Radio World

From the People News page: Kristen Delaney will retire from iHeartMedia Albany at the end of the year.

She is area president for iHeartMedia Albany, a position she has held for more than 10 years, overseeing 15 stations in Albany, Poughkeepsie and Sussex, N.J.

According to a company summary of her career, she began in broadcasting in 1989 as an account executive in Utica, N.Y., and worked in sales until 1996 when she was promoted to local sales manager.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

She joined what was then Clear Channel Radio in 1999 in a general sales manager role in Albany, and later was director of sales and then market manager there.

She is also on the board of the New York State Broadcasters Association and the Capital District Radio Association.

“Throughout her time at iHeartMedia, Delaney, along with her teams, helped raise millions of dollars for the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center and WGY’s Christmas Wish,” the company said.

iHeartMedia Markets Group President Hartley Adkins was quoted in the announcement saying, “Rarely do you see someone so inspiring and skilled at their profession as Kristen Delaney.”

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Kristen Delaney to Retire from iHeart Albany appeared first on Radio World.

Supply Side is a series of occasional interviews with industry service providers and manufacturers.

Jamie Ashbrook is marketing manager at Radio.co, based in Manchester, U.K. He replied to questions via email.

Jamie Ashbrook

Radio World: For those unfamiliar, what is Radio.co?

Jamie Ashbrook: Radio.co is a platform to host and manage your own radio station online. Think of it like the middleman between you and your listeners.

But let’s face it, talk is cheap. Take a tour of what we can actually do. From choosing your station’s name to broadcasting live to thousands of listeners worldwide, Radio.co has your online radio needs covered. So take a quick on-demand tour.

RW: Who started the company, and who owns it?

Ashbrook: James Mulvany (on both fronts). He’s the man with the plan. Mr. Head Honcho.

Having a love for both radio and business, a fresh faced James launched Wavestreaming way back in 2008. Starting off as a one-man band, the company quickly grew along with the product. In just a few years, thousands of broadcasters were using the platform. But there was a problem: Technology moves fast, quickly outdating the system.

To simplify things and stay ahead of the curve, Wavestreaming was torn down, then rebuilt into an easier solution that anyone could pick and use. In 2015, Radio.co was born.

James Mulvany

James was there every step of the way. And I feel that’s a good thing, to see a founder who owns the company and gets actively involved to improve things on a day to day level.

RW: Your website is headlined “Want to start a radio station?” and it seems targeted to those who want to create audio streams on the internet. Are there offerings for actual broadcasters as well?

Ashbrook: Yup. So there are actually a variety of people from different walks of life that use Radio.co. Whether that’s small community stations like Shady Pines Radio, big Glastonbury style pop up events like ComplexLand or student-led radio like the University of Manchester’s Fuse FM, there’s something for everyone.

Even traditional stations are getting in on the action by relaying their FM, AM, or DAB stream online to reach listeners they wouldn’t normally have access to, just like Radio Exe.

RW: What is Radio.co’s flagship product, and what sets it apart?

Ashbrook: Tricky question. There’s no one aspect that’s considered “flagship.” Radio.co is designed to be an all-in-one solution for broadcasters. But what makes it stand out is how easy everything is to get up and running. If you were gonna time yourself, it’d take roughly two minutes to launch your own station.

In saying that, there are a few features that spring to mind:

• iOS & Android Apps: Put your station in listener’s pockets.
• Talk Shows: Invite guests to record collaborative shows in your browser.
• Alexa Skill: Let listeners tune in with their voice on compatible Amazon Echo devices.
• News Bulletins: Play news on the hour every hour from your preferred news provider.
• Mixcloud Integration: Upload your DJ Mixes directly to your Mixcloud account.
• Listener Requests: Take song requests from listeners automatically for playout on your station.

And probably a load more I’m forgetting about. Not to mention, there are plenty of help guides, new features, and quick support that makes Radio.co the ideal package for broadcasters no matter the size.

RW: Who are some of your customers that we would recognize?

Ashbrook: We’re not one to kiss and tell (ok, we are a bit). But we’ve had some awesome people and businesses walk through our doors over the years.

(Deep breath) A.C. Milan, VICE, Parker’s Kitchen, The Barbican, Australian Government Department of Health, Primavera Sound, M&C Saatchi, Soho Radio, Honest Burgers, Whiskas, Hotel Coastes, Smoke BBQ, Brit Asia TV Café Mambo, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Whalebone Magazine, Everton FC, Cult Records, PHMG, and Complex.

Users of Radio.co at Shady Pines Radio

And a load more we can’t talk about just yet. But there are a few independent stations you might not know like Boogaloo Radio, Melodic Distraction, Diversity Radio, and Foundation FM that are worth checking out.

