the HOT List

Following close examination of new COVID protocols from the Dutch government and consultation with key IBC stakeholders, IBC2021 recently declared that it is "firmly set" on delivering a safe and valuable event in Amsterdam from December 3-6. That all changed on Tuesday, with event organizers abruptly cancelling the event amid a high volume of vendor cancellations.

Measurement of national television "in a more precise manner" is the promise Nielsen seeks to deliver by enhancing its Nielsen Individual Commercial Metrics. This, it believes, will help transition audience estimates to a methodology based on individual ads — and not commercial minutes. What does this mean for broadcast media AEs and sales pros?

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favor of the Biden Administration's "Build Back Better" reconciliation package — a bill that includes provisions in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. Will it pass the Senate, where Senators Manchin and Sinema could rewrite what the House passed in order to win over the support needed for a final OK?

After coming off a strong September, October 2021 all-media investment volume reached a new year-to-date high, leading into the holiday push. That's according to Standard Media Index's U.S. ad tracker. How does radio, in particular, rate compared to other media?

Small to mid-sized players continue to enjoy strong cash flow and boast low leverage levels. Forecast 2022 was the exclusive home for a discussion on their current performance, with The Cromwell Group's CEO joined by the owner of WISH-8 and WNDY-TV in Indianapolis, JVC Broadcasting's President/CEO, Lilly Broadcasting's CEO and noted broker and licensee Larry Patrick all participating.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Pearl TV — the business organization led by Anne Schelle representing U.S. broadcast television companies — has shared the first images of an upcoming NEXTGEN TV holiday brand marketing campaign. For Pearl TV, the effort is designed to "deepen consumer awareness and engagement."

For the first time in its 19-year history, Forecast 2022 offered attendees an exclusive series of conversations that encompassed both the radio and television industries. And, welcoming broadcast TV leaders to Forecast was welcomed across the board — in particular by Borrell Associates CEO Gordon Borrell, who moderated an event-closing “Super Session.”

The former Republican Senator from Oregon, who has served as the NAB's head since November 2009, received the Radio Ink Lifetime Achievement Award at Forecast 2021, held Tuesday at the Harvard Club. Among those praising Smith: Caroline Beasley and Jordan Wertlieb.

Is investment in a publicly traded broadcast media company a wise one? Has Wall Street responded to the much-heralded benefits of NEXTGEN TV and the potential nontraditional revenue growth tied to the new ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard? Those are just some of the questions addressed at a Forecast 2022 morning session.

"A meeting is only as good as the results it inspires and/or achieves." Those are the words of Streamline Publishing President and Publisher Deborah Parenti as she welcomed a capacity in-person crowd of the broadcast media industry's top leaders at Forecast 2022, held at the Harvard Club in midtown Manhattan.

Three months ago, history was set to repeat itself for Sinclair Broadcast Group and Dish Network — entities that have had less-than-pleasant negotiations over retransmission fee agreements three times in the last decade. That didn't happen, thanks to short-term contract extensions. This morning, the companies ensured any "blackout" won't happen — at least for a few more years.

Meredith Corporation's Board of Directors last week signed off on a stock distribution that effectively signals the coming closing of its merger with Gray Television and the immediate spin-off of Meredith's National Media arm to the Barry Diller-fronted IAC. The last necessary task: winning regulatory approval of the deal. That has now transpired.

As 2021 comes to a close, the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) has taken a look back at TV advertising trends for the first half of the year. What stands out from the VAB's research is the lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TV advertising landscape. 

Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Democratic Commissioner nominee Gigi Sohn are set to get separate nomination hearings in the U.S. Senate. With Rosenworcel's nomination set for a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Wednesday, it's a safe bet that a 2-2 deadlock at the Commission won't change for a while. One key Senate Republican blasted President Biden for selecting Sohn, a "Net Neutrality" promoter.

RBR+TVBR is presently welcoming the broadcast technology community to communicate directly with key decision makers across the radio and television businesses in our first-ever Winter 2021 Special Report. With this in mind, we chat with Multidyne executive Jesse Foster to learn more about what lies ahead in 2022 for the company in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. LISTEN HERE