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The Watch: Jesse Watters Primetime, Fox News

Garrett Searight
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The Watch: Jesse Watters Primetime, Fox News

Jesse Watters Primetime is the latest Fox News juggernaut in the 8 PM ET timeslot. It follows the long history of shows hosted by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson in the network’s long history of ratings winners.

It’s clear that Fox News values that window. But does the Watters-led program live up to the billing expected of the timeslot?

I set out to find that out by watching a recent episode of the program to get a feel for why the show is one of the top-rated — and sometimes the top-rated — shows in not just cable news, but cable television as a whole.

Truthfully, I was prompted to review an episode of Jesse Watters Primetime after his bombastic apology to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) last week. For the uninitiated, Newsom launched a defamation lawsuit aimed at Fox News and host Jesse Watters for what he labeled as lies shared by the network. The lawsuit sought a symbolic $787.5 million from the network, the same figure it paid Dominion Voting Systems to settle a lawsuit about the validity of the 2020 presidential election.

On his show last week, Watters apologized for his remarks after Newsom said he’d consider dropping the suit if he received an on-air apology.

But, in true Jesse Watters fashion, it wasn’t exactly heartfelt.

“We thought the dispute was about whether there had been a call at all, not when,” Watters began. “We thought that the governor was clear when he said — without qualification — that there was no call.

“Now, Newsom’s telling us what was in his head when he wrote the tweet. He didn’t deceive anybody on purpose, so I’m sorry. He wasn’t lying, he was just confusing and unclear. Next time, Governor, why don’t you just say what you mean?”

And that’s why I wanted to watch the program for this review. Because if I have a gripe about the news media — especially cable news television and news/talk radio — it’s that many hosts forget that they’re supposed to be entertaining. That, sometimes, the subject matter is so ridiculous and preposterous that treating it with the seriousness of legitimate news stories or tragedies is a disservice to the viewer or listener.

So, I tuned into Friday’s show specifically because I wanted to see how Jesse Watters discussed the news that CBS was ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

And I didn’t make it through the first sentence of his monologue without saying “Wait, what?”

“Late-night talk shows used to be an oasis for American families to come together at the end of the day and enjoy a laugh with the rest of the country,” Watters said as he began Friday’s show.

Wait, what?

Families came together to watch late-night television? Maybe I’m in the minorty, but I don’t believe moms and dads sat down with little Timmy and Suzie at 11:35 PM ET to see Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon chat it up with the biggest Hollywood stars, just like I don’t believe moms and dads sat down with little Xander and McKinleigh to watch Stephen Colbert or Jimmy Fallon, either.

One sentence in and Jesse Watters is already spitting out poppycock.

As his monologue continued, Watters said that CBS had promised that Stephen Colbert would be a late-night host “for all Americans.” He then played a clip of then-CBS executive Les Moonves…not saying that at all.

Watters then added that the ratings had fallen off for Colbert compared to the final year of David Letterman’s tenure hosting The Late Show. Totally true. Letterman’s final year featured an average audience of roughly 3 million viewers, while Colbert’s show routinely finishes with roughly 2 million viewers.

But comparing network TV ratings from 2014 to 2025 isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, either. It’s a fallacy to claim otherwise. And I think Jesse Watters knows that. Or at least I hope he does. But why let facts get in the way of a good story, am I right?

Watters did have a poignant point about Colbert’s choice of guests, saying, “If Adam Schiff is a regular, you shouldn’t be shocked when the bosses pull the plug.”

As the monologue continued, I felt struck by the same feeling I get when watching several other cable news shows: that opening segments feature an over-reliance on outside media. This is not an exaggeration: in the first nine minutes of his show on Friday evening, Jesse Watters featured 15 clips from other shows, podcasts, etc…FIFTEEN! 15 times the screen shifted away from the star of the show to give time to the likes of David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, Adam Schiff, Joe Scarborough, Chuck Todd, Joy Reid, and Charlamagne tha God. I’m not sure how the argument can be “All of these libs are unimportant and irrelevant” while simultaneously showcasing their opinions on your highly-rated show.

While I appreciate Watters’ ability to be sarcastic and lean toward satire, because I think there’s a desperate need for that style of show in the cable news ecosystem, I found his opinions to be as expected. Nothing in the show truly made me say, “Holy cow, I can’t believe he just said that.” That’s not a problem in his show, by the way, it’s true for many in the genre.

But when I instinctively know what’s about to be said in any given show, that doesn’t give me much reason to tune into the program now, does it? Jesse Watters Primetime felt by the book. It felt safe. There wasn’t anything groundbreaking, new, or all that interesting about the hourlong show, in my eyes.

