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RBR+TVBR has confirmed that a breach of contract suit filed August 16 in a California federal district court by a creator of “viral hit shows” and podcasts against Audacy Inc. has been resolved.

It concludes potential litigation against Tenderfoot TV at a time when Audacy must concentrate its focus on emerging from a Houston federal bankruptcy court.

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From Radio World’s Who’s Buying What page: The newly formed Tony Bruno Sports Network has selected NextKast OnAir as the automation platform. 

The software company said in a press release that TBSN sought an automation system that facilitates live interactions among hosts in different locations. It said the goLive multi-host feature of NextKast OnAir enables hosts to connect, broadcast and engage from a web browser.

“The platform’s built-in processing ensures optimal audio quality, giving the broadcasts a rich and authentic radio sound. Hosts gain control of the station, initiate commercial breaks, and manage various aspects through the user-friendly goLive web interface,” it said.

NextKast quoted Tony Bruno endorsing the system’s “booming live FM sound.”

In addition to the goLive system, each talk segment is automatically recorded with date/time and show stamps, facilitating distribution to other podcast platforms and stations. 

The network offers a lineup of six daily live programs, including the “Live Tony Bruno Show” weekdays 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern. It is distributed via iPhone and Android apps, as well as the website www.TonyBrunoSportsNetwork.com.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

The post Tony Bruno Sports Network Chooses NextKast OnAir appeared first on Radio World.

For decades, the Sarkes Tarzian name served as an iconic radio and television broadcasting group with properties that included Chattanooga’s NBC affiliate and a Reno, Nev., television station now offering NEXTGEN TV broadcasts to Northern Nevada. It also made itself known across the U.S. as a manufacturer of radio and television equipment, television tuners, and components.

Now, a new chapter has arrived for the radio stations licensed to the company bearing the name of its iconic late Armenian founder.

All Sarkes Tarzian Inc. radio properties are being consolidated under the new ST Radio brand.

ST Radio is comprised of six brands:

• Adult Alternative WTTS-FM/Indianapolis and its HD2 Classic Rock sibling
• News/Talk WGCL-AM and W254DP at 98.7 MHz, serving Bloomington, Ind. 
• Adult Contemporary WAJI-FM, Classic Hits WLDE-FM and WGBJ-FM “ALT” in Ft. Wayne.

The six-station group will be led by company veteran Brad Holtz, as President of ST Radio. Holtz has held programming leadership positions for WTTS, WGCL, and WGBJ for more than 15 years.

Holtz, who retains his role as Vice President of Sarkes Tarzian Inc., commented, “Consolidating our Indiana radio properties into a single, unified group will make ST Radio more competitive while strengthening our core business. I welcome the opportunity to lead such a talented group of professionals across our three markets and I offer my humble gratitude to Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. for the faith they have placed in me.”

Lee Tobin, the longtime President/GM of the Fort Wayne stations, will transition into the newly created corporate role of SVP/Radio and Community Affairs, and manage projects that are critical to the mission of Sarkes Tarzian Inc.

Sarkes Tarzian co-CEO Mike Kendall commentedm “While the radio industry faces many challenges, there are just as many new opportunities to be discovered. Brad’s record of accomplishment and his vision for what radio can and should be perfectly suit his new position. We are delighted to welcome Lee Tobin to the corporate level where his decades of radio experience and commitment to our company’s mission are unmatched and will be essential to our work.”

Sarkes Tarzian Inc. also owns ST Digital Solutions, a full-service agency offering digital marketing tools and services.

A series of motions filed by Audacy Inc. on Sunday, when it announced it would be restructuring under Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection, has, as expected, been approved by a Houston court.

Now, it could be just a matter of weeks before the company founded as Entercom by Joseph Field emerges from debtor-in-possession status, as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas seeks to reduce any backlog triggered by the sudden October 2023 resignation of Judge David Jones on ethics concerns.

Bankruptcy Petition # 24-90004 saw flurry of docket activity, as RBR+TVBR reported Monday, with the case assigned to Judge Christopher M. López. He gave his approval to every “first day” motion related to Audacy’s prepackaged Chapter 11 proceedings.

Importantly, the motions grant Audacy access to $57 million in financing from some of its existing lenders.

This financing includes a new $32 million debtor-in-possession term loan.

