A Testy Wednesday On Tap For Sohn, Davidson
Mark December 1 at 10:30am Eastern on your calendar. That's when Gigi Sohn and Alan Davidson will get their Senate Commerce Committee nomination hearings for roles at the FCC and NTIA, respectively. The two Biden Administration picks are highly polarizing, and Senate Republicans are expected to do everything in their power to stop them from being seated.
It’s Time To Vote for Broadcast Media’s Top Tech Leaders!
Now more than ever, IT and engineering are among the most important areas within a broadcast media company. We salute the leaders overseeing technology, by seeking your nominations for RBR+TVBR's first-ever honor roll of broadcast media's leading technology executives. Hurry! The nominations window is limited.
Audacy, iHeart, Emmis, SiriusXM Sued Over Syndie Show Content
A group of plaintiffs have sued the four audio media companies in a Dallas Federal District Court, arguing that they should be held liable, in some way, for airing programming tied to "a known fraud recidivist." Their complaints are tied to the FINRA-barred former broker who is behind the "Smart Oil & Gas Show," a syndicated radio program.
IBC2021 Canceled As COVID-19 Spike Fueled Tech Firm Withdrawals
Following close examination of new COVID protocols from the Dutch government and consultation with key IBC stakeholders, IBC2021 recently declared that it is "firmly set" on delivering a safe and valuable event in Amsterdam from December 3-6. That all changed on Tuesday, with event organizers abruptly cancelling the event amid a high volume of vendor cancellations.
Nielsen ‘Enhancement’ To Bring TV Per-Spot Measurement
Measurement of national television "in a more precise manner" is the promise Nielsen seeks to deliver by enhancing its Nielsen Individual Commercial Metrics. This, it believes, will help transition audience estimates to a methodology based on individual ads — and not commercial minutes. What does this mean for broadcast media AEs and sales pros?
Cox Explains To FCC Why It Won’t Sell WPYO To SBS
In Reply Comments submitted earlier this week to the FCC, CMG and broker/trustee Elliot Evers state that poor economic conditions present an opportunity, with precedent, for the Commission to extend a divestiture deadline tied to Apollo's majority ownership acquisition of Cox Media Group.
David Field Snaps Up More Audacy Stock
With Audacy Inc. shares just five cents higher than where they sat on January 4, the company's Chairman and President/CEO has acted by acquiring nearly 120,000 shares of stock in the audio content and distribution company he leads.
The InFOCUS Podcast: Clark Smidt and WATX
Clark Smidt is selling spots, playing the hits of yesteryear and just launched a direct mail campaign to 7 "hot ZIPs" within the listening area of a New Haven-market AM left for dead by its previous owner. Is WATX a hobby, or is it an incubator designed to demonstrate why a licensee should never give up, and avoid turning in the license of a forlorn AM property? This InFOCUS Podcast has the answer. LISTEN HERE
Emmis Moves Forward With Buyback Effort
On October 28, RBR+TVBR first reported that the company founded and led by Jeff Smulyan had earmarked as much as $5.2 million to invest in a long-awaited stock repurchase initiative — one intended to take up to two million Class A Emmis Communications shares out of public hands. The stock buyback effort fell short of that goal.
Audacy Abandons ‘Two Minute Promise’ At ALT Stations
Some 28 months ago, Audacy Inc. Alternative stations addressed complaints among listeners that its commercial breaks were too long. In response, its "ALT" properties adopted a "2 Minute Promise." Now, Audacy has abandoned it. The reason? Rising advertiser demand.
Another Big Week, Indeed, For Spot Radio Stars
There are two huge users of Spot Radio that stand out, once again, in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report.
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A Telemundo Spin, With No Changes To Viewers
A digital low-power TV station licensed to Logan, Utah, is poised to leave the NBC Universal family. An agreement, submitted Tuesday with the FCC, shows that its Telemundo O&O arm is agreeing to part ways with the facility. The buyer? A local governmental entity.
Washington Mourns Meteorologist Doug Hill
For a generation of local TV news viewers and WTOP radio listeners across the National Capital Region, Doug Hill was a household name — a trusted source of local weather reports and a friendly face to those tuned to WJLA-7, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group since 2014. Now, viewers and media industry figures across Washington are stopping to remember Hill, who has died.
Gray Selects Bush’s Successor at ‘FOX 19’
With Debbie Bush leaving "FOX 19" for a leadership role in Arizona, once Gray closes on its Meredith Corp. merger, a need for a replacement arose. Gray has now stated who will succeed Bush in Cincinnati when she starts her new role in Phoenix on or about December 1.
Another Mako Stations Sale Closes
It was the third transaction to involve a "unique" group of low-power TV construction permits, given their construction deadline. And, the deal was first announced in late August. Now, Ravi Kapur has completed his acquisition of two digital mini-TV facilities from Mako Communications.
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RBR+TVBR Encore: Top Tips For Christmas Hits, And Ratings Riches
Christmas is now just weeks away. If your company has stations that are presently airing all-Christmas music, making sure they sound great throughout the holiday season is of utmost importance. Here is a 10-point programming checklist to keep the holiday tunes sound fresh through December 25, courtesy of Gary Berkowitz.
Forecast 2022: Sasso’s Thankful Return To An In-Person Conference
The last time Colorado Broadcasters Association President/CEO Justin Sasso attended an in-person broadcast conference was in February 2020. Sasso's next event was held Nov. 16, 2021, as he participated as a Forecast 2022 panelist. Here's what Sasso had to say about the gathering in New York, and why his first travel in more than 18 months was a far easier endevaor.
Observation: ‘A Big Case For Radio in the Big Apple’
From Uber to Lyft, from retailer to sundry shop, traditional radio appears to be alive and well in Midtown Manhattan, let alone the rest of the Big Apple. This leads our Editor-in-Chief to exclaim, "Can someone please alert Madison Avenue that New York loves Radio?!"
FCC to Host Video Programming Accessibility Forum
A December 2 forum will explore the state of closed captioning availability for online video programming and discuss ways to enhance accessibility.
Internet and digital news for the broadcasting industry.
Drive Time Metrics Earns Its Fifth U.S. Patent
The company is now in possession of US Patent Number 11,171,792: METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEDIA, ADVERTISING AND/OR IN VEHICLE CONTENT MONITORING — covering what consumers are listening to or viewing in their vehicles.
With IBC2021 ‘Yes’ Negated, Digital Nirvana Moves Forward
At IBC2021, Digital Nirvana was to be present at Stand 7.A08. There, the company planned to show off its Trance cloud-based transcription, captioning, and translation workflow; highlight the newest updates to MetadataIQ, its SaaS-based metadata-generation platform; and MonitorIQ, an AI-driven compliance logging and monitoring tool. Now, Digital Nirvana will be using alternative methods for showing off its products.
The Sports Video Group Summit Is On. SSL Is In
With vendors saying no to Amsterdam in two weeks, others are saying yes to the Big Apple, as TE1 and TE2 DSP engines and remote production products from Solid State Logic (SSL) will be among the wares on display at the Sports Video Group (SVG) Summit.