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Category: Media

  • ‘A rough day’: ESPN, NFL Network layoffs reportedly include Karl Ravech, Tom Pelissero

    ‘A rough day’: ESPN, NFL Network layoffs reportedly include Karl Ravech, Tom Pelissero

    ESPN went through another round of layoffs Tuesday, this time stemming from its purchase of the NFL Network.

    The cuts targeted both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes employees, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly. The layoffs are part of wider cutbacks at Disney previewed in April by CEO Josh D’Amaro and a consolidation of employees at ESPN and the NFL Network.

    In a note to staff Tuesday morning, ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro said the company was forced to “make some difficult decisions about job impacts” stemming from the merger, and that the moves were intended to “best position us for the future.” Employees were being notified Tuesday, Pitaro said.

    “While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted,” Pitaro added.

    ESPN declined to comment.

    Longtime ESPN announcer Karl Ravech is among those reportedly being let go. Brett Davis, Brett Davis-Imagn I

    Karl Ravech, a veteran ESPNer who called the Phillies’ win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night, was among those let go, first reported by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.

    Ravech had been with ESPN since 1993, covering baseball for more than three decades in a variety of roles, including as the voice of Sunday Night Baseball for four seasons. He had been slated to call the Little League World Series for ESPN next month.

    NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero was also reportedly among the cuts. He’s been with the network since 2017 and is one of the network’s top insiders, along with Ian Rapoport and Philly native Mike Garafolo.

    Rapoport signed a multiyear contract with ESPN in April.

    ESPN also parted ways with former Carolina Panthers quarterback and NFL MVP Cam Newton, as first reported by Outkick’s Bobby Burack. Newton has been a frequent guest on First Take with Stephen A. Smith during the NFL season.

    Longtime NFL Network analyst Charles Davis, best known for calling NFL games on Fox and CBS, was also let go, according to The Athletic. This fall he’ll replace Gary Danielson as CBS’s lead college football analyst on Big Ten games alongside Brad Nessler.

    Other ESPN staffers reportedly let go were veteran SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, sports injury analyst Stephania Bell, and ex-NFL linebacker Bart Scott, who cohosted an ESPN radio show in New York City with one-time 94.1 WIP host Chris Carlin.

    Boxing and MMA reporter Andreas Hale and staff writer Dan Hajducky both announced their own layoffs on social media.

    “I’ve been here before. Change is constant, but the outcomes are uncertain,” Hale wrote.

    Ryan Clark pulled from live show

    Ryan Clark was pulled off NFL Live Monday and informed he was being let go. Jay Biggerstaff, Jay Biggerstaff

    Layoffs arrived early for Ryan Clark, the former NFL defender turned TV analyst who has been a star at ESPN for the past decade.

    As first reported by The Athletic, Clark was taken off the air midway through NFL Live on Monday and informed he was being let go after reporters began inquiring about his status with the network.

    In an Instagram post Tuesday morning, Clark described the incident as “madness.”

    “My peace is with God, and my humility comes from within,” Clark wrote. “I’ll continue to build myself so the world can never strip me of what’s real.”

    Clark joined ESPN in 2015 and has been a prominent personality across the network’s NFL programming and daytime shows, including Monday Night Countdown with former Eagles star Jason Kelce.

    In 2024, Clark signed a three-year contract extension after going public with his dissatisfaction with the network

    Stephen A. Smith reacts to cuts

    Longtime ESPN host Stephen A. Smith was particular upset by Ryan Clark’s ouster. Jerome Miron/Imagn

    Longtime ESPN personality and First Take host Stephen A. Smith called it a “rough day” at the network.

    While several regulars from his show were among the cuts, the one-time Inquirer columnist and reporter was particularly irked by Clark’s ouster. Smith described him as “arguably the best NFL analyst in America.”

    “The bosses know I’m not happy about this decision. I’ve made that very, very clear,” Smith said Tuesday afternoon on his SiriusXM show Straight Shooter, adding later in the show, “Was I asked what I thought, what my feeling were? Yes, I was. And of course I said we have to keep him.”

    Smith also spent time outlining all the cutbacks ESPN has gone through dating back to May 2013. A lot of familiar names were forced out the door in the past decade-plus, including Jeff Van Gundy, Jayson Stark, Todd McShay, Zach Lowe, and Ed Werder.

    “This ain’t the days when ESPN could just hire and hire and hire some more without ever having to let go or lay off anybody,” Smith said. “Those days are long gone.”

    ESPN purchased NFL Network and NFL Media in February in a deal valued between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. As part of the deal, all NFL Network staffers and personalities became ESPN employees, and the league took a 10% stake in the network.

    NFL Network isn’t going anywhere, and will still have original programming, including Good Morning Football, and will broadcast a handful of NFL games.

    It’s the second round of layoffs at ESPN in recent months. In the spring, about 30 behind-the-scenes staffers were let go as part of companywide layoffs that reportedly impacted around 1,000 employees.

  • Ewart Rouse, retired award-winning Inquirer reporter and editor, author, and journalism professor, has died at 85

    Ewart Rouse, retired award-winning Inquirer reporter and editor, author, and journalism professor, has died at 85

    Ewart Rouse, 85, of Lawnside, retired award-winning reporter and editor for The Inquirer, author, journalism adjunct professor, mentor, immigrant advocate, and indomitable cricketer, died Thursday, July 2, of age-associated decline at the Samaritan Center at Voorhees.