It also includes a $25 million “upsize” of Audacy’s existing $75 million accounts receivables financing facility, pushing it to $100 million.

The “DIP” financing, the upsize of the accounts receivables financing facility and the company’s cash from operations and available reserves are expected to enable Audacy to fulfill commitments to employees, advertisers, partners and vendors.

The Houston federal bankruptcy court also authorized Audacy to continue to pay employee wages, salaries and benefits without interruption and to pay vendors and suppliers.

As of 11am Central on Tuesday, there were no new items added to the court docket by Audacy through its legal counsel in Texas.

As RBR+TVBR first shared on Sunday (1/7), Audacy entered into a restructuring support agreement with a “supermajority” of its debtholders that is designed to equitize approximately $1.6 billion of funded debt, shrinking it by 80% to approximately $350 million.

Audacy says it does not expect any operational impact from the restructuring, and trade and other unsecured creditors will not be impaired. However, it noted that all shareholders stand to lose 100% of their investment, lest they sell all of their shares ahead of the company’s emergence from bankruptcy protection.

That proclamation torpedoed Audacy’s shares on Monday, sending AUD to an all-time low of $0.1058.

As of Noon Eastern on Tuesday, there was no trading activity across the morning of January 9 for Audacy stock.

 

The evolution of The E.W. Scripps Co.’s local leadership for its broadcast television stations continues, as the Cincinnati-headquartered company has named Station Managers for its properties in Southwest Florida, the capital of the Sunshine State, and in Oklahoma’s second-largest market.

All three are women.

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Omnichannel supply-side platform OpenX Technologies is welcoming a new VP of Product, a position that sees the former head of product at Airfind and ex-SpotX leader act as a connected TV product lead.

In particular, Nick Cuniffe will responsible for global strategy and execution of OpenX’s Connected TV product solution and roadmap.

Cuniffe’s arrival follows OpenX’s recent launch of “TV by OpenX,” which combines key features of both the linear and programmatic buying models. In November, the first phase of TV by OpenX included the elimination of resellers and all non-TV content from OpenX’s CTV inventory.

OpenX powers advertising on web, mobile, and connected TV formats.

It’s something championed and pioneered on the TV side of the linear media business by NBCUniversal. Now, iHeartMedia is taking a similar approach to giving advertisers a single entry point for audio ad placement on its terrestrial radio, streaming, and podcast platforms — ushering in an omnichannel programmatic media buying opportunity for marketers.

The “first-of-its-kind marketplace” is thanks to a partnership with independent sell-side advertising giant Magnite, and is built from a custom implementation of Magnite’s SpringServe ad serving technology. In short, the marketplace enables advertisers to transact with a data-driven approach via real-time-bidding across iHeartMedia’s broadcast and digital audio inventory through a single activation channel.

“With today’s consumers spending a third of their media time with audio, expanding programmatic’s access to iHeart’s audio assets is imperative for the industry,” said Brian Kaminsky, Chief Data Officer and President of Revenue Strategies for iHeartMedia. “Not only are we expanding what role programmatic can play for advertisers, we are also improving the efficacy of their campaigns by allowing them to use real-time data to message their audience in the most engaging way possible, in an environment of trust and interest. We’re excited to expand our partnership with Magnite because they have proven expertise in programmatic and the ability to build technology fit for the unique needs of audio advertising to take its place in omnichannel.”

Magnite Chief Revenue Officer Sean Buckley added, “Establishing more direct connections within the advertising supply chain benefits both publishers and buyers and we’re proud to build technology to facilitate this for the largest media owners in the world like iHeartMedia. We’ve worked closely with iHeartMedia to develop bespoke and new-to-market solutions for podcast and audio. Consolidated paths will continue to gain momentum and we look forward to continuing to pave the way in this effort.”

Already a fan is Publicis Groupe Chief Growth Officer Jay Askinasi. “The premium audio marketplace created by iHeart provides PMX clients with direct programmatic access to scaled, high-quality audio inventory. “As we expand our PMX Lift solution to connect across platforms, including audio, it will be important to have this combination of broadcast and digital assets and data to achieve better efficiency, control and analytics and drive greater value and insights for our clients.”

Wall Street may not be wholly convinced it should be a set manufacturer, but Roku is further expanding its lineup of branded televisions in a move it believes brings more choices to savvy consumers.

