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Bret Baier Shouldn’t Have to Defend Himself or Fox News for Interviewing Kamala Harris

Garrett Searight
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Bret Baier Shouldn’t Have to Defend Himself or Fox News for Interviewing Kamala Harris

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Like many, I was somewhat surprised by the news that Fox News anchor Bret Baier had secured a sit-down interview with Vice President Kamala Harris this week.

It is not all that often these days that politicians cross the imaginary line that separates cable news outlets from their party of choice. You don’t often see Republicans on MSNBC, just like you don’t often see Democrats on Fox News.

And the audiences — for better or worse, and I’d argue it’s significantly for the worse — have become firmly entrenched in those viewing patterns. So much so, that Bret Baier spent the hours following the announcement that he would be sitting down with the Democratic nominee by defending the interview.

Which is insane, and, unfortunately, a microcosm of the cable news landscape.

Bret Baier’s job at Fox News is to tell stories, find the truth, and seek answers for viewers who don’t have access to the answers they desire.

That’s it. That’s the job.

And the fact that he had to defend that notion against hyper-partisan lunatics as if he was personally doing Kamala Harris a favor, was absolutely bananas. Additionally, the idea that viewers could claim that he was going to ask softball questions of the Vice President because that was one of the stipulations of her appearance felt ridiculous.

Furthermore, the idea that he had to explain to people how the news works — why the interview will be taped and not aired live at 6 PM ET during Special Report with Bret Baier — shows just how far media literacy and deductive reasoning has fallen.

Former President Donald Trump hates Bret Baier. You can argue otherwise, but you’d be incorrect. But why does he hate him? Because the Fox News anchor asks tough questions.

Now, why does Bret Baier ask tough questions? This feels like — to anyone with half a brain and a pulse — a really simple question answer. It could be because he’s a quasi-leftist who has infiltrated Fox News and become a spy to help take down the Republican Party and the America First agenda by way of the ever-corrupt news media. Or, it could be because that’s his job.

Which one seems more likely and more plausible to you?

Additionally, after the first few portions of his job — like being a great storyteller, deciphering the truth, and seeking answers from those in power — Bret Baier’s other objectives are to create as large of an audience as possible. And you know what would accomplish that? Interviewing one of the two people — who the overwhelming majority of his audience despises — who have the chance to become the next President of the United States.

Point blank: Bret Baier is doing his job. And if some don’t like that, they should look in the mirror rather than the television screen.

Has the news media become so fractured that the idea of interviewing a candidate from “the opposition” is now viewed as helping them? As if having a candidate sit down for an interview is giving them a platform to say whatever they’d like in an effort to curate more voters?

I read the comments from The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur on Tuesday, and couldn’t have agreed more.

“If you’re a reporter and you think you shouldn’t report negative news about Kamala Harris because it might help Trump, you’re not a reporter,” Uygur wrote in a post on social media. “If you expect a news show to give you only positive coverage of Democrats, you’re not watching a news show, you’re watching a commercial. And Republicans, before you get too smug, this is even more true of right-wing media. Have you seen a lot of negative coverage of Trump in right-wing media? Do you think that’s because he’s never done anything wrong or because they’re doing propaganda instead of actual news?”

He couldn’t be more correct. It isn’t the news media’s job to decide who is and isn’t fit to be President. That’s the American public’s job. It’s the news media’s job to present the race fairly and accurately. And that’s something that I believe Fox News anchor Bret Baier believes, too.

So the idea that he had to defend an interview with one of two people who could legitimately win the job is asinine and preposterous. I truly hope that at some point in the near future, we look back on moments like these — and hundreds of others over the past decade, or so — with extreme contempt and an understanding that we’ll never go back there again. But, unfortunately, I think the future looks much more similar to what we see right now than the opposite.

