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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $3,000 to Fairfield Educational Radio Station for failure to timely file a license renewal application for Station KHOE, Fairfield, Iowa

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Designation of Station WSYL(AM) license renewal application for hearing

The FCC has commenced a hearing proceeding into whether it should renew the license of a radio station that has been silent or operating at unauthorized power levels except for brief periods of time since 2018.

NIA Broadcasting Inc. has been licensee of WSYL(AM) in Sylvania, Ga., since Jan. 22, 2018. Its renewal of license application was flagged by the commission after the Media Bureau raised concerns about the broadcaster’s service to its community of license due to its lack of operation.

The FCC in a Hearing Designation Order and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing released on Tuesday details its findings and defines the upcoming hearing process.

[Read: Miss. LPFM Faces $1,500 Paperwork Fine]

During NIA Broadcasting’s tenure as licensee of WSYL from January 2018, for the balance of the license term ending in 2020, according to the FCC, the station was silent or operated at unauthorized power levels except for brief periods of operations.

“In 2018, WSYL operated for 16 days, presumably at its licensed power level. In 2019, WSYL operated for 270 days, in whole or in part at an unauthorized power level of 500 Watts. In 2020, WSYL operated for two days at an authorized power level of 20 watts,” the FCC concluded.

WSYL is a Class C AM station licensed to operate at 1 kW of power from a site in Sylvania, Ga., according to the FCC’s document. Sylvania is located approximately 200 miles southeast of Atlanta.

NIA Broadcasting filed the station’s renewal application in late 2019, according to the FCC. However, the commission pointed to the station’s extended periods of silence during the proceeding term, which “left [the FCC] unable to find that grant of the renewal application is in the public interest.”

It is not clear from the public record why NIA Broadcasting has operated only sporadically since it assumed the license of WSYL in 2018, but its inactivity nonetheless drew the interest of the FCC at the time of the license renewal request.

According to the FCC’s order: “A broadcast licensee’s authorization to use radio spectrum in the public interest carries with it the obligation that the station must serve its community, providing programming responsive to local needs and interests.”

FCC requirements also include an obligation for radio stations to transmit national level EAS message during times of emergency.

The licensee’s renewal application “has now been designated for hearing before the FCC administrative law judge at a time and place to be specified in a subsequent order,” according to the FCC.

NIA Broadcasting will be provided the opportunity to explain its behavior and convince the FCC it is acting in the public interest. However, it faces some hurdles put in place by the FCC for such cases.

In 2001, the commission cautioned “all licensees that … a licensee will face a very heavy burden in demonstrating that it has served the public interest where it has remained silent for most or all of the prior license term.”

The FCC’s notice of hearing document concludes: “If NIA Broadcasting Inc. fails to file a written appearance within the time specified, or has not filed prior to the expiration of that time a petition to dismiss without prejudice, or a petition to accept, for good cause shown, such written appearance beyond expiration of said 20 days, the captioned application shall be dismissed with prejudice for failure to prosecute.”

The FCC’s hearing notice is available online (MB Docket No. 21-82).

 

The post AM Station’s Spotty Operational Schedule Puts License at Risk appeared first on Radio World.

Deloitte has created what it calls an “equity imperative.”

What’s the reason for Deloitte’s action? It says it has done so with the goal “of inspiring better understanding, deeper insight, and more meaningful action now toward greater racial equity.”

It is composed of three linked sections that “acknowledge the legacy and realities
of racism in the United States, imagine various potential futures for racial equity
in the United States over the next decade and beyond, and suggest specific
steps leaders can take to promote more equitable outcomes, both in their
organizations and more broadly.”

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The Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is now accepting suggestions for 2021 nominees.

Hurry! The nominations window closes in three weeks.

Suggestions can be made through March 31, 2021, in the following categories:

Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)
Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)
Networks/Syndication (10 years or more)
Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)
Music Format On-Air Personality
Spoken Word On-Air Personality

Inductees will be honored at the annual Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with plans to be held live in Chicago at a date to be announced later this year.

Radio imaging and production company The Mix Group is a presenting sponsor of the 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations of the Hall in 1991.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is recognizing Radio’s 100th anniversary with a variety of events in 2021, including special tributes and recognition of the many talented men and women who’ve contributed to the medium’s ongoing success.

A 1kw Class C AM serving Sylvania, Ga., is presently dark under a STA.

