Legacy

Among the many documents added to the docket report in Audacy Inc. federal bankruptcy case being heard in a Houston court is a 17-page "Master Service List" outlining the top 30 unsecured creditors of the audio content creation and distribution company led by CEO David Field.

"My client is fighting the Russian empire on the home front." That's how attorney Arthur Belendiuk sums up an effort by the Ukranian Congress Committee of America to convince the FCC that a radio station owned by Arthur Liu is in violation of commission rules for broadcasting "paid Russian state propaganda."

In a transaction that sees Kalil & Co. as the broker, the Neuhoff Family has agreed to sell its radio stations in both Danville and Decatur, Ill.  The proposed sale, the Neuhoff Family Limited Partnership says, is part of "an overall strategic decision" to exit the broadcast industry after nearly 70 years.

It was once owned by NBC, and later by Media General before becoming a Sinclair Broadcast Group station in December 2014. Now, Sinclair Inc. is commemorating the upcoming 75th anniversary of the TV station's debut, making it Rhode Island's first television station.

The woman who serves as Market President for iHeartMedia in Eau Claire, Wisc., and Rochester, Minn., has been appointed to the NAB Radio Board of Directors.

It may technically not be a station sale, but it is indeed a transfer of control. And, there is money being transacted. As such, the FCC has received a filing from the owner of a 50,000-watt FM serving Olivia, Minn., that seeks its permission to transfer it from one licensee to another.

The purveyor of Christian-themed and conservative Talk content that in 2021 relocated to Irving, Tex., is selling its former Ventura County, Calif., headquarters, while entering a sale leaseback agreement. Salem Media Group continues to use the facility for broadcast studios and corporate needs.

FCC efforts to stop unlicensed radio activity have seen a significant step-up over the last year. These accomplishments were shared in an annual report to Congress submitted by the FCC on the positives the "Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act" has brought to patrolling the nation's airwaves.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. has moved forward with its defense against claims from the Attorney General for the State of New York that it engaged in “a deliberately lengthy and burdensome cancellation process” by having the case play out in federal court, and not in state court.

The redemption is expected to occur on January 29, completing a debt swap that gives TelevisaUnivision more time to repay its debtors but add a premium, given the higher interest rate.

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission has moved ahead on a party-line 3-2 vote with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will establish an agency regulatory policy requiring rebates for MVPD consumers who face programming "blackouts" due to a retransmission consent impasse.

"Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily." But, how long will the challenges of running a pair of Docket 80/90 Class A radio stations in rural Delaware County, N.Y. keep them dark? And, could Townsquare Media simply try to sell them?

A new OEM for smart TVs "Powered by TiVo," an expanded partnership with BMW for "DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo," and new content partners across the globe for the living room and the car. That's the key takeaway from Xperi Corp.'s subsidiary focused on visual entertainment from CES.

Disney Entertainment has a new EVP of International Original Television, and he'll work from Los Angeles squarely focused on working directly with regional leaders and their teams across the globe to create local content for Disney+. 

Lombardo, a well-known broadcast media industry figure, served as NAB Joint Board Chairman and Chair of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. Under his leadership, the BFoA's annual financial assistance grew to nearly $850,000, from $60,000.