the HOT List

One of the most familiar faces among the Wall Street analysts covering the nation's publicly traded radio and TV companies is taking a major in-house role at Comcast. It's a move similar to that seen in August 2019 by Anthony DiClemente -- leaving media leaders with one less voice of influence among potential investors and current stakeholders.

TEGNA on Tuesday revealed that it had priced its offering of senior notes due 2028, with a face value of $1 billion. Additional details, including the interest rate, are now known -- further fueling a rise in the broadcast TV company's stock.

A company founded in 1996 that currently owns broadcast TV stations in 18 markets is currently at an impasse with Dish Network. As such, its stations have been blocked, by law, from Dish customers in the markets where this TV operation has facilities. But, here's the rub: All of these stations are run by Nexstar Media Group.

It’s over: Hearst Television at 1pm Eastern on Sunday -- just before NFL Wild Card coverage was set to air -- confirmed that it has reached a new retransmission consent agreement with DirecTV. The freshly inked pact put an end to a "blackout" of Hearst stations on DirecTV lineups where the company owns stations that began in the 8pm ET hour on Friday.

There's no longer any fear for Suddenlink customers in markets where TEGNA owns stations of a "blackout" caused by the lack of a retransmission consent agreement. The same can be said of those wishing to view FOX-owned networks appearing on cable TV systems members of the NCTC operate. And, some viewers in four markets are now able to tune to a Cox Media Group-owned station after a short impasse.

On Thursday, an editorial co-written by the Mayor of Dayton, Ohio and a former FCC Commissioner appeared in USA TODAY. It slams the Commission for its approval of Cox Media Group's Apollo deal, which requires the Dayton Daily News to reduce its print schedule from daily distribution in order to comply with FCC rules. In a retort, our editor-in-chief says the FCC isn't to blame: the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is.

As many suspected would happen, the company formerly known as Gannett has decided to spin off the radio stations that came in a multi-million dollar media deal that gives it the CBS affiliate in San Diego. The price TEGNA is selling the radio stations for is jaw-dropping -- because of how low the dollar amount is.

A top topic of conversation since Friday evening has been the death of Don Imus. A legendary Talk radio host, Imus became famous for his morning show at the former WNBC-AM in New York and, later, at WFAN and WABC. He died Friday morning from what are believed to be complications tied to prostate cancer.

Its main lobby boasts an open meeting and performance space. Music videos appear on oversized television screens. The Radio.com logo is prominently placed for all to see, while a corridor outside studios is littered with various awards won by the company's radio stations. Welcome to 2400 Market Street, Philadelphia -- the new home of Entercom Communications' corporate headquarters.

There's a popular source of music that's the darling of Wall Street watchdog Zacks Equity Research, earning it the "Bull of the Day" honor on Friday. It's not a radio broadcasting company, but one is getting honorary mention for its particularly strong Q3 and soft share price as of late.

The 2020 election is expected to attract more than $8 billion in media spending. The FCC will be the forum for resolving complaints engendered by hyper-partisan campaigning. FCC enforcement decisions will be shaped by Bobby Baker, the head of the Media Bureau’s Political Programming Office. In this exclusive report, Baker shares how his office processes candidate complaints and enforces the FCC’s rules.

In September 2018, Nielsen appointed a new CFO, succeeding Jamere Jackson. He later added COO duties at the nation's dominant audience measurement and data analytics company. Now, he's leaving ... and a SEC filing reveals he has two big paychecks coming his way between now and July 1, 2020.

Accurate cross-platform media measurement standards, which arrived in autumn, are of keen interest to broadcast media and their advertising partners. George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council for nearly 20 years, is particularly engrossed in cross-platform solutions and what the impact of the standards on video are likely to be.

The multimedia company targeting Latino consumers plans to fund the prepayment by using cash on hand. Following the prepayment, approximately $218 million will remain outstanding under the company's term loan credit facility.

Representatives from Hispanic media company Hemisphere Media Group and the nation's largest Latino-focused multimedia entity, Univision Communications, have each declined to comment on a report in the Dec. 19 edition of The Wall Street Journal that suggests Hemisphere is one of three bidders for the company led by Vince Sadusky.