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Mel Kiper Jr: ‘If You Want Comedy, It’s Not Me’

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If there was one name that has become synonymous with NFL Draft coverage over the years, it is ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who has been a part of ESPN’s draft coverage since 1984. Most NFL fans look forward to seeing where he has players on his mock drafts, but Kiper Jr. takes more pride in where he ranks the players.

Kiper Jr. was a guest on the Rise And Schein podcast this week and he said that whenever he does analysis, he thinks as if he were running a 33rd team in the NFL.

“I just always try to be that 33rd team. Just giving an independent opinion on every player, what teams needed, what they were going to do, and just let the chips fall where they may. I always take great pride in rankings. Everybody gets into mock drafts, but how do you rate the players? Who are your guys that you rate a little higher in the league or you don’t rate quite as high? Those are what I always gravitated to.”

In this era of social media, Kiper Jr. told Schein that he tries not to worry about what the critics say about him and remembers in the early years of his draft coverage that people would say that he never smiled when he was on TV. To him, providing the information and giving his opinions are the most important things.

“I think just being who you are and don’t worry about all the critics and all the negativity and all the hate that’s going to be out there. I remember in the early years it was just being business-like. I always took it seriously. ‘He never smiles’. If you want comedy, it’s not me. I’m going to give you football information, I’m going to give you my opinions right or wrong, and I’m going to give them to you strongly and honestly. I don’t know how it came across, but I was just giving my opinion and I gave them decisively and strongly.”

Kiper Jr. will be a part of his 40th NFL Draft for ESPN when the event begins in Kansas City on April 27. He will be on the broadcast along with Mike Greenberg, Booger McFarland, and Louis Riddick. 

Ted Leonsis Offered to Buy MASN As Part of Washington Nationals Bid

BSM Staff
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Ted Leonsis Offered to Buy MASN As Part of Washington Nationals Bid

Ted Leonsis has invested heavily into the regional sports network model that many view as crumbling, and a recent report claims the Washington Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics owner was looking to nab another RSN in the process of acquiring another team.

Late last year, Leonsis offered to purchase the Washington Nationals for $2 billion. The Lerner Family announced they were exploring a sale of the Major League Baseball franchise last year before patriarch Ted died at the age of 97 in February. After his death, many remain interested in what the next step is for a potential sale. Five separate entities had reportedly met with the family before Ted Lerner’s passing.

A report from The Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes says that Leonsis “also expressed interest in buying MASN late last year, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation”. Those same sources also told Janes that the network “was not for sale”. She added that a MASN spokesman “did not reply to a request to comment”.

Leonsis was hoping to add the Orioles’ television rights to his network with the aim of creating a “D.C. area super network”, the report continued.

In an agreement to allow the Nationals to move to Washington D.C. in 2005, the Baltimore Orioles were awarded the local television rights to the Nationals in perpetuity. In return, the Orioles are required to pay the Nationals “fair market value” for the television rights, with that value being reassessed every five years. The meetings have been quite contentious, with the current squabble between the two clubs landing in a New York state court.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment — the company owned by Leonsis — completed a full takeover of the NBC Sports Washington regional sports network from NBCUniversal last September. The company had previously owned a 33% stake in the cable channel but purchased the remainder of the company to unify its television rights for the professional sports teams it currently owns.

A rebrand from the current NBC Sports Washington branding is expected before next season’s NBA and NHL campaigns kick off.

NBC Sports Boston Won’t Use Traditional Play-by-Play Crew For Celtics Playoff Games

BSM Staff
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NBC Sports Boston Won’t Use Traditional Play-by-Play Crew For Celtics Playoff Games

A convergence of differing schedules and bad luck have led NBC Sports Boston to have no play-by-play announcers available for games three and four of the Boston Celtics first round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Mike Gorman — the Celtics television voice — recently had surgery to repair a detached retina in his eye. He has yet to be cleared for air travel, and will not be accompanying the team to Atlanta.

The Celtics radio voice, Sean Grande, has routinely filled in for Gorman on the television broadcast. However, Grande is scheduled to announce a Bellator MMA card on Showtime, and isn’t available to fill in. Jon Wallach will call the radio broadcast in Grande’s stead.

