Radio & Television Business Report

A Consent Decree with the Acting Chief of the FCC's Media Bureau clears the way for the license renewal of certain Nexstar Media Group properties under a Commission microscope for the amount of commercials airing during children's programming. An online public inspection file flaw was also under review.

With the opening of U.S. financial markets on Wednesday, investors and impacted Scripps staffers are digesting the news that some 400 employees were let go on October 27. Scripps acknowledged the layoffs early Wednesday, and also shared a positive update on political advertising guidance.

A big reduction-in-force, another in a series of transformative moves by The E.W. Scripps Co.. has taken place at the publicly traded company. The latest effort under the direction of CEO Adam Symson was shared in an internal memo sent to employees on Tuesday. Hundreds of positions have been eliminated.

Spanish Broadcasting System will come under majority control of non-U.S. based financial investors once it emerges from bankruptcy. That's at least what SBS is requesting from the FCC, and this has generated opposition from a party who also wants the Commission to retain the current formats at all SBS stations post-bankruptcy.

An industry being reshaped by AI, streaming, and shifting consumer attention gets to listen to a voice who has spent three decades inside that disruption. That's why the Radio + Television Business Report is proud to be welcoming best-selling author Larry Bailin to Forecast 2027 on November 12 in New York.

Audacy’s local sports stations have been on SiriusXM for less than two months, and the satellite company is already pointing to the results. That comes as profit, cash flow, and the full-year forecast all moved up in Q3, while some other areas of the company slipped, causing some new concerns for the remaining two months of 2026.

Is an AI-generated voice that sounds like a radio host a use of that host’s identity? A California court isn’t saying yes, but it isn’t saying no either. Former NPR host David Greene’s suit against Google over NotebookLM now moves ahead, with the facts still to be fought out.

In broadcasting, term sheets are a key scoreboard, and private equity, strategic buyers, and lenders are all keeping a watchful eye on which companies have the scale, discipline, and positioning to win the next cycle and which will become someone else’s asset. By this time next year, many questions will have answers. At Forecast 2027, you'll be one step ahead.

Pete Schartel in the early part of this decade gained national attention for his decision to air a few hours of programming from Sputnik on a Kansas City AM and its accompanying FM translator. Now, he has reached a deal to sell that MHz-band facility. The buyer will be using it to spread the word of Jesus Christ. 

Canada’s national broadcast association is the latest to join a global coalition that now counts more than 40 members representing over 10,000 stations, fighting for radio’s place in the dashboard as car screens grow more digital and turn toward subscription media.

It's an innovative take on Hispanic radio and is very much a work in progress, as it earned just a 0.2 rating in September according to Nielsen Audio. Now, Entravision is continuing its heavy promoted launch of "Reyna 103.1" in the Los Angeles market by rolling out what it calls the "first-ever live mobile morning broadcast."

Stating that defendants “likely used public dollars to unlawfully finance a national media campaign in the final weeks before the November 2026 elections,” US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan has frozen a $20 million government ad campaign that put campaign-style spots on national TV, but her decision is raising questions for those that carried the spots.

TelevisaUnivision’s third quarter ran on two tracks: a World Cup-fueled 51% revenue jump in Mexico, and a 24% drop in US advertising, with a $372 million write-down on broadcast licenses tipping the company into an operating loss despite a 9% gain in total revenue.

She's a familiar figure to Hispanic Radio Conference attendees who appeared on the cover of Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink in June 2023, in recognition of her experience as a “agency fortuneteller.” Come January 1, 2027, the longtime VP of Media Integration at Zubi Advertising Services will be elevated to the role of Executive Director and Head.

Smart speakers gave radio a foothold in the home, and a new forecast says that foothold is holding steady rather than expanding. Apple and more capable AI could shift where listeners tune in next, with connected TVs already gaining ground for AM/FM streaming.

Some 73% of respondents in a newly released Pew-Knight Initiative study said press freedom is extremely or very important to the well-being of society. However, when asked to prioritize press freedom or accuracy, 53% said preventing inaccurate reporting is more important — even if it limits press freedom.