Headlines
Outlook: Marketing Budgets Rise, With Focus On ROI And Measurable Growth.
Marketing budgets are set to grow in 2026, but marketers say they will be under greater pressure to justify how the money is spent.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Paramount Responds To WBD Concerns, Offering Larry Ellison Financing Guarantee
Paramount on Monday amended its hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, adding an “irrevocable personal guarantee” from Larry Ellison in support of the $108 billion proposal.
Television
New Poll Shows Widespread Opposition Broadcast TV Station Mergers
A new poll commissioned by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and Defend the Press Campaign found that large majorities of likely voters in the upcoming mid-term elections opposed “large national broadcasters buying up or merging with local TV stations.”
Can Local PBS Stations Go Independent? Can They Afford Not To?
In the span of a few months, the fragile ecosystem of American public media has been upended.
Radio
The Case For Change: Broadcasters Urge FCC To Eliminate Or Relax Radio Ownership Limits.
Broadcasters supporting changes to the FCC’s media ownership rules are urging the Commission to eliminate or substantially relax local radio ownership limits, arguing the decades-old restrictions no longer serve the public interest in a media marketplace dominated by unregulated digital competitors.
The Case For Status Quo: NABOB, Public-Interest Groups Urge FCC To Keep Ownership Limits.
While many broadcasters are looking for a modernized rulebook, opponents of media ownership deregulation are urging the Federal Communications Commission to retain existing radio and television ownership limits, warning that further consolidation would undermine localism, competition, and minority ownership while accelerating the loss of local news and diverse viewpoints.
Tech
Allen Media Inks An Infillion Deal
It’s described as “a full-stack technology and media company that connects brands with audiences through high-impact, measurable advertising experiences.”
It now enjoys a partnership with the ad-supported visual entertainment company owned by Byron Allen.
FCC
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: December 15, 2025 to December 19, 2025
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations.
Verticals
President Trump Issues Executive Order to Remove Marijuana from Schedule I – Concerns about Broadcast Advertising Remain
While a rescheduling to Schedule III may have an impact on research and on marijuana’s medical uses, broadcasters need to continue to take a very cautious approach to marijuana advertising while the details of any possible changes unfold, as it is likely that, even after any rescheduling that makes marijuana a Schedule III drug, advertising will still be restricted under federal law.