Radio & Television Business Report

NBC O&O WMAQ-5 in Chicago and its Telemundo sibling, WSNS-44, earlier this week christened a new state-of-the-art newsroom that NBCUniversal says is "designed to power the next generation of storytelling."

Across the last week, no less than six ECFS submissions have been presented to the FCC on behalf of NCTA-The Internet & Television Association.  One filing begs attention: As the association sees it, extending mandatory carriage rights to ATSC 3.0 TV stations "would violate the Constitution."

The FCC's lone Democratic Commissioner derided the "misleading announcement" distributed by the Media Bureau of guidance "on the application of the statutory equal opportunities requirement and the bona fide news exemptions to broadcast television stations, including their airing of late-night and daytime talk shows."

In April 2023, Audacy Inc. announced that would be closing its Warwick, R.I., office and consolidating its operations with its larger Boston hub, ceasing a 19-year term of sales and marketing independence for a simulcast partner of WEEI-FM. Audacy is now moving forward with the sale of that Rhode Island FM.

It's a Class A digital over-the-air television station serving a portion of the Orlando DMA. And, in just a few weeks, it will become a MediaCo-operated home to its Estrella TV network, shifting from a digital multicast signal tied to a Hearst Television station serving Central Florida.

The rapid pace that defined Cumulus Media’s antitrust fight against Nielsen throughout the fourth quarter of 2025 is giving way to something far less dramatic, but far more consequential: a litigation calendar that will now be defined in months, if not years.

Operations of Cumulus Media's radio stations serving Kansas' state capital are being consolidated with the publicly traded company's Kansas City properties, located in a corporate office building in the suburb of Mission, Ks.

New Hampshire's state House of Representatives on Wednesday conducted a public hearing designed to gather input on a bill introduced in December that would create a temporary local tax credit for newspapers, radio stations and Hearst Television's ABC affiliate serving the Granite State.

Skyview Networks widens its existing partnership with FanServ by offering additional opportunities for streamlined management of digital audio advertising. To support Skyview Networks in this initiative, FanServ has hired Paul Lajoie, a "proven leader" in programmatic advertising and digital media sales.

One of the nation's largest audio content creators and distributors has signed a joint partnership with a Toronto-based media technology company that will lead to the development and anticipated monetization of projects for audio enabled by artificial intelligence.

It's the home of "Uplifting and Encouraging" Christian-themed programming and can be heard on stations across Ohio including WCVO-FM in the Columbus market. Now, one year after merging operations with "Rise FM," it is formally purchasing that entity's five FMs and three FM translators in the Buckeye State.

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is putting the finishing touches on its unique and free-to-air Spanish-language coverage of the National Basketball Association for the 2025-2026. It's possible thanks to the return of NBA telecasts to sibling network NBC.

A Fresno-based owner of low-power television stations who has emerged as a pioneer in the use of multiple digital multicast signals has agreed to sell a digital Class A facility serving a portion of California's Central Valley. The buyer is another individual well-known for his LPTV station ownership.

For the third consecutive period, Gen AI ranks as the most important consumer trend, underscoring its growing influence on how people discover content, engage with brands, and make decisions. The bigger takeaway? "Media investment is rebounding selectively," as linear TV continues to face pressure.

This episode features a lively 30-minute conversation between RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson and Cameron Coats, Editor-in-Chief of Radio Ink.  To get a better idea of what radio industry leaders across the sales and management arena are talking about, we welcome Cameron to the InFOCUS Podcast.

For the second consecutive year, the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) will serve as the official presenting sponsor of the 2026 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Career Fair and Graduate Student Showcase, held in conjunction with the NAB Show in Las Vegas.