the HOT List

Today, as the U.S. celebrates "National Radio Day" and WWJ's 100th anniversary is observed, its success continues despite ongoing worries that the "Radio" will be forever lost as in-vehicle entertainment-filled dashboards become commonplace across all cars and trucks. What's the view on radio's presence in the car from Fred Jacobs?

As part of our salute to WWJ/Detroit's 100th birthday and to Radio, RBR+TVBR has placed its focus on Detroit. For the latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, we engaged Detroit Public Media President/CEO Rich Homberg in a conversation that spans from life at a PBS Member station to recipes for success built on a 12-year tenure as WWJ's VP/GM. LISTEN HERE

Are social justice initiatives designed to elevate the Black community in the U.S. "trendy," or representative of a real sea change?  What role does Black Media play in this ... and what exactly is Black Media? Key Black media leaders tackled these topics and more during Wednesday's first-ever Black Media Symposium, a RBR+TVBR online event presented by Triton Digital.

Across the Hawaiian Islands, "Island News" has come courtesy of an ABC affiliate owned and operated by two brothers from Erie, Pa.: Brian and Kevin Lilly. That ownership will soon come to an end, thanks to one of the most aggressive buyers in broadcast television today.

The TV stations formerly owned by Brian Brady-led Northwest Broadcasting were among those regularly embroiled in protracted retransmission fee fights. Today, they are a part of the new Cox Media Group. But, old desires haven't died.  The former Northwest stations could be yanked from a direct broadcast satellite service provider very soon, CMG warns. It's hardly a surprise.

Roland Martin recently signed on as a contributor to the Black Information Network (BIN). He's one of two esteemed keynote interview participants at RBR+TVBR's Black Media Symposium, presented by Triton Digital. The hour-long live event is on Wednesday, and RBR+TVBR spoke with Martin for an advanced look at what's up for discussion.

Come Wednesday, Emmy-winning commentator and journalist Ed Gordon will serve as a co-keynote interview participant in RBR+TVBR's Black Media Symposium, presented by Triton Digital. The hour-long live event on Facebook Live and the RBR+TVBR YouTube channel is a free event. RBR+TVBR spoke with Gordon, who offers a preview of what's to come Aug. 19.

Omar Thompson is a panelist on the August 19 Black Media Symposium, and he spoke with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson ahead of the event in this fresh InFocus Podcast. How are marketers are responding to Black consumer needs? Get the answer in this 10-minute listen! LISTEN HERE

How did Meredith's Local Media Group fare in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2020? Viewership is up thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and two new syndicated daytime programs based on national media brands are forthcoming. The financial picture? Meh.

In a preview of what attendees can expect to learn from the August 19 Black Media Symposium, RBR+TVBR spoke with event participant DuJuan McCoy. He's the owner of two TV stations in Indianapolis. Are there positives to being an independent operator at this time? How has 2020 impacted initial plan of action? We get the answers.

Sumner Redstone, a towering figure in the media industry who served as Chairman/CEO of National Amusements, Inc., and was the controlling shareholder of what is now ViacomCBS, has died. He was 97 years old.

On January 31, two Indianapolis TV stations fell dark on DirecTV, as a retrans consent deal agreed to by the stations' prior ownership lapsed. Six months later, a new deal remains absent. Now, the stations' owner has taken DirecTV parent AT&T to court. He's says it is now a matter of racial discrimination. AT&T responded with a statement to RBR+TVBR.

From Jerry Springer to the syndicated game show Family Feud in prime-time, a full-power TV station licensed to Sterling, Colo., that uses a Class A low-power facility in Denver as a rebroadcast partner has made a name for itself as "K3." Now, "K3" is a step closer to getting Dish Network from adding its main feed and digital multicast channels to the local lineup.

The long-awaited closing of the former tower site of WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C., brought in millions of dollars. Now, a big tower portfolio deal with a Boca Raton, Fla.-based company is in the works. The deal couldn't come soon enough: The company's Q2 results were greatly hampered by COVID-19, and negative adjusted EBITDA was seen.

Fact: The E.W. Scripps Co. enjoyed a Q2 revenue gain, thanks largely to more TV stations in its stable. Fact: Scripps' operating expenses surged as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted ad revenue. As such, the media company that has agreed to sell its podcasting business to Sirius XM for $325 million saw a much wider net loss, as local media profit declined by 41%.