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The Bureau cancels the Notice of Apparent Liability issued to Lighthouse Ministries of Northwest Ohio

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Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (“Televisa”), and Univision Holdings, Inc. (together with its wholly owned subsidiary, Univision Communications Inc., “Univision”), today announced a definitive transaction agreement in which Televisa’s content and media assets will be combined with Univision to create the largest Spanish-language media company in the world: Televisa-Univision

The combination brings together the two leading media businesses in the two largest Spanish-speaking markets in the world: Univision in the United States, the largest Spanish-language media market by value, and Televisa in Mexico, which is the most populous Spanish-language market in the world. The resulting business will hold the largest long-form library of content in the world, a powerful portfolio of IP and global sports rights, fueled by the most prolific Spanish-language production infrastructure. The power and scope of these content assets are unmatched. In 2020, Televisa produced more than 86,000 hours of content across every genre and category, including sports and special events, dramas, newscasts, situation comedies, game shows, reality shows, children’s programs, comedy and variety programs, musical and cultural events, movies and educational programming.

Televisa will also contribute its four free-to-air channels, 27 pay-TV networks channels and stations, its Videocine movie studio and Blim TV subscription video on demand (SVOD) service; and the Televisa trademark. These media assets comprise the definitive market leader in Mexico.

The Company will further benefit from Univision’s market-leading assets in the United States which includes the Univision and UniMás broadcast networks, nine Spanish-language cable networks, 61 television stations and 58 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico, and prominent digital assets including its recently launched AVOD streaming service, PrendeTV.

The combined entity will have the content, production capacity, intellectual property, global reach and financial resources to aggressively pursue the relatively nascent global Spanish-language streaming opportunity. The Spanish-language market, which represents around 600 million people globally, and an aggregate GDP of about $7 trillion, is significantly underserved from a streaming perspective relative to other major markets. Less than 10% of the Spanish speaking population currently use an OTT video product, compared with the English language market where nearly 70% of the population has at least one streaming service.

“This strategic combination generates significant value for shareholders of both companies and will allow us to more efficiently reach all Spanish-language audiences with more of our programming,” said Emilio Azcárraga, Executive Chairman of the Televisa Board of Directors. “Together, Televisa-Univision can more aggressively pursue innovation and growth through digital platforms as the industry continues to evolve. Our new investors at the SoftBank Latin America Fund, Google and The Raine Group are just as excited about the opportunities presented by this combination.”

“This transformative combination brings together the leading network serving U.S. Spanish-language audiences with the leading media platform in Mexico powered by the most powerful Spanish-language content engine in the world,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis. “Televisa-Univision will emerge as the leading global Spanish-language multi-media company, uniquely positioned to capture the significant market opportunity for Spanish speakers worldwide.”

Davis continued, “The composition of our new investor group reflects confidence in our strategy, the progress of our digital transformation and the magnitude of the opportunity ahead of us. I would like to thank Chairman Emilio Azcárraga for his confidence in us, to continue as partners growing the incredible company he and his family have built. I would also like to thank Televisa Co-CEOs Alfonso de Angoitia and Bernardo Gómez for their continued support and partnership as we work together to provide our audience with even more access to even more powerful, compelling and engaging Spanish-language content, however they choose to access it.”

“We have been deeply involved with Univision for more than two decades, and we have never enjoyed a better relationship with our partners,” said Bernardo Gómez and Alfonso de Angoitia, Televisa’s Co-Chief Executive Officers. “We are creating a company which is a leader across multi-media categories, unified over the largest territories and with the scale and focus to deliver the most compelling content experience to Spanish-language consumers around the world.  We are confident that this strategic transaction will maximize the potential of our Content segment, while allowing us to strengthen our balance sheet and focus on growth opportunities at our Telecom business.”

“The SoftBank Latin America Fund is proud to invest in the combination of Televisa-Univision to help create a content powerhouse that can serve the nearly 600 million Spanish-language speakers globally.  With the largest and most iconic original Spanish content library in the world and access to SoftBank’s global tech ecosystem, we will help transform the new company into the leading Spanish-language multi-platform digital media company and one of the most important OTT service providers in the world,” said Marcelo Claure, Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International and board member of Univision.