And why should there be, truthfully? The formula works. It was your run-of-the-mill cable news show. “My side? Good. The other side? Traitorous.” Millions tune in every night to hear Watters attack half of Americans, the same charges he lobbied against Stephen Colbert. And in spite of that, the show is a cable news giant, whether I left impressed by Watters or not.

But the question I often wonder about Fox News hosts is if their shows are actually good or if you could put anyone on the network and it would perform due to the brand recognition and fan base it has built. Because when I look around at competitors, I often see better monologues, better interviews, and better discussions.

But I don’t see better results elsewhere. Fox News dominates the cable news space. But I think Fox News dominates the cable news space more than Jesse Watters Primetime does. And that makes all the difference in my eyes.

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.

Cuts to NPR and PBS Foreshadow News Media’s Dark Future

Perry Michael Simon
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Cuts to NPR and PBS Foreshadow News Media’s Dark Future

You’re under attack. You’ve been under attack for a long time. It’s not just defunding public media like NPR and PBS, although that’s been a wet dream for conservatives since public media has existed. It’s unfortunate that it took this long for people to notice, but I guess authoritarianism is like that.

I’ve already written about the need for public media, how some rural areas (hello, Alaska) have many towns without any local news coverage other than their tiny NPR and PBS repeaters, how public media — through CPB grants and partnerships — has been at the forefront of some of today’s most relevant news coverage.

Congress has threatened to end all that for decades, but it took an authoritarian President and a truly sycophantic Senate and House to make it a reality. You know all that. You knew all that well before it happened, and you didn’t sound the alarm. And here we are.

But you aren’t protected if you don’t work in public radio or television, either. Whether or not Stephen Colbert got booted for his content or to save money, there are a lot of other examples of how voices are being silenced or shunted off to Substack and Ghost and podcasts and social media, where they can be drowned out for good.

Yes, we have more opportunity to get our opinions in front of people than ever before, but the sheer number of those voices and the dreaded algorithm mean that you’re going to be confronted with far more material than any human can process, all at once, all begging for subscriptions and donations.

It’s one thing traditional media can do that the new media doesn’t do: essentially, curate and digest news and opinion in one easy-to-access package. If something’s happening right now, you can root through a thousand social media posts of varying credibility or you can just turn on the TV or radio and, if they’re doing their job, immediately get the latest.

However, the media can’t do that job if their own jobs are in jeopardy any time their private equity masters need to get someone in the regulatory process off their backs so they can merge or sell or buy. The walls that used to define the media – editorial and sales separated, bosses who protected their staffs – were torn down years ago.

Which is how we got here, along with the rise of blatantly partisan news sources and the excruciating inability of traditional news media to realize what was happening and its stubborn adherence to a false objectivity.

Call it sanewashing, call it both-sidesism, but it’s all part of the same thing. It helped people whose interests are to silence the media so that they can get away with whatever they want. Starving public media because Morning Edition didn’t interview enough Republican congressmen is one way to do it, and if it forces some small market public radio stations to go dark and the big guns like WNYC and KQED to lay off reporters, well, that’s where we are.

Stress the “we.” If you’re in the media, you’re not safe, whether it’s your owner looking to replace you with AI (make no mistake, when they say they’ll never drop live and local programming, they are not being honest) or pressure to follow a partisan path because the administration in charge wants that. None of this augurs well for this industry.

If breaking up the elitist element of newsrooms, the people who attend book release parties for each other and rely on access journalism, is a good thing (it is), punishing those who don’t follow the leader is not. It’s also punishing the public, who will end up being kept in the dark while grifters loot the government for all it’s worth. And because the warning signs were ignored, it’s too late now. It’s here.

Maybe you can put that education and experience to work where the jobs will be. You always wanted to work in the coal mines, didn’t you?

Shannon Sharpe Reaches Resolution in Civil Lawsuit Which Led To Stepping Away From ESPN

BSM Staff
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Shannon Sharpe Reaches Resolution in Civil Lawsuit Which Led To Stepping Away From ESPN

A civil lawsuit filed against former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe has reportedly been settled outside of court. According to a post on Attorney Tony Buzbee’s Instagram account, he says the civil lawsuit will be dismissed without prejudice following the two sides coming to an agreed resolution.

Buzbee, who represents the woman only known as ‘Jane Doe’ in the civil suit, filed the lawsuit in Clark County, NV, in April, claiming Sharpe sexually assaulted, harassed, and committed battery against ‘Jane Doe.’ Details in the lawsuit stated that ‘Doe’ was in a rocky relationship with Sharpe for nearly two years and was seeking $50 million in damages.