It’s been dark for a while. In fact, it’s been silent for so long that the station has been designated for a license renewal hearing by the FCC.

As such, Tampa-based owner Neal Ardman has a potential battle on his hands to save the station.

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The FCC has been active in sending out of late Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture with respect to the untimely filing of a license renewal application.

The latest licensee to get a proposed fine? It is the owner of a Class A noncomm in Iowa used by a station housed at Maharishi International University.

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Entercom Communications on March 5 signed off on Amendment No. 6 to an October 17, 2016, credit agreement it struck with JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Specifically, Entercom is amending the financial covenant set forth in Section 7.09 of the agreement.

What will this accomplish?

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Newly installed Nautel GV10 FM analog transmitter at KSGF in Springfield, Mo.

Last month KSGF(FM), a Summit Media station in Springfield, Mo., purchased and installed a Nautel GV10 analog FM transmitter.

Vice President of Engineering Dennis Sloatman said he installed the transmitter without a hitch. It went live on Feb. 27. Sloatman says he has installed seven Nautel FM transmitters in recent years — ranging from a VS1 to a GV40.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

He said he likes them for their ease of installation, remote interface, reliability and tech support.

Sloatman explains, “Engineering at Nautel has covered all the bases with the rich feature set and clean layout. We will continue purchasing Nautel products for all our transmitter needs.”

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

The post KSGF Adds New Nautel Transmitter appeared first on Radio World.

A special meeting of Comscore Inc. shareholders is now over. And, the results of the Tuesday event are now known.

It’s good news for one of America’s biggest MVPDs and internet service providers.

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In Washington, D.C., Adonis Hoffman has been a leading voice on media and communications law and policy, in particular FCC regulatory moves, for years. In February 2008, as SVP and Council for the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4 A’s), Hoffman was one of several key participants in a “No Urban/Hispanic Dictates” meeting held between the FCC and key advertising and marketing associations.

Hoffman would later serve as a former FCC Chief of Staff and as a senior legal advisor to former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, and is the founder and Chairman of “Business in the Public Interest” and Adjunct Professor of Communication, Culture & Technology at Georgetown University.

As of last month, he was in Fort Lauderdale, speaking to a China-owned news channel as the founder of the “Responsible Technology Initiative.” And, until this morning, an additional role was in the works for Hoffman.

That’s been scratched, TEGNA has announced.

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TEGNA on Tuesday provided the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) e-mail communication sent to shareholders that outlines, in detail, the decision by Adonis Hoffman to withdraw his nomination for a TEGNA board seat.

TEGNA also submitted to the SEC another piece of e-mail communication.

It’s a letter to employees from TEGNA CEO Dave Lougee that addresses Hoffman’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for a company board seat.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — When it became known that a nominee for a TEGNA Board of Directors seat had withdrawn himself from consideration, due to a 2014 case of mistaken identity gone wrong involving company CEO Dave Lougee, the name of the nominee was shared.

But, TEGNA didn’t share details of who Adonis Hoffman is, and why Lougee mistakenly thought he was a valet at a 2014 event is so potentially explosive.

Hoffman is a highly accomplished African American who once served as Chief of Staff of the FCC, and held key positions in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Here’s a transaction that will likely raise eyebrows: TEGNA‘s CBS affiliate serving Tampa Bay, along with two properties in Maine, are being transferred to a new licensee.

No, TEGNA isn’t selling the three TV stations. Rather, it’s doing some internal housekeeping, and the paperwork shows that a dissident shareholder is still very much a key investor in the company.

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By Brian Galante
Special to Weekly Tech Roundup

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Sarina Fazan has established herself as a trusted source for local TV news viewers in the Tampa Bay region for nearly 20 years.

As a member of the news team at The E.W. Scripps Co.’s ABC affiliate, WFTS-28, Fazan established herself as an influential storyteller with a reputation for landing exclusive interviews, gaining national attention along the way.

Now, she’s ready to gain a worldwide audience, thanks to what’s essentially a video podcast.

It’s the culmination of efforts that began two years ago, when Fazan launched Sarina Fazan Media. Her flagship production, “On The Record With Sarina Fazan,” is a weekly podcast that largely uses the formula of local public affairs shows seen on broadcast TV stations across the U.S.

As of press time, Fazan has produced 63 episodes.

