With ESPN losing its Sunday Night Baseball package, it has announced it will debut a new primetime franchise labeled as Women’s Sports Sundays.
ESPN announced it will feature top-tier WNBA and NWSL games in the window.
“Women’s sports are experiencing continued momentum, and Women’s Sports Sundays is ESPN’s next step in meeting that demand,” said ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming & Acquisitions Rosalyn Durant.
“This franchise is about more than showcasing games — it’s about building a consistent, high-profile destination that reflects the passion, excellence and cultural impact of women’s sports today, while giving athletes and leagues the stage they deserve.”
Across nine consecutive weeks and 12 different games, ESPN will deliver women’s sports matchups, providing what it labeled as “the biggest moments, rivalries and stars across women’s sports on ESPN networks in premium windows.”
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After comments from FCC Chair Brendan Carr supporting the deal between TEGNA and Nexstar Media Group, Congressional Republicans are urging the commission to do a full review before approving the merger.
On Wednesday, Carr signaled his support for the deal.
“I support that transaction. We’re going to be moving forward,” he told reporters.
The comments from Carr come after President Donald Trump also backed the merger earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) authored a letter to the Carr, co-signed by 32 other Congressional Republicans, sharing their stance that the transaction needs more investigation before being approved by the FCC.
“Broadcast licenses are intended to serve local communities and the public interest, something that should be key to the Commission’s decision-making process,” the letter reads. Congress established the 39 percent National TV Ownership Cap of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and reaffirmed this limit in 2004. President Reagan first instituted the Cap to protect local market television and news from being owned and coordinated by major networks. Multiple studies show that Americans get most of their community news from local TV stations, even more so with the decline of local newspapers, making these protections more important.
“Accordingly, we respectfully urge the full Commission to undertake a thorough, data-driven, and transparent review of any proposal to increase the National Ownership Cap,” the letter continues. “Such a review should evaluate impacts on local news production, advertising markets, retransmission consent fees, consumer costs, and viewpoint diversity. Given Congress’s clear statutory role, any reconsideration should be approached with deliberation and deference to that framework. We appreciate your attention to this important matter.”
With the 33 Congressional Republicans co-signing the letter, that now brings at least 40 members of Congress from the party that have publicly expressed hesitancy in approving the deal.
Should the merger receive FCC approval, Nexstar Media Group would add 64 stations from TEGNA to its already existing stable of 200 stations. That means the company could reach more than 80% of all U.S. households, well surpassing the current limit of 39%.
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Triton Digital has unveiled its 2025 U.S. Podcast Report, and the data shows slipping usage for Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and an increase for YouTube.
In 2022, 15.7% of monthly podcast listeners labeled Apple Podcasts as their preferred platform. In 2025, that figure had fallen to 11.3%. Usage for Apple Podcasts has fallen every year, dropping to 14.3% in 2023, and 12.2% in 2024.
Meanwhile, Spotify’s usage rates have been more sporadic. In 2022, 25.2% of monthly podcast listeners called it their preferred platform. That figure fell to 23.4% in 2023, before rising to 26.6% in 2024. However, that dropped to 24.6% in 2025.
YouTube has seen a steady increase during the four years the study has been conducted. 28.1% of users called it their favorite platform. After increases in 2023 and 2024, that number reached 37.7%.
While YouTube sees the highest preferred usage, the data from Triton Digital shows that Spotify attracts a younger audience, YouTube attracts a more male audience, and Apple Podcasts features users with higher incomes.
Spotify is the preferred platform for users in the 18-34 demographic, with 49% labeling it the top platform. YouTube and Apple Podcasts were tied at 36%. Apple’s podcast platform rises to 42% in the Ages 35-54 demographic. Spotify is at 39% and YouTube is at 37%. 27% of those in the ages 55+ claimed YouTube as the preferred platform, with Apple Podcasts at 22% and Spotify at 12%.
Also included in the report is a breakdown of how many monthly podcast listeners describe themselves as listen-only and watch-only. 35% of those aged 18-34 and 55+ called themselves watch-only, while 29% of those between 35-54 responded similarly.
The 35-54 demographic was more apt to be listen-only, with 37% responding that it’s their preferred method of consumption. The number falls slightly to 36% in the 55+ demo, and to 27% in the 18-34 sector.
For the full 2025 U.S. Podcast Report from Triton Digital, click here.
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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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