the HOT List

Poor comps? Not here. Gray Television enjoyed a Q2 2017 that was nothing short of spectacular, as revenue surged to $226.7 million from $196.6 million, and net income catapulted to $70.6 million (97 cents per diluted share) from $17.7 million (24 cents). Thank the Spectrum Auction for the strong quarter, and buckle up for a bumpy Q3.

Following Monday's Closing Bell on Wall Street, CBS Corporation reported Q2 2017 results that surpassed expectations, coupled with profits that met the Street. Brian Wieser, a senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group who has emerged in recent months as a prolific pulse-taker of broadcast media's publicly traded companies, likes what he sees: CBS execs hint that the company is shifting its revenue mix away from advertising and toward other activities, and those moves are "particularly positive."

Holy Moly: Upon first glance of Salem Media Group's second quarter earnings release, distributed just past 1pm Pacific by the Southern California-based faith-focused and conservative talk broadcast company, one word glaringly sticks out among all others: Decreased. It set the tone for a quarter in which net income plummeted on slightly less revenue.

With all of the excitement over radio's renewed place in the home thanks to Smart Speaker devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, it still loses — badly — in the one place you're most likely going to sleep and shower that you don't live in: The hotel. Here's what RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief has to say on the subject, and why you should rally around him now.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) this week filed reply comments with the FCC to its "modernization of media regulation initiative." Co-authored by President/CEO Kim Keenan and President Emeritus and Senior Advisor David Honig, MMTC outlines seven priorities the Commission should take when proceeding with its plans.

The FCC is sticking with its timetable for public comments, reply comments, and responses to reply comments regarding the blockbuster Sinclair-Tribune Media merger. More time was requested by DISH Network, the American Cable Association (ACA), and Public Knowledge, who are waging a collective fight to stop the merger. A Monday press call will formally announce their FCC filings in opposition to the proposed deal, and local news is a big reason fueling their battle.

Legislation introduced March 30 by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) that would require AM and FM radio stations that play copyrighted sound recordings to pay royalties for the non-digital audio transmissions of the recordings has picked up another supporter in Congress. But, is the bill inching toward the ether? Is bipartisan opposition on both sides of Capitol Hill — backed by the NAB — too great to overcome? That's what it looks like.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday officially brought the FCC back to four Commissioners while ensuring Ajit Pai remains Chairman. Pai congratulated Rosenworcel on her reappointment as a Democratic Commissioner, and applauded Carr's arrival at the FCC.

On a day when TV industry stocks were getting pounded on Wall Street, Univision Communications President/CEO Randy Falco sounded a bit too cheerful. "I am very pleased with our quarterly results," he said in announcing that the company focused on Hispanic consumers and multicultural millennials saw its ad revenue shrink by 17% in Q2, and its total revenue slump by 4.4%. Why was Falco in such a good mood? Univision saw a healthy net income jump.

It was a mixed three-month period for the company with the highest count of AM and FM properties across the U.S., as consolidated revenue declined. That's primarily due to a $36.1 million impact tied to the sale of outdoor businesses. Minus that, revenue was up. Meanwhile, operating income soared—helping iHeart narrow its massive net loss.

Entravision Communications, the owner of broadcast TV and radio stations largely targeting Hispanic consumers, released its Q2 2017 results right after the Closing Bell on Wall Street Wednesday. How did it do? Net revenue was up, but net income was down.

Tough comps in both Q2 and Q3, due largely to the absence of Olympics-related ad revenue and much lower political dollars, dinged Sinclair Broadcast Group. Investors were less than thrilled, with SBGI shares sliding more than 5% ahead of the Closing Bell on Wall Street.

The return of Jessica Rosenworcel as an FCC Commissioner is nearly complete. So is the official reappointment of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, and the nomination of Brendan Carr to a term expiring at the end of June 2018. What narrowly passed muster with the powerful committee is Carr's nomination to stay on as Commissioner past that date.

It was a punishing Q2 for the company formerly known as Radio One, and in mid-morning trading shares were off a steep 24% before ending the day unchanged. In a conference call with Wall Street analysts, company head Alfred Liggins III noted that the Houston cluster is "stabilizing" and that June was a great month for its radio stations. Unfortunately, Houston was down in Q2—as were four other key markets.

Come August 13, Duracell and Mars will have six seconds of airtime to make a brand impression with FOX viewers. Will the teens and pre-teens tuning in simply tune out, or will they remember the products and consider purchasing them?