the HOT List

With tough comps due to a loss of political dollars and a tightening advertising landscape, perhaps flat is good for a media company in the early months of 2017. For The E.W. Scripps Co., TV division revenue was statistically flat in Q1. Meanwhile, the company's radio stations experienced a 4.2% revenue dip during the quarter. What's truly hurting Scripps is its digital division, and there's one clear reason why.

A big advertiser that does the bulk of its business in the first quarter of every year has elected to bring its media buying and planning, social strategy, and creative all under the same umbrella. In doing so, Publicis Groupe has snagged a media assignment valued at $146 million, according to industry estimates. For the TV and radio industry C-Suite, now is the time to set appointments to win over business from this "taxing" client.

The first three months of 2017 have been kind to a company dedicated to super-serving Hispanic media consumers across the U.S. Entravision Communications, which not only owns radio stations but is also the largest Univision and UniMás affiliate partner in the nation, saw its net income rise 15% in Q1. The good performance, thanks wholly to its TV segment, came as the company's board of directors approved a cash dividend to shareholders.

An additional NFL game and the presence of Super Bowl 50 on CBS-TV one year ago made a big difference for CBS Corp. in Q1. So did a loss of political dollars, as the company swung to a net loss. Net revenue was down to $3.34 billion, from $3.59 billion. But, the coming merger of CBS Radio with Entercom had perhaps the biggest impact on CBS's Q1 earnings.

Publicly traded radio and TV companies have experienced a decline in share value as a result of MoffettNathanson LLC's Craig Moffett releasing an investor report on Wednesday highlighting a sharp decline in pay-TV subscriptions. The dips continued today for most companies. Saga Communications is flying high, and so is Tribune.

When it comes to iHeartMedia's eponymous core business unit, it was a good Q1, with revenue climbing 2.5%, to $757.2 million. Here's where the good news ends for iHeart. No matter how you sugar-coat it, iHeartMedia has some major financial challenges on its hands, as its consolidated revenue dipped 2.4%, to $1.33 billion, due to declines in its Clear Channel Outdoor unit. Perhaps most telling are the across-the-board declines in iHeart's operating income.

That's how Sinclair Broadcast Group Executive Chairman David Smith summarizes the state of his broadcast media company, which saw its Q1 total net revenue increase to $649.9 million, from $578.9 million, as its net income surged thanks to an 'Alarm' sale.

Beasley Broadcast Group this morning (5/2) ushered in a busy week of Q1 earnings releases from broadcast media companies, and on its face, Beasley had a boffo first three months of 2017. That's thanks to the inclusion of the former Greater Media stations. Minus those properties, Beasley legacy station revenue declined by $2 million. Why? Politics — and a "shock jock" no longer on one of the company's stations — are to blame.

Some six years after acquiring its first television station, The Meruelo Group has just agreed to purchase its second broadcast property. And, it's a bit of a bargain, as it's paying just $10 million for assets tied to a station within the Los Angeles DMA. What's perhaps most notable about this deal is that it's the first to involve a post-spectrum auction transfer of control of a channel-sharing agreement. We've broken down details as to how Bob Behar's Miami-based Hero Licenseco is exiting Southern California, pocketing millions with the decision.

Mark May 18, 2017 as the day the FCC starts to say goodbye to a rule that's been on the books since FDR was President and World War II had yet to reach its apex. That's when the Commission, at its May Open Meeting, will open "MB Docket No. 17-106." That's Washingtonian for the elimination of the main studio rule, and Garvey Schubert Barer may be to thank for the NPRM, although its petition was dismissed as moot.

With the spectrum auction now concluded, Meredith is looking to be a buyer: The company said in releasing its fiscal Q3 2017 results prior to Thursday's Opening Bell on Wall Street that it "expects to continue to grow its Local Media Group organically and through strategic acquisitions." How did the owner of broadcast TV stations fare in its fiscal Q3? We dissected the numbers for you.

It wasn't that long ago when some industry observers questioned the profitability of satellite radio. Today, there's no question that with one player in the arena -- Sirius XM -- it's certainly a revenue maker. That's because Sirius XM Holdings matched Wall Street expectations in its latest quarterly earnings report.

DISH Network has reached a multi-year retransmission fees agreement with Hearst Television, ending a nearly two-month stalemate with the owner of stations in 26 markets across 30 states. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, DISH said in a late Wednesday (4/26) release.

The Los Angeles Chargers, formerly the San Diego Chargers National Football League club, have agreed in principle to multi-year television and radio agreements that will make The Walt Disney Co.'s West Coast flagship and the nation's biggest Azteca América station as its official TV partners. At the same time, the No. 1 radio broadcast company's L.A. cluster and a historic AM now owned by Lotus Communications are now the franchise's official radio partners.

With discussion on AM revitalization and more translators a core topic of discussion at the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas, a session devoted to RF interference and how AMs can advance their efforts drew a packed house of engineers and station owners. In an exclusive INFOCUS report, RBR+TVBR talks with a Wyoming operator of two AMs that are "cash cows," and the station's contract engineer. To them, AM's present and future is a business necessity that D.C. needs to hear, loud and clear.