Radio World

Mark Simpson

This is part of Radio World’s series exploring trends in radio broadcast consoles.

Mark T. Simpson, CPBE, AMD, DRB, CBNE, MCP, is a veteran engineer who was with Townsquare Media when this article originally appeared in slightly different form in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.” He is now Arizona region engineer for iHeartMedia.

Radio World: What’s the most important trend in design of consoles for radio broadcast studios?

Mark Simpson: In my personal opinion, it is all about flexibility and the most capabilities for your money.

I believe having AES-67 capabilities, outside of the console’s native language, for the lack of a better term, is very important, and that all manufacturers play nice together. The more we can do on the AoIP level, the easier the installation can be.

We have fewer, classically trained broadcast engineers; and if we can draw talent in from other IT industries, I believe consoles may aid in that.

As far as the design of the console is concerned, due to various outside events, be it weather related, other equipment failures, etc., we need the console and the network designed around it, to self-heal. Remote capabilities are huge, and monitoring via SNMP is very important.

If we can tell ahead of time that a piece of equipment — whether it is the console control surface, computer attached to it or the engine running it — has a developing problem, we should know about it ahead of time. If there is a firmware upgrade that causes a memory leak, we need to know that before the console crashes or stops communicating with other devices.

RW: How could equipment manufacturers make your life as a user and buyer of consoles easier? 

Simpson: They should start talking to each other, to help the overall development of the product. They should also fully embrace the latest technology and not have an attitude of, well, we never did it that way before, or it’s just a fad.

The companies should also communicate with the peripheral equipment manufacturers so their equipment can be incorporated easily, through discovery, not forcing the network to “see” the peripheral equipment. Items such as XDS receivers such as the Pro 4R, codecs, phone systems, even speakers.

Anything that can make the installation of a console or an entire facility easier, faster, standardized on the latest Cat-6 or higher cabling, is a huge benefit.

Being able to remotely access the console during a remote, storm or failure is a huge benefit to the local staff, not to mention being able to view everything from a higher level so firmware versions, etc. can be viewed and planned for future upgrades or replacement.

RW: What role does the console play today when planning a new radio broadcast studio?

Simspon: The console is one of the top, if not the top, deciding factor — what features does it have and how can I leverage those features, not just in the studio, but from afar.

RW: What functions and features are being offered nowadays on new models that engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while should know about?

Simpson: Being able to program unlabeled buttons to be able to interface with other equipment in the facility, such as delay units, codecs, even to have a hot button to switch between stations or studios in the event of a failure. Also, the ability to save configurations for different shows, such as morning drive versus middays versus afternoon drive. Also, being able to press a button and take the console out of the air chain to voice track or go into a satellite show.

If you also have a AoIP mic processor, you can change presets on each mic based on a macro that is controlled by pressing a soft button on the console.

RW: How have AoIP technology developments been reflected in the look and function of physical surfaces? 

Simpson: It depends on the physical surface you buy.

If you buy what looks like a normal console, but every fader can be routed, that is one thing; but if you are using a console that has a touch surface of some sort, whether it is a standalone touchscreen using a PC, or a “console” that has a touch surface, you will see many more items that AoIP can do. Changing the colors of the screen, faders, buttons, how the buttons react if routed to external devices like a delay unit. These are all items that we had to buy and wire up in the past.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all? 

Simpson: I think we will always use a console. I say that more from an IT security standpoint. If we went with an app on an iPad or other tablet, we would have to make sure we can instantly shut down an individual’s ability to control the air chain.

RW: What does the next generation of user interface look like? 

Simpson: I think some of the current manufacturers are basically there, but just need a few tweaks.

This can only be done by taking input from the end user.

Engineers and IT personnel can help get the backend of the system to where it needs to be, but the end user, the on-air talent are the ones that have to use the console day in and day out.

Some of those people are younger and used to a touchscreen, and others, like myself, have been around long enough to want to “feel” the fader as well as buttons. Sort of like how you can adjust or completely turn off the “feeling” on your iPhone, I think that is the next step for the touch surface.

RW: What do virtualization and cloud technology mean for console users and studio designers? 

Simpson: From my personal opinion, this means an ultimate form of backup to the studio audio chain.

If you are syndicating a show to a lot of your own stations, it could help manage the show content and local ad insertion.

Being able to communicate with a cloud technology or some sort of virtualization can aid in rapid recovery of a catastrophic failure, such as a backhoe outage, LNB failure for satellite shows, etc.

RW: How vibrant is the marketplace for analog consoles? 

Simpson: I think the analog console market still has some value but it is getting harder to justify the time spent wiring, limited abilities and cost versus capabilities.

RW: How long will manufacturers of analog consoles support them? 

Simpson: Hopefully as long as the consoles are in service or parts are available. We are already seeing those issues and having to work around it.

RW: What common misconceptions about consoles would you like the industry to be aware of?

Simpson: The people using the consoles are adapting, they are not all set in their ways. If you can build it, we can teach them to use it.

Also, consoles are not necessarily like computers where they need to be rebooted or even have firmware upgraded constantly. If you find a firmware version that works for your installation, and it continues to work with peripheral devices, leave well enough alone. Don’t create more work for yourself.

RW: Any suggested best practices for someone shopping?

Simpson: Make sure your existing infrastructure can handle the technology.

Specifically, you should be using Cat-6 cable or better. Cat-5 will definitely not work. and even CAT5e is iffy, if you are installing a large enough network.

Budget for good Cisco switches and make sure you budget for plenty of ports. Just about everything has a network connection these days.

Buy outlet strips that have network capabilities that will allow you to remotely reboot a specific device, again, another Ethernet port.

Isolate you various networks based on the critical nature of their job function.

There is not a “one size or type fits all.” Do your homework and get what you want/need.

Don’t be afraid to talk to the manufacturers and ask for a feature to be added. If you can’t get that done locally, take it up your chain of command.

Remember, the console is part of the revenue generator!

RW: What other questions should we in the industry be asking about this issue?

Simpson: When will all manufacturers start playing well together on the AES-67 front? This is long overdue.

 

The post The Console Is Part of the Revenue Generator appeared first on Radio World.

Clark Novak

In a series of articles, we’ve been exploring the question: “What should radio console buyers know about developments in this product class?”

Clark Novak is radio marketing specialist for Lawo Inc. An earlier version of this interview appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What role does the console play today in planning a studio?

Clark Novak: Choosing a console is still one of the first big steps in planning any studio build, but “console” may not mean the same thing today that it used to. Broadcasters are very interested in virtualization, and that includes virtualizing the mixer. Many forward-looking groups are looking at virtual mixing surfaces with context-sensitive, touchscreen GUIs as a way to streamline workflows and customize the controls given to operators. Others like traditional, physical consoles for their familiarity and tactile controls. Lawo offers both, but whichever you prefer, consoles are still the centerpiece of the radio studio.

RW: What are other important console design trends, and what are users asking for now?

Novak: It’s hard to pin down just one idea, but broadcasters continually ask us for two things: centralized control of broadcast peripherals, and interoperability.

