Radio World

Emmis Communications will promote company veteran Taja Graham to become president of its important Indianapolis radio market on March 1.

She’ll succeed Bob Richards.

Graham is currently VP of sales. The company said Richards recommended Graham for the role and that he will pursue other career interests after a transition period.

In the market, Emmis owns news/talk WIBC(FM), adult contemporary WYXB(FM) “B105,” country WLHK(FM) “Hank FM,” the multi-signal sports/talk “The Fan,” and Network Indiana.

Graham has been with Emmis for 22 years in a variety of radio sales and promotions leadership roles. She is a graduate of the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Mentoring and Inspiring Woman in Radio (MIW) Rising Through the Ranks program.

The change was announced by Chairman and CEO Jeff Smulyan.

Bob Richards has also been an executive with Cumulus and Susquehanna. Smulyan commended him for his successes with revenue and ratings at Emmis Indianapolis.

The post Emmis Tabs Graham for Indy Market appeared first on Radio World.

Future of Music Coalition logo

Three petitioners are firing back at the National Association of Broadcasters in their debate about the radio duplication rule and whether the Federal Communications Commission allowed a last-minute “switcheroo” before voting to kill it.

The petitioners are REC Networks, musicFIRST Coalition and Future of Music Coalition. At issue is whether the FCC acted properly last year when it ended the rule for commercial FM stations as well as AMs.

The three groups want to overturn the inclusion of FMs. Their petition, filed in November, has been the subject of strongly worded back-and-forth comments filed with the FCC.

Ex parte in question

The former rule prohibited commercial AM and FM stations from duplicating more than 25 percent of an average week’s programming on commonly-owned stations in the same service (AM or FM), in the same geographic market.

The FCC last August killed it by a 3–2 vote in part to “help struggling stations stay on the air” and help with a potential voluntary digital transition in AM. It also called the change part of its effort to streamline and modernize its media rules.

But the draft order that the FCC had published ahead of that meeting explicitly said the rule was to be changed only for commercial AM stations. Shortly before the day of the vote, FM stations were added to the proposal.

The critics, which believe this change will inevitably lead to less program diversity, said the FCC added FM after the NAB lobbied Republican commissioners “on the literal eve of the applicable Sunshine Agenda Period.” They said this timing effectively prevented others from further advocating prior to the vote.

So in November they asked the FCC to revoke the FM part of the decision. They believe the FCC violated due process in allowing a “180 degree switcheroo” after NAB had made a critical last-minute presentation without due public discussion.

NAB countered with a vigorous filing this month, as we’ve reported. It said the FCC vote was justified, that the critics didn’t understand the business fundamentals of radio, and that musicFirst and FMC were being “retaliatory” because of the separate issue of performance royalties. [Read more on NAB’s filing.]

Latest filing

Now the three groups are criticizing the NAB for making an “ad hominem attack.” They say in their reply comments that the NAB didn’t even try to address their complaint that the FCC failed to follow proper procedures.

“Instead, NAB asks the commission to simply accept its unsupported assertion that there is so little demand by broadcasters for program duplication on commonly-owned FM stations, that the commission shouldn’t worry about radio owners actually taking advantage of the rule change,” they wrote.

“NAB’s argument fails to take into account that larger corporate owners of FM radio stations could engage in widespread local duplication of FM programming in the wake of this needlessly drastic rule change … Such widespread duplication of programming would necessarily harm the public interest in program diversity at local market levels.”

The groups pointed out that another critic, Common Frequency, said the FCC broke its own rules by failing to issue a public notice about NAB’s ex parte meeting until after the vote. Common Frequency also said the NAB and FCC both publicly misidentified the recipients of NAB’s presentation as the Media Bureau, not the majority commissioners who had the authority to vote on the matter.

The three groups concluded by again calling for the FCC to reinstate the FM portion of the rule. Instead they want the commission to monitor waiver applications for local FM duplication of programming “in order to determine how often, and under what types of circumstances, owners seek relief from the rule designed to protect the public interest in programming diversity on local FM airwaves.”

The post Duplication Rule Vote Lacked Due Process, Critics Say appeared first on Radio World.

Earthworks Audio has introduced its Icon USB and Icon Pro XLR microphones, both intended for use in podcasting, remote working, streaming and home recording.

The condenser-type Icon USB offers a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, used a cardioid polar pattern, and can take on up to 132 dB. Meanwhile, the phantom-powered Icon Pro expands on those specs with a frequency response of 20 Hz to 30 kHz and a maximum acoustic input of 139 dB. Both versions weigh 1.5 pounds.

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

Designed with an eye towards providing visual flair for those who appear on camera with their mics, the Icon series mics are stainless-steel constructed. Earthworks partnered with Triad-Orbit to design and build a custom desktop microphone stand that ships with the Icon microphones. The integrated M-2R swivel ball joint can be disconnected and re-mounted on any studio mic stand or boom arm.

Icon Pro looks and feels similar, but is hand tuned with an extended frequency response; the capsule has a faster rise time speed of 11.67 microseconds. Because it is an XLR broadcast microphone requiring 48 V of phantom power, it offers extended headroom and dynamics. The mic ships with an integrated Triad-Orbit M-2R adapter as well.

Both microphones are currently shipping. Since all components are machined and hand-assembled in Wilton, N.H., the initial launch will cater to U.S. distribution. Icon retails for $349 and Icon Pro sells for $499.

Info: https://earthworksaudio.com

 

The post Earthworks Audio Debuts Icon Microphones appeared first on Radio World.

Digigram announced three directors to a new management team.

The French audio manufacturer named CFO Florence Marchal to be director of finance, human resources and legal affairs. She joined the company in 2000.

Nancy Diaz Curiel was appointed director of sales, marketing and communications. Based in Singapore, she has overseen Asian and Pacific operations including products distribution.

Xavier Allanic, who has been VP Sales EMEA and Americas since 2018, becomes director of operations.

