News
The latest stories published on The Desk.
iHeartMedia begins fresh round of layoffs in radio business
iHeartMedia has begun a company-wide programming realignment tied to technology investments and a new cost-reduction initiative.
D.C. appeals court rejects Catherine Herridge’s bid to avoid daily contempt fines
The former Fox News journalist has been ordered to pay $800 for every day that she declines to comply with a subpoena in a civil defamation case.
FIRST ON THE DESK
TEGNA appoints four more executives to senior-level roles
The appointments of four long-time broadcast industry executives comes as TEGNA continues to operate as a Nexstar subsidiary due to ongoing litigation.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Instagram begins testing TV-like horizontal video in pursuit of CTV advertising revenue
At a time when vertical video is getting a considerable amount of attention, Instagram is quietly testing an old-school format popular with traditional television.
DATA
Xumo expands ad targeting capabilities with Gracenote, IRIS.TV pacts
The initiative aims to provide advertisers with richer content signals for improved targeting, brand safety and campaign performance.
Stingray expands pact with National Bank of Canada, will power digital signage
Stingray will also take over National Bank's digital signage operations across Canada and at Natbank locations in Florida.
Walmart acquires Vibe.co amid stronger push into connected TV advertising
The acquisition is primarily aimed at strengthening Walmart Connect's commerce media and connected TV advertising capabilities; financial terms were not disclosed.
FCC Media Bureau dismisses challenge to news distortion policy
The original petition said the FCC should not penalize licensed broadcasters under news distortion policies for otherwise engaging in constitutionally-protected speech.
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Comcast suffers widespread Internet, TV outage across country
The issue is affecting subscribers in a number of areas, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Boston and Detroit; no official word on the cause.
ITN expands local TV programmatic platform with Comscore audience data integration
ITN says the move is part of a broader effort to modernize local television advertising through automation and programmatic workflows.
Stingray launches pop-up activations in Toronto, Vancouver tied to World Cup
Stingray is serving as BMO’s primary technology partner, overseeing software development, engineering, deployment and technical support.
FIRST ON THE DESK
Disney’s ABC takes FCC fight to viewers
In public service announcements, Disney encouraged viewers to file comments with the FCC over its program "The View" and broadcast licenses.