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First Two World Series Games Receive Record Low Viewership

BSM Staff
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As the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks vie for the chance to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy as World Series champions, Nielsen Media Research has reported low ratings for the first two games of the series. Game 2 of the “Fall Classic” in particular, which aired on Saturday, Oct. 28 against several college football matchups, drew 8.38 million total viewers across FOX platforms and averaged a 4.0 rating.

Both of these figures are record lows in these categories, taking the spot from Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 (8.63 million/4.3 rating). The game resulted in a 9-1 victory for the Diamondbacks, but caused a 24% decline in ratings and viewership from last year’s comparable matchup featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.

The first two games of the World Series matchup is responsible for two of the three lowest audiences in the history of the championship round, with the first game averaging 9.17 million viewers and a 4.6 rating. FOX Sports continued to win the day in prime-time television for both of the games despite college football, the NHL and NBA all having scheduled matchups on the docket.

FOX Sports reported the most-watched NFL single-header from any network on the year for its broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, averaging 19.98 million viewers. The figure is up 24% year-over-year and pairs with gains for both of the network’s pregame shows.

While viewership data for the third game of the World Series is not yet available, it happened to coincide with events across the NBA and NHL, along with Monday Night Football. Many sports fans referred to the day as the “sports equinox,” signifying the one date in 2023 where the four leagues are active at the same time.

94.7 The Ref Drops Sports Format, Flips to Classic Rock in Oklahoma City

BSM Staff
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94.7 The Ref Drops Sports Format, Flips to Classic Rock in Oklahoma City

iHeartMedia Oklahoma City’s 94.7 The Ref flipped from sports to classic rock Tuesday.

In August, the station dropped programming from Metro Radio Group’s KREF in Norman, Tulsa, and Lawton after two years. It then began airing the complete nationally syndicated FOX Sports Radio lineup.

On Tuesday, the station launched new call letters and an updated classic rock brand Q 94.7. The signal previously operated a classic rock format from 2009 until it began airing KREF programming in August 2021.

Despite launching a new format Tuesday morning, social media channels for the sports station continued to post sports content.

Sports radio is still well-served in Oklahoma City. Both 98.1 The Sports Animal and 107.7 The Franchise broadcast both local and national programs in the Oklahoma capital.

Bill O’Reilly: CBS News is Doing Political Favors in Exchange for Access

BNM Staff
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Vice President Kamala Harris did a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes Sunday. Longtime cable news host Bill O’Reilly wasn’t impressed with what he saw.

During his O’Reilly Morning Update Tuesday, the 77 WABC host argued that Harris fielded softball questions from her CBS News interviewer, and said there is a reason for that.

“Vice President Kamala Harris got a pretty soft ride on 60 Minutes Sunday. Correspondent Bill Whitaker was basically gentle in his questioning, allowing Ms. Harris to dodge her unpopularity in the polls and utter failure on border policy,” O’Reilly said. “But that wasn’t even important because most intelligent people will understand that Ms. Harris has no answers across the board, as they say in Texas, she’s ‘All hat. No cattle.'”

He continued by noting that Harris is working as a quasi-human shield for President Joe Biden, which wasn’t lost on viewers.

“The most interesting part of the chat which was rather dull, is the timing. To 60 minutes crew had to know that Kamala was offered because President Biden is in trouble. Whitaker’s script focused on how involved the Vice President is with the administration’s decisions,” said Bill O’Reilly.

“She’s very, very, very engaged with everything and don’t you forget it. The interview of Kamala Harris is network news standard issue these days. Both CBS and the White House gain, so let’s keep things nice so we can do it again. Y’all come back now, ya hear?”

Minnesota Twins TV Voice Dick Bremer Announces Retirement

BSM Staff
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After spending the past 40 seasons in the Minnesota Twins broadcast booth, Dick Bremer has announced he’s stepping away.

Bremer has announced nearly 5,000 games for the franchise but thought an attempt to reach that milestone would be selfish.

“For 40 years, I’ve been blessed to totally immerse myself in the game that I love for the team that I love,” said Bremer. “In those 40 years, I broadcast 4,972 Twins games. Over the last year or so, I thought it would really be cool to make it to 5,000. Then, I thought to myself, how selfish would that be? A broadcast should never be about the announcer. It should always be about the game and those who play it.

“I hope in my final season, I proved that ‘I’ve still got my fastball’, a goal I set when I started with the Twins in 1983. I look forward to the next chapter in my life with the Twins and thank Twins Territory for 40 incredible seasons! God bless.”

Bremer joined the franchise in 1983, before stepping away in 1986. He rejoined the television crew in 1987 and served in the role ever since. During his tenure calling games for the Twins, he worked for Twinsvision, Midwest Sports Channel, Victory Sports, Fox Sports North, and finally Bally Sports North.

He retires as the longest-tenured television voice of a single franchise in Major League Baseball history.

Dick Bremer won’t be leaving the Twins entirely. He’ll move into a new role as a Special Assistant to the club’s front office.

