Radio & Television Business Report

Scripps executives expressed their frustration with Nielsen during the broadcast TV station owner's Q1 2026 earnings call on Friday, assailing an audience measurement change Scripps believes favors cable networks, and puts Scripps Networks offerings at a disadvantage.

With her husband, they created one of the largest Christian-themed non-secular television networks in the world in 1993. Now, nearly 4 1/2 years after Marcus Lamb's passing, the matriarch of the Lamb family is being mourned, as Joni Lamb, who assumed the role of President from her late husband, has died.

Minutes before RBR+TVBR's daily news deadline, The E.W. Scripps Co. released its first quarter 2026 earnings report. While C-Suite leaders including CEO Adam Symson will not host a call for analysts and shareholders until Friday morning to discuss the results, the key takeaways are very clear.

The Nexstar Media Group founder and Chairman/CEO steadfastly believes his 30 year old company's acquisition of TEGNA, being challenged in two federal appeals court cases, "is a critical step in solidifying our future and ensuring we can continue providing these essential services to the public."

Chalk up another defeat at the FCC for DirecTV, as well as a coalition of state cable associations; a coalition of pan-Asian and Pacific Islander public interest groups; the Civil Rights Coalition; Business Forward; and Chris Ruddy-owned Newsmax. Their efforts to deny a pair of Gray Media transactions have failed.

It reaches Iowa Falls, to the north, and Marshalltown, to the south, while scraping the cities of Ames and Hampton with its Class C3 FM signal. As of today, this station is being operated via an LMA with its licensee by OnTheGo Media.

The first three months of 2026 proved to be difficult, from a revenue standpoint, for Saga Communications, with its net loss widening, Station Operating Income plummeting, and minimal station operating expense increases. That didn't stop Saga's board from declaring a quarterly dividend once again.

A community owned regional Mexican station on the AM dial licensed for a 5kw Class B signal has a little more oomph, if you will, as it serves local audiences as the Spanish-language home of the MLS Seattle Sounders soccer team.  It is the result of an investment in a new transmitter by 17-year station owner Sea Mar Community Health Centers.

“We are beginning to see the inflection in our monetization strategy," Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi Inc., shared as the parent of TiVo, DTS AutoStage and HD Radio released its first quarter 2026 results on Wednesday afternoon. The big takeaway: Media Platform revenue grew 45% year-over-year.

Thanks to savvy marketing, it is one of the fastest-growing canned wine brands in the U.S. To help bring additional exposure and brand awareness, the company founded by siblings Jen Pelka and Zach Pelka has agreed to what is being called "one of the most expansive audio collaborations for a wine brand."

On a Sunday evening in October 2025, Horizon Radio listeners heard the "F-word" repeatedly on a loop, resulting in a trio of complaints to the UK's regulator for communications services. Ofcom investigated the incident, and there will be no Pounds owed to the FCC equivalent in Great Britain. Why? The station was hijacked.

It's severe weather season in Oklahoma, and that's only aggravated matters between Griffin Media and DirecTV, which failed to reach a fresh retransmission consent agreement for the company's two CBS affiliates serving the majority of viewers across the state.

For CEO Josh D'Amaro, increasing reach and engagement and improving the user experience on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN apps is a top C-Suite priority. But what about the ABC Television Network and ABC Owned Stations? There was little mention of either entity as The Walt Disney Co. released its fiscal Q2 2026 earnings report.

In both dating and business, people remember how you made them feel long after they forget what you said. This column from Rosemary Ravinal offers some keen insights as to how first dates and first meetings aren't so dissimilar — and how small talk can aid in erasing the awkwardness.

The largest multimedia company based in Western Canada has brought to market a new programmatic platform that the company expects to bring broadcast radio into the modern programmatic advertising ecosystem.

Building on its attention capabilities in Teads Ad Manager, the wider pact with global attention firm Lumen Research brings to live attention measurement across HomeScreen placement across the U.S., Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific regions.