the HOT List

On Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai published a new blog post. The primary focus of the post was robocalls. But, Pai also discussed three TV items that are worth taking a look at. This includes a proposal to make it easier for broadcast TV stations to use a distributed transmission system, or DTS

On Friday RBR+TVBR shared a Reuters report noting that, according to sources close to the matter, a $20 per share cash/stock offer for TEGNA has been made by Gray Television. It is now known that Apollo Global Management has made a similar offer. Further, Soohyung Kim has offered a statement in reaction to the rumored Gray bid.

In winning Super Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden demonstrated the value of having the right media mix. Texas, in particular, proved to be Biden’s best “petri dish.” Brad Kelly, Managing Director Nielsen Audio, analyzed Biden’s Super Tuesday media mix. Here's what he found.

With TEGNA under pressure from major shareholder Standard General — the Soohyung Kim-led entity that has recruited former Tribune Media President of Broadcast Media Larry Wert as a nominee for a TEGNA board seat — a new wrinkle to its future has emerged. It involves the company that recently completed its merger with Raycom Media.

Cumulus Media-owned Westwood One will no longer distribute NBC Sports Radio come the end of March. Call it a consolidation move: the company is offering affiliates the option to switch to CBS Sports Radio, which it also distributes.

The artificial intelligence company known for its attribution services reported its fourth quarter 2019 results after Wednesday's closing bell on Wall Street. The numbers compared favorably against Q4 2018, setting the stage for continued acceleration of Veritone stock.

In January 2000, Louise "Weezie" Kramer joined Entercom Communications as a Regional VP, rising to COO in 2014. The company has just announced that, after more than four decades in broadcast radio, Kramer will retire later this year. Replacing her as COO is a fast-rising company executive who currently serves as a Regional President and Market Manager for Entercom/N.Y.

Across 2019, Beasley's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 5 cents per share. On Wednesday, the audio content and esports company's board moved forward with its latest dividend declaration. The news couldn't help lightly traded Beasley shares from a needed boost until the final minutes of trading. Still, a Feb. 20 Simply Wall St. report suggests "headwinds" ahead.

On Wednesday, Veritone Inc. got a very big shot in the arm from investors. Its stock price is back to where it was on October 1. Could a Canadian deal be the reason, or does it have to do with Q4 2019 results due following Wednesday's stock market close?

In mid-August 2019, Entercom Communications shares slid on word that the audio media company's board of directors had slashed its regular quarterly dividend to 2 cents per share, from 9 cents. It appears Entercom is sticking with giving its stockholders its two cents.

For viewers of NBCUniversal-owned Telemundo's breakfast show, Un Nuevo Día, the show's slogan — Más Cerca de Ti (Closer to You) — is something they've seen and heard on a regular basis. Now, NBCU is taking that brand promise to a whole new level by introducing a 360-degree interactive multiplatform studio.

Last week, Cumulus Media changed the call letters at a pair of AM radio stations it owns. One station is in Macon, Ga., while the other serves Amarillo, Tex., from its city of license, Canyon, Tex. Now, the stations are gone. Why? Cumulus took a page from Beasley Media Group by deciding to simply stop operating the AMs.

Gray Television's Q4 2020 earnings results, which came out Thursday, deserve a closer look — one that involves an examination on a two-year cycle of the growing company's results. It's something key Wall Street analysts did, and explains why they're upbeat -- as Gray C-Suiters are -- about Gray's performance in the last three months of 2019.

Standard General plans to push forward with its four previously selected candidates for election to the TEGNA board. More noteworthy, however, is the revelation that Standard General will nominate a fifth individual as an additional candidate for election to the board. That would be Larry Wert.

How did an owner of 60 TV stations in 42 markets perform? The E.W. Scripps Co. -- a company with a portfolio including the digital multicast Katz Networks, podcast platform Stitcher, and digital audio technology and measurement brand Triton -- reported Q4 2019 earnings that paint a bright picture for 2020.