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BIN Moves to 92.1 FM in Norfolk as 105.3 Goes All Christmas

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BIN Moves to 92.1 FM in Norfolk as 105.3 Goes All Christmas

iHeartMedia Norfolk has moved the Black Information Network (BIN) to a new home. Announcing that the 24/7 all-news service dedicated to the Black community is now airing on 92.1 WHBT-FM. The format shift displaces Urban 92.1 The Beat. At the same time, expanding BIN’s reach on a more prominent FM signal in the market.

Previously airing on WNOH-FM 105.3, BIN continues to be available through the iHeartRadio app.

Meanwhile, 105.3 has flipped to an all-Christmas format under the branding “Christmas 105.3,” currently stunting with continuous holiday music.

“BIN has become a vital voice in communities across the country, and we’re proud to continue that trusted news and perspective here in Norfolk,” said Denene Moore, Market President for iHeartMedia Norfolk. “This move ensures that our listeners have access to the stories that matter most, told through a lens that reflects their experiences and voices.”

Launched by iHeartMedia in 2020, the Black Information Network is the nation’s first and only all-news audio network focused on news from a Black perspective.

Its programming includes national and local news, politics, health, education, finance, and culture. Delivered by a team of Black journalists and thought leaders committed to empowering and informing their audience.

The move allows 105.3 to reset its brand as speculation grows over what will follow the seasonal format.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

NPR and PBS Received $20 Million in Donations After Funding Cut, New Estimates Show

BNM Staff
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NPR and PBS Received $20 Million in Donations After Funding Cut, New Estimates Show

More than $1 billion marked for NPR and PBS has been cut from the federal budget in recent weeks. New estimates show that the funding being slashed has led to an influx of donations to the public media brands.

The Contributor Development Partnership, which analyzes media fundraising efforts, estimates that 120,000 donors have pledged $20 million in funding in the past three months, when it became increasingly clear that the funding cuts would be enacted by Congress.

“It is still early, and we hope the support will continue to grow,” Contributor Development Partnership President and CEO Michal Heiplik told The New York Times. “Next few weeks will be telling.”

Overall, donations to NPR and PBS are an estimated $70 million higher at this stage than they were in the same time frame during 2024.

“It is great to see the community respond as it shows how much appreciation (and need) there is for public media,” Heiplik added. “Now we need this level of support to continue as we reinvent the infrastructure impacted by loss of federal funding.”

Last week, the Senate passed $9 billion in federal spending cuts, including more than $1 billion in cuts to NPR and PBS.

The passed legislation would remove $1.1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That figure represents what the CPB was slated to receive over the next two budget years.

The vote to pass the cuts was split largely along party lines. Those voting against the move included all Senate Democrats, who were joined by Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK).

Cuts to NPR and PBS come after a new Harris Poll survey shows that 66% of Americans believe that public radio should receive federal funding. The support isn’t limited to only one side of the political aisle. 77% of self-identified Democrats responded favorably to federal funding continuing to NPR. Meanwhile, 58% of Republicans responded similarly.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

The Big 89 WLS Rewinds Time with Top 40 Legends Saturday

BMM Staff
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The Big 89 WLS Rewinds Time with Top 40 Legends Saturday

The Big 89 WLS, Chicago, is turning back the dial this Saturday night and celebrates its rich Top 40 legacy with a special event that promises to be “the fastest two hours on radio.”

From 10 p.m. to midnight CT Saturday (7/26), “WLS Unwound: Personalities of the MusicRadio Years” will bring together some of the most iconic names from the station’s historic Top 40 era. The two-hour broadcast will be hosted live from the station’s lakefront studios in Chicago.

Among the scheduled guests are Tommy Edwards, Chuck Knapp, Catherine Johns, Chuck Buell, and Jim Kerr. Names that defined an era when WLS was branded as “The Rock of Chicago” and served as the soundtrack of the Midwest.

These legendary voices will reunite to share memories and swap stories. At the same time, revisiting the on-air magic that made WLS a giant in the Top 40 radio world. The show will also include a collection of vintage audio clips. Revisiting the era that helped solidify the station’s reputation as a trailblazer in the Top 40 format.

WLS historian Scott Childers will helm the evening. The man who wrote the book on the station. His knowledge of the station’s history is complemented by firsthand accounts from those who were there.

Archiving duties fall to “Radio’s Best Friend” Art Vuolo. Behind the scenes, Ted Gorden Smucker, Bill Shannon, Tim Larson, Travis Bravo, and Kipper McGee are coordinating production.

