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This has to be considered good news for the industry, especially in light of the strong Q4 Entercom reported and with a very competitive political battle underway for President. As always, the critics will point to iHeart's $20 billion in debt, and that's obviously fair, but an up quarter is an up quarter. iHeartMedia CFO Richard Bressler said he is very excited about the progress the company made in 2015.

Not only did COO Richard Bressler and Senior VP and Treasurer Brian Coleman sound confident iHeart would be able to tackle its debt issue, CRT Capital Group analyst Lance Vitanza did as well. Vitanza, who covers the company, told the San Antonio Express-News that iHeart's numbers showed real strength. "They were much better than I expected. I was pleased with the progress from the operating and liquidity standpoint.” Vitanza said the company should not have trouble meeting its debt obligations.

It hasn't changed much in a year. At the end of 2014, the company had $20.3 billion in debt, and at the end of 2015 that number was $20.87 billion. iHeart did have over $770 million cash on hand at the end of 2015, which is more than the $457 million it had at the end of 2014. The company lost $93.2 million in Q4, compared to $68 million in Q4 of 2014. For the year, iHeart lost $754.6 million in 2015 compared to $793 million in 2014.

Northwestern Athletics and WGN Radio AM-720 announced Friday that they have agreed on a four-year broadcast rights-holder extension. The agreement will keep Wildcats football and men’s basketball on the station through the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign.

Looking to put a bit of a positive spin on a bad quarter, Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins said he still has confidence in the radio business. "I love to see Entercom and iHeartMedia post good numbers. That gives me confidence in the business. I feel good about the long-term health of the industry." Liggins said this performance is an issue specific to Radio One. "We're not doing a good job right now. (Radio division CEO) David Kantor and I speak about it every day and we will fix this."

The NBA's Brooklyn Nets and CBS Radio have reached an agreement to extend their broadcast rights partnership. The length of the extension was not disclosed, other than it's a new multi-year deal. WFAN-AM/FM will continue as the team’s flagship radio station, a partnership that has been in place since the 2004-05 season. CBS Newsradio 880, the team’s secondary broadcast outlet, will provide game coverage of select matchups.

Cathy Hughes is a radio pioneer. She used to have dreams about walking around with a microphone talking to people and having them ask her things. Hughes had a dream of having a megavoice that would reach everybody in the United States. At WHUR she created a radio show called The Quiet Storm which was heard on hundreds of radio stations. And of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg...

FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly spoke before the National Association of Broadcasters State Leadership Conference this week where he repeated something he's been telling broadcasters a lot lately; "I seek your assistance." O'Rielly told broadcasters the Commission needs their input on ways to reduce specific burdens the government has imposed on them that are no longer necessary or relevant in the current market environment.