Radio+Television Business Report

The FCC on Friday announced the conclusion of bidding in the clock phase of Auction 107, the largest auction of mid-band 5G spectrum.

It’s also the highest-grossing spectrum auction, overall, ever held in the U.S.

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TORONTO — It’s a nation where political dollars weren’t a factor in quarterly earnings growth. Yet, television segment income was up despite a dip in revenue for Canadian media company Corus.

This helped Corus achieve flat earnings per share in the fiscal first quarter of 2021, as net income only slightly decreased.

The bigger issue for the company is its radio division.

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On Thursday, new House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers shared the names of the eight GOP Members of Congress who will be seated with her on the committee that maintains oversight of the FCC.

One day later, the Democratic leadership of the House E&C Committee unveiled the Subcommittee Chairs and Democratic Roster for the 117th Congress.

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Speaking at a virtual event hosted by Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, U.S. Asst. Attorney General Makan Delrahim made it known that the Department of Justice does not plan to take action on the consent decrees governing the performance royalty organizations ASCAP and BMI.

Among the first to cheer is NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith.

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It already has an active Twitter feed full of general interest news.

On Monday, it will get its broadcast TV premiere as a new entrant in one of the last ultra-competitive dayparts for television and radio — morning drive.

“The National Desk” is all set and ready for launch from Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Rather than a news magazine, “The National Desk” is described by Sinclair as “an original news program,” and is being cleared for weekday morning timeslots starting January 18 — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — across 68 Sinclair-owned stations.

This include all of the company’s MyNetwork TV and The CW Network affiliates, and Sinclair-owned OTT platform STIRR.

“The National Desk” is being produced by Sinclair’s WJLA-7, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., once owned by the Allbritton family.

The host: Jan Jeffcoat, who has been doing dry runs posted on Twitter ahead of the channel’s launch.

Jeffcoat is nationally recognized for her stints at TEGNA-owned WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C., from 2013-2018; and for her various roles at FOX’s WFLD-TV in Chicago from 2007-2012. Jeffcoat was also anchor at KRIV-TV in Houston from November 2004-June 2007.

And, much like Nexstar’s much-publicized evening news block NewsNation, Sinclair says “The National Desk” will be “commentary-free,” with news from both a local and national perspective.

Still, some may put extra scrutiny on the Sinclair offering, given its decisively conservative tone seen in some markets with its local newscasts.

“This is an opportunity to bring national conversations back to a local level,” Jeffcoat said. “We understand the soul of the stories and communities in which we operate.”

Stories will come from Sinclair’s local news reporters, packaged as a national offering that showcases its stations while, Sinclair says, leveraging its assets.

Set to join Jeffcoat is Cayle Thompson, whose resume includes a stint as a KOMO-4 in Seattle anchor, and at WINK-11 in Fort Myers-Naples, from September 2010-September 2014. He is an Ithaca College journalism school grad who has also worked in Saginaw, Mich., and in Wichita.

Both report to SVP/News Scott Livingston.

“Stories that will be national news tomorrow are emanating from smaller local communities today,” Livingston said. “’The National Desk’ will provide Americans with the news they want to hear in a timely and accurate fashion. Our coverage
highlights stories that represent the heart of America – we’re here to provide context rather than commentary.”

Travel between Rocky Mount and Wilmington, N.C., along U.S. 258, and you’ll come across the picturesque city of Kinston, in Lenoir County.

Here, a low-powered TV station is being sold by Tutt Media Group.

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For more than two decades, she made her mark as a leader with a deep understanding of the media business, establishing what AMC Networks President/CEO Josh Sapan calls her “impeccable track record driving strong financial and operational results.”

This explains why AMC’s new EVP/CFO is a figure well-remembered for her years at Showtime and ViacomCBS.

Taking the role at the home of such MVPD-distributed channels as WE tv, AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC and SundanceTV is Christina Spade.

Spade will oversee AMC Networks’ financial operations, including treasury, tax, accounting, financial planning & analysis, as well as investor relations and global technology.

