Radio+Television Business Report

In November 2021, the FCC‘s Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) and the Media Bureau joined together to seek comment on the procedures to be used for “Auction 112,” a sell-off of construction permits for full-power television stations.

Now, the Commission is moving forward with the auction. And, as expected, bidding will begin in June.

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Drive 40 minutes to the northeast of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and you’ll find the town of Medina, N.Y., home to the lone tunnel under the Erie Canal. Few outside of Western New York know the small town, but it is presently on the FCC’s radar.

Why? A homeowner could be faced with “significant fines” of up to exactly $22,021 per day for what the Enforcement Bureau says is harmful interference to a Commission licensee’s LTE communications, and the resident’s refusal to allow a Bureau Agent to inspect the premises to identify the source of the interference — believed to be a TV antenna.

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The Chief of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division has ruled that the licensee of a currently silent 5-watt FM translator at 96.3 MHz in the Kendall Square area of Boston can move ahead with the facility’s modification — a decision that came just months after a cancellation request was made.

The approval means GBH can proceed with an action it has wanted to do, but was met with an objection from another licensee.

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For the last several years, a Texas licensee has been seeking to operate a Class A radio station at 92.7 on the FM dial. However, that hasn’t happened because another licensee, led by Roy Henderson, has been authorized to do so but never followed through with a shift to that frequency for a Class A FM at 106.1 MHz.

This led the FCC’s Media Bureau to open a Comment and Reply Comment period to help come to a resolution on the matter.

Now, Henderson is making headlines for another matter involving the Bureau: “DKHTZ” no longer has a “D” in its call letters, as a license renewal submitted March 31, 2021 with the Commission has been granted.

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Among the fresh commercials getting a Super Bowl LVI airing on February 13 was a fun spot from a fitness center featuring Lindsay Lohan, playing at her past with a focus on the future.

The spot is the signature component of a campaign that has increased its use of Spot TV in the last week.

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Aside from a new effort from one of the nation’s biggest pharmacy chains, there’s little movement of note in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report.

Is that a good thing?

For some, the static nature of the report suggests brands that are investing in radio are committing to the medium, with Indeed, Progressive, DuckDuckGo and Wendy’s among the brands favoring Spot Radio of late.

For others, however, greater activity from these brands’ peers, and from brands in other categories, could still be seen — something that could push the iHeartRadio promotional spots out of the report altogether.

Walgreen’s is new at No. 9 this week, while Babbel and ZipRecruiter are also seen on the latest report.

With roughly four hours to go before NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl LVI was to begin, Mediacom cable TV service subscribers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul DMA, Arizona’s Prescott Valley region, and the home of the NFC Champions from 1994-2015 have regained the opportunity to watch the “Big Game” without having to resort to “rabbit ears” or other alternatives.

It ends a 409-day “blackout” due to the absence of a retransmission consent agreement, and comes just days after an agreement with DISH was reached — an action that only further suggests that a TEGNA takeover by Standard General in partnership with Apollo Global Management is coming soon.

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MIAMI — Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has filed a petition for declaratory ruling with the FCC that would allow foreign investors to indirectly own up to 49.9% of the Hispanic media company’s equity in the aggregate.

Should that happen? The Media Bureau wants to know.

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As the court-appointed receiver of three radio stations tied to Ed Stolz, Larry Patrick was directed by a California federal district judge to move forward with the sale of Stolz’s three FM radio stations licensed to Royce International Broadcasting. The action, the judge said, was necessary in order to provide past-due royalty payments tied to the airplay of music on those FMs.

Then came Stolz’s bankruptcy filing, in a Nevada court. As RBR+TVBR reported this week, the Nevada Federal Bankruptcy Judge — in an oral ruling — paved the way for Stolz to regain ownership of the properties.

Paperwork reflecting the unwinding of a deal engineered by Patrick has now been filed with the FCC.

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Some companies do it to award shareholders. Others to it to attract them.

For Nielsen, the latter appears to be the incorrect response from Wall Street of the decision by its Board of Directors to declare a quarterly cash dividend.

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As RBR+TVBR was first to report on Thursday (2/10), Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has successfully negotiated a purchase of Rhythmic Top 40 “Power 95.3” in the Orlando market and Alternative “97X” in Tampa-St. Petersburg — stations that an Elliot Evers-administered trust needed to spin by Tuesday.

With the former Cox Media Group FMs now set to become Spanish-language properties in two hot growth markets, the only remaining question until now involved the value of the deal.

We now have an answer.

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The voice of broadcast media Inside the Beltway has released an overview of what it considers to be the most important policy issues facing local television and radio stations during the 117th Congress.

What’s the No. 1 policy priority for the NAB?

The advocacy group on Friday released its 2022 Broadcasters’ Policy Agenda, and the top agenda item is “Preserving Local Journalism in the Age of Big Tech.”

“As Congress considers the competitive challenges and antitrust concerns raised by digital platforms and their impact on local news and information, it should support laws and policies that recognize and uphold broadcasters’ unique and essential role in democracy and a free press,” the NAB says.

The No. 2 item: the Local Radio Freedom Act, the concurrent resolution of House and Senate members to oppose any proposed legislation — including the musicFIRST-supported “American Music Freedom Act” — which would impose a new royalty fee scheme on broadcast radio. In the House, the LRFA has 211 co-sponsors; in the Senate, the LRFA enjoys support from 23 co-sponsors.

The NAB comments, “Strong congressional support for local radio was also made clear in the 2018 enactment of the Music Modernization Act, legislation that did not contain a performance tax and benefited songwriters, legacy recording artists, producers, digital streaming services and music listeners. Broadcasters stand ready to work with Congress and the music industry on a balanced music licensing proposal that promotes innovation and recognizes the benefit to artists and listeners of radio’s free, locally focused platform. Congress should stand up for local radio station listeners by opposing a performance tax.”

