Trump's New FCC Chair Investigates iHeartMedia for Possible ‘Payola' Violations
Carr's letter, addressed to iHeartMedia CEO Robert Pittman, refers to a recent FCC Enforcement Advisory highlighting what the FCC calls a trend – radio station owners and festival promoters coercing artists into illegal arrangements.
'Indeed, I want to know whether iHeart is effectively and secretly forcing musicians to choose between, one, receiving their usual, ordinary, and full scale compensation for performing or, two, receiving less favorable airplay on iHeart radio stations,' Carr wrote.
Carr is seeking detailed information about the Austin-based iHeartCountry Festival in early May to ensure compliance. The letter gives 10 days for iHeartMedia to respond to eight questions, including a list of scheduled artists and their compensation; whether airplay is influenced by their participation; reasons for artists performing for free or at reduced fees; and regulatory compliance training protocols.
In a statement to TheWrap, iHeart said: 'We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr's interest in ensuring the radio industry is compliant with all applicable laws and regulations and will be responding expeditiously to the specific questions posed in the Chairman's letter about iHeart's upcoming Country Festival.'
The company said participation in its country festival has no bearing on its radio stations' airplay, and that it makes no such agreements either overtly or covertly.
'The iHeartCountry Festival provides the same kind of promotion that that we see with artists on talk shows, late night television, the Super Bowl and in digital music performances and events: the promotional value to the artists is the event itself, and, in our case, is unrelated to our radio airplay,' iHeart said. 'We're very proud that over the years we've had artists ask us to be a part of the iHeartCountry Festival, and in fact we've had artists make repeat appearances over the years because it is an important event that enables them to reach our audiences and enhance their careers.'
The post Trump's New FCC Chair Investigates iHeartMedia for Possible 'Payola' Violations appeared first on TheWrap.
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The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Tuberville rips NFL over male cheerleaders: ‘What the hell are you doing?'
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Tuesday criticized the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings over their inclusion of male cheerleaders. The organization earlier this month introduced its cheerleading roster for the upcoming 2025 NFL season, including Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, the team's two male cheerleaders, in an Instagram video. 'The next generation of cheer has arrived!' the Vikings wrote on Aug. 9. The post drew backlash online, and Shiek and Conn for weeks have faced derogatory slurs and hateful comments as the center of debates over male cheerleaders and masculinity. 'I would like to ask the ownership of the NFL and the commissioner, what the hell are you doing?' Tuberville said on an episode of the podcast 'Hot Mic,' aired by the conservative sports news site OutKick. 'If you're going to be woke and you're going to try to, you know, take the men out of men's sports is what they're doing … then you're going to have a huge problem.' 'At the end of the day, I hope to God it doesn't come south to Atlanta, or to Texas, or to Dallas or to some of our NFL teams, because you'll lose it. I mean, people will actually quit buying tickets and going,' added Tuberville, a former college football coach who announced in May that he would leave the Senate after four years to run for governor of Alabama. 'This is the narrative they're trying to push out — this is not just a couple of people being men cheerleaders. It is about pushing a narrative that you want to put gender into sports and let everybody know that we're trying to show that, 'Hey, we're going to take the masculinity out of it a little bit,' and that's not going to happen in the South,' he said. Male dancers have been a part of NFL organizations since 2018, when Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies joined the Los Angeles Rams' 40-person squad. They made NFL history in 2019 as the first men to perform on the sidelines of a Super Bowl game, when the Rams played the New England Patriots in Atlanta. In an op-ed published Tuesday by The Guardian, former Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end RK Russell wrote that complaints about male cheerleaders 'are even more baseless than the Monday Morning Quarterbacks.' 'This isn't about performance at all. It's about presence. It's about the mere existence and visibility of men on NFL cheer squads who don't conform to the rigid, outdated ideas of masculinity that so many use sport, and football in particular, to defend,' wrote Russell, who came out publicly as bisexual to ESPN in 2019. 'The outrage over male cheerleaders isn't about sports. It's about control: over masculinity, over image, and over who gets to be seen and celebrated in public spaces or on the global stage of the NFL.' A Minnesota Vikings spokesperson did not immediately return The Hill's request for comment on Tuberville's comments or the broader backlash. The organization told NBC News last week that, 'While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading.' 