Best Practices For Hiring The Next Generation in Radio

Bob Lawrence
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Best Practices For Hiring The Next Generation in Radio

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Hiring the next generation for any business including media companies can feel like wearing a blindfold in a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. But fear not! Here are both some serious and light-hearted best practices to help attract and hopefully, retain these digital newbies.

Younger generations value authenticity, diversity, and social responsibility. They want to work for companies that are as genuine as their Instagram filters. So, if your mission statement feels in any way old-school and lacks their own values, it’s likely time for a rewrite. If you’re able to show them that you believe hurricanes Milton and Helene have some correlation to global warming and that your company has a stake in social issues that don’t make you sound like “boomers without a cause,” they’ll swipe right on your job offer.

Keep in mind that this incoming class has never known a world without hi-tech. A world without 5G+ and WiFi to them is like a horror movie in which everyone is haunted by the ghost of dial-up! They desire and expect a hiring process to be as smooth as the latest TikTok dance video from Charli D’Amelio and Chase Hudson. For those over 65, that’s the equivalent of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. If you’re over 50, it’s more like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, and for those over 40, it’s Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. 

Next Gen hopefuls also look for virtual interview platforms to keep things efficient. BTW, they have a real disdain for AI-created and posted jobs that may or may not even exist. And remember, if your website looks like it was designed before their date of birth, you might as well be sending them a fax. Frankly, many were born post the fax machine era.

What may be the greatest attraction to your position is “Flexibility!” It’s a magic word. Next Gen folks want to work from anywhere – be it the beach in Waikiki or their grandmother’s basement. Offering remote work options and flexible schedules can make your company more appealing. It’s not just about location but time. If they can fly on a plane in the pajamas don’t be surprised if they show up to a Zoom meeting dressed in that same sleepwear.

I have also learned not to be obsessed with education, degrees, and previous titles. Young folks are all about skills and potential. They’ve learned more from YouTube than from textbooks. So, focus on what they can do versus only on where they’ve been. Truth is your next genius might have learned everything from Minecraft.

The earlier you begin building relationships with potential candidates, the better – even before they graduate. Attend career fairs, offer internships, and host workshops. We all must always be planting seeds where there is water.  Plus, it’s a great excuse to re-live your college days, minus all the beer-pong and ramen noodles.

Another important feature for them is an environment where everyone feels welcome – like a workplace version of “Cheers.” (I know – I know…most of them never even heard of Cheers, much less saw it on TV.)  Rule-of-thumb is if everyone looks the same, they’re more likely to pass.

While new generations are passionate about meaningful work, they still need to pay their bills. Offering competitive compensation and benefits helps, but don’t forget extras like mental health support and wellness programs. Many are more interested in student loan contributions versus matching 401K benefits. The latter is way too far off in the distance to worry about while the student loans are lurking over their shoulders.

Do your best to give them timely updates and feedback. To them it’s kind of like dating – ghosting is a big no-no. Treat candidates well, and they’ll be more likely to say “yes” to an offer.

The bottom line is to try and address the unique needs and preferences of this incoming generation. We can all attract and retain top talent by creating a fun, dynamic, and exciting workplace for every generation. I know that in media, having a great time with a dash of humor goes a long way. Lastly, if they show up for an interview and walk between the bushes and bypass the front walkway, please don’t yell, “YOU KIDS GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!!”

Sales Meeting: Use a Little Show Business in Your Advertising Presentations

Dave Greene
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Sales Meeting: Use a Little Show Business in Your Advertising Presentations

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Our sales meeting topic this week is about making presentations to customers. The lifeblood of what we do. This is where we take the knowledge we gained from the needs analysis and research about the client and their challenges and put together our suggested solutions. The more presentations we do, the more we sell. The more we sell, the more we make. Just like location, location, location is key in real estate, presentations, presentations, presentations is what matters in media sales.

