the HOT List

With new owner SiriusXM waiting in the wings and aggressive marketing of Pandora for Brands and its "#powerofaudio" initiative directly taking on AM and FM radio, streaming audio pioneer Pandora Media released its Q3 earnings results immediately after Monday's Closing Bell on Wall Street. Is Pandora recharged and ready for new heights in 2019? You bet.

More than ever, connecting with multicultural consumers through "inclusive marketing" is a must among CMOs seeking to build brand longevity while reflecting the reality of America today. For P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard, this means starting from within, and ensuring that the internal composition of a company matches the audience it seeks. Is radio and TV far behind on this effort?

First, it was Entercom. Then, Cumulus Media stepped forward. Non-payment from U.S. Traffic Network significantly impacted these company's earnings in the first half of 2018. Now, Beasley has been stung by USTN, hampering its Q3 results.

After months of frustration, thousands of dollars in legal and engineering bills and difficulty in reaching listeners across four counties in North Carolina's Triangle region, an individual known for many years as the founder of radio industry research firm Birch/Scarborough Corp. can finally rejoice in delivering an interference-free Class A Country station to what it argues is its entire listening area — including a big chunk of Durham County.

With significant leadership changes at CBS Corp. in the wake of Les Moonves' Sept. 9 exit amid sexual harassment charges, shareholders have been nervous with respect to how the noise created from the scandal would impact the media company's bottom line. While cable networks revenue declined, entertainment, local media, and publishing each saw gains.

In June 2016, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled that songs played by stations then-owned by CBS Radio that were originally recorded before 1972 but remastered do not fall under the purview of state copyright law. Some 17 months later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned the lower court's decision, creating a setback for CBS. CBS asked a California U.S. Appeals Court for a rehearing. It said no.

If you don't think investors are salivating over SiriusXM's planned merger acquisition of Pandora Media, think again. Pandora shares twice in September surged past $9.50 a share, and in early after-hours trading on Wednesday all signs indicate that the streaming audio company is on its way to match or beat those year-to-date peaks.

Strong programming is certainly a factor in the rise to No. 1 of a Spanish News/Talk station in Miami. But, what has this meant for its sales opportunity? What could other radio operators eyeing Spanish-language talk programming learn? These questions and more are discussed in this latest Hispanic Radio Podcast, featuring WURN-AM "Actualidad Radio" LSM Annabelle Urrea-Guzman.

Matrix Solutions has examined more than $256 million worth of relevant political ad sales to determine individual and total local broadcast spend of Democratic and Republican senatorial candidates in 10 "toss up" states. What did it find? Democrats have outspent Republicans on TV spots by a very large margin.

Although Tuesday's trading volume was much lower than average, some industry observers have keenly observed Cumulus Media's current stock trajectory. Midway through Wednesday's trading session on Wall Street, shares are at their lowest since emerging from debtor-in-possession status.

In a transaction that's yet to be filed with the FCC, Saga Communications is acquiring four FMs in a big college market. While the price Saga is paying for the quartet was not shared in Saga's press release, RBR+TVBR knows how much the seller earned for the stations.

With its stock off a recent year-to-date high and a merger with Sirius XM getting ever-closer thanks to last week's end of a "go-shop" process, Pandora may be poised to get the shot in the arm it's been seeking as it loses ground to Spotify. A new email campaign proves Pandora is ready to pump up its revenues from advertising, with an email campaign that attacks Radio.

In 1986, a family-owned television broadcasting company based in St. Paul, Minn., came to fruition. Over time, this operation would grow to 16 stations in markets as diverse as Tucson; Corpus Christi, Tex.; and San Luis Obispo, Calif. Thirty-two years later, Cordillera Communications is exiting TV station ownership. The buyers: One big publicly traded media company that just sold off its radio stations, and an Illinois-based player with a diverse portfolio of media properties. 

The NAB on Friday filed reply comments with the FCC concerning the reimbursement of LPTV, TV translators and FM radio stations for expenses incurred as a result of the repacking of TV stations following the close of the broadcast spectrum incentive auction. What the NAB urges is highly important for the radio industry, while a "streamlining" of the reimbursement process for TV translators is sought.

In less than two weeks, this country's voters will go to the polls for midterm elections. Some believe this Election Day is the most significant one in years, especially in terms of the economy. How will the composition of the 116th Congress impact investor and other economy-related decision-making? What's the potential impact for your broadcast media company? In-depth expert evaluation will come at Forecast 2019.