'In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders,' the team said. 'Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.' Responding to claims that some fans have canceled their season tickets over the team's inclusion of male cheerleaders, the Vikings told NBC News that no fans have done so. In a joint Instagram post on Saturday, Shiek and Conn appeared to respond to the controversy: 'wait…did someone say our name?' they captioned a photo in their Vikings cheer uniforms. A number of prominent Republican political leaders have also been cheerleaders: Former President George W. Bush cheered at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., serving as head cheerleader his senior year, and at Yale University. Former President Reagan was a cheerleader at Eureka College in the 1930s.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Air show cleared for takeoff for next 5 years — with 21 strings attached
Good morning. It's Wednesday, Aug 20. I'm Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week's TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county. Although the California Coastal Commission's relationship with the operator of the Pacific Airshow has been noticeably turbulent at times, it looks like clear skies are ahead — at least for the next five years — for the spectacular production that draws huge crowds to Huntington Beach one weekend each fall. But the Coastal Commission's approval last Friday of the show's required coastal development permit did not come without lengthy strings attached to mitigate impacts on natural resources and public access to the beach, according to the Daily Pilot's reporting on the commission's deliberations. Here's one that hits the show operator's wallet, in the form of a fine: Huntington Beach resident Kevin Elliott's Pacific Airshow, LLC 'must pay $274,758 to the California State Lands Commission for public access and habitat enhancement projects at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, to resolve unpermitted development,' according to the article. Another condition, also related to Bolsa Chica, which lies within the pilots' flight plan from its staging point at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos to Huntington Beach: Pacific Airshow will have to hire a biologist to study the impact of the noise generated by all the planes on the wildlife in the ecological reserve. It will also have to order the pilots to fly at higher altitudes when passing over that land. Just a few of the remaining conditions are that show operators will have to submit a plan for potential fuel dumps in the Pacific, ensure public access to the shoreline and pier, plus provide 1,500 free tickets to students who attend Title 1 schools and their parents. City officials are thrilled about the news that the show can go on. 'The patriotism it brings to the whole area, all of the cities surrounding us and all of our guests ... it is one of the best things in the whole Southern California area,' Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns told the commissioners. • Recreational tennis players who use the city-owned Costa Mesa Tennis Center became agitated after signs began showing up around the facility this summer advising rates would go up significantly for court use, the Daily Pilot reported. 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To that end, a groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to be held Sept. 21 for the Innovation Center, a two-story, 22,000-square-foot building that is expected to become the centerpiece of the main campus. • The Huntington Beach Police Department held a news conference and demonstration last week to announce it was preparing to launch its Drone as First Responder program on Sept. 13. Three Skydio X10 drones will be docked on rooftops at strategic locations around the city and are expected to dramatically cut police response time. • Officials and volunteers with the Orange County Fire Watch program conducted a mock deployment for the media Wednesday morning at Pacific Ridge Trailhead in Newport Beach ahead of the time of year when high Santa Ana winds are most likely to be experienced. 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'They secured the flooding source and initiated a tow.' • A man was shot at around 7:15 a.m. Monday at the California Closets location in Huntington Beach and the woman suspected of pulling the trigger was killed by police two hours later during a traffic stop in South Gate. • This case took a long time to get to trial, but Vincent Alcaraz, 53, and Dorsa Pourhajir, 28, both of whom had previous felony convictions, were found guilty Monday in the shooting death of a rival gang member on Nov. 5, 2018 in Santa Ana. • It was anything but a heavenly experience to be seated in one section of the Angel Stadium stands last Wednesday night when a dispute over a cap triggered a violent brawl during a Freeway Series game between the Angels and Dodgers. 