the HOT List

There's a disconnect between the C-Suites of the nation's biggest television industry media companies and the numbers-crunchers ensconced in the most influential financial investment advisement houses on Wall Street. This is one of the biggest takeaways from this week's "Media IR Day" in New York hosted by RBC Capital Markets.

A proposed transaction only made possible by the now-concluded FCC Spectrum Auction that would have allowed The Meruelo Group to pay $10 million for a channel-sharing agreement from Hero Licenseco was scuttled before the deadline for comments on the arrangement were due to the FCC. Now, Univision is seeking to do what Meruelo and Hero attempted to accomplish.

In a ruling made Thursday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the FCC may move forward with its return of the so-called "UHF discount" — setting the stage for what could be a flurry of deals akin to Sinclair Broadcast Group's announced acquisition of Tribune Media. Both the NAB and Free Press offered comments on the denial of an emergency stay of the rules.

In a turn of events that might have seemed stunning at any other time in presidential history, President Donald Trump — in a statement that was distributed just before midnight Wednesday (6/14) — indicated that he intends to nominate the Democrat to a whole new five-year term on the Commission.

The latest global forecast from IPG Mediabrands' "intelligence, investment and innovation" arm, MAGNA, concludes that the world's ad spend will increase for the eighth consecutive year. However, the rate of net advertising growth seen worldwide is noticeably smaller than in 2016—marking the slowest growth rate seen since 2014. And, absent of big-budget political ad spending in the U.S., the trends for 2019 and 2021 point to an even bigger slowdown in growth.

For the first time, long-form content represents the majority of time spent watching video on every screen. That's the top finding from the just-released Q1 2017 Global Video Index from software and services provider Ooyala.

Forget Taco John's: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai now has an opportunity to visit Torchy's, Velvet Taco or even the vegetarian/gluten free-friendly Tacodeli. Or, perhaps the JW Marriott in Austin, Tex., may want to have a plate of carnitas and carne asada at the ready. That's because Pai has been secured as a keynote speaker at the 2017 Radio Show's "Radio Luncheon" on Sept. 6 in Texas' capital city.

From mid-December through the last day of May 2017, TEGNA shares were placidly trading in the mid-$20 range. Then, on June 1, they fell off a cliff, tumbling to $15.27 per share. At the Closing Bell on Tuesday, TGNA shares were at $14.65—up 12 cents from yesterday's close. What ails the company formerly known as Gannett? Zacks Equity Research sought to find the answer.

The period between the execution of a purchase agreement for the sale of a radio or TV station and the transaction's closing may be viewed by many as a broadcaster’s vision of purgatory. To ensure a smooth transition, the seller needs to know how—and when—to communicate the sale to employees, advertisers and vendors. In this column from Erwin Krasnow and Doug Ferber, the broadcast media C-Suite is guided through the intricate process of communicating the decision to sell the station. Be sure to jot down their suggestions on engaging in the most effective communication to staff, once that Form 314 is filed with the FCC.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Saturday (6/10) made his first-ever trip to Wyoming, culminating what he told the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters was a "two-man buddy odyssey" that saw Pai drive from Milwaukee for nearly a week with his senior counsel Nick Degani. In an address to WAB Convention attendees, Pai applauded local broadcasters and the power of AM radio while noting how one Minnesota broadcaster believes the Main Studio Rule is a "killer." He also revealed his affection for Taco John's, his post-WAB address destination.

In a Friday morning announcement, Pandora confirmed that it has secured an agreement from SiriusXM to make a $480 million investment in the company and announced the sale of its Ticketfly division to Eventbrite for $200 million — significantly less than what Pandora purchased it for less than two years ago.

As of late May, little was heard on House legislation that would essentially tax any radio station that plays music. Now, 15 politicians — including a rising star in the Democratic party — have signed on as co-sponsors. They see the bill as a way to "reform music licensing for sound recordings in a logical, comprehensive way and close current corporate radio loopholes."

A digital metrics firm known for "measuring eyes on screen attention to every second of programming and advertising on television" has unveiled what it is calling "the first metric that measures creative breakthrough while normalizing for attention to surrounding commercial and program content." Is Madison Avenue ready to respond?

The iconic marketer died Sunday in Greenwich, Conn., at the age of 82. Trout worked for nearly three decades with business partner Al Reis, and did much to establish the concept of positioning as integral to marketing a product. Without Trout & Reis, perhaps the radio industry would look, and act, a bit differently today, RBR + TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson notes in this remembrance of Trout.

Publicly traded Veritone Inc. has greatly increased its visibility and brand awareness in the U.S. radio broadcasting industry over the last several months. Now, the provider of artificial intelligence analytics and cognitive solutions is being covered by no less than three financial analysts. All of them are high on the company's stock, which trades on Nasdaq.