Radio + Television Business Report 12/29/2016

Could DirecTV Dump Hearst's Stations On Sunday?
Happy New Year! Now, grab the rabbit ears. That could be the first thing DirecTV subscribers in some 26 DMAs may need to do on Sunday, should they wish to continue watching local broadcast television stations owned by Hearst Television. Among the stations that could be impacted are the ABC affiliates in Boston and Pittsburgh, and the NBC affiliate in Orlando. More …

How Many Dollars Went To Digital Ads In Q3?
Here's something that may lead you to add a little more spiced rum to your Egg Nog. U.S. advertisers invested $17.6 billion in digital advertising in Q3 2016, according to the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, released Wednesday (12/28) by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and prepared by PwC US. This marks the highest Q3 for digital advertising spending on record, and represents a 20% increase over the same time period in 2015. It also accounts for a 4.3% increase over Q2 2016. More …
 

RBR + TVBR OBSERVATION: Instead of grabbing a bottle of Brioschi, consider the ways your media properties can inject themselves into the digital landscape. Digital dollars are not going to decrease anytime soon. So, make yourselves a 360-degree media company with full digital capabilities.

Here's How The 2016 Nationwide EAS Test Went
The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau on Wednesday released an initial overview of the nationwide EAS test results, and initial test data indicate that "the vast majority of EAS participants successfully received and retransmitted the National Periodic Test (NPT) code used for the test." More …

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LIN Television Withdraws Its Exchange Offer
There will be no further extensions of Media General subsidiary LIN Television Corp.'s change of control offer to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding 5.875% Senior Notes due 2022. That's because LIN has withdrawn the offer, after a series of extensions made necessary by the still-ongoing Broadcast Spectrum Incentive Auction, which has put a delay on FCC approval of Nexstar Broadcasting Group's merger with Media General. The latest extension of the change of control offer was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 30. More …

Here's What You Need For NYE Pool Feed
Looking for a great way to obtain television coverage of this year's New Year's Eve celebration in New York's Times Square? Consider the pool feed being provided at no charge by Countdown Entertainment and the Times Square Alliance, the co-organizers of the event. Both HD satellite and fiber feeds are being made available. More …

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Intelligence Brief
Should Radio Be The Home For 'Timeless Hits'?
In the view of RBR + TVBR Editor-In-Chief Adam R Jacobson, music is the main ingredient of a product that is being "sold" to the consumers of thousands of radio stations across North America. While some of these stations saw success playing Oldies, and now Classic Hits, there's a good chance many classic titles are on their way to permanent hibernation because they're "too old." Our editor asks why, and directs this question to the C-Suite. That's because, he says, there may be more timeless music than ever. Not playing it could be costing you revenue. More …

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FCC Seeks Comment On Honda Accessibility Waiver
The FCC's Media Bureau is presently seeking comment on a petition from Honda Motor Co. for a 20-month waiver of the accessible user interfaces requirements applicable to rear entertainment systems (RES) on certain Honda vehicles. Honda contends that it was not aware of the impact of the FCC's requirements on automobile manufacturers until recently. As a result, the automotive company must redesign the operating system electronics for the RES to accommodate the necessary technology. More …

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Beasley Swims Against Red Tide On Wall Street
It was a decisively down day on Wall Street for media stocks, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 111.36, to 19,833.68, and the Nasdaq composite index dipped 48.89, to 5,438.56. But, Beasley Broadcasting Group bucked the down trend for radio and TV companies, and enjoyed a 5.5% gain, climbing 34 cents to $6.60 a share. The only other media company to see a gain on Wednesday was Hemisphere Media Group. The owner of WAPA América and Cine Latino saw a 3.2% improvement, to $11.20. Cumulus Media dropped 2.9%, to fall back to the dangerous $1 mark. Meanwhile, iHeartMedia slid 3.2%, to land at $1.21. More …

The RBR Radio Index fell 6.662, or 1.09%, to 602.735.
The TVBR Television Index fell 9.059, or 0.91%, to 981.270.

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