Jérémie Weber, CEO since 2017, remains chairman of Digigram Group. “This position now allows him to better focus on the group’s global strategy, oversee investment prospects, growth projects and secure relations with shareholders.”

Left to right, Florence Marchal, Nancy Diaz Curiel, Xavier Allanic

The post Digigram Names New Management Team appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has issued an unusual weekend enforcement warning that boils down to this: Don’t use ham radio, CBs, FRS walkie-talkies or other personal radio services to plan crimes.

This comes as federal and local government and law enforcement officials around the country report concerns over possible terrorist attacks from disgruntled Trump supports enraged by the outcome of the election and stoked by the recent attack on the Capitol.

The Enforcement Bureau “has become aware of discussions on social media platforms suggesting that certain radio services regulated by the commission may be an alternative to social media platforms for groups to communicate and coordinate future activities,” the FCC said in a statement issued Sunday morning.

“The Bureau recognizes that these service can be used for a wide range of permitted purposes including speech that is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution,” it continued. But it continued in bold font: “Amateur and Personal Radio Services, however, may not be used to facilitate crimes.”

The warning applies to ham radio operators and users of services like Citizen’s Band, Family Radio Service walkie-talkies and General Mobile Radio service.

Specifically, amateur licensees are reminded that they are prohibited from transmitting “communications intended to facilitate a criminal act” as well as “messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning.” Users in the Personal Radio Services like CBs are prohibited from using them “in connection with any activity that is against federal, state or local law.”

The post FCC Warning: Don’t Use Ham Radio or CBs to Plan Crimes appeared first on Radio World.

Sean McDonald, director of Neumann Media at Neumann University in Aston, Pa., is in charge of both the university’s radio and television stations. He also is the chief engineer of the studios, and supports all communication classes, media programs and live streaming for the university. He said that, for many students in the communications/broadcasting program, 2020 and the pandemic have given them the opportunity for a hands-on experience that equals an internship.

Radio World: Please describe your media operations, including the physical plant. How many studios, and how are they equipped? Where is the transmission facility; how is it equipped?

Sean McDonald: Neumann Media is housed in the John J. Mullen Jr. Communication Center, a recently built $5 million, 10,000-square foot addition to the Bruder Life Center. Our facilities feature three radio studios, two Wenger Room editing bays, two television studios with control rooms, master control, an esports room, a multipurpose hall, green room, meeting space and a rental shop. All rooms in the building have copper ins and outs being sent to a Blackmagic Design 72×72 router. Each room also is a part of our Axia AoIP network.

Studio A

Studio A has an Axia Fusion and six AKG C414 microphones. Each studio runs RCS Zetta for playout. Pathfinder handles GPIO through a custom button panel on the Fusion, with commands for arming various studios for air, routing a VMix virtual mix to air during production periods, as well as changing the state of the automation system, play next and a custom change chain button. The studio has a PC with an Axia IP Audio Driver, and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. There are four Comrex Access Rack codecs that can be routed into the studio to use for remotes or to connect with some of our sister stations, like 90.3 WMSC at Montclair State University. There is also a television mounted on the wall with the ability to route different camera feeds of the various studios to the television. All audio goes to master control and is processed through the 25-Seven PDM program delay manager.

Studio B has an Axia iQ console, with the same button panels configured as the Fusion in Studio A. There are two Shure SM7Bs in Studio B, with swappable AKG C414s stored in the room. The studio has a production PC with an Axia IP Audio Driver and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.

Studio B

Studio C has an Axia Desq console. There is a Neumann BCM 705 and a Symetrix 528E Processor in the studio. The studio has a production PC with an Axia IP Audio Driver, and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.

Each Wenger Edit room is equipped with an Axia Raq console, a production PC with an Axia IP Audio Driver and the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.

The PDM audio in master controls exits through an analog node and is sent to the transmitter using a Comrex Access Rack as our STL. Our backup unit is a Barix InStreamer, and our stream is encoded using the Telos ProStream. The Telos VMix in master control integrates through the phone panel on the Fusion and through VSet handsets in the other studios and edit bays.

The transmitter site is one mile away from campus and features a Nautel VS300 as the transmitter. Workflow at the transmitter begins with the Comrex Access Rack and Barix Extremer receiving audio from the studio. An iPod with emergency backup music is also playing at all times at the transmitter. All audio goes into an Axia Analog Node; another Pathfinder Server routes the audio to air. The Access gets priority, followed by the Barix and then the iPod. The audio then is processed through an Omnia.One, and is fed through a Digital Alert Systems DASDEC as the final stage before hitting the transmitter.

TV Studio Photo: www.chorusphotography.com

Our two TV studios and sports arena are each equipped with a NewTek TriCaster 8000 video production system running Advanced Edition. Our studio cameras are Panasonic P2s with AutoCue teleprompters, tally lights, Atomos Ninjas for studio monitors and RTS Audiocom intercom. We have a Soundcraft SI Expression 3 audio mixer in the main television studio and a Soundcraft SI Expression 2 in our secondary studio and sports arena. As mentioned, we use a BMD 72×72 router to send ins and outs throughout the building. We use NDI [Network Device Interface] sources like computers to bring guests in virtually, and to produce high-quality Zoom/Teams conferences when necessary. For remote guests who are able to connect with us, we have two Comrex LiveShot units and a ReadyCam Encoder. In many ways, we built this infrastructure for the future; we just didn’t know the future was operating in a pandemic.

RW: Who makes the executive decisions for the station? What role do the students have in station operations? What types of programming do they produce?

McDonald: As the director of the program, I make the executive decisions for the station with direct input form my student staff. Our students make up a student leadership team for radio and television: program director, news director, music directors, student engineer, news director and production director. Because we are both radio and TV, our students are active in both areas, so they lend their expertise to both programs to give themselves a well-rounded experience.

