the HOT List

A new S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis reveals that some TV markets without a professional sports team have a higher viewership share than those with a team. Columbus, Ohio, for instance, reported 61% NFL game viewership.

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked for additional information and documents from the nation's largest single owner of broadcast TV stations and the company formerly known as Gannett, which it seeks to acquire, as part of its regulatory review of the historic deal.

The nation's most prominent media company superserving African American consumers has released its third quarter earnings results. In the words of Urban One President/CEO Alfred Liggins III, the Q3 results "came in slightly softer than expected across the board." If that's unsettling to investors, what will they think of the Q4 pacings?

He gained national recognition as a Republican candidate for the Governor of New Jersey in 2024 and was handedly defeated by Jack Ciattarelli, who could gain the role in Tuesday's election. Now, Townsquare Media talk host Bill Spadea is celebrating a Garden State victory — this time in the courtroom.

Negotiations between The Walt Disney Co. and Google's YouTube TV could stretch well into November, as a retransmission consent impasse took all of Disney's broadcast network O&Os and ABC affiliated properties off the virtual MVPD — as well as every Disney-owned cable channel.

In an opinion piece appearing at The Hill, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Fred Upton and Greg Walden state their case as to why the "arbitrary" 39% national television ownership reach cap should disappear. So should "arcane" radio industry rules, something the Carr Commission is empowered to do.

The on-demand and live audio content creator and distributor available via streaming audio and satellite radio that also is parent to Pandora has released its Q3 2025 earnings report. What can investors take away from the company led by CEO Jennifer Witz? The quarter was strong, and FY2025 guidance is up.

The founder and Chairman/CEO of the nation’s largest single owner of broadcast television stations will be staying in that role for another 40 months and two weeks.

As 2025 began, the battle between the "sports-first" virtual MVPD and FOX Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery and ESPN's parent ended. The conclusion of litigation saw FuboTV agree to the company's acquisition by The Walt Disney Co. Now, nearly 11 months later, the transaction is complete.

Longtime television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw has been ordered to liquidate all of the assets tied to his Merit Street Media — an abrupt shift to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for the entity that some 20 months ago had high hopes for a prime-time show from a state-of-the-air Dallas broadcast center. 

DuJuan McCoy's Circle City Broadcasting is poised to grow beyond the pair of properties it has owned for six years with a just-announced deal for Indianapolis' ABC affiliate. It's a station that The E.W. Scripps Co. acquired in a multi-station deal exactly 14 years ago.

A Fifth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on rule changes designed to support the nation's ongoing transition to ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast signals, which power NEXTGEN TV, has gotten an affirmative nod to proceed from all three of the FCC's Commissioners. 

The E.W. Scripps Co. has decided to sell its ABC affiliate serving Indianapolis to the company led by DuJuan McCoy that owns the market's home for The CW Network and its MyNetwork TV-aligned sibling. Pending regulatory approval, this will give Circle City Broadcasting ownership of three full-power stations there.

The Nexstar-TEGNA merger isn't without its regulatory hurdles as the FCC contemplates a thaw in its current rules. Nevertheless, the proposed deal has attracted its detractors, including ACA Connects head Grant Spellmeyer. Two Democrats from the Rocky Mountain State can now be added to the list of deal foes.

One week ago, the American Television Alliance began warning consumers that stations run by the nation's largest single licensee of broadcast TV stations could be prevented from reaching Verizon FiOs cable TV subscribers. With little fanfare, that carriage fee impasse has been avoided, with a fair new deal in place.