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John Catsimatidis Writes New York Post Op-Ed In Support of AM Radio

“I have been leading the charge to save AM radio.”

Ryan Hedrick

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John Catsimatidis, the owner of WABC radio, expressed his worry in a New York Post op-ed about some automobile manufacturers, including Ford, removing AM radio from their cars. He believes that this action is un-American and, more significantly, endangers Americans’ safety in emergency situations.

During disasters, Catsimatidis stresses that AM radio is the most dependable means of communication. AM alerts are used by every major city, and a Pew Research Center survey discovered that almost 50% of US adults rely on the radio for news. Furthermore, about 47 million Americans continue to listen to AM radio frequency, which accounts for approximately 20% of the radio-listening populace.

“I have been leading the charge to save AM radio. Just last week at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, I met with members of the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Catsimatidis wrote.

Although AM listeners are generally older, they have increased their daily listening time to just over two hours in the past five years. AM signals have a wider reach, especially during nighttime, making them a crucial source of news in rural areas. Additionally, AM stations offer programming tailored to specific cultural and religious communities, promoting diverse perspectives, and contributing to the exchange of ideas.

“I’ve also been speaking with some of our leading politicians in Washington, and I am urging the public to do the same and speak to their representatives about preserving the AM option in all new vehicles,” he added.

Catsimatidis believes that if automakers can produce self-driving cars, then they can certainly manufacture radios that can pick up signals. He is currently spearheading the effort to preserve AM radio and has consulted with the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding this matter. He encourages individuals to contact their representatives concerning this issue, and even former Vice President Mike Pence has made a public-service announcement advocating for the preservation of AM radio on 77 WABC.

Catsimatidis points out the important role that AM radio has played throughout history. It provided entertainment in the 1920s and helped bring the nation together during the Great Depression through Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats. We also have AM radio to thank for introducing us to musical legends like Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and the Beatles, as well as the soothing sounds of Sunday summer baseball on the radio.

The elimination of AM radio from cars would be a huge disservice to Americans, putting profits before people and jeopardizing public safety. As Catsimatidis states, “Americans deserve better. Americans deserve AM radio.”

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News Radio

Tim Conway Jr.: Social Media Quickens the News Cycle for Stories Like the Baltimore Bridge

“A good buddy of mine, he sent me that literally about 40 minutes after it happened. The video and the story. That’s crazy.”

Barrett News Media

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A photo of Tim Conway Jr. and the KFI AM-640 logo
(Photo: KFI AM-640)

Social media video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing in the Baltimore harbor made the rounds Tuesday morning. KFI AM-640 host Tim Conway Jr. believes the way we learned about the tragedy shapes the coverage surrounding it.

While discussing the happenings with KFI reporter Steve Gregory, who has a long history of covering breaking news events, Conway Jr. noted that not only did social media help confirm the validity of the story, but seeing the images spread so quickly shined a spotlight on how fast the news cycle moves now.

“What a great advantage of having Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and then TikTok, all these social media is when something like that happens you know, because it happens so late we would have not ever heard about it or seen anything until the morning news,” said Conway Jr.

“But now with social media you instantly know. A good buddy of mine, he sent me that literally about 40 minutes after it happened. The video and the story. That’s crazy.”

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Michael Riedel: Once You Start Talking About People’s Personal Lives, There’s No Going Back

“If you go down that path, then you’re headed towards National Enquirer territory and as a journalist, you can never really come back from that.”

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A photo of Michael Riedel and the 710 WOR logo
(Photo: 710 WOR)

710 WOR morning host Michael Riedel got spent years working as a Broadway reporter and columnist before shifting to the New York news/talker. He has one guiding principle for the radio show that he has kept from his writing days.

Riedel was discussing his previous role at the New York Post with colleague Mark Simone on his midday program and said there are just some things you shouldn’t talk about.

“I got all the backstage stories when I was writing the column about Broadway for the New York Post. You know, celebrities, the leading lady fighting with the producer, lawsuits,” Riedel shared. “But I always drew the line at people’s private lives. Because I thought if you go down that path, then you’re headed towards National Enquirer territory and as a journalist, you can never really come back from that.

“If somebody filed a sexual harassment suit against somebody, I covered those. That’s fine. I mean, as soon as a suit is filed, it’s a matter of public record. I could get into it, but I never got into who’s sleeping with whom and who’s doing this thing. Not to say I didn’t know, and I loved hearing about it, but I drew the line at people’s personal lives when I wrote about them.”

Simone joked that he admired Riedel’s ability to converse with celebrities and know “exactly what that guy would be fascinated by.”

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Howie Carr: MSNBC Hosts Have Too Many Skeletons in Closet to Criticize Ronna McDaniel

“Al Sharpton…is he offended? Brian Williams? Is he still ’emeritus,’ right? How about all the Dateline NBC people who put the bomb in the truck? Mike Barnicle? Is he offended?”

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A photo of Howie Carr
(Photo: The Howie Carr Show)

NBC News, MSNBC, and Ronna McDaniel have been at the forefront of the news media cycle after her hiring and subsequent removal from the network. Howie Carr believes the entire ordeal is an exercise in hypocrisy.

During The Howie Carr Show, the Boston-based host shared his belief that the reaction from MSNBC hosts like Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O’Donnell about the hiring of McDaniel reeks of dishonesty.

“Talk about hypocrisy here. NBC is now claiming to be journalists? They’re offended by Rhonda McDaniel, because she makes stuff up,” said Carr.

“Al Sharpton…is he offended? Brian Williams? Is he still ’emeritus,’ right? How about all the Dateline NBC people who put the bomb in the truck? Mike Barnicle? Is he offended? Chuck Todd, former coat-holder for Tom Harkin whose wife made millions working for Bernie Sanders, another very upstanding statesman.

“Joy Reid, who was caught with all the anti-gay, believe anti-Muslim tweets, too? She said she was hacked by a time traveler and asked the FBI to investigate it. And Lawrence O’Donnell, the guy who made up the Deutsche Bank thing that had to apologize? Rachel Maddow, who group came up with Trump’s income taxes return like it was a big scoop and had already put it in a book 20 years earlier? Did Joe Scarborough denounced him from his old congressional office in Fort Walton Beach, Florida where they found a dead girl? They’re appalled by Ronna McDaniel. Appalled.”

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