In the Vicinity

Political advertising has long been a crucial revenue source for local media. But according to AdImpact's Updated Political Projections Report, the 2026 midterms are now on track to generate even more ad spending than the 2024 presidential election cycle.

On this episode of In the Vicinity, Tim Hanlon sits down with AdImpact CEO Kyle Roberts to unpack the report's findings, including why political ad spending projections have been revised upward, which races and states are driving the surge, and why local broadcasters remain the biggest beneficiaries.

The conversation explores the mechanics of modern political media buying, the growing role of CTV and audience targeting, the challenges of reaching voters in highly fragmented districts, and why campaigns continue to invest billions in both broad-reach and precision-targeted advertising.

The media world used to revolve around a handful of shared experiences. Today, audiences live in thousands of personalized bubbles.

On this episode of In the Vicinity, Tim Hanlon is joined by TVREV Co-Founder and Senior Analyst Alan Wolk to explore his emerging theory of "feudal media"—a fragmented landscape where YouTube, TikTok, Substack, streaming services, and AI-driven recommendations are replacing the monoculture that once defined television and news.

Together, they discuss why YouTube may be local TV's biggest competitor, how AI could become the next great curator of local information, why traditional broadcasters are struggling to adapt to a streaming-first world, and what happens when opinion, news, and entertainment all blur together.

This week on In the Vicinity, Tim Hanlon and Madhive CEO Jim Wilson explore how AI is transforming local media — from campaign planning and audience targeting to creative generation and omni-channel advertising sales.

The conversation also dives into the future of broadcasters as full-service local media companies, the rise of AI-powered campaign optimization, and what CBS ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and shutting down CBS Radio News signals about the future of local affiliates, audience fragmentation, and legacy media brands.

This week on In the Vicinity, local media veteran Tim Hanlon is joined by guest Jason Damata, Founder & CEO of Fabric Media and the driving force behind TVREV, for a wide-ranging conversation about the unraveling of traditional broadcast media — and what might come next.

From the shutdown of CBS Radio News after nearly 100 years to the end of Stephen Colbert's Late Show, Tim and Jason unpack what these cultural losses signal for local TV, radio, community identity, and the economics of media.

It's part media obituary, part industry therapy session, and part roadmap for what local media could become next.

This week on In the Vicinity, Tim Hanlon goes solo to unpack what the latest broadcast TV earnings reports are really signaling about the future of local media.

From Scripps' aggressive sports-and-streaming push to Sinclair's ATSC 3.0 ambitions, Gray's hyper-local strategy, and Nexstar's focus on maximizing retrans and scale, Tim explores the very different paths broadcasters are taking as the traditional TV model continues to erode.

The episode dives into the collapse of RSNs, the growing importance—and danger—of political advertising, the rise of sports as broadcast TV's survival strategy, and why broadcasters may finally be realizing they're no longer just "TV companies," but video companies competing in a streaming-first world.

What happens when the RSN model starts to fall apart?

In this episode of In the Vicinity, local media veteran Tim Hanlon sits down with guest host Anthony Campanella, VP, Inventory Partnerships & Operations, Madhive, to break down the chaos — and opportunity — reshaping local sports.

From disappearing regional sports networks to the rise of streaming and patchwork distribution, they unpack how leagues like Major League Baseball are navigating a fragmented future — and what it means for fans, broadcasters, and advertisers trying to keep up.

The takeaway: local sports isn't dying — it's being rebuilt in real time.

A trip to NAB reveals an industry that's more optimistic—and more self-aware—than you might expect.

In Episode 7 of In the Vicinity, local media veterans Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson break down the real conversations happening across local media right now—from the push to simplify fragmented ad tech stacks to the ongoing challenge of training sales teams to confidently sell across linear, digital, and CTV.

Plus, a look at the growing role of digital out-of-home, the realities of "Frankenstack" infrastructure, and why—despite all the disruption—local content may be the industry's most durable advantage.

Because in a world of endless fragmentation, trust and community still win.

At the NAB Show, the battle lines are clear: broadcasters vs. big tech.

In this episode of In the Vicinity, local media veterans Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson break down the growing pressure on local media as streaming platforms and digital giants dominate both audiences and ad dollars. From the stalled Nexstar-Tegna merger to the rise of AI-powered advertising and unified marketplaces, they explore what it will take for broadcasters to compete—and whether they can move fast enough to do it.

What happens when the definition of "local" stops making sense?

In this episode of In the Vicinity, local media veterans Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson unpack the growing tension between broadcast's DMA-driven reach and streaming's zip-code-level precision — and why the future of advertising lies somewhere in between.

From bespoke geographies and AI-powered creative to the real-world implications for national, regional, and local ad dollars, the conversation explores how marketers are navigating a landscape where scale and specificity are finally converging.

Plus, a deep dive into CBS's exit from late night — and what it signals about shifting network priorities, affiliate value, and the broader economics of content in a fragmented media world.

There's one story dominating local media right now — and it could reshape the entire industry.

In this episode of In The Vicinity, local media veterans Tim Hanlon and Jim Wilson break down Nexstar's blockbuster acquisition of TEGNA, a deal that creates the largest broadcast station group in the U.S. and raises big questions about consolidation, competition and the future of local TV.

Is scale the key to survival in a market increasingly dominated by Big Tech? Or does this level of consolidation risk weakening the very thing that makes local media valuable — local journalism and community connection?

From regulatory end-runs and legal challenges to retrans economics, digital transformation and the shifting role of affiliates, Tim and Jim unpack what this deal really means — not just for broadcasters, but for the future of local media itself.