The parent of the three main PBS Member stations serving the New York Tri-State Area will become the first operator in the nation’s No. 1 market to bring NEXTGEN TV service to those with an ATSC 3.0-equipped television set.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today has revealed its updated slate of board leaders and board members.
Andrew Russell, President/CEO of PBS SoCal and KCET in Los Angeles, has been re-elected Chair.
At the same time, Susi Elkins, Director of Broadcasting and General Manager of WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. has been re-elected Professional Vice Chair. David Steward II, Immediate Past Board Chair of Nine PBS in St. Louis, has been re-elected Lay Vice Chair.
The newly-elected trustees are:
Re-elected to the APTS Board of Trustees are:
Zeglis began his board term on January 5. The officers and other trustees will begin their terms on February 28.
If you thought the COVID-19 pandemic would halt, or reverse, cord-cutting trends for MVPDs, think again.
While 40% of Americans still pay for cable services, a shift in viewing habits and streaming services is leading more consumers to say no to cable TV.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A multimedia initiative that enables Members of Congress in cities where Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned stations have a local news department to speak directly to their constituents on a regular basis has returned.
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NEW YORK — Comcast-owned FreeWheel has officially launched a new Certified Partner Program.
Its purpose is to certify and organize buyers, sellers, data partners and technology partners within FreeWheel’s platform to create a more efficient and effective media supply chain for the TV ecosystem.
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What do the longtime Miami-based singer known for “Conga” and “Coming out of the Dark” and a longtime Inside the Beltway figure who once worked on antitrust litigation and merger reviews as an associate with Howrey LLP have in common?
Both have thoughts worthy enough for sharing at a House Judiciary Committee hearing conducted virtually on Wednesday morning. The subject: the American Music Freedom Act, which would implement a royalty payment scheme on top of what broadcast radio already pays for the right to play recorded music on its AM and FM stations.
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Of the witnesses that appeared in a virtual House Judiciary Committee hearing held Wednesday morning to debate the “American Music Freedom Act,” NAB Chairman/CEO Curtis Legeyt perhaps provided the most objective commentary as to why the proposed legislation is unjust and would impose financial burdens on radio stations of all sizes across the U.S.
In particular, Legeyt slammed the world’s recording industry goliaths for failing to come to the table after four years of opportunities to work with the NAB and broadcast radio in the U.S. on a “win-win” royalty scheme.
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The leader of CNN Worldwide has abruptly tendered his resignation, a decision largely tied to his revelation that he developed an improper relationship with his “closest colleague” — an individual he had worked with for more than two decades.
Jeff Zucker, the president of the entity that oversees CNN and CNN International, is out, effective immediately.
In an employee memo shared by CNN.com, Zucker said, “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo‘s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.”
While Zucker did not reveal the name of that longtime colleague, CNN reports that it is with Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust, who is remaining at CNN.
Gollust issued a memo of her own. She said, “Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years. Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time. I’m incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.”
The memo was dispatched shortly after 11am Eastern, taking employees by surprise.
Shortly thereafter, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar sent an internal email to all at CNN stating that an interim leadership plan will be revealed shortly. “Both of these organizations are at the top of their respective games and are well prepared for their next chapters,” he said.
Zucker has been associated with CNN since 2013. He is widely known for his tenure at NBC, where he rose from a TODAY producer to network president.
It’s known for “Michigan’s Positive Hits,” with 21 radio signals across the Mitten State offering Worship Music to fans of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) genre.
Now, it is agreeing to purchase the property and license associated with a Class A FM licensed to the city of West Branch.
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As first reported by Communications Daily via Twitter late Tuesday, considerations of the nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as a Democratic Commissioner on the FCC — along with two other nominations — were removed from the agenda for today’s Executive Session of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.
With confirmation of the report yet to arrive as Midnight struck in Washington, daybreak brought the reason for the last-minute agenda change: An influential Senator had suffered a stroke, but is expected to fully recover.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N. Mex.) on January 27 suffered a stroke. He underwent brain surgery and is expected to fully recover, representatives of the legislator said Tuesday.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Luján was diagnosed with a stroke in the cerebellum, which is in the back of the brain. “Decompressive” surgery was performed to relieve pressure on the brain at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. A full recovery can take from a few weeks to a couple of months.
Luján is 49 years old and in his first term as a U.S. Senator.
Given the timetable for Luján’s return to Washington, the FCC’s 2-2 leadership will likely be in place through at least May. That’s because the support of Sohn is far from bipartisan, with Democrats largely supporting her nomination by the Biden Administration to take the final seat on the Commission and Republicans in unison against her nomination.
Until Luján’s ailment, a 14-14 vote — something that would signal Democratic approval as they are the majority party in the Senate — was anticipated on Sohn’s vote. Luján has been a supporter of Sohn, and without his vote her path to the Commission would most certainly be derailed.
Also off the hearing agenda are considerations of the nomination of Mary Boyle to serve as a Commissioner on the National Product Safety Commission and that of Alvaro Bedoya to serve as the Federal Trade Commission’s Commissioner.
The February 2 hearing was to be Sohn’s second in front of the Senate Commerce Committee, and comes following the Biden Administration’s reaffirmation of its nomination of the “net neutrality” advocate.