RW: What is the most important trend or challenge in 2021, for the people who are your customers?

Ashbrook: Covid changed everything. Most people have been stuck at home, so they turned to the internet to stay connected with others. The result? We saw 10 times more broadcasters every month than we usually do.

In terms of challenges, the biggest ones are those nearest to the starting gate. Things like how to set everything up, equipment needed, and reaching the right audiences. But all are addressed in our Radio University, Blog and even over on YouTube.

RW: What else should we know?

Ashbrook: Radio changes. No matter what medium comes along next, radio has adapted ever since its inception in the late 19th century.

Frankly, Radio.co is just one piece of the puzzle. But we’re happy to help broadcasters share their voice to a wider audience. Whether that’s a local community, nationwide or internationally, I’m just excited to see what happens next.

In saying all that, I’m always happy to chat, so if you’ve got any questions (yes you, the reader), drop me a message at studio@radio.co. And hopefully I can help.

The post Radio.co Wants to Host Your Station Online appeared first on Radio World.

Nielsen says people who only listen to podcasts every week or two are an increasingly important part of the growth of podcasting.

“Today, almost half (49%) of U.S. podcast listeners are light users who are presumably new to the medium: people who listen anywhere from one to three times a month,” the company says in highlighting results of its latest Podcasting Today report.

“That’s a notable contrast to a typical podcast listener five or 10 years ago when most listening came from people who were more likely to listen to each and every episode from their favorite titles — episodes that are oftentimes released once a week.”

Nielsen says this finding “highlights two important storylines.”

It says consumer interest in “new, engaging content” from all forms of media continues to grow, and that podcast content “has proven to be an attractive option” during the pandemic.

It also says the pandemic “paused the growth of heavy podcast listeners,” because of changes in lifestyles and schedules. “Yet while the percentage of heavy listeners declined slightly last year, we’re now seeing it increase, rising from 25% earlier this year to just under 30% as of May.”

[Read: Podcast Listeners By the Numbers]

Nielsen believes the pandemic has not had a negative impact on overall podcast engagement.

“While listener growth  flattened somewhat during the second half of last year, it has ramped up notably in 2021, largely due to an increase in at-home listening, which is attributable to light listeners checking out the medium. The rise in at-home listening is also somewhat counter to historical podcast engagement, and again, speaks to the transformation of industry to a broader audience.”

 

The company asserts that brands and agencies need to be tracking engagement with podcasting and putting the platform to use.

 

The post Podcasting Gets Boost From Casual Listeners appeared first on Radio World.

The NAB Show may have been cancelled, but industry manufacturers still have an opportunity to highlight their new products this season.

The Best in Market Awards offer a platform for the many products and solutions in the marketplace that could not be seen at major trade shows this year. The program will serve in place of the “Best of Show” Awards that would have run at the convention.

The program is open to all manufacturers of professional radio, TV and AV products and solutions, regardless of exhibitor status at major events.

The Best in Market awards will be judged and presented by Future brands Radio World, TV Technology, TVBEurope, Next, Mix, Broadcasting & Cable and Sound & Video Contractor.

These awards are intended to honor and help companies promote outstanding products launching in 2021.

The deadline for nominations also has been extended to Oct. 7. 

 

The post The Awards Are Still On appeared first on Radio World.

Coverage map provided by GeoBroadcast Solutions.

From our Who’s Buying What page: FM station WAWE in the Chicago market is using a GeoBroadcast Solutions MaxxCasting System.

The station, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., is owned by Educational Media Foundation and is part of its Air1 Radio Network. GBS said management wanted to improve WAWE’s signal quality and audience.

The equipment for this synchronized-node booster system was purchased through Doug Tharp at SCMS, U.S. distributor of GatesAir/PR&E systems.

“The recently deployed enhancement improves the reach into the lower west side of Chicago in an area quite problematic for its broadcast signal troubles at the convergence of the city’s three major expressways,” GBS said in its announcement.

“The signal improvement … was strategically implemented through a four-node network using the MaxxCasting system. The coverage now reaches the University of Chicago, Rush Medical Center and the historic Pilsen community.”

It quoted EMF Senior Broadcast Engineer Shane Toven saying the station had been coverage-challenged, especially “between the Loop and O’Hare.” He said GBS designed the system for the Chicago market and that EMF worked with GBS to launch a similar one in Boston at WKVB, including HD Radio subcarriers.

“After licensing that system, GBS helped us finish up the WAWE nodes to significantly improve our coverage in the Chicago market and reach deeper into the community,” Toven said.

