A reported ransomware attack that affected the online live streams of Cox Media Group television and radio stations across the country entered its sixth day without a resolution on Wednesday, with no apparent end in sight.

Cox Media owns 33 TV stations in 20 markets, 65 radio stations in 11 markets and several multi-platform streaming video and digital platforms. The TV stations, in markets like Boston; Pittsburgh; Dayton, Ohio; Seattle; and Tulsa, Oklahoma are a mixture of major network affiliates like ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC and My Network TV and independents. Beginning on June 3, live online streams of its TV and radio station programming began to be affected.

According to Inside Radio, the attack was centered on internal networks and live streaming capabilities such as web streams and mobile apps at the Cox Media properties. Websites for the stations and most programming remained unharmed, but according to Inside Radio some live stream programming and newscasts had to be canceled. 

Inside Radio said Tuesday that the online feed for one Cox Media Group radio station (Atlanta's WSB-WSBB (750/95.5) returned to its desktop player and mobile app on Friday (June 4), but was down again on June 8.  A check of the station online on Wednesday afternoon showed that WSB-WSBB was back online. But other radio stations like Jacksonville, Florida ESPN Radio affiliate WOKV 690 were still offline. 

In addition, Cox Media Group’s corporate website also was inaccessible Wednesday. 

The attack apparently didn’t affect traditional broadcast or pay TV feeds for the channels. Dish Network, which reached a carriage deal with Cox Media for about 14 channels in December, said it experienced no issues with the broadcaster.

A check of its station websites on Wednesday, June 9 showed that the live feeds were still being affected. Charlotte, South Carolina ABC affiliate WSOC-TV,  Dayton, Ohio CBS affiliate WHIO-TV and Tulsa, Oklahoma Fox affiliate KOKI-TV posted disclaimers on their websites that live streams were currently unavailable and that the stations were “working diligently to bring it back online.” Other stations, like Orlando, Florida ABC affiliate WFTV offered partial feeds of past newscasts on their websites. 

Cox Media Group did not return repeated requests for comment.

Ransomware attacks have been on the upswing and the U.S. government warned last week that companies should be diligent in trying to prevent them. After energy company Colonial Pipeline paid $4.4 million to stop a ransomware attack that shutdown its East Coast operations for a few days in May, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said it has recovered about $2.3 million of those funds. 

An apparent casualty of California's imposition of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)is a guide to streaming radio sites, at least according to a message on the now-shuttered site.

StreamingRadioGuide.com was not able to provide any info on a Georgia radio station whose license the FCC has just revoked over nonpayment of regulatory fees. That was because it has shut down, leaving the following message parked at the url:

Welcome to the former StreamingRadioGuide.com

I have decided to cease operations rather than face the potential legal threats from the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which goes into effect at midnight on January 1st, 2020.

You can read about the law here

This web site had no advertising and no third party tracking for 14 years, with the expenses paid for by me. My web hosting service has incorporated compliance with CCPA and GDPR [Europe's General Data Protection Rules] into their terms of service, leaving few options. Google and Facebook have won, which is ironic since they are the real abusers of consumer privacy.

Thank you for allowing me to hand out free fish, but the era of an individual operating a free service has come and gone.

Fred Stiening
December 31, 2019

Radio World has called the site a rich resource that "comprehensively lists broadcast radio stations that stream on the internet."

The law went into effect Jan. 1. It established a consumer right of privacy based on disclosure and the right to opt out of data collection or third-party sharing, and to have their data deleted if they chose.

Related: Amazon Slams California Privacy Law

Opponents of the California law, adopted to fill what the state saw as a void in online privacy protections, have warned that web site shutdowns could result.

15,440

The number of licensed AM and FM radio stations across the U.S. as of Aug. 20, the 95th anniversary of the first broadcast by a federally licensed station -- 8MK in Detroit, now WJJ -- in 1920. That October, Pittsburgh's KDKA began broadcasting, and by 1922 the nation had 30 stations. A year later, it had 556.

Source: Profile America, U.S. Census Bureau