the HOT List

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?

We have all assumed that pro sports leagues will return to game play soon. "But what if that is a false assumption and these current plans are scuttled due to rising infections and over-crowded hospitals in states hosting the games?" It's a question MoffettNathanson's Michael Nathanson asks -- with an answer that could impact Beasley and Entercom.

Woodstock, Va., is exactly 94 miles from the main campus of American University, in Northwest Washington. Yet, that's the home for a low-power TV station that relocated there following the FCC's incentive auction. As such, it is co-located with a sibling LPTV facility already using the tower. Now, these two small TV signals are being sold to the owner of WJLA-7.

"While we don't have anything COVID-19 directly in the title for this presentation, the unprecedented times that we are in make it difficult not to have COVID-19 in the backdrop," notes S&P Global Market Intelligence arm Kagan Research Analyst Seth Shafer. With those words, the second of two virtual Kagan Media Summit webinars got underway. We have the details.

Revenue management. Revenue generation. Digital audience engagement. All are important for Radio, but perhaps the digital conversation gets a bit muddled because, well, it is still a foreign language to the traditional, linear audio content purveyor. This RBR+TVBR INFOCUS PODCAST could help make the revenue potential very clear for radio stations. LISTEN HERE

After a lengthy saga that has lasted nearly a decade, a valuable piece of property that had been home to the towers of WMAL-AM 630, serving the National Capital Region, has been sold to one of the nation's biggest residential home builders.

A group of 24 licensees under the name "Broadcasters for Limited Program Origination" believe a GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC "Zonecasting" plan opens up an FM translator's ability to originate limited programming content, too. It's a bold request -- and could face stiff opposition from groups who insist FM translators are in no way similar to a full-powered FM's booster.

With Richard Blumenthal asking a litany of questions to Ajit Pai and his Republican colleagues on a variety of subjects including the NTIA, the latest FCC Oversight Hearing conducted by the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee unfolded on Capitol Hill with a touch of social distancing -- but nothing different with respect to the queries and responses.

Across a 17-year tenure at Nexstar Media Group, Brian Jones was instrumental in helping chart the expansion of the local television broadcasting operation. More recently, he was the person in charge of Nexstar Broadcasting’s local market digital offerings. Now, Jones is stepping down, as he has announced his upcoming retirement.

The Media Rating Council (MRC) has granted continued accreditation to Nielsen's Local People Meter (LPM) market service. At the same time, the MRC has given its approval to Set Meter measurement services in 19 of 31 U.S. markets where the Set Meter is in use.

Late last week, just in time for Juneteeth, "emotion AI" television advertising research firm Realeyes released some intriguing data regarding consumer response to brands that rolled out Blacks Lives Matter-themed creative. Were the ads well received? Realeyes marketing head Max Kalehoff shares the details in this RBR+TVBR INFOCUS Podcast. LISTEN HERE

The enormous growth seen by Urban One has led seven company directors to sell shares and/or exercise options, "given the movement in the price" of both the company's Class D and Class A shares. The media company superserving African American audiences on Monday saw more volatile activity, with Class A shares dipping by nearly 50% before an after-hours rise.