the HOT List

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.

Nick Cannon, who rose to fame on Season Five of Nickelodeon's kids sketch comedy show All That in the late 1990s and today is a widely known multimedia star, is stepping away from his daily radio program after making statements judged as anti-Semitic on his podcast. Skyview Networks, as well as Power 106 in L.A., and a big fall syndicated TV show are all impacted.

Larry Lewis (pictured), and his wife Kim are the newest minority owners of a TV station. They recently filed to purchase a Class A TV station serving the Tennessee Valley of northern Alabama. Why did they buy the property? What sort of programming and advertising plans are in the works? Find out in this great 10-minute RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast hosted by Adam R Jacobson. LISTEN HERE

While the "main attraction" of the Commission's August Open Meeting, in the view of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, is the repurposing of C-Band spectrum for 5G, two big "media modernization" rule changes are on the agenda. One involves the sharing of broadcast facilities in certain situations, a rule adopted during World War II. The other involves the radio duplication rule.

In a letter sent July 10 to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and released to the media on Wednesday, HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo admits that even with efforts from the White House, the Ad Council, and Congressional funding for HHS itself, "[Y]ou are correct. We must do more."

What is Radio's position in the local media marketplace now and going forward? What are the more challenging verticals for Radio as marketers are more cross-platform than ever with their consumer messaging? Those are just some of the questions tackled during a Tuesday webinar devoted to the state of the radio industry presented by BIA Advisory Services.