U.S. broadcast media companies saw widely disparate activity on Wall Street Monday, with companies such as Townsquare Media seeing a healthy jump from Friday, while TEGNA and Urban One were also up.
Every other company on the RBR+TVBR Wall Street Report ticker was down.
This includes Nexstar Media Group, which finished below $100.
For Sinclair, an 84-cent dip to $27.80 was seen.
Nielsen Audio’s 2020 radio market survey rankings by frequency, type and population — by rank and by market — are now available for public viewing.
There’s also Total Survey Area Population data, and Television DMA regions, for those interested in this information.
What are the key takeaways?
Atlanta has moved up in the Top 10 and is now No. 7, with Washington, D.C., dipping to No. 8.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is just below the Top 20, and Detroit slips to No. 14 from No. 13.
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A collection of full-power and FM translator stations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are being transferred into an irrevocable trust, according to a filing on the FCC’s LMS made Friday.
If approved, this will see a prolific New England broadcaster and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate shift ownership of the properties to an irrevocable trust that he’ll directly oversee.
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As RBR+TVBR tweeted on Sunday afternoon (12/20), a roughly $900 COVID-19 federal relief package was approved by the U.S. Senate, paving the way for $600 stimulus checks for adults earning up to $75,000 and additional $600 one-time checks for each dependent.
It turns out the coronavirus relief legislation includes expanded eligibility to local media outlets for the Paycheck Protection Program — a victory for many broadcast radio and TV companies.
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In an unprecedented year, the sports industry has had to take creative steps to generate all of the excitement of a live game while battling the reality of empty stadiums due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The solutions varied from cardboard cutouts of fans to digital audiences and artificial fan noise. To learn what sports fans thought about fan noise, as well as to ask about their other sports opinions in a year unlike any other, Westwood One teamed with media buying giant Horizon Media and commissioned market research insights firm MARU/Matchbox to execute a two-wave study on the subject.
The key findings are now available.
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The first all-digital CES 2021, scheduled for January 11-14, 2021, will feature an iHeartMedia conference session on how technology has enabled some of today’s hottest artists to continue to create and introduce new music and immersive experiences for their fans during the pandemic.
It’s moderated by a ubiquitous iHeart personality, and will see this individual interview a superstar who is arguably one of the world’s biggest pop recording artists today.
Virtual attendees will see Ryan Seacrest host a fireside chat with singer/songwriter Dua Lipa.
Also available exclusively to registered CES attendess: a special performance by Billie Eilish scheduled for 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
Karen Chupka, EVP of CES for the Consumer Technology Association, says the session “will explore the art of the possible and the transformation that is happening in the entertainment industry.”
Tom Poleman, iHeartMedia’s Chief Programming Officer, adds, “iHeartMedia has always taken pride in our ability to bring artists and fans together, but when the pandemic hit we had to get even more creative. At a time when all of us are searching for ways to feel connected with the music and artists we love while remaining safe, we’re proud to have pushed the limits of technology to innovate and create intimate experiences for music fans nationwide, whether it’s taking our entire roster of iHeartRadio nationally-recognized events virtual or creating one-of-kind shows meant to inspire and support millions of Americans.”
BRADENTON, FLA. — On May 5, 2016, Calkins Media announced that it had agreed to sell an ABC affiliate in a unique situation to one of the nation’s biggest broadcast TV companies. For $82 million, the company agreed to spin this station, which is one of two ABC affiliates in its DMA, to Raycom Media.
Then came the June 25, 2018, announcement that Raycom would be merging with Gray Television, a transformative transaction that closed as 2019 began.
Now, nearly two years later, Gray is dealing with a retransmission consent feud focused on this single Sunshine State property. The MVPD at the center of the dispute, which has led to the latest “blackout” of a free-to-air TV station? Frontier Communications.
And, it’s a complex matter involving legacy customers to a grandfathered service.
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On March 11, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation heard testimony from an attorney at Covington & Burling, focused on commercial litigation and government contracts, who had been nominated to serve as Inspector General of the FCC.
This individual would have replaced David Hunt, who was appointed in 2011 and agreed to step down following an OK for Johnson, an Oklahoma native.
That’s not happening.
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Some 2 1/2 weeks after TEGNA-owned stations faded to black on AT&T-owned DirecTV lineups across the U.S., customers of the direct broadcast satellite company that many believe will be gobbled up by Dish can now tune to such stations as WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C.; WTSP-10 in Tampa; and KGW-8 in Portland, Ore.
A new retransmission consent agreement has be reached, resolving a matter that yielded much subscriber ire and many letters to RBR+TVBR.
The companies revealed that a new multi-year retrans deal was signed on Sunday morning (12/20) — just in time for National Football League coverage.
