Beats Paramount and Comcast in bidding Deal includes HBO and HBO Max; does not include WBD’s cable networks, which will be spun off Passing regulatory tests could be difficult In a move that gained steam in the 24 hours before it was announced, Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, closing a period during which two other bidders […]
The start of the new year begins spinoff’s life [Editor’s Note: This article was updated on December 4.] The official spinoff of Versant now has a date. The soon-to-be former Comcast cable networks will be part of the new, independent company as of January 2 at the close of the business day, when it will officially be traded on NASDAQ […]
Was part of a duo that entertained Chicago radio listeners for nearly two decades Chicago radio fans are mourning the loss of Joe Colburn, better known as “JoBo” to listeners of the Eddie & JoBo show on Top 40/CHR powerhouse WBBM-FM/B96, who died Monday morning in his home in Freeport, Ill., some one hundred miles west of Chicago and in […]
Comes after Trump expresses disdain The bid to increase scale in local television has turned into an arms race. Sinclair is the latest to make a bid to acquire a rival, this time Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps, a company that was founded in 1878 as a newspaper chain. If successful, Sinclair would own and/or operate around 250 stations in the […]
Will continue to appear on KSHE St. Louis Veteran Chicago radio personality Tim Virgin is returning to town as the new afternoon host of Hubbard Broadcasting’s The Drive, aka WDRV-FM, starting today where he will host weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. “A few months away was long enough to remind me exactly where I belong – on a legendary […]
Comes after a fifteen-day blackout The long national nightmare is over. After fifteen days of back-and-forth and allegations, Google’s YouTube TV and The Walt Disney Company finally reached a deal Friday night, restoring nearly twenty channels to the virtual provider, including ABC, ESPN, Freeform, and National Geographic. This comes after Disney pulled its channels from YouTubeTV on October 31 in […]
Social media platform adds radio broadcaster [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on November 19.] Radio broadcaster iHeartMedia announced a new partnership with popular social media platform TikTok on Monday, launching a podcast network featuring up to 25 creators. iHeartMedia plans to build new state-of-the-art podcast studios in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. The studios will feature advanced audio […]
Ryan Seacrest-hosted show adds Windy City After years of substandard New Year’s Eve celebrations, Chicago has finally landed the biggest one of the planet. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will host a Central Time Zone countdown in Chicago for the first time this year, as Dick Clark’s Productions is working with ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7 Chicago) […]
CBS gives up domestic syndication rights, but not until 2028 The year-long feud between CBS and Sony Pictures Television over the distribution rights and profits of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy has come to an end as the two parties announced a settlement of their lawsuit on Friday. Sony, who sought to take over distribution rights to both long-running game […]
Hello, everybody. As you know, this is the 20th season of T Dog Media, a site I created and launched on September 18, 2006 to write about local and national media stories from my own perspective, in a business I’ve followed since I was thirteen, back in 1985. I’ve enjoyed writing about this business and sharing my knowledge of it […]
Sister station 103.5 KissFM remains on top in demos As iHeartMedia’s AC 93.9 The Lite (WLIT) kicked off its 25th annual Christmas Music format Tuesday, the station has already perched itself on top of the overall PPM ratings for October and won’t be budging from that position anytime soon. WLIT topped all comers with a 4.9 rating, and for the third […]
All ABC stations lose access to platform Disney removed its entire channel portfolio from Google’s YouTubeTV early Friday morning after failing to reach a new agreement. This means subscribers no longer have access to ESPN, FX, National Geographic, Disney Channel, and fifteen others. The dispute also means ABC and its 200+ affiliates are off the virtual provider as ABC (and […]
Includes four other radio stations As first reported by Radio Insight on Thursday, iHeartMedia has signed a mega-renewal deal with Christopher “Fred” Frederick to continue his morning show at CHR/Top 40 103.5 Kiss FM for the next five years, with a new contract that runs through 2030. “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue growing ‘The Fred Show’ in […]
Another case of broadcasters challenging FCC regulations In yet another instance where broadcasters are challenging the FCC’s media ownership rules, Scripps’ WRTV in Indianapolis is being sold to Circle City Broadcasting, which already owns CW affiliate WISH-TV and independent WNDY-TV, creating a triopoly in the nation’s 26th-largest market for $83 million. “As a native of Indianapolis and a career small […]
Threatens to pull ABC and ESPN channels a week from now As hinted at for the last few weeks, Google’s YouTubeTV and The Walt Disney Company are involved in a standoff over a new deal, with Disney warning customers they may lose their channels on October 30 at 11 p.m. CT if an agreement isn’t reached. Disney owns ESPN, Disney […]
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