New Roku Pro Series TVs are being distributed to consumers this spring, and Roku says the sets deliver “a powerful yet simple streaming experience with a brilliant picture, immersive audio, and elegant design that elevates customers’ entertainment.”

Investors in Roku may not be particularly excited, however, with the company’s shares down 3.6% to $90.58 as of 9:55am Eastern on Tuesday and analysts calling Roku stock “overvalued.”

This compares to a $228.20 finish to the 2021 calendar year for Roku shares, and a $40.70 price for ROKU, which trades on the Nasdaq GlobalSelect market, at the end of the 2022 calendar year.

The Roku Pro Series TVs are available in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch models. They boast a 4K QLED display, Mini-LED, local dimming, enhanced audio technology for a wide cinematic sound, and a new modern design that rests flat against the wall, all in a TV made for streaming. “Roku Pro Series’ picture and audio quality, polished design, unique features, and ease-of-use bring the market leadership and innovation that Roku is known for to a TV made for streaming,” said Chris Larson, Vice President of Retail Strategy at Roku. “As we hit 10 years of the Roku TV program, we believe this new line of TVs will set a new standard for an elevated streaming experience.”

Concurrently, the company says Roku Smart Picture, a new set of features, will come to the Roku TV program this spring.

LAS VEGAS — Add a Guangdong-headquartered electronics company partially owned by the People’s Republic of China to the list of manufacturers of NEXTGEN TV-capable receivers now available to consumers in the U.S.

TCL is now a participant in the gradual shift of American broadcast TV consumption from ATSC 1.0-delivered signals to those powered by ATSC 3.0, which bring much-touted audio and visual improvements to viewers.

New TCL models will be coming to market in 2024; an exact date was not announced.

TCL is a “Fast Track” partner of Pearl TV and the Pearl Network Consortia, and it joins a growing NEXTGEN TV receiver retail marketplace comprised of upward of 100 models from brands including Hisense, LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony.

With an expanding upgrade accessory device market and broadcasters poised to reach 75% of U.S. households before mid-February, with the pending launch of NEXTGEN TV signals in Chicago, Pearl TV is excited for what will likely be a breakthrough 2024 for a technology some still may believe is the video version of HD Radio — arguably a flop across its first 20 years of availability in the U.S. due to its in-band, on-channel distribution. NEXTGEN TV, however, is linked to ATSC 3.0, which can potentially bring new revenue through broadcast internet capabilities already in beta testing.

On the eve of CES 2024, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) issued industry projections that show sales of NEXTGEN TV receivers are expected to increase 45% over 2023 sales. While television receivers are currently the primary access to NEXTGEN TV channels and content, consumers are also accessing NEXTGEN TV service using an antenna, which, according to the latest research from the CTA, home antenna use is now at 25% of U.S. households.

Consumers are also leveraging upgrade accessory receivers for NEXTGEN TV, too. Options from ADTH (now available at Walmart.com), Stavix, Zapperbox and Zinwell, range from $90-250 and will be available for demonstration at CES 2024, at the ATSC booth.

“ATSC is delighted to have more than two dozen broadcasters, technology companies, and networks supporting our CES exhibit this year,” said Madeleine Noland, President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). “South Korea and Jamaica are both on-air with ATSC 3.0. Trinidad & Tobago will transition in 2025. Both Brazil and India are evaluating ATSC 3.0 as a technology that can handle different technological challenges, and discussions are underway in a number of other countries that are looking for the most flexible broadcast system that easily adapts to changing needs and behaviors,” Noland added.”

Noland added that NEXTGEN TV market launches in San Diego and Tucson are forthcoming.

ATSC is exhibiting in booth 19744 of the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES 2024. ATSC exhibit sponsors include Dolby, A3SA, Alticast, Amlogic, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, LG, MediaTek, Public Media Venture Group, Rohde & Schwarz, music-focused Roxi, Samsung, Sony, Stavix, Advanced HDR by Technicolor, Televes, Zapperbox, Zinwell, and television networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.

Additionally, at CES Saankhya Labs is announcing several new TV accessories, powered by the company’s demodulator. Saankhya is working closely with the government of India for a nationwide rollout of Direct-to-Mobile video services that would utilize ATSC 3.0.