She previously held the EVP/CFO role at ViacomCBS, which followed roles as the CFO for CBS Corporation and, before that, Showtime Networks.

Spade succeeds former AMC Networks CFO Sean Sullivan, who stepped down in October 2020.

“AMC Networks has built a strong portfolio of distinct brands that are synonymous with high quality,” Spade said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with the AMC Networks team to build on the company’s long track record of innovation and success.”

Prior to joining Showtime Networks, Spade was an audit manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Entertainment, Media and Communications practice.

It’s being heralded as “a significant industry breakthrough” by ViacomCBS and DISH Media.

They’ve successfully delivered the first-ever addressable impressions within a live national broadcast via MVPD set-top box.

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What is the relationship between the number of independent local television news operations in a market and the size of the market, as measured by number of television households?

That’s a question two members of the FCC’s Office of Economics and Analytics have addressed in a 28-page “Working Paper” that concludes further consolidation is likely in markets that cannot sustain a variety of competitors.

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The controversial donation-based local broadcast TV streaming service that bills itself as a “digital translator” has entered yet another market.

This time, Locast is planting stakes in Wisconsin — a timely move for Green Bay Packers fans looking forward to viewing their next National Football League playoff match.

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As first reported by RBR+TVBR on August 7, 2019, the FCC said Cumulus Media violated the terms of a Consent Decree reached in 2016 to civilly resolve a violation of the commission’s sponsorship ID rules.

The matter originally involved a New Hampshire radio station. But, two Detroit-market stations; stations in the Michigan markets of Flint and Ann Arbor; and a Macon, Ga., AM were found to make similar violations of FCC regulatory policy.

This resulted in a hefty Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture. Now, despite the dissent of Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, the Commission has signed off on a forfeiture order.

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Beasley Broadcast Group shares finished Thursday’s trading at $1.97, rising 4.8% as the media company in eSports and radio programming disclosed an early look at its Q4 2020 results that are decidedly positive.

With the COVID-19 pandemic hammering revenue, any single-digit year-over-year dip can be viewed as a good thing. And, that’s where Beasley stands: the company generated net revenue of approximately $67.4 million to $67.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020. That compares to reported net revenue of $72.1 million for Q4 2019, representing a year-over-year decrease of between 5.8% and 6.5%.

For Q4, Beasley’s estimates a year-over-year decrease in commercial advertising revenue due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by growth in digital, esports and political revenue.

Meanwhile, Beasley says its Q4 “Station Operating Income,” a preferred non-GAAP financial measure, increased by approximately 23.1% to 28.8% year-over-year to approximately $19.2 million to $20.1 million. This compares to reported Q4 2019 SOI of $15.6 million.

Furthermore, Q4 2020 EBITDA increased by approximately 25.0% to 33.8% year-over-year to approximately $17.0 million to $18.2 million, compared to $13.6 million in Q4 2019.

How did Beasley do it? A reduction in operating expenses and corporate overhead,  realigning a company-wide cost structure, political advertising, and “an expected gain on a land sale” in Q4 2020 were noted.

What is that land sale? Look no further than Charlotte, where real estate developer Beauxwright purchased a 5.397 acre site utilized by expanded-band WBCN-AM 1660 and an adjacent 0.1 acre property for approximately $5 million.

Townhouses will pop up where the station’s single tower now sits, just north of Five Points Park in northern Charlotte.

WBCN-AM is dark. However, its “Fox Sports Charlotte” programming lives on via an FM translator fed from a HD multicast signal.

Network advertising sales executive Deidra Hoye has been named SVP/Ad Sales as part of a department-wide expansion at Sun & Fun Media’s radio syndication company Key Networks.

Hoye is based in Los Angeles and was previously VP/Network Sales for iHeartMedia-owned Premiere Networks. She had been with Premiere since 2001. Now, Hoye will oversee Key Networks’ newly expanded sales team.

