Nexstar CEO Perry Sook condemned Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy in an interview with Policyband released Tuesday, calling him a “cafeteria conservative” and saying that arguments that broadcast consolidation limits the voices participating in local news are based on a false choice. “Do you want any local news or no local news? If we maintain the status quo, no changes, I’m telling you that ultimately, your news will come from a server and a chatbot,” Sook said. “There won’t be local newsrooms because no one will be able to afford to stay in that business by being kept regulatorily small.”
Gray Media reached an agreement to purchase Bahakel Communications’ station WBBJ-TV (ABC) Jackson, Tennessee, it said in a news release Tuesday. The release doesn’t include a purchase price. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2026.
The board of directors for E.W. Scripps unanimously voted to reject Sinclair’s Nov. 24 unsolicited purchase offer, said a news release late Tuesday. “The Scripps board determined, following a careful review and evaluation in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, that Sinclair’s offer is not in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.”
President Donald Trump's $10 billion private lawsuit against the BBC -- filed Monday over a documentary’s portrayal of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech outside the U.S. Capitol -- repeatedly cited letters from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to PBS.
The Arkansas Educational Television Commission has voted to end the state's public TV affiliation with PBS starting July 1, said a news release Thursday from the newly renamed Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS. “This summer’s unexpected loss of $2.5 million in annual federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) presented formidable challenges,” the release said. “A careful and considerate organization-wide review of operations, partnerships and sustainability revealed that annual PBS membership dues of nearly $2.5 million was simply not feasible for the network or our Foundation.” The change doesn’t mean that public TV in Arkansas is going away, the release said. “We invite you to join our vision for an increased focus on local programming, continuing to safeguard Arkansans in times of emergency and supporting our K-12 educators and students,” said CEO Carlton Wing in the release. “We are confident that we can secure ongoing and increased support from individual donors, foundation partners and corporate sponsors who see the value in investing in new local programming that serves our state.”
A host of civil rights groups made joint filings last week calling on the FCC to reject Nexstar/Tegna; Gray Media’s proposed purchases of stations from Allen Media, Block Communications and Sagamore Hill; and a Sinclair/Scripps combination, if one is proposed. “These transactions would diminish competition, weaken local journalism, narrow editorial diversity, and further constrain opportunities for underrepresented communities in broadcasting,” said the filing from 23 groups including Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau has reached an $86,400 settlement with American Public Media Group over an incident in which false emergency alert system tones were transmitted by over 500 affiliated stations, said an order and consent decree Wednesday. The tones were broadcast in May 2024, during a BBC Witness History episode titled “Chasing the World’s Biggest Tornado,” the consent decree said. The settlement also requires APM to develop a compliance plan and send compliance reports to the FCC for two years.
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) wants the FCC, Congress, the White House and DOJ to reject the Nexstar/Tegna deal, the group said Tuesday in a news release, which was highlighted in a separate release from fellow deal opponent Newsmax. “At a time when media bias is already undermining public trust, the last thing our nation needs is even greater consolidation of the television broadcast industry,” said ZOA National President Morton Klein.
NAB is shifting its staff to prioritize the development and deployment of the Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), an ATSC 3.0-based U.S. backup for GPS that's seen by broadcasters as an important justification for shifting U.S. consumers to 3.0. “By investing more resources in BPS, we are accelerating a technology that strengthens national resilience while creating meaningful long-term opportunities for our members,” said NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt in a release Tuesday.
The Media Bureau has extended the deadline for broadcasters to comply with the FCC’s foreign-sponsored content rules until June 7, said a public notice Friday. “Only new leases and renewals of existing leases entered into on or after the compliance date must comply with the rule modifications,” it said. The deadline had been set for Monday.