‍Waymark has announced that Cox Media Group (CMG) is deploying Waymark's AI-powered video platform at stations in nine markets.

By combining multiple generative AI models, Waymark has developed an end-to-end video creation platform that allows anyone to produce ready-to-air commercials suitable for TV, streaming, and digital platforms.

That makes it easier for local advertisers and businesses who might not have the tools to create traditional ads, which in turn can help increase local ad sales.

The deal adds Cox Media Group to Waymark’s growing roster of national broadcast and media partners, which includes Comcast, Spectrum Reach, FOX TV Stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, E.W. Scripps, Gray Media, Paramount, and Nine Entertainment (Australia).

“What we’re seeing with Cox Media Group represents how broadcasters help clients grow and unlock revenue,” said Alex Persky-Stern, CEO of Waymark. “When a platform can help reps open doors, close deals, and deliver finished creative, the impact compounds. CMG’s teams have proven that video drives campaign revenue throughout the sales cycle.”

As part of the agreement, CMG stations are tailoring Waymark to its own workflow and market conditions to shorten sales cycles and increase the number of local businesses running television campaigns.

“We’re always looking for ways to help our clients meet and exceed their business goals,” said Darren Moore, CMG’s chief sales officer – TV. “Waymark helps us have better initial conversations, reduce the time between those conversations and the advertising launch, and create targeted and compelling content. We’re better – and our clients share in that – because of Waymark.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it’s Media Bureau has referred certain questions related to Standard General’s proposed acquisition of Tegna to its administrative law judge. 

The FCC said that “the Hearing Designation Order focuses specifically on material concerns in the record related to how the proposed transaction could artificially raise prices for consumers and result in job losses.” 

The FCC has been reviewing Standard General’s proposed $8.6 billion acquisition of Tegna. In the past, a referral to a hearing before its administrative law judge has delayed or derailed deals. Tegna’s stock fell by about 25% in after hours trading on Friday Feb. 24 after the FCC announced the decision. 

The move came more than a year after the deal was first announced and has followed extensive requests for comments and documents from the FCC. 

“As part of the FCC’s mission, we are responsible for determining whether grant of the applications constituting this transaction serves the public interest,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “That’s why we’re asking for closer review to ensure that this transaction does not anti-competitively raise prices or put jobs in local newsrooms at risk. The additional review will allow us to make a more informed assessment on whether proposed safeguards are sufficient to protect the public interest, and we will take the time needed to address these critical questions.”

ATLANTA—After giving a warning to its customers late last week, Cox Media Group has announced that stations in 20 markets went dark to AT&T/DirecTV customers in the early hours of Feb. 2 as a result of the two sides failing to reach a retransmission deal.

The stations (confirmed on their websites) and markets impacted by the black out are:

• KLAX-TV (ABC), Alexandria, La. 
• WSB-TV (ABC), Atlanta 
• WICZ-TV (Fox), Binghamton, N.Y.
• WFXT-TV (Fox), Boston
• WOSC-TV (ABC) & WAXN-TV (Ind.), Charlotte, N.C.
• WHIO-TV (CBS), Dayton, Ohio
• KIEM-TV (NBC), Eureka, Calif.
• WABG-TV (ABC), Greenville-Greenwood, Miss. 
• Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho 
• WFOX-TV (Fox) & WFOX2-TV (MNT), Jacksonville, Fla.
• KMVU-TV (Fox), Medford, Ore.
• WHBQ-TV (Fox), Memphis, Tenn.
• WFTV-TV (ABC) & WRDQ-TV (Ind), Orlando, Fla.
• WPXI-TV (NBC), Pittsburgh
• KIRO-TV (CBS), Seattle
• KAYU-TV (Fox), Spokane, Wash.
• WSYT-TV (Fox), Syracuse, N.Y.
• KOKI-TV (Fox) & KMYT-TV (MNT), Tulsa, Okla.
• KFFX-TV (Fox), Yakima-Tri Cities, Wash.
• KYMA-TV (CBS, NBC), Yuma, Ariz.

CMG says AT&T/DirecTV was the one to pull the stations, describing AT&T as unwilling to make a deal and “sacrificing” critical news and entertainment sources for their customers.