“Dick Bremer’s legacy as the hometown television voice of the Minnesota Twins for four decades will undoubtedly someday result in his deserved induction into the Twins Hall of Fame,” said club President & CEO Dave St. Peter. “While one chapter of his Twins career is closing, we are excited that Dick will continue to write his legacy around the Twins in this Special Assistant Role.”

Rich Eisen to Call First NFL Game From Frankfurt on NFL Network’s Anniversary Weekend

BSM Staff
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Rich Eisen will return to the broadcast booth as the play-by-play announcer for the NFL’s first-ever game in Frankfurt, Germany for a Week 9 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

The proceedings begin at 9:30 AM ET exclusively on NFL Network with Jason McCourty delivering color commentary. Additionally, Eisen and McCourty will be joined by ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, along with sideline reporters Sara Walsh and Stacey Dales.

On the day before the game, NFL Network will celebrate its 20th anniversary, marking the date when Eisen first introduced football fans to the first league-owned cable network.

Rich Eisen continues to broadcast NFL GameDay Morning on the network, along with his own multiplatform program, The Rich Eisen Show, for which he recently won a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters.

Coverage of the matchup will start at 7 AM ET on NFL Network with NFL GameDay Kickoff hosted by Colleen Wolfe and featuring analysts Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci and Steve Wyche from Los Angeles. Kimmi Chex, Steve Smith Sr., and MJ Acosta-Ruiz, along with the aforementioned Walsh and Dales, will join the pregame broadcast on-site from Frankfurt.

VSiN Adds Two New Affiliates to Sports Betting Network

BSM Staff
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VSiN Adds Two New Affiliates to Sports Betting Network

VSiN has announced that it is growing its radio network with the addition of new affiliates in Medford, Oregon, and Abilene, Texas, which will include short-form “Action Updates” and other long-form programming. With the move, VSiN programming is now available across more than 350 stations in 46 states in the country, which reaches nearly 90% of the total radio market in the United States.

“Following new radio affiliates in New Hampshire and North Carolina late this summer, the new football season brings continued expansion of VSiN’s leading sports betting radio network,” Len Mead, general manager of VSiN, said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome new fans in Medford and Abilene as we continue to expand our distribution footprint to inform and entertain more listeners than ever before.”

KDSO-AM in Medford is now airing 21 hours of sports betting content from VSiN on weekdays by launching 107.9/1300 The Ace. On Nov. 6, the station will add a new midday show – Tee It Up Southern Oregon with Joe Brett – from 1 to 3 PM PST, and will retain The Rich Eisen Show from 9 AM to 12 PM despite the move.

The station will air VSiN content for 20 hours on Saturdays, and on Sunday mornings, NFL coverage will be supplemented by The Lombardi Line and Brent Musburger’s Countdown to Kickoff. A weekly tripleheader will then commence on the station with SiN programming surrounding the live play-by-play broadcasts, which will also be simulcast on 1300 AM and 107.9 FM The Ace.

KWKC-AM in Abilene, Texas is also airing The Lombardi Line on Saturday and Sunday to keep fans up-to-date and knowledgeable about all the latest action around the National Football League.

In addition, the network created locally-focused sports betting shows for its affiliate in Cleveland, which are hosted by website managing editor Adam Burke on WTAM-AM. Since the start of these programs, they have been picked up by WARF-AM in Cleveland, WNIO-AM in Youngstown, and both WCWA-AM and WSPD-AM in Toledo.

Mark Arum: Covering the News is Keeping Me Awake at Night

BNM Staff
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Mark Arum: Covering the News is Keeping Me Awake at Night

Recent news developments haven’t been overly positive. 95.5 WSB’s Mark Arum admitted discussing world events every day is having an effect on his personal life.

During The Mark Arum Show, the Atlanta midday host shared that he’s usually kept awake at night by thinking about things he needs to accomplish in his personal life. But recent events around the globe — including the back-and-forth attacks between Hamas and Israel and the reaction Jewish people are receiving because of them — have him thinking about the bigger picture.

“College protesters trapped some Jewish students inside the library at Cornell. Hundreds of thousands of protesters in Europe demanding death to Jews and to Israel. I discussed last week how the gaslighting is going on claiming that Israel is attempting genocide. And now that the new phrase is ‘ethnic cleansing’. Israel’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ the Gaza Strip. Just horrendous gaslighting,” said Arum.

“So while normally I toss and turn — I can’t shut off my brain about why I can’t believe we got to turn the heat on already the gas bill is going to be crazy or I gotta pull the weeds out of the backyard, that kind of stuff which keeps a mind racing — I eventually can get through that. I couldn’t get through it last night,” Arum admitted. “A mob storming a plane demanding to see passports and checking to see who is Jewish so they could kill them? That’ll keep you up at night.”

Mike Stone: Monday Night Football Gave Detroit a Nice PR Boost

BSM Staff
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On Monday night, the Detroit Lions beat the Las Vegas Raiders. Much of the conversation on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday morning centered around the team’s win, and morning host Mike Stone believes both the victory and the coverage from ESPN was a nice boost to the city’s morale.

