ATLANTA, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gray Media today announced the launch of Aging Untold, a new 30-minute program designed to provide solutions and hope for the growing population of aging adults and their families across America. The unscripted conversation-style show will debut on Monday, March 2 and air weekdays on Gray stations reaching approximately 35% of U.S. television households. Full episodes of Aging Untold will also be available on all Gray streaming platforms. Aging Untold will featu ...

FOX 12 Plus Will Become The Home of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns With New Focus On Women’s SportsPortland Fire Announces Partnership With Kiswe To Power Fan-Focused Streaming Platform         PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The WNBA’s Portland Fire and NWSL’s Portland Thorns announced a groundbreaking, multi-year media partnership establishing Gray Media’s KPDX (FOX 12 Plus) as the regional broadcast home for the two professional women’s sports teams in Portland. Additionally, the ...

FOX 12 Plus Will Become The Home of the Portland Fire and Portland Thorns With New Focus On Women’s SportsPortland Fire Announces Partnership With Kiswe To Power Fan-Focused Streaming Platform PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The WNBA’s Portland Fire and NWSL’s Portland Thorns announced a groundbreaking, multi-year media partnership establishing Gray Media’s KPDX (FOX 12 Plus) as the regional broadcast home for the two professional women’s sports teams in Portland. Additionally, the Portla ...

Core Viewpoint - E.W. Scripps is initiating a transformation plan aimed at generating growth in earnings and enhancing the efficiency of its local TV stations by leveraging technology, particularly artificial intelligence [2][3]. Company Strategy - The company targets an increase in annual enterprise earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of between $125 million and $150 million by 2028 through various cost-saving and revenue growth measures [2]. - CEO Adam Symson emphasized the need for a more agile and efficient cost structure, likening the company's approach to that of a media startup [3]. - Changes will be made to the newsroom to allow journalists to focus more on news gathering and reporting, reducing administrative burdens [3]. Staffing and Employment - The company has not specified the potential impacts on staffing due to cost-cutting measures, stating that decisions will be made over the coming months [4]. - Symson highlighted the importance of preserving journalism and sales roles, which are critical to customer relationships [4]. Industry Context - Scripps' stock has decreased by 70% over the past five years, reflecting broader challenges faced by the media industry [5]. - The broadcast station industry is experiencing difficulties similar to those of cable and content studios, primarily due to the loss of pay TV subscribers to streaming services [6]. - The industry is pursuing consolidation amid regulatory changes, with Scripps being a target for mergers, including a recent hostile approach from Sinclair, which Scripps rejected [7]. Technological Integration - In 2024, Scripps announced the formation of an AI team to enhance technological consolidation across the company [9]. - The implementation of new technology is intended to improve newsroom efficiency rather than replace journalism jobs with AI [9]. - Symson stressed that the transformation should focus on understanding consumer needs rather than merely cutting costs to improve margins [10].

Company Performance - Gray Media (GTN) closed at $4.91, reflecting a +2.29% increase from the previous day, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.64% [1] - The stock has risen by 4.58% over the past month, contrasting with the Consumer Discretionary sector's slight loss of 0.05% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.55% [1] Earnings Expectations - The upcoming earnings report is anticipated to show an EPS of -$0.05, representing a decline of 103.14% compared to the same quarter last year [2] - For the full year, analysts expect earnings of -$1.4 per share and revenue of $0 million, indicating changes of -141.67% and 0% respectively from the previous year [2] Analyst Estimates - Recent changes to analyst estimates for Gray Media are crucial as they reflect the evolving business trends, with positive adjustments indicating analyst optimism [3] - The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged over the past month, and Gray Media currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [5] Valuation Metrics - Gray Media has a Forward P/E ratio of 1.95, which is significantly lower than the industry average Forward P/E of 11.87 [5] Industry Context - The Broadcast Radio and Television industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 182, placing it in the bottom 26% of over 250 industries [6] - Research indicates that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [6]

Group 1: Earnings Performance - Gray Media reported a quarterly loss of $0.24 per share, better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.41, and compared to earnings of $0.86 per share a year ago, indicating an earnings surprise of +41.46% [1] - The company posted revenues of $749 million for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.27%, but down from $950 million in the same quarter last year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Gray Media has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times and topped consensus revenue estimates three times [2] Group 2: Stock Performance and Outlook - Gray Media shares have increased by approximately 46% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 14.3% [3] - The company's earnings outlook will be crucial for future stock performance, with current consensus EPS estimates at -$0.05 on $810 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$1.40 on $3.11 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year [4][7] - The current Zacks Rank for Gray Media is 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market in the near future [6] Group 3: Industry Context - The Broadcast Radio and Television industry, to which Gray Media belongs, is currently in the top 38% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a favorable outlook compared to the bottom 50% [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can be tracked by investors [5]

