If the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to ban noncompete agreements stands, anchors and many reporters should brace for the probability of seeing their salaries fall.
THE PRICE POINT
Kayla Thomas, creative services director of WLBT in Jackson, Miss., came up with a solution to balance commercial production and station promotion for two stations. “We are finally rolling like a well-oiled machine,” she says.
E.W. Scripps, one of the largest local TV broadcasters in the U.S., has hired a financial adviser to evaluate interest in acquiring Bounce TV, its over-the-air network geared toward African Americans, according to Scripps CEO Adam Symson.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Jo Ann Ross, the long-running queen of television advertising sales, is stepping down from her role as chairman of Paramount Advertising at the end of the month, the company says. A year ago, Ross was named chairman, taking an advisory role to Paramount Advertising President John Halley. The new move comes weeks before the upfront. Pictured: Jo Ann Ross with Jon Batiste's band during a CBS upfront at Carnegie Hall (CBS).
The streaming services will be looking for a larger share of the $27-billion pot for commercial time in the 2024-25 TV season.
Exclusives
The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday. Pictured: A TikTok content creator, speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, April 23, as Senators prepared to consider legislation that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)
Noncommercial KQED San Francisco is initiating staff buyouts, an effort to reduce costs in the face of a budget deficit. In an April 17 email to staff at the Bay Area’s best-known public broadcasting station, KQED President Michael Isip said the buyouts are a first step in reducing costs and that additional tactics might be necessary, including layoffs or a hiring freeze. (Google Street View)
Some of the country’s most prominent legal commentators are holding off-the-record sessions to hash out the latest twists and turns in Donald Trump’s legal saga.
With the augmented reality advertising market expected to reach $14.5 billion in 2027 (up from $3.4 billion in 2022), the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Media Rating Council have added game creator Niantic’s Rewarded AR ads technology to the set of ad industry measurement guidelines that both companies first released in February. “The Augmented Reality advertising market is projected to generate $1.2 billion in revenue in the U.S. this year,” explained Zoe Soon, vice president of IAB’s Experience Center, in February, adding: “Thus, as an industry, we need to establish a greater consistency on how we define and measure AR advertising to foster fairness and transparency for buyers and sellers.”
Katherine Maher says the controversy stemming from an editor’s essay criticizing the radio network has been a distraction.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday appealed an order that effectively blocked his investigation of the watchdog Media Matters, which issued a critical report about brand safety on the social platform X. Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta in Washington prohibited Paxton from attempting to enforce a subpoena for a trove of information, ruling that he likely violated Media Matter's First Amendment rights by issuing the subpoena in retaliation for the group's report about ads on X. Paxton will ask the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to lift that injunction. The Texas official hasn't yet made substantive arguments to that court.
TVN’S MEDIA JOBS
Jobs Posted To TVNewsCheck
Jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include an opening for a director of sales and an account executive, executive producer, meteorologist, weekend anchor, sales manager, senior newscast producer, digital video producer and reporter.
Streaming sales leaders from Gray Television, E.W. Scripps, Hearst Television, Ticker and Megaphone TV will share the latest developments in technology and strategy for OTT and FAST channels. Learn more about this critically important revenue source for broadcasters in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar on May 16. Register here.