    Born in Trinidad, West Indies, Mr. Rouse immigrated to New York in 1969 and joined The Inquirer in 1974. For nearly 30 years, until he retired in 2002, Mr. Rouse was an award-winning business and news reporter, suburban editor, and mentor to hundreds of young journalists.

    He won a 1980 Keystone Award for a news series on city taxi service and was recognized for another series on street gang homicides involving Black youth. Later, he wrote business columns and covered South Jersey news.

    He opened a 1975 story about former President Gerald Ford’s first visit to Philadelphia with: “The old man sat alone and dejectedly with his flags against the wall of the Philadelphia National Bank building at 5th and Market Streets. ‘Not one,’ he muttered. ‘I haven’t sold not one flag today.’”

    Mr. Rouse worked for the Associated Press in Washington DC.Courtesy of the family

    Before The Inquirer, Mr. Rouse was a news and political reporter for the Associated Press in Newark, N.J., Atlantic City, and Washington, D.C. “He was a popular colleague who contributed importantly to the paper’s growth,” Gene Foreman, retired managing editor at The Inquirer, said on Facebook.

    Other former Inquirer colleagues called Mr. Rouse “professional and gracious,” “careful and respectful,” and “kind and generous.” Retired Inquirer editor Lil Swanson said on Facebook: “Ewart was filled with wisdom and grace. When he was an editor, young writers flocked to him because he always made their stories better and helped them grow.”

    Surviving spouses always remember how they met their mate. Here are the meet-cute stories told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    He covered courts and politics for the Trinidad Guardian in Port-of-Spain before leaving for New York, and interviewed Trinidad Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul for the 1997 book Conversations with V.S. Naipaul. In Philadelphia and South Jersey, he taught news writing, business writing, and investigative journalism at Temple, Rutgers, and Arcadia Universities.

    He mentored many students of color and edited books for other writers. He enjoyed fiction and detailed plots, and wrote a four-book series of cricket-themed novels he called the Sticky Wicket Collection.

    Mr. Rouse loved to play, watch, and write about cricket.Ewart Rouse

    Readers called his books “highly entertaining” and “a wonderful addition to cricket literature” in reviews. His daughter Karen said: “The clackety-clack (zing!) of his typewriter was a constant in our home.”

    Mr. Rouse played cricket in Trinidad and later in South Jersey, and he cofounded the Philadelphia Cricket League, the New Jersey Cricket Association, and the Echelon Cricket Club. He played the game, managed teams, and became one of the region’s greatest advocates for cricket and its immigrant players.

    When parents die, even the mundane memories comfort their children. Here are their tales, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    In 2013, he earned a lifetime achievement award from the South Jersey Caribbean Cultural and Development Organization, and recognition from then-Camden Mayor Dana Redd for his contributions to the community as a journalist, teacher, and cricket activist. “It truly was an honor to be recognized by my own community,” he said on his website, ewartrouse.com.

    In a 2016 online interview, Mr. Rouse was asked to advise young writers. “Read anything you get your hands on,” he said, “From books and newspapers … to labels on paint. Each contains nuggets of information that the mind will retrieve for just the right spot in your next project.”

    Mr. Rouse and his wife, Vanda, met in Trinidad.Courtesy of the family

    Ewart Rigsby Rouse was born Sept. 16, 1940, in Tunapuna, Trinidad. He was an avid reader and creative writer as a boy, and noticed one day that several of his favorite writers — Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway — started out as newspaper reporters.

    “And now I wanted to be a journalist like them,” he said in a short self-published autobiography.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    He met his wife, Vanda, in Trinidad, and they married and had daughters Joann, Karen, and Kristin. They lived in New York, Pleasantville, N.J., and Washington, and settled in Lawnside in the 1970s.

    Mr. Rouse was active with the C.C. Morris Cricket Library Association, the South Jersey Writers’ Group, and the Rainy Tuesday Writers Group. He was an avid gardener and routinely gave away bags of home-grown tomatoes to friends and neighbors.

    Mr. Rouse enjoyed time with his grandsons. Courtesy of the family

    He collected records, listened to Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, followed the 76ers, and grilled outdoors as often as possible. He took his family on memorable trips to Trinidad that “opened up a world to us that was accessible, one that we could dare to explore,” said his daughter Karen.

    In 2016, Mr. Rouse told aspiring writers: “Who knows, maybe you end up with a bestseller. Some might call you a dreamer. But, hey, as the saying goes, you can’t have a dream come [true] if you don’t have a dream.”

    Why did best-selling author Carol Saline email The Inquirer’s obit writer?

    In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Rouse is survived by three grandsons, two sisters, a brother, and other relatives.

    A private celebration of his life is to be held later.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, 30 S. 15th St., 15th Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102.

    A former Inquirer colleague called Mr. Rouse “a true and kind gentleman.”Courtesy of the family
  • Home Run Derby in Philly: New rules, new TV home and an ex-Phillie in the booth

    Home Run Derby in Philly: New rules, new TV home and an ex-Phillie in the booth

    Phillies fans will be seeing double during Monday night’s Home Run Derby (8 p.m., Netflix).

    Two Phillies sluggers — Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber — are participating in tonight’s event, the first time Philly teammates will compete in the Derby in its 41-year history. And they’ll do it in front of a hometown crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

    It’s a potential rematch of the 2018 Derby finals, when Harper was still with the Washington Nationals and Schwarber was playing for the Chicago Cubs. Harper edged out Schwarber by just one dinger, winning the competition 19 homers to 18.

    “I think it would be a pretty cool ending there if that could happen,” Schwarber told reporters. “But we’ll see what happens.”

