the HOT List

Cox Media Group has announced that President/CEO Kim Guthrie, who began her career in radio in the late 1980s and has been associated with Cox since August 1998, has "decided to move on from the organization after a 22-plus year career with the company."  

A small town AM started working with local farmers and creameries to donate unused milk normally served with school lunches. Local media is still hiring. These are some of the positive stories shared by Wisconsin Broadcasters Association's President/CEO in this latest podcast, hosted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson. LISTEN HERE

With a diverse revenue portfolio, Graham Holdings Co. in normal times can benefit from both advertising and tuition. But, times are far from normal. And, Graham has already been impacted. The good news: Its TV stations, which comprise Graham Media Group, held up strong through March 31. That's according to its parent company's just-released Q1 2020 earnings results.

How have local radio and TV stations in the Empire State reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic? How devastating have ad revenue drops been in New York City and in smaller locales upstate? Are small-town operators in places hours away from NYC in dire need of cash? We get the answers from NYSBA President and Executive Director David Donovan.  LISTEN HERE

While radio stations have done their part to bring needed funds to consumers highly impacted by COVID-19 fueled layoffs and furloughs, Gray Television stations in March and April collectively helped to raise millions of dollars in donations benefiting local residents and organizations in the cities where it owns local TV properties.

Andy Lack is leaving. And, the top executive overseeing NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is taking over his role as part of a wholesale restructuring. An official announcement arrived seconds before RBR+TVBR's Monday deadline of 4:30pm Eastern that flushes out the details, and it confirms a big promotion is in the works for Cesar Conde.

In coastal South Carolina, Sinclair Broadcast Group operates The CW Network affiliate. In Saginaw, Mich., it operates the NBC affiliate. But, both stations are owned by a company that has had its share of retransmission consent woes, most recently with AT&T. Now, this company has entered into a FCC consent decree to resolve a "good faith" negotiation complaint.

The MMTC and 21 related groups told the FCC in a letter sent Friday that they "whole-heartedly" support a Petition for Rulemaking filed by GeoBroadcast Solutions that asks the Commission to permit radio broadcasters the option to deploy technology that could geo-target content through the use of FM boosters.

The effect of COVID-19 on the advertising and media industries was first felt in the final three weeks of March, greatly impacting the revenue for the month. But, to what extent did it impact the entire first quarter of 2020? We now have that answer, thanks to Standard Media Index (SMI).

Less than one year ago, Nexstar Media Group sold two Indianapolis TV stations to an African American broadcast pioneer. Now, he's faced with the challenge of running the stations in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. How is DuJuan McCoy handling all of the challenges? We find out in this RBR+TVBR Coronavirus INFOCUS podcast hosted by Adam R Jacobson.  LISTEN HERE

At 8am today, the TEGNA annual shareholders' meeting got underway. The main event: A vote for the "GOLD" proxy card, or going with the "WHITE" proxy card — selecting a group of Board of Directors nominees hand-picked by dissident shareholder Standard General. By 8:30am, it was determined that Soo Kim's quest for a greater role has ended — at least for now.

While Paul Rotella says he appreciates the support broadcasters have received from the FCC over the years, he's got some tough words for Ajit Pai. Rotella wants the Commission to suspend "any consideration of raising regulatory fees for radio and television." As such, the FCC should postpone the rulemaking process on this issue, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With near-daily press communication from both parties advocating for the election of their respective board of directors nominees, TEGNA shareholders on Thursday will finally have their say as the TEGNA annual shareholders meeting gets underway, virtually. With 24 hours to go, TEGNA decided to sweeten its shareholders by declaring a sugary dividend.

Since lockdown, some music streaming services have been reporting a drop in consumption on their platform. Huh? Indeed, that seems to be the case, and Futuresource Consulting says it is the result of "new confinement rules to fight COVID-19." Could increased consumption to radio stations, via AM or FM or via a smart speaker, app or laptop, play a role in this decline?

Some 40% of Cleveland DMA homes don't have access to digital broadband access. As such, offering online classes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is problematic. A Gray Television station came to the rescue, as Erik Schrader, VP/GM, WOIO-19 & WUAB-43 in Cleveland, shares in this Coronavirus INFOCUS podcast hosted by Adam R Jacobson. LISTEN HERE