the HOT List

On Thursday, RBR+TVBR reported that a markup of the 2026 Labor and Health and Human Services appropriations bill had taken place and provided no funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Now, the organization has confirmed that CPB will be ceasing operations. Most staff will exit on September 30.

The publicly traded broadcast TV ownership group co-led by Hilton Howell Jr. and Pat LaPlatney said it has reached an agreement with BCI to acquire its television stations. The deal creates a three-station group in Louisville and the need for a "Top-Four Prohibition" waiver.

In an announcement made just after 4:30pm Eastern on Thursday, Gray Media confirmed that it has reached an agreement to acquire two stations that it has been operating via shared services agreements with the licensee.

After a brutal morning that saw Paramount Global shares fall to $11.55, the company's stock recovered somewhat to dampen a dip that preceded the release of its Q2 2025 earnings report. The activity ahead of the second quarter earnings release also saw Paramount's Chief Content Licensing Officer resign.

With the majority of the broadcast media industry's Q2 earnings reports due to arrive over the next two weeks, could the widely diverse fiscal health results seen from a variety of companies today be a harbinger of what to expect? If so, beware: Sirius XM's earnings per share missed expectations by more than 26%.

The July 7 announcement that Gray Media and The E.W. Scripps Co. have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small markets, resulting in the creation of new duopolies for each group, has led the FCC to establish a pleading cycle for the purpose of seeking public comment on the proposed change in control.

It bills itself as "the world’s first fully interactive TV music channel," and it is powered by FastStream Interactive and ATSC 3.0 head cheerleader Sinclair. Thanks to a newly signed strategic partnership, ROXi’s music channel is being brought to 31 DMAs — with additional US markets launching later this year.

The CEO of NBCUniversal parent Comcast has been told the agency is launching a formal inquiry focused on whether NBC affiliation agreements — and Comcast's practice in negotiations and affirming these deals — are in conflict with station owner independence and their stations' public service obligations.

Spotify Technology S.A. shares tumbled by more than 10% on Tuesday morning, following the release of the streaming audio Goliath's Q2 2025 results — a performance that fell short of analysts expectations and those of its shareholders.

Pearl TV counsel Max Larson and Gerard Waldron at Covington & Burling have provided the FCC with more details on just how HDHomeRun depends on a chipset manufactured by HiSilicon, a wholly-owned Huawei Technologies subsidiary.

Fubo has filed a preliminary proxy statement seeking shareholder approval of the "Sports First" vMVPD's previously announced — and pending — business combination with The Walt Disney Company’s Hulu + Live TV. Most market observers consider this a mere formality, with Fubo's sale tied to the death of Venu Sports.

The use of a FM booster station to originate programming in order to bring Geo Broadcast Services' ZoneCasting technology to its full fruition is now wholly allowable for those operators who wish to invest in it.

The E.W. Scripps Co. has launched an offering of $650 million of new senior secured second-lien notes. Scripps, which made the announcement ahead of Monday's Opening Bell on Wall Street, says the notes are expected to mature in 2030.

The FCC in a 2-1 decision fueled by its Republican majority on Thursday approved the $8 billion merger of Paramount Global with Skydance Media. But, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sees it, it was the Trump administration that gave the green light on the deal. And, in her view, that makes the deal look crooked.

As he condemned the agency's OK of the $8 billion merger between Skydance and Paramount Global, New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone Jr. revealed that he will be launching an investigation "into the circumstances of this approval," including the conduct of the FCC, David Ellison-led Skydance and the CBS parent.