the HOT List

Until today, Eric Zinterhofer, the founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, was likely as unknown as the global private investment firm he leads. As far as Wade Davis goes, he's an individual who has some level of name recognition in the TV industry. Now, Zinterhofer and Davis are both poised to take on a much greater profile in the media world, thanks to their Univision deal.

For months, there's been chatter of a sale of Univision Communications, with various unconfirmed reports across multiple news organizations. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Feb. 25, the rumors became reality: The 64% ownership in Univision not held by Mexico's Grupo Televisa has been snagged by a pair of investment firms in an arrangement that will see the exit of CEO Vince Sadusky.

Until now, Gray Television's presence in the state of Michigan has been limited to ABC affiliate WJRT-12 in Flint; and NBC affiliates WLUC-6 in Marquette, serving the Upper Peninsula, and WILX-10 in Lansing. Now, Gray is agreeing to add another TV property in one of these markets -- a facility that, while low power in nature, covers the entire metropolitan area.

ViacomCBS shares continued to trend downward Friday, a day after the company produced Q4 2019 results that greatly disappointed investors. Noted Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson, Senior Analyst at MoffettNathanson, has reviewed the company's report, which includes 2020 guidance. His assessment is just as bleak as the current ViacomCBS stock trajectory.

The ViacomCBS-owned digital multicast network known as Dabl is getting a distribution boost, thanks to HC2 Broadcasting. It's a positive story from a company making headlines this week for the reported desire by MG Capital to "oust" HC2 Chairman/CEO Philip Falcone.

Cumulus Media had fewer properties in its stable in Q4 2019 than in Q4 2018, so examining the results on a same-station basis is perhaps the best way to see how the company led by CEO Mary Berner performed. The results -- the last for John Abbot as CFO -- aren't pretty. But, dollars from tower and land sales now in the works could be beautifully big.

Despite efforts by the NAB and the nation's broadcast TV networks to derail it, Locast is pushing ahead with the streaming of local broadcast TV channels in markets where it can gain access. In January, it was Sioux City, Iowa. Now, it's a market where Univision and Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) have a stake in the action.

ViacomCBS shares tumbled by nearly 18% on Thursday as investors reacted ferociously to the company's poor Q4 showing and a "strategic update" provided by President/CEO Bob Bakish. The quarter saw the company swing to a net loss on a 3% dip in revenue.

Standard General Founding Partner Soo Kim has responded to a unanimous decision by TEGNA's Board of Directors to decline his firm's nomination of four individuals to seats on TEGNA's Board. In a letter to Standard General's shareholders, Kim asked recipients to look toward Wall Street, as TEGNA continues to engage in "value-destroying M&A strategy," which underscores "the urgent need for change."

“We have entered 2020 with positive momentum from execution across our entire business, and are on track for a record year.” So says TEGNA President/CEO Dave Lougee in response to a decision by the company's Board of Directors to declare a dividend payable April 1 to shareholders of record on March 6. There's also news of a shift on TEGNA's Board of Directors, and it doesn't involve Soo Kim.

Nielsen has released its findings of a special survey into U.S. consumer sentiment toward streaming platforms. It offers some noteworthy differentiation points between the video and audio worlds, and the path broadcast TV and radio each must take to maintain relevant -- and profitable -- in the 2020s and beyond.

In a late Tuesday announcement, Entercom Communications dropped a bombshell that will end decades of Rock programming on a Westborough, Mass., FM largely heard in the Boston market.

How did the evolving owner of radio stations, now with its hand in eSports and podcasting, do in the last three months of 2019? Net income grew, but net revenue and the all-important non-GAAP Station Operating Income (SOI) measure were each down.

On Feb. 12, 1990, a multi-faceted media company was born in the back of a diner located 15 minutes to the east of Utica, N.Y. Today, Ed and Pam Levine's Galaxy Media is celebrating 30 years of serving New York. It's a tale that reinforces radio's ability to be local, and successful, in an era of digital media.