Radio & Television Business Report

Chatter over whether or not President Trump will soon fire the lone Democrat on the FCC could soon reach a fever pitch, as the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee — Texas Republican Ted Cruz — has revealed a nomination hearing for Danielle Thumann will be held on Thursday.

A TEGNA-licensed NBC affiliate ultimately under the ownership of Nexstar Media Group has told an Ohio federal district court judge that the firing of a photojournalist was justified and did not violate the station's collective bargaining agreement with a key workers' union.

In another move that solidifies TEGNA's "hold separate" status as a California federal district court judge considers whether its regulatory approved merger with Nexstar Media Group is a violation of antitrust law, its Sr. VP and Head of Sports Rights and Sr. VP of Revenue is rising to the role of Sr. VP and Group GM for TEGNA Media. 

The E.W. Scripps Co. has introduced a new Local Media leadership structure, something it calls "the latest step in its companywide transformation to reorient the business around consumers’ changing media habits." The changes result in the elimination of more than two dozen positions at the broadcast TV station ownership group.

A pair of progressive political action groups, along with a collection of viewers of ABC stations, have responded to formal opposition to their request to become plaintiffs alongside The Walt Disney Company in its ABC-focused federal lawsuit against the FCC being argued in U.S. District Court.

On this 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we look back on that Tuesday morning with two key observations. First, it taught one news operation that having an emergency contact and operations plan was essential. Second, it showed the power of live broadcast media in a time of crisis — a fact that continues today.

A Wisconsin-based company has brought to market the Spanish-language version of an automated weather broadcasting platform giving radio stations the opportunity to generate ready-to-air, fully produced local weather forecasts using real-time weather data.

A multi-year renewal of an audio broadcasting partnership has been finalized between an iHeartMedia FM serving Wisconsin's largest market and the NFL team that is owned by the small city it calls home.

According to official signal coverage maps, it is an FM translator with a signal covering portions of Dearborn, Mich. In mid-July, based on a FCC Enforcement Bureau's investigation, it was determined that the mini-FM's signal and transmitting power was far greater than its authorized 85 watts could provide. 

It's already omnipresent across the U.S. thanks to its K-LOVE and Worship Music-focused sibling Air1 brands. Now, K-LOVE Inc. is debuting a new brand aimed at reaching the next generation of young believers by targeting current college students and young adults "with the hope of inspiring them to move closer to Jesus."

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has told a Salem Media talk host that a much-awaited vote of the 'AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act' will be seen on the House floor at the start of next week. And, it was getting the legislation incorporated into an approve-or-else transportation bill that prompted the Congressman to instead schedule a vote on the bill. 

A media workflow specialist founded 30 years ago has moved forward with the acquisition of an integrated playout, captioning, subtitling and broadcast workflow solutions provider led by CEO David Bowes.

When adtech platforms and TV buyers evaluate Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) data or device-level targeting, they typically rely on data feeds from a single smart TV OEM or streaming device. However, newly released data from the ARF DASH TV Universe Study reveal "a major flaw" in this approach: intra-household fragmentation.

Sports viewership is up, and it's rising fastest among younger fans. Hub Entertainment Research's latest wave of “Evolution of Sports – What’s the Score?” has all of the details.

With the Trump Administration and Canada's PM, Mark Carney, dancing a tariff tango, some may wonder if the resulting effects will include, to some extent, a pullback on advertising commitments across North America. Not at all, a newly released global ad forecast from Madison & Wall shows.

New capabilities from Comscore AI Intelligence have been brought to market, and the company seeking to provide consumer data and consumption insights believes this can offer brands and publishers the ability to measure sponsored chat-based advertising and establish its impact on digital traffic, engagement, and consumer behavior.