Radio+Television Business Report

The advocacy and lobbying group acting on behalf of the nation’s small and independently-owned MVPDs has filed comments with the FCC that present the argument that broadcast television station owners’ fast-rising retransmission consent revenue needs to be tempered.

If not, consumers, and cable television service providers, will continue to be harmed.

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It’s a town due south of Dallas known as the home of the Munster Mansion. And, it is the city of license for an AM and FM translator that at present is control by a husband and wife.

Pending FCC approval, their shares in the stations will be transferred to a single individual.

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Podcast Business Journal

Who knew signing the most successful podcaster in the world would become such a headache? In addition to reporting quarterly earnings on Wednesday that includes a weaker Q1 2022 forecast and the revelation that it will no longer offer annual guidance, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek had to field questions about the growing discontent from content creators over the Rogan show.

Ek told investors he’s trying “trying to balance creative expression with the safety of our users. Of course, this is a very complicated issue. But I’m really proud of the steps that we took following the concerns raised by the medical and scientific communities.”

A handful of artists pulled their music from Spotify after objecting to guests Rogan has had on that are not lock-step in line with the COVID-19 vaccine. They believe Rogan is spreading misinformation about the vaccine.

Ek said the company does not “change our policies based on one creator nor do we change it based on any media cycle or calls from anyone else. While Joe has a massive audience… he also has to abide by those policies.

Rogan has apologized for causing this headache for Spotify and said he will strive for more balance.

Spotify’s stock dropped by nearly 17% to $159.70 on Thursday, but was up slightly in immediate after-hours trading.

As RBR+TVBR first reported Wednesday, Spotify in Q4 2021 had 406 million monthly active users, up 18% from a year earlier. Paying subscribers rose 16% to 180 million.
Revenue from subscriptions jumped 22% to $2.6 billion. Advertising revenue increased 40%. Advertising revenue has jumped from 10% of Spotify’s overall revenue to 15%.

Spotify now has 3.6 million podcasts available on its service, up from 3.2 million in the previous quarter.

For the first time, Urban One‘s audio divisions will have a Chief Revenue Officer.

Who’s earning the job? It is a 17-year veteran who has served as SVP of National and Network Sales for the company that owns Radio One and national radio entity Reach Media.

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Ensuring a broadcast station’s license renewal application is filed in a timely manner with the FCC is a must. Yet, it doesn’t always happen.

That’s the case with a Meridian, Miss., licensee that’s just received a forfeiture notice for its tardiness, which also involves the unauthorized operation of its AM radio station in lieu of an active license.

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In recent quarters, iHeartMedia has taken the approach of releasing its fiscal report card after the Closing Bell on Wall Street on a Thursday. As such, results that may not seem as rosy as its peers would appear Friday morning in trade publications covering Radio — a soft news consumption day.

For Q4 2021, iHeartMedia is going with a pre-market release on a Wednesday. Is it a sign that the nation’s No. 1 audio content creation and distribution company is poised to report some of its best-ever numbers?

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Two-thirds of broadcast professionals believe the industry is adapting technologically to change, compared to 7 in 10 respondents one year ago.

That’s one of the key findings in a survey focused on the current media production landscape and state of broadcast workflows fielded by NewscastStudio.

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It’s a company mainly known for media security and anti-piracy services. Yet, a report it has just released concludes that broadcast TV “will continue to be viable for the foreseeable future, despite the growth of streaming.”

The report from Intertrust also suggests that the global the video industry will evolve to a hybrid approach, where linear broadcasting coexists alongside video-on-demand (VOD) content and live streaming.

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He’s widely known for his two decades of experience as an influential media sector financial analyst on Wall Street. Most recently, he filled the shoes of Marci Ryvicker, also known for her past experience as a media sector analyst, at Wolfe Research.

Now, John Janedis is taking a cue from Ryvicker by going corporate.

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BOCA RATON, FLA. — To ABC viewers, he’s recalled as a “Secret Millionaire” featured in a March 2011 episode of the now-concluded reality television series. A successful real estate figure, Marc Paskin sought out people and organizations in Detroit deserving of his financial help. Today, his philanthropic side is balanced with ownership stints of small radio stations, which dates to 2015.

Now, Paskin is re-entering radio ownership by agreeing to take Beasley Media Group‘s remaining properties in this upscale South Palm Beach County city.

