Is local television becoming a sports distribution business? A spectrum infrastructure platform? A mature retransmission utility? Or simply a declining but still highly cash-generative media asset being managed for duration rather than growth?

Local media veteran Tim Hanlon goes solo in the latest episode of In the Vicinity.

In the latest episode of In the Vicinity, local media veterans Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson unpack the growing imbalance between traditional broadcast and the scale of platforms like streaming giants and digital ad ecosystems.

PLUS: Alan Wolk is writing a book!

PLUS: Alan Wolk says goodbye to Sora, Tim Hanlon on Nexstar-Tegna, a new episode of In the Vicinity, and more

The combined Nexstar-TEGNA now has to prove that a vastly larger footprint can translate into sustainable economics in a shrinking linear TV ecosystem — without triggering backlash from regulators, distributors, or local markets.

This episode of In the Vicinity is all about Nexstar’s acquisition of Tegna. Now that the deal is officially closed, Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson can dive headfirst into one of the most consequential developments in years.

The CW risks becoming a network whose primary purpose is to serve the strategic and financial interests of its parent companies — not the needs of viewers, creators, or its local affiliates.

Why Dish’s One-Day Pass might muck up streaming’s subscription model and what’s really behind Sinclair’s defense of the 39% rule.

If Brendan Carr’s vision prevails, local TV risks becoming both homogenized and politicized — consolidated into a few large conglomerates, and pressured to avoid programming that might displease those in power.

Why Disney’s real motivation in axing Jimmy Kimmel may have been financial, not political and why Koreans are unlikely to ever cut the cord.

Should broadcasters be allowed to bulk up to compete with tech platforms, even if it means fewer owners controlling the bulk of local stations? Or should ownership caps remain a bulwark against consolidation, even if that risks leaving broadcasters weaker in the face of digital disruption?

Nexstar wants Tegna, the FCC’s Carr wants deregulation and the industry wants to know what’s really going on. A deep dive into what the future might bring.

Independence will soon become more commonplace in local TV. Stations can either treat it as a setback — or see it as an opening to redefine their role in their respective communities.

Local broadcast television is edging toward one of the biggest consolidation waves in its history; it’s beginning with the construction of co-owned station duopolies in markets across the country.

Nexstar’s CW acquisition gives it something it needs, while also giving Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery what they want.

Nexstar said it no longer will sell ads based on ratings, shifting to a "cost-per-impression" model that captures viewing on other platforms. So what's everyone else in broadcasting waiting for?