the HOT List

BIA Advisory Services has just released its domestic U.S. local advertising forecast, and it says 2018 will be "a solid year" for the broadcast TV sector. How so? Blame it on politics, and that hand-held device you may be reading this message on.

It's no secret that multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD) have a difficult road ahead in retaining and growing their subscriber base — a goal that is paramount in the quest for continued revenue and income increases. The challenges brought by over-the-top (OTT) choices and the ever-increasing threat of cord-cutting are not something Charter Communications will face in its future. It's facing them now, and investors revolted with a massive share sell-off on Friday (4/27).

On May 24, 2012, a Form 345 filing was made with the FCC signaling the desire of Patrick Sullivan to sell a 185-watt FM translator in a large Alabama city to Lake Broadcasting for $1,000. While this deal appeared to be simple, the assignee made this a most difficult and time-consuming matter for the Commission. That's because Lake Broadcasting is an entity led by an individual who had his five licenses revoked in 2001 for criminal misconduct conducted between 1985 and 1990. The matter has been resolved, and Commissioner Michael O'Rielly had something to say about it.

Nielsen shares have lost approximately 12.9% in the past 12 months, with a noticeable decline for the audience measurement company's stock seen since September 2016. A five-year low was seen on April 2. This could be matched, or surpassed, soon as Nielsen shares tumbled by 7% on Thursday, following the company's release of a subpar Q1 earnings report.

It's nice to be loved. It's even sweeter when that adoration comes from a Wall Street player, and you are a publicly traded radio broadcasting company. The object of Kippington Capital Management's affection? Entercom Communications.

PwC has just released its first-quarter 2018 deals insight report on the media and telecom industries, along with its prognostication of what the remainder of the year will portend for transactions. Some may find the PwC report surprising. While Q1 seemed rather quiet for brokers, PwC concludes deal volume hit another eight-year high. It's all based on their interpretation of the media and telecom sector.

In a move perhaps fueled by the FCC's spectrum auction, Los Angeles-based KCET-28 will once again be tied to PBS after going independent on New Year's Day 2011. KCET's parent company has entered into a merger with PBS SoCal —a recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars in the FCC's incentive auction.

The FCC, as part of its "modernization" efforts championed by Republican Chairman Ajit Pai, required every licensed broadcast and cable TV station and every licensed radio station to have an online public inspection file activated by March 1. Fifteen requests, filed on behalf of 39 radio stations, for additional time were filed with the Commission. These stations have just been granted an extension.

A path to closing its controversial and contested acquisition of Tribune Media has just gotten a bit clearer for Sinclair Broadcast Group. In an announcement made seconds after Tuesday's Closing Bell on Wall Street, Sinclair announced that it has agreed to sell a CW-affiliated station to Meredith Corp. Additionally, a trio of stations are going to Howard Stirk, two are going to shared services agreement partner Cunningham Media, and nine properties are going to Standard Media—an entity headed by a former Media General leader. Seven other stations are to be sold to a company to be announced.

With Sinclair Broadcast Group's intended acquisition of Tribune Media still cloudy, despite a report in the New York Post that Department of Justice approval would arrive by now, investors may have been a bit iced on extending their ownership of Sinclair stock. Could today's spin-offs send SBGI shares upward starting Wednesday? At the Closing Bell on Wall Street, shares of SBGI dipped again, and are at their lowest point since mid-September.

The pro-MVPD American Television Alliance (ATVA), which is an American Cable Association member, has filed reply comments with the FCC that addresses broadcaster oppositions to its previous petition for reconsideration of the FCC’s ATSC 3.0 Order. 

Officially a part of the Buffalo television market, Olean and nearby Bradford, Pa., comprise a market that stands on its own due to terrain and distance. Among the companies actively competing in Olean are Bruce Mittman and Jim Leven's Community Broadcasters and the Jeff Andrulonis-led Colonial Media + Entertainment. Mittman and Leven will now be positioning their Olean stations against a new competitor. 

Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole on Friday revealed the identity of the individual who was killed Thursday morning (4/19) as the television tower housing the transmitter for Ozarks Public Television's KOZK-21 in Springfield, Mo., located to the east of the metropolitan area in Fordland, Mo., crashed to the ground. It is the head of the Washington state-based subcontracted team hired to handle tower and transmitter needs associated with the FCC's post-spectrum auction repack process. 

For generations of sports fans, Gil Santos was "the voice of New England." His resume features 36 years as the radio play-by-play voice of the New England Patriots NFL club, and 38 years delivering sports reports at :15 and :45 past the hour on WBZ-AM 1030. Santos was also known for his play-by-play alongside Bob Cousy for the Boston Celtics NBA team, and for Boston College and Penn State football. He also lent his voice to the Boston Marathon. Santos died Thursday at the age of 80.