So with no available play-by-play broadcaster, the television broadcast will pair Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House, according to the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn.

Scalabrine works as the regular color commentator for NBC Sports Boston, while House has worked as a studio analyst for the network’s Celtics coverage.

Both games will also be available to a national television audience. Game three is scheduled to air on ESPN Friday night, while the fourth game of the series will air on TNT Sunday.

ESPN Drops New 30 For 30 Podcast on Adidas College Basketball Scandal

BSM Staff
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ESPN Drops New 30 For 30 Podcast on Adidas College Basketball Scandal

Another season of ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast is out now. The four-episode series is titled The Bag Game and is hosted by Paula Lavigne.

The Bag Game tells the story of Billy Preston, a 5-star basketball prospect whose recruitment to the University of Kansas was part of the criminal case that landed three people in jail in 2018. Adidas was at the center of the scandal, using money and gifts to influence families and players into signing with their affiliated schools.

While Kansas head coach Bill Self ended up serving a suspension and coaches at other schools lost their jobs, none went to jail.

“The Bag Game is the first in-depth look at how this investigation affected the athletes themselves and how players like Billy Preston got caught in the crosshairs of a controversial system, and it offers a rare insight from federal prosecutors as they explain why they went after the people they did and – more vital for many critics – why they didn’t pursue others,” Lavigne said in a press release.

ESPN debuted podcasts under the 30 for 30 brand in 2017. The series began telling a single story over the course of multiple episodes in season 3 with Bikram. Season 5, The Sterling Affiars, is being developed into a limited series starring Ed O’Neil and Laurence Fishburne and is set to air on FX later this year.

Brian Stelter: CNN Investors Wanted Us to Be More Like Fox News

BNM Staff
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Former CNN Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter was hired by Vanity Fair to cover the defamation lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, but unfortunately for the former host, the case was settled Tuesday.

However, Stelter was the subject of several interviews about the topic Tuesday, and was on Dan Abrams Live when he was asked about his high-profile exit from the network.

After the NewsNation host said Stelter was “pushed out” of the network, the former CNN host said he has “embraced” the word “fired”, before saying he was unsure why he was let go.

“I really, truly don’t know,” Stelter said. “I know I had a popular show by CNN standards and I know that it was pretty cheap to produce. But I also know every show gets canceled eventually.”

Reports at the time of Stelter’s firing claimed that new CNN CEO Chris Licht wanted to rid the network of hyper-partisan hosts, reporters, and contributors. The network also fired White House correspondent John Harwood around the same time as Stelter.

Stelter then argued that Fox News “really enjoyed making me a target”, and believes that led to his demise at CNN.

At the time, billionaire John Malone — one of the largest shareholders in Warner Bros. Discovery — claimed he wanted to see CNN “evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with and actually have journalists”, but Stelter said that wasn’t Malone’s actual aim.

“No, not at all,” said Stelter. “I think we were reporting what was going on. Malone was saying CNN should be more like Fox. And I think we see today more than ever before what Fox actually is.”

Brian Mayfield Retiring From Ramsey Solutions

BNM Staff
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Brian Mayfield Retiring From Ramsey Solutions

Ramsey Solutions Executive Vice President of Strategic Alliances Brian Mayfield has retired after a 15-year run with the company.

Mayfield worked as the Executive Vice President of the Ramsey network for five years before leading the company’s national advertising sales efforts.

“It has been an honor to work alongside Dave and the rest of the team,” said Mayfield. “I am very proud of the success we have seen to date, but I am even more excited to watch and experience the success of Ramsey Network into the future as a fan. We are sometimes faced with situations that dictate change, I’m embracing mine and looking forward to quality time with my wife and family — I’m truly blessed.”

Under Mayfield’s leadership, The Ramsey Show grew to become the second-largest syndicated talk radio program in the nation.

“Over the last 15 years, Brian Mayfield has truly become one of the top talk radio executives in the nation and a good friend while he has been with Ramsey Solutions,” said Ramsey. “His early retirement is a loss for all of us at Ramsey and the industry.”

SportsGrid Adds Brian Angiolet As Strategic Advisor

BSM Staff
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SportsGrid Adds Brian Angiolet As Strategic Advisor

Brian Angiolet has the kind of track record that is valuable to a company like SportsGrid. That is why the two sides are now in business together. SportsGrid announced this week that Angiolet will serve as a strategic advisor to the company. 

