TV/Cable News

Sinclair Broadcast Group enjoyed a much-needed jolt on Wall Street today, as investors cheered the news that it is teaming with Tribune Media to sell six FOX affiliates and the CW affiliate in Miami-Fort Lauderdale to 21st Century Fox. The timing was perfect, as Sinclair's Q1 results weren't so terrific.

The first-quarter story for Nexstar Media Group is not much different, on the surface, to that seen by Sinclair Broadcast Group: Net income missed Street forecasts, while net revenue did. Investors were satisfied, and Nexstar shares enjoyed a healthy boost on Wednesday.

Univision on Wednesday released its Q1 2018 results, and the timing couldn't be worse. A lengthy feature from Gizmodo trashing its corporate owner was widely distributed yesterday, as Univision executives put the final touches on its Upfront activities set for next week. As such, the poor results seen by the Hispanic-focused media company only make matters worse.

Gray Television was among the nine media companies reporting their Q1 earnings on Tuesday, and Gray -- like broadcast TV competitor TEGNA -- had very good things to share with investors. Net income was on the rise, as was net revenue. So, why did Gray shares dip?

The relationship between streamers and traditional TV is a close one, new details from Nielsen's Local Watch Report show. According to the report, traditional programming "shows impressive resilience in today's digital age." The big takeaway for broadcast TV companies: "Even the heaviest of streamers can't seem to shake broadcast viewing."

Solid. That's a word used to describe not only Townsquare Media's Q1 performance, but also that of TEGNA, the TV and digital media company previously known as Gannett. Indeed. Even without the benefit of NBC affiliates airing the telecast of Super Bowl LII and the Winter Olympic Games, quarterly revenue increased by close to 6% on a non-GAAP comparable basis.

For those wondering about The E.W. Scripps Co.'s sale of its 34 radio stations, announced in January, there was nary a word about its plans. That's not to say Scripps' top executive didn't have any update to share. Meanwhile, industry observers are chatting -- and a deal in two markets may be very close at hand.

The company led by the French Family may have scored big in the FCC's incentive auction, but it is hardly cashing out of the TV business. In a deal filed with the FCC on Friday, it is snagging an independent facility serving the Delmarva Peninsula -- right across the water from a station RNN just acquired in December. Kalil & Co. represented the seller.

The big revenue driver for CBS wasn't advertising. It was neither content licensing and distribution revenue, nor affiliate and subscription fees. CBS's Q1 revenue increase of 13%, to $3.76 billion, was fueled by a 25% jump in higher retransmission revenues and fees from its affiliates.

The 50% owner of a television station devoted to religious and family-friendly programming serving the Greenville, S.C. DMA has just acquired another property. It's located in Monroe, La., and offers similar fare to viewers in this part of the Bayou State.

With Thursday's Closing Bell on Wall Street, the company seeking to complete its merger with Tribune Media continued to experience trouble with its stock. On heavier-than-normal volume, shares in "SBGI" fell even further toward levels not seen since October 2016.

Exactly four years ago, Gray Television closed on its purchase of two facilities serving the Rapid City, S.D., market. This came after Gray acquired the ABC affiliate in Sioux Falls. Now, it's creating a duopoly in Sioux Falls by buying a peacock in a deal brokered by Kalil & Co.

Some people use the Playstation Vue platform to watch local broadcast TV channels. If you're in a market where Sinclair Broadcast Group owns a station, that's no longer fully possible. Why? According to Sinclair, it is Sony's fault.

The last day of April saw the release by Nielsen of its new cable network Universe Estimates data for May 2018. While the data is new, the story is the same, notes Pivotal Research Group's Brian Wieser: Excluding virtual MVPDs there's another big decline in the number of pay TV homes.

The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey focused on local television news salaries has been released. The results are largely mixed, but there's one clear takeaway: newsroom hourly wage gains seen in 2017 are a bit below the U.S. average.