    It’s the first time the Derby has been held at Citizens Bank Park, but not its first time in Philly. Veterans Stadium hosted the event in 1996, which was won by Hall of Famer Barry Bonds, who belted out 17 homers.

    Bonds will be back in Philly covering the event for Netflix, which is streaming the Home Run Derby as part of a three-year deal that also included MLB’s opening night back in March and next month’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa between the Phillies and Minnesota Twins.

    Former Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence will be part of Netflix’s broadcast of the Home Run Derby.

    Among those joining Bonds on Netflix’s broadcast is one-time Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence, who spent a little more than a calendar year in Philly during the 2011 and 2012 seasons before being traded away to the San Francisco Giants.

    “The Home Run Derby’s always been one of my favorite things as a kid,” Pence said. “I’m going to be in the stands a little bit. I’m going to be in the booth as well… Netflix definitely has some excitement up their sleeve.”

    Netflix is the latest step in Pence’s second career as a broadcaster, which began as a fluke filling in last minute during COVID. He calls about 30 San Francisco Giants games a year as an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, and has broadcast games for MLB Network, Apple TV, and ESPN.

    “I feel like I always get to come out to Philly,” Pence said. “I love the stadium, I love all the people there. And [John] Kruk comes over and talks to me every time… He makes sure I get the right cheesesteak and the right sandwich.”

    Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream this year’s Home Run Derby:

    What time does the Home Run Derby start?

    Veteran MLB announcer Matt Vasgersian will lead Netflix’s coverage of the Home Run Derby. MLB Network

    The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern and will stream globally live on Netflix. It won’t air on either broadcast or cable TV.

    Calling all the action will be Matt Vasgersian, with Elle Duncan and Lauren Shehadi also leading the coverage. In addition to Pence and Bonds, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rizzo, and CC Sabathia will also provide analysis.

    Netflix hasn’t offered many details about its plans for the Derby, but if its opening night telecast is anything to go by, expect plenty of cross promotion and a lot of stars. Among them will be former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, who hosts The White House video podcast for Netflix.

    Players in the Home Run Derby

    Phillies sluggers Bryce Harper (left) and Kyle Schwarber will compete in the Home Run Derby. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    • Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
    • Bryce Harper, Phillies
    • Jordan Walker, Cardinals
    • Wilson Contreras, Red Sox
    • Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
    • Jac Caglianone, Royals
    • Ben Rice, Yankees
    • Junior Caminero, Rays

    Not participating for the second straight season is Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, one of only four players to win multiple Derby championships. Despite a strong first-half, Alonso wasn’t selected to this year’s All-Star Game.

    Also not competing is last year’s winner, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has struggled this year after being last year’s American League MVP runner-up.

    New rules for this year’s Home Run Derby

    This year’s Derby has a different format than previous years.

    For starters, there won’t be a timer. Instead, each slugger will get a set number of swings each round — 20 in the first round and 15 in both the second and final rounds.

    The last Derby without a clock was 2014.

    There’s also a “keep going” rule. If the batter hits a homer on his final attempt, he’ll keeping swinging until he fails to blast out a home run.

    “I love it,” Pence said. “It’s really awesome for TV and healthier for the players. They’re not just having this endurance contest. We get to really feel each swing and each player.”

    There also won’t be a bracket for the first round. Instead, the four sluggers with the most homers during the first round will move on to the second. There the competition shifts to head-to-head until a champion is crowned.

    What happens if there’s a tie?

    In the opening round, if multiple players hit the same number of home runs, the tiebreaker will go to whomever knocked out the longest home run.

    Beyond that, ties will be settled by a three-swing swing-off. There have been just two ties in modern Derby history — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. edged out Joc Pederson in the third tiebreaker in 2019, while Juan Soto topped Shohei Ohtani in the first round of the swing-off in 2021.

    How much money does the winner receive?

    The winner of the Derby takes home $1 million, which is more than the entire 2026 MLB salary of four of the participants — Caglianone ($784,000), Caminero ($794,800), Walker ($799,400) and Rice ($845,800).

    The runner-up receives $500,000.

    How many Phillies players have won the Home Run Derby?

    Former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard won the Home run Derby in 2006. ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Two Phillies players have won the Derby — Bobby Abreu in 2005 and Ryan Howard in 2006.

    Schwarber didn’t make it out of the first round in 2022, and Rhys Hoskins finished third in 2018, losing to Schwarber in the second round.

    Who won the 2025 Home Run Derby?

    Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh celebrates after winning the 2025 Home Run Derby. Mike Stewart

    Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh topped the field last season, defeating Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays in the finals by three home runs.

    Recent Home Run Derby winners

    • 2025: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Marines (Truist Park)
    • 2024: Teoscar Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers (Globe Life Field)
    • 2023: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (T-Mobile Park)
    • 2022: Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (Dodger Stadium)
    • 2021: Pete Alonso, New York Mets (Coors Field)
    • 2020: No winner — the derby was canceled due to COVID-19
    • 2019: Pete Alonso, New York Mets (Progressive Field)
    • 2018: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals (Nationals Park)
    • 2017: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (Marlins Park)
    • 2016: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins (Petco Park)
    • 2015: Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds (Great American Ball Park)

    Future Home Run Derby locations

    • 2027: Wrigley Field, Chicago
  • Devan Kaney lands a new gig in Chicago as WIP still has an Eagles opening

    Devan Kaney lands a new gig in Chicago as WIP still has an Eagles opening

    Devan Kaney is headed to Chicago.

    The former 94.1 WIP sideline reporter and Fox 29 sports anchor is leaving Philadelphia to cover the Chicago Bears for Fox 32, she announced on social media.