“CMG viewers know our trusted local stations are there to deliver the news and information they need to make decisions for their families. It’s disappointing that AT&T/DirecTV has decided to deprive them of that access. We take pride in serving our communities and we will fight to continue to fulfill this responsibility,” said says Paul Curran, CMG’s executive vice president of Television.

AT&T gave the following statement to TV Tech regarding the blackout:

"We’re disappointed Cox Media Group and Wall Street financier Apollo Global Management have intentionally put our customers into the middle of a private business matter. We want to get the Cox stations back into their local lineups, but Cox and Apollo alone have exclusive control over which homes are allowed to receive ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW in certain cities. And even though broadcasters like Cox keep losing viewers and sponsors, by commanding that exclusivity, they can demand take-it-or-leave-it ultimatums, leaving consumers a more than $12 billion-and-rising bill just to keep their ‘free TV.’ Apollo-owned stations have an extremely long and disreputable history of either threatening or pulling the Super Bowl and other important events from Buckland Telephone Co., CableOne, Charter Spectrum, DISH Network, Frontier Communications, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios and our own customers. Broadcasters like Cox gin up these contrived blackouts at the precise time it hurts their viewers the most, extract higher fees, and then use their own news outlets to try to intentionally mislead people and skirt any accountability for their relentless and unwarranted price-gouging. That’s a shameless violation of the public trust—especially from a local news provider during a global pandemic. Now that there’s a new administration, it’s high time the FCC takes a fresh look at this broken retransmission consent system that encourages blackouts and skyrocketing rate increases at consumers’ expense. We continue to work with Apollo and Cox to get to these stations back and appreciate our customers’ patience while we do."

If a deal is not reached quickly, viewers whose impacted are CBS affiliates could not have access to Super Bowl LV, which airs on CBS on Feb. 7.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Dish and Cox Media Group have agreed to a multi-year deal that, in addition to carriage for local Northwest stations, will restore 14 Cox stations to Dish customers that have been blacked out since July.

The blackout occurred as the Dish and Cox Media Group, which is owned by Apollo Global Management, struggled to come to terms following Apollo’s acquisition of the Cox stations, which ultimately led to litigation that reached federal court.

Here are Cox stations that are returning to Dish:

• WSB-TV (ABC), Atlanta 
• WFXT-TV (Fox), Boston 
• WSOC-TV (ABC), Charlotte, N.C.  
• WAXN-TV (IND), Charlotte, N.C.  
• WHIO-TV (CBS), Dayton, Ohio  
• WFOX-TV (Fox), Jacksonville, Fla.  
• WFOX2-TV (MNT), Jacksonville, Fla. 
• WHBQ-TV (Fox), Memphis, Tenn.  
• WFTV-TV (ABC), Orlando, Fla.  
• WRDQ-TV (IND), Orlando, Fla. 
• WPXI-TV (NBC), Pittsburgh  
• KIRO-TV (CBS), Seattle 
• KOKI-TV (Fox), Tulsa, Okla. 
• KMYT-TV (MNT), Tulsa, Okla 

The terms of the agreement were not shared.

Dish is currently in another retransmission dispute, this one with Nexstar, which has resulted in 164 stations across 115 markets being blacked out for customers. 

ATLANTA—Cox Communications' advertising sales division Cox Media will now be lead by Louis Gump, former NewsOn CEO, who will take on the position of senior vice president. Gump will be tasked with driving growth through innovation and client-focused strategies that build on Cox Media’s TV and premium digital advertising solutions.

NewsON is a digital media company that was co-founded by Cox Media Group. Gump’s time there saw him oversee NewsON’s growth as a leader in streaming media and connected TV advertising. Other positions he has held in his career include CEO of LSN Mobile, vice president of mobile at CNN and time at The Weather Channel, expanding their mobile business.

Outside of his official work roles, Gump has served on the board of the Mobile Marketing Association and was recognized with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He has worked with other organizations like the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Online Publishers Association, Atlanta Mobility Task Force, the Mobile Giving Foundation and Junior Achievement of Georgia.

Gump is based in Atlanta.