the HOT List

The Enforcement Bureau of the FCC has entered into a Consent Decree with ViacomCBS that settles an investigation over violations of the Commission's accessibility rules at the company's Pluto Inc. TV service. As such, ViacomCBS is paying a civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury and is not being fined by the Commission. A compliance plan has also been ok'd.

Three leaders associated with the MMTC have responded to a Media Bureau docket that seeks a review of EEO compliance and enforcement in the broadcast and multichannel video programming industries. In short, the MMTC leaders believe that, "While data collection is one essential element of an EEO compliance program, it is hardly the only element."

Legislation that two House Members who sit on the powerful Energy & Commerce Committee say would free up new airwaves for wireless broadband use by the public has been teed up in the lower body of Congress.

In late 2019, Richard French’s RNN and Ted Bartley‘s NRJ struck a deal that saw French's broadcast TV company acquire 8 stations in a $81.2 million deal in which Moelis & Company served as the seller's broker/financial adviser. Now, RNN is selling one of those properties. The buyer? Look no further than the ABC affiliate in the 50th state.

With many insights for radio and for television found in a just-released Futuri/SmithGeiger study, we asked Daniel Anstandig, founder and CEO of Futuri Media, to summarize much of the 36-page report. He obliged and is our guest on the latest InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. LISTEN HERE

Following a V-shaped recovery in 2021, growth rates are bound to slow down somewhat in 2022. That said, MAGNA on Monday revealed that it still anticipates double-digit growth, bringing the market above the $300 billion mark for the first time.

A veteran local media executive has been named President and GM of CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Los Angeles. It's a role that puts the person presently in charge of Hearst Television's NBC affiliate in New Orleans in the top position at two of ViacomCBS's biggest owned-and-operated stations.

Entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed off on a definitive agreement to acquire one of the world’s biggest entertainment and sports agencies, putting the wheels in motion on a major merger designed to "drive broader and more inclusive representation as their clients, their work, and their brands shape culture."

A Reduction in Force initiative has claimed a host of programming and on-air positions at radio stations in Miami; Long Island; and Texas owned by Cox Media Group. The job losses come as Apollo Global Management has teamed with Soo Kim's Standard General on a bid for TEGNA.

Meredith Corp. is apparently in serious conversations with the digital media company owned by Barry Diller to engineer a deal that would spin the majority of its lifestyle and female-friendly assets in a multi-billion deal. Investors reacted by snapping up Meredith shares, leading to a sharp rise in value in Friday's trading.

On September 8, its shares, traded on NYSE, reached a record high of $303.62. Today, with shares slightly lower, American Tower Corp. is among the best performers on Wall Street in the broader telecommunications sector. Now, the Boston-based company founded by the late Steve Dodge has priced its registered public offering of senior unsecured notes due 2026, 2031 and 2051.

Based on the strong attendance at the Hispanic Radio Conference in Doral, home to Univision, NBCUniversal's Telemundo and some of the top Hispanic marketing and advertising leaders in the U.S. today, there could have perhaps been no stronger topic to begin a full day of sessions with than FCC regulatory policy for local radio.

In March, Gray Television announced that it was leading a $40 million investment round for Envy Gaming. It was noteworthy, as the broadcast TV station owner became the first among its peers to follow the radio industry's lead by investing in the growing gaming industry. Now, The E.W. Scripps Co. is following Gray's lead.

It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted radio broadcasting companies across the latter half of 2020. For Hispanic-targeted AMs and FMs, the pandemic significantly altered the advertising landscape.  But, by how much? That was the first topic for discussion as the Hispanic Radio Conference kicked off Wednesday afternoon in Miami.

The New York Post late Monday, citing unnamed sources, reported that Apollo Global Management -- the controlling party of Cox Media Group -- had teamed up with dissident investor Standard General, led by Soo Kim -- on a binding TEGNA acquisition bid valued at upward of $8 billion. TEGNA on Tuesday morning confirmed the offer.