NASCAR has been speeding past the competition all season long and continues to thrive in 2024. This past Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX had 3.3 million viewers tune in to watch William Byron win his second race this season.
???? Even the numbers are bigger in Texas! ????
Sunday’s @NASCAR Cup Series race from @COTA delivered 3,310,000 viewers on FOX, up +6% over last year (3,129,000) and good for the the 5th consecutive increase of the season ???? pic.twitter.com/rqw4XziEgO
This year’s race was up six percent compared to last year’s and peaked with 3.6 million viewers to watch the race’s final moments. NASCAR on FOX is up 11 percent compared to last year, if you remove the rain-postponed Daytona 500 from the equation.
Interest in NASCAR is rising, perhaps thanks in part to its ongoing Netflix series Full Speed. Nielsen data found that 88 percent of first-week Full Speed viewers didn’t watch last fall’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race, and now ratings are up, indicating that some of those viewers may be tuning in to the Sunday races. It no doubt helps that Byron and his contemporaries on the show seem to appear in the winner’s circle every week, too.
Subsequently, MSNBC President Rashida Jones informed network staffers that the former Republican leader would not appear on the cable network after intense backlash from employees over past comments from McDaniel.
During her first appearance on Meet the Press Sunday, McDaniel admitted — for the first time — that the 2020 presidential election that was won by President Joe Biden was not “rigged” against former President Donald Trump, and shared her belief that Biden did in fact win the vote.
Former moderator Chuck Todd blasted the network for its decision to hire someone who had been involved in the “character assassination” of not only journalists and the media as a whole, but specific members of the staff at NBC News and MSNBC.
Todd’s comments were backed by those of Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Nicolle Wallace, Jen Psaki, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell who all shared their opinions about the situation on-air Monday.
According to the report from Byers, Ronna McDaniel is “seeking legal representation” should NBC News attempt to exit its contract that reportedly was set to pay her $300,000.
McDaniel joined NBC News after resigning her position as RNC chair, which she had previously held since 2017.
Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera often occupy different sides of the political aisle. However, the response by MSNBC hosts over the hiring of Ronna McDaniel has them unified.
Several prominent voices on the cable network have publically aired their displeasure with the network hiring the former RNC chair as a political analyst.
O’Reilly believes the situation is a difficult one for NBC.
“The corrupt media doesn’t really cover the news anymore. They do not tell you the truth. It’s ideological. It slants the news, it spins the news,” he said during his No Spin News program Monday.
“NBC is in serious trouble. When the inmates, to use a cliche, run the asylum, you’ve lost control,” stated O’Reilly. “You really have.”
Geraldo Rivera — who once famously had a shouting match with Bill O’Reilly on his Fox News program — agreed with those sentiments.
During an appearance on NewsNation’s Cuomo Modany, the correspondent-at-large lambasted the hosts on MSNBC for their stances.
“The whole idea is that they were hiring her to be the ultimate insider, and here she gets washed away, she gets drowned by this tsunami of pretentious bulls—! All of these people that have a stick up their behinds, how dare they?!,” Rivera said.
“(McDaniel) is the ultimate insider, and to say that they don’t want to hire her now because of election denialism, well then you don’t want half the country to watch your network because half the country is Republican, more or less, and they believe – a lot of them, or at least they’ve convinced themselves — about the election being fraudulent.
“I hope she tells them all to screw it, she’s sticking around, forces them to fire her, and then sues them for millions because they have humiliated her in a very, very unjust way.”
According to one sports media insider, ESPN might have to opt out of its baseball contract for more baseball. John Ourand, now of Puck, indicated that ESPN could utilize its opt-out feature as soon as 2024 to try and secure even more baseball for its platforms.
Recently, ESPN began featuring local broadcasts on its ESPN app, which could synergize well with MLB’s new approach to broadcasting teams, specifically those who were abandoned by Bally Sports. MLB owns the broadcasting rights to a few of its clubs, including the Diamondbacks and Padres. The Colorado Rockies could be another contender for this sort of deal if no local TV rights contract materializes over the next few days. ESPN could then partner with MLB to broadcast these games digitally or over linear channels for more baseball content.
It’s a risky move that would no doubt scare Major League Baseball for at least a little bit but it could pay off big time for both parties, especially as ESPN seeks a strategic partner to eventually launch its standalone direct-to-consumer app in 2025.
