Bob Lacey, one-half of the syndicated Bob & Sheri Show this morning, announced his retirement.
Lacey will end his career at the end of January.
Lynch said that she plans to remain with the Charlotte-based show.
Listen to his emotional announcement posted on Facebook.
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After three years, Jessica Charman is saying goodbye to MLS’ Charlotte FC. She posted the news, which she called “bittersweet” from her X account earlier today:
“My time as a voice of Charlotte FC has come to an end. What a privilege it has been to be the first radio color commentator for this incredible club. Talking through every historical first moment, the highs and the lows, building connections with this amazing club and fanbase that will last with me always.
This was such a difficult decision because being a part of The Crown has meant the world to me and my family… but I have an amazing opportunity to continue to grow in this profession and chase my dreams that I could not turn down. A huge thank you to my radio team, [radio co-host Will Palaszczuk, everyone [at WFNZ], the club, and everyone who has believed in me always. It means the world. Forever #ForTheCrown 💙”
According to The Charlotte Ledger, Charman is leaving Charlotte FC to pursue television play-by-play opportunities for the NWSL and USL Super League. She will also broadcast men’s games for USL Championship, the second level of soccer competition in the United States.
Her former club sent their only voice a fond farewell via X:
“To say that you’ll be missed would be a massive understatement,” the account said. “Thank you for being a part of the fabric of this Club”
There’s been no word yet on who will replace Charman in the booth. Charlotte FC’s season begins Feb. 22 against the Seattle Sounders.
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Following the weekend of NFL Wild Card Round action, Dan Le Batard came away disappointed with the slate of games, but he identified the finish of the Sunday Night Football matchup as a “palate cleanser.” The Washington Commanders earned their first playoff victory in 19 years with a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to eliminate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The conversation on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz emanated from agitation Billy Gil had towards NFL Network regarding the programming schedule on Sunday opposite the Wild Card round games.
Gil explained that NFL Network was airing previous matchups of playoff teams at the same time other media networks were presenting the live action. For example, while the Philadelphia Eagles were facing the Green Bay Packers, NFL Network was airing a replay of a previous game between the Commanders and Buccaneers. The schedule caused Gil to become confused and led him to wonder if he had looked at the schedule incorrectly.
“I kept going back to the NFL Network at the wrong times because they were playing games between when the teams previously played at the times that the current teams are going on, and I wonder how many people didn’t see in the little corner that it said, ‘2023,’ or, ‘2024,’ and watched the wrong games thinking they were watching the right playoff game because they were at a bar and just someone [was like], ‘Oh, put on the game,’ and they put on the wrong game,” Gil surmised. “Because NFL Network spent the entire day playing games opposite the present games – they were just old and wrong games between the same teams.”
Jessica Smetana remarked that she wished to have been watching the 2009 Steelers-Ravens playoff game, and Jon “Stugotz” Weiner concurred, articulating that it would be significantly more entertaining. Mike Ryan believes that Sunday night’s Commanders-Buccaneers game was the most competitive and was confused why there were not as many points scored commensurate to box score statistics. In response to this ostensible disparity, Smetana conveyed that fans need to reset their expectations of football games and understand that not every game will be close.
“You say this, but because of what the sport gives us in the ‘Witching Hour’ every week, even if it’s Jacksonville-Carolina, I’ve come to expect that all the games are going to be close,” Le Batard said. “I’m surprised by the blowouts because every time I’m watching football on Sunday, they give me eight games and they sort of distort it. They fool me because four or five of them are amazing.”
Smetana explained that Le Batard is experiencing selection bias and that the same thing can take place into college football. Fans may remember a game that went into six overtimes while forgetting that there were 45 other games that ended with 21-point differentials. Le Batard postulated that this is indicative of a larger phenomenon among consumers of live sports programming.
“I think though that one of the things that’s absolutely happening to the consumer as this thing continues to get larger and larger is it wasn’t enough football for me this weekend,” Le Batard said. “Watching one game at a time is not enough for me. If that game’s a blowout – like the 4:00 window – this is how spoiled we are. When that 4:00 window has three games and two of them aren’t close, I’m bored because I need the stimulation.”
Smetana disagreed that one football game at a time being not enough was a general consensus among everyone else, outlining that Championship weekend is her favorite time in the NFL season. Ryan added that the upcoming weekend will be good as well with four playoff games in the divisional round.
This past weekend included action within college football and the NFL, beginning with the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. There were two NFL playoff games on Saturday, three on Sunday and one more taking place on Monday night. Greg Cote emphasized that NFL RedZone is “a misnamed network” since it showcases plays that take place outside of the 20-yard range, even though he admitted it was a good thing.
“I want to slip into the rhythm of a game,” Cote said. “I want to see every play, even the bad plays, I want to see a guy take a knee, I want to see a timeout, I want to see a motion penalty – I want all the minutiae of a game, not just the highlights.”