Our radio station has a wide range of programming, including specialty sports programming (all hockey, all basketball, Philly sports, etc.), a Hispanic music hour, a Hispanic culture hour, a positive/praise hour and so much more. My students really embrace the idea that college radio is the training ground for their future, and the space where music is discovered and given a chance. From ’50s jazz to K-Pop, we run the gamut of musical genres, which really makes us feel like we are “Radio Re-Invented.”

RW: Are students on campus now or learning and operating remotely?

McDonald: Neumann University [originally] operated on a hybrid method. Our students had the choice to come in-person, do classes fully remotely either live or asynchronous, or do a mixture of both. Classes were socially distanced with seating, and where needed, a rotation was created to let as many students as possible who wanted an in-person experience to have it. We went fully online for the remainder of the semester effective Nov. 16, 2020, five days earlier than originally anticipated.

RW: Is the station currently on the air? What means and products (e.g. software or hardware) are being used?

McDonald: The station is currently on the air, and shows are continuing both in person and remotely. Throughout the pandemic, we have been using a variety of software and hardware to get on the air, and it has given us a lot of great options. At the start of the pandemic, I bought a bunch of Blue USB Snowball Mics and PreSonus Audiobox USB 96 boxes to send home with students for classes and for radio shows. A few faculty and staff members are also using these to do their radio shows remotely.

We have multiple Comrex Access Rack units and portable units, so when we need a quick hit on the air, I typically let the students use the Fieldtap app if they have a decent enough Wi-Fi connection.

We have been using Zetta2Go via VPN for voice tracking of shows, or letting students use the interface to control the air machine’s stack and log, while being brought in on some form of codec.

The software we are currently using to get people on the air includes Audiomovers Listento, Cleanfeed, Discord, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

RW: What impact has COVID-19 had on the station? What are the challenges due to social distancing?

McDonald: When our building was in the design phase, we made sure that every room had audio and video inputs and outputs because we did not know when we would need to use each room differently. I had planned with the future in mind. I just did not realize the future meant social distancing during a pandemic. Because of health guidelines, we had to limit the number of people allowed in each studio. Some of our shows had up to six people on it, so we had to figure out a way to safely allow the shows to meet, while not losing quality, and most importantly, not letting the audience in on the secret.

[Read: College Media Spotlight: University of Nebraska, Omaha]

I installed PTZ cameras in each of our studios and editing suites, and using our classroom studio’s TriCaster 8000, I created a quad box that had each camera feed in it. We put monitors in each of the studios so each studio could see the other in real time. Being an Axia plant, I created a COVID VMix on the Fusion’s Power Station for each of the studios, so when in a break, each studio could talk to each other without having to leave the room. The biggest test for this came on College Radio Day, when we had to social distance 15 people across six rooms. It worked flawlessly, and now it’s very simple for the students to switch to the “Social Distance” profile in the main studio and be able to do their show with ease.

For TV, we capitalized on the addition of PTZ’s in our editing suites and doubled them as remote sites for our TV shows. Our show “Intern TV” has three hosts (who have all lived together), which we can easily socially distance, but guests presented a challenge. We did not want to have four people spread out across the room, so we put the guests in the Wenger Room. Using an Axia Analog Node, we send a mix/minus to the Raq to hear the studio, and we take the guest’s audio into the IEM of our hosts. The hosts sit in a semi-circle around a large TV that has a static shot of our guest, making the visual connection for the audience that they are still doing this live, just with a little distance between them. We adopted this model for our news program as well, which has worked well.

Technology is so good now that we were always prepared to do this, but never actively had a reason to utilize the workflow. The biggest challenge has been getting the students used to not having people physically next to them. It took a few weeks, but this is now just another tool in the student’s toolbox. Of course, there are small challenges that arise, like when one of our anchors was placed in quarantine after a possible exposure. Instead of cancelling the show, we took advantage of the fact that Microsoft Teams has become NDI-compliant. Using NDI, we put our anchor into our TriCaster like any other camera, and we fed the anchor the prompter as our camera feed, and the show continued just like any other week.

2020 taught us to be ready for anything, and to adapt on the fly. I am really proud of the way my students have powered through this, and I truly believe they will be better broadcasters because of these experiences.

Sean McDonald at his home studio.

RW: If the students are operating remotely, how are you making that happen? Can you give examples?

McDonald: Live shows that are remote happen using Cleanfeed, Discord and Microsoft Teams. We are using Cleanfeed to bring hosts and guests into the studio. We use a PC with an Axia IP driver to get the studio computer to the console, and we feed our PGM4 bus to the machine for talkback. We use Discord and Microsoft Teams to chat type to each other during on-air breaks, share files/ info, etc. Our Wellness Center hosts a weekly wellness show completely remotely with students, a professional counselor and a board operator who is in Studio A, communicating and producing the show. At the moment, the “Wellness Wednesday” show is the only one that is remote. During the start of the pandemic, students would prerecord their shows through voice tracking with Zetta2Go for single jock shows. Shows with more than one host would use Discord or Cleanfeed to record the show, and then we would load it into Zetta via VPN.

RW: Is there anything else our readers should know?

McDonald: 2020 has been rough for everyone, but it has also been a learning experience for the professional broadcaster. Students studying communications/broadcasting may not have noticed that on March 13, 2020, everything about our industry changed. Suddenly, we weren’t able to go live from an insert studio with a ReadyCam for TV or a rental booth for radio to get on air. What was considered not broadcast quality on March 12 was suddenly acceptable because it is all that was available. Zoom became a tool to get an image to air, and we have become accustomed to AirPods as an IFB, and not very good audio quality.

My students took a week to mourn the loss of their in-person semester, and then got to work with me to figure out what was the next step. In writing the answers to this interview, I asked them about their experience, and they agreed that they learned more in the past eight months than they probably would have learned in their traditional classes and internships.