GBS also said that with these MaxxCasting nodes in place, the same infrastructure could be used to diplex similarly located stations that want to improve coverage. Its Director of Infrastructure Deployment Vern Egli was quoted: “The convergence at the expressway interchange notoriously has had poor reception, due to the concentration of broadcast signals emanating from Chicago’s large towers and the amount of daily automotive traffic.”

MaxxCasting uses nodes to reduce interference between main and booster FM transmissions. It deploys a cluster of high-power, directionalized and synchronized node sites.

The post EMF Deploys MaxxCasting in Chicago appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy and Cumulus Media struck a content distribution partnership.

They said Cumulus’s 413 radio stations and family of podcasts will be available on the Audacy digital platform.

The announcement was made by Larry Linietsky, senior vice president of digital operations and business development and Cumulus, and Corey Podolsky, VP of business development for Audacy.

Podolsky said the addition of Cumulus radio stations “enhances and bolsters Audacy’s position as the fastest growing digital platform for radio listeners” and that Audacy “looks forward to building on this initial partnership with Cumulus.”

The Audacy app has about 2,000 stations including Audacy’s own 230 or so, plus podcasts and other programming.

The post Cumulus Stations Join Audacy App appeared first on Radio World.

Barix introduced the first in a new set of Exstreamer products, the Exstreamer M400 IP audio decoder.

It says the existing line of Exstreamer AoIP codecs are popular for radio broadcast applications including studio-to-transmitter links, studio-to-studio links and remote contribution, and that the new hardware offers a more modern, extensible version with more support for current standards.

The announcement was made by Product Manager Davide Nossa, who said the platform provides “more processing power, enhanced security features and greater extensibility, alongside expanded support for audio formats and technology standards including Opus and AES67.”

Features include stereo, line-level, analog audio output with RCA-type connections. It can decode streams in MP3, AAC-HE, FLAC, PCM, Opus and Ogg Vorbis formats.

AES67 support enables the decoder to be configured as a dedicated AES67 receiver and decoder, enabling integration into AES67-based AoIP networks and interoperability with Dante-compatible devices.

“The Exstreamer M400 incorporates the full AES67 interoperability guidelines including RTP audio delivery, multicast addressing and PTP-based synchronization with a separate master clock device,” Barix said.

“Supported discovery methods include SAP (Session Announcement Protocol), mDNS (multicast DNS) and RTSP, enabling the decoder to automatically identify and list available streams from Dante, Ravenna and other audio over IP solutions that use these protocols. SDP (Session Description Protocol) information can also be manually inserted for interoperability with third-party solutions that do not support these standards.”

It said the Linux-based IPAM 400 audio module provides significantly higher processing power and a more programmable, software-driven architecture that allows easier expansion, prototyping and customization. “A larger buffer size and advanced buffer management technology can be configured to further bolster the Exstreamer M400’s resilience to network performance disruptions in applications where minimizing latency is not critical.”

It also cited expanded support for IT security standards, IPV6 and internal audio file storage with externally triggered playback.

The post Barix Has New Exstreamer M400 IP Audio Decoder appeared first on Radio World.

The Audio Engineering Society has cancelled its AES Vegas 2021 event.

“Due to the evolving realities of the COVID pandemic, the NAB announced its decision to cancel the upcoming in-person Las Vegas convention,” it stated in an announcement.

“The AES convention was collocated with the NAB Show, and following the NAB announcement, the AES will regrettably cancel the in-person AES Show Las Vegas 2021, planned for October 10–13.

“The AES Fall Online program will proceed, with events taking place online between October 16–31, including a broadly focused technical program October 20–23. … Further information is forthcoming for those who have registered for the in-person convention, including converting that registration to experience the online program.”

AES apologized for the change “but we hope you understand that it was not feasible to continue as planned.”

The post AES Show 2021 Is Off After Cancellation of NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

The Sept. 15 issue of Radio World was sent to the printer before the announcement that the in-person NAB Show has been cancelled.

So in this issue you will find references to some sessions that had been planned for the convention.

But there are plenty of good stories to check out, including a look at the 75-year history of the Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference; the impact of drones in radio broadcast technology; John Bisset’s Workbench column; and plenty more.

Read it here.

 

The post Inside the Sept. 15 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Announcement from NAB on Twitter

The NAB Show is off. The National Association of Broadcasters will not hold its in-person event in Las Vegas next month after all.

Succumbing in the end to effects of the pandemic on the nation’s business, the NAB announced today that the 2021 NAB Show won’t happen.

This comes in the wake of several major exhibitor pullouts at the end of last week.