Listeners across the country can tune in via AM 890 or stream the event online.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Fred Toucher Blasts Celebrities for Taking Over the Podcasting Space

BSM Staff
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Fred Toucher Blasts Celebrities for Taking Over the Podcasting Space

There has been much debate about Time Magazine’s recent list of the Top 100 Best Podcasts of All Time, which was released earlier this week. Reactions poured in from those who made the list—and perhaps even more from those who didn’t. Fred Toucher of Toucher & Hardy shared his perspective on the rankings during his Friday program on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub.

In his commentary, Toucher offered a candid view on how celebrities are using podcasting to rake in millions, land spots on lists such as the one from Time Magazine, and, in his opinion, take away opportunities from younger, emerging broadcasters.

“What scares me about podcasting isn’t that everyone has a microphone, it’s that celebrities have microphones,” said Toucher. “Celebrities will d**k around and make an hour-long podcast, then they get $10 million that should have gone to some kid. Sirius should have spent that $10 million on a bunch of young broadcasters that they made stars.”

Furthermore, the Boston sports talk host criticized celebrities for siphoning money from traditional and satellite broadcasters—funds he believes could be better used to nurture and develop fresh talent. He called out celebrities such as Dax Shepard and several comedians, accusing them of lacking creativity while producing content that, despite its simplicity, is widely consumed and heavily financed.

“The laziness of, ‘We’re just going to sit in a room and talk to other comedians.’ You dopes consume that and then act like it’s somehow reinvented the wheel,” said Toucher. “Wow, that’s crazy. Audio that’s been prerecorded. I thought they stopped that with eight tracks. This is the future. Get out of here.”

Additionally, Toucher admitted that he listens to only a few podcasts, though he emphasized that the ones he does follow are created by professional hosts who work hard to develop original material. He contrasted this with what he views as lower-effort productions—such as New Heights featuring Jason and Travis Kelce—specifically criticizing a recent episode that broke down the movie Pretty Woman. According to Toucher, the segment blatantly borrowed from Bill Simmons’ style at The Ringer.

“They can’t even come up [with their own material]. They’re stealing, they’re stealing from The Ringer,” explained Toucher. “You rip off artists, you con artists, you pieces of garbage. No one says that to them? They can just go around? No one to hold to no standard anymore. There’s no one to call you out?”

In total, six podcasts were recognized by Time Magazine in the sports category of its Best Podcasts of All Time list. You can read more here.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Lawmakers Question Whether Paramount/Skydance Merger ‘Should Be Investigated’

BNM Staff
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Lawmakers Question Whether Paramount/Skydance Merger ‘Should Be Investigated’

On Thursday evening, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the merger between Paramount and Skydance. But not everyone was thrilled about the approval.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has stated that she’s planning on launching a Congressional investigation into whether or not the parties were guilty of bribing the Trump administration to push the deal through.

“Bribery is illegal no matter who is president. It sure looks like Skydance and Paramount paid $36 million to Donald Trump for this merger, and he’s even bragged about this crooked-looking deal. I’ve been ringing the alarm bell for months, launching a Senate investigation into possible corruption, and this merger must be investigated for any criminal behavior.

“It’s an open question whether the Trump administration’s approval of this merger was the result of a bribe,” she concluded.

Warren’s comments come after Paramount — the parent company of CBS — settled a lawsuit brought forth by Donald Trump, in which he alleged the CBS News program 60 Minutes selectively edited its interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris to help her win the 2024 presidential election.

Despite many legal experts calling the lawsuit frivolous, the network and company reached a $16 million settlement with Trump to drop the case. Trump has subsequently stated that the settlement is for $16 million in cash, as well as a $16 million commitment from the company to air PSAs and advertisements, but he did not go into further details.

The approval from the FCC did not mention any commitment to broadcast PSAs or advertisements, despite the comments from the President.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Alpha Media Taps J. Love for Bay Area Leadership

BMM Staff
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Alpha Media Taps J. Love for Bay Area Leadership

Veteran programmer J. Love is heading back to where it all began. Alpha Media has announced that he will take the reins as Operations Manager for the company’s San Jose cluster, where he’ll oversee content and strategic direction for Country Bay Country 94.5 KBAY and Hot AC Mix 106.5 KEZR.

 “San Jose is where I started my radio career, so stepping into this role truly feels like coming home,” J. Love said in a release. “Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work in some incredible markets — Greenville, New Orleans, Detroit, Providence, Oxnard, San Francisco, Reno, and most recently Las Vegas at Mix 94.1 — but there’s nothing quite like coming back to the Bay.”