[Read: College Station Spotlight: Montclair State University]

At shutdown, items like monitors and webcams and USB microphones became a hot item on eBay because the supply was depleted. We had to figure out the best way to get on the air without breaking the bank or taxing our home internet bandwidth. For a few months, my students became mini broadcast engineers, figuring out how to use software and tools they have in their everyday lives as a way of broadcasting a signal over the internet and on the terrestrial airwaves. They figured a way to use gaming tools like Discord to conduct interviews with pop artists. Talking to our former students and friends in the industry, we discovered new tricks that previous investments could do. For example, a former student handles the Twitch account for 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. They were operating remotely, and started using their Livestream Studio’s remote guest feature, bringing up to five guests into their switcher using Google Chrome. We had an old box in storage, and we produced TV shows with it.

The students also learned more about IT and networking, as well as the functionality of a VPN and how to remote edit/voice track. We would normally talk about these things in theory of classes, but rarely would they get the opportunity to use it hands-on.

This pandemic has been the best hands-on experience next to an internship, because this form of broadcasting is going to stick around for a long time. Codecs will continue to be developed, equipment will go down in price, and guests will care about the @ratemyskyperoom account even more than ever, so they will buy artwork and proper lighting for their segment on TV. 2020 has prepared the next generation of broadcasters for broadcasting’s next generation. Fortunately for us, these students were embracing these technologies long before television and radio professionals thought to. The future of broadcasting is in great hands

 

The post College Station Spotlight: Neumann University appeared first on Radio World.

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

Right from the beginning of 2021, Prasar Bharati, the public radio and TV broadcaster of India, has put its cards on the table. First it clarified that no AIR station was being closed anywhere in any state, a rumor that had made the media rounds in India.

Prasar Bharati has further announced that it is moving ahead with its plans to strengthen All India Radio, expanding its network with more than 100 new FM radio transmitters across India.

Figure 1 (Click here to enlarge.)

The AIR Network already comprises a few hundred stations and several hundred radio transmitters in one of the world’s largest public service broadcasting networks that operates on multiple terrestrial, satellite and internet platforms.

Prasar Bharati is also moving ahead with its plans to introduce digital terrestrial radio in India. According to the Indian broadcaster, select AIR channels are already available through digital DRM technology to listeners in many cities/regions. They can experience the power of DRM through a choice of multiple radio channels available on a single radio frequency in digital mode. These include AIR News 24×7 dedicated to news and current affairs, AIR Raagam 24×7 dedicated to classical music, apart from local/regional radio services and Live Sports.

According to Prasar Bharati AIR is in an advanced stage of testing digital technology options for FM radio, and a standard will be announced soon to herald the rollout of digital FM radio in India.

Already in 2020 AIR had introduced nonstop pure DRM transmissions with three services or programs on one frequency in four key metros: Mumbai 100 kW (1044 kHz), Kolkata 100 kW (1008 kHz), Chennai 20 kW (783 kHz) and New Delhi 20 kW (1368 kHz).

More varied and exclusive audio programs with Journaline multimedia content were already added and progress was made on the national rollout of DRM’s Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), and a program information guide enabled by Journaline.

All these activities follow from the activities of a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) in AIR set up a year ago. It undertook to identify the technical configuration of the DRM infrastructure for the entire country, the creation of popular, attractive content, the strong promotion of DRM broadcasts and intensified interaction with the industry aimed at manufacturing mass-scale receivers.

AIR has extended its infrastructure, as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 2, a Journaline Score Card providing information on a cricket match.

As far as the program content is concerned, AIR has already come up with new initiatives, like the 24/7 news exclusively in DRM broadcasts.

The entertainment channel is transmitting live sports events as well, such as cricket, which is the most popular sport in India; AIR is exploring the possibility of providing a Score Card under Journaline advanced text together with live cricket commentary in pure DRM (see Figure 2).

There are already several receiver manufacturers in India and abroad planning and starting production of receivers.

One such manufacturer, Gospell from China, has formed a partnership with Antriksh Digital Solutions to become their representative and distributor in India.

AIR also plans to acquire soon several thousand receivers.

Going forward, a key element of success in India is the further adoption of the standard by the automotive industry. Currently there are more than 2.5 million Indian cars with line-fit DRM receivers at no extra cost to the consumer. More brands are considering the introduction of DRM radios in their vehicles to satisfy consumer demand.

During the second national Car Forum organized at the end of November by NXP, an AIR representative said that it is imperative that the government seriously consider mandating DRM digital radio in all vehicles in the country.

In addition to MW and SW in 2021, efforts are being made to include DRM in FM, as the broadcaster and ministry are coming close to mandating a digital radio standard for the FM band.

The more cars there are in India with DRM radios, the better promotion of their DRM programs AIR can make to the general public. And this cannot just include audio in mediumwave but other bands too. There is demand for all core features of the DRM standard, of which Journaline has already been introduced. This should be followed by the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), station logos, AFS, announcement, blending to AM/FM and others.

Activities in India have continued in 2020 despite the pandemic. Already in 2021 there are signs of accelerated activities linked to DRM in FM, DRM for education and getting receivers in numbers.

 

The post Digital Radio Mondiale in Focus in India appeared first on Radio World.

Regional broadcast systems integrator Broadcast Solutions Finland Oy kicked off the new year with a new name, Broadcast Solutions Nordic Oy.

Initially focused on Finland, the company cited the change to a growth in clients in neighboring Nordic and Baltic countries. The company will remain headquartered in Helsinki.

Broadcast Solutions Nordic Oy Managing Director Antti Laurila said, “The Broadcast Solutions Group is a globally active company … And as an integral part Broadcast Solutions Nordic offers its services to broadcasters and customers in the Nordic countries, the Baltics and beyond.”

 

The post Broadcast Solutions Finland Changes Name appeared first on Radio World.

The author is president of V-Soft Communications and Doug Vernier Telecommunications Consultants. This is one in a series of articles about how to get the most out of various popular broadcast products.

Lost the lease on your tower? Need to find a better channel? Can you increase power?

These are the common questions posed by FMCommander users. Here is how you can make the best of V-Soft Communications’ widely respected FM channel-study program.

