TV/Cable News

Univision's President of Advertising Sales & Marketing from 2007-2012 has just been named EVP/Digital Sales and Sales Strategy. He reports to a 15-year CBS Corp. veteran who is concurrently rising to the role of President and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer.

Here's the skinny on The E.W. Scripps Co.'s Q2 earnings results, released early Thursday: Net income fell by 4 cents per share, despite an increase in operating revenue. Its TV revenues are flat, but its radio division suffered a 5.2% dip in its revenue. Even worse, the TV division saw a 6.6% dip in its segment profit, while the radio division's profit tumbled by 25.5% in Q2. 

On a day when TV industry stocks were getting pounded on Wall Street, Univision Communications President/CEO Randy Falco sounded a bit too cheerful. "I am very pleased with our quarterly results," he said in announcing that the company focused on Hispanic consumers and multicultural millennials saw its ad revenue shrink by 17% in Q2, and its total revenue slump by 4.4%. Why was Falco in such a good mood? Univision saw a healthy net income jump.

Entravision Communications, the owner of broadcast TV and radio stations largely targeting Hispanic consumers, released its Q2 2017 results right after the Closing Bell on Wall Street Wednesday. How did it do? Net revenue was up, but net income was down.

Tough comps in both Q2 and Q3, due largely to the absence of Olympics-related ad revenue and much lower political dollars, dinged Sinclair Broadcast Group. Investors were less than thrilled, with SBGI shares sliding more than 5% ahead of the Closing Bell on Wall Street.

That's the question the influential Zacks Equity Research asks, and it could be one reason why CBS shares were down more than 2% in mid-afternoon trading on Wall Street today. According to Zacks, there's a good chance CBS "may disappoint" with its Q2 results. Why?

Urban One President/CEO Alfred Liggins III didn't mince words when discussing the lackluster performance of its pay-TV TV One network. He admits its needs "a restart," and a rebound from disappointing ratings is already underway—thanks to a comedian known for his outrageous sweaters who has been battling negative press for months.

It was a punishing Q2 for the company formerly known as Radio One, and in mid-morning trading shares were off a steep 24% before ending the day unchanged. In a conference call with Wall Street analysts, company head Alfred Liggins III noted that the Houston cluster is "stabilizing" and that June was a great month for its radio stations. Unfortunately, Houston was down in Q2—as were four other key markets.

The broadcast TV company formerly known as Gannett saw adjusted net earnings that surpassed the consensus estimate from Zacks by two cents per share. Total revenue also came in ahead of estimates, despite a dip in operating income and higher expenses.

Rumorville has been filled with stories surrounding the fate of wireless telecommunications company Sprint. The latest tale to surface may have some legs, however. According to Japan's Nikkei, it's not Charter Communications that's a likely merger partner. Instead, it's DirecTV's biggest competitor — putting AT&T on notice.

The individual charged with negotiating complex carriage agreements with MVPDs and "OTT" platforms for Tribune Media won't be sticking around once its merger with acquirer Sinclair Broadcast Group closes. That's because he's joining Nexstar, in a big pick-up for the broadcast TV company founded by Perry Sook.

LBI Media's Spanish-language Estrella TV broadcast TV network has landed its newest affiliate. The agreement brings it to Wichita, via a digital multicast agreement with a local owner.

Broadcast radio and TV staff at The E.W. Scripps Co. need not worry about a new owner. That's because Scripps Networks Interactive, the former cable TV division of Scripps spun off as its own company in July 2008, is the entity that Discovery Communications is acquiring in a multi-billion-dollar stock and cash transaction.

It's turning out to be a grey and gloomy Monday for Silver Spring, Md.-based Discovery Communications. As Wall Street digests the news that the pay-TV giant is acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive (not to be confused with broadcast radio and TV owner The E.W. Scripps Co.) for $14.6 billion, Discovery reported adjusted net earnings that missed analysts' estimates by three cents per share. The double whammy led to a sell-off of "DISCA" shares, which finished down 8.2% on very heavy volume.

With the pressure on at car and truck details going into the final week of a very important month for sales, dealer associations across the U.S. opted to use spot television to lure consumers into showrooms and to sign and drive away with a new vehicle. In last week’s Media Monitors TV Spot Ten report, half of the Top Ten is represented by auto dealer associations.