All TEGNA stations immediately returned to any impacted AT&T homes.
“AT&T and TEGNA regret any inconvenience to their customers and viewers and thank them for their patience,” the companies jointly stated in a statement distributed at 9:50am Eastern.
The agreement includes retransmission consent for all 64 TEGNA-owned stations serving 51 Nielsen markets including Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, among many others. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The stations impacted by the “blackout,” created by the lack of a new retransmission consent agreement between TEGNA and the AT&T-owned DBS provider, included 63 television stations in 51 markets. According to TEGNA, it is the largest owner of top 4 affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately
39% of all television households nationwide.
While this impasse is a significant one, the biggest battle of the season is still unresolved: Nexstar Media Group and Dish remain at odds over their own respective retrans consent accord.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the U.S. Supreme Court ready to hear arguments in the FCC and NAB‘s joint appeal of the Third Circuit Federal Appeals Court remand of its local media ownership rule revisions, the Commission — in the final days of leadership under Chairman Ajit Pai — is voting to preserve the status quo with respect to a Fox Corporation request for a permanent waiver allowing it to own multiple TV stations and a newspaper in the nation’s No. 1 market.
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It’s a lightly traded stock, and the company’s fiscal health is arguably strong compared to some of its peers. Yet, Friday was a challenging day on Wall Street for the executive team at Townsquare Media.
On nearly five times the average volume, TSQ immediately fell from the Opening Bell and in the final minutes of trading dipped even further.
Townsquare shares were off by 11%, with a $6.60 price seen just six minutes before the Closing Bell on the NYSE rang.
When all was said and done, TSQ completed Friday’s trading with a 10.9% dip, to $6.62.
Volume was 47,881 shares on an average of 15,995 shares.
What prompted the downward activity for the local media company?
It’s not clear. But, it does come one trading session after Townsquare priced an offering of $550.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.875% senior secured notes due 2026.
The notes will bear interest semi-annually at a rate equal to 6.875% per annum and were offered at par value. They are senior secured obligations of Townsquare Media and will be guaranteed on a senior secured basis by the company’s direct and wholly owned subsidiaries.
Closing of the offering is anticipated to take place on or about January 6, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.
Townsquare intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, to repay its existing senior secured credit facilities, to redeem all of Townsquare’s outstanding 6.500% senior notes due 2023, and to pay the premium, fees and expenses related to the offering.
Townsquare also intends to terminate its existing senior secured credit facilities, including its existing revolving credit facility.
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It’s not often that the FCC receives a Acuerdo para venta y transferencia de licencia de un radioemisora.
In such cases, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth attorney Frank Montero is likely involved. And, that’s indeed the situation here, as a prolific Puerto Rico broadcaster has gained another AM on La Isla del Encanto.
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The E.W. Scripps Company has promoted its VP of Financial Planning and Analysis to the role that has until now been held by Lisa Knutson.
The bump up to CFO, which saw “a nationwide search,” yielded no external candidates. And, the transition will take place once Scripps closes on its acquisition of ION Media.
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A company that considers itself to be one of the pioneers of video-on-demand technology has claimed a small victory in its fight against AT&T, DirecTV, Dish Network and Amazon for copyright infringement of four patents covering streaming media innovations specifically tied to VOD services using the set top box and mobile app technology.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — At the FCC‘s October Open Meeting, one of the most important advancements in the history of AM radio broadcasting took only minutes to get the Commission’s approval.
Voluntary all-digital AM broadcasting moved forward, with a report and order released.
Broadcast station owners that wish to benefit will soon be free to do so.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. —With the retirement of Ranking Member Greg Walden and the expected transition of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW to President-Elect Joe Biden, the committee in the House of Representatives that oversees the FCC has appointed five new Democratic members.
They’ll take their seats with the start of the 117th Congress. And, they are all women.
BE SURE TO ‘LIKE’ RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!
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Friday marked Day 15 of the “blackout” of all Nexstar Media Group-owned broadcast TV stations and the WGN America cable TV network across Dish lineups.
Is there an end on the horizon? Maybe. But, Nexstar has a new option for disgruntled Dish customers that want their NewsNation and other WGN America programming — and its an over-the-top platform.
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Travel one hour west of Helena, Montana, and you’ll reach the small town of Deer Lodge. Here, an AM radio silent has fallen silent, as has an FM translator at 99.3 MHz and 20kw FM.
The owner passed away. He had no will. Now, the stations are being involuntary transferred to a family member.
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City United Church in recent years has been using a Massachusetts AM to provide a “Power”-ful religious-themed message to local listeners.
Then, the station fell silent. Now, this facility is being sold.
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