the HOT List

The Smullin family's South West Oregon TV Broadcasting Corp. has struck a deal that will see Sinclair Inc. fully acquire a full-power property and four associated TV translators serving Douglas County, Ore., for nearly 70 years. The deal comes four years after a transaction in Eugene, Ore., involving Cox Media Group.

One of the nation's largest financial institutions, home to veteran media industry analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich, has reportedly teamed with other undisclosed banks in launching a leveraged loan to assist the nation's largest single owner of broadcast television stations in its quest to acquire TEGNA.

Welcome to the latest retransmission consent negotiation to result in the removal, by law, of broadcast television stations from a MVPD — this time frequent "blackout" artist DirecTV. Sticking to its guns is the Wisconsin TV station ownership group founded with a newspaper in 1890 that remains family-controlled today.

Cumulus Media's days as a publicly traded broadcaster are at an end. The company's prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan lays out a reorganization that wipes out current shareholders entirely, sees an entirely new board, and could lead to new executive leaders.

In recent years, Global Weather has emerged as a frequent plaintiff in copyright infringement lawsuits over alleged unauthorized use of its extreme weather footage. Two radio broadcasting companies are the latest to be sued by the entity linked to such "storm chasers" as Aaron James Jayjack.

In court filings, Cumulus Media stated that "emergency consideration" be granted as executive leadership believes "an immediate and orderly transition into chapter 11 is critical to their ability to reorganize successfully." Any delay "would have the opposite effect and could cause immediate and irreparable harm."

The ABC affiliate serving the Lexington, Ky., market is being sold by Morris Network Inc. Who's the buyer? It is the Cincinnati-headquartered broadcast media company whose flagship TV station is the home of ABC network programming in the Queen City, some 90 minutes to the north.

However one interprets the FCC's creation of the "Pledge America Campaign," the NAB has made sure it is considered to be a top resource when it comes to content via "a nationwide, year-long effort to celebrate the essential role local radio and television stations play in recording history and connecting communities. "

Despite overwhelming support in both the House and Senate, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is stuck in a quagmire. Automotive industry lobbying to block a vote on the "mandate" appears to be doing the trick. At risk is the loss of a local voice for consumers. That's just happened in the Gateway to the West.

The 10 winners of the 39th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards have been announced at the 2026 NAB State Leadership Conference, being held at the Salamander in Southwest Washington. The honorees include a heritage Class B Rocker one can tune to here, even thought it is licensed to Baltimore.

Tysons, Va.-headquartered TEGNA made the declaration as part of its distribution of its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results, which saw the company led by CEO Mike Steib achieve or exceed all previously announced full-year guidance.

The New Jersey Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives that got the ball rolling on the still-stalled AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has teamed up with a Republican from West Texas in introducing legislation that would "ensure greater transparency and accountability" in the FCC's license review process.

For more than a decade, a Scranton TV station has served as a prime example of what a company can do to operate a station it cannot legally purchase due to the FCC's national TV ownership reach cap. Now, Sinclair is taking the step to make this station an O&O, prompted by expected FCC deregulation.

With likely rule "modernization" thanks to the return of President Trump to the White House and the leadership of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, The E.W. Scripps Co. has disclosed that it wants to reacquire the properties — assuming it can secure Commission waivers ahead of any rule change.

With revenue and adjusted EBITDA exceeding expectations, Gray Media is more than satisfied with its fiscal prowess during the final three months of 2025 as it propels into this year with renewed vigor and a hopeful outlook on "the likelihood of local ownership reform that would help level the playing field for our industry."