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Jesse Watters: Media Runs the White House Under Threat of Blackmail

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As he prepares to shift his Fox News show to the 8:00 PM ET window, Jesse Watters isn’t shying away from his conservative firebrand approach. Quite the contrary. He has accused the mainstream media of threatening President Joe Biden.

During Jesse Watters Primetime Monday, the Fox News host argued that Biden was propped up as the Democratic candidate for President in 2020 because of his willingness to do the bidding of the mainstream media.

“The real Joe Biden’s a fraud, and the media’s known about it for years,” Watters said before playing a clip of Johnny Carson joking about Biden on a 1987 episode of The Tonight Show.

“With Trump up for re-election, the media needed a fraud to take him out. They knew Joe Biden basically would do what he was told. He’d do anything for power,” posited Watters. “And if he didn’t do it, they’d blackmail him because they knew everything about his secret little life, so they pumped up Joe’s phony brand and savaged anybody who pointed out Joe’s dark side.”

Biden has received backlash over recent weeks, mostly for his insistence that he only has six grandchildren. He reportedly has a seventh grandchild, a 4-year-old girl in Arkansas, born to his son Hunter out of wedlock. Biden has repeatedly failed to acknowledge the child as his grandchild, which drew pushback from outlets like The New York Times.

Michael Irvin Remains Suspended by NFL Network

BSM Staff
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There is no telling when we will see Michael Irvin on television again. AJ Perez of Front Office Sports reports that “The Playmaker” remains suspended by NFL Network.

Irvin was taken off of television during Super Bowl week. He was accused of sexual harassment by an employee of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

Both NFL Network and ESPN took Irvin off air after the allegations became public. He also claims that he has had public appearances for both businesses and charities cancelled as a result. He dropped the initial lawsuit filed against the accuser. He has amended and re-filed a lawsuit against Marriott.

This would be the fifteenth season on NFL Network for Michael Irvin. A source at the network tells Perez that his status remains unchanged. That leaves his return in time for the 2023 season very much in doubt.

No hearing has been set in the case, which could explain the lack of movement by NFL Network.

Irvin was a regular presence on ESPN’s First Take during the football season. While that network has not made any public comment, host Stephen A. Smith has mentioned that Irvin is still a part of the show’s rotation on his podcast.

Mark Arum: I Signed Up For Threads to Make Sure No One Took My Name

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Mark Arum: I Signed Up For Threads to Make Sure No One Took My Name

Threads has seen expansive growth since it launched last week. 95.5 WSB host Mark Arum is one of at least 100 million users to sign up for the platform, but his reasoning might be different from others.

During The Mark Arum Show Monday, the Atlanta host said he had a very specific reason for joining the platform.

“So, I signed up for Threads, basically, just to make sure my name was available. I didn’t want anyone else to have it, because that’s happened to me,” Arum said. “It was TikTok. Someone had already grabbed my name. So I was like, ‘Well, let me jump over to Threads and get my name, but it was already reserved for me because I had that handle on Instagram.’ So it was a smart move by Zuckerberg just to migrate all those Instagram folks to automatically join Threads.”

Arum’s comments came during an interview with CBS News Radio legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum about potential litigation between Twitter and Threads. Arum asked Rosenbaum if either company was interested in taking the issue to court.

“They live for this, Mark,” said Rosenbaum. “Yes, this is all they do. We don’t read about it as much as they have, but their own internal house General Counsel, they’re always filing lawsuits against each other. All the major platforms are claiming some kind of breach.”

Daniel Ricciardo Leaving ESPN, Returning to Formula 1

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Daniel Ricciardo is returning to Formula 1 to race from Scuderia AlphaTauri for the remainder of its season after he was placed on loan by Red Bull Racing. Riccardo is replacing Nyck de Vries after he was slated to participate in alternate F1 broadcasts on ESPN with Will Arnett tilted The Grandstand. Those broadcasts will now have to change, as Ricciardo is suiting up behind the wheel on the racetrack again.

Riccardo previously appeared on the alternate broadcast from the Canadian Grand Prix on June 18, the first time it was aired on ESPN. For the remaining two broadcasts – occurring on Oct. 22 in Austin, Texas and on Nov. 18 from Las Vegas, Nev. – he will presumably be among the competitors behind the wheel. ESPN has not yet divulged who will be taking his place on the alternate broadcast.

“Congratulations to Daniel,” ESPN said in a statement provided to Barrett Sports Media. “We heard this news today when everyone else did. We have more than three months until the next edition of The Grandstand at the United States Grand Prix in Austin so we’ll take our time and figure out the next steps.”

Throughout the ongoing season, Formula 1 is continuing to post gains in viewership as it narrows the gap with NASCAR, long the preeminent racing organization in the United States. Last season, ESPN reported record viewership for the property, culminating in its most-watched championship season of all time.