Furthermore, according to Buzbee’s post, after “protracted and respectful negotiations,” the two sides reached a “mutually agreed upon resolution,” with all matters addressed “satisfactorily,” and the matter is now closed.

As a result of the lawsuit, Sharpe decided to step down temporarily from his duties with ESPN. He denied the allegations at the time through his representation and several social media posts. Nevertheless, he decided to step away after making a statement on his social media accounts in April.

“My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual,” Sharpe noted. “At this juncture, I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties.”

In response, ESPN released a statement following the post made by Sharpe.

“This is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away,” said ESPN via a statement.

Meanwhile, Sharpe has continued to produce episodes of his podcasts NightCap and Club Shay Shay throughout the ordeal. However, he has yet to address his potential return to ESPN since stepping away from the network.

There has been much speculation about whether ESPN will continue with Sharpe. For instance, First Take co-host and executive producer Stephen A. Smith told BigBoyTV that he knew the allegations against Sharpe would prevent him from being on ESPN airwaves when they surfaced.

“Although I was hopeful that it ultimately would not lead to him being off the air, I knew it wasn’t going to go down like that because I know Disney,” said Smith. “The court of public opinion is what the Disney’s of the world and others concerned themselves with. That’s a more immediate issue, and unfortunately, that has worked against him at this particular moment in time.”

Additionally, last month, Dan Le Batard of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz questioned if Sharpe would ever return to ESPN.

To date, ESPN, Sharpe’s attorneys, or Sharpe himself have not publicly made any statement following the revelation from Buzbee via Instagram.

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.

Tino Cochino Radio Joins B93 Midland, TX For Mornings

BMM Staff
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Tino Cochino Radio Joins B93 Midland, TX For Mornings

The nationally syndicated Tino Cochino Radio has joined Hip Hop B93 KZBT Midland, TX for mornings.

The position has been vacant since the 2024 departure of long-time morning hosts Leo & Rebecca. Andi Ahne had been filling the role while the station searched for a new permanent show.

“Midland-Odessa has been waiting for over a year for a proper morning show replacement after the departure of Leo and Rebecca in the Summer of 2024. Tino Cochino Radio has filled a hole in morning radio in the 4-3-2, and we couldn’t be more excited!” said Dominique Garcia, B93 Director of Content.

Tino added, “Midland / Odessa has been on my list since we first started syndication. I’m from West Texas, so being on the air in my own backyard has always been important to me. I love that we’ve finally locked in the station that the city truly feels connected to. We can’t wait to wake up the city!”

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.

Fox News Digital Sets Record for Total Digital Unique Visitors

BNM Staff
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Fox News Digital Sets Record for Total Digital Unique Visitors

Fox News Digital just closed one of its best quarters ever, setting a record with 138 million monthly unique digital visitors.

For the 12th quarter straight, Fox News topped multiplatform views, and for the 17th consecutive quarter, it led in total minutes watched. Fox News Digital surged to 12.1 billion multiplatform minutes in Q2 2025, a sharp 31% jump over the same period last year, and 5.7 billion total multiplatform views, up 19%.

Meanwhile, the network’s competitors stumbled. CNN saw its engagement decline across the board — views dropped 18%, minutes watched fell 27%, and unique visitors declined 13%, marking its worst quarter since 2015.

NBC News and ABC News also finished behind Fox News Digital in nearly every key metric. Fox’s mobile app alone attracted 6.5 million unique viewers during the quarter, underscoring its broad reach.

The YouTube battleground tells a similar story. Fox News racked up its best quarter ever with 1.2 billion video views — surpassing MSNBC’s 1 billion and CNN’s 659 million. Fox Business also featured 180 million views on YouTube.

Social media engagement remains another clear differentiator. Fox News generated a jaw-dropping 244 million total social interactions during the three-month period, notching its 44th consecutive quarter as the top news brand on social platforms. Facebook interactions surged 630%, Instagram climbed 19%, and even X (formerly Twitter) interactions increased 16%.

On TikTok, Fox News pulled in 59 million engagements, signaling its growing footprint with younger audiences.

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.

Tatjana Deegan Named SVP, Market Manager at Audacy Austin

BMM Staff
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Tatjana Deegan Named SVP, Market Manager at Audacy Austin

Tatjana Deegan has been elevated to Senior Vice President and Market Manager at Audacy Austin.

Deegan rises from Vice President of Sales for Audacy Austin, where she has overseen radio, event, and digital sales since 2024. She has been serving as interim market manager and will also continue in her role as Vice President of Sales for the market.

