Washington Beat

Is 2018 shaping up to be a banner year for political advertising? That's the good word from Steve Passwaiter, the VP/GM, Political at Kantar Media. In an essay appearing Friday (9/22) at The Cook Political Report, Passwaiter declares, "Even though the last two years have seen lots of bungled predictions, in the realm of TV ad spending, we are undeterred, and predict that TV will win out in 2018 as well."

A "TV on Wall Street" conference held during NAB Show New York, a platform for media tech companies, ad agencies and digital platforms, is set to give attendees "a clear picture of the investment implications for video services and the revenues/profit multichannel and content providers can expect over the coming years." Top Wall Street analysts and financiers from a range of industry areas, as well as leading companies in the space, are on tap for the mini-confab produced in partnership with S&P Global Market Intelligence and Summit Ridge Group.

On Tuesday, we reported on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s response to a House Energy & Commerce letter regarding possible favorable treatment of Sinclair Broadcast Group and its planned merger with Tribune Media. But that’s just one of several angles to this deal.

Doug Ferber of DEFcom Advisors LLC and Erwin Krasnow of Garvey Schubert Barer are featured in this third exclusive RBR+TVBR podcast on the myths of broadcast media transactions. Today's topic: "You Can Rely Solely on Comparable Sales To Establish Value"

It's that time of year again. According to Wilkinson Barker Knauer attorney David Oxenford, the fourth quarter is traditionally when some broadcast media air personalities contemplate their future. This may not mean jumping to a competitor, or earning the "Leap o' The Week" with a move from Augusta to Atlanta. Rather, it may mean a run for public office. What does this mean for a radio or TV station? Oxenford shares his thoughts.

What should a broadcasting company do in reaction to a controversial social media post made by one of their big personalities on their show's social media account? For CBS Radio's Las Vegas cluster, there was no reprimand or strong warning handed to Heidi Harris after she went on Facebook to criticize same-sex adoptions. She was fired. Did CBS Radio go too far? RBR+TVBR turned to the D.C. legal community for their view on the matter.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.)'s Deputy Chief of Staff is moving from the Hart Senate Office Building to the Portals. That's because this individual has just been selected to serve as Chief of Staff, Media Advisor and Press Contact for the FCC Commissioner.

There are moving boxes heading in both directions in the office of Democratic FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. That's because a senior legal advisor is returning after an 18 month absence, while another legal advisor is exiting.

As the old adage goes, what is one man's trash is another one's treasure. For featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, a rescue from the trash heap of some old radio station equipment led to a radio show. The radio show opened Benner's eyes to just how things may work in Washington, sparking a fire under his belly that continues today, at age 80. In this column, Benner shares how he emerged as the industry's "Ralph Nader."

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has responded to an Aug. 14 letter from the House Energy & Commerce Committee's top Democrats that raised a series of concerns about allegations of favorable treatment toward Sinclair Broadcast Group and its planned merger with Tribune Media. The response from these Members of Congress? Pai's response falls short of what they need answers on — including a possible new e-mail controversy on Capitol Hill.

With the end of an agreement with American University to use W288BS at 105.5 MHz in Chevy Chase, Md., for its "Bluegrass Country" programming, licensee Reston Translator LLC — owned by D.C. communications attorney John Garziglia — needed new programming. Callers came, and eventually Sputnik — a News/Talk format funded by the Russian government — was launched. That's made three House Democrats hot.

Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma across the state of Florida will help improve the reliability and resiliency of our nation's communications networks. That was the message delivered Monday morning by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who joined FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a tour of Miami-area FCC-regulated facilities as the storm-battered region saw its students return to school and typically horrific rush hour traffic punctuated by still-inoperable traffic lights.

That's the conclusion from a newly released report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that addresses actions the Commission has taken since 2012 to update its enforcement program. What does the GAO recommend? Click here for the details.

Doug Ferber of DEFcom Advisors LLC and Erwin Krasnow of Garvey Schubert Barer have created a special podcast series exclusively for RBR+TVBR members based on a series of articles centered on the topic "Broadcast Deal Myths Debunked." In this second episode, Ferber and Krasnow discuss the following topic: "It's Not Negotiable."

The FCC's Deputy Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, who previously served as Acting Bureau Chief for five months, has been selected by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to serve as Special Counsel at the Commission.