The rollout of “On The Record with Sarina Fazan” is thanks, in part, to Fazan’s time at WFTS. In 2013, she met the station’s then-Director of Engineering Lowell Beckner. He now serves as GM of CP Communications, the live content acquisition and production company and tech services provider that set up shop in St. Petersburg two years ago. CP, with Beckner’s assistance, helped Fazan to bring the video podcasts to life.

The video podcast proved to be a welcome pivot for CP. Known primarily for its live sports production, its mobile production trucks were idled when the pandemic hit. With the at-home production business rapidly surging, CP moved to serve clients in this arena at a much greater capacity than it already had been doing.

In 2018, CP launched Red House Streaming to fulfill at-home production needs. A year later, the all-in-one CamSTREAM systems for remote shoots were added to the roster of products. With plenty of space in St. Petersburg, a professional studio and network operations center were added.

For Beckner, overseeing the launch of Red House Streaming (RHS) including a talent search, with him sniffing out talent that wished to broadcast live from the RHS studio.

The RHS business officially opened in early January 2021, ahead of Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

LIVE, AND ON-DEMAND

As Executive Producer for “On The Record,” Audra Butler through the end of 2020 oversaw production in a small office studio that, while sufficient, had modest technical capacities.

“We didn’t have the ability to go live, so all podcasts were distributed as pre-recorded content,” Butler said. “That changed when we walked into the RHS studios. Most shows are now produced and streamed live from the set. It is a studio facility with that live broadcast feeling, even when the podcasts are recorded.”

Fazan’s first live-streamed podcast from RHS took place on January 15. The successful “test run” laid the groundwork for what was next.

Butler recalls, “By this point, the Buccaneers had won the NFC Championship and were headed to the Super Bowl. Sarina raised the idea of doing daily podcasts leading up to the game, which, in addition to the studio shows, included a live remote two days before the game. It was the perfect situation to create a podcast series with local and national interest.”

With Kurt Heitmann leading CP operations as CEO and providing the vision that led to RHS’s creation, the studios boast Panasonic cameras, vMix live production and streaming software, Simplylive all-in-one production systems, Aja KiPro quad recorders, and Blackmagic ATEM Studio 4K production switchers.

A professional editing studio, Dante-enabled audio production workflow, and large intercom matrix are also available, along with the adjacent NOC for signal monitoring and quality control.

The technologies are used for full in-house productions such as Fazan’s podcasts and for at-home productions. Clients include Carr-Hughes Productions, CBS Sports Network and Verona Productions.

Beckner notes that a chroma key wall and virtual sets have brought a unique visual experience to each podcast, which were helpful when the podcasts shifted from weekly to daily. The initial run of five shows swelled to eight, including one on Super Bowl Sunday.

Beckner directed up to four camera shots for most of the shows (and, for one special production, served as a camera operator), and assigned a full crew for other positions.
“We had a technical director running the switcher, an audio specialist producing the sound, and an engineer overseeing the entire production from the NOC,” he said. “We used technicians with different skillsets along the way, from experienced professionals to CP warehouse technicians that stepped up when needed.”

REPORTING FROM ANYWHERE

A list of enthusiastic guests, including current and retired NFL players, drove the series’ expansion to eight shows.

A special remote show highlighted Rebuilding Together’s Super Bowl-sanctioned event, Kick Off to Rebuild, which focused on helping families in need with home repairs. “We traveled to the Northdale community of Tampa,” Fazan said. “We had an established rhythm in the studio, but I was no longer behind the news desk. We were now on location, and needed to meet the same quality expectations.”

It was then that CP Communications’ at-home production model came to life.

“The human element of being back on a normal news set is amazing to me on so many levels,” Fazan said. “They are creating virtual sets with these very different and appealing backgrounds, while using our graphics and colors and giving us creative control. With streaming, it’s all about creating the content you want, and building your own audience.”

Now, Fazan is planning her next moves. CP Communications’ services and products will be involved. “I very much intend to launch my own channel on Roku, Amazon, and other OTT platforms,” she said. “My goal is to bring newsmakers and high-profile people on this show that can draw both local and national audiences.”

As audience numbers continue to rise, “On The Record With Sarina Fazan” has permanently shifted production to the RHS studios. With live streams and podcasts available over YouTube, Facebook, and Fazan’s website at https://sarinafazan.media/podcast, she is planning her next moves with CP Communications.