Raul Alarcon

SBS Settles With VOZ Media Over Failed Mega TV Deal

On October 10, the Raúl Alarcón Jr.-led Spanish Broadcasting System filed a lawsuit against a Texas entrepreneur who agreed to expand his website to broadcast television through the acquisition of Mega TV, only to fail to meet its payment obligations. A settlement has now been reached.

DirecTV Consumers Get A Fast Break From Local TV

In a move that some may perceive as an anti-retransmission consent decision, DirecTV on Sunday officially went live with a consumer option that effectively eliminates all over-the-air broadcast stations — creating a cable-only lineup.
Audacy Logo

With Chapter 11 In the Past, Audacy Ready For ‘Magic’ Move

Audacy has filed paperwork with the FCC signaling its need to gain approval of its emergence from debtor-in-possession status.  Along with that filing came a second one — and it signals Audacy's desire to sell a Class A "Magic"-filled FM through brokerage Kalil & Co.
Bill Wilson

Townsquare Puts ‘Reset Year’ In Rearview As Digital Leads 51%

"Townsquare is no longer the radio broadcast company it was when it was founded in 2010." That reminder from Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson was brought even closer to home by the Purchase, NY-based company's revelation that for the second year in a row, more than half of its revenue came from digital sources.

Court Converts Stolz Bankruptcy To Chapter 7 After ‘Egregious Conduct’

As previously reported by RBR+TVBR, Larry Patrick, the pre-petition receiver for the radio stations once licensed to Ed Stolz's Royce International Broadcasting, had urged the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Nevada to convert Stolz's bankruptcy from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7. The Court granted that motion today.
musicfirst

musicFIRST: No Evidence ‘Main Studio’ Savings Increased Localism

It caused a stir when FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel used a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to publicly question the efficacy of the FCC's 2017 Main Studio Elimination Order. Now musicFIRST Coalition and Future of Music Coalition have submitted comments on that NPRM, leaning toward the Main Studio Rule's hopeful reinstatement.
BIA Advisory Services

BIA 2024 Ad Forecast Cools, But TV Has Less Reason To Worry

In October of last year, BIA Advisory Services predicted a tidal wave of local ad spending fueled by political revenue. Now, two months into 2024, BIA has tempered its US Local Advertising Forecast for the year, and while it's not necessarily good news overall, it does bode best for television in terms of most impressive growth.
U.S. Congress

Local Radio Freedom Act Gains Majority Support In US House

As Congress pushes toward the finish line on the AM For Every Vehicle Act, legislators are showing increased support for radio's financial protection as well. The Local Radio Freedom Act has seen a boost in significant bipartisan support within the US House of Representatives, growing to 225 cosponsors.

U.S. Media Facing A ‘Content Spend Slowdown’

According to MoffettNathanson analyst Rob Fishman, 2022 marked a high for content spend for the biggest OTT players. For 2024, far less spending is expected. In fact, ABC Owned Stations parent The Walt Disney Co. is expected to spend 30% less this year than it did two years ago.
Chris Forgy

A ‘Variable Dividend’ For Saga As Q4 Earnings Arrive

In the energy sector, companies such as Devon have turned to variable dividend payments in response to quarterly cash-generation fluctuations. Now, radio industry pure-play operator Saga Communications has followed a similar path, as its Board of Directors OK'd a healthy shareholder bonus.

Comscore Shares Dip After Shaky Q4 Report

As Comscore CEO Jon Carpenter sees it, 2023 had both highs and lows for the business. Unfortunately, the audience measurement company's fourth quarter brought a big earnings surprise that led shareholders to sell their stock on Thursday. Revenue missed the Zacks estimate by 2.46%.

Xperi Corp. Shares Get A Big Confidence Boost

Xperi Corp. lowered its Q4 net loss significantly, with revenue up. With three new DTS AutoStage contracts on the way and a goal to deliver more than 10 additional TiVo broadband wins, one influential Wall Street investment influencer took notice. As such, it boosted its rating on XPER.

Broadcasters Gather In D.C. For Advocacy Opportunities

The NAB's annual State Leadership Conference (SLC) saw WJLA-7 in Washington, D.C. reporter and journalist Michelle Marsh emcee the event, which featured remarks from policymakers, panel discussions and briefings ahead of meetings with legislators on Wednesday.

Political, Olympics Cash To Fuel 2024 Media Spend Rise

Global advertising and marketing growth slowed to 4% in 2023, as brands trimmed their budgets on both inflation and recession fears. Now, media spend is forecast to rise at double that pace, thanks to record political and Olympics dollars, new data from PQ Media show.

Pro-vMVPD Group Calls Out NAB For Pushing Expanded Retrans

The Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition, which counts among its members vMVPDs Hulu and YouTubeTV, is calling out the voice of broadcast media in Washington — the NAB — for its efforts to help get carriage fees from these digitally distributed platforms.