Terms of the Transaction

Televisa will continue to capture the upside from the significant growth potential of the Company by remaining the largest shareholder in Televisa-Univision with an equity stake of approximately 45%. As a part of the agreement, Televisa will retain ownership of izzi Telecom, Sky, and other businesses, as well as the main real estate associated with the production facilities, the broadcasting licenses and transmission infrastructure in Mexico.

Televisa’s content assets will be contributed for approximately $4.8 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Univision will pay $3.0 billion in cash, $750 million in Univision common equity and $750 million in Series B preferred equity, with an annual dividend of 5.5%. The balance is derived from other commercial considerations. The combination will be financed through $1.0 billion of new Series C preferred equity investment led by the SoftBank Latin American Fund (“SoftBank”), along with current Univision investor ForgeLight LLC, with participation from Google and The Raine Group; and $2.1 billion of debt commitments arranged by J.P. Morgan.

News content production for Mexico will be outsourced from a company owned by The Azcárraga family to guarantee that news content remains in Mexican hands and is produced in Mexico. Televisa-Univision will retain all assets, IP and library related to Televisa’s News division.

The transaction is expected to close in 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals in the United States and Mexico, and Televisa shareholder approval. The Board of Directors of both Televisa and Univision have already approved the combination.

Management and Board

Univision CEO Wade Davis will lead the combined company, Alfonso de Angoitia will serve as Executive Chairman of the Televisa-Univision Board of Directors and Marcelo Claure, CEO of SoftBank International will become Vice Chairman of the Board. The Company’s Board will have 13 directors, including five appointed by Televisa, three by Searchlight and ForgeLight, two by the Series C shareholders and three independent directors. At closing, the board will be Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean, Bernardo Gómez Martínez, Alfonso de Angoitia Noriega, Marcelo Claure, Michel Combes, Gisel Ruiz, Oscar Muñoz, Maria Cristina “MC” Gonzalez Noguera, Wade Davis, Eric Zinterhofer, Jeff Sine and two additional Televisa appointees.

After closing, content production and operations in Mexico will continue to be led by Emilio Azcárraga, Chairman of the Televisa Board of Directors, and Bernardo Gómez and Alfonso de Angoitia, Televisa’s Co-Chief Executive Officers, during a transition period to ensure a smooth and successful integration.

Strong Financial Profile

As a result of the significant equity infusion and enhanced profitability of the Company, Televisa-Univision’s net debt leverage ratio is expected to decline by over 2.0x to approximately 5.0x, when accounting for run-rate revenue and cost synergies of $200 to $300 million. Televisa-Univision’s differentiated market proposition and cost structure allow for premium top line pricing with efficient content costs as most of the production will take place in Mexico where the Company has substantial high quality production studios in an ideal market to source premium content. This creates a powerful margin profile unlike any other media company, including run-rate synergies, EBITDA margin is expected to be close to 45%. The combined financial strength will allow the Company to invest in the anticipated launch of its global streaming platform, which is expected in early 2022.

Grupo Televisa Post-Transaction

Post-transaction, Televisa will keep developing and expanding its industry-leading Telecom business in Mexico, offering best-in-class high-speed internet access and providing high-quality programming as a content aggregator. Televisa will use the proceeds received from Univision primarily to pay down debt, while continuing to pursue growth opportunities and strengthen its leading position through ongoing investments at its core businesses. As a result, Televisa’s net debt leverage ratio will decline to below 2.0x and its U.S. dollar-denominated assets and liabilities will be matched. After the transaction closes, Televisa will no longer consolidate financials of its Content segment.

Advisors

Guggenheim Securities and J.P. Morgan are acting as financial advisors to Univision; and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Sidley Austin LLP and Covington & Burling LLP are serving as legal counsel to Univision.

Allen & Company is acting as financial advisor to Televisa. Wachtell Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes, S.C. are providing legal counsel. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is serving as regulatory counsel. LionTree Advisors LLC rendered a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of Televisa.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel to the SoftBank Latin America Fund.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP served as legal counsel to The Raine Group.

Talk about a vote of approval.

A veteran Wall Street media analyst has significantly raised her target price for iHeartMedia, and took her rating on the company’s stock up not by one notch, but two.