“Over the past few months, Tatjana has seamlessly led the team with the powerful combination of her contagious passion for this business and people-first leadership,” said Brian Purdy, Regional President, Audacy. “Since stepping in as Vice President of Sales a little over a year ago, she has been a driving force in the market’s success, and we’re confident she’ll bring that same energy and creativity to her expanded role. We’re excited to see how she continues to uplift our Austin brands.”

“What an amazing opportunity I have been given to lead the incredibly talented Austin team. I’m so happy to call Audacy home,” said Deegan. “I am grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow under the leadership of Brian Purdy and to work alongside Vice President of Programming and Operations, Nikki Nite!”  

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.

Dave Portnoy Regrets Ever Doing a Barstool Sports Partnership With ESPN

BSM Staff
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Dave Portnoy Regrets Ever Doing a Barstool Sports Partnership With ESPN

Barstool Sports and FOX Sports are officially entering into a partnership. Yesterday, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy made the announcement via The Unnamed Show, as the digital sports giant is teaming up with its second national television network on a three-year agreement. This follows their short-lived 2017 partnership with ESPN.

Portnoy was a guest on FOX & friends Friday morning to discuss the deal with the network. Additionally, he was asked to reflect on lessons learned from Barstool Sports’ previous agreement with ESPN.

“When we did the ESPN deal, they looked like they had a sour taste in their mouth every time they looked at me,” said Portnoy. “They, at the time, wanted to get two of our talent PFT Commenter and Big Cat. But they wanted nothing to do with Barstool.”

Notably, the short-lived partnership with ESPN in 2017 lasted only one episode, as Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Eric “PFT Commenter” Sollenberger’s Barstool Van Talk program was canceled after its debut. ESPN then cut ties with the partnership, which Portnoy says was a mistake on ESPN’s end.

“They’re embarrassed by it [Barstool Sports]. They didn’t want to touch it. They didn’t want to admit they were associated with it,” said Portnoy of ESPN. “FOX is the exact opposite. They’re embracing everything we do. They’re embracing why people like us. They’re basically being a true partner.”

Furthermore, Portnoy said that ESPN, behind the scenes, wanted exactly what the Barstool Sports brand delivers in terms of talent and audience. However, the front-facing side of the partnership told a different story.

“I never liked ESPN. I should have never done a deal with ESPN,” said Portnoy. “I hate ESPN. So, I’m very happy that we’re with FOX Sports.”

As part of the new partnership with FOX Sports, Portnoy will appear on FOX Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff as a regular contributor. According to a FOX Sports release, Big Noon Kickoff will also feature appearances from a variety of Barstool personalities—including Dan Katz, widely known as “Big Cat.”

Additionally, Barstool College Football Show, the Barstool-produced program, will join Big Noon Kickoff on-location for select games throughout the college football season. The show is set to air across Barstool-owned channels from 9:00–9:45 AM ET, as well as across FOX platforms including Tubi, the FOX Sports App, and FoxSports.com. It will also feature appearances from Big Noon Kickoff talent.

In addition, Portnoy announced that Barstool Sports will debut a two-hour daily program on FS1 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. However, while no official start date or talent lineup has been confirmed, Portnoy mentioned the show “could” begin near the start of the college football season in late August.

Finally, the announcement from Barstool and FOX Sports comes just days after the network shook up FS1’s weekday lineup. Earlier this week, FOX Sports canceled three programs—Breakfast Ball, The Facility, and Speak—with no word yet from the network on what will replace The Facility or Speak.

To watch Portnoy’s interview on Fox & friends, see below.

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.

Cam Newton Offers Advice To Cancelled FS1 Talent: “Start Your Own”

BSM Staff
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Cam Newton Offers Advice To Cancelled FS1 Talent: “Start Your Own”

It’s been a wild week for FOX Sports, as they began the week by making news through the cancellation of three weekday programs on FS1, and ended it by announcing a partnership with Barstool Sports. While much of the focus has been on how the new partnership with the digital media giant will function, there are still plenty of unanswered questions regarding the departing talents from Breakfast Ball, The Facility, and Speak.

Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton addressed the news of the cancelled FS1 programs and offered insight and advice for those athletes now left without work at FOX Sports.

“Start your own. We were before our time. Now it’s time for everybody to get in line, because at this at this point, it’s just like,’Yo bro,’ we’ve been trying to tell y’all,” shared Newton on his 4th And 1 podcast. “I’m not going to be the one that’s going to kick you while you’re down. What I am going to do is, come one, come all. Hear ye, hear ye.”

