the HOT List

As digital platforms continue to cut into traditional radio's share of the media pie, a study conducted in the middle of the 2024 election shows shifting media habits among news consumers in the US, highlighting a decline in AM/FM usage.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had much to share on Thursday in a "Fireside Chat" at digital media publication Semafor's "Innovating to Restore Trust in News Summit" — an event that also saw the head of NPR defend its underwriting policies as it is being probed by the Commission for potential non-comm licensee violations.

"Our fourth quarter financial results mark a strong finish to another successful year for Nexstar in which we delivered $5.4 billion in total net revenue — the highest in our company's 28-year history," Nexstar CEO Perry A. Sook said as he opened the company's Q4 earnings call. Was he downplaying Nexstar's fiscal health?

Would MVPDs and voices of the cable television industry protest a NAB petition with the FCC requesting mandated transition dates for TV stations to adopt ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals? Perhaps. If so, the Consumer Technology Association, which had fought against the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, has their back.

A 10pm Sunday premiere of a NBC prime-time series and a daytime serial debuting from CBS. What do they have to do with Gray Media? A lot, and that's what CEO Hilton Howell Jr. sought to stress as the publicly traded company's nontraditional revenue is about to jump in a way that differs from its peers.

As CEO Mike Steib and CFO Julie Heskett see it, TEGNA's financial strength and "disciplined execution" make it a standout broadcast television station owner, one ripe for growth and the right M&E activity as it nevertheless anticipates total Q1 2025 revenue to decline between 4% and 7%. As such, is TEGNA a buyer or seller?

The owner of such broadcast television stations as KGW-8 in Portland, Ore.; WTSP-10 in Tampa-St. Petersburg; and flagship WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C., enjoyed a 20% gain in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, helping it achieve full-year revenue growth of 7%. The big reason TEGNA saw the improvement is tied to political advertising.

The year-over-year results mark an improvement. But, in the eyes of analysts, the revenue growth seen in Q4 2024 for Sinclair Inc. may not be good enough. That's what the company led by Chris Ripley  has to contend with.

A closed-door luncheon at the Republican Study Committee held on Wednesday reportedly brought a topic of discussion to the RSC that's been a chatter subject among conservatives in recent months — Audacy Inc. The person leading the conversation at the RSC? Look no further than Brendan Carr.

So much for that voluntarily go-as-you-wish shift from the current ATSC 1.0 digital standard to the NEXTGEN TV-fueled ATSC 3.0 standard being rolled out across the country. The association representing the nation's biggest broadcast TV station owners wants a full shift to ATSC 3.0 in five years.

In an e-mail, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Chief Financial Officer confirmed that the organization that supports NPR and PBS stations across the U.S. "does not have access to funds" linked to a Next-Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant. What does this mean? CPB is seeking an answer.

The "local first" media company with a collection of radio stations in small and mid-sized markets and a growing digital and programmatic profile has entered into a sizable credit agreement with Bank of America, the details of which were provided to the Securities & Exchange Commission on Monday.

It's a question the VAB asks. Even after an in-depth analysis of Google parent Alphabet Inc.'s latest 10-K filing with the SEC, the organization dedicated to a fair, transparent and accurate TV measurement marketplace is "still left dealing with a lot of unanswered questions and non-disclosed facts."

He made national news headlines in late 2022 for openly challenging Cumulus Media's COVID-19 vaccination policy, and has enjoyed much attention for his conservative political ideology that has made him a popular podcaster. Meet the new Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He's been known for his tower climbs. Now, he's at it again — this time as FCC Chairman. Brendan Carr spent a part of Monday with a crew working atop an 1,800-foot broadcast tower in Alabama.