Radio & Television Business Report

A three-judge federal appeals court panel on Friday expressed doubts that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia erred in its August 2025 decision that a racial discrimination claim lobbed by Standard General head Soohyung Kim against the FCC has no merit.

With the May 7 release of its first quarter earnings results, Gray Media indicated that it is seeing some "softness" in core advertising in Q2. Now, one prominent Wall Street financial analyst has responded by slicing his 1-year target price for "GTN."

It's a unit of a publicly traded diversified holding company known as Innovate Inc., and with Thursday's release of that entity's first quarter earnings came an up-close look at the financial health of low-power TV-focused licensee HC2 Broadcasting. Just how is HC2, a "Spectrum" segment, performing for Innovate's investors?

Declines in the traditional ad marketplace fueled dollar dips in the first quarter of 2026 that went beyond Urban One's own forecasts, with Digital revenue sliding by 33.6% due to a variety of factors — including marketer "DEI"-influenced pullbacks.

Adjusted EBITDA was negative. Yet, a swing from a Q1 2025 net loss to net income in the first three months of 2026 was seen from Beasley Media Group.  What's the key message for shareholders including Mario Gabelli and his GAMCO Investors? 

Political advertisers heading into the 2026 election cycle have a new avenue into premium audio inventory, as Global Media's DAX US has struck an exclusive integration with Basis, the cross-channel media orchestration platform.

For the second time in three years, NPR is going back to the well — this time offering voluntary buyouts, with the prospect of layoffs to follow, as President and CEO Katherine Maher works to close an $8 million budget gap created by the loss of federal public media subsidies.

The domestic launch of a 24/7 news-focused audio service — in 2026 — is newsworthy for the action alone. Given the people involved, brought on by supermarket magnate turned AM radio licensee John Catsimatidis, what's to come at week's end marks another exciting chapter for the man who resuscitated one of the world's most recognizable radio stations.

The key finding in Sound Check Europe 2026, a recently released report conducted by Bauer Media Audio and partner Elevate Consultancy? Audio is a core part of their media strategy, and it has largely to do with consumer trust. That said, programming is also key — at least for the company behind Radio Frankfurt.

As 2026 began, word surfaced that the station, WGR, would no longer serve as the team's radio flagship. As Audacy planned for the future minus the Buffalo Bills, a new audio broadcast home was sought. Now, a deal is in place. 

It had been the home of “The Fanatic,” offering a Sports Talk format under owner CRC Broadcasting. Today, the facility is silent and now en route to a new owner: Ken Brentlinger. It's a deal that involves the seller's bankruptcy, and a buyer whose LPFM Broadcasting acquired a trio of Arizona FM translators in 2019.

Nielsen's March 2026 installment of The Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge tells a familiar story with a few notable wrinkles: streaming's dominance remains largely intact, cable got a welcome shot in the arm from the NCAA basketball tournaments, and Disney had a month worth talking about.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr again pushed back over whether the agency's escalating investigation into Disney-owned ABC stations is politically motivated, insisting the early license renewal order that has rattled the broadcast industry is tied to "invidious forms of DEI discrimination" — but his remarks carry a warning that extends well beyond Burbank.

New data from Cumulus Media's Audio Active Group and Westwood One finds that marketers and agency personnel are commuting to the office at the highest rate recorded since tracking began in April 2022. An Advertiser Perceptions survey of 301 marketers and agencies conducted April 1-13 finds 92% commuting to an office in some fashion.

The Medallas de Cortez awards recognize excellence in Hispanic radio programming, sales, and management and are named in honor of Raoul Cortez, who founded the first Spanish-language radio station in the nation. This year’s awards will be presented at the 17th Hispanic Radio Conference, next week in Phoenix.

New York-based Brand Keys’ 25th annual Most Patriotic Brands survey has arrived just in time for the Memorial Day holiday, and identifies the top 100 brands Americans feel best embody the value of “patriotism.”  At No. 1 is an automotive brand that's neither Ford, which is on the Top 10 list, nor Chevrolet, which is absent.