Then, there is Sinclair Inc., which has taken the driver’s seat on NEXTGEN TV rollout in the U.S. It will showcase the capabilities of ATSC 3.0 to deliver advanced and personalized audio services to the automobile, highlighting the mobile capability of the broadcast standard.

A Nexus Connect exhibit features a dynamic marketplace ecosystem where industry players come together, discover exciting new intelligent applications and services, and deliver immersive, interactive, and personalized television experiences to viewers.

— With reporting by Adam Jacobson in Boca Raton, Fla.

A television audience measurement company focused on digital delivery of video content and consumer consumption metrics has launched a dedicated streaming measurement offering, along with a new set of metrics that it claims “empower hundreds of advertisers and publishers with a fast, reliable independent system for tracking audience consumption of Connected TV advertising, at scale.”

That promise arrived ahead of the start of CES 2024 in Las Vegas from iSpot.tv, with an offering that builds on its Unified Measurement platform.

As iSpot sees it, “The diversity of channels and sources brands are using to reach viewers
underlines the complex challenges advertisers face in obtaining a complete view of
TV ad exposure and impact.”

Sean Muller, founder and CEO of iSpot, commented, “As the market moves towards streaming and increased fragmentation grows, brands need accuracy, consistency, scale and transparency to manage media investments. The addition of these new
metrics provides a foundation for new currencies and the insights to help drive
efficiency and return on investment for both sides of a transaction.”

The new metrics include on-target delivery; deduplicated, unique audience identification;
transparent, consistent co-viewing; and connected TV on-screen verification that ads are delivered to TVs. “The metrics provide a way to quantify and rectify the waste and misappropriation created by the technological problem of continuous play, when ads are served to TV devices while TVs screens are turned off or tuned to a different input,” iSpot says.

The capability is the first offering from iSpot that leverages an exclusive license using
TVision Insights technologies, which was acquired during an investment round in
2022.

Macnica is celebrating the introduction of the Audio/Visual industry’s first gateway exclusive to the IPMX suite of standards.

At ISE 2024, which begins January 30 in Barcelona, Macnica will unveil its MEG1 IPMX to HDMI AV over IP ethernet gateway, a 1Gb/s solution that provides a direct ramp to IPMX product development for ProAV and broadcast equipment manufacturers.

Macnica will demonstrate the MEG1 at Stand 5G800 in the Fira Barcelona, Gran Via across the event, which concludes February 3.

The MEG1 is adapted from Macnica’s reference design for IPMX compliant product development, supporting low-latency, synchronized transport of 4K60 4:4:4 video, audio and data, including KVM and PoE support. It is designed to support lab-based research, development and testing efforts for IP product developers preparing to bring IPMX solutions to market.

The MEG1 supports all features required for IP interoperability, including device discovery, USB and serial extension, resilient network performance, JPEG-XS compression, and subframe latency. The MEG1 has the ability to send or receive IPMX compliant video streams at up to 800 Mb/s over a 1Gb connection. It also features a competitive power profile for PoE devices, and includes a scripting environment that provides additional freedom for feature development and automation.

“The MEG1 is a Macnica reference design that we have built into a complete product,” said Andrew Starks, Director of Product Management at Macnica. “The benefit for IPMX product developers is that our design invites experimentation and extension to allow companies to achieve their product visions, and early adopters to integrate the MEG1 into their systems.”

Macnica adds that IPMX ratification is expected to take another major step forward just prior to ISE at the VSF Standards Testing Event, which takes place late January in Munich, Germany just prior to ISE. Starks anticipates that the event, which will focus on final interoperability tests, will validate IPMX performance.

— Reporting by Brian Galante

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Broadcast Station Totals as of December 31, 2023

At the CES show, Xperi is talking about the evolution of DTS AutoStage and how its technologies can support growing consumer interest in advanced entertainment options for the car.

For instance the company is demonstrating a gaming prototype for DTS AutoStage, which launched as an audio platform for connected cars but subsequently started pushing into video capabilities and now gaming.

Xperi’s message at CES is that consumers increasingly view their vehicle as a “third space” and that they want more than “a jumble of apps on their dash … more than a mirror of their smartphone.”

It plans to incorporate digital games into DTS AutoStage including audio, casual and console/core games that are personalized and designed for safe use. It highlights the ability of the platform to do software and feature updates over the air.

