the HOT List

The initial draft of the Commission's "MD Docket No. 21-190," known as the "Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021," raised the ire of many broadcast media companies. They argued that any increase in fees paid was unacceptable given the fiscal challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought. The Commission has responded accordingly.

A new Wells Fargo report gives linear media companies a big boost, while lowering expectations for the software industry. Given the bank's stature on Wall Street and its track record in covering publicly traded radio and TV companies, the report has much merit — and provides media executives with further ammo in their fight against local digital.

Nexstar Media Group and SportsGrid Inc., a streaming video network that provides coverage of sports betting, are partnering via a multi-year agreement to launch “SportsGrid Network.” It bills itself as the nation’s first-ever "diginet" devoted to sports wagering and fantasy sports. Beginning September 1, SportsGrid Network will be distributed in nine major U.S. markets.

In February, the 12-year-old Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) took to Zoom and conducted the first of its two virtual sessions comprising the 10th annual Cross-Platform Video Measurement & Data Summit. Six months later, we’re pleased to be checking in with Managing Director and CEO Jane Clarke in this must-listen RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. LISTEN HERE

RBR+TVBR first learned August 19 that NEXTGEN TV was coming to Atlanta. It is now known that that's not the only new market now offering local viewers broadcast TV channels powered by the ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard.

Television viewers with the latest NEXTGEN TV-equipped capabilities in the largest city in the South can now enjoy viewing programs delivered with the new ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard.

NBCUniversal is urging all measurement companies to offer alternative means of tracking viewing across multiple platforms. The request is in an open letter signed by Kelly Abcarian, the former Nielsen veteran who recently became EVP of Measurement and Impact for NBCUniversal.

Add Beasley Media Group to the vaccination mandate list. The company headquartered in Naples, Fla., follows Cumulus Media, Gray Television and Urban One as publicly traded broadcast media companies requiring "the jab" for employees.

Phil Valentine, the conservative Talk radio host who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and became seriously ill, has died. Valentine, who initially spoke out against the use of vaccines to combat the coronavirus, was a key air personality at Cumulus Media-owned WWTN-FM 99.7 in Nashville.

The media company known for its ownership of broadcast TV stations and the struggling NewsNation has agreed to acquire one of the leading political news brands covering Congress and the Federal government in Washington.

On Friday, welcome news for those who are electing not to travel to Las Vegas due to the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus arrived. However, full details as to what will be delivered digitally from the NAB Show come early October won't be revealed until September. Furthermore, it is unclear if digitally delivered Radio Show offerings are in the mix.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has awarded grants to public media stations in areas with high COVID infection rates. The extra funds are designed to help them address “misinformation” in their communities.

Earlier this year, respected Local TV Leader Marla Drutz revealed that she's retiring. Now, the Graham Media Group executive who oversees its flagship property in Detroit is formally ready to pass the baton to her successor. Who's getting the role?

She’s spent 27 years as an active member of the Chicago local TV world. Now, ViacomCBS is appointing her to the role of President/GM of CBS News and Television Stations’ local businesses in Chicago.

Television industry entrepreneur Frank Copsidas is now getting recognition for an act that doesn't even involve a Form 314 filing with the FCC. Yet, it has everything to do with how Washington, D.C., and Wall Street impact and shape the low-power television business.