Radio & Television Business Report

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Friday deferred a request from a quartet of Democrats running for elected office in the 2026 mid-term cycle that would have forced the FCC to issue a swift ruling on whether or not the "lowest unit rate" includes Political Action Committees or is limited to the candidates themselves.

In a move the Baltimore-headquartered company says is emblematic of its increased news investment, Sinclair Inc. is immediately expanding its nationally distributed news program to time slots at a dozen TV stations where, until now, syndicated fare had been airing.

The Media Bureau's Video Division has granted the company's Petition for Declaratory Ruling — triggering criticism from the lone Democrat serving as a FCC Commissioner and from a fired Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission. It puts partial ownership of CBS in the hands of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the FCC have announced that they will be teaming up to conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. Word of the test, scheduled for mid-November, came via a Public Notice from the Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.

A news helicopter covering a deadly collision between a sports utility vehicle and a Los Angeles Metro Bus crashed in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley early Tuesday evening, resulting in the death of an aerial reporter covering the scene for the NBCUniversal Local television stations serving Southern California and two others.

Picture this: It's November 4. The election-fueled ad dollar bump is over. What's next for broadcast radio and TV, given the core advertising challenges seen by some and the National ad-dollar impairment experienced by many? A Forecast 2027 session delivers the tools to build the bridge to take you past the proverbial politicial cliff.

On July 22, the FCC adopted rules to auction another 160 MHz of upper C-band spectrum by July 2027. Incumbents will be required to vacate before new wireless service begins, in the top 75 markets by December 2030 and everywhere else by July 2031. Here is what that timeline actually asks of a radio network.

The ongoing wind-down of Mary Quass-led NRG Media has continued, with the apparent sale of four radio brands serving the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa, market.  The buyer? Look no further than the man who founded Civic Media, as Cedar Basin Media is born through a transaction signed off by Sage Weil.

Following a brief and sudden illness, Pritchard Broadcasting Corp. sole shareholder and director John T. Pritchard on August 19 passed away. A Form 316 filing has now been made with the FCC that effectively places the licenses for the company's radio stations in the hands of the executor and administrator of his estate.

A Class B AM radio station serving Spanish-language audiences between Ann Arbor and Detroit could face a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture from the FCC for a series of Emergency Alert System (EAS) violations — including monitoring the wrong Local Primary Stations as designated by the Commission.

Two of radio’s most recognizable voices are stepping behind the podium for Radio Ink and RBR+TVBR‘s Forecast 2027. One is a Radio Hall of Fame host and four-time Gracie Award recipient. The other has spent nearly 20 years in Boston sports radio.

The churn rate has gained a new eye with respect to ensuring subscribers don't say goodbye, and it is streaming television which is actively looking for ways to keep that rate low. Hub Entertainment Research has a solution, a newly released report offers. Still, the findings indicate free-to-air TV wins.

The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten reports have been released, and when it comes to Spot Cable versus National Spot TV, there's regularly a deviation with respect to brands and their investment activity. Last week, a brand that dominates Spot Cable is inching closer to the top of the Spot TV report, as an accident attorney specialty law firm again rules the broadcast TV dial.

It's a move that provides advertisers with a more complete view of how audiences move across streaming and other channels. And, it sees a data integration agreement come to fruition for Roku and Horizon Media.

Newly research research from Premion and Advertiser Perceptions demonstrates that as sports viewing shifts across screens, advertisers are increasingly following those fans to streaming TV. The result? "Big Tech" is pocketing from marketers and consumers alike as it delivers big ticket play-by-play on a near-exclusive basis.

Some 73% of respondents in a newly released Pew-Knight Initiative study said press freedom is extremely or very important to the well-being of society. However, when asked to prioritize press freedom or accuracy, 53% said preventing inaccurate reporting is more important — even if it limits press freedom.