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Mark Simone: No One in Their Right Mind Would Want to be CEO of CNN

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There has been a noticeable lack of speculation on who potential candidates are to replace former CNN CEO Chris Licht. 710 WOR host Mark Simone believes there’s a reason for that.

During The Mark Simone Show Friday, the Radio Hall of Fame nominee first claimed that scuttlebutt surrounding a potential sale from Warner Bros. Discovery of the venerable news brand simply isn’t likely.

“There’s talk about CNN. Somebody could buy it. Nobody’s gonna buy it. Nobody,” said Simone. “First of all, it’s not for sale. Second of all, as everybody’s pointing out, you would have to clean out a rat’s nest of dirty corruption within CNN. Partisan, hyper-partisan, fake news. You watch CNN and you see a bunch of anchors on TV. That’s just what you’re seeing.

“Behind that is a massive infrastructure tens of thousands of people. Infrastructure, newsroom, all that stuff filled with the worst fake news vipers in the world. You’d have to clean all that out. You have to go in there and you’d have to fire thousands of people.”

Simone then aired his belief that CNN is having trouble finding a potential new CEO because of the tenure of Chris Licht. He argued that the “infection” inside the company was too much to overcome, and a business-savvy candidate would balk at the opportunity to lead the brand.

“People they’re saying the inmates are running the asylum again…It’s just a horrifying situation. They’re not going to find somebody else to take over CNN. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would want this job. There’s rumors that they may just take one of those ex-CBS News presidents or one of them. So that would mean not much change.”

Gregg Giannotti: Evan Roberts ‘Deserves Top Billing’ On Next Show

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Things quickly went from rumors to confirmed on Thursday after Andrew Marchand reported that Craig Carton was leaving WFAN to make FS1 his sole professional endeavor. Friday morning on Boomer & Gio, it was revealed that the WFAN staff knew this was coming for a while.

Boomer Esiason described his former partner’s schedule as “burning the candle at both ends” as he tried to balance morning television and afternoon radio. He revealed that the moment Carton told him about the FS1 show, he questioned for how long Carton could keep up the schedule. He also said Audacy New York Market Manager Chris Oliviero knew Carton choosing TV over radio was a possibility.

“This was a huge opportunity for him, and as much as he loves WFAN, he had to take it,” Gregg Giannotti said. “I think all of us would probably have done the same thing as much as we love this place.”

The conversation then turned to what comes next for the radio station. Gio acknowledged that even if he and Boomer know more than what is being reported, they are not saying anything until the station is ready to make the announcement. All that is currently known is that Evan Roberts will remain in afternoon drive.

“How do you think Evan feels about all this?” Giannotti asked. “You think that he’s disappointed that Craig is leaving, or is he thinking like, ‘All right, now I get a chance, my name will be first!’?”

Tiki Barber and Jerry Ferrara have both been mentioned as potential replacements for Carton. Esiason tried combinations of their names with Roberts’s. He said that the name of the show will come down to what combination of the hosts’ names sound best. Giannotti disagreed.

‘No, Evan’s going to get, he should get, top billing.”

Esiason protested the idea that top billing exists. In his mind, the show’s name is the show’s name. He claims that he does not view himself as the star of Boomer & Gio. They are equals and that is the name of their show.

Gio said there is plenty of evidence that most people do not feel that way, particularly on the television simulcast of their show, which airs on CBS Sports Network. Their names are vastly different sizes on the network logo.

“Our little robot CBS Sports Network thing, I mean, you are in like this gigantic spaceship and I’m basically in an eggshell,” he said.

Gary Myers was the first to report that Tiki Barber will be the new afternoon co-host. The station has not commented. Ferrara took to Twitter on Friday morning saying that he will address the WFAN rumors soon.

Sid Rosenberg: I Was Looking at Wrong Screen During Fox News Interview

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77 WABC morning host Sid Rosenberg appeared on Fox News Tonight with Brian Kilmeade Wednesday and took listeners behind the scenes Friday morning.

Kilmeade made an appearance on Sid and Friends in the Morning before his own show began on the New York news/talk station, and discussed the interview with Rosenberg.

“You promised me last week. ‘Hey, listen, I’m doing the 8:00 PM show next week and we got to get you on’. And you’re a man of your word. You really are and you put me on this week. It was Wednesday night. And it turns out that because I moved back to Queens, so you guys send this van which has a studio inside the van. And it was great,” Rosenberg revealed.

“It pulls up right in front of my house. I walked outside, sat in a chair, and had the New York skyline behind me. And the next thing you know, I’m on with Brian Kilmeade on Fox News.”

Rosenberg then joked that not everything was as successful as the setup.

