the HOT List

For over-the-air broadcast TV, huge deals have come to fruition since the start of the year. For AM and FM radio, nary a deal that doesn't involve a religious institution has been had. What's to come? Veteran media broker Dick Foreman shares his analysis of the media transactions marketplace in this exclusive podcast, presented by dot.FM. LISTEN HERE

Despite court efforts by the TV industry to shut it down, donation-based Locast continues to grow. It just added its 34th DMA — and it is in the Buckeye State.

The owner of the KLOVE and Air1 noncommercial Christian music networks has acquired a pair of FMs in far Upstate New York. Their signals reach the western suburbs of Montréal, allowing EMF to obtain "border blasters" designed to reach one of Canada's biggest markets.

"The American Music Fairness Act" arrived last week. It looks not so dissimilar to previous attempts to get legislation favoring recording acts passed by Congress, except for one big difference: a tiered royalty structure based on a radio station's annual revenue. Is that enough to woo Members of the House and Senate? Early indicators point to a resounding "No."

Weigel Broadcasting, headed by Norman Shapiro, is expanding with a pair of unbuilt LPTV stations located in two key DMAs. It's a steal of a deal. And, guess who's the seller?

A Florida Democrat and veteran California Republican who left the house in 2018 only to return in 2020 have once again teamed up to introduce Congressional legislation that would place a royalty payment structure on songs AM and FM radio stations play. This, they say, would benefit the recording artist. How is this bill different from others that have failed?

In 2020, she was ranked as one of RBR+TVBR's top Local TV Leaders, based on her longtime presence in the Motor City and as the head of the local NBC affiliate since 2008. It is now known that this nationally recognized VP/GM will soon retire from the Graham Media Group-owned station, ending an exemplary career in broadcast television.

For the fifth year in a row, representation of people of color in local TV news improved overall and, for the fourth year in a row, a record high percentage of the local TV news workforce are people of color. That's according to the final installment of the 2021 RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey.

A pair of FM radio stations serving the Delmarva region are being sold by the Ron Stone-led Adams Radio Group. Who's the buyer of these rockin' radio properties? Look no further than the local CBS affiliate. The deal is noteworthy, as it marks a cross-ownership move bringing radio stations to a TV station owner

Univision Communications has unveiled its plans for what it calls "a comprehensive global streaming service" that includes both free ad-supported and premium subscription-based options. This service would launch in the U.S. and Latin America in 2022.

The one-day conference, which attracts C-Suite media executives and Wall Street observers each year to the Harvard Club, grows in its 19th year with the addition of  broadcast television industry topics of conversation, insight and growth. 

The readers of RBR+TVBR have once again spoken, with nominations for the Broadcast Best Finance Leaders of 2021. It’s a ranked Top 15 list, as it was in 2020, and honors industry professionals who have demonstrated leadership prowess, fiscal skill, and the acknowledged respect of their peers. Who's at No. 1?

In addition to owning over-the-air television stations across the U.S., Gray Television is the parent of video production companies such as Raycom Sports, Tupelo Honey, and RTM Studios. Now, Gray is seeking to better monetize its internal content production portfolio when presenting to CMO, brand managers and advertising agencies.

Even with chip shortages hampering new auto inventory, squelching advertising dollars, Sinclair Broadcast Group is hitting all cylinders. With mid-term political dollars on the horizon and sports betting revenue projected to be significant, Sinclair's chief executive is excited about the "big uplift" that's already underway.

The VAB, the broadcast television industry's sales advocacy organization, has released a White Paper that finds that, based on the input from more than 200 marketers, 92% of these ad budget decisionmakers are adopting audience-based buying — at least to some degree.