Radio+Television Business Report

LOS ANGELES — Ten free ad-supported streaming television, or “FAST,” channels have been added to the Local Now platform recently unveiled by the Byron Allen-controlled Allen Media Group.

The FAST offerings come courtesy of a new agreement with The E.W. Scripps Co.

It sees the expansion of local news by adding to the Local Now streaming platform the following Scripps O&Os:

• KNXV-15 (ABC) in Phoenix, Ariz.
• WFTS-28 (ABC) in Tampa
• WXYZ-7 (ABC) in Detroit
• KMGH-7 (ABC) in Denver
• WEWS-5 (ABC) in Cleveland
• WTVF-5 (CBS) in Nashville
• KGTV-10 (ABC) in San Diego
• KSTU-13 (Fox) in Salt Lake City
• KSHB-41 (NBC) in Kansas City
• WPTV-5 (NBC) in West Palm Beach

The partnership is not inclusive of all non-Ion properties owned by Scripps. For instance, WKBW-7 in Buffalo is not included in the Local Now arrangement.

Local Now SVP/GM Michael Senzon noted, “Scripps’ focus on growing audiences and revenue in the free streaming space is smart and we’re happy to be in business with them.”

As Scripps Local Media President Brian Lawlor sees it, “Scripps is committed to serving its audiences with the essential news and information they need, whenever and wherever they consume it. With more consumers turning to streaming platforms to access the local content that helps inform their day-to-day lives, we’re looking forward to expanding our commitment to them by adding Scripps local TV stations to Local Now’s growing roster of news and entertainment.”

On Friday (5/14), the Board of Directors of Audacy approved a restatement of three specific company plans and/or policies.

An SEC filing made following Wednesday’s Closing Bell on Wall Street explains what transpired.

Amendments to the three documents were needed in order to formally recognize the change of the company’s name from Entercom Communications Corp. to Audacy, Inc..

These documents are the Audacy Nonemployee Director Compensation Policy; the Audacy Equity Compensation Plan; the Audacy Employee Stock Purchase Plan; and the Audacy Acquisition Equity Compensation Plan (formerly the QLGG 2017 Stock Incentive Plan).

The amendments coincide with the 2021 annual Audacy shareholders meeting, which saw the ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 calendar year.

The meeting also saw the election of David Levy as a Class A Director, in Board Class I, for a three-year term; Weezie Kramer and Susan Neely were each elected as a Director, in Board Class I, for a three year-term.

That’s not the only news Audacy shared with the SEC.

On Wednesday (5/19), it filed Articles of Amendment with Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State to amend and restate Audacy’s Articles of Incorporation. They consolidate all prior amendments, and in particular removes references to multiple series of preferred stock which are no longer outstanding: Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock; Series A Junior Participating Convertible Preferred Stock; and Series B Junior Participating Convertible Preferred Stock.

It’s always nice when a broadcast media company enjoys a big day on Wall Street as general indices decline.

On Wednesday, Urban One — the company founded as Radio One by Cathy Hughes and today led by her son, Alfred Liggins III — saw double-digit growth.

A late buying surge fueled UONE.

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The team at Fletcher Heald & Hildreth has put together an update on the important broadcast media FCC regulatory deadlines operators will need to take note of in the next several weeks.

Here’s a look at what should go on the calendar today.

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Two months ago, the News Director for TEGNA-owned KING-5 in Seattle-Tacoma was announced as the new ND for Nexstar Media Group‘s KTLA-5 in Los Angeles.

Now, the company formerly known as Gannett has selected his successor.

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TEGNA has transferred the Asst. News Director for its NBC affiliate in Charlotte to Connecticut, where he will take the News Director role for the company’s FOX and The CW Network affiliates serving New Haven, Hartford, and most of the state.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

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NBCUniversal, MAGNA, and Identity have teamed together for a new research study released today that explores ‘the full spectrum of diversity, and the role that brands play in acknowledging and amplifying cultural identification.’

The study, Deconstructing Diversity Today, “flips the script on outdated cultural archetypes, and reveals the multifaceted and fluid nature of how people identify today.”

It also outlines what the three entities call “tangible next steps that marketers can take to connect with multicultural audiences in authentic, culturally relevant ways.”