Core Viewpoint - The E.W. Scripps Company has agreed to sell its local ABC-affiliated station WRTV in Indianapolis to Circle City Broadcasting for $83 million, aiming to reduce debt and enhance the durability of its local station portfolio [1][3]. Company Overview - The E.W. Scripps Company is a diversified media entity and one of the largest local TV broadcasters in the U.S., operating over 60 stations across more than 40 markets [6][7]. - Scripps also manages national news outlets such as Scripps News and Court TV, along with entertainment brands like ION, Bounce, and Grit [6][7]. Transaction Details - Circle City Broadcasting, led by DuJuan McCoy, currently operates two television properties in Indianapolis and aims to expand its service to local communities through this acquisition [2][3]. - The transaction is subject to regulatory and customary approvals before closing [2]. Strategic Context - This sale follows other strategic moves by Scripps, including the planned sale of WFTX in Ft. Myers/Naples to Sun Broadcasting and a station swap with Gray Media, indicating a broader strategy to optimize its local station portfolio [4].

Core Viewpoint - Analyst recommendations play a significant role in influencing stock prices, but their reliability is questionable, particularly for Gray Media (GTN) [1][5]. Brokerage Recommendations - Gray Media has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.67, indicating a position between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from six brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the six recommendations, four are Strong Buy, accounting for 66.7% of the total [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Solely relying on ABR for investment decisions may not be advisable, as studies indicate that brokerage recommendations often fail to guide investors effectively [5]. - Brokerage analysts tend to exhibit a positive bias due to their firms' vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of favorable ratings compared to negative ones [6][10]. Zacks Rank as an Alternative - Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks from Strong Buy to Strong Sell and is based on earnings estimate revisions, making it a more reliable indicator of near-term stock performance [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently than ABR, reflecting timely changes in earnings estimates, which are crucial for predicting future price movements [12]. Current Earnings Estimates for Gray Media - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Gray Media remains unchanged at -$1.4 for the current year, suggesting stable analyst views on the company's earnings prospects [13]. - Due to the unchanged consensus estimate and other factors, Gray Media holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a cautious approach despite the favorable ABR [14].

Core Viewpoint - The E.W. Scripps Company has agreed to sell its local Fox-affiliated station WFTX in Fort Myers, Florida, to Sun Broadcasting for $40 million, aiming to reduce debt and improve its financial profile [1][2][3] Company Overview - The E.W. Scripps Company is a diversified media entity and one of the largest local TV broadcasters in the U.S., operating over 60 stations across more than 40 markets [5][6] - Scripps provides quality local journalism and operates national news outlets such as Scripps News and Court TV, along with entertainment brands like ION and Bounce [5][6] Transaction Details - The sale of WFTX is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals, and does not require any changes to current television station ownership rules [2] - The cash from the sale will be utilized to pay down the company's debt, as stated by Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson [2][3] Strategic Rationale - The decision to sell WFTX is part of Scripps' evaluation of its business strategies, ensuring that the station is in the hands of owners who can best serve the local community [3] - This transaction follows a previously announced agreement to swap stations with Gray Media in five mid-sized and small markets, which is currently under federal review [3]

Core Points - The E.W. Scripps Company reported $540 million in revenue for Q2 2025, a decrease of 5.8% from the previous year [7][25] - The company experienced a loss attributable to shareholders of $51.7 million, or 59 cents per share, compared to a loss of $13 million, or 15 cents per share, in the prior-year quarter [9][17] - Key highlights included a station swap with Gray Media, a renewed agreement with WNBA, and a successful refinancing of $750 million in bonds [4][5][8] Financial Performance - Revenue for the Local Media segment was $335 million, down 8.3% year-over-year, while Scripps Networks revenue was $206 million, down 1.4% [10][12] - Total costs and expenses decreased to $457 million from $479 million in the prior-year quarter [7] - The company’s net leverage improved to 4.4x, down from 4.9x at the end of Q1 2025 [7] Strategic Initiatives - The company is focusing on its Scripps Sports strategy, capitalizing on the popularity of women's sports and the decline of regional sports networks [3] - The recent station swap with Gray Media aims to enhance local news coverage and financial performance [4] - Scripps plans to expand its local sports and news strategies in key markets, leveraging new duopolies created by the station swap [4] Revenue Drivers - Sports programming contributed positively to revenue performance, with streaming and connected TV revenue growing 57% in Q2 [3] - The WNBA and NWSL partnerships are significant contributors to the Networks division, helping to stabilize revenue amidst economic uncertainty [3][12] - Political revenue was significantly lower at $2.6 million compared to $28.2 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting the absence of an election year [18] Financial Condition - As of June 30, cash and cash equivalents totaled $31.7 million, with total debt at $2.7 billion [13] - The company completed refinancing transactions that improved its financial position, including paying off $719 million in term loans [14] - The Scripps Howard Fund raised over $125,000 for flood relief efforts in Central Texas [7]