An average of 1.21 million viewers were tuning in to the races across The Walt Disney Company’s platforms, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, 28% higher than the year prior. Demographics watching the races also became more diverse, with more female and younger viewers keeping the action in their purview than ever before. The “Worldwide Leader” inked a contract extension with Formula 1 last year for a reported $85 million annually.

The 34-year-old Australian began test driving for Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso and ultimately made his F1 debut with the HRT racing team in 2011. One year later, he was driving on a full-time basis for Toro Rosso and then for the Red Bull team until 2018. Following stints with other teams, he signed a reserve driver deal to return to Red Bull and now has a regular slot on the team once again.

Conservative Media’s Obsession With Hunter Biden is Warranted But Misses the Mark

BNM Staff
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Too much to report at the junction of news/politics to limit this week’s column to one subject.
So let me first say unequivocally I am not voting for Hunter Biden for President of the United States, my homeowner’s association, or even dog catcher.

From what I can tell, Joe Biden’s youngest son is a sad addict who has attempted to trade on his dad’s name and reputation for more than a decade. He is an admitted crook who may still go to jail, but at the least has been investigated by a Justice Department led by Bill Barr and influenced by Donald Trump. He has been found to be a tax cheat and is currently awaiting a judge’s ruling on a plea deal made with the U.S. attorney in Delaware. A straight-arrow appointed by the former President, and allowed to do his job by the current Attorney General and President.

And now, we also know that Hunter Biden is a bad father, refusing to see a 4-year-old daughter he has not publicly acknowledged. He is paying child support after a lawsuit forced him to agree to terms. All of this mess certainly disqualifies him for the public office he is not seeking. I will not vote for him or support him in any way.

I mention this because right-wing media seems to think the name on the Democratic primary ballot is Hunter, not Joe Biden. Its relentless effort to link the father to the son’s criminal and ethical issues has only failed miserably. Republican U.S. attorney David Weiss has said repeatedly he had total control of the Hunter Biden investigation and in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, confirmed he never asked Merrick Garland to grant him Special Counsel status as a disgruntled IRS “whistleblower” contends.

As for the juicy absentee father story driven by The New York Post and other right-wing media, it does deserve thorough reporting. The New York Times wrote a long and fair account of the embarrassing conduct of Hunter Biden in regard to his daughter. It also reviewed the conduct of the young girl’s grandfather, President Joe Biden, who still has not publicly acknowledged her existence.

For a politician who has built an image of a loving family man, this is ugly and hard to excuse. And I call it as such.

As a parent of a recovering addict, I understand and support President Biden standing by his son, loving his son, and not shutting him out in any way.

Of all my accomplishments in the public eye, in journalism and in public service, my proudest moment has been assisting my son to get sober and remain so for 2 decades and what allows me to sleep at night.

There is no need for President Biden to criticize Hunter. There are plenty of people doing that, and rightly so. But acknowledging his granddaughter is not difficult and is just the ethical thing to do. The elder Biden should not repeat his statements that he has 6 grandchildren, he has 7. And publicly saying that will not disqualify him from office. Especially when he is likely to face the ethically and alleged criminal that leads the GOP.

See Republicans, that wasn’t so hard.

Now, there is one more item to opine on this week. How did Elon Musk suddenly restore the reputation and make an internet hero out of former villain Mark Zuckerberg? That’s easy, Musk destroyed America’s most popular public forum in less than a year.

Overpaying for the platform, then firing two-thirds of the staff, including the content review department, allowing disinformation and hate to thrive. The new Twitter now is overwhelmed with tweets by Marjorie Taylor Green and her ilk. Free speech under Elon Musk is now “everybody yell fire in the theater.”

He has given the blue check, which used to designate trusted source, to any yahoo with 8 bucks a month. A move that has encouraged trolls with 0 to 10 followers to fill up timelines with racist, conspiratorial tweets.

The final straw was limiting the number of tweets the masses unwilling to pay 8 bucks a month can read.

Enter Zuckerberg, who if nothing else, knows a ripe market when he scrolls through one. His Threads app launched last week already has 100 million users and is growing. It’s easy to use, because it seems just like Twitter, and has angered Musk enough to file suit, challenge his rival to a cage match, and yes, a contest on who has, not is, the biggest…you know what.

He claims Zuck — as he goes by on Threads — stole his former employees — the ones Musk fired — to build the new app. Zuckerberg denies that, but still, it’s rich for Musk to complain that people he fired and in most cases stiffed on severance may have come back to gut their estranged workplace.

I signed up for Threads early on. Though for now, I remain on Twitter as well, at least until someone tells Musk about this column.

Threads is a kinder, gentler space. So far, there is less hate, and Meta, which owns Threads says that’s because its algorithms discourage it.

It’s early, but I do miss the Twitter snark, not the hate.

