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Elon Musk Threatens to Give NPR’s Twitter Handle Away

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Last month, NPR announced it would no longer use Twitter after Elon Musk labeled the outlet as “state-affiliated media”, before reversing course and tagging the account with a “government-funded media” label, which was subsequently dropped.

Now, in an email to an NPR reporter, Musk has threatened to give the account to another organization or person unless the company begins using the platform again.

In what the organization is calling an “unprompted” email, Musk asked, “So is NPR going to start posting on Twitter again, or should we reassign @NPR to another company?”

“Our policy is to recycle handles that are definitively dormant,” Musk wrote in another email. “Same policy applies to all accounts. No special treatment for NPR.”

Twitter’s terms of service do not count lack of tweeting as “inactivity”. Instead, it is based on how often the account is logged in, saying that users must sign into the account at least every 30 days before a handle can be removed for “prolonged inactivity”.

A reporter for NPR asked Musk who would be given the account should he remove it from the broadcaster.

“National Pumpkin Radio,” Musk reportedly replied with a fire and laughing emoji. “NPR isn’t tagged as government-funded media anymore, so what’s the beef?”

In announcing NPR’s decision to leave the platform last month, CEO John Lansing said he had lost faith in the “decision-making at Twitter”. The outlet took exception to the labels applied by Twitter, noting that less than 1% of its annual budget comes from federal funding.

Chris Fowler Replacing Steve Levy on Monday Night Football

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NFL fans will still hear Joe Buck calling the action on Monday nights on ESPN this season, but when there is a double-header or the network is carrying a game that isn’t on Monday night, they will hear a new voice. The role that belonged to Steve Levy last season will be filled by Chris Fowler in 2023.

Andrew Marchand reports that Fowler will step into the number two play-by-play role for ESPN’s NFL coverage. That has him currently scheduled for five games this season. One of them is an international game.

Chris Fowler just signed a new deal with Disney last month. Amidst the company’s layoffs, he reportedly had to take less than he had hoped for. Marchand speculates the new NFL assignment was the company’s way of extending an olive branch to Fowler.

This now has both members of ABC’s top college football booth pulling double duty with the NFL. Last year, Kirk Herbstreit debuted as the lead analyst on Amazon’s coverage of Thursday Night Football.

No other changes to ESPN’s number two NFL booth have been announced. If the analysts from last season return, Chris Fowler will be working his games with Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky.

Text Message From Tucker Carlson That ‘Set Off A Panic’ Inside Fox News Uncovered

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A report from The New York Times claims a text message sent by Tucker Carlson in the wake of the January 6th Insurrection “set off a panic” at Fox News and is the latest in a string of potential possibilities for his unceremonious departure last week.

According to The Times, Carlson sent the message to one of his producers on January 7th, 2021, and in language that has been described as racist, details how a video of Trump supporters beating a member of Antifa excited him, before self-reflecting on his feelings.

“A couple of weeks ago, I was watching video of people fighting on the street in Washington. A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living shit out of him. It was three against one, at least,” explained Carlson. “Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It’s not how white men fight. Yet suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it.

“Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: this isn’t good for me. I’m becoming something I don’t want to be. The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I’m sure I’d hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn’t gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed. If I don’t care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?”

The revelation of the text message is the latest in a long line of unsavory behind-the-scenes behavior being aired publicly about the now ex-Fox News star. Four videos of Carlson preparing for interviews have surfaced, which include him calling a woman “yummy”, saying he can’t ever gauge his appearance because his “postmenopausal fans” do it for him, and his clashing with a producer over his disdain for the FOX Nation streaming service.

Additionally, Carlson reportedly used a derogatory term for a Fox News communications executive, and is accused by former producer Abby Grossberg of fostering a toxic work environment.

Michael Cole to Pat McAfee: ‘I Won’t Retire Until We Have Another Run Together’ 

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The relationship between Pat McAfee and Michael Cole is strong. The former punter often credits Cole with making his WWE dreams come true and their friendship is very real. 

It is no surprise to anyone that watched the duo on Smackdown that Cole would be a part of McAfee’s birthday celebration. 

During his appearance on Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, Michael Cole discussed previous comments that he did not want to hang on in the WWE into his 70s and 80s. 

Michael Cole has been on the road for the majority of the last 26 years with the WWE. McAfee said it is hard to ever picture Cole choosing not to work that way. 

