Radio & Television Business Report

Since the 2017 incentive auction, LPTV valuations operated in a predictable framework. Values were supported by a steady pace of transaction activity and a defined universe of strategic buyers. Over the past 12 to 18 months, however, that framework has changed dramatically. Here are some of the reasons why that's taken place.

The fresh accord, announced late Friday, immediately returned 54 local broadcast stations owned and operated by Scripps to DIRECTV streaming, satellite, and U-verse customers. The agreement ended a five-week blackout affecting millions of customers across 36 Nielsen DMAs.

A broadcast television station acquired within the last year by Todd Parkin-led Rincon Broadcasting Group as part of a $29.4 million transaction with Sinclair Inc. and today under the ultimate control of Soo Kim has reached an agreement with the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee franchise.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has granted a request by the Commission to dismiss the appeals filed in the combined Free Press v. FCC case designed to thwart Nexstar Media Group's regulatorily approved merger with TEGNA. It's a win for the Commission and for Nexstar.

Four photographers who work for the news-driven unaffiliated television station serving Boston owned by Sunbeam Television have taken the company to court for allegedly failing to properly reimburse them for time spent during a mandatory hotel stay tied to a winter weather plan initiated by the station in late January.

In August 2025, Beasley Media Group agreed to sell all of its Fort Myers-Naples market stations to a pair of local operators. Now, that deal is complete, and the new owners would rather not keep the home of ESPN Southwest Florida in operation.

She's been associated with Beasley Media Group since May 2017 and was promoted to her current role in 2019. Now, Heidi Raphael, a highly visible radio industry leader long associated with the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation, the NAB Board, and the Alliance for Women in Media, is taking a key SBA role.

With a logo that pays homage to Nashville's1980s-era Top 40 "Y107," WHIN-AM and its FM simulcast pay tribute to that time with a broad Classic Hits presentation, targeting audiences to the northeast of Music City USA. Soon, that may change, as the facilities have been sold by Kensington Digital Media after a decade of ownership.

It is an agreement the FCC believes is all about "strengthening Payola protections for artists." For the nation's largest radio station ownership group, it requires a compliance plan that effectively terminates an Enforcement Bureau investigation into potential violations of the FCC's Sponsorship Identification Laws.

The 94.5 MHz facility associated with KBAY-FM in San Jose is being sold to one of the nation’s largest Christian contemporary music networks. The call letters and format will be retained by Connoisseur Media.

If you enjoy listening to Cougars football and men's basketball games and you live in the home of the Huskies, the AM radio station branded as "Seattle Sports" is the place to turn to this autumn. That's thanks to a new multi-year partnership between Washington State University, headquartered in Spokane, and Bonneville International.

"CBS News Atlanta at Noon" expands the station’s news coverage, which debuted in September 2025, and features T.J. Anthony presenting the top stories at that moment. Delivering the weather news is Johnathan Myers.

It's the leading second-hand fashion marketplace in Europe and a growing go-to destination for U.S. online shoppers for all kinds of second-hand clothing items. Vinted is quickly becoming a household name for the Poshmark crowd, and its decision to use television to build brand awareness could be paying off.

Radio has a fresh lineup of sessions on AI, streaming, and broadcast innovation to look forward to in Manhattan this fall. Registration is now open for NAB Show New York, returning to the Javits Center on October 21 and 22 with roughly 80 hours of programming.

The Media Rating Council has begun an effort to evaluate existing standards and guidelines and develop supplementary guidance in certain focus areas, as it relates to the rapidly evolving use of artificial intelligence and Machine Learning models in areas that intersect with media measurement processes and products.

When it comes to national television spots on broadcast TV, there's one brand that towers over the rest with respect to commitment week in and week out to the medium. For the week ending July 5, this advertiser was linked to nearly 50,000 spots detected by Media Monitors.