“They didn’t tell me there are two screens,” said Rosenberg. “And I’m looking at the screen where I’m on looking at myself and I got a text from Dr. Marc Siegel. He goes ‘Is there something wrong with your eyes?’ I go ‘What are you talking about? I’m on the air. What are you talking about?’ I was looking at the wrong screen! So for about the first 30 seconds, my eyes were closed. But it was a great segment with you.”

Kilmeade welcomed Rosenberg to Fox News Tonight to discuss the recent indictment of Daniel Penny in the New York subway death of Jordan Neely earlier this year.

Dan Le Batard: Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon ‘Are Above Cuts’ at ESPN

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Layoffs and job cuts at ESPN and across the Walt Disney Company are far from over. According to Dan Le Batard though, there are two employees of the network that should consider themselves safe. 

Michael Wilbon was a guest this week on Le Batard’s South Beach Sessions podcast. In the course of praising the kindness and mentorship he received from Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, Le Batard put their place in the ESPN pantheon in perspective.

“You had a seminal program that somehow still exists, okay?” he said in reference to the duo’s show, Pardon the Interruption. “That has made its way through the labyrinth of all ESPN things, isn’t subject to cuts, because you guys are now above cuts, like you’ve got seniority.”

Whether or not that is true, Wilbon was certainly happy to hear that said out loud.

“I’ve got a kid in high school. I need to be above cuts.”

PTI debuted in October of 2001. It quickly became a model for studio programming at ESPN. It also led to more opportunities for Wilbon, including a regular role on NBA Countdown, and Kornheiser, including a brief stint in the Monday Night Football booth.

The show also led to a deeper relationship between ESPN and producer Erik Rydholm. He would go on to develop Around the Horn, Highly Questionable and the television simulcast of ESPN Radio’s The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz for the network. 

The latter two starred Le Batard. He gave Wilbon and Kornheiser credit for preparing him for those opportunities by giving him a platform on PTI very early in the show’s tenure.

“You are tenured at what it is that you do and from the very beginning, you shared that with me, and you didn’t have to.”

Le Batard has been doling out praise to several former ESPN colleagues lately. In recent weeks, he gushed over Mike Breen and Mina Kimes on recent episodes of South Beach Sessions. Earlier this week, he told Scott Van Pelt that the SportsCenter anchor always puts a smile on Le Batard’s face when he is on television.

Tucker Carlson: ‘The Women Who Run’ Fox News ‘Panicked’ Over Controversial Graphic

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Earlier this week, Fox News displayed a graphic at the end of Fox News Tonight that called President Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator”. Former network host Tucker Carlson has lambasted the network for its walk-back of the opinion.

After the arrest and arraignment of Donald Trump Tuesday, the former president was about to begin a speech to supporters. Simultaneously, Joe Biden was scheduled to speak. The network showed both figures, before a Fox News Alert that read “Wannabe Dictator Speaks at the White House After Having His Political Rival Arrested”. It was quickly taken down before Hannity began.

During the latest edition of Tucker on Twitter, the former Fox News host claimed the producer — now identified as Alexander McCaskill — has departed the company over the incident, before taking aim at his former employer.

“Those words were up for less than 30 seconds, but the effect was immediate. Inside Fox, the women who run the network panicked,” said Carlson. “First, they scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen. Less than 24 hours after that, he resigned. He’d been at Fox for more than a decade. He was considered one of the most capable people in the building. He offered to stay for the customary two weeks, but Fox told him to clear out his desk and leave immediately.

“Then the company issued a public apology for the 27-second long ‘wannabe dictator’ line. ‘The chyron was taken down immediately,’ Fox’s PR department said and then added ominously, it was ‘addressed’. That was all true, but it was not enough to save Fox News from the ensuing scandal.”

Carlson continued by alleging a double standard in coverage of the current President.

“If some cable news producer had called Joe Biden a genius or accused him of being secretly Sudanese, would anyone be yelling about it? Would Fox News have apologized for it? Probably not. But calling Joe Biden a wannabe dictator, that stung,” concluded Carlson.

The anger from Carlson towards his former network comes after he was reportedly given a cease and desist letter from Fox News in an attempt to end his Tucker on Twitter series. Fox News contends it holds the rights to Carlson’s video projects, while he alleges his social media activities are protected under the First Amendment.

Edmonton Elks to Celebrate TSN 1260 With Fan Event on June 25

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TSN 1260 did not get a proper send-off, so the CFL is stepping in to give Edmonton sports fans proper closure. 

On Thursday, the Edmonton Elks announced a proper send-off for their local sports station. The team will host a “Thanks 1260” event. The team has reserved a section of Commonwealth Stadium for the celebration on June 25 when the team hosts the Toronto Argonauts.

“How do we say thank you for 2+ decades of sports talk radio on AM 1260? Like this,” Elks team president Victor Cui tweeted.

