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Rachel Maddow has been a massive part of MSNBC and its primetime lineup for years and years. And that will continue, according to a new report.
Maddow has inked an extension to remain with MSNBC, according to a report from The Ankler’s Lachlan Cartwright. After previously earning $30 million per year, it is now being estimated that Maddow has taken a pay cut to remain with the network as she shifted to a weekly program instead of a nightly show.
The news of her extension comes on the heels of the announcement that Comcast is preparing to spin off its cable holdings — including MSNBC and CNBC — into a separate company. Many have questioned what the future of the network looks like without the financial backing and resources that being linked with Comcast and NBC News will mean for the future of the cable news network.
Rachel Maddow currently hosts a one-hour weekly show on Monday during the primetime hours. She had previously helmed a nightly show that was a ratings leader for the network during her tenure. In 2022, she adjusted her schedule to its current state. She also, reportedly, rebuffed a large offer to join SiriusXM at the time.
In addition to her weekly show, Maddow has recently dipped her toe into the documentary and podcasting waters for the network.
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The Daily Wire and Westwood One will not be extending their relationship to continue distributing shows from hosts like Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, and Matt Walsh.
Several independent sources indicated to Barrett Media that the relationship between the conservative digital outlet co-founded by Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing and Westwood One would conclude at the end of the calendar year without a renewal. Show pages for Shapiro, Knowles, and Walsh no longer appear on the Westwood One website.
The outlet had produced a series of one-hour shows from podcast content from the trio of hosts. Westwood One began syndicating The Ben Shapiro Show in April 2018. Distribution for The Michael Knowles Show (2020) and The Matt Walsh Show (2023) followed, creating a three-hour block of programming from The Daily Wire that aired live in afternoon drive.
The Ben Shapiro Show debuted at 3 PM ET each weekday, while The Matt Walsh Show and The Michael Knowles Show premiered daily at 4 PM and 5 PM ET, respectively.
The programming had landed on several prominent news/talk stations around the country. Many Cumulus Media stations — the parent company of Westwood One — had added Daily Wire shows to afternoon drive, while dozens of others also aired the programs on a delayed basis.
Westwood One continues to offer The Guy Benson Show from Fox News Radio during the 3-6 PM ET timeslot that The Daily Wire programs had also been featured.
Both The Daily Wire and Westwood One were asked for comment on the matter. As of this publication, neither have responded.
This is a developing story. More information will be added when made available.
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Just over six weeks since joining WICC, midday host Brigitte Quinn has departed the Connoisseur Media Bridgeport news/talk outlet.
Quinn launched her Newsline program on September 30th after being part of the widespread cuts from Audacy New York after WCBS 880 ceased operations.
Quinn worked at both WCBS 880 and 1010 WINS in separate stints between 1988 to 1996 and 2013 to 2023. During her tenure with the New York all-news stations, she anchored both mornings and middays. She also had a career in cable news with both MSNBC and Fox News.
Brigitte Quinn had lived in Connecticut prior to taking the role at WICC.
The station now features a show hosted by Jon Kamal and Chris Williams in Quinn’s previous 12-2 PM window. Kamal has been with the station for several years, while Williams joined WICC in 2014 as a producer before ascending to afternoon news anchor last year.
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Jaleigh Long, the Vice President and Market Manager for Cox Media Group in Atlanta-Athens, GA, has resigned. In an unscheduled all-hands meeting held on Thursday, November 7, she informed staff of her decision to depart, with her resignation taking effect on November 8, as reported by “Georgia Wavelengths.”.
Long began her broadcasting career in Indianapolis as an Account Executive for Susquehanna Radio. Following a successful seven-year period as General Sales Manager with South Central Media in Evansville, Indiana, she joined Cox Media Group Atlanta in 2014 as General Sales Manager.
Long advanced to Director of Sales in early 2017. In April 2021, she was officially promoted to Vice President and Market Manager, having served in an interim role for several months.
In a recent statement to “Georgia Wavelengths,” Long expressed her gratitude for over 20 years in the industry, highlighting the last 11 years spent with the talented team at CMG. She extended special thanks to EVP of Radio Rob Babin and the CMG organization. Long also acknowledged her exceptional team.
She plans to spend time with her husband and their two tweens while continuing to reside in Atlanta.
KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM morning hosts Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien have each decided its time to step away from the Seattle news/talk brand.