Meanwhile the DTS AutoStage Video Service — “powered by TiVo,” which is also owned by Xperi — delivers free video including live TV, news, sports and movies from various partners. BMW recently rolled out the service in 5-Series vehicles in the United States, Great Britain, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and soon in Japan. Customers in the compact class have also had access in vehicles with BMW Operating System 9 in conjunction with BMW Digital Premium since the end of 2023, and more BMW vehicles are pending.

Meanwhile, Xperi said, Ford Motor Company is incorporating DTS AutoStage into some North American vehicles, starting with the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus.

Xperi recently added video, shown here a BMW car, as an available offering in DTS AutoStage. Now it is exploring gaming as well. The third space

In support of its services in these areas, Xperi published a brief report emphasizing the growing importance of the vehicle as a “third space,” an environment where people can relax or unwind.

It conducted a consumer survey that produced some interesting findings, including an unexpected one about AM radio. 

What consumers desire from entertainment in the cabin is becoming more complex, it says. “Consumers want more from their dashboard, valuing rich, comprehensive, personalized and discoverable content, including video.”

It found that in-dash video, including TV and on-demand streaming, is particularly important among younger demographics and that it can help drive car sales.

“Automakers would do well to heed that over two-thirds of their most important demographic (across all those aged 17–44) say that having high-quality video capability in the dashboard/screens would positively influence their vehicle purchase choice,” according to a summary.

“But survey takers were also clear that radio remains the essential anchor for the dashboard, especially among the younger cohort who will drive what the next generation of in-vehicle entertainment will look like. … Consumers, overall, agree (60%) that AM radio, which offers emergency/weather disaster updates, local content, community news, sports and live, real-time traffic reports, is an indispensable part of their vehicle’s dashboard. Interestingly, it is most important to those 17 – 44 than to those 45 and over.”

The survey by Censuswide was done in the fall, collecting input from 1,000 U.S. consumers who own or lease a vehicle.

You can access the eight-page report here.

[For News on This and Other Shows See Our Show News Page]

The post Xperi Shows a Gaming Prototype for DTS AutoStage appeared first on Radio World.

This story serves as a followup to our Jan. 5 story “FCC Seeks to Enhance DIRS Reporting.”

The FCC is considering imposing new reporting mandates on broadcasters so it can better determine the condition of communication systems following natural disasters. It has been talking about the idea of such a requirement for awhile and appears to be getting serious about it. But it is asking for more information before doing so.

If eventually adopted, new rules would require radio and TV broadcasters to file operational status updates with the FCC following disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. 

For now, the FCC is preparing to vote at its monthly meeting on Jan. 24 on whether to require other types of companies, including cable TV, wireless service providers and interconnected VoIP providers, to report outages following disasters. The draft order does not include broadcasters.

But an accompanying Second Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, also still in draft form, outlines a possible further change. If it is adopted this month, the FCC would then take comment on a proposal to add several layers of mandatory reporting for broadcasters using the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). It also discusses a possible requirement for stations to begin reporting outages to the FCC’s Network Outage Reporting System (NORS). 

The commission says it wants to collect additional feedback from the industry while studying the idea of mandates further. It also says it could ultimately decide on different requirements for large and small broadcasters.    

“We propose requiring TV and radio broadcasters report in both NORS and DIRS based on the type and modality of certain broadcast infrastructures, and seek comment on this proposal,” the FCC says in the draft notice. 

If a mandate eventually is adopted, the FCC estimates that required DIRS and NORS reporting would cost the broadcast industry roughly $33.7 million per year, most of that attributable to the new NORS requirement. 

The FCC acknowledges in the draft that broadcasters generally oppose mandatory DIRS reporting. For example, National Public Radio says requiring broadcasters to report in DIRS “may detract from essential news operations that support the public.” And other broadcast organizations worry about what kind of an impact a new reporting mandate would have on smaller broadcasters.

The commission says it understands small entities might be especially burdened by a mandate. “In light of concerns expressed for smaller providers, however, we seek comment on whether we should consider adopting different reporting requirements for small and large broadcasters and, if so, how should those lines be drawn.”

It may exempt low-power FMs from the notional mandate, the FCC says. The commission also acknowledges that some broadcasters have unique limitations on their number of employees and the technical and legal expertise of those employees in addressing regulatory matters.

Rounding out its draft remarks, the FCC emphasized that a voluntary system does not guarantee comprehensive and accurate information for response officials. 

