Headlines
Radio's 2026 Midterm Playbook: Down-Ballot, Data, and Homework
It’s a common sentiment that radio never gets its fair share of political advertising, but with 2026 political ad volume projected to grow roughly 20% over the 2022 midterm cycle, and nearly all of that money placed locally, AM/FM can still cash in on the season.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Connoisseur Makes The Case For Nine-Station Cluster In Lincoln.
Lincoln, NE, ranks as metro No. 157 by Nielsen with a population of 289,300, where current radio ownership rules cap an owner at six stations. However, Connoisseur Media is making a pitch to the Federal Communications Commission for why it should be allowed to own a third more.
Deal Digest: Urban One Spins Charlotte FM.
Bible Broadcasting Network has filed a $4.2 million deal to buy hot AC “Mix 100.9” WLNK from Urban One.
Television
LPTV broadcasters back NextGen TV deadline, seek exemption for low-power TV
The Low Power Television Broadcasters Association backed a congressional call for the FCC to set a firm deadline for full-power broadcasters to complete the transition to ATSC 3.0, while urging regulators not to apply the mandate to low-power TV stations.
Jeff Shell Negotiating Exit From Paramount President
Jeff Shell‘s legal team is engaged in preliminary talks with Paramount Skydance on a possible exit from the media giant, where he currently serves as president.
Tech
An AI company set out to fix news deserts. Instead, it copied local journalists’ work
Artificial intelligence company Nota — whose clients include organizations like The Boston Globe and the Institute for Nonprofit News — is scrapping its network of local news sites after learning that they contained dozens of instances of plagiarism.
FCC
NAB, Fox And Sinclair Play The News Card
In a recent filing before the FCC, three different local broadcast stakeholders, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Fox and Sinclair, asked the regulators to step in and, well, regulate the spread of pro sports rights to streaming.