the HOT List

The owner of broadcast TV stations, the ION Television business and entities such as Scripps Sports and Scripps News is in the midst of a radical transformation that's gained a variety of consumer media coverage across the U.S.  How did that impact Scripps' third quarter 2026 financial results?

Thanks to political advertising prowess and regulatory approval of its merger with TEGNA — even as a federal judge has put a "hold separate" injunction in place as claims of antitrust violations continue with a lengthy litigation process — the nation's largest owner of broadcast TV stations "delivered the highest quarterly net revenue in the company's history."

As the CEO of Sinclair Inc. sees it, the parent of broadcast TV stations championing the rollout of ATSC 3.0 broadcast TV technology and owner of tower company Dielectric delivered "strong" third quarter results. Record mid-term political advertising is a key factor, along with "disciplined execution" across the business.

Digital Advertising revenue once again fueled the non-election year dollars, and this helped the "local first" company led by CEO Bill Wilson to lower its net loss. “At the same time, we want to be candid about the challenges we face," Townsquare Media's leader said.

The Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee whose future colleague in the upper body of Congress will be James Talarico, come late January, has scheduled a confirmation hearing for four presidential nominees to roles at NASA, in the Department of Transportation and, most notably, the FCC.

For many years, it has served as legal counsel to more than 1,500 broadcast radio and television stations. On November 1, the law firm closed its doors. Two familiar attorneys are retiring while two others active with media clients have resurfaced at a San Francisco-headquartered practice.

The company that runs WPIX-11 in New York is facing charges of racial and gender discrimination from a University of Florida graduate who served as a news reporter for the TV station. It is the second such lawsuit against the company from an African American journalist who worked there.

Election Day 2026 is here, and much is at stake on the national, state and local level. For CBS Television Stations, their pioneering use of augmented reality and virtual reality powering sports and weather reports will be put to use tonight when the polls close and the results start rolling in.

A year ago, the FCC said it wouldn’t set a firm end date for ATSC 1.0. Sinclair is asking it to change course and issue a sunset order, and that has the low-power TV world on alert. The LPTV Broadcasters Association is now telling the FCC to keep its stations out of any potential mandate.

Twenty-one Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee have a message for Senate leaders as another Republican FCC nomination looms: don’t confirm one without the other party. Specifically, the full-term renomination for Commissioner Anna Gomez.

The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Texas have taken a quarrelsome FCC question about who pays what for political airtime to a federal court in Amarillo with a request that would either widen candidates’ rate break or, as a fallback, end it.

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.