Cumulus Media-owned KNBR in San Francisco has laid off famed 49ers play-by-play announcer Greg Papa about a year after his cancer diagnosis.

KNBR lays off 49ers radio announcer Greg Papa in staffing shake-up

August 5, 2026 - KNBR has laid off its two long-time mid-day show hosts Greg Papa and Greg Silver as part of a broader staffing shake-u

thedesk.net

The FCC will vote to eliminate a rule that restricts the number of broadcast TV and radio stations one company may own. The timing of the vote happens to coincide with the date that several broadcasters with pending business before the FCC will release their financial earnings.

FCC vote on ownership cap coincides with broadcast-related financial earnings releases

July 31, 2026 - Several companies with deals pending before or approved by the FCC will release their Q2 earnings on Thursday, the same day as a vote on the broadcast ownership cap.

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In an interview with a former lobbyist turned conservative writer, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency is investigating recent broadcast network affiliation swap announcements. The FCC cannot legally scrutinize those deals.

FCC reviewing recent affiliation swap announcement, Chairman Carr says

July 31, 2026 - The FCC generally cannot interfere in broadcast-related transactions involving network affiliation deals, but Carr is going to try anyway.

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Journalism!

"Store employees who missed performance goals were tied to a chair and hit in the face with a cream pie by higher-performing co-workers, the lawsuit claims." You thought your job sucked.

TheDesk.net@thedesk.net · last wk.

A former Comcast retail worker is suing the company after he claims employees were subjected to the humiliating ritual of being pied in the face over low sales performances.

The next time you look for news on Facebook or Instagram, the search results and answers returned might be powered by an unexpected source: Newsmax. This isn't new — Facebook and Instagram have been incorporating more right-of-center news outlets into their AI-powered results for months.

Facebook parent Meta signs AI licensing agreement with Newsmax

July 28, 2026 - Newsmax is one of several right-of-center news outlets to ink a partnership with Meta Platforms in recent months; others include Fox News Media, the Daily Caller and the Washington Ex...

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LIVE: Strong earthquake hits Japan , triggering tsunami advisory. www.youtube.com/live/f0lYkdA...

LIVE: NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

YouTube video by NHK WORLD-JAPAN

youtube.com

Bloomberg Radio: President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, says the government of Iran has requested a meeting with their counterparts in the United States, "and we are meeting."

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but do not buy a $300 toaster unless it can go on a cross-country adventure with a heating pad, radio, lamp and vacuum cleaner to find you when you’re 20. (And make the air conditioner crash out.)

Google's grand experiment with delivering reliable artificial intelligence-produced search answer is apparently going well.

I am very surprised that more people are not discussing the fact that former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is a contestant on a Fox game show called "Nation's Dumbest," where he and other celebrities try to prove that they are, in fact, not stupid.

Scoop: Hearst Television is inhering the CBS affiliation from multiple stations owned by Nexstar Media Group, according to several sources.

Hearst to acquire CBS affiliation from some Nexstar stations

July 23, 2026 - Hearst Television is inheriting the CBS affiliation from some Nexstar-owned stations in a half-dozen market, sources told The Desk on Thursday.

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Nexstar appointed its own CEO and other executives to power an independent board at TEGNA. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, DIRECTV and other parties to an ongoing antitrust lawsuit said that likely violates a court order from April.

States, DIRECTV accused Nexstar of controlling TEGNA despite injunction

July 22, 2026 - A motion filed on Wednesday says TEGNA's Board of Directors is comprised entirely of Nexstar executives, possibly violating a court's preliminary injunction.

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In a statement, Seth Stern with @freedom.press said the Trump administration should be thanking the New York Times — not targeting them — for their reporting on Air Force One, and called targeting the families of reporters "gross." "Even the Mafia says families are off limits," Stern noted.

Feds sought records from relatives of New York Times reporters in leaks probe

July 20, 2026 - The subpoenas are part of a leak investigation tied to Times reporting about security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s Qatari-donated Air Force One jet.

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In a letter sent to the DOJ, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers argued Fox's proposed acquisition of Roku could reduce competition in free, ad-supported streaming and give Fox the ability to steer Roku users toward its own programming. (My reporting was cited in the letter.)

Senators express concerns over Fox Corporation's bid for Roku

July 17, 2026 - In a letter, the lawmakers argue the deal could reduce competition in free, ad-supported streaming and give Fox the ability to steer Roku users toward its own programming.

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Wired editor who faced scrutiny for interfering in news stories and covering for a friend later convicted of child pornography now named as a defendant in a lawsuit over messy reporting based on hacked data.

Madison Square Garden sues Wired over clickbait article based on hacked customer data

July 16, 2026 - The ZapperBox allows TV fans to watch ATSC and NextGen TV broadcast signals. (Photo via Zapperbox storefront, Graphic by The Desk) The parent company of New York City's famed entertai...

