the HOT List

A deal involving some of the last radio assets held by Emmis has been announced by the buyer, which is purchasing the three FMs and two FM translators in Emmis' home market of Indianapolis. What multimedia broadcasting company is acquiring the properties, Emmis' final remaining holdings (aside from WLIB and WEPN in New York)? Look no further than the Nation's Capital.

Shawn Craft, who represents the board of directors for a Marion, Ohio-based low power FM radio station, wrote to the FCC seeking more time to comply with an order that it produce documents requested by the Enforcement Bureau that it failed to submit in a timely manner. There were numerous procedural problems associated with Craft's request, which was blasted by the Bureau's acting chief.

Until early May 2020, she had served as President/CEO of Cox Media Group. At that time, she “decided to move on from the organization after a 22-plus year career with the company.”  Now, Kim Guthrie has returned to broadcast media by succeeding Linda Byrd, starting July 15, in a key iHeartMedia Sunshine State role.

Earlier this week, the Commission put the licensee of NPR and PBS Member stations on notice that they could be on the hook for fines. Together, the Commission would collect $30,000. And, it's all because of public file foibles at four noncommercial educational TV channels.

It's a surprising move. And, The Walt Disney Co. confirmed it on Thursday afternoon. Peter Rice is out, and Dana Walden is taking on his responsibilities.

Before taking key positions at the two most high-profile media companies serving U.S. Hispanics, he spent 16 years at Discovery Communications. That company, which is now Warner Bros. Discovery, has lured back Luis Silberwasser, who is exiting TelevisaUnivision.

Global advertising expenditure is forecast to grow 8% in 2022, according to Zenith’s latest Advertising Expenditure Forecasts report, published today. Yes, this represents a "minor downgrade" from the 9.1% growth rate Zenith published in December 2021. Here's the positive news: linear television advertising is forecast to grow — even if it's by a fairly small percentage. But, there are clouds on the horizon.

In short, the NAB says it would “drive listeners away” from FM and put public safety at risk. The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) couldn't disagree more.

A series of top radio and television broadcasting companies were singled out for their "outstanding service to their communities" at the Celebration of Service to America Awards held Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. The event also saw the introduction of a fellowship named in honor of the retiring SVP/Programming at Hearst Television.

The NAB is vociferously arguing against a FCC proposal that would allow using FM Boosters for program origination — the lynchpin of GeoBroadcast Services’ ZoneCasting technology. In short, the NAB says it would “drive listeners away” from FM and put public safety at risk.

Among the big news coming out of the Motor City from Pearl TV — updates from the ATSC 3.0 standard’s application in the automotive industry coming out of the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track. 

The ATVA this week filed an ex parte letter with the FCC addressing its concerns surrounding a NAB proposal that would allow originating stations to arrange for “host” stations to transmit their ATSC 1.0 multicast programming. The pro-MVPD group took the time to suggest "modest improvements" to the plan.

In a surprise announcement, a newly formed Santa Fe, N. Mex.-headquartered media company superserving U.S. Hispanic consumers has agreed to acquire 18 AM and FM radio stations from TelevisaUnivision. To be clear, LMN is only purchasing a portion of TelevisaUnivision's Univision Radio stations across 10 markets. We have the list of stations "LMN" is buying.

With the 2022 ATSC NEXTGEN Broadcast Conference scheduled for June 7-9 in downtown Detroit, Alchemedia SG has revealed that its Broadcast Services Core, integrated with other IP services, "seamlessly transported IP data to a moving automobile traveling between four adjacent Michigan broadcast transmitters."

The licensee of WQZS-FM 93.3 in Meyersdale, Pa., Roger Wahl, has been fingered by the Commission's Enforcement Bureau for failing to fully participate in a license revocation hearing tied to his status as a convicted felon.  It's something ALJ Jane Hinckley Halprin has warned Wahl about. How she responds to the Bureau's Motion could seal Wahl's fate.