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FCC: Evidence Supporting TikTok Ban ‘is Crystal Clear’

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The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, told CBS News that there was undeniable proof to support a nationwide prohibition on TikTok and criticized the company for its inability to persuade lawmakers that the app did not pose a threat to Americans.

According to Fox News Digital, During last week’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on security concerns regarding the app, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced questioning from both Democrats and Republicans. Carr defended the bipartisan push for a national ban during an interview on “CBS Mornings” last week, citing reports where TikTok confessed to China using the app to obtain data from American users.

“Look, I think the evidence we have now is crystal clear. For years TikTok represented that very little data, if any, goes back to Beijing, and there was a blockbuster story over the summer that got internal communications that said, no, quote, ‘everything is seen in China,” he began.

He pointed out that TikTok had previously claimed that little to no data was sent back to Beijing, but internal communications revealed otherwise. Carr also mentioned a story about TikTok being utilized to covertly monitor the locations of specific Americans, which the company denied but later admitted to doing in internal emails. He added that during the recent midterm elections, CCP state media created TikTok accounts to target US politicians with divisive content.

“Look, I’ve testified before the same committee many times, sat in the same chair, and never seen anything like that. The day could not have gone any worse for TikTok,” Carr told CBS News.

Carr expressed his disappointment with the TikTok executive’s failure to convince lawmakers that there was no cause for concern. He described the hearing as a train wreck for TikTok, as Chew struggled to directly answer questions about its parent company, ByteDance’s potential spying on American citizens and whether Chinese government spying was occurring through the app.

Megyn Kelly: Candidates, Reporters Are ‘Supposed to Be Adversarial’

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On her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn Kelly shared that she had extended an invitation for an interview to potential 2024 Presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). However, she mentioned that she was still waiting for his response. 

According to Mediate, during Monday’s episode, Kelly and commentators Evita Duffy and Amala Ekpunobi discussed various topics, including the increasing contrast between former President Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, considered a likely contender in the upcoming presidential election.

Kelly acknowledged that while Trump is willing to take social risks, DeSantis does not take significant rhetorical risks or can effortlessly charm a room. Later in their discussion, she mentioned that they had invited the Florida Governor to be a guest on their program, but he still needed to respond. Kelly found this interesting, especially considering DeSantis’ recent interview with Piers Morgan, whom she feels is a friend. 

She questioned why he would choose to sit down with a British journalist rather than appear on her show. Kelly then suggested that there might be a reason for this, implying that DeSantis might be afraid to face the kind of interview that she would conduct with him. She said she wouldn’t give him a pass, which might explain his reluctance to accept their invitation.

Kelly pointed out that she applies the same standard to all her interviews, including with Trump. She emphasized that no one gets a pass regarding tough questions and critical analysis.

“That’s the way I am with presidential candidates. And that’s because I represent the viewers, not the candidates. You know, and that’s the way the journalists should be. We’re there for the viewers. We’re not there to rub elbows with these guys who may or may not be president and inure ourselves and their good graces,” Kelly explained.

Kelly urged journalists to be bold and assertive in their interactions with public figures, suggesting they must have the courage and confidence to ask tough questions and hold those in power accountable.

“Reporters need to remember that — the relationship is supposed to be adversarial, for the love of God. These journalists should show it. I don’t give a shit if you’ve fallen in love with DeSantis or Trump, for that matter. They’re not your friend,” Kelly added.

Andrew Cuomo Hosts Special Night on 77 WABC

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Andrew Cuomo, the ex-governor of New York, has a history of being comfortable in the public eye. He recently hosted a talk show named “State of the City, State and Nation” on 77 WABC. 

Cuomo, who is a Democrat, resigned amid scandal on August 24 after previously announcing his decision on August 10. He acknowledged the circumstances and stated that stepping aside was the best way he could help the government continue governing. Kathy Hochul, another Democrat and former lieutenant governor, served the remaining portion of Cuomo’s term, which ended on January 1, 2023.

From December 2020 to August 2021, a sequence of incidents occurred concerning Cuomo, leading to demands for his removal from office either by impeachment or resignation. These incidents included probes into allegations of sexual harassment and his administration’s response to nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In an unprecedented hour from 8 to 9 PM ET, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will speak directly to New York and the entire nation about the current state of local, national, and international affairs,” the station said on its website. 

Cuomo shared his opinions on the performance of his former lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, and other political issues during his appearance on WABC. The network reports that Cuomo has been hosting his podcast and requested the airtime.

In a statement, WABC and owner John Catsimatidis said, “let him speak! I have often said that 77 WABC is about truth and hearing from all sides. Let the listeners decide.” 

Pat McAfee: I Will Definitely Be On College GameDay Next Season

BSM Staff
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There has been plenty of speculation about what the future holds for Pat McAfee, but the media star made it clear that his obligation to ESPN and College GameDay is concrete.

