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The Messenger Expecting May 15th Launch

BNM Staff
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The Messenger Expecting May 15th Launch

The Messenger, a news startup founded by Jimmy Finkelstein, will launch in beta On May 15th with a team of 200 employees. The company has already raised $50 million and has no plans for further fundraising.

Initially, the website will focus on news and politics, with nine additional editorial verticals to be introduced later this year.

According to Axios, The Messenger aims to be a balanced, trusted, and nonpartisan source of fast and accurate news coverage. The company has already hired four new editors to lead the non-core news verticals and aims to grow to a workforce of 750 employees, with 550 of them working in the newsroom. The Messenger hopes to become a leading source of reliable news coverage.

The Messenger expanded its team by adding Dan Wakeford, Marty Kady, and Mary Margaret as the new editor-in-chief, politics editor, and entertainment editor, respectively. The company has secured funding from diverse investors, including The Stagwell Group, James Tisch, Josh Harris, and Thomas Peterffy.

The company is growing its editorial team by hiring four experienced editors to manage different news categories. Previously the editorial director at The Athletic, Dan Kaufman, will head the sports section. David Ewalt, the former editor-in-chief at Gizmodo, will be responsible for technology and science. Amy Eisinger, who previously worked as the digital director at Self Magazine, will oversee health news. Finally, Ben Goldberger, the former executive editor of Time, will serve as the deputy editor and editor of The Messenger’s “Purpose” vertical.

The company plans to offer newsletter and event sponsorships in addition to its services, hosting about 40 events in the upcoming year. The Morning Messenger, their weekday morning newsletter, is set to launch in mid-May, targeting an audience of 250,000 people.

The company also plans to launch a lunchtime news report and a political newsletter, with each vertical outside of news and politics eventually having its newsletter. Leases have been signed in New York City and Washington, D.C., and video studios will be built in both cities and Los Angeles in the future.

The Messenger aims to increase its workforce to 750 employees, with 550 individuals in the newsroom. The company has already hired 45 people solely to cover entertainment content. The company intends to introduce a paywall for premium content in the future, with the focus in the first year being on digital-only products except for events. The Messenger is confident in their ability to provide unparalleled digital experiences to their customers.

New Anderson Cooper Program Sees Early Ratings Struggles

BNM Staff
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New Anderson Cooper Program Sees Early Ratings Struggles

For the week ending Apr. 16, it was a tale of two shows, both distinct and notable. One topped the ratings charts despite, as we now know, it soon being in its final days, and, the other — the debut weekend show for Anderson Cooper on CNN — was already off to an inauspicious start.

The Apr. 11 edition of Fox News Channel’s now-defunct Tucker Carlson Tonight featured an interview with Donald Trump, his first since being indicted on 34 felony counts of business fraud from New York City.

Although observers criticized Carlson for leaving his interview subject unchallenged throughout, the hour was cable’s most-watched non-sports telecast of the week (its viewer figures in the rankings at the end of this article); with sports included, ranked fourth on cable overall.

For Apr. 10-14, Carlson averaged 3.39 million total viewers including 419,000 within the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research — its figures FNC hopes to either return to or come close to for its next 8 p.m. successor.

On the opposite end of the ratings spectrum, CNN’s debut The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper from Apr. 16 garnered just 496,000 viewers and 85,000 adults 25-54. In the first edition, Cooper chronicled the treks of migrants on their trails to America.

Within that Sunday 8-9 p.m. hour, it trailed both FNC’s Life, Liberty and Levin (1.389 million) and MSNBC’s The Mehdi Hasan Show (555,000) in total viewers; and, trailed only FNC (99,000) in adults 25-54.

CNN will continue its prime-time pursuits as their upcoming weekly program King Charles hosted by CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King and Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley (officially announced on Apr. 22) will arrive on the network later this year.

Cable news averages for April 10-16, 2023:

Total Day (Apr. 10-16 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.330 million viewers; 166,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.798 million viewers; 98,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.449 million viewers; 97,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.116 million viewers; 29,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.109 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.097 million viewers; 23,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.096 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.078 million viewers; 13,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (Apr. 10-15 @ 8-11 p.m.; Apr. 16 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.123 million viewers; 240,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.289 million viewers; 139,000 adults 25-54 
  • CNN: 0.524 million viewers; 123,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.168 million viewers; 47,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.119 million viewers; 13,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.099 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.095 million viewers; 17,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.078 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.051 million viewers; 8,000 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, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.712 million viewers

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.606 million viewers

3. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.166 million viewers

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.146 million viewers

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.094 million viewers

6. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.025 million viewers

7. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.997 million viewers

8. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.992 million viewers

9. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 4/14/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.893 million viewers

10. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.705 million viewers

17. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.427 million viewers

170. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.854 million viewers

174. Real Time with Bill Maher “Episode 631” (HBO, Fri. 4/14/2023 10:01 PM, 59 min.) 0.835 million viewers

309. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/16/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.500 million viewers

394. Varney & Company (FBN, Wed. 4/12/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.348 million viewers

409. Carl Higbie Frontline (NMX, Fri. 4/14/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.311 million viewers

459. Fast Money Halftime Report (CNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.234 million viewers

469. Forensic Files (HLN, late Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.223 million viewers

475. Highway Thru Hell “(1113) Far And Wide” (TWC, Sun. 4/16/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.218 million viewers

595. Cuomo (NWSN, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.158 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, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.471 million adults 25-54

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.438 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.438 million adults 25-54

4. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.384 million adults 25-54

5. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.376 million adults 25-54

6. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 4/12/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.335 million adults 25-54

7. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 4/10/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.328 million adults 25-54

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.327 million adults 25-54

9. Gutfeld! (FOXNC, Thu. 4/13/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.319 million adults 25-54

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.319 million adults 25-54

20. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.277 million adults 25-54

43. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Thu. 4/13/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.219 million adults 25-54

113. Real Time With Bill Maher “Episode 631” (HBO, Fri. 4/14/2023 10:01 PM, 59 min.) 0.163 million adults 25-54

182. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/16/2023 11:02 PM, 35 min.) 0.126 million adults 25-54

388. Squawk on the Street (CNBC, Mon. 4/10/2023 9:00 AM, 180 min.) 0.062 million adults 25-54

397. Forensic Files (HLN, late Tue. 4/11/2023 2:30 AM, 30 min.) 0.058 million adults 25-54

440. Highway Thru Hell “(1111) Get Er Done” (TWC, Wed. 4/12/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.048 million adults 25-54

516. Cuomo (NWSN, Tue. 4/11/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.036 million adults 25-54

608. Mornings with Maria Bartiromo (FBN, Fri. 4/14/2023 8:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.027 million adults 25-54

649. Eric Bolling The Balance (NMX, Mon. 4/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.024 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

TSN 1050 Afternoon Host Jeff O’Neill on Leave, But Station Won’t Say Why

BSM Staff
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TSN 1050 Afternoon Host Jeff O’Neill on Leave, But Station Won’t Say Why

In one of the most pivotal times in recent Toronto Maple Leafs history, fans tuning in to TSN 1050 this week hoping to hear from afternoon host Jeff O’Neill were surprised to learn that he was still absent.

O’Neill has been missing from his seat on OverDrive since sometime last week. Co-host Bryan Hayes has assured listeners that O’Neill is fine, but neither he nor parent company Bell Media would give a reason why Jeff has been placed on leave.

“The ODog is on leave right now,” said Hayes on Monday according to The Athletic. “He’s OK. He’s getting messages from people. He’s seeing all this kind of stuff. But that’s as far as we can go. That’s what we’re going to leave it at – that the ODog is on leave.”

O’Neill, Hayes and Jamie McLennan comprise the most popular sports radio show in Toronto. O’Neill has been contributing to coverage of the Maple Leafs since 2013.

Jeff grew up in a Toronto suburb and eventually lived out his dream of suiting up for his hometown team. He scored 237 goals over 11 seasons in the NHL, the final two were for the Leafs.

Jared Carrabis: I am Judged More Fairly Since Leaving Barstool

BSM Staff
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Jared Carrabis has learned to stand on his own since leaving Barstool last year. Carrabis joined forces with DraftKings to launch the Baseball is Dead podcast.

In an interview with Jessica Kleinschmidt on the Short & To The Point podcast, Carrabis said he’s ditched the mindset of being a cog in the machine like he felt a lot of the folks on the content side at Barstool had.

“Are you a product of the company or are you a product of your hard work? And I think it’s a combination of both,” he said of what he’s been able to achieve in this new venture. “I know that Barstool helped me a ton. But there are definitely examples of people who go there and work there and move on and you never hear from them again.”

Jared also felt like it was important he break free from the shadow of Barstool founder Dave Portnoy. Portnoy has built Barstool into the behemoth it is today, but Carrabis felt like he was judged for working at Barstool because of some of the controversies Dave has found himself in over the years.

“That always bothered me, where people wouldn’t give me a chance because of things that were said or done by other people,” he said. “That’s not fair.”

Carrabis added that being independent he has more control over his perceived reputation.

“Now I have the opportunity to be judged based on what I do and what I say, versus what other people do and say,” he said.

“Admittedly, it would bother me when people were like, ‘Oh, you’re Dave’s bitch’ and ‘You’d be nothing without, without Dave,’” Carrabis added. “In my head I’m thinking, ‘That’s not true!’ But I can’t prove it, how do I prove that?”

