the HOT List

In this edition of the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle shares new details about the pace of the rollouts, and the increase of ATSC 3.0 signals in the Phoenix Model Market. LISTEN HERE

Nexstar is agreeing to proceed with an option to purchase another station in Texas. With the FCC's approval, the nation's largest broadcast TV company would have a duopoly in the Rio Grande Valley, converting a services agreement to outright ownership.

It greatly impacted the operations and streaming capabilities of Cox Media Group stations. Ransomware attacks have become the latest criminal scourge to impact not just individuals, but broadcast media companies too. Now, Congress has taken the first steps toward stopping "digital thieves."

The executives selected to drive Univision Holdings Inc.’s next phase of transformation and "execute the vision for the future combined company of Televisa-Univision" once the multinational mega-merger closes have been revealed by Univision CEO Wade Davis.

C-Suite executives selected to drive Univision’s next phase of transformation and “execute the vision for the future combined company of Televisa-Univision” aren't the only changes in the works once the multinational mega-merger closes later this autumn. Univision's news department is getting a new President, effective August 1.

As autumn readies its arrival, the winds are blowing in two more high-profile telejournalists at NewsNation, which saw the mid-May arrival of Michael Corn as President of News. One of the new faces on NewsNation will take a time slot given two weeks ago to another program, which will shift to a different time slot come late September.

Its share value is down 41% since early March. July 15 saw the "restructuring" of its Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) stations, resulting in the importation of two hosts across numerous stations it owns throughout the U.S. Now, Audacy has engaged in what's called a "trade receivables securitization" that will give it a huge influx of cash.

As of August 2, there will be a new President of CBS Stations. And, she will report to President and Co-Head of CBS News and Stations Wendy McMahon. Who is it? Look no further than the FOX affiliate serving Portland, Ore., and its sibling, which are being sold to Gray Television by Meredith Local Media.

With the promise of a large, demographically diverse audience, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad — the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics — are forecast to bring in record-high advertising revenue. In fact, Kantar believes the ad dollars will be more than 20% higher than the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The continued carriage of ViacomCBS’ portfolio of broadcast, entertainment, news and sports networks on Charter Communications' Spectrum systems is now assured. The freshly signed deal between Charter and ViacomCBS also includes licensing ViacomCBS’s Paramount+, Pluto TV, BET+ and Noggin for future distribution to Spectrum customers.

To facilitate regulatory approvals for its approximately $2.825 billion purchase of Meredith Local Media, announced on May 3, Gray Television agreed to divest an ABC affiliate  “to an independent third-party no later than the closing of the Meredith acquisition.” At the time, RBR+TVBR asked if it was Allen Media Group. It is now known that this guess was correct.

The nation's No. 1 owner of broadcast TV stations responded to Comcast's Petition for Declaratory Ruling seeking ownership attribution to Nexstar of Mission Broadcasting's WPIX-11 in New York by taking the corporate giant and owner of WNBC-4 and WNJU-47 in New York to court. As Nexstar sees it, it's a fight involving one topic only: retransmission consent fees.

Despite an effort by the company's founder to stop it, the Audio Division of the FCC’s Media Bureau has moved forward with the approval of Alpha Media's voluntary debtor-in-possession status. As such, an emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection appears imminent.

In the last 48 hours, the publicly traded stock for the owner of Hot 97 and WBLS in New York has rocketed upward, only to recede by some 50% of Monday's closing price. Is this the latest example of Wall Street investors cashing in on corporate America's pledge to invest more of their ad dollars at media targeting African Americans?

Financially speaking, the cable and local TV news sectors saw an increase in revenue, while advertiser expenditures for the news programs of the three major networks remained steady. We've got the details of the just-released report right here.