Until now, the convention organizers had pushed determinedly ahead, hoping to avoid having to go another calendar year without their signature convention. They’d put health precautions in place that included a planned requirement for proof of vaccination.

The announcement also was made on Twitter and in an email to the show community from NAB executive Chris Brown.

“As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community.”

The announcement indicated that details were pending regarding virtual versions of some of the show content.

The co-located Audio Engineering Society show also is cancelled, an NAB spokesperson told Radio World.

COVID-19 cases had surged again in recent weeks in parts of the country. Though some smaller industry meetings have taken place in person in the past month or two, the Delta variant has thrown some major event plans into disarray.

Just yesterday, registration opened for CES 2022 in Las Vegas in January. The 2022 NAB Show is scheduled for April.

The post NAB Show Is Cancelled After All appeared first on Radio World.

Marketron REV on screen.

Broadcast business software developer Marketron has a new tool available for radio and TV ad sales personnel, REV.

The company describes REV as a “sales growth platform.”

It adds, “Unifying the entire sales process on a single platform, Marketron REV streamlines customer, proposal, and order management processes so that sellers can focus more time and energy on selling.”

REV offers an integrated customer relations management section, . “An optimizer feature automatically places spots based on customizable cost efficiency or even placement settings” and “advanced algorithms drive dynamic pricing directly from existing traffic systems, allowing Marketron REV to set spot prices automatically that maximize revenue based on current fill rates, timelines, and other key factors.”

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

Marketron Senior Vice President of Product Jimshade Chaudhari said, “Because the platform eliminates redundancies, automates administrative tasks, and empowers broadcasters to price inventory more accurately, sellers no longer have that swivel chair experience.”

According to a release REV should also be compatible with other sales platforms.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: www.marketron.com

 

The post Marketron Introduces REV appeared first on Radio World.

SiriusXM is considering shutting down one of the two satellite radio infrastructures that created the combined company, according to the website TheDesk.net.

It quotes remarks by SiriusXM Pandora Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Witz at an investor conference this week.

She said the company is rolling out its new satellite technology and considering plans to shut off one of its older satellite radio platforms.

The website notes that the company is focused on rolling out its 360L system in cars and that once it reaches a certain critical mass, the company will be better positioned to streamline.

It said Witz didn’t specify which of the two platforms SiriusXM was considering for shutdown, but it lays out reasons that the Sirius platform is the one that eventually would be more likely to be shut down.

Read the article.

The post SiriusXM Weighs Possible System Streamlining appeared first on Radio World.

Most of us have heard the occasional announcement on a non-commercial educational radio station that may have blurred the lines between an underwriting acknowledgement and a commercial advertisement. While most NCE broadcasters no doubt embrace the FCC’s rules on underwriting announcements, some seemingly believe the boundaries are open to interpretation.

Now a LPFM is paying a price for apparently going over the line.

WAWL(LP), licensed to Tri-Cities Broadcasting Foundation in Grand Haven, Mich., has agreed to pay a fine for airing commercial advertising intended to be for underwriting purposes. WAWL operates under a noncommercial educational license. The FCC in a consent decree says the LPFM will pay a $17,500 penalty and that its license would be renewed for a shorter term than usual to ensure ongoing compliance.

A petition to deny WAWL’s license renewal application was filed by WGHN(FM), a competitor in Grand Haven. The commercial station submitted 24 examples of what it called commercials running on the noncom educational LPFM. WGHN Inc. officials wrote: “The content of those announcements appear to advertise rather than simply identify the named sponsor.”

Wendy Hart, vice president of WGHN, wrote that the LPFM “airs spots, ostensibly acknowledging donors, but the content of which sounds virtually identical to commercial advertisements.” The announcements it recorded were for a range of businesses including funeral homes, restaurants and convenience stores.

WGHN also claimed WAWL failed to broadcast educational programming, but the FCC rejected WGHN’s claims on that count and declined to deny license renewal.

“We have negotiated the consent decree adopted herein, in which the licensee acknowledges that it has violated the Underwriting Laws, agrees to make a civil penalty payment to the United States Treasury in the amount of $17,500, and agrees to adopt a compliance plan to prevent further violations of the Underwriting Laws,” the commission staff wrote, adding that after reviewing the record, they thought it best to grant only a short-term renewal to October of 2024.

It appears the broadcasters involved are well acquainted. Eric Kaelin, a former general manager of WGHN, launched WAWL in 2014, according to a report in the Grand Haven Tribune. Kaelin currently serves as president of Tri-Cities Broadcasting Foundation.

