the HOT List

The senior leadership team and members of the board of directors of The E.W. Scripps Company  are taking voluntary salary and fee reductions, effective immediately. The company will donate an amount equal to those cuts to a fund to support its employees affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

To help industry professionals deal with the psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, Streamline Publishing Chairman Eric Rhoads has engaged experts through a video series he believes can help during these stressful times. In this episode, Rhoads speaks with Lee Milteer, an author and performance coach who has counselled and trained more than 1 million people in her speeches.

One year ago, Marshall Broadcasting Group filed a lawsuit against an entity it acquired three stations from for what it says are this company’s active efforts “to undermine” its TV trio. Now, it is selling the three television stations. Who's the buyer? That will certainly have people talking.

The NAB, News Media Alliance, National Newspaper Association (NNA) and America’s Newspapers have asked Congressional leaders to provide critical support to local news media in its next coronavirus relief stimulus bill. It follows outreach seen Wednesday from PEN America, Common Cause, and Free Press Action on behalf of nearly 50 organizations.

On Aug. 31, 1987, an independent station serving an Ohio city due south of the state capital signed on the air bearing call letters in honor of its owner and founder. He sold the station in 1994, and today it is the home of The CW Network's Columbus affiliate. The man who gave birth to the station, an owner of other radio and TV stations, has died at the age of 97.

Cumulus CEO Mary Berner noted Tuesday in a video message distributed to all employees that she was "literally astounded" by their capabilities. She gave shout-outs to those producing on-air radio programs from home, and to the sales department for shifting to "pitch perfect telesales with timely and topical proposals and products." Then came news of temporary job cuts.

On Oct. 3, 2018, FEMA conducted a live test of the Emergency Alert System. But, it seems listeners of an Entercom radio station in New York heard a similar tone during the morning show earlier that day. A whistleblower informed the Enforcement Bureau that the EAS tone aired as part of a skit lampooning the test. Now, Entercom faces a proposed fine for the act.

Many small radio and TV station owners have questions as to how to best proceed on getting money in their hands, and as soon as possible. They were directly presented in a special Facebook Live discussion held Tuesday with Womble Bond Dickinson partner Stephanie Few, hosted by RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink Publisher Deborah Parenti and Radio Ink Editor-in-Chief Ed Ryan.

Until now, the promise of ATSC 3.0 -- the new digital broadcast TV standard -- involved over-the-air broadcast TV's ability to bring a better picture and improved audio quality to consumers. Addressable advertising for these stations is also a major takeaway. But, did you know NEXTGEN TV also brings a killer opportunity, one designed to extinguish MVPDs?

TEGNA is the latest media company to adjust employee salaries and implement a furlough. However, it isn't as severe as what has been seen at some of the nation's biggest radio broadcasting companies. The temporary pay cut is small, percentage-wise, and the furlough totals one week of service.

The studios of a TV station owned by Griffin Communications reopened Sunday after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in its Saturday shut-down and deep cleaning. Meanwhile, in Pensacola, Fla., a Sinclair Broadcast Group TV station has suspended production in its newsroom "for the next several days" after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

U.S. broadcast station mergers and acquisitions volume reached a total of $2.64 billion in Q1, as tracked by Kagan. The media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence notes, however, that 94.4% of this volume is attributable to one deal. It involves the nation's biggest Hispanic media company.

The latest verbal eruption tied to an increasingly hostile battle between TEGNA and shareholder Standard General, controlled by Soo Kim, involves the amount of shares Standard General actually owns. TEGNA on Thursday said Standard General's stock ownership position has gone down. On Friday, Standard General vehemently disagreed.

Spanish-language media has perhaps an outsized role in bringing Latinos crucial information regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus. At the same time, it must offer safeguards to its staff – in particular those who have chosen to work in their normal locales. SBS has worked hard to protect its viewers and employees.

Late Wednesday, TEGNA fired a missile designed to fully put an end to Standard General's quest for a greater say-so of the company's day-to-day actions. According to the broadcast TV company, Standard General's actual holdings in TEGNA are less than what it says they are — thanks to a stock sale it quietly just disclosed.