The need for better control comes from today’s busy operations where talent is being asked to produce more content, more efficiently. Operators need to be able to perform complex tasks, and they need tools that make their workflows simpler, while keeping control surfaces purposeful and uncluttered.

And interoperability is key, not only for control of in-studio devices, but for interchange of program content between the radio and TV sides of the plant. The days of separate systems are gone; programming must be able to be transferred on-demand, seamlessly and easily, without worrying about format barriers.

Fifteen years ago, manufacturers had proprietary protocols that didn’t talk to other companies’ systems, and AoIP was so new and novel that broadcasters didn’t much mind. But today, radio engineers are increasingly demanding that new IP systems be able to play well with others. AoIP gives tremendous advantages in system design, operational flexibility and easy expansion on demand; but what good is all that if your Brand X system can’t talk to a device that only speaks Brand Y’s protocol?

Our customers tell us that AoIP systems mustn’t be closed. This is why Lawo has worked so tirelessly over the years to promote interoperability and open standards like AES67 and ST2110-30, and includes them in all of our products.

RW: What should engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while know?

Novak: One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that modern boards are actually control surfaces. Where older digital consoles performed switching, routing, mixing and audio shaping within the actual console frame, today’s mixers offload these functions to a powerful mix engine. This permits you to tailor engines with DSP features and an I/O count customized to your application. You might choose a very powerful engine for the on-air suite and a more modest one for production or a newsroom, but the same control surface — or virtual mixing software  works with both — so your operators have a familiar layout wherever they work, and you control costs by choosing engines that deliver features tailored to your operations.

RW: How have AoIP developments been reflected in the look and function of surfaces? 

Novak: AoIP has made it possible for nearly every studio system to include some level of multi-point audio routing. Think back a few years and you’ll remember that routing was something only the largest, wealthiest facilities could afford. Same goes for mix-minus, which used to be a complex thing provided for just one or two contributors. AoIP has turned every console into a routing controller and made it possible to automatically generate mix-minus for every local and remote guest, simultaneously. These are just a couple of examples of how AoIP has brought very advanced capabilities to operations where they were previously out of reach.

RW: What does the next generation of user interfaces look like? 

Novak: Tablets and smartphones have reshaped the way we interact with technology. Board ops, especially those newest to radio, are used to tapping, swiping and touching screens, so console designs with touchscreen GUIs make sense. Lawo’s customers have really embraced the customizable, multi-touch graphical interface that comes with our consoles, because it helps talent create content faster, with fewer errors. We expect that broadcasters will increasingly demand this kind of customizable visual control in their mixing surfaces.

RW: And what do virtualization and cloud technology mean for users and studio designers? 

Novak: Maybe the most interesting part of modern broadcasting has been the leveraging of off-the-shelf computing power to provide capabilities formerly only found in hardware. Mixing, digital signal processing, routing, content storage — all of them have moved to the digital domain and been virtualized. If these functions move further, to the cloud, consoles may become even more connected in order to blend control of local devices with remote services.

One particular benefit of cloud technology for operators is that an IP console, whether physical or virtual, can be linked to a cloud-based audio mixing engine. This is interesting because the engine software lives in a centralized location, and talent can connect to it from LAN or WAN locations. This means more flexibility for local operations, streamlined workflows and the ability to create broadcasts nearly anywhere using familiar tools and a PC connection.

RW: Any particularly interesting recent installation to highlight?

Novak: Recently we partnered with Swedish Radio, who wanted to completely reinvent the radio studio. They wanted to open up the studio, eliminate clutter and optimize their talent’s workflow. They used Lawo’s console GUI builder, VisTool, to create a touchscreen interface that controls a powerful mixing engine. The GUI blends playout system, telephone and codec operation, machine control and mixing into a unified, context-sensitive interface. Faders are present, but de-emphasized; AutoMix handles most mixing. This is notable because even though the interface looks nothing like a traditional console, it enables talent to be more productive: they concentrate on creating, instead of controlling machinery. Plus, being software-based, it’s nearly future proof — the UI can evolve along with the needs of the broadcaster.

Another recent installation is San Francisco’s KQED, who needed a way to control their main studio operations remotely in case of a COVID-19 related shutdown. Thanks to the studio network’s IP connectivity, we were able to help them implement a way to control individual studios and main output switching from their tower site using a mirrored physical mixing console accompanied by VisTool touchscreen controls. It’s an excellent example of how IP serves as an enabling technology for solving new operational challenges, whether mixing is accomplished physically or virtually.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all? 

Novak: It may look a lot like that Swedish Radio model. Our world is increasingly touchscreen-centric — just look at your car’s dashboard! In the immediate future physical and virtual consoles will continue to coexist and complement each other, but I believe we will also see a continued trend toward touch-based control surfaces in radio studios.

[Related: “Lawo Adds Remote Console Operation”]

The post Consoles, Like Car Dashboards, Turn to Touch appeared first on Radio World.

RUSHWORKS is adding a new tool for at-home production, announcing the release of its Residential Prompter Kit.

The Residential Prompter Kit is a small desktop teleprompting kit that uses a computer webcam to capture home-based presentations. It is meant to serve as a complement to RUSHWORKS’ RUSHPROMPTER software for Windows applications.

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

The kit includes a round base, an 18-inch flexible arm, a spring clamp with reflective mirror and a light blocking hood. In addition, RUSHWORKS has also crafted a document that provides four ways to improve the look and sound for at-home teleprompter sessions, which is available for download via RUSHWORKS’ website.

The Residential Prompter Kit is available at a base price of $295. With a 12-inch 1920 x 1080 HDMI monitor it runs for $545. A second base, 18-inch extension arm and gimbal-mounting head for a small camcorder is $175.

Info: www.rushworks.tv

 

The post RUSHWORKS Releases Residential Prompter Kit appeared first on Radio World.

Henry Goodman

In a series of articles, we’ve been exploring the question: ‘What should radio console buyers know about developments in this product class?”

Henry Goodman is director of product development at Calrec. An earlier version of this interview appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What’s the most notable trend in console design, as seen in recent models or those coming soon?

Henry Goodman: The radio industry is a fast-paced dynamic environment, where stations need to be flexible enough to continually change and develop the programming they deliver. The ability to reconfigure and reshape the operator interface to meet the needs and styles of different program workflows and operator preferences is seen as key to success. Being able to present differing control interfaces to meet the needs of a simple self-operator set up one day, and a more complex multi-guest environment the next, without having to change your hardware, has clear advantages.

Creating very modular hardware with soft user-definable elements opens up the opportunity not only to change the console interface depending on the type of show being produced but also to tailor the interface to the needs and desires of individual operators.

It is clear that IP and touch technologies will enable the flexibility for consoles to customize complex workflows yet present them in a simple and efficient interface.

The widespread acceptance of open IP standards has also provided the opportunity for manufacturers to create a very stable and flexible backbone that can be used across multiple radio operations.

