January was the largest month in Fox News Digital history, as it set a new record for total digital multiplatform unique visitors during the month.
187 million unique visitors were reached by the network’s digital aspects in January, according to Comscore. The outlet saw 1.9 billion multiplatform views and 3.7 billion multiplatform minutes during the first month of 2026.
That marks the 21st consecutive month that Fox News has been the top news brand in views and 59th consecutive month on top of the multiplatform minutes rankings.
Of the 187 million unique visitors, 6.5 million came from the Fox News mobile app.
On social media, the network saw 175 million interactions, according to Emplifi and Shareablee. 104 million came on Facebook, while 25.4 million were on Instagram, and 7 million came on X. The network saw its second-best month ever in social media video views, eclipsing 2.6 billion.
Additionally, Fox Business Network saw 28.7 million total digital multiplatform unique visitors during January.
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MS NOW has announced its plans for coverage of the State of the Union Address next week.
On Tuesday, February 24th, the network’s coverage will begin at 7 PM ET. Rachel Maddow will anchor the network’s coverage in advance of President Trump’s speech.
She will be joined by Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, Chris Hayes, Lawrence O’Donnell, Stephanie Ruhle, Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez, and Ali Velshi.
Following Trump’s address, the cast of The Weeknight — Sanders Townsend, Steele, and Menendez — will continue coverage at Midnight ET. They will offer analysis of the biggest moments of Trump’s speech and the Democratic response.
Throughout the day, reporters Jacob Soboroff, Ali Vitali, Vaughn Hillyard, and Laura Barron-Lopez will provide coverage from Minnesota, Capitol Hill, and the White House. Additionally, contributors Claire McCaskill and Michele Norris will provide analysis throughout the day in the lead-up to the event.
Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels will host a State of the Union Watch Party on MS NOW’s YouTube and TikTok channels.
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Tucker Carlson was reportedly detained at an airport in Israel on Wednesday afternoon. However, the U.S. Embassy quickly denied that claim.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Tucker Carlson told the Mail. “It was bizarre. We’re now out of the country.”
After that report went viral, the U.S. Embassy in Israel denied that Tucker Carlson had been detained. It argued that he “received the same passport control questions that countless visitors to Israel” encounter.
“It is not accurate that Israel only was going to let Tucker into the country for the interview,” the Embassy’s statement said. “The only engagement the Embassy had with Israel about his visit was to coordinate his private plane landing as part of facilitating a seamless visit. It was Tucker who chose to only come into the country for a few hours and depart. And Tucker received the same positive treatment of any visitors to Israel.”
Other media figures investigating the claims from Tucker Carlson said their sources agreed with the U.S. Embassy, stating that several members of Carlson’s party were not questioned at all, and that all figures were allowed to board their planes without issue.
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NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport has shared that his contract with the outlet is set to expire in May, one month after ESPN will assume control of the network.
With ESPN acquiring NFL Network as part of a deal between the media entity and the NFL, Rapoport will become another NFL insider inside ESPN’s stable.
While that will create a redundancy, Rapoport told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand that he views the possibility of working alongside Adam Schefter as a strong opportunity for the network.
“If we were to work together, I think that would be awesome,” Rapoport said. “I have no idea if that is going to happen. But it would be like The Avengers.”
Rapoport added that he hasn’t received any information about what the future will hold for NFL Network under ESPN’s direction,
“Just so we are clear, I don’t know what is coming,” Rapoport said. “No one has told me ‘It’s going to be like this. It’s going to be like that.’ There are a lot of things I don’t know. A lot of people don’t know, but I’m excited because ESPN is very good at what it does. From my understanding, it is going to be more football, more coverage, investing in NFL Network, and making it as best as it could possibly be.”
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Bobby “Slam” Duncan’s Too Tall Media and Doug Harris’ Creative Animal International have announced they’ve joined forces for a new venture called eSports Radio.
The new venture is a 24/7, digitally delivered music and spoken word format. Duncan will manage the programming duties, featuring an alternative playlist interspersed with commentary from high-profile gamers and YouTubers. Harris will oversee the marketing and sales side of the business.
“Research on this project began in 2024,” reports Duncan, “and with a potential cume of over 200 million, we feel the time is right to target and super serve this audience. And with the eSports World Cup returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer, with a prize purse of $75 million dollars, the world will be watching and listening.”