Angiolet thinks he can build more robust content for SportsGrid. His first project will be a show similar to SportsCenter for the network. He also aims to move its sports coverage beyond just betting.

His focus will be digital. Angiolet wants to grow the company’s presence on YouTube and expects to get SportsGrid into the podcasting world.

“The worlds of media, sports, and gaming are at a crucial inflection point in terms of growth and rationalizing a profitable business model that scales. Brian brings invaluable experience to SportsGrid,” SportsGrid president and co-founder Louis Maione told Broadcasting & Cable.

“His extensive operating experience across every dimension of the media ecosystem, and his strategic vision and leadership building, buying, partnering, and negotiating massive deals will help us build upon our category lead and expand our offering to fans of sports, gaming, and competition.” 

Prior to signing up with SportsGrid, Brian Angiolet served as the Chief Media Officer at DraftKings. He also worked at Verizon, serving as the Chief Content Officer and Chief Business Officer.

Chris Stirewalt: ‘Who Gets Fired’ At Fox News?

BNM Staff
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After Fox News settled its defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems, former network political editor Chris Stirewalt openly questioned who would get the axe from the conservative cable channel.

During an interview with Semafor’s Max Tani after the settlement was announced, Stirewalt wondered what the next steps were for Fox News.

“The part that I’m interested in seeing is: What does the apology sound like? Who gets fired? What are the consequences inside the company?” Stirewalt asked. “It will be interesting to see what new approach they take.”

Stirewalt exited the company after he was part of the network’s decision desk team that projected now President Joe Biden had won the state of Arizona on election night 2020. The call, which was ultimately correct, was viewed as premature by other news networks and was wildly unpopular in conservative circles, as well as then President Trump’s inner circle.

Fox News has maintained Stirewalt was not fired, but was reassigned inside the organization as part of a “restructuring” that also saw Washington Bureau Chief Bill Sammon “retire”.

However, messages sent between Fox News executives and Rupert Murdoch — uncovered during Dominion’s evidence-gathering phase — appear to show the network did in fact fire Sammon and Stirewalt for their roles in calling Arizona for Biden.

Stirewalt — author of the book Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back — had previously shared that it “felt good to be vindicated” after the messages were revealed. He added that he and Sammon knew they were “isolated” inside the company, but the documents proved his feelings correct.

Bill O’Reilly: Fox News Has Changed Since I Left

BNM Staff
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Yesterday, Fox News settled its defamation lawsuit brought forth by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, closing the door on a long-running series of hits for the network. Former network star Bill O’Reilly said the settlement is the cost of the network changing its approach.

In a statement posted to his website, O’Reilly noted that Fox News is still in a precarious legal position with the Smartmatic Company and could still be sued by shareholders to determine whether executives at the organization acted with enough malice to alter the share price of the company’s stock.

“This is what happens when money becomes more important than honest information. Since I left FNC, the template changed from ‘Fair and Balanced’ to ‘Tell the audience what it wants to hear’,” wrote O’Reilly. “And millions of Trump voters, to this day, want to believe the 2020 election was rigged.

“That opinion can certainly be presented if you provide a counter opinion – equal time. However, once the facts begin to overwhelm any point of view, a news agency has an obligation to say that.”

O’Reilly then noted that he examined claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election and found that “no federal court would accept” the allegations.

“When I stated that opinion to my audience, I lost more than one thousand premium members. So be it,” O’Reilly said. “I did my job. Money is not the motivating force in this operation.”

Donald Trump Indictment More Than Doubles Audiences For CNN, MSNBC

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Donald Trump Indictment More Than Doubles Audiences For CNN, MSNBC

It was the long-awaited decision that finally arrived on Thursday, March 30: the indictment of Donald Trump by a New York City grand jury.

The news story of the charges against the former President — the first POTUS in U.S. history to be officially criminally charged — who allegedly paid hush money to former porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election broke at 6:00 PM Eastern that night.

