the HOT List

Here's a question that every radio and TV sales professional should ask not only potential clients, but also those who have used traditional media — a.k.a. "old media" — for years. You may get a blank stare, or a giggle. But, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson believes it's an important question that illustrates a point the TVB and RAB may want to elucidate on: About 20% of connected adults always use an ad blocker, new research finds.

If you're wondering where FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will be next week, don't look to the Portals or anywhere around the National Capital Region. That's because he'll be on the road, driving across five states in a 1,100-mile tour devoted to rural broadband concerns that will conclude with an address at the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters Convention.

A just-released White Paper from Neustar, an information services provider known for its "connection science" solutions that's being purchased for $2.9 billion by Golden Gate Capital, confirms what many a TV executive has been spouting for years: Television is still the most effective way to advertise.

A federal appeals court late Thursday declined to grant an FCC request that would have avoided a stay of its vote that reinstated the "UHF discount." But, it's only an administrative stay—giving the court a bit more time to look at arguments for and against eased restrictions on station ownership.

On March 15, two of the broadcast television industry’s biggest players formed a consortium designed to promote spectrum aggregation, innovation and monetization while enhancing their abilities to compete in the wireless data transmission sector. Now, one of the nation's biggest Hispanic media companies has joined the consortium.

"We have different members that are going to lead on different issues," Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications & Technology, said in an interview with C-SPAN conducted before the Memorial Day holiday. "Billy Long is leading the work on media ownership." Who's he? He just may be radio's biggest fan on Capitol Hill, this RBR+TVBR INFOCUS report uncovers.

Nearly across-the-board gains were seen among media stocks in Thursday's trading on Wall Street. The lone exceptions: Comcast, down 0.07%; the volatile Netflix, off 0.05%; and Cumulus Media. The No. 2 radio broadcast company by number of stations saw its stock price sag by 6.8%.

To help reduce injuries or place tower workers in life-threatening situations, the FCC and OSHA today released their jointly produced "Communications Tower Best Practices Guide." The guide is a result of the long-standing commitment of both agencies to ensuring the safety of tower workers, Chairman Pai and OSHA head Dorothy Dougherty note.

On May 1, in a novel transaction only made possible by the now-concluded FCC Spectrum Auction, a fast-growing Southern California media player — The Meruelo Group — agreed to pay just $10 million for a channel-sharing agreement created as a result of the Spectrum Auction. The seller, Hero Licenseco, pocketed nearly $147 million for giving up the spectrum for KBEH-63 in the L.A. DMA and agreed to spin the agreement. Now, it's abandoning the deal.

A new survey of U.S. teenagers suggests that the majority both find ads helpful and enjoy watching promos starring celebrities. What could this mean for your radio or TV station, and their respective online, social, and digital media platforms?

With 29 days and counting until AMC-8 dies, there is still much concern among satellite-delivered syndicated radio programming companies that too many radio stations will wait until the last minute to transition to this aging bird's replacement. Here's why you should act now on making the move.

"It's been a while, but we're back!" That's the greeting visitors to the iTunes Store will receive when discovering what's new with the free iHeart for Auto app. As of today, a new "engine" and some "bodywork" is complete, and iHeartMedia is promising "a smoother, more stable listening experience and a refreshed look" while it sets the groundwork for "really cool new features" designed for the connected car.

One of the nation's largest owners of broadcast TV stations has entered into a Consent Decree with the FCC that resolves an investigation into the improper insertion of Emergency Alert System (EAS) tones in a commercial that aired on a NBC affiliate in Florida's First Coast. We've got an RBR+TVBR Observation on the matter, which could have easily been prevented.

Nielsen on Thursday released its top-line findings from its Q4 2016 Comparable Metrics Report, and the overall picture is a rosy one for the TV industry. However, the portrait requires a closer look. There's some significant issues in a key advertiser demo for TV, and we've got an RBR + TVBR Observation on how AMC Networks may be a big giant ostrich in the C-Suite Zoo.

With its tax-free, Reverse Morris Trust-fueled merger with CBS Radio on track, one would think Entercom and its leader, David Field, would be the new darlings of Wall Street. As Wells Fargo Securities Senior Analyst Marci Ryvicker notes in RBR+TVBR's Spring 2017 NAB Show Special Report, Field will be the radio industry's "clear leader" following the deal's closing. Why, then, is Zacks Equity Research asking if Entercom is "positioned for a slump?" Perhaps a dividend analysis from Capital Cube can point to the answers.