As a console designer and manufacturer, Calrec’s challenge is to create a product that exploits this opportunity to create products that work for multiple workflows, from small simple solutions to large complex networks. Manufacturers are looking to design things that can integrate into many environments yet be simple and easy to use.

RW: As a manufacturer, what demands do you hear from buyers today that are different from years past?

Goodman: Today there is a much greater expectation of what an audio console does. It is no longer just about the number of input and output channels but much more about how it works within the station environment. This covers many aspects, from how easy the installation is to how well the console interacts with the other equipment and software. Integration in the widest sense.

Centralization of operator controls and condensing multiple systems into a united workspace to simplify operation allows talent to focus on content rather than creation. This demands an open approach to how consoles work with other systems so that tighter integration can be achieved.

IP is an enabler for many modern console innovations. Tighter integration with third-party systems such as playout and phone systems are essential in any new installation — in fact, as manufacturers we are a far more closely-knit community than we were 10 or 15 years ago!

Being able to communicate with third-party equipment simplifies workflows, and customers are looking for centralized control over these systems on the console surface UI. Initiatives like user-definable soft panels are forward-thinking features that can place as much control as possible in one place.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all? 

Goodman: Consoles are so much more than audio controllers, and as we hurtle towards interoperability, the traditional idea of what an audio console is will be less and less relevant!

In the future there is likely to be more of a shift to decentralization of facilities and operator environments. As is so often the case, IP is a facilitator; it enables initiatives like the BBC’s VLOR project to experiment with how they control information and how they prepare for broadcast. It gives customers the ability to be more geographically diverse, with a core in one state and a mixer in another state or country — it breaks down physical boundaries and barriers.

Consoles will have to be flexible to provide a way of interacting with all this information from wherever it is — it may be from a more traditional studio environment with a physical surface, or it could be a web-based GUI that is accessed from anywhere. Operators may need a very simple user interface, or all the controls needed for a full production console. Consoles will have to mold to what is needed, and as a station’s requirements evolve, the console will need to evolve with it to provide customization across networks and changing control protocols, as well as surface personalization. Calrec’s Type R guarantees stations are not only able to keep pace with changing demands but provides the opportunity to ignite their audiences with new and innovative programming.

RW: What does the next generation of user interface look like? 

Goodman: We use a lot of the same words to describe how customers interact with technology: flexible, adaptable, virtual. Traditional user interfaces for consoles are already limiting how customers can adapt to new opportunities that rapidly changing technology is providing.

For example, this year the effects of Covid-19 have accelerated and amplified a need for more virtualized control surfaces, and we have been working with customers all over the globe to help virtualize their productions. This give people the opportunity to work from home or from other safe locations and access the same broadcast-specific features they need to mix program.

This is how it should be — user interfaces should be able to provide whatever the customer needs. On a basic level, this might be just limiting access to features that an operator doesn’t need, such as loading different setups between shows so everyone can feel comfortable operating it. Calrec already does this using soft panels that can be laid out to present just what the operator wants to see down to the individual control level.

On a larger scale, we’ll see the same core hardware with multiple elements, which can be flexed to be anything the customer needs. This might be more or fewer physical fader panels, or the opportunity to use an entirely browser-based UI. Panels with user-defined access to features depending on who is using the studio, what the program is, or what the operator needs to achieve. More faders which can be added for a live band mix, or no faders for a fully automated setup.

The user case for the next generation of user interface will be defined by the application, not limited by the hardware.

The post Consoles Will Have to Mold to What Is Needed appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World has sought to broaden our contributor family during my tenure as editor. We have not always been successful at it, but it has been my goal.

It’s my belief that we owe it to readers and advertisers to always be seeking new and diverse industry views and voices to present. I feel we do a good job of this in our opinion pages and choice of topics to cover, but that we need to do better in our writer pool.

Never has it seemed more important than in this year of fresh and urgent discussion about the issues of race and opportunity in our society, including but not limited to the Black Lives Matter movement.

So I want to make you aware, first, that I welcome outreach from all prospective writers who have technical radio interests. And second, that Radio World and our parent company Future plc are deeply committed to fostering a transparent, diverse and inclusive workplace and freelance environment, and that people of color and other minorities are strongly encouraged to apply for such writing opportunities.

If you have an interest in writing about radio engineering, technology and products, write to me at radioworld@futurenet.com.

You should also know what our parent company has committed to.

Future issued a statement on Twitter in June: “To stay silent is to be complicit. We believe that #BlackLivesMatter. We stand with communities across the U.S. who are angry and in pain. We’re going to play our part as a plc and do better.”

The company, under its dynamic leader Zillah Byng-Thorne, committed to diverse representation in our original and stock photography. It issued diversity targets for contributor spending, ensuring that writers and creatives of color have a voice across its portfolio. It committed to further investment in training about inclusiveness and diversity, from the way it recruits to how our team members interact with one another.

It also is supporting the latest PSA from Love Has No Labels with donated media, digital and social support. And it gave $1 million of advertising space across its brands to organizations supporting Black Lives Matter.

We want the Radio World community to be as vibrant and inclusive as possible. Thanks for being part of it.

The post Wanted: Many Voices, Many Views appeared first on Radio World.

Voting begins Monday for a new class of the Radio Hall of Fame. The organization just announced 24 nominees; winners will be announced next month.

This year’s induction ceremony will be done as a live radio broadcast from several locations instead of a physical event; details of that aren’t out yet. The lists are below:

NOMINEES TO BE VOTED ON BY VOTING PARTICIPANT PANEL:

Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)

Mark & Brian-KLOS-FM

Bobby Rich-KFMB-FM San Diego & KMXZ-FM Tucson

Bob Rivers-KJR-FM Seattle

Donnie Simpson-WMMJ-FM Washington D.C.

Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)

Angie Martinez-WWPR-FM New York City

Matt Siegel-WXKS-FM Boston

Elliot Segal-WWDC-FM Washington D.C.

Bob Stroud-WDRV-FM Chicago

Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)

Sid Mark-Host, Sounds of Sinatra

Joey Reynolds-Host, WOR Radio Network

Cokie Roberts-Political Reporter, NPR

Suzyn Waldman-New York Yankees Radio Network

Active Network/Syndication (10 years or more)

The Breakfast Club-Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, DJ Envy, Premiere Networks

Larry Elder-Salem Radio Network

Jaime Jarrin-Los Angeles Dodgers Network

Kim Komando-Host, Kim Komando Show, Westar Radio Network

NOMINEES TO BE VOTED ON BY LISTENERS/RADIO HALL OF FAME NOMINATING COMMITTEE:

Music Format On-Air Personality

Whitney Allen-The Big Time with Whitney Allen, Westwood One

Bob & Sheri-The Bob and Sheri Show, Westwood One

Sway Calloway-Sirius XM Shade 45 Channel

John Boy & Billy-The John Boy & Billy Show, Premiere Networks

Spoken Word On-Air Personality

Glenn Beck-The Glenn Beck Show, Premiere Networks

John & Ken-The John & Ken Show, KFI-AM Los Angeles

Stephanie Miller-The Stephanie Miller Show, WYD Media

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me-NPR

(end of list)

Craig Kitchin is chair of the Radio Hall of Fame and Dennis Green heads the Nominating Committee.