Fans will pay $12.60 to get into the game. The Elks are encouraging everyone seated in the section to share stories and memories about TSN 1260. Multiple hosts from the station will be on hand and seated in the section to interact with fans as well.

Bell Media abruptly ceased operations at six stations across Canada on Wednesday. As a result, TSN 1260 came to an end without warning. 

Fox News Reportedly Nearing Settlement With Former Producer Abby Grossberg

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Fox News is reportedly nearing a settlement with former producer Abby Grossberg after she claimed she was subjected to a toxic culture in a lawsuit earlier this year.

CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy claimed the network was “on the verge” of a settlement with Grossberg in his Reliable Sources newsletter. He did note that “last-minute hiccups are always possible”.

Grossberg worked as a producer for Maria Bartiromo before moving to Tucker Carlson Tonight. During her time working for the primetime program, she alleges she was subjected to sexist, racist, and anti-Semitic remarks from colleagues.

She also claims she and Bartiromo were being positioned to take blame for repeated false claims aired by Fox News that were uncovered during the Dominion Voting Systems scandal.

The former Fox News producer has previously stated in interviews that the workplace culture at the network ultimately led her to consider suicide.

“I reached a breaking point where the harassment was so bad that I called a crisis line,” Grossberg said in a March interview with NBC News. “I thought I could just walk in front of a car and I wouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.”

Darcy did not disclose what a potential settlement figure would be, but did add that the number is likely to eventually become public due to New York state laws that hinder companies’ abilities to keep sexual harassment settlement figures undisclosed.

Fox News Producer Responsible For Graphic Calling Biden ‘Wannabe Dictator’ Exits

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The Fox News producer who utilized a graphic calling President Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” has exited the cable network.

A report from The Daily Beast claims that Alexander McCaskill has departed after a long tenure. He was previously the managing editor of Tucker Carlson Tonight before the host’s high-profile April exit from the network.

Carlson addressed McCaskill’s departure during the latest installment of his Tucker on Twitter series.

“First they scolded the producer who put the banner on the screen,” alleged Carlson. “Less than 24 hours after that, he resigned. He had been at Fox for more than a decade. He was considered one of the most capable people in the building. He offered to stay for the customary two weeks, but Fox told him to clear out his desk and leave immediately.”

Fox News addressed the situation earlier this week, stating “The chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed”.

Vic Lombardi on Backlash from Lakers Fans: ‘I Consider it a Compliment’

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Vic Lombardi stands by his introduction of Michael Malone at the Denver Nuggets’ championship celebration. The Altitude Sports Radio morning man went viral for how he brought the head coach to the podium to address the crowd.

“He came into this world as the son of a coach, but in these playoffs, he became the Lakers’ daddy,” Lombardi said to roaring cheers from the crowd.

Denver’s path to its first NBA title went through Los Angeles. The Nuggets easily dispatched the Lakers by sweeping the Western Conference Finals.

Lombardi, who had been making content out of the national media’s perceived disrespect of the eventual champions for the entire postseason, finally got the chance to look at his Twitter account after a day of celebrating. He saw a number of Laker fans in his mentions. Their comments ranged from profanity to insisting that they do not care about this year’s NBA Finals.

Vic Lombardi got in the last word. As a Denver native and part of the Nuggets’ television crew, he is making no apologies.

Prior to the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Lakers had been responsible for the Nuggets’ elimination every time they met in the postseason. Most recently, it was the Lakers taking down the Nuggets on route to their last championship in 2020.

Denver was ready to party on Thursday. The mayor estimates that between 700,000 and 1 million people came out to watch the parade and championship celebration.

Clay Travis: Washington Post Buries Stories That ‘Don’t Fit the Narrative’

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OutKick founder Clay Travis criticized the subscription model at The Washington Post during an appearance on Fox News Wednesday. Travis noted that the paper has engaged in biased coverage of former President Donald while misleading its readers with numerous falsities.

“The subscription business demands that they satisfy the farthest and most left-wing of their subscribers,” said Travis. “That’s why they’re not covering Joe Biden and the Biden crime family; that’s why they’re not covering the fact that they had the Hunter Biden laptop since December of 2019.”

On Tuesday, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to federal accusations of unlawfully possessing and concealing classified documents within his residence in Florida.

“The Washington Post is an embarrassment; they haven’t returned any of their Russia Collusion Pulitzers, have they? It’s just a joke. It’s as if these stories, when they don’t fit the preconceived narrative, cease to exist, which is one of the big problems with our media now.”

Travis asserted that journalism is inundated with people who would instead enforce narratives than report facts.

“That’s what The Washington Post is at the absolute of,” he said.

Travis added that the debacle at the White House involving transgender people flashing their breasts at President Joe Biden was not covered by the mainstream media. He said that the White House rebuked the actions of the individuals, but the condemnation comes as children are exposed to inappropriate things in public schools.