“I’ve been married 30 years. If I want it to last longer than that, I’ve gotta slow down at some point,” the WWE’s VP of Announcing answered, “but it won’t be any time soon. I’ve still got a lot of work to do at this company.”

Pat McAfee has not been a regular part of Smackdown since joining ESPN’s College GameDay last fall. He hopes that will change at some point before Cole is ready to call it quits. 

“You’re awesome at what you do,” McAfee said. “You’ve been a great person for me, man and you need to know that. Honestly, and not just for me, but for a lot of people. We need to work together again before you retire. But you’ve got ten years, fifteen years. Dude, you’ve got so much left.”

Michael Cole countered that with a proposition that likely excited a lot of wrestling fans. 

“I’ll make a promise to you. I won’t get out of this full-time until you and I can have at least a little bit of a run left. Now, if you’re gonna push that off until I’m 75, we’re gonna have to re-talk.”

Megyn Kelly: Every White House Press Official ‘Wants to Be A Cable News Star’

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Megyn Kelly: Every White House Press Official ‘Wants to Be A Cable News Star’

According to recent reports, Megyn Kelly, the host of The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM, has confidently shared her disapproval towards Jen Psaki, who hosts an MSNBC Sunday morning talk show. Kelly attributes the decline in viewership to a lack of interest among the audience, indicating her unwavering stance.

According to The New York Post, Kelly asserted that Psaki utilized her former position as White House Press Secretary to secure her current job as a talk show host, with ambitions of gaining notoriety.

“This is so true of all these people that work at the White House Press Office,” Kelly said. “What they really want is to be a cable news star. And so, they lay the foundation while they’re over there trying to make themselves into a national personality.”

 According to Nielsen, Psaki’s debut drew about 1.1 million viewers, but her most recent episode on April 23 only drew 765,000 viewers. Despite Kelly’s critique, Psaki’s show has consistently outperformed her competitors on CNN regarding viewership.

“Literally, it’s like a downward escalator … the overall and the demo off a cliff,” Kelly said.

According to Kelly, Psaki is attempting to transform herself into a star, but her lack of ability in this field results in her failure to do so.

“She had more talent being a professional spinner behind the lectern than she does being a different kind of professional spinner behind the MSNBC mic,” Kelly said.

Greg Gutfeld Remaining on the Air Despite Writers Strike

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The Writers Guild of America went on strike on Tuesday, leading to the suspension of production on popular late-night network programs, including The Tonight Show, The Late Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Despite having some non-union writers, the conservative-leaning Fox News show hosted by Greg Gutfeld will continue to release new content, a Fox News spokesperson tells Barrett News Media.

Greg Gutfeld’s show “Gutfeld!” is a late-night program that airs at 11 p.m. It combines humor, pop culture, and current events in a clever way that has helped it surpass other late-night shows in ratings. Despite not being as well known as its counterparts, it is a high-performing show.

CNN is considering a news and comedy late-night show as a strategy to rival Fox News. Greg Gutfeld, who calls himself “The King of Late Night,” currently holds the 11:00 PM ET slot at Fox News.

Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers remain optimistic that the writers’ strike will be resolved shortly. However, Stephen Colbert has clarified that his writers’ demands are entirely reasonable, as evidenced by a photo he shared. The strike already significantly impacts late-night shows, which depend heavily on writers to create jokes based on current events. The primary focus of negotiations between the WGA and producers is on streaming rights.

Gutfeld, a seasoned and skilled monologue craftsman at 58, works closely with his team of writers to perfect his craft. He is highly regarded as a valuable member of The Five panel program on Fox News.

According to Fox News, Gutfeld! It has completed its second year since its launch and has successfully disrupted the late-night space. Since its inception, the show has experienced double-digit growth in all categories, with an average of 1.8 million viewers in April, marking a 44% increase. Additionally, it has gained 272,000 viewers in the A25-54 category, a 25% increase, and 163,000 in the A18-49 category, marking a 24% increase.

Gutfeld! is currently the second most-watched program late night, surpassing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on NBC. Furthermore, it has also topped CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The Messenger Expecting May 15th Launch

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The Messenger Expecting May 15th Launch

The Messenger, a news startup founded by Jimmy Finkelstein, will launch in beta On May 15th with a team of 200 employees. The company has already raised $50 million and has no plans for further fundraising.

Initially, the website will focus on news and politics, with nine additional editorial verticals to be introduced later this year.

