Headlines
S&P’s Deal Shocker: Five Of February’s Ten Biggest Media And Telecom Sales Involved Radio
The radio deal market is quieter than at any time in most broadcasters’ memory. Just ask a broker, and they will be sure to confirm it. But new data from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows that it is not just radio where there is less deal-making.
Nielsen Pulls Out Of Three More Diary Markets
Nielsen Audio is exiting three small markets, effective with the start of the Spring 2024 survey. In a client notification on Thursday, the measurement giant said the radio metros for the following markets were canceled: Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville (market No. 99); Sunbury-Selinsgrove-Lewisburg, PA (No. 215); and Visalia-Tulare-Hanford (No. 109).
Mergers & Acquisitions
Station Sales Week Of 3/29
Darren Girdner’s G2 Media Group is selling his three stations in Fort Smith AR to Melinda Leigh and Edwin Martin’s Black Diamond Properties LLC for $1.3 million.
Audacy Sells Non-Essential Upstate S.C. FM To Norsan
As RBR+TVBR reported earlier in March, Audacy Inc. submitted for FCC approval an “engagement and assignment agreement” that saw the placement of a 25kw Class C3 FM licensed to Simpsonville, S.C., into a divestiture trust administered by Kalil & Co. of Tucson.
Morgan Skinner Donates A Rural Nevada FM Translator
As the head of Rockwell Media Services, Morgan Skinner has become known as a broadcast media consultant and broker. He’s also generated controversy over the years, including a 1988 spat with Bonneville International for using the “KSLI” call letters on a just-acquired FM in St. George, Utah.
Television
For Bolstering Local News, Weather Remains The Most Powerful Tool
How a station handles weather — and the caliber and connectedness of weathercasters in a local market — are critical to a successful news reinvention.
Gray Partners With Arena Football League To Offer OTA Coverage
The Saturday games will air in at least 34 markets where Gray has stations beginning April 27.
Radio
Infinite Dial: Podcast and Streaming Audio Trends Surge in 2024
The latest insights from Edison Research’s 2024 Infinite Dial report, presented by Megan Lazovick at Podcast Movement Evolutions, illustrate a significant shift in American audio consumption habits, highlighting an uptick in podcast listening and streaming audio.
Q1 2024 - Not So Random Numbers
Remember when first quarter was always slow, sales were sluggish, and not a whole lot was going on? Not anymore, and certainly not in 2024.
FCC
NAB Disputes FCC Contention That Retrans Blackouts Have `Increased Dramatically’
While continuing to oppose blackout reporting requirements, the NAB urges the FCC to require MVPDs to report both successful and unsuccessful negotiations