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The number of new unique creative on radio increased by 44.6% in April, with 20,933 more instances than in April 2020.

That’s the positive news for AM and FM radio station owners seeking to bring their ad revenue out of the pandemic-driven doldrums, courtesy of iHeartMedia-owned Media Monitors.

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If securing Nick Cannon for two sessions wasn’t a sure bet the 2021 NAB Show would be staged as a live event in Las Vegas — the first major industry gathering since NATPE Miami 2020 due to COVID-19 — this is.

Registration is open for the “premier convention for broadcasters and the broader media, entertainment and technology industries,” scheduled for October 9–13 in Las Vegas.

Co-located events The Radio Show and NAB’s Sales and Management Television Exchange (SMTE) have also launched registration.

SMTE is focused on revenue-generating strategies for small and medium market television stations and commences one day prior to the start of NAB Show. The Radio Show, October 13–14, is again co-produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau.

All NAB Show and co-located event registrants receive access to the NAB Show floor, open October 10–13, as well as all-access NAB Show Main Stage sessions and special events.

NAB pre-show gatherings are expected for Sunday evening; however there will be no full schedule of events, as envisioned for the cancelled 2020 affair.

“We look forward to delivering the first live, major domestic industry event following a long hiatus for all events,” said Chris Brown, the NAB’s EVP/Managing Director of Global Connections and Events. “[The] NAB Show represents a significant annual business catalyst for the media industry, which is eager to get back to doing business face-to-face, according to recent trade show attendee research. With momentum building toward the show in October, we continue to prioritize health and safety with a sound plan in place to deliver a safe experience for our community.”

NAB Show, Radio Show, SMTE and associated event registration packages are available here.

Educational Media Foundation is moving forward with the acquisition of another FM radio station, adding to a group of properties that makes the Christian Contemporary Music giant the second-largest licensee of radio stations in the U.S.

Only, this deal is hardly a surprise. It’s purchase an affiliate of its Worship Music noncommercial network.

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In May 2020, one of the nation’s largest broadcast TV station owners agreed to invest in Southeast Alaska — a transaction first reported by RBR+TVBR.

The deal presaged an August 2020 asset sale agreement that gave the company, Gray Television, ownership a satellite station then tied to the CBS affiliate serving Alaska’s state capital.

Now, there’s new activity in Juneau and nearby Sitka involving this CBS affiliate — and it involves the Colorado-based David and Penny Drucker.

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Virtually delivered Upfront presentations are in full swing, in lieu of the annual cocktail-fueled prance and dance across midtown Manhattan.

Among the media companies making their pitch to media buyers and CMOs on Tuesday was Univision Communications, with an entirely new C-Suite continuing a theme shared earlier this year in a “get to know you” session for the ad-buying community: Grow with Us.

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TORONTO — It’s been a very notable first half of 2021 for Bell Media, which enjoys a cozy relationship with U.S.-based audio media giant iHeartMedia. In February, it gained a lot of attention for a substantial reduction in force at its radio division, with heritage Anglophone News/Talk AM in Montréal following major shifts at its Windsor, Ontario, operations that reach Detroit listeners. Then came the news that several TV leaders exited, including the man in charge of programming for Canada’s largest commercial broadcast network, CTV, and its associated CTV2 network and owned-and-operated TV channels.

The job cuts followed the late December 2020 arrival of a national Adult Contemporary radio brand, Move Radio.

Now, another national radio brand has emerged from Bell media.

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On Sept. 25, 2017,  a new AM radio station licensed for broadcast at 1490 MHz in Santa Clara, Utah — and an associated FM translator it sought in the FCC’s recent Auction 99 — traded hands.

Now, those properties and a second FM translator are heading to a new owner.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NAB Leadership Foundation has revealed the 2020 Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) class, which has graduated following the completion of the executive MBA-style program.

The BLT program teaches the fundamentals of purchasing, owning and operating radio and television stations to senior-level broadcast executives, particularly women and people of color, who aspire to advance as group executives or station owners.

Typically comprising ten in-person weekend sessions held in Washington, D.C., the program schedule and curriculum were altered to an online model and extended due to the pandemic.

