the HOT List

Rebuilding a broadcast operation is never a small undertaking, especially when moving from a Windows PC environment to Macs. For Lilly Broadcasting, it meant rethinking everything—from infrastructure and workflows to the tools their teams rely on every day.

Alongside Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling's time behind the mic calling New York Yankees baseball games for radio listeners is among the most legendary of pro sports. Now, fans and many from across the broadcast media world are paying tribute to Sterling, who has died at the age of 87.

A particularly bitter battle over carriage fees for Gray Media's broadcast television channels on one of the nation's two direct broadcast satellite TV service providers ended late Friday, with its channels being restored just in time for the Kentucky Derby on May 2.

Ohio's Attorney General late Thursday announced that it had reached a deal with Nexstar Media Group to keep newsrooms at TEGNA stations in two Buckeye State markets intact for the next several years. Then came word that five state AGs joined California's Rob Bonta in its Sacramento-filed federal lawsuit against Nexstar.

Two heritage radio stations serving Blacks across North Texas for decades are being sold to Urban One. This results in the company led by Alfred Liggins III agreeing to sell its FM at 94.5 MHz to a regional broadcast ministry that plans to switch that station to Spanish-language Christian programming.

Brendan Carr made it clear that the FCC's early license renewal order handed to The Walt Disney Co. regarding its eight ABC Owned Stations properties is tied to potential DEI-linked discrimination and dates to a Commission look that began in 2025. Sen. Ted Cruz feels otherwise, broadening a gulf between Congress and the Commission.

An April 17 preliminary injunction from Sacramento-based Chief U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley prevents Nexstar Media Group from fully integrating the assets its acquired in its rule-busting merger with TEGNA. How that impacted a case against the FCC in the D.C. federal court of appeals became known Wednesday.

The newly highly-exposed successor to Barbara Kreisman has punted objections from two MVPD advocacy groups, paving the way for The E.W. Scripps Co. and Gray Media to complete an asset swap first announced in July 2026.

The Federal Communications Commission has commenced a review of the Commission's assessment and collection of regulatory fees for Fiscal Year 2026. Do you have any thoughts on the proposed rates? A comment period has been established for your input.

It's Official: The FCC is proceeding with a rare early review of the broadcast licenses held by The Walt Disney Co. A direct threat to ABC Owned Stations, the possibility of a license renewal denial by the FCC yielded an irate response from the lone Democrat on the Commission.

“We delivered solid performance this quarter highlighted by the continued expansion of ViX and our linear distribution business, all despite a competitive U.S. sports programming backdrop.” That's how Daniel Alegre, Chief Executive Officer of TelevisaUnivision, describes the company's first quarter 2026 earnings report. 

Just days after Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison enjoyed a dinner with the Chairman of the FCC and the Commander-in-Chief, the FCC has established a pleading cycle seeking public comment on whether or not the CBS Stations parent can exceed current limits on its foreign equity interest holders.

When it comes to deal volume, there was a slight decrease in 2025 compared to 2024. Perhaps that’s not a fair comparison, however, as a major radio station deal that came at the close of 2024 titled the scales. Had that transaction not transpired, Kalil & Co. would have been at the top. In 2025, there was no such down-to-the wire nail biting.

As the week came to a close on Friday, one big rumor began spreading like wildfire based on a pair of unconfirmed reports: an engagement announcement between SiriusXM and iHeartMedia was in a preliminary exploration phase.

Soros Fund Management is seeking a court order for Jeff Warshaw to produce communications they say he withheld and clawed back in discovery, including at least one that defendants claim directly contradicts the claims of a verbal contract over Audacy.