“It was awesome watching it on television,” Stone said on Tuesday morning. “They really made the Lions, the city, and the crowd – top-notch coverage giving our fans, team, and city a really nice P.R. boost, but I wasn’t there. My daughter was there. She said it was great.”

Stone shared he watched several of the afternoon newscasts around the city and noticed that many reporters were covering the tailgating surrounding the stadium.

Co-host Heather Park, who was at the game, acknowledged that there was a buzz in the air and friendly interactions throughout, preparing and feeling energized for the game at hand.

“People were just stopping and chatting,” Park said. “People were just excited and it was a blast. It was a lot of fun.”

Glenn Beck: Blaze Media Will Expand Into ‘Extraordinarily Risky and Expensive’ Areas

BNM Staff
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Glenn Beck: Blaze Media Will Expand Into ‘Extraordinarily Risky and Expensive’ Areas

Last week, Blaze Media — founded by radio host Glenn Beck — announced a plan to move to a subscription-based model. Beck says the company has other new avenues it’s exploring, too.

During The Glenn Beck Program, the longtime radio host shared his vision for the company, saying that some of the moves make the company vulnerable, but worth the potential risks.

“We are trying so hard to make it better every day. And we have done some amazing things behind the scenes in the last three months. We have now committed to do investigative reporting. That’s extraordinarily expensive,” admitted Beck. “We have also committed to doing — I think it’s 10 and maybe 12 — documentaries every year. And some of them will be done by me…and my team, but the company has put together a team of documentary filmmakers and research people to take our ideas and our research and then say ‘How can we go deeper in this and how can we present this?”

After announcing the upcoming documentary series, Beck shared the genesis behind the ideas.

“We’re just dipping our toe in this. It’s extraordinarily risky and expensive. So we’re just trying a few things and seeing if things catch on,” said Beck.

Blaze Media was founded in 2010 by Beck. He joked that he hadn’t gotten the company “right” until last week.

Beck also shared his admiration for his audience and fans during the announcement, calling them “the greatest audience ever assembled in the history of radio”.

“I don’t know of another audience that is more together,” Beck said, “of one good spirit that is charitable the way you are, that believes in the best of America, and just wants to do the right thing. I don’t know how I got so lucky or blessed to be able to speak to you every day.”

Tucker Carlson Exit at Fox News ‘Wasn’t Just One Thing, It Was Everything’, Brian Stelter Book Alleges

BNM Staff
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The cable news world was rocked on Monday, April 24th, when it was announced that Fox News was parting ways with popular primetime host Tucker Carlson. The former host has alleged his firing was a condition of the network’s settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, but author Brian Stelter alleges the decision was much more nuanced.

In an excerpt from his upcoming book Network of Lies, Stelter reveals that there has yet to be evidence tying the network and the election machine company together in Carlson’s dismissal.

However, Stelter points out, there is a plethora of contributing factors that ultimately led to the primetime host’s exit.

“It was always going to end badly,” one Carlson producer said. “We knew we were burning too bright.”

In the excerpt released to Vanity Fair, Stelter’s book argues that Tucker Carlson and his cult of personality grew inside the network, to the point that he felt he was invincible.

“Think, for just a moment, about the worst relationship in your past—and why it ended. Odds are, there wasn’t just one reason, it wasn’t one thing, it was everything: a book’s worth of fights and slights and resentments and grievances,” the excerpt reads. “Maybe there was a final indignity—an affair, a betrayal, the discovery of a derogatory text—but even if one party was blindsided, the other could list a dozen long-gestating reasons for the breakup. That’s why Fox dropped Carlson. It wasn’t one thing. It was everything.

“Yes, he was in the sights of the Fox board. Yes, he was under scrutiny for his “cunt” texts. Yes, his ‘white men fight’ message made matters worse. And yes, his show’s climate was so hostile that Grossberg had standing to sue. But there was so much more:

  • Carlson repulsed large swaths of the company he worked for.
  • He created internal strife with his conspiratorial commentaries.
  • He exposed Fox to defamation suits from the likes of Ray Epps.
  • He offended key executives and seemed to take delight in doing so, to the point that managers believed he broke rules and norms just to show he could.
  • He strained friendships, as Rupert’s and Lachlan’s chums repeatedly complained to them about his poisonous rhetoric.
  • He triggered so many ad boycotts and turned off so many advertisers that his time slot was far less profitable for Fox than it should have been.
  • And he committed the cardinal Fox sin of acting like he was bigger than the network he was on.”

Carlson has continually claimed that his dismissal was an unspoken agreement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems as part of the $787.5 million settlement by the network. However, both companies have vehemently denied the departure was tied to the agreement.

Stelter added that while the network insisted the move was mutual, it was obviously a firing. However, the network did offer Tucker Carlson the opportunity to include a statement in the press release announcing his exit, which he mulled over before declining.

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