Ross has been with the station for 47 years. He began his career in 1978 as a news anchor before beginning his talk career in 1987. He moved to mornings in 2013. Meanwhile, O’Brien joined him in the daypart in 2014 after previously working afternoons at KOMO Radio from 2004 to 2008. Together, the pair have hosted Seattle’s Morning News from 5-9 AM for the past decade.
The pair’s final day together will be on Friday, December 19th. A content series focusing on Ross’ long tenure with the station will precede his departure.
“Dave’s curiosity and talent for making complex topics accessible is truly unique,” said KIRO Director of News and Talk Programming Bryan Buckalew. “While his daily presence will be greatly missed, we honor his extraordinary career and the lasting legacy he has created at KIRO Newsradio.”
“Dave has not only been a trusted voice in Seattle but a powerful example of journalistic excellence,” added Bonneville President/CEO Tanya Vea. “For nearly five decades, his dedication to truth and commitment to the Seattle community have left a lasting impact on KIRO Newsradio and beyond. We are deeply grateful for his service and the legacy he leaves behind.”
In addition to his time at KIRO, Dave Ross also anchored commentaries for CBS News Radio and hosted a daily technology feature for the Associated Press.
Ross said of his departure, “After 47 years the time has come for me to retire. Which is exactly what I’m going to be doing next month. I’ve found that keeping a wood stove burning and the generator running is a full time job, and I can’t be here and do that at the same time.”
The Seattle morning host remarked that he’s been thinking about for the past two years. He added, “This has been a great place to work, especially with my Seattle’s Morning News family. David Burbank, formerly James Rynasiewicz who I’ve kept in touch with, Chris Sullivan, Colleen O’Brien, Andrew, Nick, actually, the various Andrews. I think almost every producer is either an Andrew or a Nick.”
Bonneville Seattle Senior Vice President and Market Manager Cathy Cangiano said, “Dave Ross is more than just a broadcaster; he’s the heart and soul of KIRO Newsradio. His ability to present a balanced perspective and his distinctive voice have made him an irreplaceable part of our team. Dave prefers not to make a big fuss, but we can’t let this moment pass without honoring his incredible service to our station and our community.”
In an article on KIRO’s website, O’Brien said her decision is separate from Ross’ retirement. “I’ve spent years of careful consideration and self-reflection,” shared O’Brien. “People have asked me, ‘What are you going to do?’ I don’t have an easy, quick answer — just a deep knowing that I’m ready to see what else life has to offer. What else can I do? What am I capable of?”
O’Brien added, ‘“I think I’ve stayed longer than I really should have out of loyalty to this team and to the listeners. They let me live out a dream, accepted me and listened every morning. It’s been a dream, but I know that I want to see what else life has to offer. I want to go get my hands dirty, do something else.”
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.
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.
Amazon’s Prime Video has said it has decided to handle production of its NBA and WNBA games internally, according to the Sports Business Journal. The streaming company will begin its first year of an 11-year, 1.8 billion annual agreement with the league starting next season. Prime Video’s Head of Sports Programming Jeff Kaiser made the announcement as part of the Sports Business Journal’s Media Innovators conference.
Kaiser noted the company is likely to build a studio for the basketball programming. “Very likely to be built at Amazon Studios in L.A., in Culver City,” he said at the event. “It’ll be an L.A.-based studio show.”
Additionally, as part of the new agreement, Prime Video will air 66 regular season games including games from the Emirates NBA cup and the NBA playoffs. The streamer will also carry a number of WNBA regular and postseason games. Thursday nights are expected to be a doubleheader on Prime Video, and they will also carry NBA basketball on Black Friday in addition to their NFL game.
Per SBJ, Kaiser said about the broadcasts, “Innovation is at the forefront of everything we do. … We don’t do things differently just so we could say, well, we did this because it’s different. We do it if it’s going to be impactful, and it’s going to matter for customers.”
Kaiser said the company and the league may consider moving the NBA Cup depending on the complete outcome of this year’s event. He also noted Prime Video will be the exclusive digital distributor of NBA League Pass and that they are working on building out something subscribers will really like when it is completed.
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Everywhere you look football is dominating the television screens. Whether it is college or professional, football is definitely king on television and the NFL is having its best year in almost a decade.
