Home Blog Page 2157

NAB Show Draws Record Attendance

BNM Staff
-
0
NAB Show Draws Record Attendance

According to an official statement, the Centennial National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas has seen a preliminary peak registration of 65,013. The NAB  indicated that over 17,000 were international attendees among these registrations, and 1,200 companies showcased their products at the event.

“We are thrilled to have so many exhibitors, attendees, and partners from around the world join us in Las Vegas to help celebrate 100 years of innovation. More than any other year, everyone is filled with so much enthusiasm and energy as they engage on the show floor, in special sessions, and throughout the entire event,” said Curtis LeGeyt, NAB President and CEO.

The NAB Show facilitates broadcasting, entertainment, and technology professionals to share ideas and discover the most recent trends and innovations within their respective fields. Attendees can benefit from networking, education, and engagement opportunities with industry leaders and experts.

International attendance is subject to ongoing audits based on pre-show and onsite registrations.

“We thank the NAB Show community for helping us reflect on our collective experience with media and entertainment and for previewing the many innovations we’ll see within the next hundred years,” added LeGeyt.

CNN’s Jake Tapper Laughs as He Reads Fox Statement on Dominion Lawsuit

BNM Staff
-
0

Jake Tapper, a CNN anchor, struggled to maintain his composure while reading a statement from Fox News regarding a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday. 

He found it difficult to believe that Fox News could describe the settlement as a positive outcome. Tapper sarcastically repeated the word “dispute” and expressed his disbelief at Fox’s claim of a commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

“‘We acknowledge the court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects’–I’m sorry. This is going to be difficult to say with a straight face,” Tapper said in a rare moment of losing his composure. 

 The settlement was announced by a Delaware federal court immediately after a jury had been seated. Dominion’s president stated at a press conference that Fox had admitted to telling lies about his company. The terms of the settlement, aside from a payment nearing $800 million, remain undisclosed. A trial could have resulted in high-profile Fox figures testifying in court.

‘This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,'” Tapper displayed a facial expression indicating his skepticism or disdain before continuing. “We are hopeful that our’–sorry. ‘We are hopeful that our decision to resolve the dispute with Dominion amicably instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial allows the country to move forward from these issues.'”

Jake Tapper described Tuesday as “one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism.”

“The truth matters, and lies have consequences,” Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson said in a news conference outside the courthouse after a judge announced the deal.

AZ Supreme Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Against KFYI’s James T. Harris

BNM Staff
-
0

The Arizona Supreme Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by failed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Daniel McCarthy against James T. Harris, a talk show host on KFYI-AM in Phoenix. According to Tucson.com, McCarthy had taken issue with comments made by Harris on his show, “The Conservative Circus,” which were related to an event at a state Capitol rally after the November 2020 election. Harris is a host on the iHeartMedia news/talk station.

During the event, McCarthy’s supporters had chanted for him to speak during a speech by Harris, and the microphone was passed from Harris to McCarthy. Harris then criticized McCarthy during two segments of his radio show, accusing him of having no control over his emotions or his supporters and stating that they were acting like “ANTIFA.”

However, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Harris’s comments were political commentary protected by the First Amendment. Justice William Montgomery, writing for the court, ordered the defamation lawsuit filed by McCarthy to be dismissed in full.

Montgomery dismissed seven of the statements as clearly either not factual statements, probable as false, or both, while the two others were also considered political in context.

The court agreed with Harris and iHeartMedia, the owners of KFYI, which broadcasts his show, that the statements “were rhetorical hyperbole incapable of being proved false and protected by the First Amendment and were therefore not actionable.”

Montgomery noted that Harris bills himself as the ringmaster of “The Conservative Circus” and describes the show as a mix of political commentary and opinion presented entertainingly from one side of the political spectrum. The justice wrote, “Such is the essence of radio talk shows today.”

Fanatics Beta-Testing Mobile Sportsbook in Tennessee & Ohio

BSM Staff
-
0
Fanatics Beta-Testing Mobile Sportsbook in Tennessee & Ohio

Things appear to be inching ever closer to Fanatics launching its mobile sportsbook app in several states. The app is currently undergoing beta testing in Tennessee and Ohio.