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Emmis Corporation has officially launched La Exitosa 98.7 FM/1190 AM in New York. The station features a bilingual adult contemporary format and offers a diverse mix of English and Spanish hits from the 1980s to the 2000s.
Mike McVay, who worked with Emmis on the development and launch, says the station’s primary audience: “The strong Dominican, Puerto Rican, Columbian, Mexican, and Ecuadorian communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are radio’s most passionate fans. Delivering the popular hit music these diverse communities grew up listening to will provide a unifying listening experience New York has never heard before.”
Emmis Chairman Jeff Smulyan said the launch was an easy decision, “We’ve been trying to sell our last two stations in New York, but when ESPN/Good Karma moved to AM after the LMA, we thoroughly reviewed the New York market and saw a significant opportunity for a Spanish AC format playing English and Spanish hits from the 1980s to 2000s. We believe the opportunity was too good to pass up and have spent several months preparing for the launch.”
La Exitosa is promising “more hits for listeners per hour with less talk and fewer commercials than any station in the market.”
The station’s core artists include Madonna, Ricardo Arjona, Prince, Shakira, Phil Collins, Chayanne, and Bryan Adams.
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MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is returning to a five-night-per-week schedule during the first 100 days of the second Donald Trump administration.
On Monday, Maddow revealed her return to the nightly broadcast in an interview with USA Today.
Since April 2022, Maddow’s show has only aired on Mondays at 9 PM ET. However, as Donald Trump returns to the White House, Maddow will host a nightly special called Trumpland: The First 100 Days, with Alex Wagner — who has hosted the other four weekdays in the timeslot — working as a reporter for the program. She will return to host Alex Wagner Tonight on May 1st when the limited series ends its run.
Rachel Maddow shared that the request for the show came directly from MSNBC President Rashida Jones. She maintained that this will be a limited-time program and has no intentions of returning to cable television on a nightly basis.
“When Rashida asked me to do this, that was the discussion,” Maddow said of the 100-day program. “That’s what Alex wants, too. The thing about the 9 p.m. chair is that it’s really a full-time job and with what Alex is planning on doing ‒ field reporting across the country and I think potentially overseas ‒ and doing that while I’m holding the seat for her for 100 days, that’s a good horizon for us, but on April 30 we will go back to our existing schedule.”
“As long as we’re still here, our job is pretty clear: Follow the facts, don’t be intimidated, tell true stories, help people understand the world,” she added. “And I’m going to keep doing that, and I know MSNBC is committed to that as a company, and none of that changes.”
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Northwest Newsradio has named Brian Calvert as its new Program Director, the Lotus Communications Seattle station has announced.
Calvert has been with the station since its all-news debut in 2002. During his tenure, he’s worked as a reporter, executive producer, host, morning news anchor, and news director.
“Northwest Newsradio has a rich tradition of serving the Seattle community with reliable and trusted news,” said Calvert. “I’m honored to take on this role and look forward to building on the station’s legacy, ensuring we remain a vital resource for our listeners.”
In addition to his time at Northwest Newsradio, Calvert has also worked as a morning news anchor at KXL in Portland at KIRO Newsradio 97.3 in Seattle.
“We are excited to welcome Brian Calvert as our new Program Director,” said Lotus Seattle General Manager Andre Riley. “Brian’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovative vision will be instrumental in strengthening Northwest Newsradio’s reputation as Seattle’s only continuous news station, delivering trusted information around the clock.”
Calvert will replace Frank Lenzi in the role. Lenzi departed Northwest Newsradio late last year to become the News Director at crosstown KIRO.
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Subscribers for the Xfinity Popular TV basic cable television package in the New England region will be unable to access the NESN and NBC Sports Boston regional sports networks starting on Tuesday unless they upgrade to the Ultimate TV premium package. Although Popular TV subscribers will now be paying less, sports fans will need to upgrade to continue watching Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox games, resulting in a monthly price increase of $20 plus a $15 RSN fee. Greg Hill, however, expressed that he is annoyed that he is going to need to pay more if he wants to watch a Bruins game.
“We’re pleased to have reached agreements with NBC Sports Boston and NESN and appreciate them working with us to continue offering their networks in a way that reflects the changing video marketplace for local sports and provides our customers with a choice,” Comcast said in a statement. “We are notifying customers that effective January 14, 2025, NBC Sports Boston and NESN will be available on the Ultimate TV level of service. While the majority of customers shouldn’t be impacted, we have promotional offers for customers with Popular TV service who want to continue receiving NBC Sports Boston and NESN.”
During the Monday edition of The Greg Hill Show on WEEI, Hill explained that he has remained a cable subscriber and has noticed that the fees continue to be bumped up. Comcast and Xfinity had about 920,000 cable subscribers in the state of Massachusetts at the end of 2023, according to data from Mass.gov. Chad Finn of the Boston Globe added that an Xfinity spokesperson divulged that most of its subscribers are Ultimate TV package members.