Jessica Reif Ehrlich, today an analyst with Bank of America Securities, upgraded IHRT to “Buy” — from “Underperform.”

Even more astounding, Ehrlich raised her price target on iHeartMedia to $26 per share, from $10.

Why? Ehrlich is convinced the advertising market will come “roaring back” over the next several months. And, in the case of iHeart, adjusted EBITDA at the end of 2021 could return to where it was in 2021. In Ehrlich’s view, the adjusted EBITDA iHeart will see in 2021 is now forecast at $798 million, up from $744 million.

Investors responded by snapping up iHeart shares, pushing IHRT to $19.79, up 13.2% from Monday. Its peers didn’t benefit, with Beasley Media Group dipping 4.5% to $2.77 as Cumulus Media gained 2 cents to $9.10 and Audacy was at $4.93 — lower than the final day of trading for the company under its Entercom ticker symbol.

Why iHeart? Its sheer scale is one likely factor, with stations across a variety of market sizes and profitability in the nation’s biggest markets — something that proved difficult for Cumulus Media and remains a challenge for Audacy’s former CBS Radio stations.

There are also studies pointing to increases in drive-time listening.

But, iHeart is also being singled out for its podcasting arm.

As small and medium-sized businesses continue to reopen, Ehrlich believes iHeart properties are poised to benefit from increased ad dollars.

Furthermore, as live events ramp up again, iHeart will see added revenue.

Lastly, iHeart gets Ehrlich’s strong stamp approval for now having “manageable debt maturities with significant capacity to de-lever the business, facilitating a highly favorable capital structure shift in favor of equity.”

 

Cox Media Group has named Kim Dallow to head its Tulsa, Okla., radio cluster.

She was named director of radio operations, reporting to Regional VP Cathy Gunther. The cluster has five FM stations.

[Read: CMG Puts Long in Charge in Atlanta]

“Dallow brings to this role 26 years of experience in radio, including 14 years with CMG in the Tulsa market,” the company wrote in the announcement. Gunther said Dallow has been “serving unofficially as our operations manager for about a year now and our cluster has only improved with her at the helm.” She succeeds Nate Reed, who transferred to Florida last year.

She has been marketing and promotions director for the cluster for 11 years and the director of branding & programming for 103.3 The Eagle KJSR(FM) for five years. She will continue to program that station.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Dallow Takes Helm for Cox in Tulsa appeared first on Radio World.

Sinclair’s MarkONE mobile phone receives an ATSC 3.0 transmission with full-featured DRM radio services. (Photo: Sinclair)

Mark Aitken, senior vice president of advanced technology at the Sinclair Broadcast Group, flipped the switch on a 100 W transmitter to begin broadcasting ATSC 3.0 TV from atop the station group’s corporate headquarters in Hunt Valley, Md.

It is with the express purpose of testing reception on small devices like its MarkONE 3.0-enabled smartphone and, in particular, integration of Digital Radio Mondiale in its broadcast app.

The launch comes on the same day Sinclair and German technology research institute Fraunhofer IIS jointly announced they are working together to bring audio services using the DRM standard to ATSC 3.0. (Earlier this year, Sinclair rolled out 3.0 simulcasts of its Seattle radio stations with its DRM-based broadcast app.)

“We are actually building the DRM radio service into the [3.0] broadcast app environment,” Aitken said. “That means those [DRM] services will be carried in band and transported just like HEVC [high-efficiency video coding] and [Dolby] AC-4.”

While DRM relies on Fraunhofer’s xHE-ACC codec and the specified audio codec for the U.S. deployment of ATSC 3.0 is Dolby AC-4, the unsupported audio codec can be integrated into the 3.0 ecosystem via Sinclair’s ATSC 3.0 broadcast app, says Aitken.

“Even television sets through the [ATSC] A/344 interactive environment will be able to grab that app, consume the [DRM] player and bring that [xHE-AAC-based] player into the operational environment of the TV set,” says Aitken.

However, Aiken emphasizes that Sinclair’s NextGen TV programming will use the Dolby AC-4 codec. Only its audio services, such as the STIRR Radio simulcasts in Seattle, will leverage xHE-AAC coding through the DRM player in its broadcast app.