'A portion of the brawl was recorded on video and posted on social media. A fan wearing a Mike Trout jersey and sitting in a seat was punched and kicked in the head from one row above him by a man wearing a Dodgers jersey,' the L.A. Times reported. Two Tustin residents, both 26, were arrested, with the primary attacker being charged with felony assault and the other man with misdemeanor assault. • Tanner Pulice lost his older brother, Toby, to suicide in 2018. Tanner was a junior playing water polo for Corona del Mar High at the time of his brother's death at their Newport Beach home. Tanner, who continued his water polo career from CdM, to UCLA and now Stanford, recently created the nonprofit Save TOBY Project to honor his brother's legacy and transform mental health care. A fundraiser for the cause, the inaugural 'Swim for Suicide,' was held Saturday at Big Corona. • Within a five-day period, an Orange County mother, Jeannette Reding and her adult daughter, Kristina Walters, were diagnosed with breast cancer. 'It wasn't like, 'Oh my God, poor us.' It was more like, 'Thank God we have each other.' Kind of crazy,' Walters told the Daily Pilot last week, when the duo were at Hoag Family Cancer Institute in Newport Beach to ring the bell that signifies their treatment journey as successfully completed. • L.A. Times features columnist Todd Martens has compiled a list of 17 'splendid' things to do when you visit Laguna Beach, complete with a map. Check it out here to see if one of your favorite activities in the scenic town made the cut. • Luke's Lobster is poised to open its first Orange County location this Friday, Aug. 22, and it will be on Balboa Island, according to this Daily Pilot report. The Luke's Lobster website announced that the first 100 patrons who order a select six-ounce lobster roll will get a free promotional beach towel. • Someone who bought a SuperLotto ticket at Orange Hill Liquor in Orange for the Aug. 13 drawing came this close to bringing home the $33-million jackpot. The ticket sold in O.C. had five of the six numbers, so its owner won $37,069, according to the California Lottery. No one won the top prize. • Brea has for decades welcomed the installation of sculptures on its streets under a special program. The Brea Gallery at 1 Civic Center Circle is showcasing the works and the artists behind them in 'Mapping the Landscape: A 50 Year Dialogue with Art + the Community.' On view now through Sept. 19 the exhibition features 11 artists, all living, who have contributed to city's open air gallery. On Aug. 30 and 31, visitors can watch artists at work during the Fresh(AIR) artist-in-residence program, from noon to 5 p.m. both dates. Admission to the gallery will be free. In case you haven't visited it yet, Great Park Gallery in Irvine since late May has been marking the 45th anniversary of the release of the PAC-MAN game with a special exhibit called 'Journey Through the Maze: 45 Years of PAC-MAN,' featuring artwork and memorabilia from Bandai Namco as well as more than 50 professional artists from all over the world The celebration continues through Sept. 28. • John Wayne Movie Week will be held at the recently restored Lido Theater in Newport Beach Aug. 26 through Aug. 29. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m. each date. On Aug. 26, 'The Searchers' will be screened, followed by 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' on Aug. 27, 'True Grit' on Aug. 28 and 'Big Jake' on Aug. 29. The John Wayne Cancer Foundation will be the beneficiary of a special fundraising event held in conjunction with the week. The Lido Theater is located at 3459 Via Lido. Tickets can be purchased at Until next week,Carol We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Here's What Went Down at Zalando's 'The Corner' Event In Berlin
Zalandohas unveiled its latest platform, titled 'The Corner.' Dedicated to providing a physical space that celebrates streetwear culture, it aims to offer unique IRL experiences for communities to connect and nurture their creativity. To kick off the launch earlier this month, Zalando continued its long-standing partnership with Berlin-based community radio stationRefuge Worldwideto collaboratively curate its debut event. Speaking on how the station's philosophy is incorporated into 'The Corner,' co-founder Richard Akingbehin explains, 'We try to give a voice to as many different topics as possible. We want to create an alternative space and do so consistently, beyond temporary trends. That is becoming increasingly important.' Heading to HVW8 Gallery in the heart of the city, Zalando transformed the unique space into an immersive experience fuelled by the event's ethos. Located on the corner of Linienstraße and Kleine Hamburger Straße, the venue embodied the name while the exterior was adorned in its signature orange branding. Inside, the orange theme continued as visitors were welcomed with DJ sets expertly curated by Refuge Worldwide to set the mood. As well as exploring the wide variety of garments on display in the showroom, people also took part in the range of workshops on offer throughout the weekend, including insights into visual identity, artistic expression, photography and styling, and hands-on up-cycling activations. Elsewhere, a customization station hosted exclusively by adidas gave visitors the chance to create one-of-one pieces. To wrap up each of the three nights, the stage gave space to live headline performances by the likes of local talentAce Teewere also mixed with international acts likedreamcastmoe, however, it was the special guest performance from British artistShygirlthat ended the opening night on a high and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. See what went down at the opening of Zalando x Refuge Worldwide 'The Corner' above. To learn more about 'The Corner' and discover the latest styles at Zalando, head to itswebsitenow.