For LPFMs wondering where the line is on this issue, consulting group REC Networks has the following advise on its website: “Non-commercial educational stations are not to operate as a profit-making business. This means that NCE stations are unable to carry commercials which promote a business that may have donated (or underwritten) the station. While NCE stations are unable to air commercials, they are permitted to identify for-profit businesses that support the station by announcing their name, contact information and even a non-promotional description of the business.”

 

The post LPFM Is Fined $17,500 for Airing Commercials appeared first on Radio World.

The acting chairwoman of the FCC has said she wants to “revitalize” a key advisory panel, and now she has named its members.

Jessica Rosenworcel appointed members to the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council. CSRIC is a federal advisory committee that provides recommendations to the FCC to improve the security, reliability and interoperability of the nation’s communications systems.

[“Rosenworcel Wants to ‘Revitalize’ CSRIC]

Rosenworcel described the council as “one of the nation’s most impactful cybersecurity partnerships” but said that in recent years “this public-private collaboration has faced criticism that its membership gave private companies an outsized voice. Today, we take steps to right that ship.”

She said the restructured group adds federal expertise, public interest participation and diversity, and that it would focus on 5G network security and reliability.

The group is called CSRIC VIII because this is the eighth iteration of the council. The first meeting will be Sept. 22 in a virtual format.

Rosenworcel said the group will be co-chaired by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security. CISA leads a coordinated effort to enhance the security and reliability of cybersecurity and communications infrastructure. She noted that CISA recently co-authored a report on potential threat vectors to 5G infrastructure.

“I am also pleased to report that the membership of CSRIC VIII will reflect more participation from the public interest community than any other CSRIC to date.  This means that the public and consumers also will have a voice on issues that ultimately affect their safety and security.”

The co-chairs will be Billy Bob Brown, Jr., executive assistant director for emergency communications at CISA, and Nasrin Rezai, senior vice president & chief information security officer of Verizon Communications.

Below is a list of members; an asterisk after a name means the member represents the entity listed after their name on CSRIC.

Members:

Brandon Abley, Director of Technology, National Emergency Number Association

Rob Alderfer, Vice President, Technology Policy, Charter Communications

Colin B. Andrews, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Telecommunications Industry Association

Mark Annas, Emergency Services Administrator, City of Riverside Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management

Mike Barnes, Product Security Officer & Quality Leader, Mavenir

Michael Bergman, Vice President, Technology and Standards, Consumer Technology Association

Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, Inmarsat

Shirley Bloomfield, Chief Executive Officer, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association

Mary A. Boyd, Vice President, Government Regulatory Affairs, Intrado

Wade Buckner, Chief, City of Southside Fire & Rescue*, International Association of Fire Chiefs

Brian K. Daly, Assistant Vice President, AT&T, Inc.

Marla Dowell, Director, Communications Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Andrew L. Drozd, President & Chief Scientist, ANDRO Computational Solutions

Katherine Elkins, Emergency Medical Services Specialist, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Harold Feld, Senior Vice President, Public Knowledge

Craig Fugate, Chief Emergency Management Officer, America’s Public Television Stations

Micaela Giuhat, Director, 5G Policy and External Engagement, Microsoft Corporation

Dana Golub, Vice President, Technology Business Operations, Public Broadcasting Service

Stephen Hayes, Director, North American Standards, Ericsson

Mark Hess, Senior Vice President, Business and Industry Affairs, Comcast Corporation

Rittwik Jana, Chief Architect of Radio Access Network, VMWare, Inc.

Antwane Johnson, Deputy Assistant Administrator (Acting), National Continuity Programs & Director, Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U. S. Department of Homeland Security

Everett Kaneshige, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors

Javed Khan, Director, 5G Product Management, Altiostar Networks

Farrokh Khatibi, Director, Technical Standards, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Jason Lish, Chief Security Officer, Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Jennifer Manner, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Hughes Communications

Maureen C. Mclaughlin, Vice President, Public Policy, Iridium*, Satellite Industry Association

Danny McPherson, Executive Vice President & Chief Security Officer, Verisign, Inc.