Now, we are going to assume that you have done everything right up to this point in the sales process. You have prospected a good client, someone who can afford to advertise correctly and you have had a great needs analysis meeting where you asked a lot of good questions, sat back and listened to all of the information to uncover the problems your prospect is facing. You’ve looked at their website and social media and done the same for their competitors. And now you are ready to make a killer presentation.

Do you know where the worst place is to make that presentation? Hopefully you have read my sales columns before and know that the answer is that the worst place to make the presentation is at your prospects office. Entirely too many distractions just waiting to happen at their place of business. Additionally, they are on ‘their turf’ and it’s where they feel most comfortable. You’d prefer someplace where they feel slightly less comfortable.

A neutral site is better than their place of business. Obviously, it gets them out of their setting, out of their comfort zone and you should get a little bit more time for them to focus on what you are presenting.

Where you want this meeting to take place is at your place of business. Your home turf. Where you are most comfortable. A place where you can actually control who comes in and out and a lot of what happens around you. And this is where a little bit of show business comes in.

Make the presentation a memorable experience for the prospect if you can. This is one of those times where you cannot forget that while we work in stations on a daily basis and get to hang out with the talent and get to see how it all works behind the scenes, most of your prospects will have not had that chance and will probably think it is a really cool experience for them just to get a tour of the studio(s) and to say hello to some talent they may recognize.

Make sure you have some things set up strategically, such as taking the prospect by to say hello to the General Manager or Program Director. Let those people know ahead of time who you are bringing by, what they do and what it is you are pitching them. If the PD knows it is a particular show, they can guide the conversation to that show or talent. Either way, you are making them feel comfortable and letting them know it is a group effort and a good team of people that will be working on their campaigns.

When you get to make the actual presentation, remember that you are a 21st century media company. I am sure you will have tested everything before the client arrived, but let’s make sure we look like a legit media company and aren’t messing with cables and trying to get equipment to work when the client is in the room.

From the time you start your presentation until the time you finish, this is your time to shine. While everything is on paper or on the screen, it is going to be the enthusiasm, creativity and knowledge that comes out of your mouth that is going to win or lose this deal.

You know the steps you will take where you will first talk about what you uncovered meeting with the client and the additional research you did. Then you are going to take those challenges and match them up with the right solutions to try and solve whatever the challenges are.

As you go through the presentation, this is where some more show business needs to come in. Most likely you are pitching live endorsements or some type of tie into a show or personality. Whichever it is, that person or those people need to play a part in the presentation. If you are in your building and it worked out to have them in the meeting live, great, bring them in to meet with the prospects and make sure you have met with the talent beforehand and discussed the gameplan.

Have the talent bring in some merch for the prospect or if you know the person has kids or grandkids, bring something for them. Have them tell a few funny stories, endear themselves to the prospect and see where it leads. The best is when the client and talent hit it off and start talking about things the talent can do in the ads or appearances they can make, things that show closing signs.

Make sure you have had the talent record something for the client. If the talent couldn’t make it to the meeting, have them record a video for them. If the talent was able to come, you should still have a piece of audio or a sample social video post or something the client can take back to people at the office or at home and show off.

When you’re out selling insurance or mortgage loans or medical supplies, it’s hard to make any of it look sexy. What we do can and should have an appeal to it and should be presented in a fun way. Give your client a memorable experience during the presentation and let them walk away feeling good about what they saw and what they heard. Hopefully when they get back to their office, they’ll talk about what fun they had and tell everyone there truly is no business like show business.

iHeartRadio’s Hoss Michaels Multitasks Across Time Zones

Jeff Lynn
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iHeartRadio’s Hoss Michaels Multitasks Across Time Zones

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

iHeartRadio’s Hoss Michaels is a Program Director who multitasks across time zones. Based at Country KAT 103.7, Omaha, Michaels also programs Country stations WLLR in Davenport, Iowa, and Big I 107.9, Albuquerque, plus Classic Country 98.1, The Bull Albuquerque, and 93.3 The Wolf, Omaha.

So, how did this handful of programming duties come about?