Potential betting scandals have taken over the headlines for both Major League Baseball and the NBA. However, Gregg Giannotti of WFAN notes ESPN has seemingly given much less attention to the NBA story and he believes this is due to their strong partnership.
After confirming with producer Eddie Scozzare that he had noticed this as well, Giannotti said, “This is why I bring this up…This, to me, is as big of a gambling scandal as we have seen. This is a pro player who was fixing props, this is huge. This is bigger or could be bigger than Ohtani if we find out Ohtani was not involved, and he really was a victim of theft. That’s how big this is. You’re talking about fixing games.
“ESPN has two tremendously large partnerships right now, and we know how image conscious they are now about things. One, is the partnership with the NBA. Two, after Barstool Sportsbook collapsed and that whole thing happened, guess where Penn Gaming went? To ESPN. It’s Now ESPN Bet. There’s a lot of their programming that is centered around gambling.
“If they were really doing their jobs there and weren’t concerned about what was the thing that made ESPN look the best as opposed to what made ESPN look the worst or their company, putting them first, they would’ve ran with this story. But the fact that they’re huge partners with the NBA and they just got in bed with gambling with ESPN Bet, they put that story later into the SportsCenter.”
It is rather interesting to note that a quick look at the ‘Top Headlines’ section of ESPN.com has no mention of the story and the NBA section has it as the third headline, under such major news as who has made the United States 3×3 national team for the Paris Olympics.
‘Gio’ and partner Boomer Esiason went back and forth on the matter as Boomer believes ESPN has had the story posted in prominent places. Giannotti believes there is way more to this. “There is no doubt that editorial decisions are made based on how they come across, that’s just a fact, to me, with ESPN,” he said. “It’s been like that forever; they don’t want to deal with this stuff. They do deals with these commissioners all the time. Do you think they want to be slapping ‘this guy is fixing games’ on the front page of their website with a picture? No, they’re not going to do that.”
Referencing ESPN and ESPN.com highlighting Women’s NCAA Tournament games more than the Jontay Porter story, Giannotti said, “You can’t tell me that UConn women’s college basketball is a bigger story…than an NBA player fixing prop bets. You can’t tell me that…in no world is that a bigger story.”
The controversial decision by NBC News to hire former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst continues to receive pushback from MSNBC hosts and contributors.
After Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski shared their displeasure with the hiring Monday morning, a chorus of colleagues joined the dissension.
Nicolle Wallace, host of Deadline: White House, shared her thoughts on the situation. A former Communications Director for Republican President George W. Bush, Wallace shared her displeasure with the entire situation.
“This show has dedicated itself to a jarring pursuit of the uncomfortable truths about our politics and our political leaders, and our justice system, and, yes, the media. Today, this network is part of that story,” Wallace shared.
Later in the day, Rachel Maddow hosted her weekly program and urged her bosses to rescind the contract offer to the former RNC chair.
“I want to associate myself with all my colleagues, both at MSNBC and at NBC News, who have voiced loud and principled objections to our company putting on the payroll someone who hasn’t just attacked us as journalists, but someone who is part of an ongoing project to get rid of our system of government,” Maddow said during her opening monologue.
She continued by commending the leadership of MSNBC for supporting the angry employees.
“It’s my understanding that MSNBC’s leadership did not object to Ronna McDaniel being hired by NBC News when the matter first arose, but when the hiring was announced, and MSNBC staff essentially unanimously and instantly expressed outrage, our leadership at MSNBC heard us, understood, and adjusted course.”
Finally, she made her plea to leaders at the outlet.
“You wouldn’t hire a made man like a mobster to work at a D.A.’s office, right? You wouldn’t hire a pick-pocket to work as a TSA screener,” Maddow said. “So I find the decision to put her on the payroll inexplicable, and I hope they will reverse their decision.”
“She called me a propagandist, but I’ve been called worse,” the host said of McDaniel. “I stopped inviting Trump liars like her on this program in 2016 because I’ve never seen a satisfying, successful interview of a Trump liar and have never thought that I alone could crack the code of how to interview a Trump liar. They are fast and furious liars, and I doubt that I could keep up.
“I would never interview Ronna McDaniel as an expert on Republican campaigns like I would my longtime friend Stuart Stevens, who ran her uncle Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign.”
He continued by noting that if he were ever forced to have McDaniel on the program, he would give her the questions ahead of time. Included in his queries were “Why did you change your name for Donald Trump?” McDaniel — who previously went by Ronna Romney McDaniel — dropped her maiden name in 2017, reportedly at the behest of Trump. The RNC denied that Washington Post report.
