Legacy

An FM translator serving Columbus, Ohio, associated with a Class D Gospel station is being acquired by the entity that has been leasing the facility to bring a little "revitalization" to its business, while spreading the word of Jesus to the Buckeye State's capital city.

At 9am Central on July 2, 2019, a most unexpected and somber Tweet appeared. With "great shock and sadness," fans and listeners of a popular syndicated radio show were delivered the news of the "untimely and sudden" passing of one of the show's hosts, John Walton.

As RBR+TVBR's daily newsletter was being finalized, iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman and CFO Rich Bressler were delivering the company's fourth quarter 2019 results. It is the first for the company post-bankruptcy, making comps a tad difficult. What is certain is that iHeart's year-over-year revenue is flat.

The dividend is payable on June 18 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 4. The announcement comes as Nielsen's shares struggle to overcome a COVID-19 pandemic-fueled dip in value — the latest for a company that is down $39 a share from April 2016.

Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson rattled off an array of specific performance trends for the audio and digital ad solutions company during the now-traditional 8am Eastern earnings call for Wall Street analysts. The upshot? The first half of 2020 will go down as an ugly one, but Wilson says, "We believe that we have turned the corner, and the very worst is behind us."

On January 31, two Indianapolis TV stations fell dark on DirecTV, as a retrans consent deal agreed to by the stations' prior ownership lapsed. Six months later, a new deal remains absent. Now, the stations' owner has taken DirecTV parent AT&T to court. He's says it is now a matter of racial discrimination. AT&T responded with a statement to RBR+TVBR.

It received 2020 Emmy Awards in all seven of the major comedy categories—a first. Now, CBC sitcom "Schitt's Creek" is doing something else quite extraordinary: it's traveling to over-the-air TV in the U.S. after a successful run on an expanded basic cable TV channel and, subsequently, OTT deliverability via both Netflix and Amazon Prime.

It was a long October Open Meeting for the FCC, heavy on discussions tied to broadband internet and the use of TV white spaces to bring better, faster online connectivity to rural areas of the U.S. Yet, one of the most important advancements in the history of AM radio broadcasting took only minutes to get the Commission's approval.

With the December 10 interview with Pearl TV's Anne Schelle,  the RBR+TVBR INFocus Podcast, presented by Dot.FM, has reached its 80th episode. Haven't heard them all? Listen to one of your choice by clicking the "read more" button or the story headline now!

Two months ago, it appeared that a fresh retransmission consent arrangement keeping Hearst stations from "neighboring designated market areas" where citizens desired the station more than a closer, albeit out of state, choice was reached with Comcast. Now, the Xfinity parent says "some TV stations" from neighboring markets will "soon no longer be available."

The California Public Utilities Commission has unanimously voted to approve a MVPD engaged in a "Good Faith" complaint with Gray Television to emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The decision comes three months after the FCC gave its blessings.

According to Nielsen Power Buying data, 41% of U.S. podcast listeners are non-White with Hispanics gravitating to podcasts more than any other ethnic group. They also represent growth rate of 6x, well above the 4x rate among Whites. How can Hispanic radio take advantage of this exploding audio platform? A Hispanic Radio Conference session provides answers.

Backed by Disney General Entertainment, Marsh’s multiyear production deal will develop "world-class, brand-defining content" for Disney’s streaming and linear platforms including Disney+, Hulu, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, ABC, National Geographic, Freeform and FX.

**SPONSORED CONTENT** From the opportunity to create broadcast-quality audio advertising on the go using human and synthetic voice, to the ability to generate thousands of creatives for a multi-national campaign in record time, Adthos Creative Studio is changing the face of the audio advertising industry.

With Emily Barr's exit, announced in January, and the naming of Catherine Badalamente as her successor, a shift back to Detroit for broadcast TV station owner Graham Media Group's HQ was all but certain. On Wednesday, that move became official.