the HOT List

The final three months of 2020 were punishing for iHeartMedia. How exactly was Q4 for the company led by Bob Pittman and Rich Bressler? Net income was down 95% year-over-year as adjusted EBITDA declined by 13%. Despite the rather dour Q4 results, Pittman struck a positive tone on the company's quarterly earnings call held late Thursday.

A dissident investor in HC2 Holdings successfully lobbied for his ouster as CEO. Now, less than a year after his exit, he's reemerged as the head of a new entity that is agreeing to purchase two low-power TV stations serving Los Angeles.

Thanks in part to its ownership of the dominant CBS affiliate serving Georgia's Coastal Empire, WTOC-11, and keeping a watchful eye on expenses, Gray Television enjoyed a 138% year-over-year net income rise as total revenue jumped 37% to $792 million. The bigger news for shareholders: a cash dividend for investors has been approved by Gray's board.

Sinclair Broadcast Group's fourth quarter 2020 performance was good: Earnings per share exceeded Wall Street analyst estimates, while revenue came in line with forecasts.  Why, then, were Sinclair shares down nearly 4% upon the release of the financial report card?

Is it ensuring false information that can incite and create violence and insurrection is blocked from receipt by the American public, or is it an extreme violation of Freedom of Speech? That's the big question emerging from Capitol Hill, where House Members have drawn a line in the sand on how "disinformation and extremism" can be prevented from dissemination.

Record-smashing political dollars in Q4, along with significant sequential improvements in revenue, are the key highlights for Entercom Communications' financial health report for the final three months of a punishing 2020. That said, the company's earnings per share missed Wall Street forecasts.

Record performance. It's a statement some companies may state, yet only tells part of a story that's inclusive of some blemishes and bruises. That's not the case with respect to Nexstar Media Group. 

With the last broadcast transaction of the year the broadcast deal volume for 2020 passed the $1 billion line, closing with a total of $1.02 billion. That's an 87% drop from 2019, Volker Mörbitz of S&P Global Market Intelligence notes, clearly highlighting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is, however, a volume 27% higher than that of 2010.

February 11 saw the release of the second in a series of Borrell Associates reports that examine 2021 spending plans for a dozen different types of local ad buyers. The analysis, drawn from a survey of 373 local businesses that buy TV ads, shifts focus to Broadcast TV Advertisers. Gordon Borrell shares more in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast presented by DOT.FM. LISTEN HERE

NBCUniversal first announced a move to impressions in September 2019, but clients and agencies who weren't trading on impressions were given more time to transition while they evaluated the impact the change would have on their business and clients. With the close of Q1 '21, all of NBCUniversal's owned TV stations and RSNs will be measured using CPMs only.

As the sun rose on the East Coast of the U.S. Monday, Colorado-based DISH -- a company involved in a host of retransmission consent disputes that's very intent on growing its 5G connectivity business -- released its Q4 and FY 2020 results. Revenue beat the street, but investors weren't thrilled. DISH was down 4.2% as the Closing Bell rang Tuesday.

A Florida-based tower company founded by Steven Bernstein has struck a new master lease agreement with a company actively transitioning from a direct broadcast satellite TV services provider to a major 5G connectivity player.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has increased funding to the five National Multicultural Alliance public media organizations – Black Public Media, the Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting, Pacific Islanders in Communications and Vision Maker Media. How much will each organization receive annually?

Ed Stolz is now in the custody of U.S. Marshals. Could it finally end a saga worthy of a Soap Opera, one that saw a Federal Judge set a daily fine for every 24 hours Stolz remained "a fugitive from justice"? While Stolz has surrendered, it's now known he's gone to the FCC in an attempt to keep three FMs now controlled by Larry Patrick.

From his days 50 years ago as a Top 40 DJ in Pittsburgh to his hire at KFBK-AM in Sacramento to replace Morton Downey Jr., the radio career of Rush Limbaugh was replete with disappointment, rebirth and tremendous success. Now, the world is pausing to remember Limbaugh, who has lost his battle with lung cancer.