Good Morning! Let's Check The Pulse for Wednesday, Feb 12:

Radio Broadcasting

FCC Regulatory Activity: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a rule in the Federal Register titled "Radio Broadcasting Services; Various Locations". This appears to involve routine or specific allocations/changes for radio stations in multiple areas, which could affect licensing, frequency assignments, or service expansions for broadcasters.

World Radio Alliance Report Reinforces Radio's Trust Leadership: A key global study from the World Radio Alliance (in collaboration with egta), highlighted around World Radio Day themes and still prominent in industry discussions, confirms radio as the most trusted medium in the U.S. and worldwide. In non-European countries (including the U.S.), 70% of people view radio as the most reliable information source—higher than other media. This trust edge bolsters radio's role in news, emergency alerting, and community engagement, especially valuable amid competition from digital platforms and ongoing debates about media credibility.

Media Industry

Lingering Debate Over FCC Broadcast Media Ownership Rules:  Momentum from Monday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing ("We Interrupt This Program: Media Ownership in the Digital Age") persists, with ongoing discussions on modernizing or repealing rules like the 39% national TV household reach cap. Witnesses, including Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy and industry advocates, argued the cap is outdated in a streaming-dominated era, potentially limiting broadcasters' ability to compete with Big Tech. Concerns include impacts on local journalism, media diversity, and conservative representation. The pending Nexstar-TEGNA merger (announced 2025, potentially closing in late 2026 pending approvals) remains a flashpoint—if approved without cap changes, it could exceed household limits significantly. No action occurred on February 12, but the hearing fuels calls for congressional or FCC updates.

Paramount Skydance's Enhanced Hostile Bid: Paramount (led by David Ellison) further sweetened its all-cash $30 per share offer for the entire WBD (valuing it at ~$108.4 billion enterprise value). Key additions to pressure shareholders and demonstrate confidence: A $0.25 per share "ticking fee" (~$650 million quarterly) payable to WBD shareholders for each quarter the deal doesn't close after December 31, 2026. Activist Investor Pushback: Ancora Holdings (holding a ~$200 million WBD stake) publicly opposed the Netflix deal as "flawed" and "inferior," citing lower value, spinoff uncertainty, and regulatory risks. Ancora plans to vote against Netflix at the shareholder meeting, solicit proxies against it, and urges WBD's board to engage with Paramount. It criticizes the Netflix path as rushed and less certain.

U.S. News

Nancy Guthrie Missing/Abduction Case Enters Day 12: Key updates include:

• No suspects are in custody, but the Pima County Sheriff indicated more detentions are likely as investigators process thousands of tips (over 18,000 total since February 1, with more than 4,000 in the last 24 hours after releasing new evidence).
• FBI agents are scouring rugged desert terrain, roadways, and foothills near her Catalina Foothills home. A black glove (matching one worn by a suspect in surveillance footage) was reportedly found on a dirt path nearby.

The U.S. labor market showed a notable hiring rebound in January 2026: Key highlights:

• Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs in January. This significantly exceeded economists' expectations, which had ranged around 55,000 to 70,000 jobs added.
• It represented the strongest monthly job growth since December 2024, following a period of extremely sluggish hiring throughout much of 2025.
• The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% from 4.4% in December

House Rebukes Trump on Canada Tariffs: In a rare bipartisan move, the Republican-led U.S. House voted to block or end President Trump's imposed tariffs on Canada, with several Republicans crossing party lines. This signals growing midterm election anxieties over economic fallout from his trade agenda. The vote increases pressure on the administration to adjust course amid broader tariff threats.