Moreover, Newton referenced the time when he was first establishing his own brand and content platforms. He noted that he was the butt of many jokes as he attempted to break into the digital space. However, with his platform now firmly in motion after years of hard work and dedication, Newton is offering candid advice to those recently released by FS1.

“Emmanuel Acho, Joy Taylor. Good, beautiful people. LeSean McCoy, Paul Pierce, Michael Irvin, Keyshawn [Johnson]. The truth, all y’all. Start your own, and some of you are already doing it. But now lean in,” said Newton. “They did it on someone else’s platform, so now you’re disposable to them.”

Additionally, when discussing the remaining talent at FS1, Newton said Colin Cowherd is “bulletproof” due to his business arrangements with The Volume and Shannon Sharpe. He also added that if given the choice, he would prefer to hear NBA discussions from Paul Pierce over Chris Broussard.

Newton went on to highlight the significant amount of time and personal investment he has made into his content creation company. He encouraged former athletes to consider taking a similar path instead of relying solely on traditional network opportunities.

“Everybody, athlete, non-athlete. Understand this. Use what you have and leverage it for your own,” explained Newton. “When I got done playing in the NFL, and I knew it was over, I had to ask myself this question. How can I monetize my life? This is no slight to nobody that I just mentioned. It’s just get on the wave, because content ain’t going nowhere.”

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Fox News’ Jesse Watters Issues Apology to Gavin Newsom After Lawsuit Launched

BNM Staff
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Fox News’ Jesse Watters Issues Apology to Gavin Newsom After Lawsuit Launched

In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) launched a defamation lawsuit aimed at Fox News and host Jesse Watters for what he labeled as lies shared by the network. On Thursday, Watters addressed those claims.

Newsom previously claimed that Fox News lied about his statements relating to his communication with President Donald Trump amidst the ICE protests happening in Los Angeles last month. Newsom claims he spoke with President Trump on June 7th, about one day before more than 2,000 California National Guard members were deployed in Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE riots in the city. On June 10th, however, Trump claimed he had spoken with Newsom “a day ago”, which insinuated that he had spoken with the governor the day 700 U.S. Marines were sent to Los Angeles, which Newsom refuted.

In response, however, Jesse Watters alleged that Newsom had lied in his statements. “Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?” he said on the network.

Lawyers for the governor argue that Watters’ comments meet the legal standard for defamation and could have been harmful to Newsom’s reputation with voters. They filed a lawsuit seeking a symbolic $787.5 million from the network, the same figure it paid Dominion Voting Systems to settle a lawsuit about the validity of the 2020 presidential election.

After the lawsuit, Gavin Newsom said he would gladly accept an apology from Jesse Watters for what he viewed as incorrect statements.

On Thursday’s episode of Jesse Watters Primetime, the Fox News host did apologize for his statements but was rather sarcastic in his delivery.

“We thought the dispute was about whether there had been a call at all, not when,” Watters began. “We thought that the governor was clear when he said — without qualification — that there was no call.

“Now, Newsom’s telling us what was in his head when he wrote the tweet. He didn’t deceive anybody on purpose, so I’m sorry. He wasn’t lying, he was just confusing and unclear. Next time, Governor, why don’t you just say what you mean?”

Watters added that he had offered Newsom the chance to appear on his show to “talk it out, man to man” but that the California governor had declined that offer.

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Townsquare Cancels Licenses for Two Quad Cities Stations

BMM Staff
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Townsquare Cancels Licenses for Two Quad Cities Stations

Townsquare Media has permanently shut down KBOB (1170 AM) and its associated FM translator K281DB (104.1) in Davenport, filing cancellation requests for both signals with the FCC on July 14.

The move comes roughly three months after the stations went off the air. Townsquare did not explain the decision, though earlier FCC filings cited economic pressures when requesting temporary authority to remain off the air in March.

KBOB was the sole AM outlet in Townsquare’s Quad Cities portfolio. Its FM translator operated under an AM revitalization condition requiring it to simulcast KBOB exclusively.

The 1170 facility transmitted at 1 kW around the clock, using a four-tower daytime and six-tower nighttime directional pattern. The station’s history dates back nearly eight decades, debuting in 1946 as KSTT on 750 kHz before relocating to its longtime frequency of 1170 kHz in 1951.

Over the years, the station cycled through multiple identities and formats. KSTT was a major Top 40 outlet during the peak of AM radio. Launching the careers of many, including Spike O’Dell, who went on to WGN in Chicago.

Later call signs included KKZX and KJOC, the latter of which was tied to a sports format in the 1990s. In 2014, the KJOC calls migrated to FM, and 1170 adopted KBOB, a brand previously associated with local FM frequencies. Its most recent programming featured ESPN Radio.

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