Among the recent hires are VP/Eastern Sales Maggie Nugent Sisco, Vice President/Midwestern Sales Brian Pollina, and Supervisor of Sales Support & Operations Michelle McLynn.

Sisco joins Key Networks from Podcast One, where she was Vice President/Director of Sales, Eastern Region.

Pollina was previously with United Stations Radio Networks, where he was VP of Digital Assets and Midwest Sales for the last eight years of his 12-year career there.

McLynn joins Key Networks from Westwood One, where she was Affiliate Services Manager.

The Colorado cities of Aspen, Steamboat Springs and Vail are famous for their ski resorts.

In each of these locales, low-power TV stations have been licensed to serve local viewers.

Now, they are being snapped up by Ravi Kapur.

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In May 2015, the Rev. Denny Hazen passed away, leaving behind his wife, Marge.

Both were widely known across Northeast Ohio for their long-running broadcast ministry, which saw the launch of a TV program and ownership of radio stations.

Now, one of those FMs is being spun.

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“The proliferation and rising popularity of a myriad of digital channels over the past decade has made the measurement of media effectiveness increasingly complex,” says Mike Campbell, the head of international effectiveness at London-based Ebiquity.

In his view, the 2020s will be defined as a time when “a real shift to an effectiveness-led media planning strategy, incorporating both online and offline channels,” begins.

Campbell says, “As we likely head into a recession at the start of the decade, we’ll see a greater demand for, and investment in, analytics – something that traditionally happens during times of uncertainty.”

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She joined Hearst Television in 2017 to lead the central digital teams that curate and produce a broader palate of content for distribution through the station-branded sites, apps and social expressions.

Now, she’s being promoted to Senior Director and Managing Editor for Hearst Television’s central digital content teams.

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WEST PALM BEACH — As expected, the merger of ION Media with The E.W. Scripps Co. has led Scripps to initiate a migration plan that will bring its five Katz Networks multicast networks to newly acquired ION properties.

The moves begin on March 1.

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With the start of the 117th U.S. Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader became Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who succeeds the now-retired Greg Walden.

On Thursday (1/14), Rodgers revealed that eight fellow GOP members will be seated with her on the powerful committee that maintains oversight of the FCC.

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Digital media measurement, data and analytics software platform DoubleVerify has received Media Rating Council accreditation for display and video rendered ad impression measurement and sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) filtration, including app fraud, in the Connected TV media environment.

“As marketers increasingly adopt Connected TV/OTT platforms for their ad investments, it becomes ever more critical for those investments to have the protection of MRC-accredited measurements,” said George W. Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the MRC. “DV’s accreditation for its SIVT-filtered rendered ad impression measurement of both video and display ad creatives in these environments is an important step toward that goal.”

DoubleVerify is one of a select few companies in the industry accredited for both video and display impression measurement and SIVT in Connected TV.

Connected TV now reaches over 80% of U.S. households. This number is expected to grow to 86% by 2024; cord-cutter and cord-never households are expected to increase to 44% of the population during this same period, according to Leichtman Research Group. Although Connected TV ad spend increased 27% from 2019 to 2020, eMarketer data shows, ad spend does not yet fully reflect consumer demand for Connected TV.

“As more audiences flock to Connected TV and OTT, advertiser demand for greater transparency in these channels continues to accelerate,” Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said. “Our mission is to give our clients the clarity they need to be confident in their media investments so they can take advantage of the opportunity CTV presents.”

DoubleVerify first received MRC accreditation in February 2013 for its tag-based measurement for its impression quality suite of services and desktop display viewability. In 2015, the MRC accredited DoubleVerify for desktop video ad viewability and invalid traffic for both desktop and mobile web, and in 2017, DoubleVerify received additional accreditation for the detection of invalid traffic within mobile apps.

More recently, the company became the first measurement provider to receive MRC accreditation for third-party integrated measurement on Facebook.

Note: RBR+TVBR does not use the term “CTV” for Connected TV, in order to eliminate confusion with Canadian broadcast TV network CTV.