    Kaney is taking over the role vacated by Cassie Carlson, who was promoted as the station’s lead sports anchor. Kaney will also do some sports anchoring work for the station, much like her role at Fox 29, which she left last month.

    “I’m so grateful for the support all of my colleagues at Fox 29 have given me during my time there, but especially in the last few months,” Kaney told The Inquirer.

    Those last few months included being laid off at WIP as part of company-wide cutbacks by parent company Audacy.

    The move was a surprise considering Kaney was coming off her first full season as the station’s sideline reporter during Eagles broadcasts after replacing Howard Eskin, who abruptly left the station in January 2025 following an incident with a female staffer. Kaney jumped in and served as the station’s sideline reporter during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.

    Devan Kaney (right) with 94.1 WIP’s morning show: (from left) Rhea Hughes, Jon Ritchie, Jason Kelce, and Joe DeCamara. 94.1 WIP

    She also served as an on-air host, worked with the station’s popular morning crew, and hosted shows alongside Phillies announcer and former general manager Rubén Amaro Jr.

    WIP hasn’t announced who will replace her, and the clock’s ticking. The Eagles’ first preseason game is five weeks away, with the Birds taking on the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 15.

    “It’s a tough job,” WIP program director Rod Lakin told The Inquirer in 2025. “You have to be someone that’s a really good communicator. You also need to be able to change quickly — circumstances change all the time in the NFL, and you’ve got to deliver that information quickly and in a collaborative way, because the game doesn’t stop.”

    Over at Fox 29, Kaney’s role was partly taken over by former 6abc sportscaster Jamie Apody, who among other things is anchoring the station’s 10 p.m. newscast.

    While Kaney is leaving the city, she’ll continue to host Werth Talking About, a PHLY podcast she’s co-hosting with former All-Star Jayson Werth. And Eagles fans might get a glimpse of her Sept. 28, when the Birds travel to Soldier Field to take on the Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 3.

    Phillies fans will see a familiar face on TV covering the MLB draft
  • Phillies fans will see a familiar face on TV covering the MLB draft

    Phillies fans will see a familiar face on TV covering the MLB draft

    If the Phillies end up taking a pitcher with the No. 36 pick in the upcoming draft, the MLB network will have the perfect analyst on hand to break it down.

    Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP and current NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcaster, is joining MLB Network’s live coverage of the 2026 MLB draft, which kicks off Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

    Longtime MLB Network coordinating producer Chris Roenbeck, who is working his fourth draft, said they’re always looking to add a “special wrinkle” to their coverage. With this year’s draft taking place in Philadelphia, the stars aligned to add Hamels to their broadcast.

    “When we started brainstorming months ago, we quickly thought of Cole, given his decorated career with the Phillies and being a first-round pick,” Roenbeck said. “We’ll go to him early and often for pitching insights, relying on his unique perspective, which will only enhance our broadcast.”

    Hamels is the only new addition to MLB’s Network’s draft coverage, which will be hosted by Greg Amsinger and feature analysis by Mark DeRosa, Harold Reynolds, and former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd.

    “We’re beyond excited to have Cole part of our draft team,” Amsinger said, noting Hamels’ “draft experience and pitching expertise will take our show to the next level.”

    Hamels is in his second season as a part-time Phillies announcer on NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he’s called four games so far this year. He’s expected to broadcast six to eight games, taking over a portion of the schedule given up this year by Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, but the network would love to have more.

    “Certainly, we would love to have him every weekend,” Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, told The Inquirer in March.

    Hamels won’t be the only Philly addition. The opening of MLB Network’s draft coverage will be voiced by Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter), lead MC of the Philly hip hop group The Roots.

    NBC will broadcast the first 10 picks of the MLB draft

    The 2026 MLB draft will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Hamels and company will be on hand to discuss the Phillies’ No. 32 pick, but MLB Network won’t air the first 10 picks of the draft

    Why? Because NBC will be broadcasting the first hour and a half of this year’s MLB draft as part of their three-year TV rights deal with MLB, taking over for ESPN.

    As a result, the MLB draft will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday on NBC before coverage shifts to MLB Network at 2:30 p.m., picking things up with the No. 11 pick.

    NBC will carry MLB Network’s production, so you won’t see Mike Tirico and crew this weekend.

    The entire draft will stream on Peacock, which will simulcast MLB Network’s coverage after NBC cuts away to cover the American Century Championship, often described as the Super Bowl of celebrity golf tournaments.

    The draft streaming on Peacock is good news for YouTube TV subscribers, where MLB Network has remained dark for three years due to a contract dispute. The network is also available to stream as part of MLB+, beginning at $5.99 per month.

    The MLB Network has broadcast the draft since 2009. ESPN was the first network to broadcast the draft, which aired the first round live on ESPN2 in 2007.

    Quick hits

    Malik Tillman reacts after the U.S. was eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium Monday. Manu Fernandez
    • “This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years.” That was John Strong, Fox’s lead World Cup announcer, pleading with American fans after the U.S. was eliminated from the World Cup by Belgium Monday.
    • Credit to Delran native and two-time World Cup champ Carli Lloyd, who wasn’t afraid to criticize U.S. star Christian Pulisic after the United States’ disappointing loss.
    • On a brighter note for American football fans, the NFL preseason is less than a month away. The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, kicks off Aug. 6. The Eagles’ first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens is one week later on Aug. 15.
    • Scott Franzke and the rest of the Phillies radio announcers are getting a second life on social media thanks to Nick Piccone, a lifelong fan in Delco who matches audio clips to the TV broadcast.
  • Bill Wine, Emmy Award-winning film and TV critic, and longtime La Salle professor, has died at 81

    Bill Wine, Emmy Award-winning film and TV critic, and longtime La Salle professor, has died at 81

    Bill Wine, 81, of Philadelphia, three-time Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award-winning film and TV critic, retired tenured associate professor of TV and film at La Salle University, onetime freelance TV critic for the Daily News, freelance writer, playwright, and popular lecturer, died Sunday, June 14, of complications from Parkinson’s disease at his home in Chestnut Hill.