“The company had approached me and asked if I could take some of my Country expertise and help out in Davenport, Michaels said. “They had let go of their long-time in-house Program Director due to some cutbacks and needed somebody for WLLR. Of course, it is a massive radio station with lots of revenue and big ratings, and they just needed somebody to help oversee it.”

The continued success of Omaha and Davenport led to the next call; Michaels said, “Looks like things are going well in Davenport. We could use some help in Albuquerque as we don’t have a local Program Director. Tony Manero is the guy for programming in Albuquerque and could use some help with Country. He and his wife have their own morning show on our Hot AC, and he’s got a pretty full life.”

When it comes to the two Classic Country stations, “I tend to think of a Classic Country as more of a 25-54 maybe 35-plus format. But, in the last few months with persons 18-34, we’ve gone 4.7, 7.0, and 5.8. in Omaha.”

A resurgence of popularity for 90s Country has helped Classic Country, “I think there’s some of that’s what they grew up on, and they’re like, man, that Alabama song, that’s an awesome song, and having Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, have that single out with Shenandoah.  I think there is some of that, and so that sound certainly has connected with some, and here in Omaha, for us, on “The Wolf,” we’ve certainly seen some younger demos come through.”

Cross-promotion helps keep both brands at the top of mind. “In Omaha, we cross-promote “The Wolf” onto “Kat,” our cat and dog relationship. We always refer to it as part of the Cat Country family. So, we’re not afraid of it, and it’s a much smaller signal than what KXKT has, and that’s certainly a lot of that.”

KAT 103.7 Morning Show “Steve & Gina” (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) were recent winners of the CMA Broadcast winners for Medium Market Personalities of The Year. Michaels credits the duo with an ongoing willingness to reinvent the show.

“They have been extremely open and responsive to updates and are continuing to grow and evolve. They’re not your typical, well, that’s how we’ve done it. That’s not them.”

Michaels continued, “We always check to see if this is still working. Do we want to keep doing that bit, or do we want to flip that benchmark around? Do we want to do this one earlier or later in the day? They’re always really good about that. I think the thing that really shows their connection is their community service.

Michaels says community service is important to both Steve and Gina. “It’s just in their DNA. They both love being a part of the Omaha/Council Bluffs community. They love going out to do things in public, whether it’s the book tour or reading every week.

Steve and Gina’s “Book Tour” is in its 20th year. The team travels to schools within 35 minutes of Omaha, reads to a class, and gives each student a new book. (BMM 8/30)

“We still host a radiothon for our local children’s hospital in Omaha. And they take that on, and it’s hands-on. They love interviewing these families and getting to know these families and these kids and what their story is, Michaels said.

So, with Michaels in Omaha, how does he dial into the community needs of Albuquerque and Davenport?

“It’s not easy. That was one of the biggest challenges because my personal philosophy has always been that we are here to serve the community, whatever that radio station.”

“We have conversations at least once a week if not more than that. Dani Lynn is on the morning show and has her own band. And her band gets booked at a lot of these events. She’ll tell me, hey, there’s going to be a charity fundraiser coming up. I think this might be something we want to get involved in as a station. There’s a lot of stuff like that. And the sales team is really good about relaying information about community events, not just things we’re advertising.”

And in Albuquerque, “I really do rely on those local contacts. And the same is true in Albuquerque; it’s between Ryan and Tony Manero down there and Scotty, who does my middays for me. They all keep an eye out and say, hey, does this make sense for our brand? And if so, let’s see if we can figure out how we can wrap our arms around it.”

Michaels calls the current state of Country music “in flux,” saying, “There is a lot of music coming at us, coming at radio. I think radio’s role in music has changed somewhat over the past few years, especially with streaming as strong as it is.”

“The amount of titles we’re getting thrown at us from labels is staggering. I talked with Greg Swedberg (iHeartRadio SVP Programming) in Minneapolis, and he’s like, Hoss, the bottom line is we can’t play everything. We have to find songs that we want to champion. Who’s going to get that slot at KXKT this week? If there is one.”

