the HOT List

At the start of 2023, the FCC's Media Bureau received a Petition for Declaratory Ruling filed by the Portland, Ore.-based Alpha Media that would allow it to increase its foreign ownership stake to 100%. Public comment was gathered by Audio Division Chief Al Shuldiner. The radio station owner's plan has received Commission approval.

With the 2023-24 season underway, San Francisco 49ers fans have already enjoyed access to live Spanish-language game broadcasts. The en español play-by-play is thanks in part to Audio over IP technology, and a decision by the club to create a simple remote broadcast workflow for away games.

Core ad categories for broadcast media — including Automotive, Retail and Travel — have mostly rebounded from pandemic-level declines. But, they are showing signs of softness. And, while Pharmaceutical, Telecom and Professional Services remain "relatively strong" in terms of ad spend, the U.S. broadcast station industry is shaky.

The reclassification of broadband under Title II, which opponents have been bracing for over a nearly three-year period in which Democrats lacked a third vote necessary to make the rulemaking come alive, would bring back a Wheeler Commission decision that was erased under the FCC of Ajit Pai.

iSpot, a TV measurement company seeking to serve as an alternative to Nielsen, has earned its first Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation.

The Federal Trade Commission, along with 17 state attorneys general, argue that the online retail and technology giant — an entity that has siphoned advertising dollars from broadcast radio and television — is "a monopolist" that uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to maintain its power.

It’s official: Anna Gomez is now a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, having been sworn in on Monday. She wasted no time in revealing key staff members.

For WGA East and WGA West, its new agreement with the AMPTP is not yet finalized. However, the union says an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language, arrived on Sunday evening. "To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild," it warned.

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the U.S. automotive industry was severe. A lack of supplies due to supply chain problems crippled the business for months. Now, with a United Auto Workers (UAW) strike that on Friday spread past Detroit to two other locales, could a new impediment to automotive ad dollars be a fresh concern for broadcast television?

Fox Corporation has successfully defended itself in a patent suit filed in Delaware by a company that accused the owner of FOX Broadcasting Co. of patent infringement. At issue is a platform used within the company designed to optimize scheduling and the airing of National Football League games on its stations by regional selectivity.

After what the Miami-headquartered company calls its "careful consideration and a thorough review of the circumstances" surrounding the sale of its Mega TV operation to Voz Media, the $64 million transaction — agreed upon by both parties on February 9, 2023 — has been terminated.

An ad dollar shift to streaming and online advertising is not expected to ebb when it comes to the Automotive sector. That's a key takeaway from a live data-filled session from Patrick Manzi, Ph.D., of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). But, that doesn't mean Radio and Television are losing out on the billions of dollars in ad dollars from automotive.

Following a career that began nearly 70 years ago in 1954, Fox Corporation and News Corporation announced today that Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of each board, effective as of the upcoming Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of each company in mid-November.

Just like non-Latinos, U.S. Hispanics are "undeniably drawn to streaming" as Spanish- dominant Hispanics continue to embrace broadcast television. That's the key takeaway from a new research report from Nielsen that puts a focus on how Latinos consume audio and video content.

When Good Karma Brands spent $15 million for the broadcast homes of ESPN Radio in Los Angeles and Chicago, and WEPN-AM 1050 in New York, it also obtained the LMA agreement that put ESPN Radio on 98.7 MHz in New York. According to the New York Post, WEPN-AM will again become the home for ESPN Radio come August 2024.