The strategy behind bringing DRM to the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem is multifaceted, says Aitken.

Uniting DRM with ATSC 3.0 offers benefits internationally. For instance, in India some 200 languages and dialects are spoken and the most prevalent means of receiving content is the mobile phone. Bringing 3.0 and DRM into harmony could offer broadcasters a way to build out a single broadcast infrastructure to deliver both TV and radio stations while offering a bandwidth-efficient way to reach radio listeners regionally in their own tongue, says Aiken.

“Bringing the rich digital radio experience of DRM to the innovative ATSC TV platform is a perfect win-win situation for users and broadcasters alike,” says Alexander Zink, senior business development manager for broadcast applications at Fraunhofer.

Sinclair, too, plans to leverage the bandwidth efficiency of xHE-AAC in the U.S. to deliver stereo audio services at as little as 26 kbps per channel over the air via its 3.0 broadcast app. It also is looking at how other DRM-based services might serve the public, such as Fraunhofer’s Journaline interactive information service.

One of the primary goals of the 3.0 rollout in Maryland, operating under a special temporary authority (STA) license from the FCC, will focus on the use of these DRM services and other broadcast app features on small receivers, says Aitken.

Further, Aitken is hopeful that combining 3.0 and DRM in mobile devices, such as Sinclair’s Mark One smartphone, will advance the station group’s effort to get 3.0 receivers into vehicles as an affordable alternative to delivering data to cars and trucks via LTE wireless service, he says.

“Being able to demonstrate these services to the automotive world [with a Mark One-type mobile phone in a vehicle] allows them to begin to think about ATSC 3.0 for data delivery,” says Aitken. “By the end of the year, there will be upwards of 70% or more of the U.S. public served [with 3.0] by at least one broadcast facility, and the aspiration of companies like BitPath is to have multiple channels with bandwidth available over the next two to three years.”

 

The post Sinclair, Fraunhofer Will Integrate DRM in ATSC 3.0 appeared first on Radio World.

There’s been a bit of chatter across the radio industry this week about the latest blog post from Pierre Bouvard, the Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media and its Westwood One arm.

Bouvard delves into the perception, versus “reality,” of AM and FM radio. He shares some of his latest insights on the subject in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Pierre Bouvard” on Spreaker.

Benelux broadcaster Mediahuis is installing the OmniPlayer 3 radio automation software platform for its Flanders-located stations in Belgium. That includes its NRJ- and Nostalgie-branded stations along with individual stations of other formats.

Mediahuis Technical Manager Luc de Groote pointed to OmniPlayer’s ability to create separate brand-oriented versions of a program for each station. He explained, “The stations NRJ and Nostalgie, each with six regional editions, will use the edition function. With this, broadcasters can add advertisement blocks regionally and broadcast them simultaneously.”

[Read: OmniPlayer Chosen by RTL Belgium]

De Groote also noted that the company was familiar with OmniPlayer and “it is a stable and robust system.”

In addition to standard automation features, OmniPlayer 3 is bringing along a news editing and playout system.

According to a release the rollout will start with the singular format stations and then move to the larger NRJ and Nostalgie groups.

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Mediahuis Selects OmniPlayer appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has canceled a $3,500 penalty against a low-power radio station in Ohio.

The FCC’s Media Bureau had issued the notice of apparent liability for forfeiture to Lighthouse Ministries of Northwest Ohio, licensee of WKJH(LP) in Bryan, Ohio for failing to file a license renewal application and “willfully and repeatedly” violating the Communications Act by staying on the air after the license had expired.

An application should have been filed by June 1, 2020, to avoid expiration on Oct. 1. The station did not file a renewal application, so the bureau issued a public notice announcing the station’s license had expired.

Not until late October did the station file its application and ask for reconsideration, and the FCC then set a $3,500 penalty. But the station replied that it did not have the resources to pay, and it submitted financial documentation to that effect.

“We accept licensee’s showing — based on its financial statements — that payment of the proposed forfeiture would create a financial hardship,” the FCC wrote. “Accordingly, we will cancel the proposed forfeiture.” But it admonished the station for its “willful violation.”