“Gamers are a hungry lot, “says Harris, “and eSports Radio will appeal to their appetite for consumables as well as the latest tech. We’ll offer the marketing assets traditionally associated with radio, but our plan to connect ‘fans and brands’ will include embedded commercial messaging, co-branded content, ‘live’ sampling and demos, and personality endorsements from the rock stars of gaming.”
The new offering is officially live and available to listen to. Harris says the venture is taking proof of concept to the next level.
“We’re in the ‘crawl’ phase of this project’s development, but we’re picking up steam every day,” he said. “We’ve already heard from several programmers with underutilized signals who consider eSports Radio a cost-effective, plug-and-play content option.”
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It’s no secret that women’s sports are on the rise in America. From revenue, influence, and popularity, the increasing interest and investment from corporations and fans has produced one of the most remarkable sports stories in recent memory. During that time, traditional sports media has attempted to satisfy that appetite with a blend of coverage and commentary that doesn’t match the passion or approach given to their male counterparts. That’s where Jemele Hill and Cari Champion are looking to inject a new approach to covering women’s sports with their Flagrant and Funny podcast with iHeartMedia.
Last month, the iHeart Women’s Sports network announced the launch of the project as a mix of sharp insights, lively discussions, and plenty of laughs. Champion and Hill have been colleagues and friends for over a decade, dating back to their days working together at ESPN. For both, the timing felt right to pair up once again for a project aimed at providing a more honest approach to covering and discussing women’s sports.
“Women’s sports is something we are passionate and knowledgeable about. We have reporting and journalistic experience to add to the discussion,” said Hill. “This was a good opportunity for a space that needs somebody like us. Women who have credibility in the space that can be honest about what’s happening.”
With episodes releasing three times per week, Flagrant and Funny centers on women’s sports, but no topic is off limits. Cari Champion and Jemele Hill draw on their award-winning journalism backgrounds. They combine that experience with a long-standing friendship. The goal is to deliver a podcast rooted in both substance and personality.
“For so long we’ve been journalists. We’re reporting just facts and not telling anyone who we are. We do different things to show you our personalities, but this is going to give you a better lens into who we are,” explained Champion. “Everyone you’re watching, people want a little more investment. I hope people will understand this is a way in which we could talk about sports and still have some fun. We’ve earned that right being in the business for so long.”
Popularity Breeds Opportunity
What led Hill and Champion to team with the iHeart Women’s Sports network was simple math. Founded in 2024, iHeart Women’s Sports made an immediate impact in the women’s sports media landscape. In just one year, iHeart increased women’s sports coverage from less than one percent in 2024 to more than 34 percent in 2025, reaching 89 million monthly listeners across nearly 500 broadcast radio stations.
With surging television viewership and revenue generation, networks have begun building on the success of women’s sports in record numbers. Both Hill and Champion credit early podcast adopters with forcing networks to catch up to the growing popularity of the space.
“That’s why they [iHeart] built a whole network. It’s going to change how people have the conversation. Sarah Spain is doing a great job leading the charge, and that’s what I think we’ll do with our podcast,” said Champion.
With women’s sports generating over a billion dollars for the first time in 2024, that number reportedly leapt to near 2.5 billion last year. Hill believes the overarching reason this didn’t happen sooner was a lack of sustainability, which made the concept of Flagrant and Funny easier to create.
“Access points are better, and maybe more engaging than in men’s sports. The players still feel accessible. There is a dedicated focus on making it a fan first experience, and I think fans feel that,” explained Hill. “It’s finally reached a point where it can be sustainable.”
Equal Discussion
Hill and Champion’s backgrounds elevate the credibility of their conversations beyond what most networks offer. Far too often, the main criticism when networks approach conversations about women’s sports centers on how the editorial is presented. It remains rare on traditional network television to see women’s sports conversations delivered with the same tone used for men’s sports.
“It’s ok to use the same language about men’s sports when talking about women’s sports,” said Hill. “Because male sports media members have been the ones setting the narratives, the only nuance they know is the nuance of congratulations, patting women on the head and coddling them. Instead of talking about them in a real authentic way that gives them respect.”
Correcting that imbalance is a priority for both Hill and Champion with Flagrant and Funny.
