Auto And Political Both Grow At Gray
CEO Hilton Howell (pictured): “We’re especially pleased at the performance of our television stations during the quarter. Our core advertising revenue increased 4% on a year-over-year basis, with both local and national core up in low single digits on a year-over-year basis.”
For TV Station Groups, National Collaborations Increase And Improve
Station groups including Gray, E.W. Scripps and Nexstar are increasingly drawing on their stations to contribute stories for their national reporting projects. The ensuing collaborations are having a transformative effect on news production. Pictured: Susan Campbell reporting a story for one of Gray Television’s “consumer franchises” — Did You Know? — from KOLD Tucson.
Looking a little surprised at being in the world again after a two-year pandemic, media industry glitterati gathered at New York’s Plaza Hotel to present the Broadcasters Foundation of America’s Golden Mike and Lifetime Achievement and Awards to Gray Television’s Hilton Howell and pioneering sportscaster Leslie Visser.
Gray TV CEO Hilton Howell will be honored at the fundraising affair on Monday, March 14, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Gray: Digital, Streaming Offer ‘Huge’ Profit Potential
Gray Television Chairman-CEO Hilton Howell says he’s “extremely bullish” on digital, which he says has become a $300-million business for the company with a 60% profit margin. Part two of a two-part exclusive interview. Read part one here.
Gray’s Howell: ‘It Is Past Time For Us To Get Back To Business’
Hilton Howell, chairman and CEO of Gray Television, stands by the company’s vaccine mandate as necessary to resuming something closer to operational normalcy. In an exclusive interview with TVNewsCheck, he also weighs in on the FCC’s ownership cap, the prospect of more Gray original productions and where he sees retrans’ future.
Exclusives
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has elected Patrick Butler, president and chief executive officer of America’s Public Television Stations, and Hilton Howell, chairman, president-CEO of Gray Television and Atlantic American Corp., to its board of directors. The new […]
Gray Television said CEO Hilton H. Howell Jr.’s total compensation fell 27% to $8.89 million in 2020, the company reported. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gray reported that Howell’s salary rose slightly to $1.23 million, but he received small stock awards and non-equity incentive plan compensation. President and co-CEO Pat LaPlatney’s compensation rose 8% to $4.13 million.
The FCC Should Help Save At-Risk Local Broadcast News Services
Gray Television CEO Hilton H. Howell Jr.: “With the nation facing multiple overlapping crises, local news outlets are stepping up with critical local news and information, providing updates on health warnings, coverage of local economies, reports from the street, and news conferences from local officials. The story you won’t see in these broadcasts is that many of these stations, especially those serving small, rural markets, are at risk due to the economic downturn and the shift of local ad dollars to largely unregulated internet platforms, like Google and Facebook.”
The Raycom acquisition doubled the size of Gray Television — and CEO Hilton Howell says it may get even bigger.
On Group CEOs Minds: FCC Cap, 3.0, Live Programming
Not all broadcasters believe that the cap should go away completely. Graham’s Emily Barr: “The problem is, 39% seems wrong and 100% seems wrong.” Other topics at the TV2020 conference Wednesday: The panelists were extremely bullish on how much live programming will play into the overall health of the broadcast industry. And they expressed enthusiasm for ATSC 3.0, saying that there is no need for a solid business 3.0 business plan to make sense of the massive initiative. L-r: TVNewsCheck’s Harry Jessell, Graham Media’s Emily Barr, Nexstar’s Perry Sook, Fox Television Stations’ Jack Abernethy and Gray’s Hilton Howell. (Photo: Wendy Moger-Bross)
The top executives of four TV station groups will survey the state of the TV broadcast business and its major growth opportunities at TVNewsCheck’s third annual TV2020: Monetizing the Future […]
The local television business continues to rapidly change with acquisition, consolidation and a push towards new digital streams. With 100 stations across 57 television markets and over 7,200 hours of monthly original local content, Gray Television’s Hilton Howell is no stranger to these shifts.
Gray says it will pay “one-time discretionary cash incentive compensation awards” totaling more than $4 million to three top execs. President-CEO Hilton Howell Jr. will get $2,488,900; EVP-CFO James Ryan will get $716,130; and EVP and Chief Legal and Development Officer Kevin Latek will get $870,014.
Gray Television Vice Chairman, President and CEO Hilton H. Howell Jr. and SagamoreHill Broadcasting President Louis Wall have been elected to the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board of Directors, the association announced today. Their terms will take effect at the next NAB Joint Board meeting in June filling two open seats, including one to be vacated by executive committee member Marci Burdick of Schurz Communications.
Growing up in Waco, Texas, Hilton Hatchett Howell Jr. spent a lot of time working on his grandfather’s ranch. Turns out being a cowboy was good training for business. “My […]
In announcing the honor, TVNewsCheck Editor Harry A. Jessell cited among other things its disciplined buying strategy that this year yielded Schurz Communications. “Despite the uncertainty facing all legacy media, Gray seized the opportunity to grow in 2015 by snapping up stations that fit strict criteria — nothing but strong stations in strong markets,” Jessell said. Once the Schurz deal closes, the group, headed by CEO Hilton Howell, will operate 175 channels in 50 markets.
Patience, Focus Keys To Gray’s Rebound
Unlike many of its TV group peers, Gray Television didn’t fall victim to the Great Recession. Instead, it stuck to its lean management strategy; made judicious investments in technology that helped lower costs; and worked hard to reduce debt. All that, coupled with a growing ad market, means that Bob Prather, Hilton Howell and company can enjoy a turnaround.
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