His start date is August 1.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Gordon Keith Reveals “Fake Jerry” Impression Coming to Adult Swim

BSM Staff
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Gordon Keith Reveals “Fake Jerry” Impression Coming to Adult Swim

Gordon Keith, longtime co-host of The Musers on 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket (KTCK), is bringing one of Dallas radio’s most iconic impersonations to national television. Keith revealed that his popular “Fake Jerry” character will be featured in a new Adult Swim animated comedy set to debut in 2026.

Keith will voice a character based on his long-running impersonation of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in a show titled Keeping Up With The Joneses.

“Hollywood came calling for me,” said Keith on the latest episode of The Musers: The Podcast about the audition for the role. “I was pretty intimidated by this because I’ve never done anything like that before in my life. I’m going to read for a part on a national show in that ridiculous voice.”

The upcoming series, which will air on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block, centers on a family trying to fit in with their more wealthy neighbors in Dallas. While additional plot details remain limited and despite his nerves, Keith’s take on Fake Jerry clearly resonated. He recorded his voice tracks from a studio in Dallas and has since described the opportunity as a childhood dream come true.

“This is going to be huge,” said Keith. “They’re all in the can, all ten episodes.”

Keith’s Jerry Jones impression has long been a listener favorite in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Known for its wildly exaggerated southern drawl, unapologetic ego, and unpredictable commentary, “Fake Jerry” is a staple of The Musers, the morning show Keith co-hosts alongside George Dunham and Craig Miller. The real Jerry Jones is aware of the impression—and according to Keith, has taken it in stride.

Now, Keith’s challenge is letting the real Jerry know that a cartoon version of him is about to hit screens nationwide.

“I’m gonna break the news to him,” Keith said. “I’m gonna say, ‘Hey, look, I just want you to know that there’s a cartoon of you that’s about to come out nationally. And I have wronged you. And I just want to apologize for what you’re about to see.’ And then I’ll walk away and see if he has any reaction.”

Keith and The Musers are currently in Oxnard, California, covering Cowboys training camp. Keeping Up With The Joneses is expected to premiere sometime in 2026 on Adult Swim.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

Megyn Kelly Launching True Crime Podcast Network

BNM Staff
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Megyn Kelly Launching True Crime Podcast Network

Megyn Kelly is expanding her growing MK Media podcast network with the launch of a new channel, MK True Crime, debuting August 5.

The new offering will deliver original content focused on courtroom coverage, legal analysis, investigations, and live trial commentary, airing twice a week on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

“My legal background has been a key component of my journalism since I started in the industry, and I’m thrilled to expand the MK Media podcast network into the true crime space,” Kelly told TheWrap. “The fact that so many of our audience’s favorite legal contributors will be a part of this will make it even more fun, must-see-YouTube, when legal news breaks.”

Among the regular contributors are high-profile legal voices such as Mark Geragos, Arthur Aidala, Ashleigh Merchant, Dave Aronberg, Phil Holloway, Mark Eiglarsh, and Jonna Spilbor.

The channel will also include original Kelly’s Court segments, one of Kelly’s longtime fan favorites from her cable news days.

The announcement marks another evolution for MK Media. The Megyn Kelly Show launched in 2020 as an audio podcast and later transitioned into a daily live program on SiriusXM. The show has since become a dominant force across platforms like YouTube, X, and TikTok, racking up hundreds of millions of monthly views.

Megan Kelly’s growing media empire now includes a range of podcasts such as The Nerve with Maureen Callahan, Spot On with Link Lauren, and After Party with Emily Jashinsky.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony Leaves ESPN

BSM Staff
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NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony Leaves ESPN

Jonathan Givony, one of ESPN’s more respected voices in NBA Draft coverage, announced on Thursday that he is leaving the company after an eight-year run as a draft analyst. The decision comes despite ESPN offering Givony a contract extension to remain with the network.

“My time at ESPN has come to an end,” Givony shared on social media. “Thanks to everyone, past and present, who helped me grow professionally the past 8 years.”

While Givony expressed gratitude for his time at ESPN, he noted that the two sides could not come to terms on a new deal that aligned with his perceived value to the company.

“Although ESPN offered an extension, we were unable to find alignment on my value to the company,” he wrote.

Givony joined ESPN in 2017 while working for the prospect evaluation company he founded called DraftExpress which was formed two decades ago. He quickly became one of the most visible figures in ESPN’s basketball draft coverage, appearing regularly across platforms to provide scouting reports, mock drafts, and analysis on prospects from in particularly overseas programs.