According to Axios, The Messenger aims to be a balanced, trusted, and nonpartisan source of fast and accurate news coverage. The company has already hired four new editors to lead the non-core news verticals and aims to grow to a workforce of 750 employees, with 550 of them working in the newsroom. The Messenger hopes to become a leading source of reliable news coverage.

The Messenger expanded its team by adding Dan Wakeford, Marty Kady, and Mary Margaret as the new editor-in-chief, politics editor, and entertainment editor, respectively. The company has secured funding from diverse investors, including The Stagwell Group, James Tisch, Josh Harris, and Thomas Peterffy.

The company is growing its editorial team by hiring four experienced editors to manage different news categories. Previously the editorial director at The Athletic, Dan Kaufman, will head the sports section. David Ewalt, the former editor-in-chief at Gizmodo, will be responsible for technology and science. Amy Eisinger, who previously worked as the digital director at Self Magazine, will oversee health news. Finally, Ben Goldberger, the former executive editor of Time, will serve as the deputy editor and editor of The Messenger’s “Purpose” vertical.

The company plans to offer newsletter and event sponsorships in addition to its services, hosting about 40 events in the upcoming year. The Morning Messenger, their weekday morning newsletter, is set to launch in mid-May, targeting an audience of 250,000 people.

The company also plans to launch a lunchtime news report and a political newsletter, with each vertical outside of news and politics eventually having its newsletter. Leases have been signed in New York City and Washington, D.C., and video studios will be built in both cities and Los Angeles in the future.

The Messenger aims to increase its workforce to 750 employees, with 550 individuals in the newsroom. The company has already hired 45 people solely to cover entertainment content. The company intends to introduce a paywall for premium content in the future, with the focus in the first year being on digital-only products except for events. The Messenger is confident in their ability to provide unparalleled digital experiences to their customers.

New Anderson Cooper Program Sees Early Ratings Struggles

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New Anderson Cooper Program Sees Early Ratings Struggles

For the week ending Apr. 16, it was a tale of two shows, both distinct and notable. One topped the ratings charts despite, as we now know, it soon being in its final days, and, the other — the debut weekend show for Anderson Cooper on CNN — was already off to an inauspicious start.

The Apr. 11 edition of Fox News Channel’s now-defunct Tucker Carlson Tonight featured an interview with Donald Trump, his first since being indicted on 34 felony counts of business fraud from New York City.

Although observers criticized Carlson for leaving his interview subject unchallenged throughout, the hour was cable’s most-watched non-sports telecast of the week (its viewer figures in the rankings at the end of this article); with sports included, ranked fourth on cable overall.

For Apr. 10-14, Carlson averaged 3.39 million total viewers including 419,000 within the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research — its figures FNC hopes to either return to or come close to for its next 8 p.m. successor.

On the opposite end of the ratings spectrum, CNN’s debut The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper from Apr. 16 garnered just 496,000 viewers and 85,000 adults 25-54. In the first edition, Cooper chronicled the treks of migrants on their trails to America.

Within that Sunday 8-9 p.m. hour, it trailed both FNC’s Life, Liberty and Levin (1.389 million) and MSNBC’s The Mehdi Hasan Show (555,000) in total viewers; and, trailed only FNC (99,000) in adults 25-54.

CNN will continue its prime-time pursuits as their upcoming weekly program King Charles hosted by CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King and Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley (officially announced on Apr. 22) will arrive on the network later this year.

Cable news averages for April 10-16, 2023:

Total Day (Apr. 10-16 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.330 million viewers; 166,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.798 million viewers; 98,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.449 million viewers; 97,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.116 million viewers; 29,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.109 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.097 million viewers; 23,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.096 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.078 million viewers; 13,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (Apr. 10-15 @ 8-11 p.m.; Apr. 16 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.123 million viewers; 240,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.289 million viewers; 139,000 adults 25-54 
  • CNN: 0.524 million viewers; 123,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.168 million viewers; 47,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.119 million viewers; 13,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.099 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.095 million viewers; 17,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.078 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.051 million viewers; 8,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.712 million viewers

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.606 million viewers

3. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.166 million viewers

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.146 million viewers

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.094 million viewers

6. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.025 million viewers

7. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.997 million viewers

8. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.992 million viewers

9. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 4/14/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.893 million viewers

10. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.705 million viewers

17. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.427 million viewers

170. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.854 million viewers

174. Real Time with Bill Maher “Episode 631” (HBO, Fri. 4/14/2023 10:01 PM, 59 min.) 0.835 million viewers

309. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/16/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.500 million viewers

