Radio+Television Business Report

The Hispanic audio-focused media company founded and led by Raúl Alarcón Jr. has successfully extended the maturity date on its four-year-old credit facility, giving it until late August to satisfy its lenders — and at a marginally higher interest rate.

The CW Network, controlled by Nexstar Media Group, has revealed its Spring 2025 premiere dates for new and returning programming. This includes the forthcoming dramatic series "Sherlock & Daughter" and two returning series.

Richard Horrmann, SVP of Strategic Communications for Disney Entertainment Television, noted that some 6% of ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks employees are losing their jobs as part of the effort. Many are based in New York.

She's a noted producer and founder of an entity "dedicated to bringing creative audio projects to life." Meet the newest member of the New York Festivals Radio Awards Advisory Board.

The fourth digital multicast network to be offered by an Atlanta-based entity led by President/CEO Jonathan Katz has signed on the air. Promising "endless thrills through first-hand, high-adrenaline, crime-focused programming," the diginet launched with more than 90% coverage of U.S. households.

It has all of 9 watts of power and serves a rural area of the sprawling Atlanta market, due west of the town of Woodstock, Ga. Soon, this FM translator will have a new owner.

“Should we expect broadcast deregulation? I think it’s absolutely clear that we will.” Those words caused a welcome stir at the 2025 NAB State Leadership Conference as radio and TV operators seek freedom to take on "Big Tech" with their presence in the Nation's Capital, and Republican FCC Commissioner Nate Simington is ready to help.

As 2024 came to a close, Waterstone emerged as a major Salem shareholder. Now, paperwork has been filed with the Commission seeking its approval of an arrangement that sees Waterstone gain some $40 million worth of preferred shares in the media company focused on secular and non-secular programming.

The National Association of Broadcasters at its State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., has revealed the 10 winners of the 38th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms.

Add Graham Holdings Co. to the companies that have released their fourth quarter 2024 earnings and have enjoyed the riches of a strong election-ad season. Graham Media Group, its TV division, saw lower core advertising demand in the final three months of 2024. But, it was offset in part by political advertising.

The company led by CEO Mary Berner has experienced a significant decline in its share value since March began. On Tuesday, the decline continued, sending "CMLS" down to a fresh post-bankruptcy low. Nasdaq could be eye a minimum trade delinquency, should trends not reverse soon.

It looks like Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has a new, bipartisan fight on behalf of local broadcast radio companies on her hands, as a non-binding resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty or other charge" on domestic AM and FM stations has been introduced in the U.S. Senate for the current Congressional session.

He was formerly Director of Sales for Omaha-based Walnut Media and before that was a Senior Account Executive for NRG Media in the Nebraska market bordering Council Bluffs, Iowa. Now, he's leading a group of stations in Iowa's state capital.

Non-technical, content-oriented teams are absorbing engineering functions across channel creation, configuration and playout. The underlying technologies required to support these workflows need to be simpler, easier to use — and more efficient at an organizational level, LTN's Rick Young says in this thought piece.

Last year saw the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on ION, with broadcasts offering fans a new way to watch league matches.  Now, The E.W. Scripps Co.'s Scripps Sports unit has shared production plans and a new studio team for the network’s 2025 season coverage, which begins March 15.

Video consumption will continue to transition from traditional pay TV networks to streaming platforms in 2025, which will pressure linear TV networks in the U.S. That's a key finding from Seth Shafer, Senior Research Analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence, offered in a 2025 Trends in Global Media report.

Brendan Carr spent Monday in Barcelona for the MWC Barcelona conference, a major global gathering devoting to mobile technology. Carr delivered a Keynote Address of approximately eight minutes in length before joining a group discussion. The big takeaway? "In America ... we are returning to our free speech tradition."

Since the closing of Gray Media's merger with Raycom Media in 2019, she has overseen the company's legal matters for its operating divisions as Deputy General Counsel. Now, she has been promoted to General Counsel for the broadcast TV station owner and parent of the new Assembly Atlanta production park.

As digital platforms continue to cut into traditional radio's share of the media pie, a study conducted in the middle of the 2024 election shows shifting media habits among news consumers in the US, highlighting a decline in AM/FM usage.

In the final three months of 2023, a strategic plan commenced that was designed to position a Sinclair Inc. digital multicast network as an alternative to traditional sitcom-based offerings. This included the purchase of four key anchor series. Come April 28, just in time for Upfront season, this diginet will have a new identity.