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| Seth MacFarlane |
Seth
MacFarlane, the actor, animator, writer, producer, director and musician, who came
to fame with the comedy television series The
Family Guy, has donated $2 million to NPR and $500,000 to Los Angeles NPR News/Talk
station KPCC.
MacFarlane’s
action was prompted by Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s on-air statement that viewers
should discount information from any news source other than Fox News
In MacFarlane’s tweet, sent on Saturday (6/16), he
criticized Carlson’s implication that the American people “don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources, and in
general, don’t use your brain.”
The
gift, MacFarlane said, is intended to support NPR’s mission to create a more
informed public and strengthen democracy. KPCC intends to use the donation as a
challenge grant.
Bill
Davis, President and CEO of Southern California Public Radio, said in a
statement:
“We are deeply moved by
Seth’s generous contribution to Southern California Public Radio, KPCC and NPR.
It is this local/national partnership that is the heart of our shared public
service mission and we are committed to more fully realizing that mission
thanks to this gift and his challenge for others to join us.”
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| Fox & Friends sucking up to frequent guest Donald Trump |
In
the past couple of weeks there has been a groundswell of criticism of Fox News
for the cable TV network’s unquestioning promotion of President Trump’s statements
and agenda.
Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen added fuel to the
outrage when she said in press conference on Tuesday (6/12) “don’t believe the
press.”
KEN SAYS: You may have noticed that Fox News no longer
uses the promotional phrase We Report,
You Decide. That is because Fox has abandoned objective, fact-based,
journalism. The Fox slogan now seems to be We’ve
Decided, You Can Shut the F*ck Up.
Remarks
such as Laura Ingraham’s recent statement on Fox that the detention centers for
children along the Mexican border are like “summer camps” once would have been
followed by an apology. Today, these
statements are common on Fox.
We
find it both disturbing and amazing that the shareholders of News Corp, the owner
of Fox News, don’t protest the denigration of the network’s brand.
NIELSEN AUDIO PPM TRENDS:
DETROIT, NASHVILLE, CHARLOTTE & RALEIGH-DURHAM
In
the May 2018 ratings WDET dropped to what is likely its lowest number of
estimated weekly listeners in several years. Comparing May 2018 with May 2017,
WDET lost almost 70,000 weekly listeners, down 37%.
Meanwhile
WUOM increased their estimated weekly listeners by 8% in the past year. We will
see how WUOM is doing statewide when Nielsen release the Spring 2018 ratings in
mid-July.
It
appears that dual format, Classical and Jazz, WRCJ is proving our notion that
two formats are not better than one when it comes to building an audience.
NPR
News/Talk WPLN increased its number of estimated weekly listeners in May 2018
compared to May 2017 but sister station, Classical WFCL was down by 41%.
WMOT
is one of two full-time Americana stations but they appear to be going in the opposite
direction of Austin’s KDRP.
Could part
of the reason be that WMOT is subsidized by its by its licensee Middle
Tennessee State University? At community licensed KDRP, the station has to sing
for its supper or it won’t get fed.
Today
must be Frank Dominguez Day at
Classical WDAV. The station added around 50,000 new listeners in May 2018
compared with May 2017.
A friend of ours
who teaches in Charlotte says WDAV has never sounded better.
South
Carolina Public Radio repeater WNSE blasts across the state line and continues to
chip away listening from WFAE. Triple A WSGE keeps holding on despite losing
CPB funding last year.
Classical
WCPE lost a chunk of estimated weekly listeners between May 2018 and May
2017.
Other rated noncom stations in The
Research Triangle stayed about the same.
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