Radio+Television Business Report

She’s led diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for 16 years.

Now, she’s joining the owner of such stations as WCVB-5 in Boston and KCRA-3 in Sacramento to serve as its first-ever D&I director.

Yasmine Osborn is joining Hearst Television, for the newly created position of Director of Diversity & Inclusion.

In her new role, Osborn, in partnership with corporate and local-market leadership across Hearst Television’s station group, will build upon diversity & inclusion (D&I) efforts already underway throughout the group, developing and leading new programs to recruit, support and advance a diverse workforce that represents the company’s markets, audiences and society as a whole.

Particular areas of focus will include employee resource groups, mentorship and sponsorship programs, training and development programs, external partnerships, and employee engagement utilizing opportunities such as cultural/heritage months and company town halls.

Osborn will partner with D&I leaders across other businesses of Hearst Television parent company Hearst in order to benefit from corporate initiatives and to share best practices.

“We established the director of diversity & inclusion role with the intention of building upon and growing our programs to cultivate a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for our employees,” Hearst Television SVP of Human Resources Katherine Barnett said. “We’ve already had encouraging initial success with efforts including town halls. Yasmine, who made a real difference at USTA, brings the right experience and vision to the important task of growing these programs and launching new efforts.”

Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb singled out Osborn’s “extensive experience, creativity and vision will clearly take our already strong efforts to the next level.”

Osborn has had a stellar career in collegiate tennis, leading her to a position at the USTA in Orlando.

For the second consecutive year, the readers of the Radio + Television Business Report have spoken. And, with their input, the 2021 ranking of Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders includes new names near the top of the list, and many shifts.

In a year that saw a great pause and, for some, a shift thanks to a pandemic, it’s perhaps fitting.

With the release of RBR+TVBR‘s Spring 2020 Special Report, radio and television industry leaders had been plunged deep into the Great Unknown, presented by Coronavirus. Falling share prices and ad cancellations – along with the postponement by one year of the Summer Olympic Games – began to devastate broadcast media.

Leaders commiserated. Plans of action were executed. And, in the television industry, swift recoveries — some, perhaps faster than others — came over the next several months. By the end of 2020, most broadcast TV companies were on solid footing, financially. There were even blockbuster deals to report, such as ION Media’s acquisition by The E.W. Scripps Co., which closed in early January 2021. Then, on February 2021, Quincy Media, Inc. revealed that Gray Television would be buying all of its television assets. The price: $950 million.

Thanks to record-setting political advertising and continued retransmission consent revenue cushioning dips in core advertising, broadcast television’s financial health is strong. On the air, reporters and anchors expertly adjusted to live newscasts from their homes, while covering COVID-19 testing and vaccination updates in their community. For some, social injustice protests thrust field reporters into emergency situations, putting them at high risk while delivering important news to local viewers.

Through it all, broadcast television shined — and the readers of RBR+TVBR have acknowledged this by saluting 15 exceptional leaders who have steered their ships through stormy waters that may still be a bit patchy, but today are relatively calm and full of hope.

Who are the Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders of 2021? You can find the rankings exclusively in the Spring 2021 RBR+TVBR Special Report!

Subscribers received a link to download the PDF of this report on Monday morning (4/26).

Not a subscriber? Become a RBR+TVBR Member today, and get access to our report while guaranteeing access to our three other quarterly Special Reports in 2021!

CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS NOW! 

In many markets, vintage sitcoms and dramas can be seen on such digital multicast networks as Weigel Broadcasting’s Me TV and Nexstar Media Group‘s Antenna TV.

Now, Nexstar is doubling down on consumer thirst for classic fare by preparing to launch a more youthful companion to its 1960s and 1970s-focused existing offering.

FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER FOR INDUSTRY NEWS FIRST!

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“So much can get misinterpreted in a sales call, business meeting or even a casual hallway interaction,” says sales training expert Barrett Riddleberger. “To avoid this, successful performers develop the communication skill of understanding personality styles.”

