the HOT List

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.

Throughout 2017, popular brands witnessed the power of "Black Twitter" and the brand impact of socially conscious Black consumers. Through social media, Black consumers have brokered a seat at the table and are demanding that brands and marketers speak to them in ways that resonate culturally and experientially—if these brands want their business. With African Americans spending $1.2 trillion annually, brands have a lot to lose, a new study from Nielsen illustrates for broadcast media professionals seeking increased ROI through a highly important consumer group.

Last night in the hub of what's become the Research Triangle of North Carolina, hundreds of people gathered to watch coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games from PyeongChang, South Korea. These individuals also saw first-hand the future of television: The live action from Asia was presented in the "next gen" ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard that TV stations can now voluntarily roll out, with 4K UHD video and other heralded advances put to the test by Capitol Broadcasting Co.'s NBC affiliate in Raleigh-Durham.

With financial markets closed Monday (2/19) in the U.S. for Presidents' Day, RBR+TVBR analyzed broadcast media companies and their digital partners for top performance over the past 12 months. One company sticks out as a true juggernaut on the NYSE. It's American Tower.

In August 2012, Tara Broadcasting — under the direction of "The Jewish Cowboy" known officially as Managing Member Clark Garen — acquired a low-power television station serving the Coachella Valley of Southern California for $85,000. Today, this station is locally focused "Coachella Valley Classic Television." On its DT-2 signal is "Westerns 4U." It is KAKZ's DT-3 signal that has become a source of controversy — and a legal battle that has now led Garen to sue four executives at the area's primary cable TV company over non-carriage of that signal. In his view, the denial of a coveted channel slot amounts to a civil rights violation under California law.

There was more green on Wall Street Thursday, as U.S. financial markets continued their comeback in a big way. Among the media companies gaining ground: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar Media Group, and CBS Corp., which released its Q4 2017 earnings results following today's Closing Bell. We take a peek at the company's performance.

The FCC has responded to a report in The New York Times confirming an investigation into possible favoritism toward Sinclair Broadcast Group by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai by calling the accusation "absurd." In doing so, it pointed to a multimillion-dollar fine against the company for sponsored content violations while defending the chairman's push to modernize FCC media ownership rules. Some of this modernization is what pushed the FCC Inspector General to accept a request from two top Congressional Democrats to investigate Pai, which began at the end of 2017.

In a Wednesday afternoon vote inside the Rayburn House Office Building on the south side of Capitol Hill, the FCC's future as a more efficient and transparent agency became clearer. The House Energy and Commerce Committee moved forward on a vote of H.R. 4986, the "FCC Reauthorization Act of 2018," following a morning mark-up on the legislation. It includes a provision for a boost in post-Spectrum Auction repack funds. And, it freezes the Commission's fiscal budget.

On February 8, Shelley Chapman, Judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, approved Cumulus Media’ Incentive Compensation Programs. Chapman’s order means hundreds of employees will see the pay out of their 2017 incentive bonuses, tied to the Cumulus 2017 and 2018 Incentive Compensation Programs. An objection to the company's incentive compensation plan filed Tuesday by U.S. Trustee William Harrington led multiple news organizations to report that Chapman's OK of the bonuses was now in jeopardy. That's not the case, Cumulus noted on Wednesday morning.

Thanks to advances in mobile, video and wireless technologies, consumers now enjoy an abundance of options. What will this mean to your bottom line at the end of 2018, and beyond? Deloitte believes it has some answers worth noting, thanks to its just-released 2018 Media and Entertainment Industry Outlook. Streaming is huge. But, Deloitte notes, this has helped spawn "several other important developments." These developments could greatly impact your company's day-to-day activities.

If it weren't for the 18 radio stations acquired by Beasley Media Group from the former Greater Media in November 2016, the last three months of 2017 wouldn't have looked so hot. With the inclusion of the stations, Beasley enjoyed a solid revenue gain and strong net income growth — despite a big dip in operating income. 

Monday was a busy day for the FCC's four Commissioners and its Chairman, Ajit Pai. Meetings were held across the day with several advisors in tow, with the discussion ranging from the FCC's AM-FM subcaps rules to rural radio policy repeal and the FCC's Class C4 facility proposal. Participating in these meetings, representing broadcasters, were the leaders of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).

Fifteen years ago, a media company primarily known for its radio holdings and its leadership by an African-American woman attracted the industry's attention. Today, this company no longer owns radio stations ... and has just shed its last two owned and operated broadcast holdings. Those properties are low-powered TV stations in the Garden State.