Nominees in four industry-voted categories are voted on by a participant panel of 600 industry people. Winners in two listener-voted categories are determined by the public nominating committee. The outcome of the listener vote will count as one vote among the committee votes.

 

The post Who’s Next Into the Radio Hall of Fame? appeared first on Radio World.

From Radio World’s “Application Notes” page:

StreamGuys said it helped New Orleans public station WWOZ(FM) meet a “massive” live streaming demand for its program “Jazz Festing in Place.”

Pandemic restrictions cancelled the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, so WWOZ aired and streamed an “in place” version using StreamGuys’ content delivery service.

[More Application Notes: “Arkansas Broadcaster Puts WebDAD to Use”]

“Over the years, WWOZ — and its parent organization, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which sponsors the annual festival — had amassed a huge media archive of live Jazz Fest appearances by such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Irma Thomas,” StreamGuys said in a press release.

The station showcased the performances during the dates and times that Jazz Fest would have taken place. “In addition to the live broadcast on WWOZ(FM), which blankets the New Orleans metro, the station streamed the event live over StreamGuys’ global content delivery network to reach jazz aficionados worldwide.”

It said the streamed version drew a listenership more than 20 times the station’s typical daily audience size. StreamGuys quoted WWOZ New Media Director David Stafford saying the supplier increased its capacity 10-fold, “enough to handle 50,000 concurrent streams.”

The post WWOZ Used StreamGuys CDN for “Jazz Festing in Place” appeared first on Radio World.

Ben Palmer

This is part of Radio World’s series exploring trends in radio broadcast consoles.

Ben Palmer is sales manager and engineer for Arrakis Systems. An earlier version of this article appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What’s the top trend in consoles for radio studios?

Ben Palmer: The broadcast radio market is becoming more and more competitive every day. As such, stations are needing equipment that is more innovative, flexible and cost effective. The tools need to make the staff’s life easier but more dynamic. All the while, the installation needs to be user- and engineer-friendly.

Our ARC series analog boards broke the price barrier years ago. And adding features like USB, Bluetooth, Cat-5 wiring … it has continued to meet most studios’ needs. The ARC series has continued to be feature-rich, and helped keep new installation costs down.

AoIP has been a great step forward in our industry. It has simplified wiring, and has amplified flexibility. Our personal focus has been to make AoIP more affordable, and available to all. We introduced Simple IP over 4 years ago, and now pair it with our DARC Virtual Software Console & DARC Surface line. These are extremely cost-competitive for the AoIP market and, with Dante and AES67 protocols, will work with any system.

The DARC Virtual is a software-based board, and it is becoming more and more common for studios to use touchscreens. Yet we are finding that an equal portion are wanting a physical surface, which is why the DARC Surface does so well.

We feel like software consoles will become more and more affordable, and will add to the flexibility of the modern radio studio. The hardware interfaces will become more and more affordable, as we continue to innovate the manufacturing process and development. It is an exciting time in radio.

RW: What demands do you hear from potential buyers?

Palmer: Connectivity. People want to connect themselves, and their devices easily, while being inside and outside the studio. When we introduced Bluetooth to our boards, we found that the majority of our users want the ability to wirelessly connect their devices. It made it so simple to pair a phone, a tablet or a recording device. It was much the same with the USB channel on our ARC boards. Connect your Windows or Mac PC, and play anything you want. No need to mess with complex wiring or switches.

Owners, along with their talent, are also wanting to be able to reach their studio from anywhere. We are seeing this with the software consoles, such as the DARC Virtual. With it, you can sit at home and manage your studio’s board remotely. People want their devices to easily connect, but also want to control their board from anywhere.

RW: What role does the console play today when planning a broadcast studio?

Palmer: The radio console is the main hub and foundation for your studio. It is where any engineer should start for their design, and should meet the current and future needs of your buildout. Considerations should be made for what a studio will need 5 to 10 years down the road. But don’t stress about this. Realize that you can start with what is needed today, knowing that expandability is very feasible while utilizing AoIP.

RW: How vibrant is the marketplace for analog consoles? How long will manufacturers of analog consoles support them?

Palmer: Analog consoles and equipment will be around for a long time. The beauty of AoIP is that you can connect any analog equipment to your network using nodes, such as Simple IP. So if you buy an analog board today, and expand your studios tomorrow, you can easily utilize AoIP with any existing analog studio. As it stands, you’ll need analog interfaces for your mics, headphones, etc. And even though touchscreens have helped foster the use of software consoles, there are still many who prefer the feel of a physical interface.

I believe that we will see analog boards for a long time, but we’ll continue to see a growing cohesion between digital and analog, such as with Bluetooth, USB, AoIP, etc.

RW: Any other thoughts for someone who is setting out to make a console system buying decision?

Palmer: Don’t put off replacing your old board, or buying that new studio. We often hear of stations nursing 30-year-old boards, or getting used boards off Ebay. The cost of your time, stress and energy maintaining old equipment adds up fast. Whereas, high-quality brand-new boards are extremely affordable today.

The best part is, new boards are now future-proof. You can easily start off with a smaller system, but then expand using AoIP. For example, you purchase an ARC-10 console today. A couple years down the road you add a couple new studios and want the DARC Virtual console while utilizing AoIP. Just add a Simple IP (or Dante AVIO) node which connects your ARC-10 sources to the Dante network. With a simple ethernet network, you just connected multiple studios and your audio is accessible anywhere.

With the affordability of new equipment, and it being future-proof, there is no reason to wait. Don’t be intimidated, and make the move.

The post With Consoles, It’s All About Connectivity appeared first on Radio World.

Elevation for proposed shortwave towers; see detailed original in the Parable filing.

There’s a plan in the works to build a new international shortwave radio station in Illinois, one that would use the Digital Radio Mondiale modulation system. But now several prominent members of the U.S. shortwave community are asking the Federal Communications Commission to take a closer look first.

Parable Broadcasting Co. in April asked the FCC to allow it to build the station in Batavia, Ill., west of Chicago, using the call sign WPBC. It wants to offer “broadcasting and data services.”

Specifically, Parable wrote that the station would “serve the areas of Europe that may be authorized by the commission. The planned broadcast content includes religious and educational programming, as well as data content provided by third parties.” It added that it wants to “take advantage of the recent push by the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters to develop and provide content for the growing DRM market.”

Now three individuals, collectively called the High-Frequency Parties, filed an informal objection. It’s that wording about data content that concerns them.

Bennett Z. Kobb, Kim Andrew Elliott and Christopher D. Rumbaugh said international broadcast stations in the U.S. are intended “to be received directly by the general public in foreign countries.”

Now they told the FCC that it is impossible to tell from the Parable application whether all of the data services and data provided by third parties will qualify.