Need a new tower site? Start the program and enter your station’s call sign, then click the “Compile” button to create your job file. (In this case we have used KAZY.) The program will access the V-Soft FCC database, updated daily, to find all the stations that must be protected by the reference station under the rules:

 

Within a few seconds the program will show you the minimum separations channel study:

 

 

Well, it looks like your station already fails the minimum separation required to KCWA. The user can see the situation graphically by opening the “Separations Mapping” screen.

 

 

The big plus mark reference site must not be inside another station’s separation circle. The radius of this circle is the Sec. 73.207 required minimum distance between stations based on their class. As you can see, the site is inside the separations circle for KCWA. This can happen if one or both stations use the Sec. 73.215 short space rules. But can the station be moved to a different tower that can satisfy the rules?

To look for usable existing towers click open the “Map Information“ window and click the bullseye icon to see the default coverage of the reference station. Any new tower location must satisfy the FCC requirement for the 70 dBu to cover at least 80 percent of the principal city to which the reference station is licensed (note that is barely the case for the now existing tower).

 

Click on any of the towers to move the reference station to the selected tower. For this example, we will click on the tower to the west of Cheyenne. The tower I.D. number and heights are listed immediately below the tower.

 

 

Looking at the updated main screen table, we find that that besides the overlap with KCWA, we now have another problem with KMAX-FM. Notice that, on the Main screen, KMAX-FM is now colored magenta (below). This means that the site fails to meet the minimum 73.215 short space distance to apply the required (U-to-D) contour-to-contour rules. As you can see by the maps, there are no other towers that are outside KCWA circle.

 

 

This likely means that a new tower must be built at a nearby site that would properly serve the principal city and that would not make the short space contour overlap worse. The application at such a site must show that, based on the protected and interference contours of two stations, there is no overlap that would cause interference. When the lightning bolt icon is clicked from the Map Information screen, the screen will show the contour relationship of the reference station and KCWA.

 

As one can see, there is no contour overlap and the site meets the 73.215 short spacing requirements. It appears that the current tower’s location is the only area that meets all the requirements.

Got a suggestion for a product you’d like to see in this series? Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Tips for FMCommander Power Users appeared first on Radio World.

Who knows why the last couple of months have seen an explosion in broadcast/podcast microphones but enjoy the bounty.

The latest is TASCAM’s TM-70, a supercardioid pattern microphone with a dynamic element “for live broadcasting, podcasting, film dialog, and audio streaming.”

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

The company lists the frequency response at 30 Hz–20 kHz.

The company said, “the TM-70 was specifically engineered to capture what it is pointed at, effectively isolating sound sources such as directional dialog. The mic’s super cardioid directivity makes it resistant to ambient noise, thus enabling users to achieve a clean, clear audio signal that results in first class speech intelligibility.”

It ships with a shockmount, six-foot mic cable and a tabletop mic stand.

Info: www.tascam.com

 

The post TASCAM Joins the Mic Rush appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

This week, ethical breaches at the New York Times’ radio offerings came to a head. The lessons of how content and errors in judgment related to it can impact a station’s visibility in the community are matters worthy of reflection.

On Jan. 11, the Public Radio Program Directors association sent a letter to the New York Times, raising concerns from nearly 30 stations about ethical failures involving many parties. One of the Times’ recognized names, Michael Barbaro, host of “The Daily,” is at the center of the scandal.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Making Sense of Chaos]

The Times lays out the criticisms, which include Barbaro allegedly pressuring reporters around coverage and failure to disclose his romantic relationship with Lisa Tobin, the executive producer of the now discredited “Caliphate” podcast. Andy Mills, implicated in past controversies at WNYC, is also among the names raised amid these issues.

At least one station, Houston Public Media, has dropped “The Daily,” which became a syndicated radio offering last year. Tobin, Mills and Barbaro have yet to issue their own statements, though the Times has noted Barbaro regrets some of his actions.

The signatories of PRPD’s letter take a very clear position on programming that should be instructive to every station. “[M]illions of Americans rely on our news organizations every day as one of their most trusted sources of information and we are accountable for all the programming that we provide to them,” they write. “That trust, and our responsibility in upholding that trust, is the very foundation on which we operate; it is the most important and sacred bond that ties us together. When that trust is called into question, we must respond. We must make our very best decisions about the programming we deliver and ensure it meets the high standards that our listeners expect and demand from us, while also staying committed to the standards by which our newsrooms operate.”

Photo: Jonathan Farber

In brief, when programming does not live up to the trust listeners put in it, such stumbles put the station in a position where its credibility and trust as a whole are put into question. In economically challenging times, no station can really afford to have audiences feel like the outlet can’t be trusted with its programming, because that cascades into every relationship including giving.

For many years, community radio stations took a laissez faire approach to programming, believing that individual statements of paid and volunteer producers on air were up to them. Sometimes this could result in creative radio, such as the freeform radio movement of the 1970s and 1980s. At other times, it could result in broadcasting random opinion and conspiracy theories. In the last 10 years or so, however, more stations realized what larger outlets did before — the listener generally believes that the medium is responsible for what it puts on the air.

Today, it is common for community radio to ensure producers get training about what language is legally and ethically permissible. Plenty of stations still adhere to an open-ended approach that relies on producers to handle the airwaves well. Yet no station is immune from weighing out the interests of an individual producer and the station’s status in the city.

Community radio has come a long way in appreciating the art of radio requires an audience to make it magical. Trust is key to such a bond.

The post Community Broadcaster: Off-Air appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus has failed to convince the Federal Communications Commission to reduce a $233,000 fine for violating sponsorship identification rules. The FCC also scolded the company for violating terms of a consent decree.

Broadcasters are required to disclose information about sponsors of paid-for programming. The commission decided last summer that various arms of Cumulus had aired paid programming without sponsorship ID announcements 26 times, and failed to notify the FCC about 13 of them as required by a 2016 consent decree that resolved earlier violations.

