Headlines
Local Media Channel Brief: What's Driving Mobile's Ad-Spend Dominance?
Every quarter, BIA sizes the entire U.S. local advertising market — hundreds of markets, dozens of verticals, eighteen media channels. One channel keeps pulling away from the rest. Mobile isn’t just big. It’s the single largest channel in local media.
Political Ad Reservations Top $1 Billion For 2026 Midterms
Political advertising is accelerating heading into the late-summer primary season, with campaigns, parties and outside groups now committing $1.2 billion in future media reservations across 209 federal and state races, according to Kinetiq Political Insights (KPI) data.
Mergers & Acquisitions
David Ellison says WBD-Paramount deal would strengthen industry
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, defended the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in an essay published by The New York Times Aug. 4, 2026, arguing the deal would strengthen Hollywood without giving the combined company excessive market power.
Television
Scripps preparing layoffs as local stations move toward automated systems
Job loss notifications are expected to start on Tuesday, according to sources; the move comes as some local stations hold readiness meetings about new automated systems and processes.
BPS Gaining Traction in Broadcast and Other Sectors
Interest in the Broadcast Positioning System, or BPS—a relatively new offshoot of the ATSC 3.0 standard—continues to grow, sparking the creation of a new company tasked with developing the technology for commercial deployments.
Radio
Audacy’s Political Ambitions Focus On ‘The Rush-Hour Voter’
The daily commute has become the place where Americans experience inflation most directly, from gas prices and tolls to parking, insurance and childcare.
CTV/OTT
Moment of Truth in Sports Streaming Sparks Scramble for Better Solutions
Amid much publicity about the boom in sports streaming, the general absence of sports-specific ROI data can’t hide the fact that, by all indications, providers are a long way from generating the returns they’re looking for on huge licensing and infrastructure costs.
FCC
FCC Sets Comment Deadlines for Latest EAS Proposals
Got an opinion about the FCC’s latest batch of proposed changes to the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts, such as allowing EAS functions to be done in software?
Verticals
Elections 2026: Show Me the Money! (Part I)
Every election cycle raises the same question: How much money will campaigns spend on advertising & marketing?