Free Republic

An Oklahoma man was awarded $25 million in damages after a jury concluded that the state’s largest newspaper intentionally harmed him when it wrongfully identified him as the high school sports announcer who hurled racist remarks at players. Scott Sapulpa was one of two announcers commentating on a March 2021 girls’ playoff game between Midwest City High School and Norman High School that made national headlines when the Norman team took a knee and the other commentator, Matt Rowan, went on a racist tirade against the girls.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93. Robertson’s death Thursday was announced by his broadcasting network. No cause was given. Robertson’s enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, which defends the First Amendment rights of religious people; and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization. For more than a...

Neena Pacholke, a basketball star at the University of South Florida, was found dead in her home at the age of 27. Pacholke, who was reportedly engaged, was a morning anchor at a local news station in Wausau, Wisconsin, which is an ABC News affiliate.

Vin Scully, the Hall of Fame voice of the Dodgers for 67 years, died, the club announced. He was 94. “We have lost an icon,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “The Dodgers Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. He loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever. I know he was looking forward to...

Marcus Lamb, a co-founder and the CEO of the conservative Christian Daystar Television Network who vocally opposed Covid-19 vaccines, has died at 64, weeks after he contracted Covid-19, the network said. “It's with a heavy heart we announce that Marcus Lamb, president and founder of Daystar Television Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning," the network said a tweet Tuesday. "The family asks that their privacy be respected as they grieve this difficult loss. Please continue to lift them up in prayer." In July 2020, the Lamb family devoted an hour of their broadcast to "censorship" around...

Dick Enberg, the Hall of Fame broadcaster whose "Oh my!" calls rang familiar with so many sports fans, has died, his wife and daughter confirmed Thursday night. He was 82.

It was the Republican party and Fox News Channel's night. As the GOP gained control of the Senate, Fox News Channel set the pace with the Nielsen electorate garnering the largest overall audience and also standing atop the so-called news demo among cable and broadcast networks with its midterm election coverage. Fox News Channel averaged 6.6 million watchers in the 10 p.m. hour (ET), when the three broadcast networks turned their attention to the results. CBS placed with 5.4 million viewers, compared with 4.2 million for NBC and 3.1 million for ABC.

British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died, aged 89, his friends and colleagues have said. He "passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, they said in a statement. Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever. He wrote dozens of books on astronomy and his research was used by the US and the Russians in their space programmes. Described by one of his close friends as "fearlessly eccentric", Sir Patrick was notable for his...

Veteran ESPN broadcaster Ron Franklin was pulled from the air before Saturday's Fiesta Bowl after he called ESPN sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards "sweetcakes" during an off-air spat, Sports By Brooks reported Sunday. Franklin and Edwards were scheduled to work together for Friday's Chik-fil-A Bowl and the incident occurred in a pre-game production meeting also attended by ESPN announcers Ed Cunningham and Rod Gilmore. When the conversation turned to the subject of Gilmore's wife Marie being elected mayor of Alameda, Calif., Edwards tried to join in but was shut down by Franklin, according to the report. “Why don’t you leave this...

As I watch the World Series this year, I am reminded, once again, how I miss the poetic voice of VIN SKULLY. His lyrical narrative in describing the game was very inspiring and went far beyond the sport he was observing. A talented broadcaster with a Word Paintbrush. For those who remember, here are just a few more quotes he was known for. (Please click Link for a just a brief reminder of his talent).

TOKYO – Japanese broadcaster NHK says North Korea has launched a rocket, citing the Japanese government. The report came Sunday morning amid heightened tensions in the region. North Korea had informed international authorities that it planned to launch a rocket sometime between Saturday and Wednesday in order to put a satellite into orbit.

A twist in the Mount Soledad cross saga pits the lawyer fighting to move the towering symbol against a fresh foe: Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman. Coleman wants to sign the ballot argument in support of keeping the cross on its La Jolla hilltop. But attorney Jim McElroy has asked a Superior Court judge to rewrite the argument, which McElroy claims is misleading, and exclude Coleman's signature because he missed a filing deadline by one week. The argument is the latest in a 16-year court battle. On July 26, San Diegans will vote on a successor to Mayor Dick Murphy, who...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A San Joaquin Valley broadcaster cannot aid Republican candidates with free air time unless the same offer is extended to other candidates, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday. Pappas Telecasting Cos., which had donated $325,000 in air time on its radio and TV stations to 13 GOP county committees last week, had insisted for days that the gifts were legal and did not trigger federal equal time rules. It was not clear whether the company would appeal the staff ruling to the full commission. Phone calls to the Visalia-based company, which operates 28 stations in 11 states,...

Sinclair Broadcast, whose stock price has been battered over its plans to broadcast a documentary critical of Senator John Kerry, gained back some ground on Wall Street yesterday after it appeared to reduce how much of the film it would show. The company's critics, which have included institutional investors, consumer groups and representatives of Mr. Kerry's campaign, were not mollified. At the same time, the producer of the film, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Don't Heal," which presents former prisoners of war denouncing Mr. Kerry's statements against the Vietnam War, said he was disappointed that the film might not be seen...

Ex-Worker Accusing TBN Pastor Says He Had Sex to Keep His Job By William Lobdell Times Staff Writer September 22, 2004 A former Trinity Broadcasting Network employee who was paid $425,000 to keep quiet about his claims of a homosexual tryst with televangelist Paul Crouch has disclosed details of his complaint, saying that he had felt forced to engage in the alleged sexual acts to keep his job. Enoch Lonnie Ford, 41, said he was going public with his story because he believes TBN officials breached a confidentiality agreement that was part of a 1998 settlement that provided the payment...