“We believe mandatory DIRS reporting for broadcasters could ensure a standardized and coordinated approach among entities potentially impacted by disasters, allowing authorities to make informed decisions about emergency response activities and avenues to communicate with the public during emergency situations,” the draft notice of proposed rulemaking says. “We believe this could be of particular significance given broadcasters’ role in the EAS.”

Broadcaster participation in the current, voluntary DIRS system has been lackluster, the FCC believes. At present, when DIRS is activated following a disaster, FCC staff typically only hear from 20 to 35% of stations, according to commission data.

The FCC draft says it “generally lacks timely insight into the resiliency of segments of the broadcast ecosystem.”

“We believe this to be a particular deficiency in light of the broadcast community’s critical role in the EAS and the need for emergency officials and the commission to be able to have information on, and insight into, the operational readiness of this system at a moment’s notice,” the proposed rulemaking states.

The draft notice (PS Docket 21-346) also asks whether radio and TV broadcasters should be required to supply the commission with “after action” reports detailing how their networks fared during an emergency or disaster event. In addition, it asks if providers should be required to report the location of mobile recovery assets during a disaster response.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

The post FCC Draft Would Bring a Disaster Reporting Mandate Closer appeared first on Radio World.

With CES 2024 set to begin across Las Vegas, a celebrity-backed music service launch linked to Smart TV brands has captured the attention of many industry observers wondering if it is the second coming of MTV, or yet another “share of ear” taking consumers away from Radio?

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The SVP/Deputy General Counsel of the NAB has exited the nation’s chief broadcast media lobbying group after 10 years to accept a key legislative and regulatory advocacy role at the company helmed by Chris Ripley.

As of today, Patrick McFadden will serve as SVP/Global Public Policy and Communications at Sinclair Inc. It puts him in the driver’s seat at Sinclair on overseeing the development and implementation of the company’s “comprehensive legislative and regulatory strategy to support the policy and advocacy goals.”

The arrival of McFadden from the NAB likely gives the company greater clout on Capitol Hill and, potentially, at the FCC, which has been unkind to Sinclair in recent years — most notably the Pai Commission’s decision to send the company’s proposed merger with Tribune Broadcasting to an Administrative Law Judge for a hearing. That act served as the catalyst in the deal’s dissolution; the FCC under Ajit Pai’s leadership claimed Sinclair had proposed sidecar deals to meet local ownership rules that involved parties too close to Sinclair, leading the Chairman to call out “sham” deals designed to keep Sinclair in the driver’s seat.

Now, with McFadden in place, Sinclair’s goal is to prevent any such action from repeating as Sinclair moves ahead as a vibrant broadcast TV station owner in the coming years.

“I’m very excited to join the Sinclair team,” McFadden said. “Sinclair is a leader not only in program content distribution with its tremendous portfolio of broadcast stations but also as a vanguard for multiple new businesses using that sophisticated platform. I look forward to helping the company advance its strategic initiatives to continue to provide local news and entertainment to viewers at home and on the go as well as the many new opportunities on the horizon.”

“We’re delighted to welcome Patrick as a key contributor to our executive group,” said  Ripley, Sinclair’s President/CEO. “He brings a wealth of critical experience to the cutting-edge broadcasting platform as it expands for all types of content distribution. He knows the issues, the people and the technology that underpin our business and is well-respected throughout the industry. He’s part of the elite corps of innovative and nuanced thinkers who are representative of Sinclair’s visionary culture.”

Over his decade at the NAB, McFadden was involved in multiple, complex regulatory challenges including ATSC 3.0 licensing and deployment, spectrum allocation/protection, media ownership and content distribution. Prior to joining the NAB, McFadden practiced telecommunications law in the Washington, D.C. office of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where he specialized in policy advocacy, litigation, regulatory compliance and negotiations for wireless, wireline and VoIP service providers and communications device manufacturers.

With reporting from Adam R Jacobson in Boca Raton, Fla.

Canadian broadcasting company Cogeco maintains a presence in the U.S. through the MVPD Breezeline, formerly Atlantic Broadband. It’s a cable TV services provider that Draper Media is none too pleased with.

Why? Breezeline dropped Draper’s CBS affiliate from the local channel lineup in a host of Eastern Maryland cities. And, it’s setting the record straight that the decision was not that of WBOC-16‘s parent.

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