Radio+Television Business Report

The Museum of Broadcast Communications announces that the RADIO HALL OF FAME Nominating Committee is accepting suggestions for 2025 nominees, but only through March 31, 2025, at 11:59pm Pacific.

The broadcast media industry's key leaders have been asking for it. Soon, they'll likely get it. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday announced that the agency has launched what he calls "a massive, new deregulatory initiative."

The E.W. Scripps Co. President/CEO Adam Symson opened his company's Q4 2024 earnings report with a strong call of support for the Chairman of the FCC, pleading the regulatory agency to loosen local ownership restrictions. He also told an analyst that Scripps will consider swaps or sales, should deregulation come.

"Good things come to those who wait," so the saying goes. That's indeed the case when it comes to investors in The E.W. Scripps Co. With a significant round of debt refinancing announced Tuesday, Scripps cleared a big hurdle as it prepared to discuss its Q4 2024 results this morning after a short postponement of their release.

It was not the final three months of 2024 that a company would want to share with investors. Yet, shares were up by nearly 6 percent in early trading on Tuesday, as Saga Communications released its Q4 report — one that saw diminished results from the prior year.

The FCC has moved ahead with two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that will effectively unwind an effort from Gray Media to shift a pair of its television stations from VHF signals to UHF channels, as the company has run out of time to do it.

An assignment of authorization filing made with the FCC in mid-October 2024 has been dismissed, putting an end to a deal that would have seen the sale of a low-power television station serving San Angelo, Tex.

Workflow automation and ad management company Frequency, which serves the audio content creation and distribution industry, is welcoming a veteran of the advertising technology space as its new Chief Commercial Officer.

Double Helix Corporation, owner of troubled Class C1 KDHX-FM in St. Louis, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The reasons listed are financial pressures and pending litigation. It's a move that comes after months of turmoil at the station, including volunteer dismissals and continued supporter backlash.

Privately held broadcasting company Morgan Murphy Media has reached an agreement with rightsholder Good Karma Brands that will allow two of its stations in Wisconsin to broadcast 13 Milwaukee Brewers games. In addition to the regular season schedule, the stations will broadcast three spring training games.

Atlanta-headquartered Gray Media is celebrating the first new combination of top-four rated television stations this decade, as the Carr Commission has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules and will allow the company to complete its purchase of the FOX affiliate serving the Rochester, Minn., market. 

The E.W. Scripps Co. confirmed that it has entered into a transaction support agreement with lenders representing more than 70% of the aggregate principal amount of its 2026 and 2028 term loans. It also entered into commitment letters with accounts receivable securitization providers for a new securitization facility.

"Brendan Carr, stop that CAR!" That's pretty much the message the NAB's legal team is sending the FCC with respect to its consideration of a news distortion complaint from a group that has vociferously attacked CBS for offering viewers two different answers to the same question posed to former VP Harris.

Sinclair has been said to be a seller of non-essential broadcast television assets in recent months. Now, that chatter has turned into an asset sale agreement, as the company is turning to a former Bally Sports sales executive as it agrees to sell five television stations, including its Milwaukee property.

Many radio industry veterans are expressing surprise and shock, as former Seattle radio superstar host Bob Rivers has died at the age of 68. He had suffered from cancer, as disclosed in a January 15, 2025 article in the Seattle Times.

The operator of Eurovision and Euroradio has produced a 16-page report that focuses on a highly important subject for radio station owners in the U.S.: the connected car. When the car gets connected, there are three existential challenges, EBU notes.

In May 2023, some 36 years after starting her career, Kelley Dunn departed The E.W. Scripps Co.'s NBC affiliate serving West Palm Beach. This left Michael Williams, her co-anchor, in the role of Dean of local news in the market. Now, Williams has decided to conclude his own storied career in TV.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America honored three industry leaders at its annual Golden Mic gala on Monday evening, recognizing their contributions to the organization’s mission of supporting broadcasters in need, including former CBS Radio President Dan Mason.

Linear television remains the most important influence — by far — among a variety of different media platforms, through all stages of a consumer's purchase decision process. That's the key conclusion from a just-released TVB study that highlights the importance of media platforms that influence consumers during the purchase decision process.

Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) is looking forward to the April 5 premiere of an original series, produced in an exclusive partnership with VoLo Foundation, that will air weekend mornings on CBS as part of its educational/informational programming block.