Broadcast News

Some media companies say they are all about serving the communities in which their stations are located. One company, with stations in small cities located across New York State, South Carolina, and Florida's Panhandle, is all about community. If not, this operator's very name would be a misnomer. In this exclusive RBR+TVBR INFOCUS report, we peek inside the studios and offices of a cluster of stations owned by a company that's all about being loyally local.

By all accounts, Cumulus Media — the nation's No. 2 radio broadcasting company by number of stations — enjoyed a strong Q2. But, how does Cumulus match up against the industry's biggest players? Capital Cube asks this very question, and on Wednesday conducted an analysis by pitting Cumulus against seven publicly traded radio competitors.

It was a mixed three-month period for the company with the highest count of AM and FM properties across the U.S., as consolidated revenue declined. That's primarily due to a $36.1 million impact tied to the sale of outdoor businesses. Minus that, revenue was up. Meanwhile, operating income soared—helping iHeart narrow its massive net loss.

It was a solid second quarter for Beasley Broadcast Group, with net income and net earnings surging. However, on a pro-forma basis, net revenue slipped despite a gain in Station Operating Income. Nevertheless, BBGI shareholders appear pleased with the results, with shares up more than 5% in midday trading before ending the day up 1.9%, to $10.50.

The final installment in a nine-part annual newsroom survey for 2017 developed by Bob Papper, Professor Emeritus at New York's Hofstra University, has been released by the RTDNA—the Radio Television Digital News Association. This last installment looks at earnings, and pay stubs. How are local TV news personnel faring, wage wise? "It was a decent year for salaries," Papper says. But, it could have been a little better. 

U.S. financial markets were up slightly on Thursday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average improved 24.63, to 21,556.77, and the Nasdaq composite advanced 13.77, to 6,275.00. Among the media stocks advancing on Wall Street are iHeartMedia and Entercom, which has signed a 10,000-square-foot expansion deal for its forthcoming new home in South Florida.

Entercom enjoyed a strong Q1, beating the Street on its revenue. However, its net income missed the estimates of Wall Street analysts—by a penny. Here's the breakdown on how the company that's entering a tax-free merger with CBS Radio fared during the first three months of 2017.

Beasley Broadcast Group this morning (5/2) ushered in a busy week of Q1 earnings releases from broadcast media companies, and on its face, Beasley had a boffo first three months of 2017. That's thanks to the inclusion of the former Greater Media stations. Minus those properties, Beasley legacy station revenue declined by $2 million. Why? Politics — and a "shock jock" no longer on one of the company's stations — are to blame.

In late August 2016, Sirius XM Canada Holdings expressed its intent to go private. The one thing stopping the privatization effort? The Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Now, eight months, later, the regulatory body has given its consent to the move, which comes despite mid-summer 2016 opposition from dissident investors amid overwhelming support for its move to go private.

Arkansas' Christian Connection has another shot at victory in its quest to shift seven counties from two different DMAs to the Jonesboro, Ark., local satellite carriage television market.

That's the question Frank DiPietro of financial advising blog The Motley Fool sought to answer. In a comprehensive review of the streaming audio company's financial health, DiPietro put on his thinking cap and wondered if Pandora Media is better off without a merger with its much-discussed potential suitor, Sirius XM Holdings.

When it comes to hitting certain "benchmarks," one Wall Street financial analyst keeps showing the love for radio and TV station owner E.W. Scripps Co.

Of the top 10 advertisers last week on Media Monitors' Spot 10 Cable report, four are insurance companies. Who else is using cable TV to reach consumers? Check out the chart here.

The late Q1 push to bring car buyers into auto dealers is on, and broadcast TV is proving to be a major venue for automotive brand dealer associations. Four of the top 10 advertisers in last week’s Media Monitors TV Spot Ten report are in the automotive category.

In last week’s Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report, Mattress Firm made a statement by greatly increasing its national spot count at the stations tracked by Media Monitors.