[Read: Broadcaster to Pay $125,000 as Part of Civil Penalty and Consent Decree]

Cumulus didn’t contest the findings in August but wanted the penalty reduced to the base penalty of $104,000. It said that the higher fine is excessive and argued that earlier incidents should not be used to justify a higher penalty because Cumulus had subsequently been reorganized, went through a transfer of control and now had a different board.

But in this week’s order the FCC wrote, among other things: “The respondent’s implication that it is a drastically different organization post-transfer is belied by the fact that its core senior management remained unchanged by the transfer of control.” And it stated: “The commission expects parties to honor agreements made in consent decrees, and when parties fail to do so, it is a very serious matter.”

Cumulus also had argued that its overall record of rule compliance is “as good as or better than any other large broadcaster in the industry,” that it has a “stellar” reputation, that management has focused on adherence to FCC rules, and that out of approximately 135 million ads during the three-year period covered by the consent decree, there were only two occasions of sponsorship ID noncompliance.

The commission dismissed those arguments too, saying, among other things, that it doesn’t take a company’s overall size into account as a mitigating factor. “To the contrary, if a corporate entity chooses to acquire many stations, it must ensure that it scales up its compliance efforts accordingly.”

Read the order.

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Jessica Rosenworcel, lower left, speaks during the commission’s January meeting.

The violence at the U.S. Capitol prompted some poetic words from Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel when the Federal Communications Commission met this week.

She made time in her remarks during the online meeting to talk about her feelings after the insurrection.

“The images of that day linger. They are hard to shake,” said Rosenworcel, who prior to the FCC was senior communications counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

[Read: Newest Commissioner Urges Cooperation, Peaceful Transfer]

“I worked for many years in the Capitol. I know its towering heights, secluded corners and labyrinth hallways. But it’s not the loftiness of those spaces that I find most compelling. It’s what’s down below on the floors,” she said.

“I’ve traversed them too many times to count, heading back and forth, clicking on the tiles in less-than-sensible work shoes. I think the most beautiful floor tiles in the Capitol are the mid-19th century encaustic mosaics. The clay is inlaid, so the colors in the tiles are especially vibrant and diverse. It’s like the metaphor for our union is right there on the ground. Even where these mosaic floors are uneven and worn, what strikes you most is the durability. They have survived so much in our history.

“History, of course, is always being written. The violence done to the Capitol last week is an especially ugly chapter. To see those sacred spaces desecrated stings. To see those gorgeous floors smeared with feces and hate hurts. To see the Confederate flag paraded across those tiles sears and burns. And to watch those disowning the hatred that brought us here when for too long they walked too casually alongside it is difficult.”

“It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said: ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.’ Now we have an opportunity to lean into the light.”

Wednesday’s FCC meeting also was the last for Chairman Ajit Pai and the first for Commissioner Nathan Simington.

Rosenworcel, a Democrat considered to be in the running as the next FCC chair, thanked Pai, a Republican, “for his years of public service” and praised him “for the work he has done to help keep those who work here safe during this pandemic. He went above and beyond to keep the staff of this agency informed and engaged in a time of real crisis.”

 

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Any given enthusiast on any given subject has his or her favorite “make” and “model.” Fishermen can rattle off their preferred rod and reel combinations in an instant. The same is true with home theatre junkies. And bicyclists. And gardeners.

If, however, you want to engage in a fiery, passionate debate for the ages, get an engineer riled up about microphones!

Radio engineers have a well-established pallet of large-diaphragm studio microphones from which to choose. Over the years a few players have darted on and off the scene in their efforts to provide some sort of nuance or cost-effective solution.

One of the more recent contributions comes from PreSonus. Known mostly for their audio interfaces and mixing consoles, the Louisiana-based manufacturer does have a microphone selection. They offer drum kit mics, matched-pair condensers, an RTA mic, large-diaphragm side address, and very recently, a USB voiceover mic option.

Adding to that growing catalog, PreSonus entered the hardcore radio broadcaster arena with the new PD-70, which retails for $129.95.

What is it? Read on!

Bulletproof Ruggedness

A radio studio is the most unforgiving environment for a microphone. Energetic on-air talent are physical and loud, and the first recipient of that energy is the mic. It’s why studio microphones are heavy and robust. The PreSonus PD-70 holds its own in that regard.

It weighs 1.4 pounds and is nothing but steel. A built-in pop filter and outer foam windscreen foster a sleek design and more importantly, excellent plosive rejection. It has a hard-mount design, but handling noise is minimal due to the sheer weight and solid inner construction.

The most interesting rugged feature is the XLR jack construction. It is built firmly into the back end of the PD-70 and it’s not going anywhere. If ever a microphone could be called a “brick,” the PD-70 is it.

Tech Specs

The PD-70, from a performance perspective, wasn’t designed to reproduce or accentuate warmth and tone. Its sole purpose is to accentuate clarity.

The frequency response is a full 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but the HP rolloff happens at nearly 100 Hz and falls off fairly rapidly. The upper frequencies are accented beginning at 1 kHz, leveling off at +5 dB around 4 kHz and then rolling off at 11 kHz. This translates into a microphone that keeps voices out of the mud. It’s that simple.

When conducting A/B comparisons to other legacy “radio mics,” the PD-70 coloration lends itself to aiding in situations where vocal clarity and microphone technique are poor. The proximity effect is greatly reduced by the early 100 Hz high-pass rolloff. Additionally, the PD-70 exhibits some sort of magic as it pertains to the higher frequency response, in that “S” sounds are very detailed and clean.

The dynamic nature of the PD-70 and its aggressive off-axis rejection makes it very forgiving in less-than-perfect acoustic environments. Unlike some dynamic microphones, the PD-70 noise floor is virtually nonexistent. It has a very clean output and performs smoothly, using any preamp.

At Home

So where should the PD-70 go?

As the price of $129.95 suggests, PreSonus introduced it as an entry-level, budget-friendly studio mic solution. In testing and comparisons, however, it is competitive against long-standing industry stalwarts.