Taking a call on his daily YouTube show on Monday, McAfee was asked if he would be back for the 2023 season. After talking about his desire to get down to Baton Rouge to do GameDay from LSU, Pat made his status known.

“I am definitely on College GameDay for one more year. Definitely,” McAfee said. “That is a definite situation. After that, the conversation’s pending.”

“Up to something season’s cooking,” he added.

McAfee signed a two-year deal with ESPN last September to join GameDay.

Mike Francesa: BetRivers Podcast Is Enough For Me Right Now

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Mike Francesa: BetRivers Podcast Is Enough For Me Right Now

If you were hoping to catch Mike Francesa hosting a daily TV or radio show in the future, that ship has likely sailed.

Asked by a listener on his Mike Francesa Podcast if he would go back to doing a show on television similar to his Mike’d Up program on NBC New York, Francesa said it’s not in his future.

“I would doubt it,” he said on his Monday episode. “At this point, I’m not as visible. So it wouldn’t make as much sense as having me now as it would then. And frankly, I’m doing what I do now, and I love doing it.”

Francesa reunited with his former WFAN co-host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on ESPN’s First Take back in January, but Mike said the podcast he’s doing for the BetRivers Network checks all the boxes of what he’s looking for work-wise at the moment.

“It’s actually enough,” he said. “I’ve had a couple offers in the last couple of months. I’ve turned them all down. Anybody that’s asked me for steady work or to do something Monday through Friday I’ve said no.”

“It would have to be something very unusual for me to do on a regular basis,” he added.

Stephen A. Smith: Dan Le Batard is My Friend, But He is Wrong

BSM Staff
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Stephen A. Smith got the last word in his spat with former ESPN colleague Dan Le Batard on Monday.

Smith, who was supposed to be on vacation, needed to postpone things long enough to record a new episode of his Audacy podcast K[no]w Mercy. He needed to get his feelings about the situation off his chest.

Smith pointed to a couple of different areas in Le Batard’s argument that Stephen A. and Skip Bayless have ruined sports television through the rise of heated debate-style programming.

“I did think that he was wrong when he came at me last week and he said, ‘I hate what you two have done to sports television, talking about Skip Bayless and myself,” he said. “It’s amazing to me how people will speak as if I’ve had a negative impact on an industry they profit off of! Dan Le Batard wrote for the Miami Herald for 26 years. 1990-2016. Ask Dan Le Batard how much money he made writing for the Miami Herald compared to how much money he made on ESPN. How much money he made doing Highly Questionable, how much money he made doing the Dan Le Batard Show, how much money he is making doing South Beach Sessions!”

Stephen A. went on to say that he’s having a hard time wrapping his head around how people’s biggest gripe is that Smith’s style has spawned wannabes who somehow find a way to dominate in the space.

“It’s amazing to me how ‘Oh my lord, the impact Stephen A. had on this industry – oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.’ Really? Really? And what impact would that be?” he said. “People trying to be loud? People trying to be bombastic? That’s all y’all got? That’s it? We’re just going to ignore everything that happened prior to that?”

Smith pointed to his journalistic background and how he’s always used proper ethics and integrity and reiterated his point that he and Bayless shouldn’t have all the blame for how the space has evolved.

“Dan Le Batard was wrong when he said, ‘Skip Bayless and I, the journalistic tenets are ignored because the made-for-TV debate is proliferated in the mind’s eye, and it’s been at the expense of journalism.’ That is not our problem,” he said. “Not for two people who have employed journalistic tenets our entire career.”

Doug Gottlieb Talks About His ‘White Man’s Perspective’ Gaffe Publicly For First Time

BSM Staff
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Doug Gottlieb was recently reminded of a gaffe he made during NCAA tournament coverage for CBS back in 2013, and on Monday the FOX Sports Radio host talked publicly about the joke gone wrong for the first time.

In his In The Bonus podcast for his national radio show, Gottlieb talked about where the idea for the joke originated.

A friend joked earlier that week that Gottlieb’s presence among Greg Gumbel, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Greg Anthony would actually bring some diversity to the set considering Gottlieb would be the only white guy at the desk. Gottlieb thought he’d work that in somehow during a segment, noting that there was no oversight on what would be said on the air.

“No one said, ‘Don’t do that,'” Gottlieb said. “They should have. Somebody should’ve said, ‘Don’t do that.'”

Doug added that he shouldn’t have tried to do too much.

“All I should have said was, ‘Man I’m just so honored to be here with these legends. You guys let me know when you need me. Otherwise, I’ll just kind of layout in the cut,'” he said. “But instead I said something stupid where I butchered the line and is like, ‘I’m just here to give a white man’s perspective.’ I was just trying to be funny.”

“You’re like, ‘Holy shit, am I gonna get fired during the break?'” Gottlieb said later. “That’s what you feel like.”