“We’re okay with talking about who’s great and who’s not. I’m ok with saying I would be happy if Caitlin Clark came out and said she doesn’t like Angel Reece,” said Champion. “That would not blow anyone’s mind if LeBron [James] said that about Draymond [Green]. It’s just a normal conversation. Once we get to that point we will see the needle move in these conversations that will make everybody want to be with women’s sports.”
The goal is to break the narrow way of thinking about how discussions around women’s sports should unfold. Both Hill and Champion hope the context of their content shines as brightly as their lasting friendship.
“Everything that bros are allowed to do with podcasting, we want be allowed to do the sista. If we’re talking bad about each other, it’s because I love her [Hill],” said Champion. “The conversations are just natural extensions of our friendship. I don’t ever want to be nervous about doing the show. We will be all of ourselves.”
This marks the second time Hill and Champion have teamed up for a digital media venture, and they hope it creates better opportunities for others in the podcast space.
“What we plan to bring is something different to women’s sports that has never been discussed before. We’re women who have been let inside the barbershop,” said Hill. “There’s a narrow stereotype about how women discuss sports. If you guys think we’ll be sitting around braiding each other’s hair, that’s not what this is going to be about.”
WNBA Labor Strife
A good early measure for the podcast will be the ongoing labor discussions between the WNBA and the players’ union. After NBA All-Star Weekend, where the WNBA was relatively absent from the spotlight, the possibility of missed games feels more realistic by the day.
“If they miss games, that would be unfortunate. It would change the momentum that they’ve worked so hard on in such a short time, that they’d have to catch up,” explained Champion. “Women of the WNBA are listening. Ladies, you don’t need this. Some of them are probably ready to fight this. They don’t need this. I would want cooler heads to prevail, especially with the league.”
Hill remains optimistic that a deal will get done, albeit likely in the final hour before games are missed.
“Both parties realize why this moment is important to take advantage of. They both have to decide how right do you want to be,” said Hill. “If your only goal is to be right, then you’re in trouble. What these women are fighting for is trying to lay the foundation for what the next thirty years looks like… Both sides are going to have to grow up a little bit.”
Now, with the shift in the amount of coverage devoted to women’s sports, Hill and Champion hope to make Flagrant and Funny a top-of-mind destination, especially as the ongoing labor strife continues in the most popular women’s professional sports league in America. They plan to lean on their prior experiences in traditional media while changing the way women’s sports is discussed nationally.
Thus, podcasting’s informal setting gives Hill and Champion an opportunity their previous employers simply could not provide.
“Our desire is to turn this into something with cultural connection and become a fixture,” explained Hill. “The podcasting space is filled with males driving these conversations. I want to see us be an example of how women can contribute, add, and elevate the conversation… There’s this idea that women can’t be fun in this space. We’re a good time.”
In many ways, Flagrant and Funny arrives at the exact moment women’s sports has been waiting for — not just to be celebrated, but to be examined, debated, and even criticized with the same intensity as men’s sports.
That’s the real evolution. Growth isn’t just measured in television ratings, sponsorship dollars, or expansion franchises. It’s measured in tone, access, and honesty.
Hill and Champion aren’t looking to protect women’s sports. They’re looking to treat it like it belongs. And that may be the most important shift of all.
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The horribly sad story of Nancy Guthrie has gripped America for weeks now. We care because she is the mother of someone we know, at least from seeing Savannah on TV. Each day, we tune into the news, click on an app, or pull up a radio station to see if the case is solved.
Some are very frustrated at how long this has dragged on. After all, our favorite CSI show could have wrapped this up in a one-hour episode. But this case will keep America’s interest until it is solved.
Sports radio in many markets also had a very compelling storyline even after the NFL regular season ended. When a coach is fired, every fan of that team is vested in the search for the next coach. They care about their team. If the franchise owner entrusts someone with great credentials to take care of the team, the fan is elated and confident heading into the next season.
The debate always follows as to how good that coach is in the view of each fan. Then comes the added drama as each assistant coach is added to the roster. This leads to the NFL Draft in April, when the head coach gets graded again based on who he selects to play for the team. It’s a great storyline and helps keep interest in sports radio high.
