Radio & Television Business Report

On April 1, a retransmission consent agreement could not be signed in a timely manner, resulting in a "blackout," by law, of all Scripps-owned stations on one of the nation's largest cable TV providers. A little more than a month later, a new deal has been reached with Comcast-owned Xfinity.

On March 20, iHeartMedia shares finished at $2.49 per share, erasing all gains seen since mid-September 2025. Then came an uptick in value, punctuated by rumors of a potential SiriusXM merger. Since then, "IHRT" shares are on fire, and are at their highest valuation in more than three years.

The nation's largest owner of broadcast TV stations, entangled with DirecTV in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit over its merger with TEGNA, has petitioned the Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit ruling that reversed an antitrust win — one that is wholly tied to retransmission consent negotiations.

Rebuilding a broadcast operation is never a small undertaking, especially when moving from a Windows PC environment to Macs. For Lilly Broadcasting, it meant rethinking everything—from infrastructure and workflows to the tools their teams rely on every day.

Alongside Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling's time behind the mic calling New York Yankees baseball games for radio listeners is among the most legendary of pro sports. Now, fans and many from across the broadcast media world are paying tribute to Sterling, who has died at the age of 87.

“At its core, the Radio Mercury Awards celebrates the creative spirit that fuels the industry,” said RAB President/CEO Mike Hulvey. “The work honored each year continues to be a beacon for radio and audio — showcasing the medium’s unique ability to engage, inspire and deliver impact for brands.”

The newly rebranded FEI & MFM Financial Leaders Forum, which pairs the Media Finance Management association with Financial Executives International, has firmed up a session that seeks to give greater insight into whether or not parties interested in a radio or TV station deal should sign off on the agreement or scrap it.

An operator of seven radio stations, a growing digital platform and a formidable out-of-home advertising network in the Salt Lake City market has signed a strategic digital advertising partnership with Townsquare Media, the latest in a series of pacts tied to the conmpany's Townsquare Ignite digital advertising arm.

A major shakeup has transpired in the executive ranks of Nueva Network, which Carlos Moncada took full ownership of in late 2025. As confirmed via social media, José Villafañe, the founder and CEO of Nueva Network, is exiting the company.

Lee Harris, the President of NewsBalancer who has also served as Director of Integrated Operations for NewsNation and spent more than three decades at iconic all-News WINS Radio in New York, has taken the title of VP of News for both WABC Radio and the fledgling World dwide News Network., which is coming soon from Red Apple Media.

A privately held licensee of broadcast radio stations found across the Show-Me State is largely to thank for the end of the FCC's TV "Top-Four Prohibition," as it successfully sued the Commission in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2025. Now, it has written to the Commission to outright eliminate its local radio restrictions.

A Fort Worth, Tex.-based commerce media platform for enterprises has entered into a strategic partnership with Universal Ads, giving brands the ability to create, buy and measure ads across premium video. The agreement brings TV advertising to Koddi’s platform for the first time. The benefit?

A generation ago, John Morgan was likely just a familiar name to radio listeners in parts of Florida. Today, his voice, visage and brand messaging can be found across a wide swath of the U.S. That's thanks in part to a huge investment in spot television that continued as April turned to May, based on Media Monitors data.

Global consumer spending on overall media content and technology grew 2.8% to $2.439 trillion in 2025, decelerating from a 4.4% increase in 2024, as there were no major international sporting events and fewer federal elections and related media buying.

Audio advertising intelligence and measurement firm Magellan AI has expanded its relationship with the nation's largest audio creation and distribution company, giving it access to iHeartMedia data that maps listeners exposed to broadcast radio to "measurable outcomes."

Known across the media industry for its revenue management and CRM products, Matrix forged a strategic partnership with Microsoft through the Cloud Accelerate Factory, an elite program that provides selected companies with a zero-cost investment of Microsoft’s architecture and development resources.