Country artists are releasing multiple songs at once, and then you factor in crossovers like Post Malone, who Michaels says has “embraced the Country lifestyle and Nashville songwriters.”

“He seems very respectful of it, which I was pleasantly surprised with. I never got the feeling, at least from him and his camp, that I’m going to do this pop thing. I’m going to come over there for a little bit, kind of cherry-pick a few people here and there, and be on my way.”

“He really seems to have embraced it. And at least the interviews and things that I’ve seen of him he seems to have a genuine connection to Country music. It’s interesting to see.”

With the amount on Michaels’ plate these days, is AI helping keep it all organized?

“iHeart has the Music Lab, which has some AI features. It helps programmers sort through the data, especially on the music side of it, and streaming.”

“The Music Lab is a nice mix of trying to help figure out what works in each market, where my data differs from what Greg’s is in Minneapolis. That’s different from what they have in Milwaukee and Cleveland.”

So, my scores are different from theirs, even though they are all kind of in the same world. We always joke about the thousand points of light data that goes into this program. It also takes a look at artists and history, like the Eli Young band for us. One of the guys from the Eli Young band is from Omaha,” Michaels said.

In closing, Michaels said, “I’m blessed and honored to be here. I started with KXKT as an intern when it was a Top 40 station when I was in college. I kept hanging around after the internship ran out and got to, wait for it, can you fill in on the overnights?”

“I still love radio, and I think there’s a lot of competition for the ears and eyes of our listeners. But I think good, entertaining radio, whether it’s Omaha, Davenport, Albuquerque, or any market, can still connect and make a difference for people.

Connect with Hoss here.

Listen links:  Kat 103.7– Omaha    WLLR-Davenport     Big I 107.9 Albuquerque

Vince Benedetto Uses His Air Force Training to Help Grow Bold Gold Media Group

Krystina Alarcon Carroll
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Vince Benedetto Uses His Air Force Training to Help Grow Bold Gold Media Group

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

He’s an Air Force veteran, who at the age of 29 took a leap of faith, leaving his wings behind for a microphone. “I just ran it like I ran my counter-intelligence unit, build a good team, have a clear vision and execute it well and be willing to learn, make mistakes, recover from them,” CEO of Bold Gold Media Group Vince Benedetto said.

Benedetto was a part of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (think NCIS but for the Air Force). It’s this experience which allowed him to view information as currency. “The job for me was to collect information so that our Air Force assets and our military assets were safe,” he said.

The President of the Churchill Society of Pennsylvania went on to say, “You learned that relationships and information and knowing things as much as possible before everybody else knows, allows you to make decisions to be able to handle any environment. In that case in the military as a threat environment, trying to minimize the threat risks, or if there are threats, making sure you’re ready for them.”

His experience building an international network of communication became key when he bought his first four stations. Today, with 14 stations in New York and Pennsylvania, his military influence is built into the framework of his outlets. “It’s structured in a way a lot like military counterintelligence. We don’t overly centralize a lot of the model [which is different than] big radio companies where it’s very centralized.”

Benedetto is not one to debate if centralized radio stations are a good trend. He says of his own media company, “That’s not the way we’re structured. We’re very robust and targeted and localized and decentralized. So that is reflected in all of our coverage. So, our news is a huge part on our music stations or our news stations or our talk stations.”

Benedetto says that news is community focused and unbiased. “We strive to be a unifying force in our community with our radio stations,” he said. “I think Americans have lost a lot of trust in national news because it’s very agenda driven cable news. Even network TV stations are perceived to have slants one way or the other. Then what happens is [the community] loses trust [in that outlet].”

