TV/Cable News

A full-power TV station serving the city of Lubbock, Texas has just been sold. As a result, the CW Network affiliate for this Lone Star market will soon be in the hands of a crosstown company the owner already enjoys a relationship with. It's a transaction that could be the result of relaxed FCC ownership restrictions recently approved by the Ajit Pai-led Commission.

While the NAB and the "Big Four" network affiliate associations are seeking a two-tiered approach that would loosen the FCC's current 39% ownership reach cap, Nexstar Media Group argues that the cap should simply disappear. "Given the overwhelming shift in Americans’ media consumption habits," the national cap's elimination is what the company led by the TVB's Chairman wants.

That's a question Ashwin Virk of Simply Wall St. asks, as mid-cap stocks such as TEGNA "rarely draw attention from the investing community." Nevertheless, "commonly overlooked mid-caps have historically produced better risk-adjusted returns than their small and large-cap counterparts," Virk notes. With that, Virk took a deep dive into TEGNA's debt concentration to access its financial liquidity and got a good sense of the company formerly known as Gannett's ability to fund strategic acquisitions and grow through cyclical pressures. 

Neither a top-tier radio nor TV industry executive will be headlining the 2018 NAB Show opening session on Monday, April 9 in Las Vegas. That task has been given to Neal Mohan, the Chief Product Officer for YouTube.

“The Jewish Cowboy” of California's Coachella Valley will now be arguing that his TV broadcasting company's civil rights were violated by one of the nation's biggest MVPDs in federal court, rather than in state court. It's the latest chapter in a 2 1/2 year quest by Clark Garen, Managing Member of Tara Broadcasting, to get a low-power television station serving the Palm Springs, Calif., DMA on Charter Communications' Spectrum systems in the city of Beaumont. 

On February 13, RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY reported on the acquisition of three full-power and two LPTV stations in Wyoming from Mark III Media. The purchase contract contains a requirement that Gray divest that station’s license to a third party promptly, and Gray said it would donate this station’s license to a non-profit entity. That's just happened, with the property going directly from Mark III to an institution of higher learning.

Sixteen days after LBI Media initially planned to flip the switch, the latest change for WGEN-8 in Miami is set to happen on Friday. It's a big return to a big signal for Estrella TV, and comes following the February 14 appointment of Hispanic media veteran Nick Valls as WGEN GM.

There was a bit of a silver lining on the final three months of 2017 for an industry rife with challenges in the months and years ahead. According to the just-released Fourth Quarter 2017 U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report from S&P Global Market Intelligence group Kagan, subscription losses slowed for traditional multichannel video providers in the quarter. But, it was hardly enough to stop a disappointing year for MVPDs.

Here's an exclusive chance for 2018 NAB Show attendees to learn more about one of Wazee Digital's newest partnerships. On Monday, April 9, Wazee Digital CEO Harris Morris will host a Q&A session Viacom Media Networks SVP/Ad Sales Operations Phil Lalonde. The conversation will be conducted in a private, and casual, cocktail reception.

Following Wednesday's Closing Bell on Wall Street, Entravision Communications released its financial results for the final three months of 2017. It's a rosy report for the owner of radio and TV stations serving Hispanic audiences, as net revenue increased to $73.46 million, from $70.29 million. But, were radio and TV responsible for the growth, or was it Entravision's digital arm?

On April 20, 2017, Entravision Communications exercised its right to enter into a channel-sharing agreement with a full-power TV station in Washington, D.C. that allowed a UHF facility to relocate from Hagerstown, Md., to Northwest D.C. This "relocation" came via a Channel-Sharing Agreement forged following the FCC's incentive auction, with the UHF signal signing off for good on Sept. 30, 2017. With the move, Entravision asked the FCC to modify this station's television market. Comcast objected. A ruling from the Media Bureau came on Monday.

In the Hawaiian islands, KWHE-14 in Honolulu is known for its "ohana" television offerings. Found on Oceanic Spectrum and Hawaiian Telecom systems across the state, KWHE is known for its mix of classic syndicated family-oriented sitcoms and a slate of religious and ministry programming, including The Dr. Sumrall Teaching Series. Could changes be on the way for KWHE? No. But, there may be some changes at a simulcast partner based on the island of Maui, which is being sold by KWHE's parent.

There is one company that stands out from the pack with respect to TV station acquisitions. Since the end of the FCC's spectrum auction, the Philip Falcone-led HC2 Holdings has been rapidly snapping up television properties — the majority of them low power properties. In the latest deal to involve HC2, a Class A facility in Tennessee that is presently silent is being snapped up.

Want further proof that the future of national television advertising spending will be dependent on growth of interactive, video on demand (VOD) and the addressable advertising solutions that ATSC 3.0 "next gen" digital transmissions promise? Look no further than the latest report from MediaVillage and noted media ecologist Jack Myers, who forecasts an increase in annual national TV ad spend between 2017 and 2020 of $5 billion. But, a magnified look reveals some major trouble spots for cable and satellite TV, and some challenges for broadcast TV.