the HOT List

It's "listener-supported radio from Towson University" that's not so dissimilar to widely known WXPN, just up the road in Philadelphia. That will soon change, however. But the new owners of this Baltimore noncomm promise there will be no other differences, once this deal closes. And, we've got the price tag to share.

With the Memorial Day holiday weekend coming in hours, Miami-based Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) early Friday released its first quarter 2021 results, ahead of an earnings call for analysts and investors in six days. How did the multimedia company targeting U.S. Hispanics perform in the first three months of the year?

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal early Thursday ahead of a 3pm Eastern announcement from iHeartMedia-owned Premiere Networks, a successor offering to the deceased Rush Limbaugh's syndicated Talk radio program has been finalized. It involves the pairing of a seasoned conservative Talk host and a Fox Sports Radio talent.

The audio media company led by President/CEO Mary Berner on Wednesday (5/26) initiated actions designed to pay down $175 million of debt. And, it is doing so by using cash on hand.

A new retransmission consent agreement has finally come to fruition for a trio of broadcast TV stations that went dark on GCI systems in Alaska on Jan. 1, 2021.

Effective June 7, the Audacy radio stations serving the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region will have a new Regional VP and Market Manager. It's the result of Audacy's current RVP/Manager in Northern California getting a bump up to a national sales role at the company formerly known as Entercom.

A plan has come to fruition that would see the issuance of senior notes due in eight years, and a series of senior notes due in 10 years, as a way the nation's dominant audience measurement and data analytics company can prepay a series of term loans agreed to in June 2020. Following Monday's market close, pricing was affirmed by Nielsen Holdings plc.

No less than five AM radio stations in the last week have surrendered their respective licenses to the FCC. In one case, the move avoids a license revocation hearing. But, for the other AMs, it is simply a realization that FM and audio streaming are more viable options for local consumers.

It seems the creditors to the regional sports networks owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group that recently took on the Bally Sports brand through a wide-ranging integrated partnership with the gaming company are in the process of signing non-disclosure agreements to start talks on lowering the RSN's $8 billion debt load.

With McDonald's getting much attention for moving forward with "bold new investments to further reflect its diverse customers" and putting 2%-5% more dollars into Black-owned properties over the next five years, Allen Media Group has filed a whopping $10 billion lawsuit against the quick-service restaurant giant for racial discrimination.

Broadcast media company Urban One on Wednesday enjoyed a big day on Wall Street, with a late buying surge sending its stock up by double digits. That bump in value, it turns out, was nothing compared to what was seen on Thursday. Thank McDonald's for a remarkable 59% jump for UONE. A casino deal OK is another huge reason.

McDonald's is moving forward with what it calls "bold new investments to further reflect its diverse customers, crew members and communities in its marketing." It's a four-year effort, and women-owned and LGBTQ+ platforms are also poised to benefit.

Ten free ad-supported streaming television, or "FAST," channels have been added to the Local Now platform recently unveiled by the Byron Allen-controlled Allen Media Group. The FAST offerings come courtesy of a new agreement with The E.W. Scripps Co.

If securing Nick Cannon for two sessions wasn't a sure bet the 2021 NAB Show would be staged as a live event in Las Vegas — the first major industry gathering since NATPE Miami 2020 due to COVID-19 — this is.

Among the media companies making their pitch to media buyers and CMOs on Tuesday was Univision Communications — with an entirely new C-Suite continuing a theme shared earlier this year in a "get to know you" session for the ad-buying community: Come Grow with Us.