the HOT List

On January 18, the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) filed an extension request with the FCC, asking it to elongate the period of time provided for comments and reply comments in a rulemaking proceeding tied to new entry and ownership diversity in broadcast media. The FCC on Tuesday made its decision: No.

For The E.W. Scripps Co., there will be no future in radio. In a nod to its late January announcement that it has retained Tucson, Ariz.-based Kalil & Co. to market all of its AM and FM stations, Scripps' Q4 radio operations results were included in the company's "discontinued operations" as part of its fourth quarter earnings released early Wednesday. From today, Scripps will focus on two segments, Local Media and National Media. One of those segments suffered in Q4.

The radio industry is abuzz over a plan revealed Monday that would see Liberty Media, controlled by John Malone, and its Sirius XM, obtain a combined 40% minority stake in iHeartMedia as part of a reorganization offer presented to key iHeart lenders and noteholders. But, is Liberty's lasso to the nation's largest radio station owner/operator — saddled with $20 billion in debt and now indirectly dealing with a sexual harassment claim against Ryan Seacrest — simply too late? That's what an unnamed source tells the nation's biggest tabloid newspaper.

Two Lone Star Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, from different parties, have formally asked the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee for the inclusion of funds specifically designated for the reimbursement of expenses incurred by local radio stations from the post-FCC spectrum auction "repack" process in its 2018 appropriations bill.

After nearly a year of arguments, a decision has arrived from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a matter involving Fox News Network that first emerged in August 2013. The verdict:  a $500-per-month TV and radio broadcast search service violated U.S. copyright law by providing users with a search engine of videos from sources including Fox News without their permission. The decision reverses a lower court ruling saying TVEyes was OK, based on the "Fair Use" doctrine.

Gray Television released its Q4 2017 earnings results on Monday, and net revenue dipped 2% while net income soared. But, it is the Q1 2018 results that investors may already be focused on, given reports of lackluster ratings for NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympic Games. Coverage from PyeongChang, South Korea was forecast to deliver beaucoup dollars to broadcast TV—and Gray is predicting double-digit growth compared to Q1 2017.

All eyes are on iHeartMedia as the nation's largest owner and operator of radio stations contemplates its financial future. There's no word on when, if at all, its Q4 2017 earnings will be shared. But, we do have confirmation of a plan that would give Liberty Media and Sirius XM a combined minority stake in iHeart, as noted in a reorganization offer drafted on Friday.

In what is being heralded as a "first-of-its-kind" pact, Interpublic Group media management and data arm IPG Mediabrands has signed a data and technology agreement with Nielsen. The technology relationship comes on the heels of a new five-year global services agreement between Nielsen and IPG.

Media ecologist Jack Myers has made a career out of forecasting trends for local ad dollars. His latest report, which looks at what's fueling 2018 and 2019 U.S. ad spending, is certainly worth looking at. Radio and TV companies may be talking up a more robust environment for ad growth, but the "lion's share" of growth seen over the next 12-to-24 months is pegged to three of the world's dominant digital players.

CBS Corp. stock has started the trading week with positive action on Wall Street, as investors appear to be warming to news that the company is launching a 24/7 "over the top" (OTT) video streaming sports network.

After some uncertainty following a July 2017 announcement that an FM translator was coming for a crown jewel in the Scripps stable, an MHz boost for this heritage property has finally arrived. Is "AM revitalization" Talk Radio's FM future? Tom Langmyer, the VP/News and Talk for Scripps' radio stations, spoke exclusively to RBR+TVBR on the topic.

Is the ban on combinations among the top-four rated TV stations in a market something that should be included in FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's sweeping media modernization push? One group of TV station owners says yes, and they've brought on former NAB general counsel Jack Goodman to help them in their legal efforts.

On January 30, Emmis Communications confirmed that it is exiting one of its most profitable markets with the sale of two FMs in St. Louis to Hubbard Radio and, concurrently, two FMs to Entercom. Now comes word that the Director/Sales and GSM for two of those four stations is poised to take on a new role in the Gateway City—one that until now has been handled by a SVP that Entercom inherited from CBS Radio.

Confusion over the fate of Tribune Media's WGN-9 in Chicago was further resolved Wednesday evening, after it was confirmed that the station will not be placed in a newly created divestiture trust administered by RAFAMEDIA LLC. Rather, it will be sold outright by Tribune — but Sinclair will still run it. The same can be said for WPIX-11 in New York.

The controversial combination of Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media has just gotten one step closer to fruition. A series of Form 314 filings have been made Wednesday with the FCC indicating the divestiture of up to 23 broadcast television properties by Sinclair. But, that doesn't mean its shedding all of those properties. In seven markets, Sinclair seeks a duopoly, and that's up to what the Commission thinks. The stations have been designated for placement in what will be called the Sinclair Divestiture Trust, and the trustee is RAFAMEDIA LLC, led by veteran media broker Richard A. Foreman.