The post Ohio LPFM Won’t Have to Pay Fine appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters announced the winners of the annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards.

They are:

KSL(FM) Salt Lake City

KRSP(FM) Salt Lake City

KSTP(FM) St. Paul

WBAP(AM) Dallas

WDRV(FM) Chicago

WFXE(FM) Columbus, Ga.

WJJY(FM), Brainerd, Minn.

WMMR(FM), Philadelphia

WSB(FM), Atlanta

WWRM(FM), Tampa

The NAB Crystal Radio Awards recognize U.S. radio stations for their year-round commitment to community service.

Howard University’s WHUR(FM) in Washington received the Crystal Heritage Award. This recognizes stations that have won five Crystal Radio Awards for exceptional year-round community service efforts. Nine others have received the Heritage award.

The post NAB Announces Crystal Radio Winners appeared first on Radio World.

Veritone said it has extended its analytics service agreement with Audacy, the former Entercom Communications.

The supplier said Entercom was one of the first adopters of its Veritone Discovery product, a content search and analysis program that uses artificial intelligence to organize and analyze its “unstructured media.”

[Read: AI Is the Next Step in Redefining Radio Ad Sales ROI]

Veritone said it is processing over 2 million hours of Audacy content annually.

“With Veritone Discovery, Audacy is also able to rapidly visualize and correlate advertising efficacy for over 230 stations in 47 markets nationwide,” the supplier stated in a press release.

Veritone said its Discovery system has recent updates including new Earned Media monitoring features, expanded audience data analytics and updated reporting customization features.

The announcement was made by Veritone SVP Drew Hilles and Audacy Chief Revenue Officer Bob Phillips.

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Audacy Extends Its Contract With Veritone appeared first on Radio World.

The NAB on Tuesday (4/13) announced the ten winners of the 34th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards. The winners were selected from 50 finalists and honored today during NAB Show Premiere, its digitally delivered ancillary conference tied to the NAB Show, rescheduled for fall 2021 due to the pandemic.

The winners of the 2021 Crystal Radio Awards are:

• KSL-FM in Salt Lake City
• KRSP-FM in Salt Lake City
• KSTP-FM in Minneapolis-St. Paul
• WBAP-AM in Dallas
• WDRV-FM in Chicago
• WFXE-FM in Columbus, Ga.
• WJJY-FM in Brainerd, Minn.
• WMMR-FM in Philadelphia
• WSB-FM in Atlanta
• WWRM-FM in Tampa

Five-time NAB Crystal Radio Award winning station WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. also recieved the esteemed Crystal Heritage Award during the special event. Only nine other stations have received this honor.

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms.

Since 1987, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their year-round commitment to community service.

The sale was approved on March 26. Now, the transaction brokered by Kalil & Co. has closed.

Get ready for the highly anticipated arrival of KLOVE and Air1 on full-market signals serving the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

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Members of the Media Ad Sales Council (MASC), an industry advocacy group founded by the media technology provider, will lead Matrix’s April Media Ad Sales Summit “Candid Conversation,” which is focused on automating the buy/sell manual transactions and processes.

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For 14 years, she’s been associated with Cox Media Group’s Tulsa radio stations.

Now, this 26-year radio industry veteran is getting promoted to Director of Radio Operations.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

 

Earning the new stripes at CMG is Kim Dallow. She’s been the Director of Branding & Programming for KJSR-FM “103.3 The Eagle,” Cox’s Classic Rock station in Tulsa, for the past five years. She will retain those duties, while shedding the Marketing and Promotions Director role for CMG/Tulsa first given to Dallow 11 years ago.

“Kim has been serving unofficially as our operations manager for about a year now and our cluster has only improved with her at the helm,” said Cathy Gunther, a CMG Regional VP who Dallow reports to. “I look forward to seeing what she can do in her new role as we continue to lead the radio market in Green Country with top-tier ratings, community events, and innovative promotional efforts.”

Dallow added, ‘It’s such a privilege to work with this team of outstanding broadcasters. I’m so proud of the local programming and community support that CMG Tulsa consistently provides, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to help ensure that it’s legacy of excellence continues.”

