News Radio

Lawmakers Seek End to DOJ’s Reporter Surveillance Efforts

Two Democratic lawmakers sent letter to AG Garland after Washington Post reporting

Published

1 year ago

May 19, 2021

The Department of Justice (DOJ) faces criticism from two Democratic lawmakers who
want the agency to stop acquiring journalists’ phone records to identify their sources,
The Hill reports.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) sent a letter to Attorney
General Merrick Garland asking him to stop the practice of seeking phone information
on reporters.

“Simply put, the government should not collect journalists’ communications records
unless it’s investigating them for a crime or as part of an investigation into foreign
espionage, in which case it should get a warrant,” the lawmakers wrote.

“The Biden administration has the opportunity to voluntarily leave behind the thuggish
and Orwellian abuses of power of the last administration and stand up as a world leader
for press freedoms. To that end, we urge you to revise the DOJ’s guidelines for
investigations of journalists.”

This letter comes off the heels of a report from The Washington Post, which revealed
that reporters Post Ellen Nakashima and Greg, along with former reporter Adam
Entous, received letters from the DOJ.

The agency stated that they had records of their phone interactions from April 15 to July
31 in 2017, including calls made from their phones and how long each lasted. However,
they didn’t include what was discussed on the calls.

When asked for a comment on the matter, a DOJ spokesperson told the Post that the
reporters themselves were not under investigation, but “rather those with access to the
national defense information who provided it to the media and thus failed to protect it as
lawfully required.”

Eduardo Razo

Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.

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Ben Shapiro: Donald Trump Endorsing People Doesn’t Carry a Lot of Power

During his show on Wednesday, Shapiro said Trump may hold power over the Republican party but when it comes to local political races, there are other factors at play.

Published

20 hours ago

June 24, 2022

Ryan Hedrick

AFP/Getty Images/Jason Kempin

Syndicated radio host and author Ben Shapiro suggested that an endorsement from former President Donald Trump is not the golden ticket it’s portrayed to be.

During his show on Wednesday, Shapiro said Trump may hold power over the Republican party but when it comes to local political races, there are other factors at play.

“So, there’s a difference between Donald Trump endorsing a person, which I don’t think has a lot of power. And Donald Trump is destroying people,” Shapiro said via Mediate.

“He (Trump) actually talked about how Brian Kemp was terrible and horrible and no good and very bad. And Brian Kemp won because he had earned the loyalty of the Republican voting base in Georgia, despite Trump’s anger at Brian Kemp.”

Shapiro concluded that “Trump does not have the sort of stranglehold the media thinks he has on the Republican Party.”

Recently, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is one Trump-endorsed candidate that has backed away from the former president.

An Axios analysis of Oz’s social media and campaign website uncovered that the Republican candidate is no longer lauding his Trump endorsement ahead of the midterm elections this fall.

Ryan Hedrick

Ryan Hedrick serves as the Co-Host of the Morning News Express at WFMD. He started in radio at 17 years old, doing sports and news for his high school radio station. He then spent several years at WFMD in Frederick, MD before joining WBEN in Buffalo, NY. In 2016, while working at WIBW-AM in Topeka KS, Hedrick earned the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB) award for Major Market enterprise reporting. Hedrick grew up in Southern California where he attended Cal State University of Northridge. He can be found on Twitter @SureToCover.

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News Radio

Longtime WIBC News Anchor Retires After Nearly 30 Years

Stan Lehr is calling it quits with his final day coming July 1.

Published

20 hours ago

June 24, 2022

Ryan Hedrick

Longtime WIBC-FM news anchor Stan Lehr is calling it quits after nearly 30 years behind the microphone. The Indianapolis Star reports that Lehr’s last day will be July 1.

WIBC is owned by Emmis Communications who last week announced a move to sell its Indianapolis radio properties to Maryland-based Radio One. Lehr’s retirement reportedly had nothing to do with the news of the impending sale.

“This will bring to an end a long chapter in the station’s history,” WIBC News Director Chris Davis wrote in his email. “His reputation as a stickler has been widely-known in the industry for decades.”

Davis described Lehr as a “stickler” who never wanted recognition for his work.

“Instead, he made it clear to all who work or have worked with him that strong writing, accuracy, and excellence in delivery are the best ways to serve the listeners,” added Davis.

Ryan Hedrick

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News Radio

WWL, FEMA Unveiling New Emergency Broadcast Studio

The news conference will occur at 9 a.m. CT, leading to official remarks, Q&A, a tour of the facility, and a live demonstration at the WWL PEP station emergency studio.

Published

1 day ago

June 23, 2022

Eduardo Razo

FEMA and Audacy’s WWL-AM/FM will present the unveiling of an all-hazards upgrade to the “Primary Entry Point” facility on June 28th.

The news conference will occur at 9 a.m. CT, leading to official remarks, Q&A, a tour of the facility, and a live demonstration at the WWL PEP station emergency studio.

Some of the speakers at the event will include Erik Hooks, Deputy Administrator, FEMA, and Kevin Cassidy, Senior Vice-President, Market Manager, Audacy-WWL.

“The modernization to the emergency studio increases WWL’s resiliency to continue broadcasting under all conditions, including natural disasters and acts of terrorism,” the statement said which Barrett News Media obtained. “This facility is one of 77 across the country that serve as a National Public Warning System Primary Entry Point (PEP) station, participating with FEMA to provide emergency alert and warning information to the public before, during and after incidents and disasters.”

“WWL is the 15th radio station in the country to work with FEMA to complete the all-hazards upgrade, which includes increased sheltering capabilities, expanded broadcast capacity, and sustainable power generation for all types of hazardous events.”

Anyone attending the event will arrive at check-in 15 minutes before the press conference starts.