Radio+Television Business Report

Nic Dugger served as the technical producer for "Christmas at Graceland," produced by Los Angeles-based Done + Dusted. It aired as a live special on NBC on November 29, 2023.

DataCore-owned media workflow product vendor Perifery plans to showcase its "comprehensive workflow solution," an offering that integrates storage, asset management, applications, and artificial intelligence functionality, at the 2024 NAB Show New York.

“We are pleased to have successfully achieved all of our restructuring goals, emerging with an outstanding balance sheet, delivering industry-leading growth, serving our listeners and advertisers with excellence and honoring our commitments to employees and partners,” said David Field, who will continue as President/CEO of Audacy Inc. as it goes private.

T-Mobile has agreed to "important forward-looking commitments to address foundational security flaws, work to improve cyber hygiene, and adopt robust modern architectures, like zero trust and phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication." Oh, it will also pay a multimillion-dollar civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury.

He most recently led radio stations in Ogallala, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa for iHeartMedia, departing earlier this month. Now this 48-year square dance caller has been named President/GM of the group of radio stations serving Omaha and Council Bluffs owned by the company led by Carl Parmer.

Some may be wondering if the combination of Dish and Sling with DirecTV — therefore resulting in only one DBS provider — will pass muster with regulatory agencies. If the combination of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio is any guide, the answer is yes — the deal will go through.

One of the most popular features of the year among readers of the Radio + Television Business Report is back — and the volume of nominations we've received is at a record high. Have you submitted yours yet? You have until TOMORROW so don't forget to select your picks!

Large swaths of Western North Carolina and eastern Georgia impacted last week by Hurricane Helene and its remnants remain without cell phone service — let alone electricity, potable water and in some areas any navigable thoroughfares. This reinforced the need for broadcast media services in an emergency situation — even as stations themselves struggled to stay on the air.

While the release of the Commission's Memorandum Opinion and Order came early Monday, it was adopted in a divisive 3-2 vote on September 18, with Republicans Brendan Carr and Nate Simington vociferously disapproving the deal over Soros' ties to liberal and Democratic causes.

"With greater scale, we expect a combined DIRECTV and DISH will be better able to work with programmers to realize our vision for the future of TV, which is to aggregate, curate, and distribute content tailored to customers’ interests," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a prepared statement released early Monday.

The FCC's two Republican votemakers couldn't be more irate over what detractors of the deal have labeled a "Soros short cut" to gaining financial control — and, to conservatives, editorial control — of Audacy's radio stations. Yet, the Chairwoman remains steadfast that the same process used for three of Audacy's peers was applied with its emergence from bankruptcy protection.

"While we do not take a position on the merits of this or any particular broadcast transaction, it is essential that the FCC’s regulatory processes are fair and predictable so that broadcasters can innovate and invest in their stations to the benefit of communities across the country," NAB head Curtis LeGeyt said.

The licenses for an AM radio station with an FM translator serving Oregon's state capital were transferred between family members — twice — without FCC authorization. That's yielded a proposed fine.

Matthew Wesolowski is known across the industry as the General Manager of SSR Communications in Flora, Miss., who had been a key advocate of a “Class C4” FM radio facility. Now, Wesolowski is in the news as the Audio Division has ordered his company to show why it can't move a Utah FM to a new frequency and a Nevada address.

In five weeks, the U.S. presidential election will be here. There are still undecided voters for both Vice President Harris and former President Trump to sway, and for the Democratic candidate, attracting potential voters has seen an investment in broadcast TV spots.

As of November 16 Scripps News 24/7 national news programming will wind down, with the digital multicast network that evolved from OTT-distributed Newsy coming to its conclusion.

NielsenIQ has released its Mid-Year Consumer Outlook: Guide to 2025 report, which takes a closer look at macro catalysts across industries. Among the top takeaways from the study is that consumers remain determined and resilient despite uncertainty. This provides a strategic roadmap for retailers looking to win over consumers.

Six months ago, a partnership was reached between broadcast tower manufacturer Dielectric and broadcast tech company SCMS.  This opened the door to a growing number of FM Radio projects for Dielectric. Today, the companies are celebrating the installation of a 12-bay antenna and a combiner in Bemidji, Minn.

America First Legal is an organization whose mission is to oppose "the radical left's anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, and Anti-American crusade." Add "anti-Soros" to its list of goals, as it has launched an investigation into the FCC for what it calls the "apparent fast-tracking" of Audacy Inc.'s post-bankruptcy restructuring plan.

Blame political ad displacement for a 2024 dip in Automotive advertising for Radio, says BIA’s Rick Ducey. Next year will see the dollars from the industry, he predicts.