They learn their own style … and the style of the person with whom they are speaking.

“As a result, they minimize conflict between their two personality styles,” he says. “For the unaware person, it can quickly disrupt the conversation.”

This, Riddleberger notes, can be easily avoided by following the steps in this column.

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A top Wall Street media sector analyst is apologizing for what some may consider to be an overly dramatic opening paragraph to a highly positive report on a multiplatform video content producer and distributor that sold its radio stations to Audacy, the former Entercom Communications.

In short, despite its recent surge and fizzle with its stock price, ViacomCBS deserves an upgrade, thanks to “a surprise comeback” giving renewed optimism even as “another life-threatening swoon” leaves the market on the edge of its seats.

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U.S. financial markets were largely in recovery mode on Friday, after concerns that the Biden Administration would increase capital gains taxes sent general indices down sharply on Thursday.

How did media stocks fare?

Townsquare Media gained 11 cents to finish at $9.88.

Also gaining ground: The E.W. Scripps Co., up 16 cents to $22.99.

Sinclair Broadcast Group also improved nicely, with a 26-cent rise to $32.62.

Heading downward on Friday was TEGNA, which is again fending off a quest by dissident shareholder Standard General for a greater presence on the company’s board of directors. At the closing bell, TGNA was at $20.97, off 19 cents.

 

Bay Area entrepreneur Ravi Kapur has emerged in recent months as a buyer of low-power TV stations.

He’s grabbed another one — this time in the birthplace of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

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An AM/FM combo serving a community to the south of Cape Girardeau, Mo., is being sold.

The stations air a Country format and offer a simulcast to local listeners.

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Nearly six months ago, local media reported that a 25kw Class C3 FM serving a rural area to the north of the Twin Cities was being transferred to a new owner.

Now, paperwork at the FCC has finally been filed that confirms the plan.

Who’s the buyer? A longtime owner and operator of radio stations in Minnesota.

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RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION

Last night I had quite the dream. I was running a radio station, somewhere. There was lots of activity. I was at a desk, typing on a computer, using RCS Selector to put the final touches on a Top 40 radio station’s playlist.

If only it wasn’t a dream.

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He is a Michigan Law grad from Saskatchewan with experience at Brightstar Corp. and, most recently, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

How does the professional experience of Nathan Simington, the newest Commission on the Federal Communications Commission, give the agency a whole new perspective on how to consider its policies and rules?

“Well, I think my experiences in the private sector, particularly with cellular devices and long-term deals, gives me a somewhat unusual perspective at the Commission,” he says in an exclusive interview.

Get the full story on where Nathan Simington stands on bringing “light touch” regulatory policies and rule “modernization” to broadcast media ONLY by receiving your copy of the Spring 2021 RBR+TVBR Special Report — our latest magazine. It’s also the ONLY home of the much-anticipated Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders ranking of 2021. And, it arrives in subscriber e-mail inboxes Monday at 11am Eastern!

SUBSCRIBE NOW TO RBR+TVBR TO SECURE YOUR COPY TODAY!

 

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How one interprets research is key to understanding the root of any problem, or sniffing out all of the facts, when it comes to something that could greatly impact your employer — or your job.

That’s why RBR+TVBR had to put the sniff test to a report stating that, based on a poll of U.S. adults aged 18-29, local TV news leads compared to other sources.

Yes, that’s true. But, the real story is just how few Americans in this age group are tuning to local TV news — or any other news source, for that matter.

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More and more consumers are choosing streaming video packages and are opting out of pay-TV video bundles.

The finding from S&P Global Ratings affirms the belief that “cord-cutting” hasn’t ceased, despite pandemic-fueled reports of a resurgence in MVPD subscriber rolls.

And, S&P Global Ratings views more cord-cutting and fewer pay-TV bundles as a negative for the entire television sector’s credit quality.

