THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Lisa Byington

After winning their first NBA championship in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks are still making history, announcing Lisa Byington as their full-time TV play-by-play voice for the upcoming season.

Byington, who will be the Bucks’ lead voice on Bally Sports Wisconsin, becomes the first woman to work as a full-time play-by-play announcer of a professional sports men’s team.

“I understand the groundbreaking nature of this hire, and I appreciate the fact that during this process that aspect was addressed, but never made a primary focus,” Byington said in the NBA’s press release. “In fact, I applaud the Bucks for taking the first steps toward making hires like this more of the norm in the NBA. Because it’s time.”

In recent years, the NBA has seen a number of women break through the male-dominated sportscasting industry to work as game analysts. Doris Burke is recognized as one of ESPN’s top game analysts for their NBA coverage and Sarah Kustok is a highly regarded color commentator for the Brooklyn Nets.

Women as play-by-play announcers remain far less common, and the veteran, trailblazing sportscaster is a groundbreaking hire..

Byington has worked as a play-by-play voice, studio host and reporter for CBS, Turner Sports, Fox and the Big Ten Network during her highly successful and now historic career.

MEDIA LOSER:
Brian Kilmeade

Newsmax’s Grant Stinchfield had a major-league meltdown where he screamed and cut off a guest on his show for mildly criticizing Donald Trump over the former president’s approach to Afghanistan.

Stinchfield spoke with Joe Saboe, an Iraq War vet who recently made headlines for his efforts to help people flee Afghanistan.

Stinchfield and Saboe had a dispute about whether it's now a “hostage situation” in the country, and the host eventually made the argument that Trump would’ve never let this happen.

Stinchfield moved to close the segment, but before he could, Saboe countered, saying “we followed this closely from multiple administrations. We know that Trump’s administration’s efforts here were fairly weak, that they were trying to limit the number of people that would get out…”

Stinchfield claimed he was “low on time” and once again tried to end it. Saboe kept on speaking though, causing Stinchfield to repeatedly shout “Cut him off now!”

“You’re not gonna blame this on President Trump on my show!” He exclaimed. “Don’t come on this program and take the talking points of the left and blame President Trump! That’s not helping anybody!”

A total meltdown, screaming at his own guest... most newscasters would consider this an embarassing moment. Most.

The A-Block

Piers Morgan is Joining Fox News Media

In what might be both the most predictable and smartest move in cable news so far this year, Fox News announced that professional provocateur and television personality Piers Morgan is joining News Corp and Fox News Media in what they are calling a “global deal.”

For the blissfully unaware, Morgan is the former British tabloid editor who took over for Larry King at CNN for a handful of years, before departing that cable news network and hosting Good Morning Britain in his home country. Morgan left that job when he unceremoniously walked off the set while being called out by a colleague — on-air —about Morgan’s constant attacks on Meghan Markle.

According to a statement released by News UK, Morgan will host a “global TV show” that. will air on weeknights in the UK, USA, and Australia. Notably, the show will air on Fox Nation and not Fox News. He will also contribute two weekly columns for the New York Post and The Sun (both owned by Rupert Murdoch) and Harper Collins will publish his next book Wake Up.

[MORE...]


In Other News...

Dan Abrams Delivers a Pointed Message to Partisan Cable News Hosts in First Promo for NewsNation Show

Jim Breuer Makes Seal Noises While Mocking Vaccine Mandates: 'Kill the Beast! The Beast Is the Unvaccinated!'

Milwaukee Bucks Make History by Hiring First Woman to be a Full-Time Play-by-Play Voice for Men’s Pro Team

RICHMAN: Where's the Media Coverage of Maskless Met Gala Attendees?

Must See Clip

$15,000.00

Former Pennsylvania state senator and avid Trump supporter Scott Wagner explained to a local TV station why he spent $15,000.00 on billboards depicting President Joe Biden as a Taliban fighter.

The billboards, like one that appeared on Pennsylvania’s Interstate 83, feature the aforementioned photo illustration with the caption “Making the Taliban Great Again!”

It's pretty amazing.

"This is what’s on my mind. And now, it’s on a billboard," he says.

Links We Like

What if General Milley Lied Just to Puff Himself Up?
- Erick Erickson, Substack
Beyond ‘vaccinopia’: Rapid Tests Should Play A Larger Role In Biden’s Covid-19 Plan
- Daniel P. Oran and Eric J. Topol, STAT News
COVID and Globalization Have Upended TV Casting: ‘Some of the Magic Has Been Lost’
- Jazz Tangcay, Variety
The Pandemic Has Created A Nation Of Insomniacs
- Anna North, Vox
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