Elliott is a former VOA employee who produces the program “Shortwave Radiogram” and is active on Twitter. Rumbaugh publishes the DRMNA.info website. Kobb has held various roles in radio and telecommunications including launching a telecom newsletter and writing books about spectrum allocations. He currently is a government contractor. The three have filed joint comments to the FCC before.

They wrote to the commission: “Various elements of the application and its geographical location suggest that the station will be engaged in the provision of point-to-point data services for hire, a common carrier or private carrier of messages not ‘intended for direct reception by the general public’ and not ‘to be received directly by the general public in foreign countries.’”

Nothing in the rules allows non-broadcast service, including ancillary or auxiliary services, they continued. “The applicant proposes to use the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) standard. All data messages from this station must be in a form readily decoded by ordinary DRM receivers and rendered as publicly accessible content without encryption or obscuration of their purpose or meaning. While Section §73.758 authorizes ‘datacasting’ to stations using DRM, it does not allow any form of datacasting that is not also broadcasting.”

[Related: “U.S. Shortwave Broadcasters Eye Digital”]

They said they’re definitely not against international data broadcasts or to DRM. (“Our members pioneered such services at the Voice of America and have operated DRM promotional websites recognized by the DRM Consortium for more than a decade.”) But they said someone wishing to conduct commercial HF point-to-point messaging for third parties should do so in a service dedicated to that function; if none exists they should petition the FCC for one.

While the FCC has authorized international data stations experimentally, those were “never conceived to engage in revenue operations indefinitely as an alternative to regular spectrum allocations and transparent, public license assignment procedures.”

In a separate email to Radio World, Kobb noted recent news coverage of shortwave applications for private data communication services such as instant stock trading; examples are here and here. Kobb emphasized that the objectors have no reason to think Parable is associated with those particular projects.

But regardless of audio programs that Parable may transmit, the three told the FCC that licensing a point-to-point message facility this way would be “an impermissible excursion around formalizing an international private data service or updating existing rules to accommodate it.” So they say the commission FCC should require Parable to certify that “no nonpublic, non-broadcast, nondisclosed, encrypted, confidential or clandestine data messages shall be sent over the proposed station.”

They added that the FCC needs to update its “hoary Part 73F rules, some dating from the 1930s and now without any articulable public interest basis.” These include “excessive” minimum required power level and a prohibition on domestic service. “Rule changes might embrace data communications under an expanded scope of service.”

Radio World invited comment from Parable via its attorney, Donna Balaguer of Fish & Richardson P.C. She replied in an email: “We have just received the informal objection and require time to review it.  However, Parable Broadcasting Company proposes to provide valuable cultural and educational content overseas, as intended by the FCC for International Broadcast Stations. Parable’s application complies with FCC rules in all aspects.”

The application lists a Virginia address for the company and lists Stephen J. Bartlett as president. Its consulting engineer is Stephen Lockwood of Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, whose engineering work can be seen in the application. [Read the Parable application including technical filing.]

Parable’s facility would operate on the 5.9–15.8 MHz international shortwave bands with 15 kW power. Two 10 kW Amplifier Systems transmitters (main and standby) would feed 550 feet of 5-inch Comscope pressurized coax to a “super high gain” TCI log-periodic antenna system. The latter would consist of three towers, including two at 184 feet, with antenna power gain of 18.0 dBi, which the application notes is “a multiplier of 63.1.”

 

 

 

 

The post Proposed Shortwave Station in Illinois Prompts an Objection appeared first on Radio World.

For the first time in 64 years, the popular Broadcasters Clinic, held annually near Madison, Wis., won’t take place this fall thanks to the pandemic. But there will be a virtual version.

Until now, the organizers of the engineering-oriented event had been hoping that they could still conduct a physical conference in October.

“With the decisions the state made this past weekend, we just can’t move ahead with an in-person Clinic,” said Linda Baun, vice president of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, in an email.

“With its 60+ years of service to the engineers and industry, I personally am saddened by the turn of events. However, I will do everything within my power to see that the engineers are served to the best of my ability.”

The annual event nominally is a state and regional one but it has drawn attendees and vendors from around the United States and remains a popular local conference that has outlived many others sponsored in the past by other states’ associations.

Baun said the organizers are now turning their efforts “into planning a stellar virtual Clinic.” Details will be announced later.

 

The post Broadcasters Clinic in October Will Be Virtual Only appeared first on Radio World.

The author is with law firm Fletcher, Heald and Hildreth, on whose blog this article originally appeared.

The Federal Communications Commission has just released a Public Notice that impacts operators of C-Band (3.7-4.2 GHz) earth station dishes to receive or transmit programming or data. Previously, the FCC reallocated the lower portion of that band for auction, with incumbents earth stations entitled to reimbursement for their expenses to move their operations to the upper part of the band. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, a C-Band earth station must meet certain qualifications:

(1) The earth station must have been operational as of April 18, 2018, and remained operational; and registered (receive-only) or licensed (transmit/receive) in the 3700–4200 MHz band.

(2) If unregistered or unlicensed before April 18, 2018, registration or license applications must have been filed by Nov. 7, 2018.

(3) If registered or licensed before April 18, 2018, the registrant or licensee must have:

1. Certified the accuracy of the registration/license information in the International Bureau Filing System (IBFS) by May 28, 2019; OR
2. Filed a modification/update to the registration or license in IBFS during the April 19, 2018–Nov. 7, 2018 filing window; OR
3. Filed a timely renewal application for the existing registration or license by May 28, 2019.

[Read: C-Band Plan Aims to Limit Broadcast Disruption]

FCC staff has analyzed its database and produced a list of the incumbent earth stations in the continental U.S. (lower 48 states) entitled to reimbursement. The list includes name, call sign, technical data, etc. The FCC has asked C-Band dish operators to review the list, and by July 16, send in any corrections to the data on the list, as well as corrections regarding the omission of earth stations that should be but are not on the list.

If you have a C-Band dish that you believe is registered or licensed in the continental U.S., check the list. If your dish is not listed, or if the data listed contains errors, check with your attorney right away.

 

The post FCC Seeks Confirmation of C-Band Earth Stations Entitled to Reimbursement appeared first on Radio World.

Jason Ornellas

What should buyers of radio broadcast consoles know about important trends?

Jason Ornellas, CBRE, is director of engineering for Bonneville International Corp. in Sacramento, and a member of the NAB Radio Tech Committee and SBE national board of directors. This is one in a series of interviews with industry console experts. An earlier version of this article appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: The topic at hand is consoles. What’s the most important design trend, in your view?

Jason Ornellas: I see consoles becoming more of a touchscreen with virtual layers and a smaller physical footprint. Thinking of the younger folks in the industry, and today’s kids only know touchscreens, so it would make sense if we saw studios have touchscreens only. As much of a pain it would be to support a fully touchscreen type studio, I’m sure they will be common within 10 years or less. Also, with software being the backbone of these consoles nowadays, I can see consoles becoming very small, the size of a laptop, think RODECaster Pro.