Doug said he managed to keep his composure through the next segments until a commercial break. He mentioned how no one at the desk was speaking to him. After a text from Seth Davis asking if he was OK, Doug said he inevitably heard directly from someone at CBS about the joke.

“I get a tap on my shoulder, and it’s one of the gentlemen that hired me at CBS,” he said. “And he asked me, ‘What the f–k are you doing?'”

Gottlieb said he reiterated that he was just trying to make a joke. But he said it was a big-time mistake with the network that he could’ve avoided completely.

“It was a f–k up, because I didn’t need it,” he said. “I didn’t need to try and crack a joke when I’m naturally pretty humorous. And not really my job. And let Kenny and Charles be funny. They are really, really funny, and no one is ever offended by anything they say.”

Doug said that there was one person that attempted to get him fired over social media that night. He had a special message for that individual.

“To that guy, f–k you,” he said.

Disney to Begin Layoffs This Week

BSM Staff
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An internal memo obtained by CNBC details The Walt Disney Company’s plans to begin laying off employees this week. A total of 7,000 job cuts are expected throughout the company.

“This week, we begin notifying employees whose positions are impacted by the company’s workforce reductions,” Iger wrote in the memo. “Leaders will be communicating the news directly to the first group of impacted employees over the next four days. A second, larger round of notifications will happen in April with several thousand more staff reductions, and we expect to commence the final round of notifications before the beginning of the summer to reach our 7,000-job target.”

The job cuts will impact the media divisions — including ESPN — as well as the company’s parks and resorts.

A cost-cutting endeavor of $5.5 billion by the company is the driving force behind the decision.

The move coincides with other reorganization efforts for The Walt Disney Company since the return of CEO Bob Iger. Earlier this year, Iger announced that the company would be split into three separate divisions, with ESPN becoming an independent entity within the company. Entertainment & Parks and Experiences & Products also splintered off into independent divisions.

So far in 2023, Disney’s stock price has risen by 8%. According to CNBC, the price fell by 44% in 2022.

Disney to Begin Mass Layoffs This Week

BNM Staff
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Disney to Begin Mass Layoffs This Week

An internal memo obtained by CNBC details that The Walt Disney Company will begin laying off employees this week, which will ultimately see 7,000 job cuts throughout the company.

“This week, we begin notifying employees whose positions are impacted by the company’s workforce reductions,” Iger wrote in the memo. “Leaders will be communicating the news directly to the first group of impacted employees over the next four days. A second, larger round of notifications will happen in April with several thousand more staff reductions, and we expect to commence the final round of notifications before the beginning of the summer to reach our 7,000-job target.”

The job cuts, initially rumored last month, will impact the media divisions — including ABC, ABC News, and ESPN — as well as the company’s parks and resorts.

A cost-cutting endeavor of $5.5 billion by the company is the driving force behind the decision.

The move coincides with other reorganization efforts for The Walt Disney Company since the return of CEO Bob Iger. Earlier this year, Iger announced that the company would be split into three separate divisions, with ESPN becoming an independent entity within the company, as Entertainment & Parks and Experiences & Products also splintering off into independent divisions.

So far in 2023, Disney’s stock price has risen by 8%. According to CNBC, the price fell by 44% in 2022.

Karl Ravech: New MLB Rules Mean Adjusting to Different Broadcasting Rhythm

BSM Staff
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MLB’s Opening Day is quickly approaching, and with new rules implemented by the league to improve the pace of play, it will also affect the radio and television broadcast crews. Sunday Night Baseball announcer Karl Ravech is aware of the changes coming to his broadcast.

“I think everything is going to be done a little bit quicker. Coming out of that and during the game, (David Cone) was concerned. ‘I’ve got to get in, I’ve got to get out’. In our world we have this running joke about ‘landing the plane,’ meaning you’ve got to start and finish either before that next pitch or break up your story so that there’s a natural break point,” Ravech said during an ESPN conference call previewing the upcoming season.

“Everything happens quicker. There’s no question about that. So in a lot of ways, I’m sure a lot of viewers will think ‘Well, this is even better.’ We’ll have more concise commentary. It will be sharper. It will be quicker.”

Ravech then admitted that adjusting to the new rules will be the responsibility of the broadcast crew.

“That’s on us to figure out the rhythm of the baseball game, and be comfortable and trust each other in the conversations we’re having. There’s a lot of eye contact that goes on. There’s a lot of hand motions up in the booth that people don’t necessarily see, so we know when it is that the other wants to talk.”

The Sunday Night Baseball crew will consist of Ravech, David Cone, and Eduardo Perez for the second consecutive season. ESPN has featured a considerable amount of turnover in the booth since the conclusion of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan’s 21-year run together, and Ravech added the current crew would like to continue working together for a long time.

“I don’t think Coney, Eduardo or I would like to see this end in the next ten years,” Ravech said. “We recognize the privilege it is to sit in that booth on a Sunday night. We’re acutely aware of the audience.”

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