Radio & Television Business Report

It's a topic that's been talked about amongst media observers, brokers, D.C.-focused attorneys and NAB Show conference attendees for months — will pending FCC deregulation lead to a flood of transactions? And, will some of them be asset swaps, rather than cash-generating sales? We now know the answer.

The broadcast television ownership group that's also the parent of Dielectric and is shepherding the transaction of digital over-the-air signals to ATSC 3.0 has selected a new EVP/Chief Financial Officer. He's already in the role at the Baltimore-headquartered company, as Lucy Rutishauser takes an important step toward retirement.

Why did Otto Padrón, a Hispanic media veteran most recently overseeing the Meruelo Media properties in Los Angeles, take a job at a company known for digital multicast TV networks? Adam R Jacobson gets the answers in this freshly produced 30-minute InFOCUS Video Podcast, presented by dot.FM!

Some have labeled it a "shell company." Others simply believe it is an independently owned broadcast licensee who has decided to enter into shared services agreements with larger, more established players. However you label it, Deerfield Media and its owner, Stephen P. Mumblow, are about to shrink the asset stable.

The legal representatives of the President of the United States, as a private citizen, and the owner of CBS News & Stations have come to an agreement that ends a legal tussle between the company seeking to complete its merger with Skydance Media and the person who is again Commander-in-Chief.

The flagship home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals will remain one of North America's most powerful AM radio stations ... and its 50kw FM sibling licensed to Hazelwood, Mo.

He's a longtime owner of broadcast media properties and also served as the head of media brokerage and consultancy Rockwell Media Services. On June 15, this individual — as stated in his obituary — "made a transfer from this sphere of existence to the next sphere of existence."

As RBR+TVBR first reported on July 1, Jim Loftus has retired as Chief Executive Officer of Times-Shamrock Communications, the radio station owner. Late Thursday, it was revealed who will lead the company. There's also a new Chief Operations Officer in place.

Attracting and retaining top talent remains a pressing challenge - and opportunity - for radio. As the industry adapts to changing tech, audience behaviors, and revenue models, its future hinges on how broadcasters identify, mentor, and empower tomorrow’s leaders.

At the start of 2024, he became Times-Shamrock Communications CEO. Before that, he served as COO of 7 Mountains Media; as President/CEO of WBEB-FM in Philadelphia under the ownership of Jerry Lee; and in a previous tenure spent nine years as Times-Shamrock's COO. As of today, he is now retired.

More than four years after a big rebrand and substantial effort to draw audience and advertisers to its exclusive podcasts and streaming audio, Audacy Inc. is breaking the silo and has agreed to place its content on an app other than its own.

Free TV Networks serves consumers with over-the-air digital broadcast networks and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. Now, two of those "diginets" have widened their respective distribution thanks to a pair of agreements with two of the biggest broadcast TV ownership groups in the U.S.

Summer months typically mean an uptick in ad spend for quick-service restaurants eager to attract younger consumers and those on the road for an enticing bite. For the Independence Day holiday weekend, one QSR stood out from the pack in a significant away as two category peers saw a dip in their Spot Ten Cable ratings.

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.

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.

Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink Magazine is joining forces with the NAB to present the 2025 Radio Wayne Awards at NAB Show New York in October. Now in its 33rd year, the Radio Wayne Awards are the industry’s longest-running and most prestigious honor for those in radio sales.