Fanatics opened its first brick and mortar sportsbook location at FedEx Field in Maryland in February. Company CEO Michael Rubin has hopes of getting the mobile version of Fanatics Sportsbook up and running in 15-20 states by the time the 2023 NFL season kicks off in September.

Beta testers are able to use the Fanatics Sportsbook app and place wagers in real time using real money. Regulators in both Ohio and Tennessee are monitoring the process as it plays out.

Fanatics is also hoping to be given the green light to operate in Massachusetts and plans to be ready by sometime next month.

Adam Silver: NBA ‘Much More Valuable Now Than We Were in the Old Days’

BSM Staff
-
0

NBA commissioner Adam Silver recognizes the dramatic shift in traditional TV viewership over the last several years, and that’s ultimately going to impact what the league’s next media rights contract looks like.

Speaking Tuesday at the Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sports conference, Silver said streaming and cord-cutting have dramatically changed the viewership landscape.

“What we’re seeing in television is that the internet has disrupted this business just like it has virtually every other business,” Silver said. “But there’s still enormous interest in premium live sports programing.”

“If anything, on a relative basis, we’re much more valuable than we were in the old days,” he added. “Even this season if you look at the NBA ratings, which were roughly flat on cable despite a decline in the number of homes, our share continues to grow.”

As for the next media rights deal, Silver isn’t ruling anything out completely yet in making sure the league gets the most optimal package possible.

“I think then as we approach our new national deals, there may be a solution for local rights,” he said. “It probably is most likely some sort of hybrid. You’re going to continue to have traditional cable and satellite distribution. You probably see more over-the-air distribution, almost a return to the past in a way where we were in the old days, more national use of broadcast, more local use of broadcast.”

It’s expected that Silver and other league representatives will begin taking meetings this summer to secure the next media rights deal. The current contract expires after the 2024-2025 season.

Marc Bertrand: ESPN Still Treats NHL Like ‘Red-Headed Stepchild’

BSM Staff
-
0

The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on Monday night, with ESPN carrying national coverage of several Game 1 contests. In the first round of the playoffs, each competing team’s regional sports network carries coverage locally in addition to national broadcasts.

On 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, the Zolak & Bertrand crew didn’t bother switching to ESPN for Game 1 of the Bruins/Panthers series. They watched instead on NESN.

Co-host Marc Bertrand said he’s been largely disappointed in how The Worldwide Leader has covered the NHL even two years into this new media rights deal.

“I don’t like their coverage. I thought ESPN and the NHL getting back together was going to be a good thing,” he said on Tuesday’s show. “I thought it would lead to more promotion of the league, more discussion of the league, more focusing on that league and all their different shows that they do things with. I could not have been more wrong. They are still the red-headed stepchild at that network. Even though they now air their games.”

Beetle added that it’s clear ESPN sees hockey as lesser than some of the other sports that get dedicated airtime.

“The ESPN brand has not treated the NHL the same way they do the NBA. Not even close,” he said.

Bertrand went on to say that he does get shows like First Take not making the NHL a regular part of their discussions because it doesn’t attract the broad national audience like talking the NBA or NFL would.

Opening Weekend of NBA Playoffs Score Best Ratings Since 2011

BSM Staff
-
0
Opening Weekend of NBA Playoffs Score Best Ratings Since 2011

The first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs are under way, and the opening slate of games saw an increase in TV ratings.

The first weekend of games averaged 4.15 million between ESPN, ABC and TNT. That number was up 3% year over year and the best since 2011.

Game 1 of the Kings/Warriors series averaged 6.26 million on Saturday night. The broadcast peaked at 7.56 million from 11-11:15 p.m. eastern. It placed third as the most-watched series opener in the last 20 years. The ABC broadcast also saw the largest audience of the season for the NBA.

The third biggest audience of the season in the league tuned in to Game 1 of Lakers/Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon. Coverage of that game also aired on ABC and averaged 5.54 million, peaking at 7.49 million.

Game 1 of the Clippers/Suns series was the most-watched program on TV in the 18-49 and 18-34 demographics. That game brought in 5.04 million viewers.

Fox News Settles Defamation Lawsuit With Dominion Voting Systems

BNM Staff
-
0

After much deliberation, including a more than two-hour delay on Tuesday, Fox News has settled its defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the reason the trial was delayed from Monday to Tuesday was for the two parties to work on a last-chance settlement at the behest of Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis.