Sohn’s role with Locast, where she served as a board member of the “virtual Over-the-Air” television services provider that purported to be a non-profit before a New York Federal judge’s decision led to its demise, remains a bone of contention with Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). However, Sohn has agreed to excuse herself from two specific matters because of a potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.
First, Sohn would recuse herself from matters involving retransmission consent or television broadcast copyright for the first three years of her term. Second, Sohn agreed to recuse herself for four years from a docket concerning the rules governing retransmission consent.
That led the NAB to give its affirmative nod to Sohn’s seating as a FCC Commissioner. In contrast, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association is still concerned, wondering why she won’t recuse herself from other matters she has spoken out against. The NCTA’s concern has not let to its formal objection of Sohn’s nomination, however, as it takes an approach similar to that of the NAB.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — No less than 14 individuals are being elevated to new roles at Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of broadcast TV properties and Bally Sports RSNs.
And, it is at the regional sports networks where many of the promotions are being seen.
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Joining RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on the latest InFOCUS Podcast is Paul Kelly. He’s the Chief Revenue Officer for A Million Ads, and has two decades of experience leading creative and commercial teams for such organizations as Viacom.
Paul shares his insight and knowledge on audio advertising, and how it’s so hot, LinkedIn is getting in the game.
What can Radio glean from this? You’ll learn more in just 11 minutes.
Thanks to the efforts of Volker Moerbitz, the longtime Research Analyst with the Kagan arm of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Media & Communications broadcast sector advisory services, a full review of the 2021 transactions marketplace has arrived.
The biggest takeaway: “Cautious optimism” abounds, as year-end deal numbers for 2021 are higher than that seen in 2020.
That’s the overall portrait, however, fueled by television.
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When it comes to sports networks, nearly all involve a MVPD and are regional in their approach. This includes the Bally Sports RSNs owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Baltimore-based media company that has taken a front seat on the rollout of ATSC 3.0.
A few miles to the southeast of Charm City, a local media company that has a formidable presence in the First State and across the Delmarva region is about to launch its own sports network. Only, it is to be a digital multicast piggybacking on its CBS affiliate.
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On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee will play host to a “Zoom video webinar” devoted to the “American Music Fairness Act,” proposed legislation that would impose additional royalties on music played by AM and FM radio stations across the U.S.
While the “AMFA” support is dwarfed by that of the “Local Radio Freedom Act,” and no companion legislation for “AMFA” has yet to emerge in the Senate, one advocating pushing for the bill’s passage is calling for the board of directors of two of the nation’s biggest radio broadcasting companies to discuss “how music creators should be paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio.”
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It’s nearly earnings season for the nation’s broadcast media companies, and ahead of those reports SiriusXM Holdings Inc. on February 1 released its fiscal health review for the final three months of 2021.
How did SiriusXM fare? It surpassed revenue expectations, as the company shared a positive outlook for investors. Better yet, a special dividend is on the way for shareholders.
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If 2021 wasn’t a big year for your radio or television stations, with respect to advertising dollars and reaping stronger-than-ever marketing budgets, then the forthcoming years may be cloudy unless strong growth beyond retransmission fees for broadcast TV and political dollars for over-the-air television and radio no longer drive revenue.
That’s perhaps the biggest takeaway from the just released WARC Global Marketing Index for 2021.
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A small broadcaster with TV stations in its home market of Salisbury-Ocean City, Md.; adjacent city Dover, Del.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; and two Georgia markets has just agreed to acquire a construction permit for a low-power television station in one of those markets — a move that bolsters its presence there.
It’s another LPTV deal that sees Bob Heymann, of the Chicago office of Media Services Group, serve as the seller’s broker.
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The company known for its audio research and analytics platform has brought to market what it calls “a first-of-its-kind API for audio scoring.”
“With Veritonic’s API, anyone analyzing audio — including publishers, agencies, and technology vendors — can seamlessly view audience engagement scores in whatever system or tools they use,” Veritonic announced Tuesday morning (2/1).
Powered by Veritonic’s Machine Listening and Learning (M-LAL) technology, the API provides users with access to audio measurement scores for several efficacy attributes including recall, engagement, and intent for every asset in their library. “Publishers can then use these scores to make informed decisions around when and where to use their assets, and how they can be further optimized to increase ROI,” the company says. “Every type of audio asset can be scored through this API, including audio logos, audio ads, podcast ads, functional sounds, music, podcast clips, voiceovers, and more.”
Speaking for Veritonic, CEO Scott Simonelli notes, “We remain committed to providing the audio industry with seamless access to the data and insights that are elevating campaign performance and increasing ROI. Our API enables critical audio efficacy metrics to sit alongside an asset for the first time, unlocking unprecedented scale and making analysis and decision-making faster and more streamlined than ever before.”
Michele Arnese, founder and CEO and Chief Creative Officer of amp sound branding, adds, “We look forward to leveraging Veritonic’s API to further integrate audio measurement into our intelligent Sonic OS platform, the one-stop-shop for data-aided evaluation and implementation of sonic identities. This API will enable us to simplify the process of evaluating and optimizing our assets at all stages of the sonic branding development process, creating even more impactful and measurable audible experiences for our clients.”
It’s a Class C 1kw AM radio station with an FM translator serving as the ESPN Radio affiliate for East Texas’ key Nielsen Audio-rated market.
Now, the facilities belong to a new owner, as the transaction has just closed.
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