the HOT List

A presently silent low-power TV station serving Ohio's state capital is heading to a new owner. This facility was once the market's home for Azteca América programming. Who's the buyer? An Oxford-educated, New York-based investor in TV and media who runs a mini private equity portfolio.

According to a trio of undisclosed sources who spoke with Reuters, the FCC is ready issue a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $13.3 million to Sinclair Broadcast Group for its failure to notify viewers that they were watching paid programming.

On Sept. 11, investors weren't so sure about the growth trajectory of Nexstar Media Group. It was nine months since the company closed on its $4.6 billion acquisition of Media General, a deal struck in September 2015. It was also a period where scrutiny over Sinclair Broadcast Group's planned merger with Tribune Media increased in volume -- and five weeks before Tribune stockholders overwhelmingly approved the merger. Nexstar shares sat at $57.80. Today, they are at a record high.

The question of whether the Commission should modify, retain or eliminate the 39% national audience reach cap and/or its reinstated "UHF Discount" used by broadcast TV to calculate compliance with the cap will now be put to the public. The FCC said yes to an NPRM that, Republican Commissioners note, won't do anything but ask the question of whether changes should be made. However, such changes are all but certain, Democrats warn.

Despite all of the political theater, a "brief recess due to security concerns" as Chairman Ajit Pai delivered his statement, and dramatic dissents from Democratic FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, the Commission today in a 3-2 vote approved an Order that in the GOP majority's view "restores Internet Freedom" by removing Title II classification of broadband internet access service after two years. What's next, assuming there is no roadblock for the removal of Title II classification? Here's what Boston College Law School professor Daniel Lyons has to say on the subject.

The worst-kept secret in the global broadcasting business was formally revealed on Thursday morning before the Opening Bell on Wall Street and in midday trading on the FTSE in London. The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox have entered into a definitive agreement for Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses, for approximately $52.4 billion in stock -- and a total value of $66.1 billion. What does this mean for FOX O&Os and the U.S. broadcast TV industry? 

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, TV broadcasters: bullies that use their market power to force small and medium-sized cable operators into lopsided deals that hurt consumers. That's how American Cable Association members view the owners of broadcast TV stations, according to a new survey on "retransmission consent negotiations with corporate broadcasters" conducted by the Pittsburgh-based lobbying group. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and we've got an RBR+TVBR Observation on this hot topic.

Wall Street wordsmith and respected financial analyst Brian Wieser has just concluded a review of weekly national TV viewing trends for both news and sports based upon live+same-day viewing data made available on Tuesday. Why? The two genres together accounted for 22% of all national TV viewing last year, and are "the key programming genres for which this quickly available data is useful for purposes of analysis, certainly when compared with dramas and comedies," he notes. What does this mean for your broadcast stations?

Investors reacted negatively to a SEC filing made Monday by iHeartMedia that its iHeartCommunications subsidiary is “currently exploring a possible private capital-raising transaction.” At the Closing Bell on Wall Street Tuesday, the company's publicly traded shares were off 16.7%.

Pandora has a new CMO. This individual is charging with bringing "Pandora’s next chapter to life through cutting-edge digital, social and mobile marketing initiatives." She'll also be tasked with leading consumer brand strategy, market positioning, performance-based and partnership marketing for the company. She arrives after a stint overseeing marketing and digital efforts for Banana Republic.

Live broadcast and events will generate over $545 billion in direct revenues in 2018. That's a key takeaway from the 17th edition of the "Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions” report from Deloitte, released today. The report also looks at the "adlergic" audience, and how this may impact -- if at all -- digital media and ad revenue. Meanwhile, young adult TV viewing is predicted to decline yet again.

Nearly four years after succeeding co-founder David Honig as President/CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), Kim Keenan has resigned from her post. Keenan has decided "to pursue other professional opportunities"; she did not elaborate on the reason for her exit. An interim leader has already been named.

The nation's largest radio broadcasting company, iHeartMedia, revealed Monday in a SEC filing that its iHeartCommunications subsidiary is "currently exploring a possible private capital-raising transaction." From the looks of this transaction, it appears that the company is moving forward with plans to amend or fully agree to a counter proposal presented by key lenders that could give them all of iHeart's equity in Clear Channel Outdoor and a significant stake in iHeart.

The FCC on Monday flipped the switch on an online dashboard designed to provide the public with more information on the agency’s work. Now available at FCC.gov, the resource aims to give consumers better access to reports and graphics on FCC workloads, pending actions, and other accountability matrices—and more easily access Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) materials. 

For those who questioned whether or not Nielsen Audio would lose out on nearly $6.7 million its owed by Cumulus Media, think again. The nation's dominant audience measurement company and the nation's No. 2 radio broadcasting company by number of stations have just reached a deal on a multi-year extension for radio ratings services.