Ultimately, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement before jury selection began. However, on Tuesday, CNN reporter Marshall Cohen claimed a Fox News lawyer approached a Dominion attorney and pointed to a piece of paper before the two left the courtroom to talk privately.

After a more than two-hour delay, which included lawyers being prepared to give their opening remarks, Davis returned to the courtroom and declared the two sides had settled their case.

“The parties have resolved their case,” Davis said, offering no additional details.

The conclusion of the case ends a longstanding back-and-forth between the cable news outlet and the election machine company. Dominion Voting Systems unveiled several damaging texts and emails sent by Fox News hosts and executives that showed the behind-the-scenes feelings toward now-former President Donald Trump.

Legal experts for other cable networks argued that Fox News was in a dangerous position by preparing to let its leading hosts sit for questioning in front of the jury. Some went as far to claim the network was in serious jeopardy of losing the case.

Dominion Voting Systems sought $1.6 billion in damages after it alleged Fox News deliberately aired falsehoods around the company’s role in a purported plot to rig the 2020 presidential election against Trump.

An attorney for Dominion Voting Systems said the settlement was for $787.5 million. Attorneys and company officials refused to answer questions on whether any other terms, like a retraction or a public apology, were included in the settlement.

“The truth matters.  Lies have consequences,” said Dominion’s attorney Justin Nelson.

“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false,” a Fox News spokesperson told Barrett News Media.

“This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

2023 NAB Crystal Radio Award Winners Announced

BNM Staff
-
0
2023 NAB Crystal Radio Award Winners Announced

The National Association of Broadcasters has named its 36th annual Crystal Radio Award winners, with 10 stations being bestowed the honor.

The NAB Crystal Radio Awards honors stations for their “year-round commitment to community service”.

Newsradio 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee was the only news/talk station honored with the award.

Additionally, KTAR in Phoenix was awarded the prestigious Crystal Heritage Award during the ceremony. The award is given to stations that have been honored with a Crystal Radio Award five or more times. Bonneville Phoenix Senior Vice President and Market Manager Ryan Hatch accepted the award on the station’s behalf.

Other honorees include:
KBCO-FM Denver
KBXX-FM Houston
KCYY-FM San Antonio
KKHJ-FM Pago Pago, American Samoa
KOSI-FM Denver
KSTP-FM Minneapolis – St. Paul
WALR-FM Atlanta
WREW-FM Cincinnati
WUSL-FM Philadelphia

50 stations in total were named finalists for the award, with news/talk stations like WTOP (Washington D.C.), KIRO (Seattle), KFI (Los Angeles), WSB (Atlanta), and WTAM (Cleveland) nominated.

Phil Simms: ‘I Just Can’t Picture Tom Brady Up There Announcing Games’

BSM Staff
-
0

Even after expressing that he’ll join the FOX Sports top NFL booth in 2024, many still don’t believe Tom Brady will ever be a regular game announcer for the network. You can place CBS Sports analyst Phil Simms in that camp.

During an interview with Front Office Sports, Simms was asked about Brady’s broadcast future and said he doesn’t view it as a slam dunk.

“I’ve got to see it – or hear it – to believe it. I don’t know. I just can’t picture Tom Brady up there announcing games. You know why? He’s Tom Brady. He’s just bigger than life…In this day and age, is it worth it for him? 

“Hey, I think they’ll use him in different ways. I don’t care. I’m going to say he doesn’t do games. They’ll put him on a pregame show and let him talk a little. There’s lots of ways to use him. He’s Tom Brady…He looks good. And he knows a lot of football, that’s for sure. So yes, I think they’ll use him in a different way. I don’t have any insight – and I don’t even care.  But I’ll be surprised if he does games. I will be. 

And you know, too, Greg Olsen did a good job this year. That has to make you sit back and wonder. So we’ll see.”

The 67-year-old Simms worked as the top NFL game analyst for CBS Sports after an impressive playing career.

Simms has also served as a longtime analyst for Inside the NFL, which will move from the Paramount+ streaming platform. He said the program will be something he’ll think fondly of.

“I will miss it. It was just a different platform. It was fun to do. There is a lot of freedom there,” concluded Simms.

1...2,1562,1572,158...2,775Page 2,157 of 2,775