wide range of analysts in the booth throughout the season, including former MLS players Marvell Wynne and Sal Sizzo, plus MLS Season Pass talent Warren Barton and media personality Darren Smith.
We’re proud to announce that your HOME for @sandiegofc is right here on San Diego Sports 760 & iHeart San Diego! ⚽️
You can catch all matches right here on 760am or on one of our iHeart San Diego stations! pic.twitter.com/vaLQ8PmCcd
San Diego Sports 760 will also add a weekly one-hour program focusing on San Diego FC, which will be announced fully at a later date. All game broadcasts can be heard on San Diego Sports 760 AM, simulcast on 101.5 KGB-HD2, and streamed on the iHeartRadio app.
The iHeartMedia brand serves as the local flagship of San Diego State football and men’s basketball and partners with the San Diego Gulls radio network.
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Less than a year after leaving ESPN West Palm 106.3 FM, Ken LaVicka will be returning to its airwaves, announcing on social media that he is serving as the English-language radio play-by-play voice of Inter Miami CF. LaVicka will be on the broadcast from Chase Stadium on Saturday as the team faces New York City FC in a regular-season matchup. Under his new role, he will be calling games solo in the MLS regular season and Leagues Cup, he revealed in a social media post Friday morning.
The game presentations will feature LaVicka calling home games on site and most road games from a remote broadcasting location. Matchups are slated to be preceded by studio host Mike Rizzo, who is currently co-anchors afternoon drive at the station alongside Colin Russo.
“Because Inter Miami had a little bit of a look at what I could do last season and obviously ESPN 106.3, I had such a long decade-and-a-half relationship with them, I was asked to come back and take on full-season duties, and I couldn’t turn it down,” LaVicka told Barrett Media. “Especially with their standing within MLS and professional sports and Lionel Messi especially.”
The announcement of LaVicka joining the broadcasts regularly comes shortly after the Good Karma Brands-owned radio station became the official radio partner of the team under a partnership that includes regular-season games and playoff matches. Inter Miami CF also signed a deal with Deportes Radio 760AM, also owned by Good Karma Brands, to air the Spanish-language radio broadcasts for the team. The soccer team is entering the season with a star-studded roster that includes a mix of homegrown players and international phenoms, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Benjamin Cremaschi.
“It is an outstanding opportunity and a realm that I’m excited to get into because it’s still maybe the most unique professional sports situation in all of South Florida – just the standing that they’re in with the Messi brand – the fact that they are chasing a championship this season. It’s just a great opportunity all around for me.”
LaVicka was a member of ESPN West Palm for 17 years before departing the outlet last April, ending his three-year tenure hosting in middays with Theo Dorsey and Stone Labanowitz. In a previous interview with Barrett Media, he referred to the transaction as “a corporate decision” that “was definitely not mutual.” Outside of his commentary work, he has also taken part in episodes of By All Accounts, a show on YouTube he started with WQAM digital content producer Zach Krantz.
Throughout his broadcasting career, LaVicka has participated in live game broadcasts of Florida Atlantic University football and basketball while also calling NWSL matches on a variety of digital platforms. Moreover, he has broadcast Inter Miami CF games on radio in the past, including a key victory against Columbus last October. In addition to hearing Saturday’s game broadcast locally on the ESPN-affiliated radio station, consumers can tune in on the Deportes Radio FC app or by utilizing the home radio feeds on SiriusXM and Apple TV.
Self-promotion alert:
Excited to take on role as @InterMiamiCF English-language radio PxP voice in '25! I'll bring you entire MLS campaign + Leagues Cup on:
-ESPN 106.3 FM -FREE Deportes Radio FC app -SiriusXM (home) -AppleTV (home)
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77 WABC hosts Curtis Sliwa, Frank Morano, and Anthony Weiner are off the air as they run for office in the Big Apple. Station owner John Catsimatidis said the hosts forced his hand.
The three 77 WABC hosts are all entering primary races across New York. Sliwa, a Republican, is vying for the party’s nomination in the upcoming Mayoral race, which will take place in November. He earned the nomination in 2021 before losing the election to Eric Adams (D).
Meanwhile, both Anthony Weiner — a Democrat who previously served on City Council, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives — and Frank Morano, a Republican, are entering the race for City Council.
The three hosts have been removed from their timeslots on the Red Apple Media station to avoid any potential issues with the equal time laws requiring the station to allow their political opponents the same access to the radio airwaves.
During an appearance with the station’s morning show host Sid Rosenberg, John Catsimatidis said the hosts knew that the repercussions of running for office was being pulled off the air, so listeners can’t be upset with station management for taking further action.
Additionally, he said some of the hosts were pulled earlier than expected due to their conduct associated with the races.
“I love them all, but they crossed the line,” Catsimatidis said. “It wasn’t us. It wasn’t WABC that did it. They decided to run. Then everybody was running their mouths, trying to get away with as much as they can get away with.”