Although this occurred near the time that the broadcast network evening news programs would begin airing, the Mar. 30 editions of ABC’s World News Tonight (7.74 million total viewers/1.17 million adults 25-54), NBC Nightly News (6.48 million total viewers/1.00 million adults 25-54) and the CBS Evening News (4.50 million total viewers/658,000 adults 25-54) all combined to 18.71 million total viewers including 2.83 million within the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That marked the lowest combined figures of the week (Mar. 27-31). For Monday, Mar. 27 thru Friday, Mar. 31, they combined to average 19.7 million viewers (3.1 million adults 25-54).

Data showed that cable news picked up the viewer gains that the broadcast networks had lost. Every outlet experienced significant percentage boosts from their respective prior Thursday (Mar. 23) time slot returns:

Fox News Channel

  • Special Report with Bret Baier (6-7 p.m.): 3.033 million viewers (+56%); 357,000 adults 25-54 (+78%)
  • Jesse Watters Primetime (7-8 p.m.): 3.161 million viewers (+36%); 341,000 adults 25-54 (+43%)
  • Tucker Carlson Tonight (8-9 p.m.): 4.188 million viewers (+41%); 555,000 adults 25-54 (+59%)
  • Hannity (9-10 p.m.): 3.480 million viewers (+52%); 503,000 adults 25-54 (+125%)
  • The Ingraham Angle (10-11 p.m.): 2.653 million viewers (+41%) viewers; 393,000 adults 25-54 (+85%)

MSNBC

  • The Beat with Ari Melber (6-7 p.m.): 2.297 million viewers (+61%); 279,000 adults 25-54 (+107%)
  • The Reidout (7-8 p.m.): 2.185 million viewers (+86%); 301,000 adults 25-54 (+159%)
  • All In with Chris Hayes (8-9 p.m.): 2.412 million viewers (+99%); 328,000 adults 25-54 (+162%)
  • Rachel Maddow Show (9-10 p.m.): 2.916 million viewers (+117%); 387,000 adults 25-54 (+210%)
  • Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (10-11 p.m.): 2.435 million viewers (+63%) viewers; 277,000 adults 25-54 (+147%)

CNN

  • The Situation Room (6-7 p.m.): 1.224 million viewers (+148%); 261,000 adults 25-54 (+203%)
  • Erin Burnett Outfront (7-8 p.m.): 1.521 million viewers (+152%); 353,000 adults 25-54 (+233%)
  • Anderson Cooper 360 (8-9 p.m.): 1.428 million viewers (+146%); 398,000 adults 25-54 (+438%)
  • Special: Donald Trump Indictment (9-10 p.m.): 1.210 million viewers (+195%); 325,000 adults 25-54 (+246%)
  • Special: Donald Trump Indictment (10-11 p.m.): 1.107 million viewers (+161%) viewers; 275,000 adults 25-54 (+143%)

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to breaking news of this nature, CNN more than doubled in all key figures for its immediate hours, with the biggest demo increase for Anderson Cooper 360 in the 8-9 p.m. hour which saw its 25-54 demo quintuple from Mar. 23.

MSNBC’s early evening and primetime programs also all saw its 25-54 demos grow by more than double. Compared to Alex Wagner Tonight from Mar. 23 at 9-10 p.m., a special Mar. 30 edition of The Rachel Maddow Show at 9-10 p.m. drew more than double the total audience and more than triple of its key 25-54 demo.

Even the lineups of Newsmax and the nascent news outlet NewsNation got sizable increases:

Newsmax

  • The Record with Greta Van Susteren (6-7 p.m.): 300,000 viewers (+89%); 35,000 adults 25-54 (+150%)
  • Rob Schmitt Tonight (7-8 p.m.): 415,000 viewers (+70%); 48,000 adults 25-54 (+92%)
  • Eric Bolling The Balance (8-9 p.m.): 307,000 viewers (+45%); 43,000 adults 25-54 (+105%)
  • Prime News (9-10 p.m.): 170,000 viewers (+5%); 34,000 adults 25-54 (+55%)
  • Greg Kelly Reports (10-11 p.m.): 218,000 viewers (+76%) viewers; 33,000 adults 25-54 (+175%)

NewsNation

  • Cuomo (8-10 p.m.): 166,000 viewers (+54%); 26,000 adults 25-54 (+16%)
  • Banfield (10-11 p.m.): 115,000 viewers (+17%); 22,000 adults 25-54 (-18%)