 

Much has been stated about the better picture, improved sound and data capabilities tied to ATSC 3.0, the new digital broadcast standard that is bringing NEXTGEN TV to markets across the U.S. on a voluntary rollout basis.

Did you know that there’s a potential boost in the riches of AM and FM broadcast stations tied to ATSC 3.0? A big TV station owner, with radio properties in Seattle, is largely to thank for this tech progression.

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The Alabama Broadcasters Association will pay for 20 broadcasters to attend the NAB Show or associated events this October, and it plans a drawing to choose them.

The association has allotted up to $2,500 per person to cover airfare to Las Vegas, meeting registration and hotel; it will conduct the drawing on April 30.

Radio World asked ABA President Sharon Tinsley about the program.

Radio World: What prompted this effort?

Sharon Tinsley: It has been a tough year for broadcasters and budgets are tight. This is a way the ABA can help broadcasters attend the trade shows and have the continuing education opportunities they need at a time when they might not have the funds to do so on their own.

RW: What are the general guidelines?

Tinsley: We’re requiring that persons who submit their names be employees of member stations; they must have worked in the state in the business for at least three years; they have to include a narrative about how they hope to benefit from the experience; and a manager must also submit the employee’s name to be included in the drawing.

RW: Has ABA done this before?

Tinsley: We’ve done this on a much smaller scale in the past. We’ve offered to pay registration fees to the NAB’s Sales and Management Television Exchange and the fall Radio Show for several years, for up to five people to attend each. This year, we’re offering to cover the majority of the cost and for many more people.

RW: What is your general sense of the willingness of broadcasters to get back to physical trade shows and other in-person events?

Tinsley: I sense that people are eager to attend meetings in person again. We’re getting a great response to announcements like this one about the NAB meetings and our plans to host the ABA conference in person later this year.

Our vaccination rollout is going well in Alabama. In half our counties, over 30% of the population has had at least one dose. At this point, all persons over age 16 are eligible. We are ahead of the national average for vaccinations.

RW: What else should we know?

Tinsley: We’re hosting an in-person gathering of about 35 broadcasters at a Birmingham area hotel ballroom to view the National Association of Broadcasters’ State Leadership Conference together in May. We are taking measures to ensure everyone’s safety with only one or two people each at large dining table. We’re doing everything we can to bring people together, but keep them far enough apart!

Also, we are awarding $25,000 in Education Debt Retirement Grants this year, through which we will pay off $5,000 of student debt for five broadcasters. This is our second year to do this. And we are endowing a $50,000 scholarship fund at another Alabama college or university this spring. It will be our third year to do so.

Alabama broadcasters interested in the program should contact Sharon Tinsley. The deadline is April 30 at 4 p.m. Central time.

The NAB Show is scheduled for Oct. 9–13 in Las Vegas. The fall Radio Show is collocated with it on Oct. 13 and 14. Registrants to SMTE and the Radio Show can access to NAB Show exhibit floor at no additional cost.

The post ABA Will Send 20 People to NAB Events appeared first on Radio World.

He was formerly the U.S. Head of Industries for Google Cloud’s Deal Pursuit Organization.

Now, he’s the General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development for FOX News Media.

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Taking the role and reporting to CEO Suzanne Scott is Bernard T. Gugar.

“His extensive expertise and highly accomplished background will add immeasurable value to our thriving multiplatform brand,” Scott said.

Gugar added, “I am excited to join one of the most influential news operations in the world and look forward to utilizing my experience spanning media, law and technology to help FOX News Media grow, evolve and develop a diversified digital footprint.”

At Google, Gugar led a team that drives Google Cloud’s most strategic and complex transactions across several industry sectors. Prior to that, Gugar provided his skills and background to the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Booth School of Business, where he guided tech entrepreneurs spanning digital media, fintech, healthcare, artificial intelligence and E-commerce industries in developing and monetizing their business ventures.

Before that, Gugar served as the SVP and General Counsel of Oprah Winfrey’s privately-held Harpo Inc., where he worked from 2007 to 2015. He began his career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as an associate in the corporate group, after which he moved to Bear Stearns & Co., where he served as a Vice President within the Investment Banking Division.

FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC); FOX Business Network (FBN); FOX News Digital; FOX News Audio; FOX News Books; the direct-to-consumer digital streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International; and the recently announced AVOD platform FOX Weather.

