the HOT List

In the opinion of one Wall Street observer, television broadcasters had "a terrific 2018." This momentum is expected to continue into 2019. Does this present a good opportunity for investors that wish to buy radio or TV company stocks? Yes, and here are the five companies Zacks singles out.

Sirius XM Holdings on Monday announced that a definitive proxy statement/prospectus has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with SiriusXM's pending merger with Pandora Media.

The No. 1 owner of radio stations in the U.S. has reached an agreement on the material terms to fully separate Clear Channel Outdoor's business from iHeartMedia, which presently owns 89.1% of Clear Channel's outstanding common stock. The separation indicates that iHeart's emergence from debtor-in-possession status is nearing its conclusion.​​

One week ago, Gray Television was hours away from receiving the happy news from DOJ that it OK'd its merger with Raycom Media, pending necessary divestitures—something now equaled by the FCC. It's now known that Gray was also making a final decision on its partner for TV viewership measurement data.

Is the use and sale of cannabis for recreational purposes legal in your state? If so, is it time to be adding ads for these legally operating businesses on your radio or TV station? Absolutely, says an attorney now working on behalf of the National Association of Cannabis Businesses. Just keep these ads off the air, he advises.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates, noting that "some" further rate hikes would be necessary in the next 12 months. Investors reacted angrily, sending general indices on Wall Street southward. For Veritone Inc., the damage was substantial.

Should one company be allowed to own all of the stations on the AM band in a market of any size? Are the "KidVid" rules a relic of days gone by? The FCC's media rule "modernization" effort is in full swing, and attorney Trey Hanbury of Hogan Lovells shares his thoughts on what lies ahead for broadcast companies in an exclusive interview.

Barack Obama was seeking a second term in office. The No. 1 song in the U.S. was "Call Me Maybe." And, Entercom shares were trading between $5.44 and $6.33 a share. Entercom just turned back the clock on Wall Street, with its shares now at their lowest closing price since July 2012.

It's been a bad December for many a media company's publicly traded stock. On Monday, CBS shares slid to a price last seen in October 2015. Then, the bomb dropped on Les Moonves: He's getting no severance.

The Department of Justice has given its approval of Gray's merger with Raycom Media. On Monday, a big voice for the smallest MVPDs voiced its pleasure to a DOJ requirement that, as expected, divestment of stations in nine markets is required for the deal to happen.

Less than 24 hours after a key Senate Republican signaled he was willing to lift a block on a FCC confirmation vote for Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr as Commissioners, a leading Senate Democrat has stepped up by putting a fresh hold on the nomination -- jeopardizing continuation of Carr in his seat.

Alpha Media has agreed to sell its stations in Biloxi, Miss., in a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. Terms of the deal became known early Friday, along with new information regarding an FM the buyer must spin to meet market ownership caps. The party getting the spun FM is closely related to Alpha's buyer.

In May 2016, the majority owner of American Urban Radio Networks lost its share of the national radio entity. It went to Access.1 Communications, owned by Guggenheim Capital Partners. Some 2 1/2 years later, AURN's founding co-partner is assailing Guggenheim for snatching it away.

If you believe in the power of 5G wireless connectivity, and how its roll-out may bring a consumer and advertiser renaissance for both broadcast radio and television, a FCC step taken Wednesday at its December Open Meeting will make you and those in your C-Suite very happy.

The Chief of the Media Bureau's Video Division on Tuesday handed Ion Media an early Christmas gift of sorts. It will soon have a station with a signal with better over-the-air coverage of Kentucky's second-largest metropolitan area.