Radio & Television Business Report

The effort with iHeartMedia marks the first time premium streaming audio inventory has been purchased through an AI-powered agentic media buying workflow. It was launched by Butler/Till on behalf of an unnamed agricultural solutions company.

Four television stations operated by Sinclair Inc. via a shared services agreement with a licensee operated by the political commentator and entrepreneur are poised to become owned-and-operated properties — the latest in a wave of SSA-to-purchase deals submitted by the company helmed by Chris Ripley.

Many across the media industry are mourning the unexpected loss of José Alberto Suárez. For nearly 17 years, he was a pivotal executive within the Telemundo Station Group, rising from Director of Digital Platforms to become President/GM of Telemundo stations in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers-Naples.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr responded to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by The Walt Disney Company designed to put a halt to the early license renewal of eight ABC Owned Stations and Disney's First Amendment violation claim regarding "The View" and its status as a "bona fide" news program. He did so on FOX News.

As the Disney-owned unit that includes ABC Owned Stations sees it, it is being targeted by a Commission under the direction of Chairman Brendan Carr and influence of the Trump Administration as part of a campaign to silence free and independent voices in journalism.

"No one under 40 listens to the radio." As iHeartMedia and Critical Mass Media see it, that often-heard refrain is a myth, new data released on Wednesday during an iHeartMedia headquarters event featuring a panel discussion with The Jonas Brothers states.

Vermont Public has enjoyed the support of audiences to WVPS-FM 107.9 in Burlington from greater Montréal. Now, there's a new wrinkle to reaching Les Québécois — and its thanks to a new Arsenal Media FM approved by the CRTC.

It is described as "a fast-growing independent media company" founded by brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordan Meiselas in 2020 as a source for "pro-democracy news and commentary." As of today, it has an exclusive audio partner for sales and distribution, and its the entity under majority control of Soros Fund Management.

Come September 4, a 35-year career with the company originally known as Beasley Broadcast Group will come to its conclusion for the man who today serves as VP/Market Manager of its Charlotte radio stations. He joined Beasley in 1991, following a three-year run at Beta Broadcasting in Austin.

With the company late Friday reporting less than stellar second quarter earnings results ahead of a privatization effort involving Alden Global Capital that's already resulted in the parting of ways with many on-air and programming staff, Cumulus Media has signed off on the sale of a pair of FMs in two mid-sized markets in the South.

High Plains Radio Network, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2024 and saw no less than three proposed buyers back out of deals across the next two years, has agreed to transfer a group of 20 radio stations to a New York-based private equity organization founded by Chairman/CEO Atonn F. Muhammad.

It was highly likely to happen again, starting this evening. Thanks to savvy negotiation between the two parties, a retransmission consent fee dispute leading to a "blackout" of Hearst stations on the DBS provider was averted.

Draper Media is telling viewers of the CBS, NBC and FOX affiliates serving the Delmarva Peninsula in Eastern Maryland, Delaware and Virginia's Chincoteague region that broadcast transmissions are currently being hampered by what the company says is "a Verizon outage."

The global retail media market's ad investment projections are forecast to surpass $200 billion in 2026 and reach $223.4 billion by 2027. However, newly released data from WARC Media show growth is slowing and heading into the single digits. The U.S. appears to be exempt from this worldwide review of ad activity trends.

Upfront advertising activity still matters a lot. And, that's what concerns Brian Wieser of Madison & Wall. Before the 2026-2027 Upfronts began, his firm expected linear TV upfront volumes to decline by 4.4%. As the summer progressed, it appeared that the market was "somewhat weaker" than initially expected. 

As AdLarge's VP of Ad Partnerships, the organization gains an individual whose resume includes roles at Scripps Networks, Discovery, and the National Hockey League — an individual lauded for "an extensive track record of developing brand partnerships and integrated sponsorship programs."