the HOT List

That's the message radio industry consultants and cognoscenti have gathered from a CNN report late Thursday suggesting that a 90% ad budget reduction from 2016 for the Affordable Care Act is a plus for radio broadcasting companies.

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), will delve into the how the post-FCC Spectrum Auction repack process is unfolding.

BIA/Kelsey will be soon adjusting its 2017 radio and TV revenue estimates for Houston, and the dollars will be heading downward. By how much is not yet known. As of now, the Texas Association of Broadcasters is working tirelessly with stations that are "in dire straits." Among those stations are two TV stations in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tex., area that have seen "utter devastation."

Cox Media Group's Orlando operation has been unified some seven weeks after the surprising departure of RVP Susan Larkin for a VP role at Entercom: The VP/GM of Cox's ABC-affiliated WFTV-9 and independent WRDQ-27 in Orlando has been promoted to Market VP and will now oversee the CMG radio stations in Central Florida.

Just in time for the start of the National Football League regular season and Major League Baseball playoffs, there will be a new six-second spot. No ... it has noting to do with where the football is being placed after a Time Out or a replay on a disputed baseball call. Rather, the ultra-quick commercial first used by FOX during its recent Teen Choice Awards telecast will now be used in limited quantities by FOX Sports.

In February 2010, as part of our coverage of Valerie Geller's series "In Case of Emergency," we offered a hypothetical scenario of what were to happen if the Flood of the Century arrived at your radio stations, and at your community. As new horrors unfold in Beaumont, Texas, which Thursday afternoon lost its water supply, we are pleased to offer from the RBR+TVBR archives this column on what to do when the worst shows up on your doorstep.

A new report from a professor of Music Business at New York University-Steinhardt Department of Music & Performing Arts Professions punctuates this mindset, declaring that "broadcast radio is struggling to remain relevant as consumers embrace streaming platforms." We delve into the study from Larry Miller, who declares — based on his contrarian research to what the Nielsen and RAB may share — that these trends "are crippling radio."

A man in Illinois has initiated a putative class action lawsuit against Spanish Broadcasting System for something that has nothing to do with what he heard on one of its radio stations or saw on its nationally distributed Mega TV platform. Rather, Adam Bugbee claims he received unsolicited text messages to his cell phone from SBS, even though he's on a national Do Not Call registry.

If it weren't for the valiant efforts of every member of Houston's broadcast media community, the sixth-largest market in the U.S. would be at a tremendous information loss. It speaks volumes of why local radio and TV matter, and this message should be sent to Madison Avenue today.

Severe devastation at TEGNA's CBS affiliate in Houston, KHOU-11, due to Hurricane Harvey has forced it to use Houston Public Media's studios — and assistance from TEGNA stations in Denver and Dallas — in order to continue broadcasting as catastrophic weather conditions only worsened through mid-morning on Monday.

Eight days ago, two key members of Spanish Broadcasting System's Board of Directors abruptly tendered their resignations. While neither Gary Stone nor Alan Miller were willing to give additional details of their departure from the SBS board, one insider who is very close to the matter willingly shared with RBR+TVBR what's going on behind the scenes at this Miami-based media company controlled by Chairman/CEO Raul Alarcon Jr. Simply put: It's him against a new group of preferred shareholders, and things could be getting bloody very soon.

It's awfully quiet out there in Deal City and Transactions Town. What gives? According to one key industry observer, everybody's waiting ... and eyeing the radio business' three biggies. This insider also sheds some light on the overall atmosphere for buyers and sellers, and if any talk about Townsquare Media selling stations is just folly.

Thomas, who first rose to fame at WAPE in Jacksonville and was later the first morning host at KPWR "Power 106" in Los Angeles, died Thursday at the age of 69. Thomas, who received an Emmy Award for his work on "Murphy Brown" and was most recently in "Ray Donovan," was suffering from cancer.

Attention, 2017 Radio Show attendees: You have the opportunity to learn in-person about the latest technologies influencing radio broadcasting companies and those in the C-Suite. It simply involves attending a 9am session on Sept. 6 in Austin, Tex. It follows a free webinar set for Tuesday afternoon that you can still sign up for today.

Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Co. have jointly fired back at the many entities opposed to their merger, formally putting its words into writing via an Opposition to Petitions to Deny the deal filed late Tuesday (8/22) with the FCC.