William Mikucki, Vice President, Technical Operations, Safety and Securities Technologies, Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

Susan Miller, President & CEO, Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions

Derek Peterson, Co-Director, Wireless Broadband Alliance

Krisztina Pusok, Director, Policy and Research, American Consumer Institute

Mark Reddish, Senior Counsel & Manager, Government Relations, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials

Travis Reutter, Director, Network Management, Metronet*, ACA Connects- America’s Communications Association

John Roese, Global Chief Technology Officer, Dell Technologies

Travis Russell, Head, Cybersecurity Office, Oracle Communications

Francisco Sánchez, Jr., Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Tom Sawanobori, Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, CTIA

Tim Schram, Commissioner, Nebraska Public Service Commission*, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commission

Sean Scott, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Technology Officer, SecuLore Solutions

Paul Steinberg, Senior Vice President, Technology, Motorola Solutions

Peter Tomczak, Program Manager, Spectrum Coordination and Clearance, FirstNet Authority

Claire Vishik, Intel Fellow & Chief Technology Officer, Global Government Affairs, Intel

Steve Watkins, Executive Director, Strategic Technology Policy, Cox Communications

George Woodward, President & CEO of Trilogy Networks*, Rural Wireless Association

Henry Young, Director, Policy, BSA | The Software Alliance

Timothy Youngblood, Senior Vice President, Chief Security Officer, & Product Security Officer, T-Mobile

 

 

The post Rosenworcel Names Members to Revamped Advisory Group appeared first on Radio World.

The Audio Engineering Society will be a bit of a two-step in October.

Firstly, it will co-habitate with the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Oct. 10–13 for an in-person get-together at the Westgate. Then it will go online for a massive series of sessions and workshops called AES Fall Online 2021.

Here is a combined schedule of events for the two.

The main day for the Vegas leg is Monday, Oct. 11, starting at 9 a.m.. Sessions that would be of interest to the Radio World audience include “Those Crazy Remote Broadcasts” (with Kirk Harnack), “Why and Audio Processor Is Necessary” (with Frank Foti), “Using SNMP” (with Jeff Welton, Nautel, and Tony Peterle, WorldCast), “Understanding Audio for SMPTE 2110,” “Guidelines for Streaming Loudness” (with John Kean) and “Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Training.”

Of course there’ll be events and audio celebrities such as Al Schmitt and Chuck Ainley making appearances.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The online session menu is still in development but some items of interest are sparkling.

Listed for Wednesday, Oct. 20 are “Advantages of Using Metadata” (with John Kean), “Planning a Multistation Facility” (with David Skalish, Audacy), “Spatial Audio in Podcasting” (with MPR’s Rob Byers), “Understanding SNMP (with Tom Ray) and “MPX Transport for Broadcast” (with Frank Foti).

Needless to say there are many other sessions that could pique the curiosity of the Radio World reader (Hint: “Dead Tech: Is Anything Ever Really Obsolete?”).

 

The post Ready for Real Live Audio Sessions Again? appeared first on Radio World.

A number of organizations with global interests are endorsing the idea of implementing Common Alerting Protocol as a standard emergency protocol, hoping to achieve universal use by 2025.

The World Broadcasting Unions is the latest. It announced that it “strongly endorses” a “Call to Action on Emergency Alerting.”

“The Call to Action requests a scale up of efforts to ensure that by 2025 all countries have the capacity for effective and authoritative emergency alerting that leverages the CAP, suitable for all media and all hazards,” WBU wrote.

“CAP makes public alerting faster, easier, less error-prone and more understandable. CAP helps a broadcaster be certain that an alert is authentic and authoritative, and to crosscheck alerts from diverse sources. CAP alerts can also be compiled on a map to show how different aspects of the emergency are evolving.”

Among those endorsing this idea is internet pioneer Vint Cerf. He noted that many online users may not receive messages designed for mass media dissemination.

“It easy for internet technologies to deliver CAP alerts to online users, and to life-saving online devices such as sirens, digital signage, bridge controls, bed shakers, etc.,” Cerf wrote in a comment posted on the campaign page. “Let’s build out a future where CAP-enabled alerting becomes a humanitarian feature of all major cloud services and computer operating systems worldwide.”

Organizations supporting this campaign include the International Telecommunication Union, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, AccuWeather and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

“The CAP uses XML digital standard format for exchanging emergency alerts that allow a consistent alert message to be disseminated simultaneously over many different communication systems,” as described on this Red Cross information page.

CAP is operational in all of North America and most of Europe. The campaign has posted a map showing which countries use CAP or have it under development.

 

The post Campaign Aims for Global Use of CAP appeared first on Radio World.

An image from Dielectric shows a scale model of an antenna and an HFSS virtual version

Antenna manufacturer Dielectric is hoping that the Federal Communications Commission will approve a petition to allow computational directional FM antenna pattern modeling.

It said it expects the FCC to give its blessing this fall.

“The new rule paves the way for the first directional FM pattern verification rule change in 58 years — a rule change that passes the torch from physical to AI-driven simulated modeling,” the company stated in a press release. It said broadcasters would benefit through a more efficient and economical antenna modeling process.

The petition was written with consultant Merrill Weiss.

