Radio & Television Business Report

Acrimony was met with cordiality as the House Energy & Commerce Committee conducted a lengthy oversight hearing of the FCC. It was expected, with friendly GOP leaders effusive as Democrats largely blasted the Trump Administration for what it views as meritless meddling. 

The FCC adopted and released a Protective Order that codifies procedures that limits access to proprietary or confidential information in its consideration of Nexstar Media Group's proposed acquisition of TEGNA — a deal that cannot be done without Commission rule "modernization" or waivers.

Thanks to a bipartisan appropriations bill, Congress has approved the dollars the FCC has asked for in its FY 2026 budget request — locking in a move under Chairman Brendan Carr to make the Commission a leaner, technology-driven compliance model.

A strong fiscal Q1 2026 for Radio and another troubling quarter for TV were expected by Corus Entertainment executives. For CEO John Gossling, his focus is on the company's "significant progress" in closing Corus' proposed recapitalization plan reducing its $500 million CDN-plus in debt and liabilities.

It is an Audacy-owned FM serving the Bay Area for nearly 15 years with sports-focused programming. To help boost its audience and signal penetration to the south, this Class B facility licensed to San Francisco and using a San Bruno tower has signed a deal with GeoBroadcast Solutions.

Today, Entercom is known as Audacy Inc. The Field family is no longer in control, with Soros Fund Management holding the controlling interest in the audio content creation and distribution company. And as of February 2, "104.3 Jams" no longer exists in Chicago. In its place is an FM simulcast of an AM Sports Talk sibling. 

The VP/Market Manager for Beasley Media Group's Detroit radio brands is shifting to the role of VP of Sales, effective today. That means a new leader for such brands as WRIF, WCSX, "105.1 The Bounce" and "105.9 KISS FM" is in place.

A trio of FM translator stations that presently bring the syndicated True Oldies Channel, along with brokered programming in key dayparts and a locally host Oldies shift, will soon find themselves in the hands of a Little Dog. That would be the new owner, pending regulatory approval.

Triton Digital, acquired nearly five years ago by iHeartMedia from The E.W. Scripps Co., has signed a partnership extension with conservative Talk and Christian spoken word specialist Salem Media, extending a relationship that began over a decade ago.

How serious is the threat to Nielsen Audio's "Nationwide" ratings services from Cumulus Media's lawsuit against the nation's dominant audience measurement source? Nielsen Audio Managing Director Rich Tunkel told the U.S. District Court considering the case in a supporting declaration that a Cumulus win would end that service.

Conservative politically focused spoken word star and radio personality Dan Bongino has made it official: he will return to a daily program in early February with Cumulus Media’s Westwood One. While that was known as of Friday morning, it is now clear that it does not involve a syndicated radio offering.

Versant, the entity spun off from NBCUniversal that includes MVPD-distributed channels such as USA Network, CNBC, and MS NOW, now officially has a stable of digital multicast broadcast networks. As part of the deal, that entity's founder is joining Versant, reporting to its Chief Revenue and Business Officer.

We now know when The E.W. Scripps Co. plans to release its fourth quarter 2025 earnings report. And, it is confirmed that the company's executive leader will sleep on the fiscal health review before it hosts a conference call for analysts, investors and debtholders.

Rising Above, an annual virtual summit focused on leadership, sales, and growth in the broadcast industry, will be held from January 28–29, 2026, marking its seventh year.

According to new data from The Media Audit, 66% of "financially optimistic" consumers spend 2 hours and 23 minutes listening—seven minutes more than the general adult population. That excites company VP Nick Miller, as it opens up advertising opportunities for broadcasters.

Radio continues to serve as the most consistent and widely used medium for Hispanic audiences in the U.S. There are many reasons for this, all of which gives broadcast radio further ammunition when seeking advertisers still searching for ROI, brand growth and future affinity among a robust group of consumers.