Currently, Curtis Sliwa hosts on 77 WABC weekdays from 12-1 PM. Morano hosts the nationally syndicated The Other Side of Midnight, while Weiner hosts a pair of weekend programs for the news/talk station. Both Morano and Sliwa’s shows are nationally syndicated through the company’s Red Apple Audio Networks arm. They continue to host the programs for affiliates, but the shows are not heard on terrestrial, over-the-air radio in New York for the time being.
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Steve Salhany programs Audacy’s Mix 104.1 WWBX and Magic 106.7 WMJX in Boston. He also oversees Hartford stations 96.5 TIC WTIC, Lite 100.5 WRCH, and Hot 93.7 WZMX. His peers and industry executives voted him the third-ranked Program Director in Barrett Media’s Top 20 Hot AC/AC Best of 2024.
For Salhany, getting recognized is nice, but he was more pleased to have “Karson & Kennedy,” the Mix 104.1 Boston morning show, land the top spot in Hot AC/AC Shows.
“I’ve been doing this so long, and this is all about doing great local radio. I’m only as good as the people who work with me on each individual station. Sometimes, I get an award, and it’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but I was more excited about the “Karson & Kennedy” win. I’ve been working with them for a long time, and they’ve come a long way. I’m really excited for them.
Salhany attributes “Karson & Kennedy’s” success to “putting themselves out there.”
“They’re a fantastic, local, real morning show. And when I say real, they put themselves out there on everything they have going on in their lives, from Kennedy’s struggles with her mental health issues to our producer, Dan, who has struggled with his sobriety and what he’s gone through. And they’re just real people.”
“They talk about real things. And they resonate with the audience. We were in the shadow of a very big morning show for many, many years. And they put in the hard work year after year, and it’s paying off for them now, which is really exciting.
Salhany also acknowledges the contribution of talent coach Steve Reynolds.
“I want to shout out to Steve Reynolds, who has worked with us for many years with that show. Steve always preaches what you have that can’t be duplicated by anybody or any of your competitors.”
“And that’s being themselves and being local and being vulnerable, working hard, being in the community, and giving back to the community and the charities. I think that’s vitally important as we trudge ahead here on this new media landscape, which is very difficult to figure out, to be honest with you.”
Thinking about that new landscape, I asked Salhany if his team could still make an impact by being out on the streets in a PPM market the size of Boston.
“Absolutely. I think if you don’t do that, you’re screwed. I tell my folks all the time it’s kind of equated to politics. It’s about your ground game. The people need to see you, and you meet people, and one leads to another. We have to win our audience’s affection and time.”
“Every person has so many more options, not just other radio stations, but so many more options to fill their time with entertainment. Or whatever it is that they’re feeling. We have to win it from them every day. That’s being part of their community and doing things and talking about the things that matter to them. So, I don’t think you can do it without it.”
I asked about navigating the divisive climate we live in.
“It’s not the place of radio other than the news talk stations to get involved in that. Everybody wants to feel good about what’s going on. There’s so much crap in our world, and maybe we know about more of it now than we ever did back in the day.”
“People want to feel good, and they want to be part of that. “Karson & Kennedy” do a bit twice a morning, the Good Vibe Tribe, where they just highlight people in the community that are doing good, or they have events or whatever. Radio needs to get back to its roots to some degree and do all the things that, you know, made us great.”
Salhany agrees with many of his peers that it’s too soon to consider changes with Nielsen’s 3-minute qualifier.
“I need to see a lot more data before I say, oh my God, here’s what you should do. At the end of the day, whether it’s three minutes or five minutes, good radio is good radio. Great radio gets people to listen. And if you do great radio, eventually the meters will find you. If you don’t have a great brand and are not doing great radio, don’t worry about the three-minute rule because it doesn’t matter.”
“Nielsen has his pluses and its minuses, but I think for the most part, they get it right more than they get it wrong. I’ve seen it over the years. And I think it comes down to your brand and making sure that you stand for something in your market, in the listeners’ minds.”
And what is the station’s FOMO?
“FOMO is more difficult to get these days than ever before because, on your phone, you can slide through a million things. The goal is to get the people who know and like you to, when they’re in the mood or they’re looking for you, they choose you.”
“FOMO comes from creating great local, compelling, connecting radio daily and getting those folks who listen to you to tune in an extra time a week. If you do that, it makes a huge difference in your ratings.”
Social media is always a moving target, so I asked Salhany about best practices.
“The way we approach social media is that we need to be putting our content that we deliver on the air and make it available for folks so that when they’re not listening to us and scrolling through their phone at night, they can see, “Karson and Kennedy” had this person on today, or they help these people. It is important that it helps us build a brand as we go along.”
“We post stuff that’s real, and it gets really good traction. If we post, hey, we’re giving away tickets today, nobody really gives a crap because it’s a commercial to them.
I asked if there was anything I hadn’t mentioned that he wanted to talk about.
“We’re only as good as the team that we have. I oversee not just in Boston but also in Hartford; I’ve got TIC, RCH, and ZMX, and local radio is about the people doing their jobs. I’ve got great teams. I’m blessed by that. My job is to hopefully guide folks in the right direction.”
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