the HOT List

Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of the State of Texas, has a beef with Google. And, it involves air personalities employed by iHeartMedia. The issue: the radio talents endorsed products that, the Lone Star State says, they never, ever used.

After a stint with Dish and Sling after exiting as President/CEO of Fuse TV, Michael Schwimmer is heading back to the U.S. Hispanic market in a big way. 

It's official: Procter & Gamble Co. was the top parent advertiser in the U.S. for the second year in a row, thanks to millions of spots airing on the radio and TV stations and cable TV channels offering local drop-in capabilities across 2021 tracked by iHeartMedia-owned Media Monitors.

Emily Barr has delivered strong results for Graham Media Group’s local television stations, found in Houston, Detroit, San Antonio, Orlando, Jacksonville, and in Roanoke, Va. She’s also become a familiar figure on Capitol Hill, thanks to her role as the NAB’s Television Board Chair. Now, Barr has announced her retirement.

New year, new MVPD impasse. Last week, Dish subscribers across a slew of Midwestern states lost access to local television stations owned by Block Communications. As is the case with such disagreements, both sides are blaming each other.

More business groups are pushing lawmakers to pass a single national standard for consumer privacy. The ANA and IAB are among the groups that want legislation.

Gray Television last week received approval from the FCC to transition a pair of television stations formerly owned by Meredith Corp. from digital VHF to digital UHF signals — shifts that will improve over-the-air reception for each of the properties.

Is Netflix so powerful that it is impervious to anything negative offered by a respected financial analyst? That appeared to be the case on Friday, as shares in the dominant on-demand visual content creator and distributor rose by nearly 3% before cooling off as the Closing Bell approached. The growth came despite a notable investor note of wariness.

For the first time, 16 NBA teams will see their games offered live via over-the-top streaming on an authenticated and direct-to-consumer (DTC) basis. 

NBCU has unveiled its first certified measurement partner, a decision that provides the multimedia giant with an alternative currency for cross platform measurement on its One Platform.

Of the top deals announced in the final month of 2021, an Allen Media Group transaction and a radio transaction involving Craig Karmazin-led Good Karma Brands are among the biggest.  But, neither is on top.

Hubbard-owned NBC affiliate WNYT-13 serves New York's capital region with a digital VHF signal. Hubbard wants it to move to a more powerful digital UHF signal, while keeping its PSIP. Before such a decision is made at the FCC, it is seeking public comment on the request.

The nation's top audio content creation and distribution company has taken what it is calling "an important next step" in extending its presence into "web3" and the metaverse. It starts with the commencement of plans for the creation of iHeartMedia events and experiences for listeners and music fans on Roblox.

Consumer media usage growth slowed to a pre-pandemic norm of 1.6% in 2021, following the fastest growth since 1995 in 2020. But, media consumption is poised to grow faster in 2022. That's the key finding from the ninth annual Global Consumer Media Usage Forecast for 2021-2025 from PQ Media.

Affiliations were also renewed by Sinclair partners in 11 markets that Sinclair Broadcast Group provides sales and other services to under a joint sales agreement or master service agreement.