WASHINGTON, DC --Over one million more residents in the Los Angeles area tuned into local newscasts on broadcast TV stations last week than the previous week as wildfires raged across Southern California, according to data from ratings measurement service Nielsen. Viewership of local evening newscasts soared across all seven news-producing broadcast television stations in Los Angeles compared to last month’s rating sweeps period.

WASHINGTON, DC -- A majority of the House of Representatives now supports the Local Radio Freedom Act after a bipartisan group of five House members signed a resolution opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local broadcast radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) now has 220 cosponsors in the House, two more than is needed to constitute a majority in the 438-member body. There are 25 LRFA co-sponsors in the Senate.