Mike Valenti: ESPN Will Need a Green Screen To Make Detroit Draft Look Good

BSM Staff
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With the NFL Draft come and gone in Kansas City, Detroit is now on the clock. The motor city will be the site of next year’s event.

On 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, host Mike Valenti said the draft is a different animal of an event. He’s not sure if Detroit is ready for a music festival-type gathering.

“Is this city capable of this?” Valenti asked. “Because let me be clear. Hosting the Final Four is easier than this. The Final Four doesn’t need to look cool. You just need bars and a stadium. This is like Woodstock.”

Co-host Rico Beard called the draft a fail-safe event considering it’s about celebrating the game of football with fans of all the other teams. Also, the three days offer something for everyone from the hardcore fan to the local Detroiter who may just want to head down with the kids on Saturday to see what all the hype was about.

Valenti said he was excited about the event and for Detroit Lions fans, but what the NFL is now doing with the draft is different than even hosting a Super Bowl.

Mike made the point that it’s going to be difficult to spotlight the beauty of Detroit. He thought the city is lacking the aesthetic appeal that cities like Nashville, Philadelphia, Chicago and Kansas City had.

“Unless you’re gonna do on a loop a giant green screen of Motown museum, Spirit, the fist and Aretha’s hat I really don’t know what the hell it’s gonna look like,” Valenti said.

Valenti did acknowledge that from a national perspective, he already knows the rest of the country has the Detroit jokes lined up.

“We’re gonna get crushed in the lead-up to this event,” he said. “Like, we are a pinata for the rest of the country. So no one is really excited about this thing going to Detroit. Just wait.”

“So it is imperative that this looks good,” he said.

It seems like the consensus in terms of a space capable of accommodating a mass of football fans in a festival-style setting is Belle Isle. It is 982 acres in size, and up until this year it hosted an annual IndyCar event the weekend after the Indy 500. Those weekends drew around 100,000 people to Detroit over three days in its heyday.

Bill Walton 30 For 30 Debuts on ESPN in June

BSM Staff
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NBA legend Bill Walton is one of the most unique personalities in basketball, and ESPN is set to spotlight Walton’s personality and hall-of-fame career in a new four-part 30 for 30 series.

The Luckiest Guy in the World will debut on June 6 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The final two parts of the series, directed by Steve James, will ai on June 13 at 8 p.m. The series hits ESPN+ after the premiere.

Music from the legendary jam band Grateful Dead will help set the tone for each part of the series, which will jump back and forth from present day to his NBA heyday and dominant college years at UCLA.

In addition to Walton and his family, greats like Larry Bird and Julius Erving will also be featured as well.

The Luckiest Guy in the World is not the first 30 for 30 film focused on a broadcaster. A documentary about Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was included in the series’ first season. Mike & The Mad Dog premiered in 2017.

It won’t even be the first time that ESPN has put a member of its college basketball staff in the spotlight. Dickie V, which was focused on the life and influence of Dick Vitale, premiered last year.

TBS, TNT Set Viewership Records In First Round Of Stanley Cup Playoffs

BSM Staff
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TBS, TNT Set Viewership Records In First Round Of Stanley Cup Playoffs

Monday night’s first round, Game 7 matchup between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers concluded the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, being broadcast for the second-consecutive year on networks owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. The action contained a plethora of unexpected outcomes – including the Florida Panthers tying Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in the final minute and subsequently winning the contest in overtime to eliminate the best regular season team of all time.

Akin to the Bruins setting the record for most wins and points in a regular season, TNT’s broadcast of Game 7 shattered a record by reaching an average of 3.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched first round game of all time on cable. It is also the highest mark for a first round contest on any network in over a decade, surpassing Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Bruins and Washington Capitals in April 2012. Viewership for the game peaked at 4.1 million.

With their defeat of the Avalanche, the Kraken became the only expansion franchise in NHL history to earn its first playoff series win against a defending Stanley Cup champion. That Game 7 telecast, which immediately followed the Bruins-Panthers matchup, amassed over 2 million viewers, rendering it the most-watched late window game in the first round ever. Overall, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports has now broadcast the four most-watched first round games on cable. TNT and TBS combined to average 959,000 viewers throughout its broadcasts of the first round action.

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ broadcast of the second round of the NHL Playoffs will commence on Thursday, May 4 as the Florida Panthers battle the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on TNT. Then at 9:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. PST, the Seattle Kraken face the Dallas Stars in the second game of the Western Conference Semifinals. TNT will broadcast its first-ever Stanley Cup Final this season as part of its seven-year media rights agreement with the National Hockey League.