Courtney Cox, a co-host of the program, acknowledged that she noticed an increase in her Amazon Prime membership to $14.99 per month. Additionally, co-host Jermaine Wiggins articulated his observation that the new thing with football is widespread dissemination across various platforms.
“I guess those people who have unbundled or whatever, you’d have to tell me whether you feel like you’re paying less,” Hill said. “I think going forward for me, the solution is not going to be paying both cable and streaming.”
Chris Curtis, the producer of the show, compared the streaming approach to ‘tapas’ at a restaurant. His analogy claimed that while people may order these appetizers to spend the same amount of money to receive more food, the reality is that they spend more to get less. Wiggins also stated that he feels like there are too many streaming services now, some of which include NFL games.
In addition to Amazon Prime Video streaming Thursday Night Football and NFL matchups on Black Friday and the Wild Card Round, Netflix and Peacock have also had exclusive game broadcasts in the 2024 season. “Cable’s probably the best way to go,” Wiggins surmised, pointing to the prices for various streaming services and a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD). Hill challenged this point, arguing that it is not the best thing to do when the service fees continue to increase.
“Okay, but you do a get lot of those,” Wiggins said. “Some streaming services packaged into your cable, so if there are some shows that you like to watch, you can get them on your cable if you have the cable plan that allows you to do that.”
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After the departure of longtime host Neil Cavuto, Fox News need to find a suitable replacement in the afternoon window. It didn’t look far, as Will Cain will step in.
Cain moves from FOX & Friends Weekend to now host The Will Cain Show at 4 PM ET on Fox News. The show will make its debut on Tuesday, January 21st, one day after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
“It has been an honor to wake up with America these past four years and I am thrilled to apply my background in news, law, entertainment and business to help our viewers better understand the headlines through thought-provoking content and analysis every weekday afternoon,” said Cain.
“As the media landscape continues to evolve, we are always looking to innovate our programming lineup to meet the needs of our viewers, and we are confident the new lineup will best position FOX News Media for the future,” added Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott. “Will Cain brings years of experience to the 4 PM hour as an accomplished broadcaster and a lawyer and we look forward to adding his insights to what will no doubt be another historic news cycle ahead this year.”
The network has added Charlie Hurt to the program to replace Cain on the weekend program. Hurt has previously worked as a contributor and will begin his duties on Saturday, January 18th.
Additionally, the network has announced The Fox Report and The Big Weekend Show will each expand to two hours on Saturdays & Saturdays beginning on January 18th. Jon Scott will anchor The Fox Report from 3-5 PM while The Big Weekend Show will expand to the 6-8 PM ET timeslot on Saturdays.
Finally, beginning on Monday, January 27th, Fox Business Network is expanding The Big Money Show — hosted by Dagan McDowell, Taylor Riggs, Jackie DeAngelis, and Brian Brenberg — to two hours, airing from 12-2 PM ET.
#53 Richmond
Urban WKJS continues to post double digits.
Hip Hop WBTJ hangs on to second 5.7-6.4
Country WKHK grows 4.5-5.7
#57 Greenville/Spartanburg
Urban WJMZ 8.0-7.4
Country WSSL 6.6-7.2
WESC remains one of the strongest Classic Country despite a 7.4-6.5 drop.
#59 Buffalo
Townsquare grabs the top two spots
Country WYRK 10.1-9.0
Urban WBLK remains in second despite a 9.4-8.6 drop.
Classic Hits WHTT flat 6.4-6.4
#60 Rochester, NY
Another market where Urban leads with WDKX 8.4-8.2
Classic Rock WCMF second and flat 6.8-6.8
Country WBEE 6.6-6.7
#61 Birmingham
Summit Media continues to dominate the market, holding down the top three spots.
Urban WBHK leads 10.3-10.2
Hip Hop WBHJ 7.3-7.2
Classic Rock WBPT 6.6-6.5
You can dive deeper into each market on Barrett Media’s ratings page. Powered by Harker Bos Group
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Today, Cumulus Media’s Hip Hop Max 94.1 WEMX Baton Rouge debuted The Breakfast Club, featuring Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious.
Jerold Jackson, Operations Manager, Cumulus Baton Rouge/Lafayette/New Orleans, said: “We are very excited to welcome The Breakfast Club’s Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious to mornings on Max 94.1. Our listeners in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas will love the show’s fresh take on trending news, pop culture, and politics, wrapped up in a music-intensive format that wakes them up and takes them to work in an incomparable way!”
The Breakfast Club features segments like “Donkey of the Day and DJ Envy’s People’s Choice Mix – 25 minutes straight of DJ Envy’s award-winning music mixes.
Charlamagne Tha God is an influential voice, a best-selling author, and creator of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
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