Through 11 weeks of the season, the league is averaging 17.5 million viewers per game, which is the highest per game average through 11 weeks in nine years. Since the season has started, 47 of the top 50 shows on television have been NFL football games.
The largest audience for a game came this past weekend when the two-time defending Super Bowl champs had their undefeated season snapped at the hands of Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The game averaged 31.2 million viewers on CBS and had more than 3 million viewers, on average, than the second highest game. That game also involved the Chiefs, when they took on the Baltimore Ravens the first week of the season and drew an audience of 28 million to NBC.
The third most-watched game? You guessed it, it involved the Kansas City Chiefs. Their Week 2 matchup with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on CBS averaged just under 28 million viewers.
Rounding out the top five audiences this season are the Baltimore Ravens-Dallas Cowboys game in Week 3 as FOX Sports drew 27.3 million viewers. The fifth most watched game once again had Kansas City playing, it was the Week 7 Super Bowl rematch against the San Francisco 49ers. That game drew just over 27 million viewers on FOX.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced new regulations allowing FM booster stations to air limited programming different from their main stations.
According to the updated rules, broadcasters can now provide up to three minutes of unique content each hour on FM booster stations. This change aims to enhance these stations’ ability to serve their communities more effectively.
In the past, FM booster stations were limited to rebroadcasting the signal of their primary station, primarily to enhance coverage in regions suffering from poor reception due to geographical obstacles like mountains.
Recent technological advancements now allow broadcasters to use these boosters to provide customized content to various sections of their service area.
The newly established regulations create a formal structure for the processing, licensing, and oversight of this service, which had previously been operated under a temporary experimental allowance since April 2024.
This framework allows broadcasters to permanently offer hyper-local content such as news, weather updates, and targeted advertisements aimed specifically at smaller communities within their coverage areas.
“This decision reflects the FCC’s commitment to empowering broadcasters with innovative tools to better serve their audiences,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.
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Podcasts hosted by Dan Bongino, Charlie Kirk, and Clay Travis and Buck Sexton saw big jumps in the Triton Digital podcast rankings during October.
The Dan Bongino Show rose three places to finish the month as the third-highest podcast by weekly average downloads. The show was only bested by NPR News Now and Up First from NPR.
The Charlie Kirk Show jumped seven spots to finish the month in eighth place. Meanwhile, The NPR Politics Podcast was up to 12th, The Shawn Ryan Show moved up nine places to 13th, and The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show moved forward 10 spots, earning the 16th place on the list.
Other news or news/talk podcasts also saw massive spikes during the final month leading up to the 2024 election. Consider This from NPR was 22nd, The Mark Levin Podcast rose 24 spots to finish 24th, while Armstrong & Getty was up 15 places to 25th.
Similarly, Breaking Points with Krystan and Saagar was up 39 places to finish 37th overall. The Sean Hannity Show was 43rd, while The Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita, hosted by Evita Duffy-Alfonso, rose 18 spots to earn the 48th place on the list.
In the Top Sales Networks by Weekly Average Users, iHeart Audience Network took home first place, followed by Wondery, NPR, Audioboom, and Audacy Podcast Network in the top five.
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Cumulus Media Mobile’s 97.5 WABD has partnered with Feeding the Gulf Coast and local sponsors for its annual Camp Out for Hunger Food Drive. This initiative aims to combat food insecurity along the Gulf Coast, and the community has responded generously, contributing over 3,000 pounds of food.
From November 8 to November 18, Mojo, the midday host for WABD, camped out in a school bus as a unique backdrop for a food drive. He aimed to collect enough non-perishable food items to fill the bus.
Mojo said, “I have had no sleep and heard every car alarm and parking lot sound you can imagine, but it was all worth it. I am so grateful to the Gulf Coast community for showing up and giving back to Feeding the Gulf Coast. My dream of making sure families don’t go hungry started to take shape during Camp Out for Hunger. We’re planning to stuff another school bus in December, so stay tuned!”
Cumulus Mobile and Pensacola Regional Vice President and Market Manager Don Boyd added, “I couldn’t be prouder of Mojo and the entire Cumulus Mobile team for stepping up to meet such an important need in our community. Leveraging the power of our five market-leading radio stations and digital platforms, the team demonstrated the incredible impact we can have when we work together.”
Barrett Media wants to hear about your station’s charitable activities for a new weekly feature debuting soon. Send them to jeff@barrettmedia.com