The love story of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is one that social media keeps alive. The “save the date” for the wedding reportedly came with an NDA. What’s the date? Where will the wedding be? Then there’s the story of Travis — will he retire and spend weekends at home with Taylor, since she doesn’t appear to be touring this fall? Are babies on the horizon for the couple?
Here’s yet another plot line I heard the other day. Travis will play for the New York Giants, so he and Taylor can live in New York City and take advantage of the high-profile media life this season. Taylor does have a beautiful home in the city, and it’s a short flight to her New England palace.
The stories of Nancy Guthrie, your favorite NFL team’s coaching search, and the relationship of Taylor and Travis are all compelling because we care about the main characters in the story.
If you’re on the air and have built a relationship with your audience, are you telling your story? The more listeners know about you and the cast of your show, the more points of relatability they will have with you. It could be something simple — dog lover, gardener, runner, or someone who loves to cook.
It could also be a flaw. The more you expose yourself, the broader your appeal can be. Legendary talent coach Steve Reynolds has long suggested talent keep journals of their lives. When the cast of a show shares those journals with each other, personality traits can sometimes become obvious. Those traits can then become part of a storyline for your show.
A perfect radio storyline is based on real life. You, or a co-host on your show, get into a situation in which listeners are invited to weigh in. Everyone has their own solution for every problem. Over the next couple of shows, you could speak to experts, the antagonist, family members, or even take an audience poll. Construct the story like any television drama, and do it at the same time every day. Remember, listening is horizontal.
Happy endings are great, but not every story has one. The conclusion can’t leave the audience flat — it must touch an emotion. Make your listeners laugh, cry, or even get angry, as long as that anger is directed at the entity that did the show wrong.
Sports and news radio have great stories to tell nearly every day. As we look for ways to keep music radio a compelling listener choice, we have to look at talent and the stories they can tell. The fact that you’re going to play “Ordinary” or another Sabrina Carpenter song is not going to keep the audience engaged. What’s in between the songs is more important to listeners every day. Tell your story.
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NBC Sports hit a home run without even knowing it. Again. If you’ve been tuned into the Olympics at all over the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely been hit by a drive-by appearance by rapper Snoop Dogg. Whether he’s chumming it up with Mike Tirico in the studio or on the scene sharing his amazement of America’s winter Olympians.
Who knew that the 54-year-old entertainer could be so entertaining in the snow?
Snoop Dogg’s placement in this year’s Winter Games builds off his appeal to a massive audience during the Summer Olympics in 2024. Audiences were entertained, and critics shared their enjoyment of the moment. No one could have guessed that the laid-back approach and curiosity of one of hip hop’s greatest figures would appeal so much to a mass audience.
What Snoop Dogg’s inclusion should also point out is that NBC is thinking differently about how to present sports that are only seen every four years. It has been teaching lessons to other networks that broadcast games on an annual basis, if they’re willing to listen.
The Olympics are not a tough putt for viewership on NBC Sports. According to the IOC, NBCUniversal has averaged 24.3 million viewers from the opening ceremonies through February 16. That’s an 88% leap in average viewership compared to the 2022 Beijing Games through the same time period.
Naturally, critics can poke holes in the numbers. Comparing Italy to China isn’t apples to apples. Time zone differences matter. Tape delay strategy matters. Measurement changes matter. Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel is now the broadcast standard, and that alone shifts the landscape.
There’s also the benefit of combined windows for NBC, where it lumps in the live editions of the broadcasts with the prime-time elements on tape delay that follow.
However, the task remained for NBC Sports to make the Olympics interesting. The network needed to find a new wrinkle outside just the stories of the athletes to keep people hooked, interested and entertained. That’s where NBC bet on Snoop Dogg for the entertaining Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg show on Peacock in 2021.
It found angles for laughs and made the Olympic viewing experience relatable when fans were barely allowed to attend at all.
The success of that program led to another attempt and further integration into the Summer Games of 2024, which also saw great success. This winter, viewers can’t escape Snoop Dogg. He’s the life of the party, bringing an energy that beams beyond the competition itself. It doesn’t feel forced, it’s just “Snoop being Snoop.”
He asks questions the common viewer would have about athletes and sports they don’t know or watch. He interacts with pure curiosity and authentic amazement at what he sees in real time. It’s a human touch that provides the presentation through a lens no one could have predicted.