Rob Finnerty: Fox News Does Not Want Tucker Carlson on Newsmax

BNM Staff
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Yesterday, Media Matters revealed behind-the-scenes footage of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson dragging the network’s streaming service — FOX Nation — through the mud in a private conversation. Newsmax host Rob Finnerty believes Fox News was behind the release.

During Wake Up America, Finnerty showcased the clip of Carlson privately telling a colleague that the FOX Nation streaming service “sucks” and that he and his team were “working like animals” to produce content for the platform that wasn’t given the proper promotional support.

Finnerty argued that, in his estimation, it was clear Fox News was behind the leak and was trying to provoke the former host.

“They’re trying to discredit Tucker Carlson, and they’re also trying to bait him into publicly responding so they don’t have to pay him $30 million,” Finnerty said. “I’ll tell you what Fox does not want to happen – and this is the elephant in the room. We saw that TMZ report drop on Friday. We can’t really say much about what’s going on. But Fox News does not want Tucker Carlson coming to Newsmax, plain and simple.”

The reference to the TMZ report by Finnerty claims Newsmax was “beating down Carlson’s door” with an offer for him to join forces with the upstart network. The report claimed Newsmax was “doing everything it can to sweeten the deal for Tucker to come on board”, even going as far as to say Carlson could program the whole network in addition to hosting his own show.

Chris Stigall: Released Videos of Tucker Carlson ‘Makes Me Love Him More’

BNM Staff
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Videos of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson trashing the network’s streaming platform were uncovered Monday, and conservative radio host Chris Stigall believes the cable outlet is behind the leaks.

During The Chris Stigall Show, the radio host argued that the release of the videos was designed to make Carlson look bad, but in his view, it has done the opposite.

“There are new videos of Tucker ‘behind the scenes’, and it makes me love him more, quite frankly, not less,” Stigall said. “I think Fox is in the middle of trying to trash Tucker Carlson.”

He then said Carlson should have been more aware of one of the first things aspiring broadcasters learn when they enter the industry.

“This is what’s so dangerous in this business. This is something you learn as a youngster coming up, with a microphone or a camera in front of your face, you don’t allow raw emotion or honesty about something like this to come pouring out when a microphone or a camera is near.

“Because even when you’re off the air, when you think you’re done and your show is over, if there are mics and cameras around, odds are — particularly when you’re dealing with a crew the size of Tucker — someone in the bunch who goes ‘Oh, Tucker’s throwing a little bit of a fit. I better hit record. This will be funny later’…All it takes is one ne’er-do-well producer or editor to just hit record while the guy’s still in the studio freaking out about something and they say ‘We’ll just tuck that away for a rainy day’, and maybe they show it at a private party or show it to their buddies.”

Stigall then argued Fox News is “running an underground smear campaign” against Carlson, in an effort to get conservatives to dislike the former host.

After playing the clip of Carlson’s anger toward the FOX Nation service, Stigall called Carlson a “beautiful S.O.B”.

“I don’t even know the circumstances of any of that, but having heard it for the first time, you just can’t possibly know how much I love him more now,” Stigall concluded.

Media Matters released three more videos of Carlson after Stigall’s show Tuesday. In the videos, he jokes about discussing “sex techniques” during an appearance on a program hosted by Piers Morgan. He also gives Media Matters two middle fingers in another, while joking that he “can never assess” his appearance before a program. “I wait for my postmenopausal fans to weigh in on that.”

Michael Smerconish: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins ‘Perfect’ Moderator For Donald Trump Town Hall

BNM Staff
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Media reactions continue to come in after CNN announced it would hold a town hall event with former President Donald Trump next week. SiriusXM’s Michael Smerconish believes the idea is a good one.

On a video posted to Twitter, Smerconish — who is also a CNN weekend host — said he didn’t know about the event before it was announced, but argued that CNN This Morning co-host Kaitlan Collins, who will moderate the interview, is a great fit for the job.

“I think it’s a great thing. First of all, Kaitlan Collins is perfect,” Smerconish said. “She’s firm, she’s fair, she’s consistent. She’ll ask tough questions of Donald Trump. He’s not gonna get one over on her.”

Smerconish continued by saying that the biggest critics of Trump were being unreasonable by expecting him to simply receive no coverage from cable news outlets during the run-up to the 2024 Republican primary.

“How do you not give him some access to the airwaves? According to CBS today, he’s at 53% of the vote against Ron DeSantis and other challengers,” noted Smerconish. “Critics of Trump — who think that the media should completely ignore him — are asking too much. That’s not gonna happen. The public has a right to see how he responds to questions. So, I like it.”

Trump’s appearance on CNN will make his return to the network for the first time in seven years.

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