The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a $20,000 fine against Entercom over WNEW(FM) New York using emergency alert system tones in a skit on Oct. 3, 2018, the day of the nationwide test of the EAS and wireless emergency alert systems. The company admitted to airing a one-second recording of the EAS attention signal on WNEW’s Karen & Jeffrey morning show, said Tuesday's notice of apparent liability. The length doesn’t alter the violation, the NAL said. More extensive use of EAS tones was cut in favor of the shorter clip after the show’s host and station program director reviewed the skit, the NAL said. The proposed fine was adjusted upward because of WNEW’s considerable reach. The broadcast company didn't comment.

Radio revenue should "recover quickly," boosting mergers and acquisitions in that sector, S&P's Kagan analyst Volker Moerbitz forecast. Q1 M&A in broadcasting was "largely unaffected by the current crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," analyst Volker Moerbitz noted Friday. "In light of current events, Kagan expects a steep decline for the broadcast deal market, but also a steep recovery after the resolution." Q1 broadcast M&A was $2.64 billion, 94% attributable to Univision's buyout, Kagan said Friday: Also that quarter, Tegna got "several offers for all of its 66 TV stations." That could be a "harbinger" of "a first large deal announcement after the COVID-19 pandemic." Q1 had nine radio deals worth more than $1 million, "the fewest million-dollar radio deals" since Q2 1984. (As part of Communications Daily putting its coronavirus coverage in front of our pay wall, you can read a news bulletin about Tegna's M&A announcement here.)

Entertainment Media Trust is broadcasting after having its licenses canceled by the FCC, confirmed St. Louis-area listeners and on-air radio host Bob Romanik. He was accused by the Enforcement Bureau of being the true party in control. We phoned the station previously licensed as KQQZ Fairview Heights during Romanik’s On the Dark Side, and station personnel initially asked if we wanted to go “on the air.” “We’re still fighting them,” Romanik said in an interview. He said he hadn’t received many of the communications from the FCC about the hearing and license issues: “We never got any of it, we’re just gonna play it by ear till we see what the final outcome is.” The Media Bureau said in a March 20 public notice that the order from Administrative Law Judge Jane Halprin dismissing EMT’s applications to renew the licenses was final, and that EMT’s former frequencies would be protected from interference by other stations. The Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council pushed the agency to preserve the licenses under new ownership as broadcast incubator stations (see 2003200068). EB didn’t comment.

Tegna’s leadership is in conflict with its largest shareholder over the recent collapse of a prospective sale of the company (see 2003300043), per a letter to shareholders from CEO Dave Lougee and Chairman Howard Elias Tuesday and a recent statement from its largest shareholder, Standard General. Standard, which owns 9.7 percent of Tegna, pushed candidates for election to the company’s board, and Lougee and Elias asked shareholders to reject the slate. The current Tegna leadership and Standard each created websites about the conflict: Tegnavalue.com urges shareholders to keep the current board, while tomorrowstegna.com touts Standard General founding partner Soohyung Kim's qualifications to be on Tegna’s board. “Your Board believes election of Standard General’s nominees, especially at a time of unprecedented stress on every business, could disrupt our successful efforts to deliver superior, sustained value to our shareholders,” said Lougee and Elias. “The Board's actions appear designed to end this process before it can even begin in earnest,” said Kim of the aborted sales in a release. “This is just the latest in a troubling pattern of behavior.” Lougee and Elias said Kim’s connections to broadcasters are conflicts of interest, and fault his involvement in bankruptcies at American Apparel and RadioShack. Tegna’s leaders defended their mergers and acquisition strategy, saying they maintained “ample room” under the FCC national ownership reach cap, and saying the company is positioned well to participate in “future consolidation.” Tegna leadership “is open to all potential transactions to generate value but we will only pursue a transaction if it is in the best interests of all of our shareholders.” The shareholder meeting is set for April 30 but could be held “fully virtual” due to COVID-19 precautions, the letter said.

Tegna ended discussions with prospective buyers amid the ongoing pandemic (see 2003290001), the broadcaster said Sunday. The stock closed down Monday 19% to $10.68. Tegna confirmed it received "four unsolicited acquisition proposals in recent weeks," two of which led to discussions that have since ended. The other prospective buyers never provided information about financing sources, the release said. Without identifying any would-be buyers, Tegna said Sunday the two proposals it had been discussing were made shortly before the recent market dislocation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and both subsequently told Tegna they were ceasing discussions. The broadcaster's board is "willing to consider transactions that create compelling value, and our focus now is on helping management navigate through an unprecedented environment,” said Chairman Howard Elias. CEO Dave Lougee said, like other companies, his "is operating in uncharted waters due to COVID-19 as we focus on ensuring the health and safety of our employees while continuing to create and preserve value." The company's market value is more than $2 billion, it says. It declined to name the bidders and didn't comment further Monday. Its release said it doesn't "intend to update this disclosure." As part of Communications Daily putting its coronavirus coverage in front of our pay wall, you can read a news bulletin about Tegna's announcement here.

An item on circulation listed by the FCC as concerning WCNC-TV Charlotte’s political file is NAB’s petition for reconsideration of the agency’s guidance on political files, an agency official told us. Numerous broadcasters and NCTA filed in support of the recon petition (see 1912310044). Several commenters said the FCC should have held a public comment period before issuing the policy shift. Transparency groups such as Campaign Legal Center have supported the policy.

The filing deadline for the FCC’s new children’s TV reports was pushed back to July 10, a Media Bureau public notice Friday. It's "a result of the fluid and challenging situation caused by the novel coronavirus." The reports had been due Monday. The bureau also extended from April 10 to July 10 the deadline for broadcasters to put their quarterly issues/programs list into their online public files. “Extending these reporting deadlines will not significantly impact the public’s or the Bureau’s review of licensee’s compliance with the Commission’s rules,” the PN said.

ViacomCBS and Meredith signed a multiyear renewal of their affiliation agreement covering Meredith's seven CBS affiliates, the network said Thursday. It said the agreement will keep the affiliates on the CBS All Access and on vMVPD and traditional MVPD platforms. Earlier this week, an affiliation agreement was disclosed that covers most Nexstar CBS affiliates (see 2003240002).

The FCC should examine whether broadcasters are airing false and misleading information about COVID-19 and require broadcasters to “prominently disclose” when the information they air is “false or scientifically suspect,” including in news briefings by President Donald Trump, said Free Press in an emergency petition for inquiry Thursday. “When the president tells dangerous lies about a public health emergency, broadcasters have a choice: don’t air them, or put those lies in context with disclaimers noting that they may be untrue and are unverified.” The agency should require TV stations air disclosures “in writing in the lower third and orally” and radio outlets to “correct misinformation about COVID-19 in oral reporting after press conferences and immediately following other instances when false information airs,” the petition said. “This is a life or death issue.” The White House and FCC didn’t comment.

ViacomCBS and Nexstar signed nine affiliation agreements for Nexstar stations, extending affiliations that were to expire later this year, the network said Tuesday. The new agreements follow an August affiliation agreement covering 19 Nexstar stations, and now substantially all ViacomCBS affiliation agreements covering 49 Nexstar stations have been extended, it said.