RW: How could equipment manufacturers make your life as a user and buyer of consoles easier?

Ornellas: I think the console manufactures do a great job with the layout, hardware selection and color selections of consoles already. They constantly make different flavors of the console with various size and price, so they unanimously know their audience and buyers.

I think, as an industry, it is configuring the equipment or console that gives us the biggest headache or is the most time-consuming. I would like to see more coders and programmers to work with the vendors to make the user interface as seamless as possible while navigating it and configuring your AoIP system.

RW: What role does the console play today when planning a radio studio? 

Ornellas: The console is still the heartbeat of the studio, but so many other factors play bigger roles within the design and planning of a new broadcast studio. I believe they will become more automated and smaller in size as things move virtually within the studio. The days of having big consoles, fully loaded with faders are not the future of studio design, especially for music format stations. I can see how a news talk format may still want a more traditional style console, but with AoIP making switching sources I believe time will change that mindset as well as part of the design.

RW: What will the next generation of user interface look like? 

Ornellas: I think the next generation of a user interface will be very animated and powerful. I think we have already embraced in some instances that we will not be using a physical console for some studios and take everything virtual. Think out of the box. And could facial recognition be a way for a user interface to log in and interact or control the layout of the GUI? All of this is a true possibility with enhancement of technology and where we are going as humans, with everything being virtual and dependent on AI.

[Related: Watch our interview with Jason Ornellas as part of the Radio World webcast series “Broadcasting From Home.”]

The post Ornellas: Today’s Console Is Tomorrow’s Touchscreen appeared first on Radio World.

Eric Hoppe

What should console buyers know before shopping these days?

Eric Hoppe is owner of Progressive Concepts and head of sales and marketing for master distribution of D&R products in the United States. This is one in a series of interviews with industry console experts. An earlier version of this article appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What is the biggest trend in console design?

Eric Hoppe: Today’s consoles have most of the features customers are looking for. The only trend I could possibly see is the need for more network sharing in larger studios. The D&R consoles we handle are for small to mid-size studios that mostly use stand-alone broadcast mixers. For this reason D&R mixers include integration with music playout software very elegantly.

RW: What demands do you hear from potential buyers?

Hoppe: These days, most music content comes from playout software rather than tapes, vinyl or CDs (though there are still a good number of studios using these other mediums). For that reason, D&R has implemented a USB interface for audio communication in all of their mixers while maintaining both analog and digital ports for interfacing with legacy types of equipment.

[Related: “Progressive Concepts Takes on RVR”]

RW: What role does the console play now when someone is planning a new studio?

Hoppe: Today, the mixing console is still the centerpiece of the studio’s operation and thus needs to be very easy to understand and use, because not all studios today employ professional DJs.

RW: What functions and features are being offered on new models that engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while should know about?

Hoppe: They should ask themselves, “What do I really need to make my radio program work?” and not select a console with too many gadgets or features as to complicate its function. Progressive Concepts is very good at helping the client find the right board for their needs.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all?

Hoppe: Generally speaking, DJs still want to use hardware with physical faders to control their content. Some products have the entire control surface on a touchscreen monitor, which I believe is getting a little far removed from the feel of an actual mechanical fader.

RW: How vibrant is the marketplace for analog consoles? 

Hoppe: I believe there is still a market for analog only mixers; however, D&R consoles and mixers include a hybrid design of digitally controlled analog audio mixers that provides tremendous value in terms of sound quality and reliability for their price point.

RW: Any suggested best practices for someone who is setting out to make a console system buying decision? 

Hoppe: Seek out a supplier who can help you find a mixer or console that fits your needs and who provides friendly service to help you set up your console.

The post Buying a Console? Focus on What You Really Need appeared first on Radio World.

Jay Tyler

This is part of Radio World’s series exploring trends in radio broadcast consoles.

Jay Tyler is director of sales for Wheatstone Corp. An earlier version of this article appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What’s notable in how consoles are designed today?

Jay Tyler: They have become “softer.” We still have a physical control surface, with knobs and metering and faders, [but] the actual functions of those buttons have changed.

Where we would normally have a Program button, there might be a Program All or that might be a programmable button to not only put that channel on-air in Program, but it might start a skimmer, it may cue up other microphones in the talk studio.

The physical consoles we’re using are becoming more flexible and more user-defined, rather than manufacturer-designed like their analog counterparts.

A perfect example is Townsquare Media. Traditionally it had been an AoIP customer buying traditional control surfaces that acted like their analog counterparts, as far as the user goes. Well, we’ve done [projects in] Lafayette, La.; Lufkin, Texas — and now Duluth, Minn., where we’re rolling out eight control rooms — with what we call Glass LXE. This is our console that’s not running on Wheatstone surface hardware. It’s talking to a Wheatstone Mix Engine but it’s running on third-party hardware, whether it’s an all-in-one PC or a fancy touchscreen.

Ultimately, that’s where a lot of people are leaning — to save money and to break into the next level, and maybe make that control room look futuristic.

RW: How does virtualization apply to this conversation?

Tyler: In Wheatstone’s world, when you’re virtualizing something you’re running many instances of software. That could be our mixing console, that could be our applications, or that could be our drivers. We consider that at the local level.

So when you hear virtualization, automatically we think, “Okay, we’re going to consolidate PCs and everything we have here locally.” We’re going to virtualize the console. That means it’s going to go on a hard drive somewhere, and it’s going to have a touchscreen interface. When we virtualize studios, this means we’re consolidating our resource locally.

You’re going to hear another term called centralization. Centralization and virtualization go together. This means we’ve got our audio located in one spot in the country, usually on-site at somebody’s property within the organization; and then we’re polling and we’re distributing music.

[Related: “Virtualization and Cloud Come to the Forefront”]

Virtualization is just a consolidation at the radio station. Automation manufacturers were the first ones to virtualize their systems. They didn’t put it in a cloud; they basically put it on a big server with redundant drives and all the security you could ask for.

The other side of virtualization is what we think of as cloud-based services. Everybody wants to save money, we get it; everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon and use Amazon and Google Cloud, etc. People are looking at it, we’ve had discussions with customers about it.

One of the biggest obstacles we’re going to have to overcome is latency. If you were to take all the “stuff” we have in the studio now and put it in the cloud, all of your microphone audio has to go up. Everybody’s microphone would have to go up; arrive at the same time; be mixed; and then be sent back to us at the local market.

We see the automation guys leaning more towards cloud-based services and cloud-based delivery, because latency isn’t such a big deal. I think what you’re going to see initially as an end result is a combination of maybe a virtual studio with a cloud-based automation system being streamed down.

RW: How vibrant is the marketplace for a traditional analog console? 

Tyler: You can quote me on this: We sell a lot of analog consoles.

If you’re a small studio and more than 50% of your sources are analog, it makes perfect sense for you to buy an analog console, especially if your transmission chain is analog. At a typical small mom-and-pop station, we’re going to have a couple of analog microphones, an analog telephone hybrid, a couple of channels with automation. We’re probably going to have a consumer CD player.

