Radio & Television Business Report

SiliconDust is urging the "hold separate" unit of Nexstar Media Group formerly known as Gannett to disable Digital Rights Management encryption one week before a November 17 Emergency Alert System test — a move that would insure messages are fully distributed and received by viewers.

In a significant move that could impact media buying decisions in several large markets, the George Ivie-led Media Ratings Council has revoked accreditation for four Nielsen Audio PPM markets while denying accreditation for an additional 18 PPM markets. 

Why should the Commission say no to the parties behind a Petition for Stay Pending Judicial Review? They "largely parrot the baseless arguments raised by the state cable associations' petition," says Nexstar Media Group's counsel on the matter, Kathleen Kirby of Wiley Law.

The Forecast conference agenda is sizzling, and this VIP symposium has always closed in grand fashion. This year is no different, as the Executive Super Session, sponsored by Madhive, puts the leaders of Hearst Television, Audacy, Gray Media, and Townsquare Media in one conversation you won't find anywhere else.

A station associated with News-Press & Gazette's Gulf-California Broadcast Company for decades is assessing the damage caused by a fire that prompted "News Channel 3" to abandon its early-morning newscast on Thursday just minutes before going live on the air. 

In April 2001, Carter Alan was settling in to his second year at WZLX-FM in Boston, hosting a midday radio show that attracted more listeners than any other daypart at the station. Now, listeners are saluting Alan, who previously earned name recognition at the former WBCN, as he's announced his retirement.

With the U.S. Senate still yet to take up consideration of the House-passed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, the owner of radio stations across Canada that recently bought a globally available audio streaming app has reached an OEM deal with Ford Motor Co. — placing it in select models of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

Cumulus Media has announced that it has "successfully completed" its financial restructuring and emerged from the Chapter 11 reorganization process, following receipt of all required approvals, including from the FCC. The restructuring was completed on an accelerated timeline consistent with the company's original expectations, the company said.

He owned GAP Broadcasting from 2007 until selling his 100+ stable of stations to Townsquare Media, which he joined as a Senior VP. Today, he's widely known as the CEO of YEA Networks, syndicator of "The Kidd Kraddick Show," among other shows. Now, George Laughlin is investing in radio stations of his own again.

In 2014, the York Revolution minor-league professional baseball team bought an AM radio station that today uses its companion FM translator to broadcast as "Sports Radio 98.9." Now, the licensee is reorganizing, and it is thanks to its decision to load the bases, if you will, by grabbing three properties from Forever Media.

A 3kw Class A FM and its 1kw Class D daytime-only AM sibling serving a small North Carolina city due north of Durham are being transferred to the estate of its now-deceased owner. This puts, for now, the stations in the hands of his widow, Margaret Bradsher.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will soon see "dozens" of athletic events linked to universities in the collegiate conference get bonus distribution via a newly created free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel created by Atlanta-headquartered Gray Media.

The Missouri state press and broadcasters associations have been joined by Gray Media and others in the filing of a petition in a circuit court against the Missouri State Highway Patrol, saying the agency is illegally blacking out basic information in crash reports that Missourians have been able to see for decades.

Public speaking coach Rosemary Ravinal is "tired of sitting through conference presentations by brilliant people who make little effort to help their audience understand them." Ravinal calls it the "Curse of Competence" — being brilliant but boring. Here are some valuable learning lessons to make what you say resonate.

The "2026 State of Local News" report from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University counts 238 U.S. counties as "news deserts." That is up 26 from last year and the largest single-year jump in Medill’s research. In the past year, 170 newspapers closed or merged, nearly three a week.

The next phase of FOX Advertising's agentic advertising platform, powered by FOX AdStudio, has ramped up, with five agency and technology partners signed on for live campaigns and commercial linear media transactions.