    The son of two part-time amateur actors and a lifelong devotee of theater, film, TV, writing, and teaching, Mr. Wine was a film critic for WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years and KYW radio for 17 years. Known for his pithy, witty, and often acerbic reviews, and a breezy conversational style of writing, he worked at Channel 29 from 1990 to 2002 and KYW from 2001 to 2018.

    “Bill Wine was a character out of a Neil Simon comedy, more Oscar than Felix,” said Carrie Rickey, former Inquirer movie critic. “You didn’t have to wait long for the punchline.”

    Mr. Wine’s film reviews on Channel 29 were often funny and entertaining. Channel 29

    At Channel 29, Mr. Wine was nominated for eight regional Emmy Awards for commentary and writing, and won three. He appeared regularly on the station’s Ten O’Clock News, in primetime movie preview and review programs, and later on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Good Day Philadelphia.

    By 1990, he had already written hundreds of freelance film reviews for the Daily News and Courier-Post, done radio reviews for WPEN, and taught a variety of classes about film and writing for a decade at La Salle. So, despite no previous TV experience, he was hired at Channel 29 over 60 other film critic applicants.

    KYW cuts ties with Emmy-winning film critic Bill Wine after 17 years

    “I had never been on TV, but I wasn’t nervous,” he told the Daily News in 2001, “because I had been standing in front of 100 students for 10 years.”

    Mr. Wine worked at at WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years.Courtesy of the family

    He started at KYW radio in 2001 and usually aired reviews and reports on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sometimes, he watched three movies in one day. He left Channel 29 in 2002 and KYW in 2018 only after both companies eliminated their local film critic position.

    “When I started [writing film reviews], it was before the internet,” he told The Inquirer in 2018. “A lot of people [now] feel like, ‘Who the heck is a movie critic to come on in a minute and to dismiss something that took hundreds of people and millions of dollars to create?’”

    In the 1970s and ‘80s, he wrote articles and reviewed films, TV shows, books, and plays for WPEN, The Inquirer, Courier-Post, Philadelphia Magazine, and other outlets. In 1975, he wrote dozens of freelance TV columns called “On the Air” for the Daily News.

    Mr. Wine wrote dozens of columns as a freelance TV critic for the Daily News in 1975.Newspapers.com

    He spent three years in California in the 1970s working on plays and film and TV scripts. He hobnobbed with famous writers, producers, and actors in Los Angeles, staged one of his own plays, and was a winning contestant on a new TV game show.

    He wrote 11 plays over the years, and several made it to the stage. “Now the people who disagree with my reviews can come and find out if I’m as dumb as they think I am,” he told The Inquirer in 2002.

    He aired reviews on WIP radio and lectured often at libraries, schools, community centers, theaters, and other venues about his favorite films, adapting books to film, and other topics. “He could be wickedly funny, especially when delivering a pan of a movie,” his family said in a tribute. “One of his favorite quotes was: ‘I had a bad seat. It was facing the screen.’”

    Mr. Wine was a prolific playwright who enjoyed table readings with family and friends. La Shina Clark / Staff Photographer

    Mr. Wine earned a bachelor’s degree in math at Drexel University and a master’s degree in communications at Temple University. He helped design La Salle’s nascent Communication Department in the 1980s, and school officials called him one of their “Founding Fathers.” He also taught briefly at Drexel, and came close to earning a doctorate at Temple.

    In 2001, he was featured in a Daily News story about “celebrity professors” and said: “You have to remind yourself that this is television, not the classroom. You mention, say, ‘film noir’ on TV, and you get a memo.”

    William David Wine was born June 21, 1944, in Germantown. He grew up in West Oak Lane and Cherry Hill, attended Central High School, and graduated from the old Cherry Hill High School.

    A story and this photo of Mr. Wine about his time as a professor at La Salle appeared in the Daily News in 2001.Newspapers.com

    As a boy, he devoured newspaper movie reviews and fell in love with film after seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 thriller Rear Window. He got positive reviews of his own freelance movie review when he was at Temple, and he knew then, he said later, that writing about movies was his creative niche.

    “The first time I saw my byline, I was hooked,” he told Drexel Magazine in 2016.

    He married Dina Lichtman, and they divorced later. He married Suzanne Monsalud in 1981, and they had daughters Simone and Paulina, and lived in Germantown, Wyncote, and Chestnut Hill.

    Mr. Wine and his wife, Suzanne, married in 1981.Courtesy of the family

    Together, Mr. Wine and his family traveled to Paris and London, and he and his wife honeymooned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He doted on his daughters and sometimes took them to his La Salle classroom, the Channel 29 TV set, and movie screenings.

    Friends, former colleagues, and former students called him “a force of nature,” “smart and gifted,” and “a rare combination of kindness, professionalism, and humor.” His daughter Simone said: “His humor, warmth, and presence made life brighter.”

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    Mr. Wine played tennis, third base on adult softball teams, and pickup basketball into his 70s. He followed the Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles closely, and hit tennis balls with Hall of Famer Rod Laver at a publicity event in Los Angeles.

