the HOT List

Cumulus Media stock recovered from a week's worth of downward movement, as investors reacted positively to two key announcements made internally at the audio media company led by CEO Mary Berner. First, Westwood One News is closing. Second, 3% of Cumulus' company-wide employee roster will be told they no longer have jobs.

As part of its Hawaiian operation acquired in the Raycom merger, Gray Television owns several neighbor-island broadcast facilities relaying programming from Oah'u. Now, it is adding to that collection with a Hawai'i-based facility formerly known as KLEI-TV. It puts into question the future of "Telemundo Honolulu."

Failing to conduct a radio contest substantially as announced or advertised is a violation of explicit FCC rules. Two radio stations were found to have apparently broken these rules. One is a Gow Media FM in Texas. The other is a Townsquare Media FM serving El Paso.

He's seeking to be the next U.S. Senator from Tennessee. And, he's serious about his campaign as a Republican Party candidate, and his quest to join party-mate Marsha Blackburn in the upper body of Congress come January. As such, George Flinn Jr. is selling media assets, and the latest deal involves nine properties -- all of which are going to Educational Media Foundation.

Are FM translators no different than FM boosters? If they are equal, in the eyes of the FCC, shouldn't both be considered as GeoBroadcast Solutions seeks Commission approval on a proposal to bring unique programming to an FM booster? It's a hot topic, and the focus of this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast. LISTEN HERE

The nation's dominant audience measurement and consumer data analysis company calls it "a broad-based optimization plan to drive permanent cost savings and operational efficiencies," a move that is designed to position it for greater profitability and growth. Others may simply call it Downsizing Day. Nielsen is shedding some 3,500 jobs globally.

It appears the COVID-19 novel coronavirus did more than quarantine humans. It killed, or put on ice, the consummation of many radio and TV station transactions. How bad was the second quarter of 2020 for brokers? It was the lowest in terms of quarterly deal volume since Kagan first started tracking broadcast station mergers and acquisitions in 1983.

A Northern Virginia-based business and network engineering consulting services firm that works closely with the broadcasting industry has just launched a new practice division. As Widelity Corporation describes it, the division is "one that could save radio and television stations thousands of dollars in FCC fines." Really? Doubters should listen to this podcast. LISTEN HERE

The latest U.S. broadcast station totals from the FCC show a significant drop in the number of licensed radio stations during the quarter. Meanwhile, the post-spectrum auction repack process has continued to reduce the number of commercially licensed UHF properties. Then, there is the number of FM translators licensed for broadcast: It continues to surge, in a big way.

With America heading in to the Independence Day weekend, the organization dedicated to promoting local media marketing solutions to the advertising community — via broadcast TV — lit a sparkler of its own Thursday. It issued a statement on "trust and ad-supported media" that addresses the #StopHateForProfit movement squelching ad dollars to social media.

The FCC in December issued a $151,005 fine against one Boston-based pirate radio operator targeting the Haitian community. Another pirate doing the same thing across three different signals was handed a record-setting $453,015 fine for his actions. On Wednesday, the Enforcement Bureau signed off on Consent Decrees with each of the admitted radio pirates.

Four Salt Lake City broadcast television stations have become the latest over-the-air properties to begin offering ATSC 3.0 "next generation" digital broadcast TV signals. It's the latest launch in a West Coast market for NEXTGEN TV, and involves duopolies owned by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Tony Coles, a veteran radio programmer who serves as Division President of the iHeartMedia Markets Group, has been selected to launch an all-new 24/7 all-news audio service "dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective." The move is in response to positive "Black Lives Matter" marketer moves.

The NAB on Monday filed reply comments with the FCC regarding its rulemaking on proposed regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2020. In doing so, the biggest lobbying voice in Washington for broadcast media reiterated its call to freeze the fees, putting any halt to an increase in the dollars collected from radio and TV stations -- especially given the COVID-19 pandemic.

A #StopHateForProfit movement that started June 17 initially targeted Facebook and, specifically, sought to squelch online advertising on the platform across the month of July. It appears marketers have responded a bit stronger than what the hashtag harriers intended. A wider boycott is being seen. So ... have your radio stations' responded?