Saturday, July 12, 2025

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N. Mex.)

Key D.C. Dems Tell FCC To Vote On Paramount-Skydance Deal

Senators Ben Ray Lújan and Ed Markey have written to the newest FCC Commissioner to not only congratulate her on being seated, but more importantly to convince her colleagues to move ahead with a full Commission vote on the proposed merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.
Carl Parmer, Summitmedia

‘Today’s Hits’ To End With Summitmedia FM Sale

It is a Class C2 FM serving Alabama's biggest market from Gardendale offering a blend of Top 40 music anchored by the syndicated Tino Cochino Radio in morning drive. Soon, that will all end, as Summitmedia has agreed to sell the facility.

Consent Decree Resolves TEGNA Obscenity Complaint, At A Price

The Acting Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has OK'd a Consent Decree resolving an obscenity and indecency investigation involving a TEGNA station. While there is no longer an investigation against the station, the parent of KREM-2 will be making a hefty "voluntary contribution" to the U.S. Treasury.
Former FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly

Former FCC Commissioner Says No To NEXTGEN TV ‘Mandates’

A former FCC Commissioner has urged the agency to "strongly reject" any government regulatory policy that requires the abandonment of ATSC 1.0 broadcast signals in order to bring ATSC 3.0 opportunities to their fullest potential.

‘Broadcast TV Is Innovating While Cable Is Panicking’

"Another day, another reflexive, innovation-blocking FCC filing from the usual suspects – cable lobbyists, legacy advocacy groups and industry players who oppose anything that might strengthen free, over-the-air broadcasting." Those fierce words open a thought piece distributed Wednesday by the NAB's legal head.

Gray Reveals Upsizing and Pricing of Second Lien Notes

On Tuesday, broadcast TV company Gray Media announced a private offering of $900 million aggregate principal amount of 9.625% senior secured second lien notes due 2032. One day later, the NYSE-traded company unveiled the pricing of the offering, and it is an upsizing — a mark of success for Gray.

Audacy Logo

Soros Fund, Del Nin Seek To Squash Warshaw’s Audacy Fight

A legal battle between Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw and Audacy's lead equity interest holder escalated on Thursday as Soros Fund Management and its Head of Media Investments, Michael Del Nin, filed aggressive responses to a lawsuit filed by Warshaw in which he claims he should have Kelli Turner's job.

WLRN Expansion Challenged By The Station’s Licensee

In an unusual twist, the license holder of Miami's NPR Member station has filed a Petition to Deny the transfer of control of a West Palm Beach move-in to the South Florida Public Media Group. The entity has been operating the station on behalf of the Miami-Dade County School Board, which is protesting the purchase.

Hall Says Farewell To ‘MAX’ With Joyful Transaction

As 2025 began, a Lakeland, Fla.-based radio broadcasting company attracted attention for saying goodbye to the Program Director and morning co-host of its Adult Hits FM in its home market, with his on-air companion also relieved of his duties. Now, Hall Communications is parting ways with "MAX 98.3."

Notorious SoFla Radio Pirate Challenges FCC Fine

"Radio Touche Douce" operator Fabrice Polynice has taken a cue from former FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington in presenting a landmark challenge to the agency's ability to levy a financial penalty to an individual or licensee that has violated its rules. For Polynice, a $2.39 million fine handed to him is "unconstitutional."

Dollar Details Arrive As Worship 24/7 Merges With Hope

It was a partnership that started in 2023. Today, Hope Media Group and Worship 24/7 are set to formally unite in a merger of the two Christian radio networks. It is now known how much HMG will be paying to obtain Worship 24/7's assets, based on a series of filings posted to the FCC's LMS on Wednesday.
Auddia

A New CEO Comes To Auddia

Nasdaq-traded Auddia Inc. has named the successor to Michael Lawless as Chief Executive Officer. The change comes as Lawless is retiring after 13 years of leading the company and its predecessor, Clip Interactive.
Broadcasting Pirate

Boston-Area Pirate Signs Consent Decree To End FCC Probe

The FCC's Enforcement Bureau is terminating its investigation and resolving a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture handed to a Randolph, Mass., individual for unlicensed FM radio broadcasts on two different frequencies. It is doing so by entering into a Consent Decree that involves a small civil penalty and a much bigger default fine.

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Marker Puts In Ink A Palm Springs FM Translator Deal

A partnership between Todd and Margaret Marker has emerged as the pending new owner of a pair of FM translators serving a pair of cities in the Coachella Valley of California. The seller is an entity led by Ronald Cohen.

Panteras en Pre-Season: NFL Team Gets Spanish-Language TV Deal

Gray Media and the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers have reached an agreement that will bring the team's three pre-season games to viewers across the publicly traded company's Telemundo stations in both North Carolina and South Carolina.

MiEspañol Genre Pack Adds VIX’s ‘Premium with Ads’

"This strategic collaboration delivers a powerful blend of live TV and exclusive on-demand content, reinforcing both companies' commitment to serving U.S. Spanish-speaking audiences with culturally relevant programming," DirecTV and TelevisaUnivision said in a joint statement distributed Thursday.

‘Iowa’s News Leader’ and Hearst Celebrate 70 Years For KCCI

It signed on the air on July 31, 1955 as KRNT-TV, and was owned by the Cowles family until 1983. Today, the station is CBS affiliate KCCI-8 in Des Moines, and the Hearst Television property is gearing up to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

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gen AI

Examing Radio’s Role in AI-Driven Consumer Trust and Buying Decisions

While AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of consumer decision-making, it often falls short on one crucial element – trust. And that's where traditional media, particularly radio, plays a surprisingly vital and unique role, new data from Audacy show.
Samantha Humphrys

The Growing Hispanic Market: From Workers to Consumers

The workforce of the U.S. is comprised of more and more minorities, such as Hispanics. Furthermore, there is a positive association between the rise in Hispanic workers and Hispanic buying power, a FSU Master's student writes in a column worthy of a close read. "This implication is one that marketers must be proactive in responding to," the report concludes.

June Layoffs Steady, But 2025 Cuts Hit Five-Year High

U.S.-based employers announced 47,999 job cuts in June, down 49% from May’s 93,816. It is down 2% from 48,786 announced in the same month last year, according to a report released this week from global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Expanded-Band AM Licensees Want Rule Modernization On ‘Dual’ Ops

With longtime D.C. attorneys David Oxenford and Mark Lipp handling the submission to the FCC, three radio broadcasting companies have offered comments to the Commission asking that its "dual band" regulatory policy for expanded band AM radio stations get a fresh look and slight modernization.

OMG! TNDV Gets Noticed For Exclamation Truck Redesign

Precisely nine years to the date that TNDV’s first 4K-capable truck rolled into service, the entertainment-based mobile and REMI production company has prepared its flagship Exclamation truck for the next phase of its journey.

Colorado Media Center Launches to Foster Broadcast Innovation

The Mountain Media Center seeks to gain a reputation as "the most progressive live production media center in the U.S." How is it readying itself to meet that goal? It is providing customers a complete live production ecosystem in the former Starz Encore building in Centennial, Colo.

A New Integration Comes For Marketron and vCreative

Marketron, a broadcast industry revenue operations and digital advertising technology firm, has reached a product integration agreement with media workflow software firm vCreative. This intertwines the Marketron Traffic product and vCreative’s vPPO platform in new ways.