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Can anything stop Nexstar Media Group from achieving a fresh all-time high for its stock?

A new peak was reached on Wednesday. As a result, share value in the nation’s top broadcast television company by station count is up $114.88 since March 2020.

A 2% gain to $172.61 came on February 2 for NXST, on volume that was slightly above its average of 399,150 shares.

NXST boasts a 1-year target price of $189.89. And, it is a safe bet it will get there within days.

Year-to-date, Nexstar is up by nearly $20.

Joe Roggin‘s podcast controversy had, until the Closing Bell on Wednesday, generated enough negative press to agitate investors in Spotify. On January 27, shares dipped to $171.32, a dip from nearly $235 per share seen on January 11.

While Spotify rebounded to $203.62 on Tuesday, the comeback fizzled. Then came Spotify’s fourth quarter 2021 results, sending SPOT down by more than 21% in early after-market trading on the NYSE.

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While the House Judiciary Committee spent more than 2 1/2 hours debating the “American Music Fairness Act” on Wednesday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights held a hearing devoted to “journalism, competition, and the effects of market power on a Free Press.”

Among the witnesses seated in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill for the afternoon in-person session: the head of the highest-billing radio station in the U.S.

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The parent of the three main PBS Member stations serving the New York Tri-State Area will become the first operator in the nation’s No. 1 market to bring NEXTGEN TV service to those with an ATSC 3.0-equipped television set.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today has revealed its updated slate of board leaders and board members.

Andrew Russell, President/CEO of PBS SoCal and KCET in Los Angeles, has been re-elected Chair.

At the same time, Susi Elkins, Director of Broadcasting and General Manager of WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. has been re-elected Professional Vice Chair. David Steward II, Immediate Past Board Chair of Nine PBS in St. Louis, has been re-elected Lay Vice Chair.

The newly-elected trustees are:

• Annette Herrington, Commissioner of Arkansas PBS in Conway, Arkansas, as a lay trustee.
• John D. Zeglis, Retired Chairman and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services, former President of AT&T, and a member of the board of WNIT Public TV of South Bend, Ind., as an at-large trustee.

Re-elected to the APTS Board of Trustees are:

• Carolyn Edwards, Lay Trustee of Vegas PBS in Las Vegas
• Susi Elkins, Director of Broadcasting and General Manager, of WKAR Public Media/MI State University in East Lansing, Mich.
• Franz Joachim, General Manager and CEO of New Mexico PBS in Albuquerque
• Garrett King, Board Member, Friends of OETA in Oklahoma City
• Vickie Lawson, President and CEO of East Tennessee PBS in Knoxville, Tenn.
• David Steward II, Immediate Past Board Chair, Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis

Zeglis began his board term on January 5. The officers and other trustees will begin their terms on February 28.

If you thought the COVID-19 pandemic would halt, or reverse, cord-cutting trends for MVPDs, think again.

While 40% of Americans still pay for cable services, a shift in viewing habits and streaming services is leading more consumers to say no to cable TV.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A multimedia initiative that enables Members of Congress in cities where Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned stations have a local news department to speak directly to their constituents on a regular basis has returned.

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NEW YORK — Comcast-owned FreeWheel has officially launched a new Certified Partner Program.

Its purpose is to certify and organize buyers, sellers, data partners and technology partners within FreeWheel’s platform to create a more efficient and effective media supply chain for the TV ecosystem.

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What do the longtime Miami-based singer known for “Conga” and “Coming out of the Dark” and a longtime Inside the Beltway figure who once worked on antitrust litigation and merger reviews as an associate with Howrey LLP have in common?

Both have thoughts worthy enough for sharing at a House Judiciary Committee hearing conducted virtually on Wednesday morning. The subject: the American Music Freedom Act, which would implement a royalty payment scheme on top of what broadcast radio already pays for the right to play recorded music on its AM and FM stations.

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Of the witnesses that appeared in a virtual House Judiciary Committee hearing held Wednesday morning to debate the “American Music Freedom Act,” NAB Chairman/CEO Curtis Legeyt perhaps provided the most objective commentary as to why the proposed legislation is unjust and would impose financial burdens on radio stations of all sizes across the U.S.

In particular, Legeyt slammed the world’s recording industry goliaths for failing to come to the table after four years of opportunities to work with the NAB and broadcast radio in the U.S. on a “win-win” royalty scheme.

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