Cable news averages for March 27-April 2, 2023:

Total Day (Mar. 27-Apr. 2 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.409 million viewers; 179,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.877 million viewers; 110,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.510 million viewers; 109,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.128 million viewers; 41,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.118 million viewers; 19,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.108 million viewers; 24,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.106 million viewers; 10,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.105 million viewers; 10,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (Mar. 27-Apr. 1 @ 8-11 p.m.; Apr. 2 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.324 million viewers; 283,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.459 million viewers; 172,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.623 million viewers; 149,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.158 million viewers; 47,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.150 million viewers; 48,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.138 million viewers; 23,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.132 million viewers; 14,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.098 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.046 million viewers; 5,000 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, Thu. 3/30/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 4.188 million viewers

2. Special Report/Nashville Shooting-Police (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:17 PM, 9 min.) 3.899 million viewers

3. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:26 PM, 34 min.) 3.780 million viewers

4. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:00 PM, 17 min.) 3.536 million viewers

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 3/30/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.480 million viewers

6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.342 million viewers

7. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 3/28/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.329 million viewers

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 3/29/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.175 million viewers

9. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Thu. 3/30/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.161 million viewers

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 3/28/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.087 million viewers

16. Rachel Maddow Show “SDNY Indicts Trump” (MSNBC, Thu. 3/30/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.916 million viewers

81. Erin Burnett Outfront “Donald Trump Indictment” (CNN, Thu. 3/30/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.521 million viewers

193. Real Time With Bill Maher “Episode 630” (HBO, Fri. 3/31/2023 10:00 PM, 58 min.) 0.813 million viewers

349. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/2/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.470 million viewers

366. The Daily Show “Mar 28, 23 – John Leguizamo” (CMDY, Tue. 3/28/2023 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.440 million viewers

360. Storm Center (TWC, Fri. 3/31/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.448 million viewers

425. Varney & Company (FBN, Mon. 3/27/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.309 million viewers

432. Forensic Files (HLN, late Tue. 3/28/2023 1:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.303 million viewers

484. Fast Money Halftime Report (CNBC, Thu. 3/30/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.259 million viewers

662. Cuomo “Trump NYC Indictment” (NWSN, Thu. 3/30/2023 8:00 PM, 120 min.) 0.166 million viewers

714. Tooning Out The News “Episode 119” (CMDY, Wed. 3/29/2023 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.145 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, Thu. 3/30/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.555 million adults 25-54

2. Special Report/Nashville Shooting-Police (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:17 PM, 9 min.) 0.505 million adults 25-54

3. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 3/30/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.503 million adults 25-54

4. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:26 PM, 34 min.) 0.466 million adults 25-54

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.441 million adults 25-54

6. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 3/27/2023 5:00 PM, 17 min.) 0.427 million adults 25-54

7. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 3/29/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.424 million adults 25-54

8. Anderson Cooper 360 “Donald Trump Indictment” (CNN, Thu. 3/30/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.398 million adults 25-54

9. The Ingraham Angle (FOXNC, Thu. 3/30/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.393 million adults 25-54

10. Rachel Maddow Show “SDNY Indicts Trump” (MSNBC, Thu. 3/30/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.387 million adults 25-54

135. The Daily Show “Mar 28, 23 – John Leguizamo” (CMDY, Tue. 3/28/2023 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.165 million adults 25-54

168. Real Time With Bill Maher “Episode 630” (HBO, Fri. 3/31/2023 10:00 PM, 58 min.) 0.148 million adults 25-54

209. Forensic Files (HLN, late Tue. 3/28/2023 12:30 AM, 30 min.) 0.122 million adults 25-54

228. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/2/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.115 million adults 25-54

313. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 1219” (CNBC, Wed. 3/29/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.094 million adults 25-54

368. Storm Center (TWC, Fri. 3/31/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.082 million adults 25-54

581. Tooning Out The News “Episode 119” (CMDY, Wed. 3/29/2023 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.045 million adults 25-54

637. Banfield (NWSN, Fri. 3/31/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.037 million adults 25-54

655. Kudlow (FBN, Mon. 3/27/2023 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.035 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

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