Headlines
Broadcast TV Has Two Lifelines. One May Save It. The Other May Sink It
Local broadcasters are facing two defining moments at the same time.
On one front, the FCC appears ready to loosen broadcast ownership rules, potentially unleashing a new wave of consolidation. On the other, the collapse of regional sports networks has created an opening for broadcasters to reclaim one of local television's most valuable assets: live sports.
Radio Creates Demand. Digital Captures It. Part Two
Radio introduces consumers to a brand, while digital provides opportunities to learn more and engage when the time is right.
Mergers & Acquisitions
WGA Seeks Preliminary Injunction To Halt Paramount-WBD Merger
The Writers Guild of America is seeking a preliminary injunction to at least temporarily halt Paramount‘s proposed merger with Warner Bros Discovery, hoping to align the timing of its case with that of a dozen state attorneys general.
Television
Linear TV Enabler: Getting A Boost From Streaming Platforms
Although analysts have been talking about declines for linear TV, those channels could be getting a second wind -- with the help of all streaming platforms, according to some new results from ARF’s DASH TV Universe Study.
Radio
Automaker and Big Tech Lobbying Hit Heavy On AM Act In Q2
Second-quarter lobbying disclosures show Washington’s fight over AM radio in cars is anything but over, with automakers and Big Tech interests outspending broadcasters in an effort to close off every avenue for the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act’s path to passage.
Parenti, Martinez Address Radio's Spanish-Language Spend Gap
68 million Hispanics in the US, but only five percent of ad budgets. On the latest NASBA Broadcast Advocate podcast, Radio Ink President and Publisher Deborah Parenti and New Mexico broadcaster Matt Martinez dig into that gap, and into how radio remains a lifeline.
FCC
FCC Defends Lowest Unit Rate Guidance With Candidates’ Own Campaign Records
The Federal Communications Commission is defending its guidance expanding eligibility for lowest unit rate political advertising rates by arguing it reflects decades of industry practice — and by pointing to one of the very candidates challenging the policy as evidence.
FCC Plans to Auction 160 MHZ of Midband Spectrum
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has announced the regulator will hold a July 22 vote on plans to hold an auction of 160 megahertz of spectrum in the Upper C-band (3.98-4.14 GHz) next year.
Verticals
AdMall “Christmas in July” Research: Local Retailers and Media Buyers Must Lock in Holiday Advertising Space Before Post-Election Gridlock
While consumers are beating the summer heat wave, smart advertisers are already planning their winter strategies.