The company said FM broadcast antenna manufacturers currently must build physical models and collect measured data to verify patterns. Its petition proposes that the FCC allow them to transition to computer-based antenna modeling using computational methods, an approach used in other broadcast products including TV station antenna modeling, which has been allowed for the past four yearss.

Dielectric VP of Engineering John Schadler said in the announcement that this change is “simply long overdue. … FM is the only FCC service that still requires a physical range measurement, and anyone who has worked with range measurements knows that accurately measuring radiation patterns is extremely difficult. Simulated pattern verification is much more economical with less chance of error.”

Schadler said simulated antenna modeling will be more accurate. “Since simulations are done in a true free-space environment, any issues with the range or anechoic chamber and with the surrounding environment are eliminated, resulting in more reliable azimuth patterns and H/V ratios.”

The company says this approach also would save time, reduce the impact of human error and facilitate the accuracy of designs.

Virtual simulation, the company added, made it possible for Dielectric to ship more than a thousand TV antennas in the TV industry spectrum repack.

“Another fallout of the repack is that we created a new crop of engineers, HFSS computer simulation super users. ANSYS HFSS is a 3D electromatic simulation software tool for designing, simulating and evaluating high-frequency components,” Schadler said.

Dielectric highlighted the use of artificial intelligence in its process. “We are looking at how external scripts can be used to make smart decision geometry changes based on previous iterations. We see a lot of opportunity for AI and simulation in RF moving forward.”

The post Dielectric Expects FCC to OK FM Pattern Modeling appeared first on Radio World.

HD Radio is now available for the first time on a motorbike.

Xperi Corp. announced that HD Radio receivers are available on the digital dash display of the 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental.

“This marks another industry first for HD Radio technology, which recently announced it had entered the commercial truck category,” it stated.

The announcement was made by Jeff Jury, Xperi SVP and general manager, Connected Car.

The base model of that bike retails for about $25,000.

“BMW Motorrad continues to be ahead of the innovation curve when it comes to the consumer experience and making sure their motorbike owners have the listening experiences they want,” Jury said in a press release.

The post HD Radio Gets Its First Motorbike appeared first on Radio World.

Several broadcaster advocacy groups are asking the FCC not to implement its new rule about investigating the sources of programming content, pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

The National Association of Broadcasters, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters have asked the Federal Communications Commission to stay the implementation of its report and order that requires every TV and radio broadcaster now to independently investigate every programming lessee to determine whether the sponsor is a foreign governmental entity or its agent, “even where the leased programming poses no colorable risk of foreign sponsorship.”

The three organizations recently filed a petition for review of the FCC order in an appeals court.

“The commission should stay the order’s implementation pending the completion of judicial review. This case satisfies the requirements for a stay,” they wrote.

“Petitioners are likely to succeed on the merits because the order flatly contravenes Section 317 of the Communications Act, violates the Administrative Procedure Act and unduly burdens speech in contravention of the First Amendment.”

They said this FCC order will require many broadcasters “to spend tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire and train employees to conduct the required investigations, as well as engage counsel to review their lease agreements and negotiate with lessees to bring existing leases into compliance with the order.

“These unrecoverable costs unreasonably and unnecessarily burden the operations, resources and programming arrangements of broadcast stations across the country … [T]he likely harm from requiring broadcasters to undertake these efforts for thousands of lease agreements— the vast majority of which have no possible connection to foreign governmental entities— outweighs the benefit of such a requirement.”

The post Hold Off on Foreign Sponsorship ID, FCC Is Told appeared first on Radio World.

The author of this commentary is chair of the Digital Radio Mondiale consortium.

Though not out of the COVID-19 woods yet, there is an increasing feeling of great separation between the sad times of the 2020 and the possibly more positive, life-affirming “after the pandemic” feeling of 2021.

Things have changed in our radio, or audio, media universe. There has been a clear increase in use of technology and gadgets. Streaming and podcasting have ballooned. Even the older generation has caught up technologically with the savvier youngsters. Boomers and Millennials Zoom weekly together (at least a third over 65 years old in the U.S. do so, according to OnePoll) and use “hearables” (earbuds, headphones etc.).

Radio usage has remained high all this time, as radio has proven a great utility staple, valued for its immediacy, simplicity, companionship and, lately, mood enhancement and escape.

Crossing Digital Currents

This has not remained unnoticed by the tech giants appropriating and using radio formats or even setting up what could only be described as “radio stations.” Thus Amazon  is reported to be building out a live audio platform meant to disrupt traditional radio and rival the likes of Clubhouse or Spotify’s new live audio platform, in Axios at the end of August (“Scoop: Amazon Quietly Building Live Audio Business”). The idea is for Amazon to be paying podcast suppliers, celebrities, musicians to stimulate live conversations and events (old-style chat and live radio shows), all to be accessed through Amazon and possibly on gadgets like Alexa. In other words, a sort of curated radio content but on subscription. Attractive radio on payment, a sort of Netflix for the ears. Is this then the way to integrate radio into the new media reality?

