Co-conspirator in Fox News leaks case to plead guilty next week
Marco Gaudino, 24, allegedly worked with Florida journalist Timothy Burke to break into computer systems used by news organizations.
Exclusive
Exclusive reports from Matthew Keys and The Desk.
Fubo gets support from Dish, DirecTV executives in sports-focused antitrust case
The sports-centric streaming service has asked a federal court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Fox, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery from acting on their joint venture.
Shareholder criticizes Paramount board’s focus on Skydance deal
Matrix Asset Advisors complained the deal would substantially benefit Shari Redstone to the possible detriment of shareholders.
Exclusive: WADL owner Adell says station’s sale to Mission likely dead
Kevin Adell said he is not convinced the $75 million transfer of WADL to Mission will ever be approved by the FCC, drawing on concerns raised during his latest meeting with the agency.
Sources: KVIE unlikely to take over Sacramento NPR station
A letter from the endowment board to CSU Sacramento suggested the non-profit TV outlet take over struggling CapRadio.
WADL sale termination date pushed to June at FCC’s urging
Mission and Adell Broadcasting have agreed to extend a shot clock for a deal concerning Detroit TV station WADL at the urging of a top FCC official.
Journalism groups walk back support for Fox News leaker
News outlets and press freedom groups are torn between supporting former journalist Timothy Burke and the broadcast TV outlets he allegedly victimized.
Timothy Burke may lose lawyers as criminal case proceeds
An attorney representing the Florida journalist said he may need a court-appointed lawyer due to increasing legal fees.
Rev. Jesse Jackson urges FCC to approve WADL sale
In a letter sent to the FCC’s top commissioner, the activist said it was beyond time for the agency to act on the matter.
Judge orders mental health test for journalist charged in Fox News leaks
Timothy Burke is also not permitted to travel beyond a certain boundary in Florida, and must submit to substance abuse testing.
Florida journalist Timothy Burke charged over hack of Fox News
Florida journalist Timothy Burke has been charged with numerous computer hacking crimes, according to an indictment obtained by The Desk.
Exclusive: Fox-ESPN-WBD sports service could be called Hulu Sports
A sports streaming service under development by Fox, Disney’s ESPN and TNT Sports may be called Hulu Sports, The Desk has learned.
Top FCC officials holds meeting on pending WADL sale
Top officials at the FCC met with key industry stakeholders over a proposed purchase of Detroit TV station WADL by Mission Broadcasting.
OutKick sees 65 percent traffic growth in 2023, Comscore data shows
OutKick grew its audience to 7.2 million total multi-platform unique visitors in 2023, according to Comscore.
Florida journalist used CBS News password to access Fox News feeds
A Florida journalist under investigation for alleged cybercrime offenses used a password belonging to CBS News to access raw video files belonging to Fox News.
American living in Turkey indicted over T-Mobile hacking
A federal grand jury indicted a 23-year-old American in 2022 for hacking T-Mobile one year earlier, according to a sealed charging document obtained and published by The Desk.
ATVA criticizes Nexstar’s takeover of Phoenix TV station
The ATVA says Nexstar’s plan to take over a Phoenix TV station is further proof the company is willing to sidestep federal ownership rules.
Gray reaches tentative deal to renew NBC affiliations
Gray quietly removed the NBC peacock from dozens of its TV station logos while both sides were working toward a new deal.
Staffer who made sex tape in Hart Senate Office Building was warned over social media posts
The Chief of Staff for Senator Ben Cardin’s office warned Aidan Maese-Czeropski to “tone down” his social media posts after promoting him to a junior-level position in November.
News director who wrote anti-gay memo joins Christian radio station
Stanton Tang has joined religious-oriented WCSG Radio after being fired by WOOD-TV for orchestrating a controversial memo earlier this year.
DirecTV asks local TV stations to intervene in TEGNA dispute
Exclusive: A DirecTV executive sent a letter to some general managers of TEGNA-owned stations, asking for their help in an ongoing business-related dispute.
TEGNA rejected extensions to prevent blackout, DirecTV exec says
Exclusive: TEGNA rejected a temporary deal that would have kept local stations on DirecTV through the Super Bowl weekend, an executive said on Friday.
TEGNA could lose more in battle with DirecTV over affiliate fees
Both sides have until prime-time to reach a new or temporary deal before TEGNA’s 60-plus channels are pulled.
Minority groups rally around WADL owner, urge FCC to approve sale to Mission
Exclusive: Two civil rights groups and the owner of WADL-TV have sent letters to the FCC urging the agency to approve the station’s sale to Mission Broadcasting.
Analyst thinks Warner Bros Discovery should buy Paramount
Laura Martin with Needham cautioned mega mergers between large media companies was unlikely as long as Democratic lawmakers are in power.
Police: Recount editor Slade Sohmer discussed abusing children online
A 24-page police affidavit claims former SiriusXM host Slade Sohmer admitted to sexually abusing children through online programs.
Florida journalist will appeal judge’s refusal to return items seized by FBI
A Florida journalist intends to appeal a lower court’s unfavorable ruling that rejected his request for the return of items seized by the FBI.
WADL owner Adell preparing lawsuit against Scripps over CW
Kevin Adell says he is prepared to sue Scripps for “tortious interference” after Scripps and Nexstar announced an affiliation deal for the CW Network in Detroit.
Google TV FAST platform grows to over 100 free streaming channels
New channels added to the Google TV section over the last several months include music streams and international content.
Vidgo outage enters second week, company still offering bill credits to customers
Vidgo could be back online later this week after a multi-week outage left customers unable to watch live channels and on-demand programming.
Sling mulls adding NBC News channels to Freestream
A survey sent to Sling Freestream users suggests the service could onboard NBC’s free, ad-supported streaming channels soon.
Nexstar brag may hurt in court as DirecTV lawsuit continues
Nexstar’s claim that its local TV stations reach 68 percent of the American population did not go unnoticed by DirecTV.
Attorney: Files returned by FBI to Florida journalist are “useless”
Attorneys for Timothy Burke have asked a magistrate judge to reconsider his order that allows the FBI to maintain custody of his computers.
Feds return some items seized from Florida journalist
Prosecutors agreed to return a laptop and hard drive to former Deadspin editor Timothy Burke, but are still keeping custody of his other items.
Next TV quietly changes story on patent dispute involving LG
The story included a headline that speculated Sony and Samsung might follow LG’s lead in pulling support for NextGen TV.
DirecTV presses ahead with antitrust lawsuit against Nexstar
DirecTV says it still has issues with Nexstar’s use of so-called “sidecar” businesses to extract higher rates for local TV channels.
Dish Network sues Vidgo over streaming-related patents
Exclusive: Dish Network has filed a federal lawsuit against rival Internet TV service Vidgo, accusing it of infringing on various streaming-related patents.
Florida journalist loses bid to get items seized by FBI back
A federal judge says Florida journalist Timothy Burke is not entitled to the return of cell phones and computers seized by the FBI earlier this year.
Dish began preparing for Hearst dispute in July, video shows
Dish Network began putting contingencies in place for a potential carriage dispute with Hearst Television as early as July.
Nexstar faces challenge of 14 broadcast licenses at FCC
The former owner of a Rhode Island TV station, now owned by Nexstar, alleges the company violated FCC rules regarding the disclosure of public inspection files.