It’s a new view on the impact of MVPD abandonment among U.S. video content consumers, leaving a strong broadband internet connection as the lone reason they’d be a customer to Comcast, Charter Spectrum, Cox or any other entity some still view as the “cable company.”

The report, “How The Decline In The U.S. Television Ecosystem Could Squeeze Credit Ratings,” updates S&P Global Ratings’ U.S. pay-TV video subscriber forecast, which it based on a rollup of our individual company forecasts.

S&P last updated its forecast in January 2020.

“Even though cord-cutting trended downward in the second half of last year compared to the first half, we estimate the rate of legacy pay-TV subscription losses was modestly worse in 2020 at about 7.9% versus 7.3% in 2019,” S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Naveen Sarma said. “We’ve updated our pay-TV video subscriber forecast and, in this report, discuss how any changes could affect our ratings on companies in the pay-TV ecosystem.”

The report notes that the ratings impact of the decline of pay-TV on the cable sector will be muted due the strength of its broadband service. Media companies will feel the heat on their TV operations, but it’s difficult to say which companies could face negative rating actions because many have diversified businesses.

Importantly, S&P notes that this report does not constitute a rating action.

To view the report in its entirety, please click here.

Nielsen Holdings plc has selected its newest member of the company’s board of directors. She took her seat on Wednesday (4/21), and will also serve on the board’s audit committee.

The news came as Nielsen revealed when it will share its first quarter 2021 financial results.

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In a August 2017 webinar moderated by Radio INK editor-in-chief Ed Ryan, Veritone ‎Managing Director of Enterprise Radio Solutions Paul Cramer offered participants some eye-opening details on a new, “AI”-powered way to “aircheck” for an advertiser of an AM or FM station.

The webinar came on a day when Google’s Chrome browser was experimenting with a “mute” setting for autoplay video ads that start playing when one scrolls to the ad on a web page.

The timing was perhaps perfect, and still resonates today.

How many people do you know hit a “mute” button when a commercial comes on the radio station they are listening to?

The very idea is absurd, and gives the radio industry yet another weapon in its advertiser ammo box.Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Concerns about higher capital gains taxes, courtesy of President Biden, fueled a sharp decrease in general indices on Wall Street.

Did the Thursday dips include media stocks?

Nope.

Audacy reversed a downtrend with a 2.6% improvement, bringing AUD to $4.75.

Also up: Cumulus Media, rising 4 cents to $9.63, and iHeartMedia, rising 17 cents to $19.62.

Among broadcast TV companies, Nexstar Media Group shares finished at $154.32, rising 31 cents. Sinclair Broadcast Group stock improved by 70 cents, to $32.36.

The day’s big gainer: Dish, which gained $1.01 to $41.95 on word that its Sling has an audience measurement accord in place with Comscore.

 

PHILADELPHIA — Content protection services provider Friend MTS has agreed to an “expanded partnership” with Akamai, one that allows each company to offer content owners, broadcasters and operators a smart server-side A/B variant watermarking product based on the Friend MTS ASiD OTT Edge-switched technology and Akamai’s Access Revocation solution/technology.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC has adopted new sponsorship identification requirements to require broadcasters to disclose when foreign governments or their representatives lease time on their airwaves.

The Order, the Commission says, “increases transparency, ensuring audiences are aware when a foreign government, or its representatives, uses the airwaves to persuade the American public.”

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NEW YORK —  A syndicated service reported via Nielsen’s NPOWER audience insights platform has been launched.

Introducing Streaming Video Ratings from the nation’s dominant audience measurement and data analytics firm.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC has launched a proceeding to consider allowing Wireless Multi-Channel Audio Systems (WMAS) — an emerging wireless microphone technology that would enable more microphones per megahertz of spectrum.

It’s an efficiency the Commission believes “can greatly benefit music venues or convention centers with multiple performers or speakers.”

Television broadcasters should take note of this proposal.

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