the HOT List

The incoming head of the FCC has signaled that the Commission will give credence to a public interest law firm that has filed a petition challenging the pending merger of CBS News & Stations parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media.

A pair of digital low-power television stations licensed to Dalton, Ga., are being added to the Gray Media stable of broadcast properties, pending FCC approval of a transaction agreed to on Tuesday.

Atlanta-headquartered Gray Media is partnering with the Atlanta Braves MLB team on a multi-year partnership that starts with the 2025 MLB season. It sees Gray-owned WPCH-17 "Peachtree TV" in Atlanta agree to simulcast 15 regular season games produced and aired by Diamond Sports Group-owned FanDuel Sports Network.

As Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes sees it, Grethen, who first joined the privately held operation in 1993, is not only among "the most respected and admired marketing leaders throughout the broadcast television industry" but is also "the standard bearer for excellence and viewer-centric marketing.”

A digital multicast network offering from Sinclair Inc. is poised to enjoy greater national coverage, thanks to a new distribution agreement with FOX Television Stations.

The strike price, says Audacy Inc., is $20 per share. What will the company that sees a majority stake held by Soros Fund Management do with the proceeds? The additional equity capital will be used to repay existing debt, it says. 

He most recently served as VP of Strategy and Acquisitions at A+E Networks, where he spent the past 11 years shaping the networks’ programming and content acquisition strategy. Starting today, he's the new SVP of Programming for The E.W. Scripps Co.

Both AM and FM stations continue to demonstrate their unmatched ability to engage U.S. Hispanic audiences at scale. And, as Latinos are projected to account for 71% of U.S. population growth between 2022 and 2031, there's no better time than now to target the Spanish-speaking radio listener. That's according to a new Hispanic Radio Alliance report produced with Nielsen.

With advertising revenue set to top $100 billion this year, and a global advertising audience of 2.2 billion, Mark Zuckerberg's creation is both the most-populous and best-monetized social media platform in the world. Is there a learning lesson here for broadcast media?

An agreement was announced on Thursday morning by Educational Media Foundation and Radio Nueva Vida parent Association for Community Education, Inc. Terms of the transaction, which sees EMF become the sole member of ACE and no funds exchanged, awaits a LMS filing with the FCC.

The owner of NewsNation, WGN Radio, and the largest collection of broadcast television stations in the U.S. has confirmed that it is moving ahead with a reduction-in-force initiative. This move comes after a similar employee trimming move at The CW, which Nexstar Media Group controls.

The Board of Directors of the "Local First" media company that derives much of its revenue not from its small and mid-sized radio stations but from digital and programmatic ad solutions has signed off on a $50 million stock repurchase initiative. 

In one of the Rosenworcel Commission's final actions to involve broadcast media, the FCC has approved a Media Bureau item that updates 13 broadcast radio and television rules to better reflect current application processing requirements, codify existing bureau practices, and remove references to outdated licensing procedures. 

The woman who formerly served as Vice President of Global Advertising Sales and Partnerships at Roku, where she oversaw the company’s entire global ad revenue operation, has accepted a similar role at NBCUniversal. She will report to NBCUniversal President of Advertising and Partnerships Alison Levin.

While it was known that the current House Energy & Commerce Chair, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, wouldn't be in the role as she decided not to seek reelection, who would succeed her wasn't entire known. That changed late Monday afternoon, putting a Kentucky GOP House Member in a key position impacting the FCC.