There’s still nothing wrong with the analog mix engine. In our Audioarts lineup we currently have the 08, the AIR-1, the AIR-4 and the Lightning — from small to bigger mid-market analog offerings.

Some of the advantages of analog? Guys can fix it. People feel comfortable with it. There’s no laptop, no software, no licensing — you own it. When you get an analog console, you’re not going to get an upgrade, it’s just going to do what it does.

How long will analog be around? As long as your analog power amplifier! People can always fix them, you can always get the parts for them. Unless [you have] power supply issues or you’ve spilled something in it, they tend to work.

Wheatstone still services every single analog console we’ve ever sold. That goes back to our recording days.

RW: Other thoughts?

Tyler: If you’re an analog guy and feel comfortable buying analog, all of us manufacturers still do some cool interfaces with the analog. We’ve given you Bluetooth interfaces, we’ve got analog consoles with USB I/O. You can still get some of the advantages of the digital boards out there by picking the right stuff.

RW: But those digital boards sure are pretty powerful.

Tyler: You can control them from anywhere in the world. Most of the digital boards are going to give us a remote interface; so instead of the engineer in Ithaca, N.Y., driving to the radio station in the snow to hit the program button on the monitor module for the jock, they can open up their laptop, log in and soft-select a monitor module and go back to sleep.

Because the digital stuff becomes more technical, it also allows you the benefits of factory support services that all of us offer. With digital we can remote in and do a lot of stuff. We can configure things, we can troubleshoot, and we can do online training. There are big advantages there.

 

The post Consoles Get “Softer” and More Powerful appeared first on Radio World.

Tom Churchill is shown at right with his colleague Larry Fuss circa 2017. Fuss called Churchill “a software genius.”

Tom Churchill, a developer of automated weather software used in the radio business, has died.

According to his friend and colleague Larry Fuss of Delta Radio in Mississippi, Churchill was 59 and died at home in the Dominican Republic.

Among Churchill’s offerings was Digital Weatherman, which allowed stations to sell weather sponsorships and interfaced with station automation systems.

A bio on the Virtual Weatherman website states that Churchill was a native of Dubuque, Iowa, where he started in radio as a weatherman at WDBQ at age of 13 in 1974. Other articles online about his career stated that in the 1970s Churchill appeared on the “Tomorrow Show” with Tom Snyder and also won $16,000 on a TV game show.

“Tom worked for Channel 10 Television in Dubuque for several years as well as making guest appearances and regular on-air weathercasting duties on PBS, NBC, CBS and ABC from 1974 to 1983,” the Virtual Weatherman bio page continues, noting that Churchill’s forecasting acumen also was featured in national magazines.

“In 1979, Tom formed his first weather forecasting company providing live weathercasts to radio stations across the country. The Digital Weatherman system was developed in the late 1980s to extend his weather forecasting capabilities to hundreds of radio stations through the use of computer technology.”

According to a Wikipedia page about him, the PC-based system contains thousands of small audio cuts about weather conditions that could be merged into a customized forecast.

The Wikipedia account states that Churchill also provided forecasting services to a number of Hollywood movie productions filmed in and around the Dubuque area.

Broadcaster Larry Fuss was a sales agent for Churchill’s service for many years; Churchill in turn did engineering and IT work for Fuss at Delta’s radio stations in Greenville, Miss. “His weather service is still running and we are trying to figure out how we can keep it going,” Fuss told Radio World Monday. “However, much of the inner workings of Tom’s software was in his head. … I’m afraid much of his genius will be lost.”

Churchill had a BS in atmospheric physics and a minor in astronomy, according to the Virtual Weatherman site, which said he moved to the Caribbean in 2001.

Fuss said the family plans a memorial service for Churchill at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Davenport, Iowa on Wednesday.

The post Tom Churchill Dies, Was Weather Software Developer appeared first on Radio World.

A Colorado low-power FM radio station faces a $15,000 fine in a case involving the FCC’s underwriting rules.

The rules regarding underwriting must be closely followed by low-power FMs, as the Federal Communications Commission pointed out in a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture released on July 2. Noncommercial educational (NCE) stations provide a unique service by allowing the public to enjoy a radio service that is both commercial-free and oriented to the local community, it said. NCE and LPFM stations are given special regulatory considerations such as reserved spectrum, fewer regulatory requirements and exemption from annual regulatory fees.

[Read: “Arizona LPFM Can Continue Broadcasting”]

And although these stations can identify contributors who provide financial support, they cannot go further and promote a contributor’s products, services or businesses. According to the commission, strong enforcement of these restrictions “preserves the unique nature of low-power FM stations by keeping them commercial-free.” But it also provides a level playing field for noncommercial broadcasters who obey the rules, and for commercial broadcasters that assume higher levels of regulatory and financial burdens in exchange for being permitted to sell commercial advertising on their stations.

The rules were allegedly not followed by Plymouth Gathering Inc., licensee of LPFM station KELS in Greeley, Colo. The Enforcement Bureau finds that KELS violated the rule for noncommercial educational stations on multiple occasions. Specifically, it said that over a three-month period in 2018, Plymouth aired more than 1,600 advertisements on KELS promoting the products, services or businesses of at least 14 financial contributors.

The commission received multiple complaints about KELS — going back to 2015 — alleging that the station was airing ads and operating the station as a commercial entity. Following a review of the complaints, the Colorado field office investigated and monitored the station, going so far as to record a segment of station programming that appeared to include commercial announcements for 14 underwriters.

The FCC says that after the Enforcement Bureau reached out to Plymouth about these matters in December 2018, the station acknowledged that it did broadcast 13 announcements more than 1,600 times over a three-month period in late 2018, but asserted that it did not maintain records concerning the broadcast dates, times or text of the announcements. The station also acknowledged that it set up contracts with the 13 for-profit entities to air announcements for monetary gain. After review, the Colorado field office found one additional commercial announcement, pushing the illegal commercial announcements to 14 advertisers in total.

As part of its notice, the FCC described the ways that the broadcasts violated FCC law, including announcements that compare products or services, announcements that use pricing language to do business and announcements that were greater than 30 seconds in length — all of which violate FCC rules as well as the Communications Act.

When it comes to penalties and forfeitures, FCC rules set a base forfeiture of $2,000 for each violation of its enhanced underwriting requirements but the amount can go as high as $51,222 per violation.

Weighing the period of time over which the announcements were aired, the number of announcements and its actions in other underwriting cases, the commission found that the station is apparently liable for a forfeiture of $15,000.

Plymouth has 30 days to pay or to file a written statement seeking reduction or cancellation.

 

The post LPFM Handed $15,000 Penalty After Allegedly Promoting 14 Businesses On Air appeared first on Radio World.

From our Who’s Buying What page: Targetspot said it won a three-year contract with Radio France and France Médias Monde to market their digital audio ad spots.

Its parent company AudioValley said Radio awarded Targetspot rights to the commercialization of its podcasts AOD (audio on demand) and France Médias Monde live flows.

