Headlines
Monetizing Maps: Breaking Down Apple's Advertising Play
After 15+ years with no ads, Apple Maps is starting to show sponsored results in the mapping interface. In the latest episode of BIA’s Leading Local Insights Podcast (audio and video embedded below), Celine Matthiessen and I break down why Apple is doing this and what it means for local media players.
Broadcasters Must Couple Org Change With Technology To Win The Future, Leaders Say
While political advertising and major sports events have provided TV stations with a substantial short-term boost in 2026, stations must pivot to a long-term strategy centered on technology, innovation and cultural adaptation in order to survive and grow over the next several years, said industry executives on a panel at TVNewsCheck’s Local TV Strategies conference at the NAB Show New York last week.
Television
Key Finance Leader Takes CFO Role At Disney Entertainment TV
He’s been honored as a one of Broadcast’s Best Finance Leaders by the Radio + Television Business Report on three occasions, including in 2026, and has spent nearly a decade at the company — primarily focused on ABC Television Network, ABC Owned Television Stations, and the MVPD-distributed Freeform network.
ATSC 3.0 Through the Market-Driven Innovation Cycle
In this white paper, Maryland Public Television CTO Ling Ling Sun evaluates the evolution of ATSC 3.0 from its initial technical validation through the complexities of market deployment
Radio
Better Audio Measurement Starts With More Detailed Campaign Data
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is urging advertisers to demand more detailed audio campaign data in media mix models (MMM), arguing that insufficient measurement inputs can make the medium appear less effective than it is.
AM/FM Holds 81% Of In-Car Ad Audio As Commutes Plateau
Cumulus Media’s Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard outlined the findings of an Advertiser Perceptions survey of 304 marketers and agencies, conducted October 1 to 13.
Media
Is the Requirement that Broadcasters Give Lowest Unit Rates to Political Candidates Unconstitutional? The Republican Party Files a Lawsuit to Find Out
Throughout this election season, we’ve been following the battle over lowest unit rates – the requirement that, during the 45 days before a primary and the 60 days before a general election, political candidates be sold advertising time at the lowest rate given to any commercial advertiser for the same class of broadcast advertising time airing during the same program or daypart.
Verticals
Political Ad Spending Tops A Record $11 Billion
Political advertising has shattered another milestone, surpassing $11 billion in aired spending for the 2025-26 election cycle as an extraordinary October surge pushes the market into record territory.