And perhaps most of all I am enjoying the fact that Elon Musk now rivals Donald Trump for the most despised public figure in America.

MLB Commissioner Manfred Could Reject Renegotiated Diamondbacks, Diamond Sports Group Contract

BSM Staff
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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred could be taking a stand against Diamond Sports Group and its business tactics.

The Sinclair Broadcast Group subsidiary, embroiled in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, made its scheduled media rights payments to the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. Even so, the company is continuing to yearn for coveted direct-to-consumer broadcast rights. In an ongoing renegotiation with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the company would receive a 20% discount and streaming rights in a five-year pact. Diamond Sports Group is viewing the deal to be more attractive to its own interests.

Over the ensuing four years, the price floor would diminish and a larger discount would be realized by Diamond Sports Group – all of which was first reported by Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Yet Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. has the ability to veto media rights deals – and he is reportedly considering wielding that power.

Manfred, who has been critical in implementing various rule changes across the sport this season, participated in a contentious meeting between him and Sinclair Broadcast Group executive chairman David Smith before the company declared bankruptcy. In the meeting, Smith told Manfred that if Diamond not receive direct-to-consumer broadcast rights, it would begin to urge clubs to lower their media rights fees.

When Manfred ardently jilted the proposal, Smith threatened bankruptcy so he could selectively reject contracts, evinced by the San Diego Padres recent separation from Bally Sports San Diego. The company, which oversees Diamond Sports Group and the Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks, has been trying to fortify its Bally Sports Plus app. Diamond Sports Group executive officer David Preshlack testified in the hearing that the app has only reached 55% of its internal goal.

Moreover, the company may need to liquidate (Chapter 7 bankruptcy) sometime in the next year if Manfred does not assist in the restructuring, especially with outstanding senior debt. This senior debt, which involves larger shares of capital and shorter maturity periods, are typically secured with liens against collateral assets. Filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stipulate criteria that would necessitate the immediate remuneration of these notes should the company not garner solvency.

Major League Baseball could assume the local broadcasts for the Arizona Diamondbacks from Bally Sports Arizona should the deal not be completed. At the moment, Major League Baseball is paying 80% of the revenue afflicted teams would have received from their media rights deals to ensure competitive balance, funding that partially comes from the owners. Some team owners are not going to support the arrangement past this season, and it could lead Manfred to reconsider declining the proposal.

Renegotiating ongoing broadcast deals seldom occurs once terms have been agreed upon, but the reorganization (Chapter 11 bankruptcy) could necessitate it. Last season, Diamondbacks games averaged 20,000 viewers and the team was paid $68 million, the 13th-highest figure among the 30 major league teams. The team, owned by Ken Kendrick, generated a $30 million operating profit (EBITDA) in 2022 after experiencing a loss in 2021.

While the Diamondbacks as an organization seem to be preferential towards Diamond Sports Group in entertaining a lower deal and ceding streaming rights, the decision will ultimately come down to Manfred. In anticipation of the company operating in this way, Manfred established an incipient local media department within Major League Baseball, headed by Billy Chambers. Moreover, he has been frequently saying that the league is ready to step in if needed.

The Diamondbacks are the only Major League Baseball team the company owes money to that has not been paid. In a recent hearing, a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled that Diamond Sports Group must pay the full value of its television contracts to the four teams afflicted – the Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. At his press conference from All-Star Week in Seattle, Manfred said he believes the league has been paid 94% of rights fees teams were owed by Diamond.

Both sides will enter a bankruptcy court hearing on July 17 where a new proposal is expected to be presented. The hearing was supposed to take place in late June; however, it was postponed amid progress from both sides. As a result, Bally Sports Arizona has continued to broadcast Diamondbacks games despite not receiving its scheduled payment.

Joe DeCamara: Credit to Zach Gelb in Deebo Samuel Interview

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Joe DeCamara: Credit to Zach Gelb in Deebo Samuel Interview

In a recent interview with CBS Sports Radio host Zach Gelb, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was pressed regarding comments he made about the Philadelphia Eagles last season. When the 49ers were eliminated by the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Samuel attributed the defeat to injuries and affirmed that if the team had not lost its rookie quarterback, Brock Purdy, the team would have won the game.

Gelb, who attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. and interned at 94 WIP, asked Samuel to reflect on his comments. After Samuel neglected to answer the question and several related follow-up questions, he abruptly ended the conversation. Upon a few seconds of silence, a public relations representative was on the line saying that Samuel was no longer available for the interview, espousing Gelb to lambast him on the air. Similarly enough, the crew on the morning drive show at 94 WIP declared Samuel a loser and applauded Gelb for his professionalism.