Snoop Dogg learns the ins and outs of the newest Olympic winter sport, Dual Moguls with Team USA Women's Moguls. pic.twitter.com/zQj6T4y2yh
The success of the venture should also serve as an example to other networks with high-profile sports broadcasts. They should find the common curiosity of the average viewer and bring it to life in real time during the event. Access is not always promised in sports, but if a network can carve out a unique angle in its presentation, what league would say no?
Should FOX Sports consider something similar for its upcoming World Cup coverage? Would FIFA be open to the idea of Post Malone following Team USA around during drills? Could FOX Sports sign Lil Wayne as a special correspondent to interview the biggest names from other countries in a five-question feature?
Are networks that carry the four major sports also listening? Could there be more celebrity-infused content creation during a World Series, Stanley Cup playoffs or the NBA Finals? Sports are entertainment, and what Snoop Dogg has provided so far is entertaining enough to keep the audience locked in and wanting more.
He’s a showman who understands he’s now the biggest kid in sports’ candy store.
And that may be the biggest lesson of all.
NBC Sports didn’t change the games. It didn’t alter the rules, the athletes or the stakes. It simply changed the lens. By inserting a personality who mirrors the curiosity, humor and awe of the casual fan, the network made an already massive event feel even more accessible.
That’s not a gimmick. That’s strategy.
In an era when viewers have unlimited options and shrinking attention spans, presentation matters as much as product. The Olympics will always have built-in drama. But NBC recognized that relatability is the bridge between spectacle and sustained engagement. Snoop Dogg became that bridge — not as a distraction, but as a translator.
Other networks should pay attention.
Because the takeaway isn’t “find a rapper.” It’s find the voice that unlocks your broadcast for people who might otherwise scroll past it. Find the personality who asks the questions fans are thinking but analysts often overlook. Find the energy that feels organic, not manufactured.
Sports television doesn’t always need to be louder. It needs to be smarter.
NBC took a swing on something unconventional and discovered that authenticity plays in any arena — even one covered in snow and ice. It turns out the real gold medal performance might be sipping on Gin and Juice.
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This year’s Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games have been an exciting and captivating spectacle, especially in the sport of men’s hockey. NBC and the various accompanying networks have provided comprehensive coverage, but if you want a truly hockey-focused perspective, check out NHL Network and its signature Olympics program, NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026.
Throughout the Games, the show has provided a nightly whip-around featuring game highlights, scores, breaking news, and expert analysis. NHL Network has employed its talented roster of studio hosts and former players with both NHL and international experience.
In doing so, NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 has allowed viewers to stay on top of all the Milano Cortina hockey happenings.
I caught the show on February 17, and it began with a humorous cold open featuring hosts Jamison Coyle and Jason Demers. Demers was eating a cup of gelato when Coyle approached and asked about the sweet treat. Demers replied that he saw Coyle eating pasta the day before and that he really shouldn’t have any gelato.
Coyle is a seasoned broadcast veteran who always brings an authoritative appeal to television. I really like the way he and Demers have blended in Italy. They have created a tremendous back-and-forth, with lively commentary and humor added to the presentation when warranted.
Cheers to NHL Network for sending the pair to Italy for the Games. There is nothing like having that firsthand, on-site knowledge transferred to viewers.
NHL Tonight’s show open remains one of the best on television, with striking images of various NHL team nicknames — quick and dramatic shots from the Penguins to the Predators to the Blackhawks to the Kings to the Hurricanes, Sharks, Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Capitals. I could watch it on a constant loop.
This particular edition of the show was hosted in studio by the terrific Lauren Gardner and the always informative Mike Rupp. Tuesday was the first day of Olympic hockey elimination play, and Rupp was right on target when he said that it was “do or die time” in Milano Cortina.
Gardner went right to work on highlights of the game between Sweden and Latvia. As the video ran, Gardner and Rupp offered an excellent mix of detail and commentary. Gardner, whether on MLB Network or NHL Network, always brings effervescence and style to the table. Beyond these qualities, she has a sixth sense for highlights, complete with incredible intonation and well-timed doses of drama.
Like words set to music, Gardner composed each highlight, and Rupp chimed in with a melodic explanation of each play. Hockey highlights move quickly, and Gardner was on her game with top-notch descriptions.
