the HOT List

Just four days after Charter Communications — parent of the Spectrum MVPD — completed its merger with Cox Communications and merger with Liberty Broadband Corp., the company sued The E.W. Scripps Co. over one of the most contentious topics the industry faces today: retransmission consent.

Days after the results of a close employee-led vote to discontinue SAG-AFTRA representation of its unionized anchors and reporters were shared, a second labor decertification effort has transpired at the Sinclair Inc.-owned ABC affiliate serving the biggest market in the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has declined to move ahead with a fresh look at a District Court's decision that put the kibosh on a $136 million racial discrimination claim against the FCC for Standard General's inability to complete its proposed merger with TEGNA.

TEGNA has a new Board of Directors, complying with an order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento. The news was shared via a "Status Report" submitted by Nexstar Media Group legal counsel to the judge overseeing its legal battle against DirecTV and a coalition of state Attorneys General.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled in favor of four Capitol Hill politicians who took the Federal Communications Commission to court in an effort to put a stop to a Public Notice they claim opens the door to what Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gómez calls "dark money spending" on political ads.

He's been honored as one of Broadcast Media’s Top Tech Leaders rankings by the Radio + Television Business Report in multiple years and has been associated with the nation's largest owner of broadcast TV stations since joining in 2017 as Chief Technology Officer. Now, he's preparing to conclude his career in broadcast technology.

As the 8pm Eastern hour began on Monday, a segment of Indianapolis TV viewers lost access to their local ABC Television Network affiliate. The reason? It's all about the escalating disagreement between MVPDs and broadcast TV companies over what amounts to fair compensation in a retransmission consent accord.

Attorneys representing DirecTV have told the U.S. Supreme Court that the nation's highest judicial body should deny the request of Nexstar Media Group to review a Second Circuit ruling that reversed an antitrust win — one that is wholly tied to the thorny issue of retransmission consent negotiations.

A D.C. federal district court judge appointed has declined the request by ABC to hold a hearing no later than August 25 on its motion for a temporary restraining order preventing the FCC from moving forward with its early license renewal review of all eight ABC Owned Stations properties.

"The partnership brings together two organizations with a shared commitment to Christian ministry and faithful stewardship," Salem Media and WaterStone said in a joint announcement. As a private company, Salem will work with WaterStone to pursue new opportunities for investment and growth.

The effort with iHeartMedia marks the first time premium streaming audio inventory has been purchased through an AI-powered agentic media buying workflow. It was launched by Butler/Till on behalf of an unnamed agricultural solutions company.

Four television stations operated by Sinclair Inc. via a shared services agreement with a licensee operated by the political commentator and entrepreneur are poised to become owned-and-operated properties — the latest in a wave of SSA-to-purchase deals submitted by the company helmed by Chris Ripley.

Many across the media industry are mourning the unexpected loss of José Alberto Suárez. For nearly 17 years, he was a pivotal executive within the Telemundo Station Group, rising from Director of Digital Platforms to become President/GM of Telemundo stations in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers-Naples.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr responded to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by The Walt Disney Company designed to put a halt to the early license renewal of eight ABC Owned Stations and Disney's First Amendment violation claim regarding "The View" and its status as a "bona fide" news program. He did so on FOX News.

As the Disney-owned unit that includes ABC Owned Stations sees it, it is being targeted by a Commission under the direction of Chairman Brendan Carr and influence of the Trump Administration as part of a campaign to silence free and independent voices in journalism.