Also on the priority list: increasing diversity in broadcasting, and “preventing harmful changes to advertising tax treatment.” On the latter topic, the FCC says, “Under the U.S. tax code, advertising is treated as an ordinary and necessary business expense deductible in the year it is incurred. In the last few years, some in Congress and in state legislatures have proposed changes to the tax treatment of businesses’ advertising as a means of raising revenue. These modifications would have a devastating impact on radio and television stations, as well as local newspapers, by discouraging businesses from advertising. Local media rely on ad revenue to serve their communities with essential news, emergency information, sports and entertainment programming. The proposed changes also raise significant First Amendment concerns and ignore the important consumer benefits that advertising provides.”

Thus, the NAB believes Congress should oppose legislation that modifies the tax laws to make advertising more expensive for businesses.

Lastly, the NAB wants congress to dedicate itself to “ensuring broadcast ownership rules reflect the competitive marketplace.”

“Broadcasters urge policymakers to support the FCC’s modernization of radio and TV ownership rules to reflect the current marketplace and account for the rise and increasing influence of digital media,” the NAB says.

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — On February 10, 1986, she began her career at The E.W. Scripps Co.-owned NBC affiliate that’s long dominated the ratings across the Treasure Coast and the Palm Beaches.

Now, 36 years later, she’s preparing to relocate to North Carolina and enjoy retirement, concluding a career that has involved just one television station.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. —  America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS have filed comments with the FCC in support of proposed rules that would assist in advancing NEXTGEN TV market transitions and, in turn, encourage public television stations participating in those transitions.

The FCC’s proposed rules would explicitly permit ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 stations licensing flexibility for multicast streams.

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How many radio industry executives consider Sirius XM to be not only a competitor for ears and ad dollars, but a peer, doing the same thing that their AM and FM stations do?

Few, if any, in the radio business would lump Sirius XM alongside the likes of iHeartMedia, Audacy Inc., and Cumulus Media. Yet, a newly released market research report that looks at “radio” on a global scale has.

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What’s the longest interview that’s ever aired on a radio station in your community?

It ain’t got nothin’ on what a pair of Carroll University students just accomplished at the student-run radio station where they serve as budding air personalities.

Their stunt just landed them in the Guinness World Record book.

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First, it was CES 2022 where attendees of a major Las Vegas-based conference and expo learned the latest about NEXTGEN TV and all of its ATSC 3.0 features.

Now, 2022 NAB Show attendees are in line to explore the ongoing deployment of broadcast television’s new transmission standard.

NEXTGEN TV exhibits, demonstrations and sessions will take place throughout the conference, scheduled for April 23–27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

NextGen Now, presented by Heartland Video Systems (HVS), will provide a “how-to” overview of Next Gen TV workflows as they are being used today. Featured within the CONNECT Implementation Zone in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, NextGen Now is designed to help broadcasters understand the challenges in implementing the standard in local markets. HVS will provide expert real-world guidance on implementing NextGen workflow and showcase broadcaster equipment from multiple manufacturers and explains their function within the air-chain.

“We are thankful to both our customers and vendors who enable us to be a part of ATSC 3.0 implementations,” Heartland Video Systems President Dennis Klas said. “This is an exciting time and we look forward to providing this NAB Show experience.”

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) will be showcasing the latest generation of NEXTGEN TV receivers at its booth in the Future of Delivery section of the West Hall, as well as providing an update on the implementation progress of the standard at stations throughout the country and advanced applications that broadcasters have been developing.

NAB will also demonstrate the scalable video coding feature of the standard, in which a base layer of high definition content is delivered through over-the-air broadcasting while an ultra high-definition enhancement layer is delivered via broadband, with the TV set combining the two layers into unified ultra high-definition content. The demonstration will take place in Futures Park.

Additionally, on April 24 the Broadcast Engineering & Information Technology (BEIT) Conference will feature presentations on technical papers regarding NEXTGEN TV, in addition to several panels on various topics related to the standard in the Connect Inspiration theater in the West Hall.

Other related panels include “What’s Now and What’s Next with NEXTGEN TV,” moderated by Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle, on April 24, and a question-and-answer session designed to inform station managers and sellers about new opportunities available through the technology.

Additional Next Gen TV programing, activities and demos are in development and will be confirmed soon.

Some 49 weeks ago, the Jeff Andrulonis-led Colonial Radio Group moved forward with the sale of Class A WMIR-FM 93.9 in Conway, S.C.

Now, Andrulonis, who shifted his assets from Western New York to the Carolinas in late 2020, is saying goodbye to an AM and three associated FM translators serving the Myrtle Beach, S.C., market.

What are the new owners plans? A gallo could soon be ruling the roost.

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According to people familiar with the matter, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has emerged victorious as the buyer of Rhythmic Top 40 WPYO-FM 95.3 in Maitland, Fla., serving the Orlando market, and Alternative WSUN-FM 97.1 in Holiday, Fla., serving metropolitan Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.

Staff at each of the stations, respectively branded as “Power 95.3” and “97X,” were reportedly told of the transaction in a meeting just before the lunch hour on Thursday (2/10).

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For more than 75 years, a Chandler, Ind.-based company has served the broadcast industry with products such as television and FM transmitting antennas; RF filters and combiners; guyed and self-supporting towers; grounding and lightning protection; installation, structural analysis, inspection services; rigid transmission lines, and UHF waveguide systems.

Now, the “Broadcast Master Distributor” for CommScope HELIAX, accessories, pressurization, and terrestrial microwave products is welcoming a new VP of Structural Engineering.

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