While many outlets are taking sides this election season, Benedetto stresses it’s essential for news to serve the entire market. That’s especially important in the swing state of Pennsylvania. “We want the whole community to trust the local stations. You have to be extremely careful in not having bias influence in your local news. The only way you can do that is to just report facts. Who, what, when, where, why, and how. Once you start commentating and editorializing around those facts, you’re going to start to get divisive or people will perceive you as being ideologically driven. So, we avoid that because we’re not all about politics here. We’re about community.”

Some of Benedetto’s stations service rural markets who don’t have a local TV station or newspaper. His team is crucial for relaying information. “I’ll give you an example,” he said. “Our New York stations in Sullivan County have quite a lot of active local races. We just hosted debates live on the radio with the candidates. There’s no broadcast TV in Sullivan County, New York that is locally based. We’re the local broadcasters. So, we hosted political coverage, but we had both candidates, and our news person was the moderator.”

The Chairman of the Joint Board for the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) credits the hard work of his team who work tirelessly to build community trust. “We emphasize the trust and the relationship side,” says Benedetto. “Those are all things that build enduring successes. That is how you build enduring relationships, which in a small community particularly, you’re all in it together. If people view their local radio station as a force multiplier in the community, as an asset, and when they think of their local station, they feel like it’s a positive, you’re going to be successful. You’re going to able to grow.”

For those looking to explore a similar path to Benedetto, he says, “It’s the best time to get into broadcast radio. When I came in as an owner, everybody said, ‘you can’t buy radio stations. You’re 29. Who’s going to sell you a radio station?’ I had several people tell me that, and I still have people that think that I’m too young to own radio stations. I’ve owned them for almost 20 years now. And I think that’s an old view.”

He often talks to young people in business and media and believes they have one common misconception. “Everybody wants to go get a podcast or do a startup business. They think, ‘I’m going to make an app that’s going to be the next Facebook or Pandora.’ I say ‘you might be able to very well do that, but the reality is there’s very few apps and tech startups that are around five years after they get going.”

Instead, he suggests, “If you go find yourself a good radio station in a town or community you love, buy it or lease it. If you get yourself into that community and build a good team and do a few things well, providing good content, investing your time, heart and passion into the community, and giving people good, actionable, useful information that they need, you’ll be rewarded with trust in that product.

“People will use your product and service, and won’t just listen to you over the air. They’ll download your app, and follow you online. They’ll follow your social media sites, and you’ll be very successful. And then you’ll have a successful business.”

ESPN Monday Night Football Draws a Combined 17.3 Million Viewers for Bills-Jets

BSM Staff
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ESPN Monday Night Football Draws a Combined 17.3 Million Viewers for Bills-Jets

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

When the schedule makers had the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets set up for a Week 6 Monday Night Football matchup, they thought there would be a lot of attention on the game. It turns out they were right, even though it may not have been for the same reasons once expected, as ESPN reports an average of 17.3 million viewers tuned in for the game.

The game aired on ESPN and was simulcast on ABC, the total also includes the totals from ESPN2’s ManningCast, ESPN Deportes and those watching through NFL+. The Bills pulled out a 23-20 win in a strange game that featured a successful Hail Mary by Aaron Rodgers and the Jets before halftime, several missed kicks and entirely too many penalties.

ESPN says the 17.3 million viewers makes it the second most-watched Monday Night Football Week 6 game in the ESPN era, which is a span of 19 games. The audience peaked at 19.1 million viewers from 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. ET.

Week 7 will see the Ravens at the Buccaneers, which will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. At 9 p.m. ET, the Chargers and Cardinals will start, and that game will be exclusively shown on ESPN+.

Week 8 will be the final October edition of MNF and will see one game with the New York Giants at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Music Radio Reacts to WJLX Station Owner Brett Elmore’s Passing

BMM Staff
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Music Radio Reacts to WJLX Station Owner Brett Elmore’s Passing

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Brett Elmore, the owner and announcer of WJLX 101.5 radio station in Walker County, AL has passed away at the age of 41. The cause of death is reported as a massive heart attack.