Swedish star Erik Karlsson then spoke with Coyle and Demers about his club’s 5-1 victory over Latvia. Following this, Gardner and Rupp dissected the Swedish team’s strengths.
One of the great things about the Milano Cortina Olympics is that the men’s hockey teams are speckled with All-Star NHL players. In this light, viewers are truly watching the best players from across the globe.
Rupp continually emphasized solid goaltending as a key factor in the Games. Gardner then moved to highlights of Czechia vs. Denmark. Rupp interjected, saying that Czechia is dangerous on the power play because it has players like David Pastrňák who move all over the ice. One of the highlights of watching men’s hockey in this year’s Olympics is the incredible combination of strength and speed. Players are flying up and down the ice far more than in the NHL, with fewer stoppages in play.
One of the more interesting graphics on NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 showed a rundown of NHL players with the most points in a single Olympics. Legendary names like Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Marian Hossa, and Daniel Alfredsson appeared, with one of this year’s competitors, Connor McDavid of Canada, hot on their heels.
Coming back from another break, the show featured more men’s highlights, with Gardner expertly telling the story of the game pitting Switzerland vs. Italy, followed by Germany vs. France. It is obvious that Gardner, Rupp, Demers, and Coyle have done their international hockey homework.
Their commentary has not missed a beat in Milano Cortina. All of the talent is as well-versed as it normally is when discussing the NHL. The coverage has been impressive.
With Gardner and Rupp, the key word is synergy. Gardner provides a welcoming and steadying influence as a host. You can tell that she has benefited from working with a host of varied analysts across the sports landscape. No matter the broadcast partner, Gardner is a TV chameleon who performs well on any assignment with depth and gusto.
Rupp brings solid experience as a former NHL player and always adds a player’s edge to his work. Like Gardner, he has worked with numerous broadcast partners while talking hockey. His mix of rough-and-tumble saltiness and on-point analysis is terrific.
Later on NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026, Coyle and Demers interviewed Christian Pulisic, an American-born pro soccer star currently playing for AC Milan. It is always nice to see pro and amateur athletes from other sports supporting their countries’ teams, and Coyle and Demers have done a nice job with these rather impromptu interviews.
They are fluid and fun.
Both men go with the flow and take the conversation to unplanned places. Demers asked a solid question about the difference in pressure when an athlete represents his country as opposed to his club or league team. Pulisic appeared a bit nervous, but Coyle and Demers put him at ease and allowed him to enjoy the experience.
The first games of the knockout round are in the books and @JamisonCoyle and @jasondemers5 break it all down!
After another break, Coyle and Demers analyzed the upcoming games in the Olympic tournament. Again, the homework was evident. Demers talked about Slovakia and Germany just as proficiently as he discussed the more familiar USA and Canada rosters. This was impressive.
Coyle offered a great line when the discussion moved to Switzerland’s 3-0 win vs. Italy in a playoff qualifier. Speaking of the Swiss netminder, he stated, “Leonardo Genoni, more like Leonardo da Vinci, just a masterful performance between the pipes.” Well played.
Throughout the Games, Coyle and Demers have adroitly ripped through game recaps and previews with specific points and reasons. They have not just told viewers which club won or lost, but instead explained why they won or lost. Back in studio, Gardner closed the show while Rupp humorously chanted, “USA! USA!”
NHL Tonight: Milano Cortina 2026 has featured a versatile roster of frontline commentators with strength throughout the lineup — a team truly built on depth.
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Diane Newman has built a philosophy at WWL Radio that sounds deceptively simple but proves powerful in practice — if you’re going to serve New Orleans, you’d better enjoy living in it.
The longtime program director has made “having fun” a core part of the station’s identity, not as a gimmick, but as a survival skill in a market where the news never sleeps and the emotions always run high.
“New Orleans is just a nonstop news story,” Newman said. “It is deeply mystical, enchanting, and crazy good. It’s a deeply soulful market. The spirit of the people is like no other. We have our hardships, and we have our celebrations, and we probably do both bigger than anybody else.”
“WWL has always been at the epicenter of everything that happens in the city,” Newman shared. “People know us, they trust us, they believe what we say. They love us, and we love them back. What everybody says about the city of New Orleans is, if you love New Orleans, it’ll love you back, and WWL is a reflection of that.”