“How does that feel, to change her name to curry favor with the madman because he doesn’t like your uncle?”
He continued by stating he would ask about “everything she did” to try to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Donald Trump, and ask why, four years later, she is just now admitting the Republican did not win and that the election wasn’t “rigged” against him.
Ronna McDaniel joined NBC News last week after resigning her position as chair of the Republican National Committee, reportedly at the behest of Trump. She had served in that capacity since 2017. After her hiring was announced, however, MSNBC President Rashida Jones informed staffers McDaniel would not be appearing on the cable news outlet.
Businesswoman and UFL co-owner Dany Garcia will be the subject of her own documentary presented by ESPN and ESPN Deportes. My Name is Dany Garcia (Mi Nombre es Dany Garcia for its Spanish presentation), will spotlight Garcia’s life and achievements and promises to offer an exclusive glimpse in an intimate and captivating documentary.
Produced by ESPN’s Features Unit in collaboration with ESPN Deportes, the film explores Garcia’s evolution, tracing her journey from a young finance major and athlete at the University of Miami to her status as a visionary entrepreneur and influential business leader through exclusive interviews and archival footage.
In 2020, Garcia’s acquisition of the XFL made her the first woman to own an equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States. She is now co-owner of the UFL following the merger between the two spring football leagues, XFL and USFL. The new league will be explored as part of the documentary.
The film features interviews with Garcia and key figures in her life, including her daughter Simone Johnson, brother Hiram Garcia, father Hiram Garcia, Sr., and business partner Dwayne Johnson.
My Name is Dany Garcia is part of ESPN Deportes’ year-long content initiative that commemorates the Spanish-language brand’s 20th anniversary. This initiative launched in 2023 during Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month and celebrates the influence of the Hispanic community in the world of sports, through a mix of programming including a mix of live events, as well as original content.
My Name is Dany Garcia debuts on March 28th at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes and streaming live on ESPN+ soon after its release. The film’s release coincides with the start of the 2024 UFL Season on Saturday, Mar. 30.
iHeartMedia is doing yet another round of layoffs and this time, one layoff decision has led to another employee just packing his things and leaving. Jim Moore, who co-hosted the midday show since 2021 on KJR in Seattle, was notified at the end of last week his position had been eliminated as part of a nationwide cutback of iHeart employees.
Turns out, Moore’s partner on the show, Jason ‘Puck’ Puckett had been in contract negotiations to stay with the station. However, when Puckett got the news he would no longer be working with Moore, he decided to end those negotiations even after saying he had received the offer he had been looking for.
Both hosts took to social media to explain the situation with Moore saying “…the timing was such that [Puckett] thought if he returned with a new contract, it would look like he got paid at my expense since I had lost my job. I don’t think that was the case, but Puck didn’t like how that appeared and wanted none of it. If I wasn’t coming back, he wasn’t coming back – even though the station honored his contract request. So, he turned down a great salary and a great job to take a gamble on himself and support me at the same time. It’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me. I told him several times to sign the contract…but he wouldn’t do it and stuck to his guns…I greatly appreciate his friendship and support, and it’s cool to see in what is usually a me, me, me world.”
Moore went on to thank several of the people he worked with and for at KJR as well as his listeners and readers. Moore spent 25 years as a sportswriter before 15 years as a sports talk show host.
Puckett, who had been with the KJR since 2002, posted on his X account to explain his side of things. “First off I want to apologize for being off the air for the last three weeks,” he said. “These last few weeks have been the most exhausting and agonizing time of my life.
“I had been in contract negotiations with iHeart – KJR since the start of January and in the last few weeks we mutually agreed that I would be off the air until we reached a deal. So, no, I was not on vacation or sick. Why I chose to remain silent was not deceive you – the listeners- I just didn’t want to take my personal business to the airwaves and social media.
“Both sides worked hard to get a deal done and the process was long and time consuming. Late last week I received the offer that I had been looking for and was excited and grateful to get back to work on Monday. However, a day after receiving the offer I learned that my partner Jim Moore was terminated as part of nationwide layoffs within the company. The timing of the move left me angry, sad, confused and conflicted. Since last Thursday I have grappled with what direction to go in. Many, many sleepless nights has led to my decision to part ways with the station and not seek a new contract.”
Puckett continued and said, “I’m a firm believer in loyalty and the treatment of others. From my perspective I couldn’t in good conscience continue to do the show despite my love to do so.”