The PD-70 would stand out where novice voice talent is present. It is forgiving to poor mic technique, accommodating to untrained vocal talent (who generally don’t know how to project properly), friendly to bad acoustical environments and it can absorb physical abuse.

For voice talent who have deeper, warm voices and need a microphone that will reproduce that warmth, the PD-70 may not be what he or she is looking for. For everyone else, who needs clarity and accurate voice reproduction, the PD-70 is a top-notch, affordable choice.

Large-diaphragm dynamic microphones frequently are used on kick drums and guitar cabinets. The PD-70 may not necessarily be a kick drum mic. It would, however, perform well as a guitar microphone. Its frequency response rejects the “boomy” tones produced by guitar soundholes and accurately reproduces string sounds with clarity. When a soloist arrives in a studio to do a guitar performance, the PD-70 is an excellent choice.

As for me, my voice can be muddy for two reasons. It’s fairly deep, but also very asymmetrical. The asymmetry demonstrated itself using the PD-70, but it wasn’t as pronounced. Plus, the PD-70’s focus on clarity overcame the asymmetry effects very nicely.

Finally, for this review I asked a production director to spend some time with the PD-70. He conducted an A/B comparison against a very expensive industry standard. After the comparison, he immediately ordered a PD-70.

For information, contact PreSonus in Louisiana at +1-225-216-7887 or visit www.presonus.com.

The post PreSonus PD-70: A Little Different Flavor appeared first on Radio World.

Yamaha has updated its MSP3 studio monitor with the introduction of the new MSP3A powered monitor speaker. Cosmetically, the new offering has a similar use of multiple input connectors, controls and compatibility with optional brackets, but Yamaha states the new monitor provides higher SPLs, lighter cabinet design and reportedly better audio quality — move intended to improve its appropriateness for users whose workflows include content from digital instruments and portable devices.

The MSP3A is the first Yamaha reference monitor to include the company’s Twisted Flare Port technology, intended to provide clearer and tighter low-end frequencies. The sound control technology applies aerodynamic sound analysis and flow visualization measurement to pinpoint and control noise-generating issues. Noise-generating air flow turbulence at both ends of the speaker port is reduced by changing how the port widens from input to output, adding a twist to it. According to Yamaha, suppressing turbulence reduces muddiness, lowering distortion in the low bass region, in turn aiding transition to the full range drivers.

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

A built-in 22 W power amplifier is optimized for the speaker unit, comprising a 4-inch woofer and a 0.8-inch tweeter. The cabinet weighs just under 8 pounds, improving portability and making it easier to reposition the unit in different room configurations.

“Clear and natural sound are the keys to creating immersive and memorable experiences when creating music or video content,” said Preston Gray, marketing director, Pro Audio at Yamaha. “The expanded capabilities of this new reference monitor give audio engineers the right tool for accurately matching audio with video in a range of production applications.”

With an MSRP of $250, the MSP3A is currently street-priced at $199 per monitor.

Info: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/proaudio

 

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It’s clear from two recent reports that podcast listeners love audio and want to hear more.

That’s the consensus from the new Westwood One 2021 Audioscape report, which looked at podcast consumer trends using data from Q3 2020 Share of Ear report by Edison Research.

While AM/FM radio continues to dominate much of the audio landscape, podcasting is one area that continues to see significant growth. According to the Audioscape survey, podcast listeners are dedicated audiophiles. On a typical day podcast listeners spend 41% more time listening to audio during the day as compared to the average U.S. consumer, which spends a little more than three and a half hours with all forms of audio on a daily basis.

[Read: Share of Listening to Podcasting Hits All-Time High]

When people listen to podcasts, they remain a devoted bunch, the Westwood One report said. Among those that listen to the podcast format, podcasting becomes the listener’s number one platform. Once people become regular podcasts customers, nearly one-third of their daily total spent with audio is devoted to podcasts.

The surveys also found that the podcast audience is significantly younger than the listeners of other media. The median age of the podcast audience is 34. According to the Westwood One survey, the current median age of podcast listeners is 13 years younger than AM/FM radio and two decades younger than broadcast television network audiences.

The Edison survey also found that most podcast listening occurs at home throughout the day, with a 60% share as compared to podcast listening in the car (21%), at work (15%) or at some other locale (4%).

The Edison Research report also looked at how much time is spent with four audio content types: music, sports, news and talk/personality. The Edison survey found that podcast listeners are twice as likely to listen to news and three times as likely to listen to personalities and sports formats when compared to nonpodcast consumers. “It is not surprising to see podcasting’s share of time spent soaring over time among those who use spoken word formats such as talk/personality, news, and sports,” wrote Brittany Faison, the insights manager at Cumulus Media/Westwood One in a blog about the two surveys.

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From our Who’s Buying What page: Dielectric reported the installation of an antenna for Educational Media Foundation in Puerto Rico, and pointed out some unusual aspects.

EMF installed a broadband model DCR-M antenna for noncommercial WJKL(FM) in San Juan, to serve WJKL on 105.7 MHz and a second station at 104.7 FM) in the future.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“The center-fed DCR-M accommodates both frequencies (with 1 MHz separation) through a special reduced bay-spacing design that eliminates the need for future field tuning,” the manufacturer stated in an announcement.

“EMF also added a new, specially designed two-station branch combiner to serve both transmission frequencies, and prevent intermodulation issues from signal mixing inside the transmitters.”

The antenna is side-mounted to a mountaintop tower with a center of radiation at 118 feet above ground level. Its design was developed with storms in mind, including hurricanes.

“The project was in fact delayed due to several harsh storms including Hurricane Maria in 2017, which caused widespread devastation to the island,” Dielectric stated. “The project was revived once power was returned to the remote site and the general infrastructure was restored.”

Dielectric worked with Sabre to develop a custom mounting system that could support the antenna’s unusual bay-spacing design.

