the HOT List

The tit-for-tat between TEGNA and Standard General has reached a fever pitch, with each group attempting to use the trade press to curry favor among shareholders ahead of Thursday's pivotal annual shareholders meeting. Now, Standard General's head is being accused of improper trading of TEGNA stock. It's a new wrinkle in an escalating battle for the TV station owner.

Has the FCC been negatively impacted by the novel coronavirus? For noted D.C. communications law attorney John Garziglia, of Womble Bond Dickinson, the answer is an emphatic "no." In this new podcast episode, Garziglia shares with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson just how the FCC is moving right along with regulatory policy changes that impact Radio. LISTEN HERE

It's hardly a surprise that revenue projections for 2020 local advertising would be adjusted downward. The lone question was how much of a contraction would be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with respect to U.S. economic conditions. BIA Advisory Services has its new revenue projections in, and a double-digit dollar slice is being forecast.

Come May 15, the ability to purchase or sell shares of Emmis Communications stock on Nasdaq will become an impossible task. That's because the company led by CEO Jeff Smulyan, which is a much smaller holder of radio broadcasting stations than in years' past, is voluntarily delisting its Class A common stock from the exchange.

In this fresh RBR+TVBR Coronavirus INFOCUS podcast, Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson speaks with WSMV-4 in Nashville News Director Mitch Jacob and its VP/GM, René LaSpina. They share how the news team quickly moved to deliver important news and information to viewers as the sales and administrative teams also adjusted how they handle their day-to-day duties. LISTEN HERE

Gray Television, through the use of technology, has allowed its operations to continue through remote operation. To fill us all in on the subject, we welcome the company’s VP of Broadcast Operations, Mike Fass, to the newest episode of the Coronavirus INFOCUS podcast. LISTEN HERE

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seattle-Tacoma area was a flashpoint for the coronavirus’ spread. How did KING-5 cover this, and what was the spark that really led to physical distancing, and best practices with the news team? RBR+TVBR got the answers in this latest podcast, featuring an exclusive interview with station President/GM James Rose. LISTEN HERE

In a move designed "to protect the long-term interests of its shareholders," Entercom Communications' board of directors on Monday gave an affirmative nod to a "limited duration shareholder rights plan." The plan expires in one year, on April 20, 2021. What, exactly, does it do?

Eddie Esserman planned on attending the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas this week. It was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How has this impacted this broker, and the media transactions landscape? Esserman shares his thoughts in this exclusive RBR+TVBR Coronavirus INFocus Podcast with Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson. LISTEN HERE

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas was cancelled. Did this put a chilling effect on potential dealmaking for broadcast media's biggest brokers? In this podcast, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam Jacobson gets the answer from Bob Heymann, the Chicago-based Director for Media Services Group. LISTEN HERE

A quartet of U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle have penned a pledge letter sent to their colleagues in the upper body of Congress that seeks their support for the expansion of U.S. Small Business Administration loan access to struggling local newspapers and radio and television stations. It comes after a cable TV advocacy group asked Congress to thwart such a move.

In a major decision that could greatly impact the future of broadcast media's cross-ownership rules -- and any further deregulation moves -- the FCC late Friday revealed that it will appeal the Third Circuit Appeals Court ruling that remanded its "modernization" effort. 

With distance learning now the only way students across the U.S. are attending schools, the subject of America's digital divide and access to high-speed internet in the home has risen. What if disadvantaged children can't easily access online classes? What if the lone computer in the home is needed by a parent or sibling? Neuhoff Media may have a perfect solution.

Imagine covering the COVID-19 pandemic in a territory where stay-at-home rules were based on the decisions of leaders overseeing 30 different counties -- all within the viewing area of one TV station. That's how TEGNA's WFAA-8 in Dallas has been serving its viewers, as we learn in the latest episode of the RBR+TVBR Coronavirus INFOCUS Podcast. LISTEN HERE

Six "artist and consumer rights groups" believe, based on "reports," that DOJ "could act any time" on the potential acquisition of iHeartMedia by Liberty Media. As such, these groups have written to both the Justice Department and the respective House and Senate Judiciary Committees in opposition of such a deal. There's one big reason they've expressed.