the HOT List

In January, a settlement put to rest a vociferous squabble between failed merger partners Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media, which saw competing breach of contract claims. The end of the battle put the wheels in motion on delivery of cash and a Kentucky TV station to Tribune's new owner, Nexstar Media Group. Six months later, the deal is being consummated.

The Spring 2020 audience estimates for nine markets will be the last for Nielsen Audio. But, it has nothing to do with its “optimization plan,” announced in early July.

On New Year's Day 1989, Miami's WSVN-7 embarked on an uncertain journey. With loose ties to then-new FOX, it invested heavily in flashy, sensationalist TV journalism that revolutionized the daily newscast. It's thanks to WSVN-7 and WHDH-7 in Boston owner Ed Ansin, who has passed away.

The latest retransmission fee impasse has arrived. And, it blocks 60 local TV stations owned by The E.W. Scripps Co. from reaching Dish consumers. Scripps' Local Media President, Brian Lawlor, blamed Dish for its "refusal to negotiate to a fair agreement."

In the petition for review, filed Friday, the nation's biggest voice in Washington for broadcast radio and TV argues that the Commission's order authorizing unlicensed usage of the 6 GHz spectrum band unlawfully fails to protect existing licensed users in the band from potential interference arising from unlicensed operations.

For 33 years, viewers of WLS-7 in Chicago enjoyed getting weather updates and forecasts from an individual who was instrumental in luring its morning meteorologist to the Windy City in 1994. Now, many across the nation are paying their respects to Jerry Taft, who passed away Thursday evening.

One week ago, Salem Media Group shares closed at $1.05. Two weeks ago, SALM stock was at $0.96. It appeared that a mid-June rally, nearing its best year-to-date performance, had sputtered. Then, on July 17, Salem shares suddenly got electrified. On Thursday, that spark continued. Afternoon trading was hot. Volume was more than five times its normal action.

It's been a sizzling summer for Urban One stock, so far. Now, investors have another reason to cheer for the company founded by Cathy Hughes and run today by her son, Alfred Liggins III. Its TV One cable TV channel has landed its first vMVPD -- bringing it to those seeking "skinny bundles" as they cut the cord, and eschew high monthly bills.

The COVID-19 pandemic and continued "Black Lives Matter"-fueled protests across the U.S. has made local TV news programming more valuable than ever. Tell that to the individuals who have failed to negotiate a new retrans deal between Cox Media Group, now majority-held by Apollo Global Management, and one of the nation's two DBS providers.

The Board of Directors for broadcast TV station group TEGNA on Wednesday declared a dividend payable Oct. 1 to shareholders of record as of the Closing Bell on Sept. 4. With its Q2 earnings report set for release August 10, the generous shareholder reward comes as TEGNA's stock appears to have settled in to a "new normal" in COVID-19 times.

Urban One shares appear to have settled in to a "new normal," and it is one that represents an incredible 900% growth in share value since the end of May. RBR+TVBR reviewed the Wall Street performance of "UONE" since June 1, and even with a dip from its June 19 peak, where Urban One stock is today remains an impressive achievement.

A former Univision Communications executive who in March 2017 was tapped as EVP of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has just been promoted to the role of Chairman. The seat opened up following former Telemundo head Cesar Conde's promotion to Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group. 

The 'Nick Cannon' show, a Debmar-Mercury offering, had become the darling of NATPE Miami, with strong interest seen by dozens of TV station owner groups. By early April, 90% national clearance had been seen for the show, with a Sept. 21 debut inked. Then came this week's anti-Semitic comments from Cannon, on a podcast he hosts. The TV show is being held a year.

Come Sunday, August 30, some 962 affiliates of Cumulus Media's Westwood One News will receive their final news update from the service. After that 11:30pm Eastern report, editors and journalists associated with the 5 1/2-year-old operation will be out of a job. What happens next for all of those affiliates? Choices abound, and there's money at stake.

The business opportunities made possible by the next generation of broadcast technology—especially in datacasting and mobility—dwarf the broadcast business as we know it. That was the subject at hand in the latest ONE Media 3.0/Sinclair Broadcast Group webinar devoted to the monetization of NEXTGEN TV.