“It’s just who we are,” Diane Newman added. “It’s what we do, and yes, it comes with pressure, of course.”
That pressure, Newman explained, is inseparable from the city’s defining moments — especially Hurricane Katrina — and it has shaped how she leads and how she encourages her team to approach their work with perspective and joy rather than fear.
“There’s a line of demarcation for everybody who is from New Orleans and who has experienced the world’s worst natural and manmade disaster, Katrina,” Newman said. “A lot of times it just goes down to that. If we went through Katrina, fought for this city, survived it, and then thrived after, we can get through anything.”
“When you’re dealt the cards that are dealt to the market, you have to play them,” the WWL Radio leader added. “I was just looking at this in a meeting earlier this morning at all the things that happened last year in this market. We started off last year with a terror attack on January 1st, and we covered that,” Newman said.
“Then, a historic snowstorm that basically shut the city down for almost a week. Then we had a Super Bowl, and WWL is the flagship station for the Saints, so we’re in the middle of that. We broadcast live from the convention center, all of the shows on the station, for the entire week. Then there was a Mardi Gras like no other, with high wind, so it changed the story,” Newman shared. “We changed with it. It’s constant action like that in this market.”
For Newman, the ability to handle that constant action comes from an emotional contract with the audience — one rooted in empathy, connection, and a belief that radio should feel human, even during chaos.
“We tell the people who live here, who believe in WWL, who trust us, who know we’re there with them no matter what happens in this city, that we are here,” Newman said. “We will tell you what you need to know, we will guide you through, and we will talk to you. And we will feel with you. We will think with you.”
That same philosophy drives how Newman evaluates talent and builds teams. She views WWL Radio less like a traditional talk station and more like a championship locker room.
“I think it’s not unlike an NFL team,” Newman said. “It’s about the players on the field. These guys are this market. Tommy Tucker came from music radio and learned the craft of talk radio through our Katrina experience,” Newman shared. “Newell Normand was the sheriff of Jefferson Parish and had a 90-plus approval rating three times. He’s brilliant, and he cares deeply about what happens within this city.”
“Then you have Scoot (Paisant), who evolved into a news/talk host and came back to the city for a rebirth on WWL,” Newman said. “He is deeply rooted here. They all are. We also have Bobby Hebert, the Cajun Cannon, who led the Saints to the playoffs. People love Bobby. They love Deuce McAllister. In so many ways, it’s about that deep connection. People can hear themselves on this radio station and see themselves in our hosts.”
WWL Radio has a slightly different philosophy in one of the most important dayparts. In afternoon drive, the aforementioned Hebert hosts a sports talk show from 4-8 PM on the news/talk station. And while that might seem out of place, to Diane Newman — who finished seventh in the Mid-Market News/Talk Program Director rankings in the 2025 Barrett Media Top 20 series — the show fits perfectly into the vision of the station.
“Give people what they love,” Newman said. “We can still cover everything in news and talk, all the conversations about the indicted mayor and the new mayor coming in to bring a rebirth to the city. But people love the New Orleans Saints. People love LSU football and baseball. Sports are part of who we are here. So why wouldn’t you give them a taste of what they love every day?”
At the heart of it all, Newman still sees herself as a producer — someone responsible for shaping daily moments that reflect the life of the city.
“Producers produce,” Newman said. “At heart, I’m a producer, and I think that’s who all of us at this radio station are. Every day, you’re served up a blank slate. You have to fill it with what’s going on in your market, what people care about, what people want to talk about, what people are happy about, and what people are upset about. To me, it all goes back to connection. When a station can reflect the market the way WWL does, that’s the goal.”
Ultimately, Newman believes that fun isn’t a distraction from the seriousness of some of the topics that are discussed on the station — it’s what sustains it.
“It still is so much fun. In the end, it’s supposed to be fun. You have things that are a pain that you have to do every day,” Newman admitted. “But even covering Mardi Gras, you’re delivering something special. Who gets to do this for a living? If the Saints win, how much fun is that? When LSU is a championship baseball team, how much fun is that?”
“We have amazing jobs,” Diane Newman concluded. “Every day starts with a blank slate, but we have jobs that most people in the world would want. How much fun is this?”
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