Headlines
FCC Returns $881 Million in Unused TV Broadcaster Relocation Funds
The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday announced the return of $881 million in unused funds from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund, known as the “Repack.”
FCC Votes to Modify TV Station Ownership Caps
In a landmark vote that is likely to encourage a wave of deals in the broadcast station business, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change TV station ownership rules in a way that would allow the agency to approve mergers that exceed the caps on a case by case basis if they are “in the public interest.”
Mergers & Acquisitions
Deal Digest: EMF Pays $8 Million For Beasley FMs
EMF has filed an $8 million deal to buy CHR “Kiss 95.1” WNKS in the Charlotte market and alternative “X-107.5” KXTE in the Las Vegas market from Beasley Media Group.
Hearst Television to acquire full ownership of A+E Global Media
Hearst Television has agreed to acquire the Walt Disney Company’s 50 percent stake in cable networks programmer A+E Global Media in a deal valued at over $1 billion, the companies announced this week.
Television
Local TV's Quiet Marketing Problem
Local broadcasters have spent years adapting to cord-cutting, streaming competition and slowing linear audiences. Those challenges remain central to the industry's future. But another structural change has received far less attention: many of the companies that once helped reinforce television viewing are no longer in the business of promoting television itself.
Radio
Cumulus Media Surrenders License of San Francisco's 560 AM
A once-venerable AM signal in San Francisco will not be returning to the airwaves.
Layoffs Hit Sales, Programming, and Podcasting at Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media is working through a fresh round of layoffs across both sales and programming as the company awaits its formal exit from bankruptcy. The cuts are touching stations in multiple markets, as the company’s restructuring effort continues to unfold.
Pay TV
Viewpoint: Consumers are redefining the value of pay TV
The U.S. television market is entering a phase where consumers continue to value sports, news, and events but increasingly reject the traditional large-channel bundle.