the HOT List

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.

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.