Radio & Television Business Report

The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Texas have taken a quarrelsome FCC question about who pays what for political airtime to a federal court in Amarillo with a request that would either widen candidates’ rate break or, as a fallback, end it.

A Consent Decree with the Acting Chief of the FCC's Media Bureau clears the way for the license renewal of certain Nexstar Media Group properties under a Commission microscope for the amount of commercials airing during children's programming. An online public inspection file flaw was also under review.

With the opening of U.S. financial markets on Wednesday, investors and impacted Scripps staffers are digesting the news that some 400 employees were let go on October 27. Scripps acknowledged the layoffs early Wednesday, and also shared a positive update on political advertising guidance.

A big reduction-in-force, another in a series of transformative moves by The E.W. Scripps Co.. has taken place at the publicly traded company. The latest effort under the direction of CEO Adam Symson was shared in an internal memo sent to employees on Tuesday. Hundreds of positions have been eliminated.

Spanish Broadcasting System will come under majority control of non-U.S. based financial investors once it emerges from bankruptcy. That's at least what SBS is requesting from the FCC, and this has generated opposition from a party who also wants the Commission to retain the current formats at all SBS stations post-bankruptcy.

Some FM stations that lose a tower can’t move to another one because the FCC’s spacing rules say no. A petition now open for comment would let them, as long as the move causes no added interference and Urban One’s chief executive is among its backers.

Cumulus has prevailed in two federal courts, and Nielsen wants the US Supreme Court to take another look. A November date at the high court is now attached to that request, though that mark on the calendar only decides when the justices look.

Audacy’s local sports stations have been on SiriusXM for less than two months, and the satellite company is already pointing to the results. That comes as profit, cash flow, and the full-year forecast all moved up in Q3, while some other areas of the company slipped, causing some new concerns for the remaining two months of 2026.

Is an AI-generated voice that sounds like a radio host a use of that host’s identity? A California court isn’t saying yes, but it isn’t saying no either. Former NPR host David Greene’s suit against Google over NotebookLM now moves ahead, with the facts still to be fought out.

In broadcasting, term sheets are a key scoreboard, and private equity, strategic buyers, and lenders are all keeping a watchful eye on which companies have the scale, discipline, and positioning to win the next cycle and which will become someone else’s asset. By this time next year, many questions will have answers. At Forecast 2027, you'll be one step ahead.

Pete Schartel in the early part of this decade gained national attention for his decision to air a few hours of programming from Sputnik on a Kansas City AM and its accompanying FM translator. Now, he has reached a deal to sell that MHz-band facility. The buyer will be using it to spread the word of Jesus Christ. 

A SportsCenter anchor with more than three decades of credits is getting the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracies Icon Award. ESPN’s Hannah Storm will be among those honored at the Gracies Leadership Awards on November 16 at Tribeca 360° in New York City.

Cogeco’s US cable business is still losing customers, and the company’s answer now includes a TV streaming product launched in the US, along with wireless, a new digital brand, and new sales channels. Canada is growing, while its radio group saw revenue fall nearly 19%, and the fiscal 2027 outlook points to lower overall.

Clocks fall back this weekend, which means everyone gets an extra hour on Sunday. How’d you like an extra $300, too? Forecast 2027 early bird pricing ends on Halloween night at the stroke of midnight, right before the clocks change. Don’t sleep on your chance to save!

The Broadcasters Foundation of America is widening a college scholarship that once reached only broadcast families. Students with no industry ties can now apply, and six new awards join the original $10,000 scholarship, bringing the yearly total to $25,000 across seven awards.

She's a familiar figure to Hispanic Radio Conference attendees who appeared on the cover of Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink in June 2023, in recognition of her experience as a “agency fortuneteller.” Come January 1, 2027, the longtime VP of Media Integration at Zubi Advertising Services will be elevated to the role of Executive Director and Head.