394. Varney & Company (FBN, Wed. 4/12/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.348 million viewers

409. Carl Higbie Frontline (NMX, Fri. 4/14/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.311 million viewers

459. Fast Money Halftime Report (CNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.234 million viewers

469. Forensic Files (HLN, late Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.223 million viewers

475. Highway Thru Hell “(1113) Far And Wide” (TWC, Sun. 4/16/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.218 million viewers

595. Cuomo (NWSN, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.158 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and the top  programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.471 million adults 25-54

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.438 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.438 million adults 25-54

4. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.384 million adults 25-54

5. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.376 million adults 25-54

6. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.335 million adults 25-54

7. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.328 million adults 25-54

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.327 million adults 25-54

9. Gutfeld! (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.319 million adults 25-54

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.319 million adults 25-54

20. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.277 million adults 25-54

43. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.219 million adults 25-54

113. Real Time With Bill Maher “Episode 631” (HBO, Fri. 4/14/2023 10:01 PM, 59 min.) 0.163 million adults 25-54

182. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/16/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.126 million adults 25-54

388. Squawk on the Street (CNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 AM, 180 min.) 0.062 million adults 25-54

397. Forensic Files (HLN, late Tue. 4/11/2023 2:30 AM, 30 min.) 0.058 million adults 25-54

440. Highway Thru Hell “(1111) Get Er Done” (TWC, Wed. 4/12/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.048 million adults 25-54

516. Cuomo (NWSN, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.036 million adults 25-54

608. Mornings with Maria Bartiromo (FBN, Fri. 4/14/2023 8:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.027 million adults 25-54

649. Eric Bolling The Balance (NMX, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.024 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

TSN 1050 Afternoon Host Jeff O’Neill on Leave, But Station Won’t Say Why

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TSN 1050 Afternoon Host Jeff O’Neill on Leave, But Station Won’t Say Why

In one of the most pivotal times in recent Toronto Maple Leafs history, fans tuning in to TSN 1050 this week hoping to hear from afternoon host Jeff O’Neill were surprised to learn that he was still absent.

O’Neill has been missing from his seat on OverDrive since sometime last week. Co-host Bryan Hayes has assured listeners that O’Neill is fine, but neither he nor parent company Bell Media would give a reason why Jeff has been placed on leave.

“The ODog is on leave right now,” said Hayes on Monday according to The Athletic. “He’s OK. He’s getting messages from people. He’s seeing all this kind of stuff. But that’s as far as we can go. That’s what we’re going to leave it at – that the ODog is on leave.”

O’Neill, Hayes and Jamie McLennan comprise the most popular sports radio show in Toronto. O’Neill has been contributing to coverage of the Maple Leafs since 2013.

Jeff grew up in a Toronto suburb and eventually lived out his dream of suiting up for his hometown team. He scored 237 goals over 11 seasons in the NHL, the final two were for the Leafs.

Jared Carrabis: I am Judged More Fairly Since Leaving Barstool

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Jared Carrabis has learned to stand on his own since leaving Barstool last year. Carrabis joined forces with DraftKings to launch the Baseball is Dead podcast.

In an interview with Jessica Kleinschmidt on the Short & To The Point podcast, Carrabis said he’s ditched the mindset of being a cog in the machine like he felt a lot of the folks on the content side at Barstool had.

“Are you a product of the company or are you a product of your hard work? And I think it’s a combination of both,” he said of what he’s been able to achieve in this new venture. “I know that Barstool helped me a ton. But there are definitely examples of people who go there and work there and move on and you never hear from them again.”

Jared also felt like it was important he break free from the shadow of Barstool founder Dave Portnoy. Portnoy has built Barstool into the behemoth it is today, but Carrabis felt like he was judged for working at Barstool because of some of the controversies Dave has found himself in over the years.

“That always bothered me, where people wouldn’t give me a chance because of things that were said or done by other people,” he said. “That’s not fair.”

Carrabis added that being independent he has more control over his perceived reputation.

“Now I have the opportunity to be judged based on what I do and what I say, versus what other people do and say,” he said.

“Admittedly, it would bother me when people were like, ‘Oh, you’re Dave’s bitch’ and ‘You’d be nothing without, without Dave,’” Carrabis added. “In my head I’m thinking, ‘That’s not true!’ But I can’t prove it, how do I prove that?”

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