the HOT List

This week, the state of Maine will get another economic boost from the official ribbon-cutting and grand opening of a 33,000-square foot manufacturing facility in the city of Lewiston. The launch of the new Dielectric facility will also be good news for TV broadcasting companies in the midst of a post-FCC spectrum auction repack process. In an exclusive RBR+TVBR Weekly Tech Roundup interview, Dielectric VP/GM Keith Pelletier shares why there's a need for the new facility, and how Sinclair Broadcast Group ownership has helped Dielectric achieve considerable market share in its space.

NBCUniversal has said goodbye to its largest affiliate partner for its main Spanish-language network, Telemundo. That's because NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group is buying the company's assets and, pending FCC and other government approvals, will be welcoming their 13 TV stations in 10 markets fully into the O&O fold.

The three-pronged media company is poised for growth in its current markets and could expand into other areas of the U.S. where holes of interest present themselves. With a highly publicized leadership change now in its past, Townsquare is being co-led by a genial co-CEO who came on board 7 1/2 years ago after a tenure as a VP at Thomas H. Lee Partners. RBR+TVBR spoke with Dhruv Prasad about his passion for local radio, and how that will help bring more riches to the broadcast company.

As news of Cumulus Media's Chapter 11 reorganization plan filtered across the broadcast media industry, some pointed to the number of creditors who have some sizable unsecured claims they may not be able to collect more than pennies on the dollar on, should things turn particularly sour for the company. Among those potentially impacted: Industry veteran Randy Michaels, and Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz.

After nearly two months of darkness for DISH Network subscribers and a slatemate in its negotiations with the independent broadcast TV company based in Erie, Pa., for a new retransmission fee agreement, Lilly Broadcasting's stations will soon be returning to the DBS provider's lineups in five impacted regions.

There's an entity that describes itself as “a publicly traded diversified holding company which seeks opportunities to acquire and grow businesses that can generate long-term sustainable free cash flow and attractive returns in order to maximize value for all stakeholders” which has been actively acquiring TV properties following the FCC's spectrum auction. This entity, HC2 Holdings Inc., earlier this week agreed to purchase two Mega TV affiliates in Florida. Now, its subsidiary -- HC2 Network Inc. -- is acquiring an entire TV network.

Want to hear that song from TV On The Radio on your television? There's now an easier way to get the task done, thanks to a newly forged partnership between Comcast and iHeartMedia.

The "coercion" of American Cable Association members of carrying ATSC 3.0 signals, along with ATSC 1.0 signals, as part of a new beefier-to-broadcasters retrans consent deal will not be tolerated by the Pittsburgh-based advocacy association. In fact, it has sent a letter to the FCC telling it is keeping a close eye on the "thousands of agreements" members will be negotiating over the next five weeks.

How often do viewers of your TV stations or listeners of your radio stations unintentionally watch, or hear, a commercial? Silly question, right? A similar question is being asked about digital ads by a highly influential newsletter -- and it gives more ammunition to the TVB and RAB to go out there and fight for dollars that are rightfully theirs.

Wall Street's most prolific analytic wordsmith of how things are has just refined his firm's expectations for total U.S. advertising growth for 2017, and beyond. His new estimates are within the range anticipated for much of the year. But, they are slightly below pre-Q3 2017 forecasts.

Cumulus Media's Westwood One national radio arm has just completed a series of organization changes in its sales team that it says are designed to capitalize on its "strong sales momentum, as well as to propel the organization to new heights in 2018 and beyond." These "important strategic changes to the leadership and structure of the national sales team" see a new President of Sales, as its current leader is retiring "to pursue his life passions in Vermont."

What looked to be a bitter battle between DBS provider DISH Network and CBS Corp. over a new retransmission agreement has been resolved as of Midnight Eastern Time Friday. DISH Network has reached a multi-year carriage agreement with CBS Corp. for all of its owned and operated local stations, including several affiliates of The CW and two MyNetworkTV stations.

To say Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is less than pleased with her Republican colleagues' push to review the current U.S. national media ownership cap is a bit of an understatement. She's just as frustrated about the planned Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that could eliminate or greatly change the ownership cap as she is about the pending end of Title II classification for broadband, ending "Net Neutrality" rules she helped put in place. 

Cox Media Group (CMG) has named seven veteran broadcast leaders to take on senior leadership roles in seven of its markets. Most of the promotions involve TV properties, while Cox's Director of Sales for its four radio stations in South Florida has risen to the role of GM.

Democrats across Washington are crowing about another turkey gobbing around the Portals. Republicans are eyeing the next step that would bring further relief to broadcast media companies that are evermore challenged in their quest to compete against digital and social media. No matter how you view it, the FCC will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at its December 14 Open Meeting that seeks comment on the FCC’s national television multiple ownership rule, also known as the national cap, including the "UHF discount."