No official word yet on what the future holds for the duo, however, Puckett’s post ended with him saying, “The process has energized and motivated me to great lengths. Stay tuned because very soon I’ll deliver the same nonsense in a different form.”
Last Thursday I was fired by KJR-FM. I pulled over on a dirt road between Redmond and Madras, Ore., with my dogs in the back seat to get the news that ‘my position had been eliminated.’
Turns out I was part of a nationwide cutback of iHeart employees…
First off I want to apologize for being off the air for the last three weeks. These last few weeks have been the most exhausting and agonizing time of my life. I had been in contract negotiations with iHeart – KJR since the start of January and in the last few weeks we mutually…
I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I still don’t get it. Jason will be missed on air for sure. But I’ll miss seeing him at the office even more. Good luck man. Love you brother. https://t.co/wWy4QWaV9N
iHeartMedia has been in the midst of widespread layoffs over the past week, with more news and talk radio staffers seeing their positions eliminated.
In Orlando at Real Radio 104.1, the station has seen a pair of exits. Carlos Navarro departed as co-host of Monsters in the Morning after 20 years with the station.
“Big news dropped on me last Friday — iHeartMedia let me know they’re moving on without me,” Navarro wrote on his personal website. “After 20 incredible years, it’s a shock, I have to admit….It was a decision from way up the iHeartMedia ladder, and while it’s not about performance, it still stings. I’m still processing this, but I’m not about to sit still. I’ve got plans and some exciting next steps to share with you — more on that soon, I promise. Your support means everything, and together, there’s so much we can do.
“The folks at iHeartMedia handled this with professionalism, and I want to make sure we do the same,” he concluded.
Additionally, stand-up comedian Rauce Padgett, co-host of The Jim Colbert Show, departed the station.
In Akron, Newsradio 640 WHLO Program Director Josh Nagy exits. In addition to programming the news/talk brand, he also oversaw a classic hits station and the new country station at the cluster he joined in 2019.
Finally, 94.5 WPTI in Greensboro Assistant Program Director Kyle Presley has departed, according to RadioInsight. He had been in the role for just over one year.
Previous news/talk departures include 1360 KKTX in Corpus Christi PD Sam Eulenfield and Senior Vice President of Programming in Oklahoma City and Tulsa Don Cristi.
A cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday morning, collapsing the structure. The news spread rapidly, despite happening just before 1:30 AM ET.
Two people were rescued from the wreckage, with one being in serious condition while the other refused medical treatment.
Search parties were launched looking for a least seven people, while the ship’s crew were all accounted for.
News radio stations in Baltimore had extension coverage of the event, with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joining WBAL Newsradio’s C4 and Bryan Nehman morning show.
The Key Bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water.
— WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5 (@wbalradio) March 26, 2024
WCBM 680 host Kimberly Klacik shared a photo of the bridge collapsed on the cargo ship, claiming she received the image from a first responder who was on the scene after the collision.
A photo from the tragedy at the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Many other news media outlets shared videos of the collision and subsequent images showing the devastation.
This animation shows the movements of the Dali cargo ship before it collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse. The ship was just minutes into its journey to Sri Lanka when it hit the bridge. https://t.co/aTQpFzASBqpic.twitter.com/z8pswf63SR
Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. speaks out live about the ongoing recovery efforts after the Francis Scott Key bridge was hit by a cargo ship overnight in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/Al70Zsq9bC
URGENT SEARCH AND RESCUE: Maryland officials say they pulled two people out of the water, and at least seven are still missing after the catastrophic bridge collapse. https://t.co/Jih9Ix9vLPpic.twitter.com/NnsjBK8h4A
Photos show what's left of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by a container ship and collapsed overnight; search and rescue mission ongoing https://t.co/U8r35WKfaI
NEW: The White House is closely monitoring the situation at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after a ship collided with the bridge, leading it to collapse. @Kevinliptakcnn joins @kasie with the latest. pic.twitter.com/guk0cuT58t
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) March 26, 2024
The Baltimore bridge collapse will have ripple effects for months; likely years. The entryway to a major American port will be frozen for quite some time. And the video of the collapse will be seared into everyone's brains. Infrastructure will be top of mind again.
A huge loss for the great city of Baltimore. This is a massive bridge (I’ve driven it many times) serving the large industrial and shipping sector that’s crucial to the local economy. Major I-695 artery for moving around the city and getting Marylanders up toward I-95 corridor… https://t.co/sV6cRSYpGE