“This included a standoff pole for the tapered tower architecture, and a bracket design that eliminated complex anti-rotation elements for the antenna bays,” it said. “Dielectric also added its ‘funky elbow’ design to reduce ground radiation from the DCR-M, through a robust inter-bay feed system that optimizes signal coverage without directing radiation downward from the tower.”

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

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“The Kojo Nnamdi Show” will end production on April 1, WAMU announced.

The magazine-style radio program is a Washington and regionally focused program well regarded in public radio circles. Nnamdi is a native of Guyana who immigrated to the United States in 1968. He joined WAMU in 1998 and hosted “Public Interest.” The show was renamed for its host in 2002.

Prior to WAMU Nnamdi had worked as a news editor and director, and hosted a TV public affairs show.

He’ll continue to host “The Politics Hour” on Fridays and “continue to serve as an ambassador for the station through his revamped ‘Kojo In Our Community’ event series,” the station announced.

Nnamdi thanked his producers and also mentioned colleagues Diane Rehm, Mark Plotkin and Steve Martin for helping him along the way.

He said his role “owed a great deal to WAMU’s commitments to understanding the Washington region across racial lines — the lines which too often divide us. That commitment continues.”

WAMU plans a new regionally focused show that is yet to be announced.

 

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Fig. 1: This genset recently kept WNIS running for 38 hours.

David Morgan, CBRE, is the director of engineering for Sinclair TeleCable-Norfolk in Virginia. He enjoys the generator tips we share.

Inspect not only radiator hoses but also the belts on the engine pulleys.

He sent pictures of the emergency generator at WNIS(AM) 790 in Norfolk. It is a G.M. Diesel (from Detroit) Model 4-71. The gray electrical generator portion was replaced in 2003 after the old one self-destructed during Hurricane Isabel.

David reminds us of the importance of checking radiator hoses, seen at the upper end of Fig. 2, and to inspect the belts that interconnect the engine pulleys.

First disable the generator so it won’t start while you are inspecting it. Then gently squeeze the hoses. They should flex, and there should be no visible cracks in the rubber during flexing.

Before turning the generator back on, conduct a visual inspection of the belts. (A strong trouble light will help in this inspection.)

Locate the longest unsupported section of belt and inspect it for abnormal wear, such as glazing on the side of the belt or missing chunks of the belt. The latter can be caused by high temperatures from the heat of the engine or friction due to belt slippage.

Next, start the generator up and listen. Noise is the first indication of belt (and possibly pulley) problems. Belt squeal during start-up signifies slippage. Check for glazed sides of the belt. Also listen for squeals during a load test as the station’s electrical load is transferred to the generator. Under normal conditions, changes in RPM should not cause the belt to slip.

As the engine runs, watch for erratic movement or flutter in the belt as it turns. Either warrants further inspection by a generator technician.

As with a car tire, friction between the belt and pulleys will wear the belt away. The most common area of wear is on the tops and walls of the belt ribs. Eventually, this friction causes the grooves of the pulleys to bottom out on the grooves of the belt, with belt slippage as the result.

Poor alignment with the belt and pulleys is the biggest cause of noise. This condition can also cause belt fraying and premature wear.

The best way to inspect for this condition is to sight down the side of the belt to make sure the belt edge doesn’t make any bends away or toward the engine. Any deviation you can spot with your eye is excessive.

One other maintenance tip concerns care when adding oil or coolant to the generator engine. If either comes in contact with the belt, slippage can increase, and the slippage can cause even higher friction temperatures, resulting in more belt damage. Also inspect the seals around the water pump and the engine oil seals; leaks can contaminate the belt surface.

These tips about squealing belts also apply to air conditioning air handlers. If you hear a squeal, investigate!

Slow-leak finder

David wraps up his comments by noting that this generator recently powered the station for about 38 hours after Tropical Storm Isaias blew through the Norfolk area. Even older generators, when properly maintained, can provide long and reliable service.

David adds a comment about using soapy water to detect leaks in transmission lines and the associated manifolds and nitrogen tank fittings.

To spot difficult or very slow leaks, he has found it easier to use blue leak detector spray, such as Cal-Blue Plus brand from Nu-Calgon (www.nucalgon.com), which was developed for HVAC technicians to spot refrigerant leaks.

Fig. 3: Cal-Blue Plus stays really gooey for some time after spraying. This makes it easier to spot difficult or very slow leaks.

Unlike soapy bubble water, this spray stays really gooey for some time after spraying; the adhesion allows time for slow leaking nitrogen to bubble out. And because of its high viscosity, the bubbles are last a long time. The viscosity also enables the product to remain in contact with the applied surface for an extended period, making slow leaks easier to spot.

Cal-Blue Plus is non-corrosive to metal, meaning fittings and copper tubing will not be damaged by the compound.You can find it at places like Grainger and Home Depot, or via Amazon.

John Bisset has spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is in his 31st year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification, and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

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Uncle Sam and Procter & Gamble were the two most frequent advertisers on U.S. radio in 2020.

Media Monitors issued rankings of the top advertisers for the year as measured by the number of spots they ran. (See charts at bottom; the first ranks the top parent companies, the second shows the top specific brands.)

It said the federal government ran about 5.9 million radio spots in measured markets, including ads promoting the census, while P+G ran about 5.3 million. Those two organizations also held the top spots last year.

But Progressive Insurance doubled its number of instances, airing about 2.7 million spots in 2020, rising from No. 9 to No. 3.

“Several new brands entered the top 10, including Babbel, which entered the top 100 at number five,” Media Monitors stated. “In September, the company reported its app had been downloaded more than 10 million times. Allstate jumped to number six from number 57, while Quicken Loans entered at number eight, up from number 18.”

Home Depot slipped in the rankings to No. 3 after being first last year; Lowe’s climbed to No. 4. Companies shooting way up the ranks from last year include T-Mobile and Allstate.

Falling out of the top 10 from last year’s parent rankings are former No.3 Live Nation Worldwide, which presumably reflects the loss of events during a pandemic, as well as Indeed Inc. and McDonalds.

 

 

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