    Mr. Wine and his family made memorable trips to Paris, London, and elsewhere. Courtesy of the family

    “He was a wonderful father and a dedicated teacher,” his wife said. “He was a real Philadelphian, and we complemented each other.”

    His daughter Paulina said: “Dad, I think you cracked the code. We’ll see you at the movies.”

    Why did best-selling author Carol Saline email The Inquirer’s obit writer?

    In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Wine is survived by three grandchildren, a sister, Marcia, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

    A celebration of his life was held earlier.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Bill Wine Scriptwriting Award at La Salle University, 1900 W. Olney Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19141.

    Mr. Wine (second from left) enjoyed time with his family. Courtesy of the family
  • Rachel Maddow recalls her ‘formative’ time in Philly and the city’s most overlooked hero ahead of MS NOW event

    Rachel Maddow recalls her ‘formative’ time in Philly and the city’s most overlooked hero ahead of MS NOW event

    Rachel Maddow’s brief turn as a Philadelphian began with her bicycle being stolen on the first day of a new job.

    “I got to work at 9 a.m. and I got out for lunch before noon, because I didn’t have anything to do,” Maddow said. “My bike was already gone.”

    MS NOW’s top star was in Center City on Thursday night to interview constitutional legal expert Sherrilyn Ifill live in front of nearly 2,000 people at the Academy of Music.

    But prior to the event, she reminisced about her brief time in Philly in the early 1990s, shortly after she came out as gay during her freshman year of college at Stanford University.

    “It didn’t go well at home, so it was a bit of a scramble in terms of like paying for college, figuring out what I was going to do, where I was going to live,” Maddow said. “And I got an internship at a think tank at Penn.”

    Maddow lived in West Philadelphia and basically ate nothing but Ethiopian food for a few months, though she can’t remember the name of the street: “It was in the 40s and it was one of the tree-named streets.”

    In college she was an AIDS activist and focused on healthcare policy, so landing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics seemed liked an ideal fit.

    Maddow said her job was to answer the phone. But the internship didn’t last long.

    “I was not an additive,” Maddow said. “I don’t think I was an asset to the organization.”

    Kiyoshi Kuromiya seen here in 1992, was a gay civil rights activist who helped establish ACT UP Philly. GEORGE REYNOLDS / Staff Photographer, file

    Maddow’s activism began when she was still in high school, when she began working at a hospice for people who were dying during the AIDS epidemic.

    Still, those few months living in Philadelphia influenced Maddow’s developing political voice. She idolized ACT UP Philly, an activist organization fighting for people with HIV/AIDS, and thinks that gay civil rights activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya is the city’s most overlooked hero for the work he did helping connect people with hard-to-find information about the virus and treatment.

    “He saved millions of lives,” Maddow said. “The city needs to build a statue for Kiyoshi Kuromiya.”

    Maddow has returned to Philly a number of times over the years, and every time she does, it makes her feel like she’s 19 again. Things have changed — seeing Indego bicycles to rent on street corners after hers was stolen is pretty jarring — but though her time living here was brief, she didn’t hesitate saying, “Philly was really formative for me.”

    “The thing I loved about Philly at the time, and that I kind of fell in love with, even before I really knew what to do with it, was the really sparky, edgy, impolite activist spirit,” Maddow said. “I think I’m just a middle-class polite kid who doesn’t like to offend anybody, and Philly kind of shook me out of that a little bit, and made me aspire to edgier things.”

    More live events and a new app coming from MS NOW

    Nearly 2,000 people attended Thursday night’s event at the Academy of Music. MS NOW

    A strong Philly current ran through MS NOW’s event Thursday night, which highlighted the messy history of the American experiment leading up to the country’s 250th anniversary next week.

    MS NOW president Rebecca Kutler, who oversaw the event, is a Philly native who grew up in Center City and later Montgomery County. Host Ali Velshi lives in Bryn Mawr and commutes to New York every day to host The 11th Hour, which he recently took over as part of a lineup change.

    Former White House press secretary for then-President Joe Biden and current MS NOW host Jen Psaki was also part of Thursday event, where she interviewed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was raised in Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County. Psaki doesn’t have any connection to the area other than friends who live here — and

    “My mother’s best friend of 70 years lives here,” Psaki said.

    Thursday’s event was part of a larger strategy of engagement at the network after breaking away from NBC and becoming part of Versant, hence the name change from MSNBC to MS NOW. Ratings are up, but the cord-cutting trend is undeniable, so MS NOW is attempting to secure a digital future while it remains a popular TV destination.

    The network has now hosted three large fan events since 2024 and another is planned for Sept. 26 ahead of the midterm elections, though further details have not been announced. Attendees in Philly on Thursday night received a free, one-year subscription to MS NOW’s membership product that is set to launch soon. It will act as a streaming platform and online community for the network’s progressive fans and provide access to its biggest stars.

    “We’re always looking for ways to connect with our MS NOW community, to meet more viewers where they are, and to engage them in new ways,” said Lauren Peikoff, the network’s executive producer of live events.

    Cecil Parker, a Philadelphia musician, said the state of affairs in Washington compelled him to attend Thursday’s event.

    “Urgency. That’s the all-encompassing word,” Parker said, who often tunes into MS NOW to get their take on the news. “They have their opinions, but it’s based on the facts. So I dig that.”

    Some audience members traveled from as far as Arizona and California to have a chance to hear Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues in person.

