Headlines
Cell Phone Service Outages from Helene Highlight Radio, TV Needs
From the Tri-Cities of Virginia and Tennessee through the Great Smokey Mountains and southward to eastern Georgia, large swaths of land impacted last week by Hurricane Helene and its remnants were left without cell phone service — let alone electricity, potable water and, in Western North Carolina, any navigable thoroughfares.
Audacy To Go Private As Field Remains CEO
“We are pleased to have successfully achieved all of our restructuring goals, emerging with an outstanding balance sheet, delivering industry-leading growth, serving our listeners and advertisers with excellence and honoring our commitments to employees and partners,” said David Field, who will continue as President/CEO of Audacy Inc.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Tower Operator Vertical Bridge Makes $3.3 Billion Deal With Verizon
Vertical Bridge, the largest private owner/operator of communications towers in the U.S., has entered into a definitive agreement to obtain exclusive rights to lease, manage, and operate 6,339 wireless communication towers across the U.S. from Verizon subsidiaries.
DirecTV Bought Dish for $1, Joining a Club of Properties Sold for One Buck
DirecTV will write a check for one whole U.S. dollar — 100 cents — to buy onetime rival Dish Network and its Sling TV business.
Television
How Disney is nearing its goal to automate 75% of ad sales by 2027
The Walt Disney Company plans to automate 75% of its advertising business by 2027. And the company took a further step toward that end in this year’s annual TV and streaming advertising upfront market.
Paramount Drops Nielsen In Pricing Dispute
Paramount Global has dropped Nielsen, its main viewer measurement currency, due to soaring pricing demands, according to the company.
Radio
NAB ‘Pleased’ Of FCC’s Audacy Post-Bankruptcy Plan OK
“While we do not take a position on the merits of this or any particular broadcast transaction, it is essential that the FCC’s regulatory processes are fair and predictable so that broadcasters can innovate and invest in their stations to the benefit of communities across the country.”
The Perilous Price Of Politics
Here are three stories from the rocky and precarious political highway, cautionary tales that will make you wish you were doing “Second Date Update” or the “Crank Call of the Day.”