Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Graham Estate Planning Move Yields Transfer of Control Ask

It's a transfer of control request that the FCC will likely give its swift approval for, as it involves a shift in ownership from father to daughter. And, when all is said and done, Laura Graham O'Shaughnessy will hold 42.5% of the Class A voting shares and nearly 11% of the Class B shares in the parent of the entity whose flagship property is known as "LOCAL 4" in Detroit. 

Bridges Rises To WYFF’s Top Spot

John L. Humphries is retiring as the head of Hearst Television’s Upstate South Carolina television station that also serves storm-battered Western North Carolina. His successor has been selected, and it involves a promotion.

Detroit’s Dean of Local TV News To Retire

After joining Graham Media Group's flagship television station in August 1995, Devin Scillian has announced he will retire from television in the coming weeks. Scillian is perhaps the most familiar face in Detroit when it comes to local news, and has been a key figure in WDIV "LOCAL 4"'s dominance in the market.
ESPN

ESPN Handed Proposed FCC Fine For Emergency Alert Tone Violation

The entertainment and sports programming network within the ABC arm of The Walt Disney Company could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in fines payable to the FCC for its apparent misuse of emergency tones during a promotional segment for the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Erin Dozier, NAB

NAB To FCC Republican: Say No To FCC ‘Blackout’ Database

A Commission-hosted database featuring MVPD notifications of a broadcast TV station "blackout" due to a retransmission consent impasse goes beyond the agency's statutory authority. That's what the NAB's Deputy GC for Legal and Regulatory Affairs told an advisor to Nate Simington last week, arguing that the plan should be abandoned.
Tom Birch

Birch Urges FCC To Act on FM Translator Interference Claim

As September began, Tom Birch's Lakes Media filed a lengthy interference complaint with the FCC regarding his Class C3 FM licensed to Clarksville, Va., claiming a 150-watt FM translator designed to expressly serve the cities of Cary and Raleigh is creating problems. The Commission hasn't yet acted. He wants Jessica Rosenworcel to do something.

The CW Network President To Depart At Year’s End

The CW Network confirmed late Wednesday that Dennis Miller will be departing as Network President, effective October 31. He will serve in an advisory role through the end of the calendar year, at which time he will no longer be associated with the Nexstar Media Group-controlled operation. Miller has been a member of Nexstar’s Board of Directors for a decade.

Sputnik’s D.C.-Based Programming Winds Down

Tuesday was the final day of Washington, D.C.-based programming for Sputnik — with programs produced and made by journalists from stateside Sputnik studios coming to an end. Leased airtime on radio stations in Northern Virginia and in Kansas City is believed to be winding down by the end of the week.
Adam Symson

Scripps CEO Explains ‘Difficult Decisions’ In Company Memo

In a move former News Initiative Audit Lead Dave Taylor calls one of "authenticity and transparency," The E.W. Scripps Co. President/CEO Adam Symson on Tuesday went to LinkedIn to share why the company he leads made the decisions to abandon Scripps News' 24/7 digital multicast channel and to sell Bounce TV, which serves Black consumers.
Honolulu, from atop Diamondhead [Photo: Adam R Jacobson/RBR]

Hawaiian UHF Gets Proposed Fine For Issues/Programs List Flub

A broadcast television station linked with the non-secular Real Life Network that offers viewers "island-style, faith-filled television for the whole family" faces a substantial fine for violating the FCC's quarterly issues and programs list rules.

The InFOCUS Podcast: Kerri Black

In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm, Kerri Black, who oversees two Fiorini Media radio stations in Englewood and Arcadia, Fla., shares how the storm impacted the area south of Siesta Key, where Hurricane Milton made landfall last week. She shares what the stations did to keep the lights on, and what her team did to ensure the safety of staff.

MVPD-Free And Slightly Content: Today’s Hispanic TV Consumer

Hispanic consumers are 12% more likely than the total population to not have a cable or satellite subscription while some 62% are currently “cordless.” Concurrently, some 28% of U.S. Hispanics are content with their conventional TV service. Those are some of the key findings from a new Hispanic consumer research report.

A Súper NFL Partnership Between Former Rivals Arrives

For decades, FOX Deportes and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises have been challengers, of sorts, for viewers and ad dollars when it came to sports coverage of interest to U.S. Hispanics. Now, in a historic first, the two entities are coming together for the sporting world's biggest annual event. 

Alaska Public To Buy GCI Property

A broadcast television station that from its December 1953 sign-on through the end of July 2020 served as Alaska's primary CBS affiliate is being sold by the GCI subsidiary that has owned it since November 2013. The buyer is the leading PBS Member serving the nation's 49th state.

Radio, TV Resilient As Hurricane Milton Exits Florida

With much of Central Florida lacking electricity as the sun rose on Thursday, local radio and TV stations were offering a variety of updates from journalists and listeners themselves — offering vital updates on the aftermath of a storm unlike any other the Sunshine State has faced.