    Tony Clyburn and his wife, Lisa, drove more than 10 hours from West Columbia, S.C., to take part. A radio host back home, Clyburn said it was inspiring being in a room with people from different walks of life who want what’s best for their neighbors and their country.

    “These gatherings are good because they’re as close to a town hall as we can get,” Clyburn said.

  • 6abc is warning viewers about the FCC taking away its TV license. Here’s what’s going on.

    6abc is warning viewers about the FCC taking away its TV license. Here’s what’s going on.

    On Monday, 6abc issued a warning for viewers to take action to prevent Action News from disappearing from TV screens across the Delaware Valley.

    “The FCC is questioning our commitment to viewers by threatening to take us off the air,” a message from the station read.

    A 6abc message warning viewers about the FCC reviewing its broadcast license.ABC

    So what’s going on?

    Most local news stations are owned by separate companies, but 6abc is one of eight owned and operated by ABC, whose parent company is Disney.

    In April, the Federal Communications Commission launched an early review of the broadcast licenses for those eight stations. The review came shortly after President Donald Trump called for ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over a joke he made involving first lady Melania Trump.

    FCC commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the only remaining Democrat on the three-member panel, wrote in a May letter to Disney that the company had “been made a target” by Trump’s FCC, and that targeting local stations “is an extraordinary and dangerous misapplication” of the agency’s authority.

    “What Disney and ABC are facing is not a series of coincidental regulatory actions but a sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control,” Gomez wrote, “carried out through the weaponization of the FCC’s authority as a federal regulator and aimed at pressuring a free and independent press and all media into submission.”

    Despite that, the FCC said the review stemmed from an earlier investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at Disney, citing “the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.” The agency is conducting a similar investigation of Comcast, which owns NBC.

    “If the evidence does in fact play out and shows that they were engaged in race- and gender-based discrimination, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC, that could fundamentally go to their character qualifications to even hold a license,” FCC chairman Brendan Carr said on Fox News in March.

    6abc viewers being asked to comment

    In an attempt to fight back, 6abc, which did not immediately respond to request for comment, is asking viewers to weigh in on the early review of its broadcast license and support the station.

    The FCC doesn’t make it easy. Viewers need to visit the agency’s website and submit a “express comment” using the FCC’s docket number: 26-131

    The public comment period is open until June 29.

    6abc renewed its broadcast license in 2023 for eight years, but the FCC could move to revoke it if it determines the station hasn’t “served the public interest” or has violated federal broadcast rules and regulations.

    A Disney spokesperson said in a statement the company has “a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules” and was “prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”

    It’s been more than 40 years since the FCC has revoked a broadcast license from a TV station. The last time it happened was 1987, when the FCC stripped RKO General Inc. of its licenses in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles because of business misconduct.

    Even if the FCC revokes ABC’s local broadcast licenses, the case would ultimately be decided by an administrative law judge, according to the FCC’s website.

    The process could take years, and no changes are expected for 6abc during that time.

    ‘The View’ is also fighting back

    It’s not just ABC’s local stations the Trump administration is targeting. The FCC is also targeting the daytime interview show The View and its ability to interview politicians.

    The investigation of The View stems from an February interview featuring U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, a Texas Democrat who at the time was facing off in a primary against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

    The FCC claimed the interview was a violation of the equal time rule, a federal requirement put into law in 1934 requiring broadcast stations to provide comparable airtime to political opponents during an election.

    Disney has asked the FCC to declare The View qualifies as a “bona fide news” interview program and is exempt from the federal rules, like news programs on broadcast TV like Meet the Press and Face the Nation.

    In a May filing, ABC said The View received a news exemption from the FCC in 2002, and in 24 years it hadn’t been challenged. It called the FCC’s move to go after The View “unprecedented” and an attempt to “chill critical protected speech.”

    It’s a blurry line for late-night shows, which feature politicians as guests. While not technically news programs, the FCC hasn’t enforced the equal time rule on late-night shows since 2006, when it ruled then-California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno qualified as a “bona fide news interview.”

    But that’s changing under the Trump administration. The FCC issued a notice to broadcasters in January stating late-night and daytime TV talk shows may no longer be exempt, claiming some were “motivated by partisan purposes.”

    Carr also pressured ABC affiliates to take Kimmel off the air in September. ABC ultimately suspended his show after two companies — Nexstar and Sinclair — said they would preempt it on their ABC-affiliated stations. Ultimately, ABC backed Kimmel and his show was back on TV a week later.

  • Devan Kaney is leaving Fox 29 and Philly for a new gig, won’t be back for Eagles games

    Devan Kaney is leaving Fox 29 and Philly for a new gig, won’t be back for Eagles games

    Devan Kaney is saying goodbye to Philadelphia, at least for now.

    Kaney anchored her final Fox 29 sportscast over the weekend and and is leaving town for a yet-to-be-announced job opportunity in a bigger market. Though she hinted she would still appear on Fox’s airwaves.

    “I’m so grateful for the support all of my colleagues at Fox 29 have given me during my time there, but especially in the last few months,” Kaney said.

    Kaney was laid off at 94.1 WIP in March as part of the latest round of national cutbacks by parent company, Audacy. In addition to being an on-air host, Kaney served as the station’s sideline reporter during the Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl run and all of last season, replacing the fired Howard Eskin.

    It’s a role she won’t be returning to.

    “As much as I would have loved to return as the sideline reporter, they never reached out,” Kaney said, “and I’ll be covering a different NFL franchise moving forward.”

    Kaney had been with Fox 29 since 2023, serving as a part-time sports anchor and reporter. She also appeared on Good Day Philadelphia and featured prominently on the station’s Eagles coverage.