The author is project director of RadioDNS. His commentaries appear regularly in Radio World.

Fig. 1 — What happens when functionality implementation is misaligned.

Consider two organizations, both well established, commercially successful and global in reach. One makes products that the other distributes to consumers, each equally reliant on the other.

It would be pointless to make a product that couldn’t be distributed to consumers, or to create a distribution network for a product that doesn’t exist. And yet that happens when radio stations create services that car radios can’t use, and car radios implement functionality that radio stations don’t support. It’s a waste of time (and money) that we don’t have a lot of. When auto manufacturers work with companies like Spotify or Sirius XM, they get a clear brief, consistently implemented.

[Read: SurferNetwork Partners With RadioDNS]

Part of the challenge is the diversity and scale of the radio industry. Radio isn’t one single organization, but a myriad of different owners, brands, products and technical capabilities. On the relatively egalitarian radio dial, a huge media organization with big production budgets can be side-by-side with a small community broadcaster that works hard to stay on-air. Both have a presence that needs to be available to consumers. When you’re an automotive manufacturer, you can hear from a cacophony of radio stations, and working out if they’re all asking for the same things but in different ways is impossibly time-consuming.

The radio industry is getting better at focusing its requirements and communicating them clearly, and the automotive industry is getting better at realizing that communication with broadcasters avoids costly misunderstandings. Organizations like the NAB, WorldDAB and RadioDNS create opportunities for both sides to talk through the detail of how to implement the best possible radio experience in the car.

WorldDAB and RadioDNS jointly organize Automotive Workshops three times a year, specifically to address things that aren’t working as well as could be expected. These roundtable meetings discuss a mixture of current implementation issues, and identify gaps in functionality that could be easily closed. This focus on here, now and addressable problems is very different from the longer term horizon of groups like the WorldDAB Technical Committee or the RadioDNS Technical Group.

At the latest workshop, held in February 2021, we discussed current issues where we can see that the alignment between broadcasters and manufacturers isn’t right, and is causing problems.

Fig. 2 — Examples of DL+ rendering (Photo: Ford)

On the subject of providing real-time metadata, we looked at the big divergence between the relatively widespread support in cars for DL+ (and RT+), which allows specific identification of artist, title and other key pieces of metadata, and the fairly poor support of it by broadcasters. It was an opportunity for auto manufacturers to show how that function is displayed to drivers and why they value it, which was new information for many broadcasters. It’s a function that’s implemented and broadcasters haven’t been utilizing because they didn’t understand why they should.

We also discussed driver distraction, which is influencing so many decisions in the automotive industry about what drivers can see and can do. We talked about how broadcasters could reduce the risks of creating distractions by considering issues such as the repetition speed of text information and tailoring visual content to consider design elements like text size, text density, colors and brightness, particularly the potential for distracting glare from bright images during night time. It’s an effective way for manufacturers to educate broadcasters on how to create content and support functionality that manufacturers want and can include in vehicles.

Fig. 3 — Examples of visuals in the eye line of the driver

RadioDNS and WorldDAB run a help desk facility for broadcasters and manufacturers, recognizing that often the problem with solving a problem is getting hold of the right person. By acting as an information exchange, they can route problems to the people who can solve them, and look out for trends and issues that should be addressed by the whole community.

At the workshop RadioDNS and WorldDAB also announced they will be carrying out an extensive and detailed survey of manufacturers’ and broadcasters’ capabilities, to identify and close as many implementation gaps as possible. The first results will be presented to the next workshop, and comprehensive results available later in the year. It’s an opportunity to create a step change in the experience of radio in cars on the road today for the least effort on behalf of both broadcasters and manufacturers.

The automotive workshops are unique in structure, encouraging interaction and discussion about implementation and problem solving. With over 70 people attending the last workshop, they’re also very well attended with people with knowledge and ability.

The next WorldDAB and RadioDNS Automotive Workshop will be on June 8. Information about registration will be made available close to the time, on both the WorldDAB and RadioDNS websites.

 

The post Automotive Audio Workshops Organized by RadioDNS and WorldDAB appeared first on Radio World.