FCC Commissioner Carr Cheers TikTok Legislation
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr releases a statement supporting the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” which would ban the TikTok app “unless TikTok genuinely divests from its ties to the Communist Party of China.” Carr comments, “TikTok’s own conduct makes clear that it is beholden to the CCP and presents an unacceptable threat to U.S. national security.
Indeed, TikTok has been caught engaging in a pattern of illicit surveillance and making false statements about personnel in Beijing accessing sensitive U.S. user data. These facts were laid bare for the world to see when the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a TikTok oversight hearing last year. And that is why there is now a broad, bipartisan consensus that TikTok cannot continue to operate in the U.S. in its current form. I want to applaud the strong, bipartisan leadership that Members of Congress have shown in advancing this bill, which would definitively resolve the serious national security threats TikTok poses by banning the app or requiring that it genuinely sever ties to the CCP. This is a smart, threat-specific bill that would address a clear and present danger. I hope that this bill will soon become law.”
those living in suburban or urban areas. Rural listeners spend 43% of their daily audio listening time with AM/FM radio and radio streams, compared with urban listeners who spend 34% of their time with AM/FM radio and radio streams. Meanwhile, Urban listeners spend over twice as much of their daily audio time with podcasts as rural listeners. Urban listeners spend 13% of their daily audio time with podcasts compared with rural listeners who spend 6% of their daily time with podcasts.” Interestingly, if you combine the AM/FM listening and podcast listening numbers for Urban, Suburban and Rural listeners, these numbers are essentially the same – between 47% and 49%. Edison notes, “It appears that the ‘time budget’ for radio and podcasting combined is consistent across locations; it is just the apportionment of that time that varies.”
Communications’ WNOV-AM, Milwaukee; and Minority Communications’ KJMC-FM, Des Moines. SmileyAudioMedia owner and program host Tavis Smiley says, “Our show’s rapid and continued expansion into key media markets represents an exciting next chapter. As we move deeper into the 2024 election season, we’ll continue to provide our growing listener base with enlightening and empowering programming unapologetically geared toward African Americans and other citizens of color.” The program is heard in Chicago on Midway Communications’ WVON-AM; LEVAS Communications’ WURD-AM, Philadelphia; and Equity Media’s WBOK-AM, New Orleans and plans to announce more new affiliate stations later in the spring.
competition last evening (2/22) at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, MA. The American Bar Association, Law Student Division holds a number of annual national moot court competitions. One such event, the National Appellate Advocacy Competition, emphasizes the development of oral advocacy skills through a realistic appellate advocacy experience with moot court competitors participating in a hypothetical appeal to the United States Supreme Court. This year’s legal question focused on the Communications Decency Act – “Section 230” – and the applications of the exception from liability of internet service providers for the acts of third parties to the realistic scenario of a journalist’s photo/turned meme being used in advertising (CBD, ED treatment, gambling) without permission or compensation in violation of applicable state right of publicity statutes. Harrison tells TALKERS, “We are at one of those sensitive times in history where technology is changing at a quicker pace than the legal system and legislators can keep up with – particularly at the consequential juncture of big tech and mass communications. I was impressed and heartened by the articulateness and grasp of the Section 230 issue displayed by the law students arguing before me.” 
listened in the past week. The list shows the Top 10 Podcasts in the U.S. based on the number of Black weekly podcast listeners for Q4 2023. “The 
Have we passed the disappointment of 2023?
If 
roles in management in both music and news at such stations as New York’s WHN (in news) and WPLJ (as music director). Among the highlights in her remarkable career, she served as the ABC group’s first female program director at KAUM-FM, Houston and as PD at the Boston Globe’s WSAI-FM, Cincinnati. At one point she was vice president of programming for the ABC Radio Networks. Other senior managerial stops include Watermark production studio (American Top 40 and American Country Countdown), United Stations, and as senior vice president of programming for Sony-Warner’s radio division, SW Networks. Baldassano was a co-founder and an initial board member of the Mentoring and Inspiring Women, Inc group, which sprang from the first list of women honored by Radio Ink in 1998 (on which she was included). She tells TALKERS, “In my years at Take On The Day, LLC, I built wonderful relationships with advertisers, affiliates, SiriusXM, multiple charities and Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s loyal listeners. I am truly grateful for the years spent with Dr. Laura and Geoff Rich, as the company grew and diversified into live theatrical shows nationwide, podcasts, online stores that benefited Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, and much more. We had a great time, and I have nothing but warm wishes for their continued success as we all move on to new chapters.” She adds, “As one of the co-founders and a former board member, I will continue to work closely with Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc, where I serve as a key mentor to amazing women rising to be the next generation of leaders in radio. It’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done, and I get inspired by these women each and every day.” Baldassano can be emailed at 
In early December 1963, America was a very gloomy place. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 brought the country to a virtual standstill for four days, and the emotional and psychological hangover lingered for weeks. The nation needed a dose of uplifting energy and fun, and the Beatles were the ideal remedy.
1964 WCAO Promotional Material: “Kerby Scott photo
Now that every single thing is a political argument, the angry social media conversation about Taylor Swift is unsurprising. And with the Super Bowl looming, the decibel level amps-up.
Other notable findings: 1) Older Americans and women are listening to podcasts at a faster rate, with a 22% increase in listeners over the age of 55 and a 19% increase in female listeners 18+ over the past two years; 2) Top podcast genres of 2023 were News (22% of downloads), True Crime (18%), and Comedy (15%). Of True Crime podcast listeners, 67% were female, of Comedy podcast listeners 62% were male, and of News podcast listeners 58% were male; 3) The top sales networks of 2023 in the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker were SiriusXM Podcast Network at #1, NPR at #2, and Wondery at #3. The top podcast of the year was “NPR News Now.” Triton Digital SVP measurement products & strategy Daryl Battaglia says, “2023 was another year of significant growth for the podcast industry, and with increasing female and over 55+ audiences, we can expect more content production to serve those groups in the coming year. As podcast listenership continues to rise and reach new audiences, we’ll continue to provide our customers with in-depth insights around podcast consumption and listener habits in the coming year.” 
I’m no expert, but I do have a theory.
NO ONE has done more to elevate the status and improve the working conditions of on-air talent as much as Howard Stern.
Acknowledging that this publication is fiercely non-partisan and that I – in my role as a broadcaster – am basically the same, I offer the following, not as a political opinion piece, but rather a personal observation based on experience that might shed light on the deeper nature of a large segment of the American population prone to listen to talk radio.
the report as momentum grows in Congress for legislation to ensure AM radio is accessible to the public in all vehicles. NAB president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt states, “When disaster strikes, AM radio has proven time and again its invaluable role as a source of factual, authoritative, up-to-the-minute information that saves lives. It is also a home to a diversity of programming that is often unavailable on other mediums and particularly important to otherwise underserved communities. It is critical that Congress address the need for AM radio capability in vehicles to ensure Americans can turn to local AM stations when they need them the most.”