    She’ll be replaced in part by former 6abc sportscaster Jamie Apody, who just landed an expanded role at Fox 29 and will anchor the station’s Saturday 10 p.m. newscast.

    While Kaney will no longer be covering the Eagles, she will be covering the Phillies as part of a recently launched PHLY podcast she’s co-hosting with former All-Star Jayson Werth called Werth Talking About.

    “I was absolutely not expecting Jayson Werth,” Kaney told The Inquirer earlier this month. “He’ll just drop the most insane stories, and it’s awesome to work with him.”

  • Mike Schmidt returns to NBC Sports Philadelphia, John Kruk jumping to NBC as Phillies go national

    Mike Schmidt returns to NBC Sports Philadelphia, John Kruk jumping to NBC as Phillies go national

    Mike Schmidt returned to the Phillies television booth Thursday night, but not to call the game.

    The Phillies legend walked away from NBC Sports Philadelphia this season after 12 years as a part-time announcer, but jumped back in the booth Thursday night to spend the fourth inning with Tom McCarthy, John Kruk, and fellow Hall of Famer George Brett.

    It was a fascinating way to spend 20 minutes, especially considering the many ways Schmidt and Brett are linked. Two of the best third baseman in the history of the game, taken one behind the other in the 1971 MLB draft. Brett had 1,596 career RBIs, while Schmidt had 1,595 (Brett “hired someone to go back through his career and find an RBI” Schmidt once jokingly claimed).

    And of course, there’s the 1980 World Series, where the Phillies defeated the Royals and Schmidt was named MVP, which Brett said was “hard to swallow.” They were both named the respective MVPs of their leagues that season, with Brett ending the season with a batting average of .390.

    George Brett and Mike Schmidt, seen here ahead of Game 1 of the 1980 World Series.

    “By the way, I had .260 in the bag,” Schmidt joked. “I went 0-10 in the last series and dropped down to .250.”

    “I feel so bad for you, Mike. You only had 50 home runs that season,” Brett shot back.

    For the record, Schmidt ended the 1980 season with 48 home runs and 121 RBIs.

    Schmidt and Brett compared stats, busted chops, and shared a life-long friendship borne through intense competition on the field.

    “I hated him. I didn’t like him at all,” Brett said, noting Schmidt beat him “every time I played against him.”

    At one point, Phillies announcer Ben Davis, positioned in the dugout during the game, chimed in to note that between Schmidt, Brett, Phillies manager Don Mattingly, and Mets announcer Keith Hernandez, there were 31 Gold Gloves and 9,723 hits in the building.

    “Who’s that talking?” Brett jokingly replied before taking a shot at himself.

    “They always say you got 3,000 hits. I say, ‘No, I made 7,000 outs,’” Brett said, turning to Schmidt. “How many outs do you think you made?”

    “Well, I know I made 7,000 strikeouts. I mean, I can count those,” Schmidt said.

    The two even joked about their current roles. Brett serves as the Royals’ vice president of baseball operations, while Schmidt complained he can’t get a title with the Phillies.

    “John Middletown, if you’re listening, give Mike a title,” Brett said. “I’m Mike Schmidt, and I own this stadium.”

    So why was Brett in town for a Phillies-Mets game? To help Schmidt promote his “Play Sun Safe” skin cancer awareness campaign, something he’s been passionate about since being diagnosed with melanoma in 2013. As part of his partnership with the Phillies, 12 sunscreen stations have been placed across Citizens Bank Park during games.

    As interesting as the pairing and the history was, the broadcast did lose focus of the game at times. Thankfully, McCarthy and company refocused after Derek Hill drove in Bryson Stott to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth.

    Unfortunately, the Mets jumped all over José Alvarado in the seventh inning and went on to win 6-4.

    Phillies head to national TV, but Kruk will still be around

    John Kruk will jump to NBC Sunday to call the Phillies on national TV. NBC Sports Philadelphia

    The Phillies have Friday night off, but NBC Sports Philadelphia won’t be broadcasting the team again until Monday.

    Saturday night’s game will air on Fox, with Joe Davis and John Smoltz calling the game and Ken Rosenthal reporting from Citizens Bank Park. Chris O’Connor, the brother of Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Timothy O’Connor, who was shot and killed during a Chester County traffic stop in March, will throw a ceremonial first pitch.

    NBC will take over for Sunday Night Baseball, with Kruk back on the network to broadcast the game alongside play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and former Mets pitcher John Franco.

    While Benetti is the voice of baseball on NBC, the network decided to turn to a rotating crew of analysts to call each game, one representing each team on the field. It’s largely a response to the biggest complaint networks hear when broadcasting baseball games — fans just want to hear their local announcers.

    It’s the second game Kruk has called for NBC this season, though the first — an April loss to the Atlanta Braves — only streamed on Peacock. Hopefully this time Kruk will be a bit luckier for the Phillies. Having Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.01 ERA) on the mound should help.

    The Phillies will be back on Peacock July 5 when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they won’t be alone. Peacock will exclusively stream 13 baseball games that day as part of an event NBC is calling “Star-Spangled Sunday.”

    John Kruk’s perfect response when the new Sixers GM jinxed the Phillies

    Phillies standings

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    Phillies news

    Andrew Painter has a 1-8 record and 7.06 ERA, and opponents are batting .404. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Upcoming Phillies TV schedule

    • Mets at Phillies
    • Phillies at Nationals
    • Phillies at Mets
    • Pirates at Phillies
    • Phillies at Royals