Elmore had owned the station since 2008, succeeding his father, Johnny Elmore.

“It is with the heaviest heart that we formally announce the passing of owner and station manager Brett Elmore,” the station posted on its Facebook page Tuesday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Elmore family.”

Radio reacted:

ABC Broadcast of WNBA Finals Game 2 is Most-Viewed WNBA Finals Game in 23 Years

BSM Staff
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ABC Broadcast of WNBA Finals Game 2 is Most-Viewed WNBA Finals Game in 23 Years

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

Game 2 of the WNBA Finals saw the New York Liberty defeat the Minnesota Lynx 80-66 to even the five game series at a game apiece. ABC carried the broadcast on a Sunday up against NFL football and still averaged 1.34 million viewers, making it the second most-watched WNBA finals game across ESPN networks ever.

The audience peaked at 1.82 million viewers during the game which is the most-watched WNBA Finals game in 23 years. The game was up 115% over Game 2 of the 2023 WNBA Finals on ESPN.

Through the first two games of the series, the 2024 WNBA Finals are up 82% over last year. WNBA Countdown was up 3% over the two episodes during the finals that aired on ABC last season.

Game 3 of the series will be Wednesday Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Game 4 will be on Friday Oct. 18 also at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. If a fifth and deciding game is needed, it would take place on Sunday Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. on ESPN and be up against NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football with the New York Jets at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

News Media Reacts to Report Joe Rogan Would Host Kamala Harris for Interview

BNM Staff
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News Media Reacts to Report Joe Rogan Would Host Kamala Harris for Interview

Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.

A report surfaced late Monday evening that linked Vice President Kamala Harris to appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason shared on social media that the Harris campaign had reached out to the podcaster about appearing on his show to “bolster her reach with male voters.”

The Joe Rogan Experience is the most downloaded podcast in the United States, reaching as many as 14 million listeners per episode. Some reports indicate the demographics of the show lean male as heavily as 81% of the total listenership.

After the report was released, there was a strong reaction from media members. Some applauded the idea, while others questioned why Rogan would agree to such a deal. Other observers said Harris wouldn’t be up to the challenge of sitting for as long as Joe Rogan would expect her to participate.

On The Charlie Kirk Show, the Salem Radio Network host shared that he didn’t believe Harris was up to conversing with Rogan that long.

“Kamala Harris on Joe Rogan would be quite something. She can’t handle it,” he said. “This is an act of desperation. They are seeing the data collapse. Forget what candidates say and instead focus on what they do.”

Fox News hosts discussed the option of Rogan hosting Harris, with some positing that Rogan would be “a tremendous challenge” for her because “he’s always prepared.” They remained skeptical, however, that the conversation between the two would actually take place.

Quinn Alexander Out At 96.9 WSIG Harrisonburg, VA

BMM Staff
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Quinn Alexander Out At 96.9 WSIG Harrisonburg, VA

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“Quinn Alexander” Holmquist is out as the morning host at Classic Country 96.9 WSIG, Harrisonburg, VA.

Alexander posted on Facebook “They say you haven’t made it in radio until you’re let go from a station. And today that unfortunately happened to me. I am now “on the beach” as they say in the industry. Being a morning show host on a country station has truly been the time of my life. And I hold no anger towards them for this decision. They literally made my dream come true. Now, it’s time to find a new dream. If you are looking for a radio DJ to join your team, I’d love to hear about it. I have the experience and a strong following on social media. Until that moment comes and I find my next opportunity. I’m gonna keep making videos and spend time with my dog.”

Before coming to WSIG in February 2023, Alexander held positions at “Your Country 99.3” Marion, IN, “B98.5” Augusta, ME, Townsquare Media San Angelo, TX, and KSOK Arkansas City, KS. He co-hosted mornings with Ivy Lee at WSIG until her departure in February.

Reach Alexander here.                  

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