“I am thrilled to see this class of talented broadcasters join the ranks of industry leaders who have grown from this program,” NAB Foundation President Michelle Duke said. “The tenacity and resolve shown to adapt and continue in the toughest circumstances demonstrates their commitment to excellence and success. We look forward to watching as they achieve new career heights and positively impact the broadcast industry.”

Diane Sutter, who is the BLT program founder and dean and President/CEO of ShootingStar Broadcasting, added, “We are so pleased to have the talented BLT Class of 2020 finally join our graduates. Despite the challenge of the pandemic, many in the class were promoted and one of the graduates was able to buy her first radio station. We are immensely proud of how this class rose to the occasion and look forward to watching as they continue to grow their careers.”

With this class, 344 participants have graduated from the program.

The 2020 Broadcast Leadership Training Class graduates are:

• Adam Chase, Vice President / General Manager, KXXV-TV/The E.W. Scripps Company
• Sue Diviney, Vice President, Finance, WTTG-TV Fox 5/WDCA-TV Fox 5 Plus
• Bob Ellis, Vice President / General Manager, WJXT-TV/The Local Station
• Kevin “Big Redd” Felder, Nationally syndicated radio host, “The Big Redd Radio Show”
• Kevin Ferrara, Director of Operations, Magis Media
• Tery Garras, Market Manager, KXLY-TV/Morgan Murphy Media
• Estevan Gonzales, Owner & General Manager, KSWV Radio
• Kristie Gonzales, President & General Manager, KVUE-TV/Tegna
• Jeff Holub, VP & General Manager, WHNS-TV FOX Carolina/Meredith Corporation
• Kathi Kolar, Owner & General Manager, KHBT, Open Roads Media LLC
• Jinny Laderer, Founder & President Emerita, vCreative
• Jaleigh Long, Vice President & Market Manager, Cox Media Group Atlanta Radio
• Josh Morgan, Vice President & General Manager, WREX-TV/Quincy Media, Inc.
• Brittney Quarles, General Sales Manager, Urban One
• Antonio Roman, Regional President, Eastern Region, Univision Communications
• Andrea Stahlman, News Director, WLKY-TV/Hearst Television
• A.J. Vaughan, Partner Success Manager, Futuri Media
• Melanie Webb, Vice President, Sales Operations, TEGNA
• Tregg White, Vice President / General Manager, KGUN-TV/The E.W. Scripps Company

This year’s program sponsors include Beasley Broadcast Group, Cox Media Group, Fox TV Stations, Futuri, Graham Media Group, Gray Television, Hearst Television, Legend Communications, Meredith, Morgan Murphy Media, NAB, Nielsen Foundation, Quincy Media, Scripps, TEGNA and Univision Communications.

To some broadcast industry observers, it seems that nearly every day a new transaction is reported by RBR+TVBR, a non-secular, non-profit buyer is grabbing a radio station.

Is it our imagination, or have broadcast ministries taken advantage of the pandemic by going on a buying binge?

Jon Yinger, President and CEO of The Christian Broadcasting System and Broadcast Properties LLC, shares his perspective on access to capital, and the strategic purchases religious groups are able to do today compared to a decade ago.

“It’s time to pick up a dream purchase,” Yinger says in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jon Yinger” on Spreaker.

For the last seven years, he has served as the Senior Executive Producer of ABC News’ “Good Morning America.”

Now, he’s joining Sean Compton in taking on a leadership role at Nexstar Media Group‘s still-growing NewsNation operation.

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“Craft or crap, that’s our creative challenge. Technology enables both.”

That’s a quote from revered Procter & Gamble Co. Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard. And, it is one that the radio ad veterans and founders of Oink Ink are taking to heart.

In an effort to see that “craft” wins, they’ve just launched a digital audio creative agency.

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MIAMI — For the last several years, U.S. Hispanics who have opted to watch the National Football League’s championship telecast en Español could turn to a cable TV channel.

For Super Bowl LVI, a big change is in the works for NFL fans, thanks to NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. El gran juego will air on broadcast TV for the first time.

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With its shares at their highest price since June 29, 2015, Townsquare Media is once again setting the tone for the entire radio industry with respect to long-term growth opportunities steeped in local digital, accompanied by traditional broadcast radio advertising.

Why then did the company reveal in a SEC filing that one of its board members on Friday — one who chairs the Compensation Committee — resign?

The explanation is a simple one.

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