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The Wired article was co-authored by Noah Shachtman. Several years ago, NPR reported Shachtman interfered in the editorial process at a former employer, Rolling Stone, to cover for a friend who was later convicted on child pornography charges.

Matthew Keys@matthewkeys.net · 3w ago

Madison Square Garden is suing Wired for defamation after the outlet reported the company kept a file of gay celebrities. In a statement, Madison Square Garden said the article claimed it was targeting the gay community, when "nothing could be further from the truth."

Madison Square Garden is suing Wired for defamation after the outlet reported the company kept a file of gay celebrities. In a statement, Madison Square Garden said the article claimed it was targeting the gay community, when "nothing could be further from the truth."

Madison Square Garden sues Wired over article alleging celebrity 'risk scores'

Madison Square Garden filed a defamation lawsuit against Wired Magazine over story claiming the arena tracked and assigned risk scores to celebrities.

usatoday.com

CBS and Fox stations and affiliates are the only ones carrying President Donald Trump's prime-time speech. CBS News is airing the speech on a delay and occasionally interrupting it for context from Major Garrett. Fox is taking the speech in its entirety, live.

Economy of scale in radio ownership will provide significant benefits when consumers access news and information--- ---The FCC's functional justification for 1039 mergers the agency approved in broadcast radio between 1996-2005.

TheDesk.net@thedesk.net · 3w ago

Hundreds of radio stations across the country aired no reports about Senator Lindsey Graham's death when it was first announced because their national news provider, ABC News Radio, delivered news bulletins that were recorded the prior day, sources said.

Netflix is pulling back on how much data it shares with investors and the public, at a time when the streamer faces intense scrutiny over audience drops when hit shows encounter extended hiatus periods; Netflix shares were down more than 8 percent after releasing its Q2 2026 earnings report.

Netflix shares fall after mixed Q2 earnings, company to report fewer engagement metrics

July 16, 2026 - Netflix continues to face intense scrutiny over perceived audience drops when hit shows face extended hiatus periods.

thedesk.net

Source: Network-affiliated stations owned by TEGNA, now part of Nexstar, are following the guidance of each network regarding President Trump's speech. If a network is interrupting programming to carry it, TEGNA's stations will, too. If not, they will only live stream it on their websites.

The FCC will eliminate certain broadcast TV ownership rules that limit the reach of corporate media. Under the law, the move is almost certainly illegal.

FCC to eliminate broadcast ownership rule in August

July 15, 2026 - FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has already voiced his support for eliminating the broadcast ownership cap, and the measure is certain to pass during the August vote.

thedesk.net

#BREAKING: One person is dead and 17 others were rescued from the water after a boat caught fire and started sinking in the San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, Spectrum News reports.

1 dead, 2 missing, 16 rescued after boat incident near Alcatraz Island

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed there were 19 people reported aboard the vessel

spectrumlocalnews.com

The stage has been set for a prolonged legal battle over Paramount's merger with Warner Bros Discovery, one that could cause Paramount to spend hundreds of millions of dollars based on commitments made to Warner Bros and its shareholders.

California, several other states sue to block Paramount-Warner Bros merger

July 13, 2026 - After seeing "red flags everywhere," California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the lawsuit, which claims Paramount's merger with Warner Bros Discovery violates numerous antitru...

thedesk.net

A large part of the Internet is considering a firm break-up with Google. For smaller publications, the rallying cry has been a long time coming. www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-pa...

A big part of the Internet is considering a firm break-up with Google

For about a year, I've considered removing TheDesk.net from Google Search.

linkedin.com

A federal appeals court has issued a small victory for the FCC and Nexstar Media Group, dismissing a challenge brought by Free Press over the agency's actions — and inaction — on Nexstar's $6.2 billion merger with TEGNA.

Appeals court tosses challenge to FCC's approval of Nexstar-TEGNA deal

July 9, 2026 - The court found the FCC is under no statutory obligation to issue a speedy full commission vote on Nexstar's merger with TEGNA.

thedesk.net

Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said 9 million people watched the live telecast of Mexico-England at the FIFA World Cup — its biggest audience after hours — another 5 million people watched replays and 1.5 million watched a rebroadcast on BBC 2.

Of the four major broadcast networks, ABC scored the most prime-time Emmy nominations with 40 possible wins, while Fox only had three Emmy nominations. The Emmy Awards will air live on NBC (30 nominations) in September.

One question I can't let go of: Where are the texts with @brianstelter.bsky.social? Mine were released under FOIA. If Stelter texted Carr's personal phone number, they're subject to FOIA. If Stelter texted Carr's government phone number, they're subject to FOIA. This adds a wrinkle to the case.

TheDesk.net@thedesk.net · 4w ago

FCC Chairman Carr is allowed to use the encrypted messaging app Signal on his personal devices, as long as he's not discussing government business, attorneys for the agency argued in recent court filings reviewed by The Desk.