Despite leaving ESPN, Givony made it clear he isn’t stepping away from basketball analysis. He will continue his work through DraftExpress, which played a central role in elevating the scouting conversation around prospects well before they reached the national spotlight.

“I will continue to analyze the NBA Draft, college, high school, and international basketball, as I have the past 20+ years, at the company I founded, DraftExpress, alongside a fantastic team,” he said.

The timing of Givony’s announcement comes just as the international scouting calendar ramps up. He concluded his post by noting that he’ll be on-site at the FIBA U18 European Championship in Belgrade this weekend, continuing his deep dive into the next wave of basketball talent.

No replacement for Givony at ESPN has been announced as of Friday morning.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

The Death of Hulk Hogan Proved News/Talk Radio Can Be More Than Just Politics

Garrett Searight
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The Death of Hulk Hogan Proved News/Talk Radio Can Be More Than Just Politics

At times in this space, I’ve advocated for news/talk radio hosts to realize that there are plenty of subjects to discuss outside of politics. And that presented itself on Thursday with the death of Hulk Hogan.

It wasn’t even the first time this week that news/talk radio hosts had the chance to step outside their usual lanes, as rock legend Ozzy Osbourne died, too.

But it proved the notion that I’ve long held: that news/talk isn’t strictly conservative political talk. It isn’t sitting in front of a microphone and complaining that the Democrats are trying to ruin America, or that not everyone on planet Earth is doing enough to support Donald Trump.

News/Talk Radio is often defined by those conversations. But it doesn’t have to be. It can be defined by having the conversations that everyone is having.

I’ve used the anecdote before that if I were to belly up to my local bar on Thursday night, the chances that someone would say “How about Columbia University having to pay the Trump administration $200 million? Wild, huh?”

But you know what they would be talking about? Hulk Hogan dying. Their memories. His legacy. What he meant to the wrestling business. Whether he was a decent actor or not. Where they were when he beat Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. An argument about who was more famous than he was in the 1980s could easily ensue.

And that, to me, is what news/talk radio should be. The conversations that everyone is having. The conversations that welcome as many listeners as possible. It’s never been lost on me that many of these hosts will complain that any given person, brand, or retailer is “alienating half of the country” when they take a stand one way or the other…and then do the exact same thing themselves every single day.

There’s absolutely, undeniably, without a shadow of a doubt a place in the news/talk space for conservative political talk. Make no mistake about it, that’s not the point I’m trying to make. But should the entire news/talk genre be dedicated to that style of talk show? In my view, no. Maybe I’m dead wrong, but I can’t help but see the rise of podcasting and think that a narrower lane, not wider, is the right way to operate going forward.

Point blank, there are often topics that transcend formats, genres, and the like. And, truthfully, they happen more frequently than we’d like to admit. But the news/talk radio industry often has a one-track mind: politics, politics, politics. Oh, and a little bit of culture wars mixed in.

It doesn’t have to be that way. It doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom. Not everything has to be about budgets, legislation, and what happens inside the walls of Congress.

I will say: I was insanely proud of the industry on Thursday afternoon as I jumped from show to show, listening as several programs addressed the news of The Hulkster’s passing.

Tony Katz essentially threw out the show sheet for his Tony Katz Today program when the news first came out. Chad Benson at SuperTalk 99.7 WTN in Nashville spent extensive time on the topic, and delved into everything related to Hulk Hogan — both the good and the bad — in his conversation. The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show made the death a focal point of the first hour on the air to their millions of listeners. And that’s just a small sampling of what stood out.

There were so many interesting angles being taken that I had never thought of considering by hosts who usually dedicate an inordinate amount of time to the happenings inside the beltway of the nation’s capital. And it wasn’t just limited to on the air, either. I saw dozens of photos, videos, and links sharing details of the wrestling champ and Hollywood actor’s career, legacy, and death from news/talk stations percolating each social media platform I used.

There is a whole wide world of content possibilities out there. The news/talk radio format doesn’t always accept or embrace those avenues. But when culturally relevant items happen — like the death of Hulk Hogan — the format is at its best when it pounces on those opportunities.

For someone who has pounded the table saying news/talk radio needs to be more than just politics, I was proud of the industry’s reaction to the death of Hulk Hogan.

Well done. Keep it up. Hopefully, someday, an opinion piece like this one won’t be needed, because it will have been the M.O. for the best hosts in the game. The range of the news/talk radio medium is much deeper than most think. Highlight it. And watch the ratings and revenue figures rise in the process.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

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