“Deebo Samuel did one of the worst things you can do,” show co-host Joe DeCamara said. “It’s not a crime – he didn’t commit a crime – but from a P.R. standpoint, he did one of those things that you never have the high ground on which was hang up in an interview…. Credit to Zach – he’s pressing Deebo Samuel about the Eagles thing, and Deebo does the ‘run and hide’ thing.”

After playing the audio for listeners to hear, several show contributors concurred with DeCamara’s initial assessment and referred to him as a “loser.” DeCamara then explained how the loss could be blamed on 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan since he decided to have a tight end block Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick. The indignation and exasperation, according to DeCamara, was misplaced – and unfortunately for Gelb, he had to bear the brunt of it through one simple action with the potential to lead to “sports hate.”

“That’s the way the cookie crumbles; fricking deal with it,” DeCamara stated. “If you want to be mad at anybody, Deebo Samuel, don’t be mad at Eagles fans [and] don’t be mad at the guy asking reasonable questions.”

The 49ers are scheduled to take on the Eagles in Philadelphia during Week 13 in a rematch televised on FOX, although other broadcast properties will have the power to flex the game should they choose. As a result, show co-host Jon Ritchie believes this occurrence, filled with deliberate evasion, only aggravated the situation and that nothing good will come of it.

“This will be played up and this will be picked at,” Ritchie said. “….Deebo Samuel is going to be a lot sicker of Eagles fans once the season starts because this will continue to build.”

Sean Hannity: I Need Vacations to See the Big Picture

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Sean Hannity: I Need Vacations to See the Big Picture

Sean Hannity returned to his radio show Monday after taking a week off, and said taking a break from work helps him see things from a different perspective than he had viewed them before.

“I kind of need a break occasionally from work to just get my mind a little freer to see the big picture,” admitted The Sean Hannity Show host.

He then claimed there is a growing number of entities, including media members and outlets, that would like to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential race.

“There’s something bigger emerging here that I want this audience to be very aware of and pay attention to. And it’s instinctively why I was looking,” Hannity continued. “I did the interview with, for example, Gavin Newsom, because I am telling you that all the travel that the likes of Gavin Newsom is doing and others is not an accident.

“I am telling you that there is a concerted effort behind the scenes. Many influential people, even in the media, and many influential people in the Democratic Party, do not want Joe (Biden) and they do not want Kamala (Harris). It was not an accident that Maureen Dowd of The New York Times — not a conservative, enthusiastically defended Bill Clinton through all his scandals, celebrated Barack Obama’s two terms happily — supported Joe Biden’s campaign to end the era of Trump. But over the weekend, something pretty remarkable happened. She ripped Joe Biden.”

Hannity then claimed that Dowd — who wrote a column blasting the President for his failure to acknowledge he has a seventh grandchild born to his son, Hunter, out of wedlock — was parroting information given out during his radio and television programs.

Dana Loesch Questions ‘Is Calling Someone a Karen a Racial Slur?’

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During a panel discussion over the weekend, an MSNBC contributor referred to the wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as “America’s Karen”. That encapsulation didn’t sit well with Dana Loesch.

During The Dana Show Monday, Loesch questioned if the comment from MNSBC’s David Jolly was actually a racial epithet.

“Is calling someone a ‘Karen’ a racial slur? Because I’m actually really wondering if it is now,” Loesch asked. “I have family members with this name so, please, spare me the whole ‘I don’t like that you use it this way. This is my name’. I get you, but I’m talking about what’s the culture is using, ok? Because Becky — is Becky a slur? Isn’t that what white women have been called? Becky’s?

“So, I guess it’s Karen’s now. I always thought that Karen was not really a racial slur, I just thought it was kind of misogynistic,” continued Loesch. “Any woman — Black or White — could be a Karen, right? But is it just white chicks? I genuinely don’t know. I’m curious as to what people think about it. Because I always said, I always thought that it was my interpretation was that it was any woman, not just a white woman. But again, who knows?”

Generally, in internet culture, the term “Karen” is not solely used for White women. Generally, the term is reserved for use against people who are entitled or demanding. In some circles, it is also used for men who embody the moniker.

SportsCenter Sees Viewership Growth Through First Half of 2023

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SportsCenter Sees Viewership Growth Through First Half of 2023

Don’t go calling SportsCenter irrelevant to modern media consumption just yet. Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal reports that viewers flocked to the show in the first half of 2023.

Viewership for the entire brand is up 7% year-over-year. Episodes are averaging an audience of 442,000.

Scott Van Pelt’s midnight SportsCenter has become the show’s signature edition each day. The ESPN audience seems to agree. His nightly show has seen a 13% ratings bump from last year.

While Van Pelt has the most viewers, the biggest growth is in the hour before him. The 11 pm edition of SportsCenter has seen its audience grow by 14% over last year.

Of the eight daily SportsCenter episodes, seven of them are seeing bigger audiences in 2023 than they did in the first half of 2022. The noon edition of SportsCenter is the lone exception.

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