the HOT List

Paramount Global; FOX Corporation; and Cox Media Group have each come to terms with settlement agreements that will resolve advertising price-fixing claims against the three television stations brought forth by One Source Heating & Cooling, two Minnesota ad shops, and Cleveland-area retailer Fish Furniture. But, four ownership groups remain in litigation.

It is now known that the Regional President for the eastern region at TelevisaUnivision will be supporting the recently promoted Jesus Lara by taking on all revenue-generation responsibilities across the linear and digital properties serving U.S. Hispanics. This includes the company's radio and television properties and its digital offerings.

A 24-month collaborative effort "to explore and implement various ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV applications and use cases" has been forged between a U.S. non-commercial educational media entity and the Korea Radio Promotion Association that will help facilitate "the full adoption of ATSC 3.0" in public television stations across the U.S.

A $125 million preferred equity investment in the majority voting shareholder of CBS News & Stations parent Paramount Global has been made by a merchant bank "built to serve the distinct needs of family business owners and founders."

CEO Dave Lougee spoke of TEGNA's ongoing strength and low leverage levels, while CFO Victoria Harker offered a glimpse at the company's Q2 and full-year 2023 revenue expectations. It was the first time TEGNA held a quarterly earnings call since November 2021.

The President/CEO of The E.W. Scripps Co. on Thursday shared a letter to colleagues about the company's local news initiative. "I’m excited about the opportunity we have in front of us and hope you’ll be encouraged by our dedication to the mission," Adam Symson. In short, Scripps seeks nothing but the best, and is ready to invest millions in increased salaries while adding "about 250 on-the-ground resources to our local reporting teams."

Diane Kniowski, the President of U.S. Local Media for TelevisaUnivision, has retired. As such, the multimedia company targeting Spanish-language audiences in the U.S. is promoting the individual who has been leading its radio stations, giving him oversight of the company's local TV stations, too.

The Commission on November 1, 2022, adopted a forfeiture order fining the broadcast TV station owner hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating its Top Four ownership rule in Anchorage, Alaska. Gray blasted the FCC, calling the Order “wrongly decided” and pledging to take the Commission to court. Gray has moved forward with that promise.

At a special meeting held on Wednesday, Sinclair Broadcast Group's shareholders gave an affirmative nod to the company's previously announced reorganization. With a share exchange coming, a new holding company — Sinclair Inc. — is on track to become the publicly traded parent of Sinclair Broadcast Group and its subsidiaries. 

The broadcast TV station owner and the under-construction Assembly TV and film production center parent has not only named a new Chief Revenue Officer and new Chief Marketing Officer, but also a Senior Managing Vice President.

In a major reversal and a sign that Congressional legislation just introduced last week in the House of Representatives and Senate carries some weight, even before any vote on the bills, Ford Motor Company has reconsidered removing AM radio from future vehicles in the U.S. and will now include the technology in their newer model cars.

One day after Gray Television announced who its new Chief Operations Officer will be, an SEC filing made by the publicly traded company detailing her official compensation was made. We've got the details on what this former WWL-TV standout during Hurricane Katrina will earn.

The funding deadline for Standard General to successfully complete its proposed $8 billion acquisition of TEGNA was Monday, May 22. What will Tuesday bring for Soohyung Kim, who owns the hedge fund? What's ahead for TEGNA and, perhaps, the FCC, which declined to put the much-discussed deal to a full FCC vote? Answers arrived just before 5pm Eastern.

A former NTIA figure who in January became a Senior Advisor for International Information and Communications Policy at the U.S. State Department has officially been nominated by President Biden to serve as a FCC Commissioner. For Anna Gomez, the path to being sworn in as the fifth Commissioner and, importantly, third Democrat on the FCC will likely be smoother than the woman Biden previously chose as his nominee.

While more civil rights leaders and clergymen have surfaced as TEGNA transaction supporters, a key U.S. Senator has again written to the Commission expressing her desire for a full-scale examination of the multibillion-dollar deal and not to rush things. Unfortunately, for Soo Kim, that's no longer an option.