Not oblivious to these developments, radio stations themselves have invested in streaming and developing a stable of attractive podcasts. Different research studies show that listeners are engaging more actively with broadcasters if they also enjoy streaming or podcasting. They seem to be (at least in the U.S.) younger, more mobile, the kind of listeners which advertisers are interested in.

[Read: EBU Puts Radio Finger in the Air?]

So, radio stations linking to the social media or OTT space are doing it for various reasons: it is the trend (they can become “digital,” though not truly digital in the broadcast sense), there is a need to attract or keep audiences for public stations and maximise advertising profits for the private stations. In the specific case of commercial stations, this blend of broadcast and podcast, or IP type of presence, is a very useful way of increasing revenue in an industry enjoying increased popularity but lower ad dollars during the pandemic.

Even in a place like India, where radio has only a fraction of the advertising pie (2–3%) and where ad revenue has been greatly affected by the pandemic, this blend is important. Getting advertising on radio “extensions,” like podcasts, has become a necessity as radio still commands a key place for Indian advertisers. “Radio is a preferred partner for brands owing to its mass, local reach and high engagement,” says Megha Ahuja, VP – digital media planning, Carat India.(“Changing the Frequency”)

We seem to be witnessing crossing currents with social media and big tech veering towards radio, but increasingly on subscription, and radio trying to maximise use by using platforms while trying to maintain its universality. Are these currents then intersecting or merging?

Where Is Digital Radio in This?

Digital radio is definitely of the new digital age, as the audio quality of broadcasts and the extra features make it an almost new digital platform accessible primarily in the car (where analog AM and FM suffer interference) and then on mobiles and in the homes. In DRM, available on all broadcast bands, the FM sound quality in AM is evidently superior to any old-style analog sounds your grandparents might have enjoyed. Internet content, images, multilanguage content, not to mention disaster warnings, education bites or fully illustrated lessons with sound and pictures and traffic info are all possible and available. Particularly the potential to deliver education through audio and visual material, even from the internet, but without requiring internet, has come to the fore in pandemic times, especially in places still learning about podcasting.

And if only digital radio is available, you can create your own podcast by recording favorite programming and playing it later, while the program schedule is available at a touch of a button. All this can be done using terrestrial waves and not glass fibers and valuable bandwidth, another commodity in short supply. Regulators feel the bandwidth pinch already with all the podcasts and other frilly bits in demand. And so do policy makers who hope that flying the unfinished 5G banner for broadcasting or waiting for another miraculous technology will get them off the hook. They seem to be hoping that the big investment and change needed to roll out digital radio will be thus unnecessary. This probably also drives the big buzz around social media among broadcasters. But in absolute terms, this is still minute compared with radio listening. If radio could offer more using digital standards, while keeping its core values and heart, the media landscape would be richer.

Son of Broadcasting

The miraculous blend technology is already here. It is called digital radio and needs to be supported and deployed seriously, so that informative, local, exciting and engaging or educational radio, and not music by subscription, remains available to all. The switchover to digital radio has been slow, with varying degrees of success in the U.K., U.S., Europe, where the switch-off dates are being kicked into the long grass (see recent decision in Switzerland). Other countries, like India, have had a great head start. The hope is that complicated evaluations and analysis will not detract now from sticking with the complete open, not company-owned DRM standard (in FM, too). This decision would give confidence to the receiver industry (who will not engage in producing them unless there is a clear official commitment and announcement), to the listeners.

Digital radio (e.g., DRM and other recognized open standards) is a neat solution, more robust, doing away with the blight of interference experienced in analog. DRM offers more channels, more choice and many digital extra benefits. There needs to be a communication step change so that decisionmakers take the right decision, while there is increased acceptance of a mixed media landscape in which broadcast and podcast can co-exist and enhance each other.

So, you might want to accept an “invitation” to Clubhouse (its clever trick) or subscribe to many podcasts (and probably listen to just a few) but you are still very likely to still switch on your (digital) car radio and enjoy so much more, while stuck in traffic.

The technology has to work but  the digital content, well linked to social media, must be attractive to start with. Podcasting remains the son of broadcasting, but sons often want to emulate and surpass their fathers.

 

The post Making Digital Radio Part of the New Multimedia Landscape appeared first on Radio World.