As Expected, Entercom Delivers A Strong Q1
No matter how you look at the numbers, investors and industry executives should be very pleased with how the first quarter of 2019 is shaping up for the radio industry's biggest players. On the heels of a largely positive Q1 report card from Beasley, Entercom is glowing.
Media Bureau Sets Pleading Cycle For Nexstar-Tribune Deal
Don't want Nexstar Media Group to proceed with its merger with Tribune Broadcasting? Now is your chance to tell the Media Bureau of the FCC exactly how you feel about a deal that was originally supposed to involve Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Higher Expenses Can’t Deter Q1 Beasley Boost
If there was any blemish on Beasley Broadcast Group's Q1 2019 earnings, released early Monday morning, it was this: Free Cash Flow plummeted and resulted in a loss due to ballooning expenses. Otherwise, Beasley had a strong Q1 as it swung from a quarterly net loss in 2018.
Quadrennial Regulatory Review: 807 Docket Filings And Counting
On February 28, a comment period opened for MB Docket 18-349 that concludes Monday, with reply comments due May 29. With two business days remaining, more than 800 individuals have sent their thoughts on the matter to the FCC -- including Ron Stone.
NAB ‘Corrects’ Erroneous Vacant Channel Claims
The NAB is asking the FCC to consider its input when deciding whether to give TV stations the OK to use vacant channels, where available, to aid in the next-gen broadcast standard transition. In an ex parte filing, NAB nixed arguments made by the Open Technology Institute at New America.
America’s No. 1 Radio Company Slices Its Net Loss
Thanks to its debtor-in-possession status, iHeartMedia won't be holding a conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss its first quarter results. Instead, it made an SEC filing late Wednesday that paints a solid picture for a company inching closer to exiting Chapter 11.
What’s the Top-Billing Radio Station In America?
For the top 10 billing stations, a few adjustments in rankings occurred in 2018, while Washington, DC all-news station WTOP-FM maintained the top spot. What did the Hubbard Radio all-News giant bill?
FCC Approves iHeart Bankruptcy Plan
The FCC on Wednesday gave its approval of a divestiture plan involving two markets where it will be over Commission ownership limits once a reconstituted iHeart begins operations. When that will occur is now much clearer.
Ex-GSB Attorney Not Liable For 20-Year Old Malpractice Claim
Some 20 years ago, the former owner of a low-power TV station in Atlanta failed to complete a required FCC form. The licensee suffered, or so it claims, and sued D.C. law firm Garvey Schubert Barer. It sought to get a now-former attorney involved in the gaffe involved, but failed.
Gray Green-Lights Opry-powered OTT, Multicast Offering
Thanks to digital technology, over-the-top offerings are all the rage. So, it seems, are digital multicast offerings, as more viewers eschew a big monthly MVPD bill and go with free over-the-air choices. Gray Television is tapping into these dual growth trends by going Country.
Debt Swap For Entercom Comes With Tantalizing Q1 Tease
Why wait a week to let shiny, happy Q1 numbers from Entercom catapult its languishing stock forward? The company late Monday took a moment to share its preliminary Q1 results in an SEC filing confirming the launch of a $300 million debt offering. It worked.
Sook: Owning More Is Good For OTA TV’s Future
Perry Sook, the head of Nexstar Media Group, delivered a speech at the latest Media Institute’s Communications Forum in which he discussed the national cap governing ownership of local TV stations, ATSC 3.0's voluntary rollout, and Nexstar's local content commitment.
Nielsen Takes A Stand On Census Citizenship Query
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court begins debate on the topic of including a citizenship question to the decennial U.S. Census. Nielsen typically doesn't get involved in such matters. But, given its strong importance, it says, "we are taking a stand for the good of the overall industry."
Fidelity Communications’ Buyer Gets $1 Billion-plus In Credit
A publicly traded MVPD that is buying Fidelity Communications for $525.9 million through a combination of cash, revolving credit facility capacity and the proceeds of new indebtedness just moved forward on financing the deal by opening a big credit line with J.P. Morgan.
The CW’s New Home In Chicago? The U
In what veteran Windy City media reporter Robert Feder calls a "surprising" move, Weigel Broadcasting's unaffiliated WCIU-26 in Chicago has reached an agreement to become the market's new affiliate of The CW Network.