[Read: Stingray Partners With Targetspot]

“The first lot covers direct sales of the digital advertising spots on podcasts and AOD. The second lot covers programmatic sales and high-tech solutions (adserving, service trafficking, targeting),” the company stated.

France Médias Monde handles French international broadcasting and includes the news channels France 24, the international radio station RFI and the Arabic-language station Monte Carlo Doualiya.

Targetspot will handle direct and programmatic sales of all digital audio content for Radio France and France Médias Monde, in France and internationally. The contract began July 1.

 

The post Targetspot Wins Digital Audio Sales Bid with Radio France appeared first on Radio World.

Marty Sacks

What should buyers of radio broadcast consoles know about important trends?

Marty Sacks is vice president of sales, support and marketing for the Telos Alliance. This is one in a series of interviews with industry console experts. An earlier version of this article appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

RW: Marty what’s the most important trend in console design?

Marty Sacks: Today, consoles can do anything and everything the broadcaster wants and needs. It’s empowering. Just like a playlist, users can create new experiences for different operators with different styles, allowing creativity to float to the top, not buried by technical complexity. There is a trend towards power and technical sophistication hiding under the surface so to speak; but ultimately, users want more application-specific controls and dialed-in user experiences.

Our new Axia Quasar AoIP console, for example, was designed based on user and ergonomic studies, and has customizable features like new Source profiles, automatic mix-minus and automixing an all channels. Metering is built into the surface right wherever the user needs it, on every channel display, next to each fader, and the monitor module. Users can customize their Quasar via user-assignable buttons in the master touchscreen module and every channel strip. The trend in console design is that the user is king.

RW: It has been 16 years since Axia began offering professional radio gear that networks using Ethernet. What requests do you hear now from buyers that are different since then?

Sacks: In most cases, our customers are looking to us as their guide. Sure, there is the occasional feature request and we’ve done studies on usability; but for the most part, they allow us to set the tone for what to expect. We accomplish this role as their guide by removing obstacles in their way and giving them a multitude of tools. Our customers believe in the Telos Alliance because the tool — be it a sophisticated desktop console, a hybrid console/tablet, or a completely virtual model — is their choice. Their request is simple: Tell me I have no limitations of format and  protocols and let me configure the console any way I want.

Our new iQx console is a good example of this. Nobody requested a standalone mixer than can drop onto AES67 networks with no external boxes or software and immediately begin working. We thought the market needed the option so we created it, and it has been very well received.

Another example is a driven by clients operating during the recent pandemic. There has been quite a lot of interest in our clients remotely operating their Axia consoles and other components of their Telos Alliance AoIP network while outside the broadcast facility. That was not a request in the early days yet is something that is happening a lot right now. We had already built this functionality into most of our gear — for many years now — so we were happy to be able to say yes to this very important request when it came up.

RW: What functions or features are offered that engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while should know about?

Sacks: We were all trained to think of consoles as standalone devices at the center of a studio. While this can certainly still be the case, there is so much more to consider. Now, it’s not the console that matters most. Thanks to AoIP, it’s the ecosystem. Our consoles can now communicate with cloud/virtual stream sources, have built-in talk show support, and configurations for our Telos Infinity IP Intercom brought to you by Axia Pathfinder control.

AoIP consoles can stand alone or be easily networked together to allow sharing of sources and automatic switching between the various operational modes (or call letters) a cluster might have, like live shows and voice-tracking during other time periods when the console is no longer needed. If you have one building running two stations with different call letters, one console is all you need, because you can set it up how you want. Again, the user has more options than ever thanks to the flexibility of AoIP networks.

RW: What’s an example of a notable recent installation?

Sacks: Legendary Los Angeles station KCRW 89.9 FM recently completed its $38 million headquarters at Santa Monica College’s Center for Media and Design. It was more than a decade in the making. The headquarters features 11 audio over IP studios that speak to the power of the networked ecosystem.

KCRW Chief Engineer Steve Herbert and broadcast IT engineer Jon Connolly worked with Key Code Media’s Edward Locke, Axia specialist Gregory Dahl, Telos Alliance’s John Bisset  and Broadcast General Store to specify and set up a powerful, interoperable Livewire network with 12 Axia Fusion AoIP consoles, several Telos Alliance xNodes, Axia IP-Tablets and Axia Pathfinder Core Pro control. Each of the 85+ KCRW employee workstations and audio consoles are networked for sharing and collaboration. It’s a beautiful example of the power of the ecosystem.

RW: Any best practices or errors to avoid, for buyers?

Sacks: Those in the market for a console need to know that they are buying way more than a console. They are buying a company. What does that company offer that will help the customer realize all their audio hopes and dreams and create the most exciting audio experiences imaginable for their audience? At Telos, our goal is to be the Yoda to our broadcasting Jedi Knights. We want to help them along with our 115+ Livewire partners, on their audio journeys in an endeavor that does not stop after the business transaction of buying a console is complete. We will of course support and service the product, but will also be there as the customer’s needs grow and evolve. Since consoles now have a software component, it’s also more important now than ever to choose a manufacturer that is stable and is going to be around for the foreseeable future.

 

The post  “The User Is King” With Today’s Consoles appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast business software developer Marketron has released NXT, a digital advertising management platform.

The company says that NXT was built specifically for radio business usage. It can manage radio station broadcast and digital campaigns.

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

Marketron CEO Jim Howard said, “The radio industry is in a period of rapid transition, and we are here to enable our industry to successfully bridge to the new future … With Marketron NXT, we have leveraged our deep knowledge in radio and digital advertising to create an offering that will bring the same success to radio groups of all sizes.”

Marketron says that NXT “consolidates all major digital categories into a single system that includes capabilities for proposal creation, order entry, execution of radio and digital, campaign reports and invoicing.” In addition it offers “easy-to-use proposal creation tool that gives broadcast sales representatives access to premium, third-party digital inventory. Within a single platform, sales teams are able to package all products and multiple tactics — air time, third-party digital display ads, non-spot revenue, O&O digital, sponsorships and more — into a single proposal with consolidated order entry, full invoicing and reporting.”

Marketron Senior Vice President of Product Jimshade Chaudhari said, “With the ability to create professional proposals in minutes and then show digital campaign ROI through detailed reporting, sales teams can demonstrate additional value to advertisers and increase the likelihood of renewals. Automatic creation of insertion orders reduces time and the potential for error, and Marketron NXT’s end-to-end workflow makes it easy for business offices to track invoices, payments and margins,”

Info: www.marketron.com

 

The post Marketron NXT Aims at Revenue appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia San Diego said it has completed the acquisition of KFMB(AM) from Local Media San Diego; and as of today the station, heard on 760 kHz, has changed its call letters to KGB(AM).

“As part of terms of sale, TEGNA Inc. retained ownership of the KFMB(AM) call letters, which required iHeartMedia to make the change,” iHeart stated in an announcement.

“The Federal Communications Commission has approved the use of new call letters KGB for AM 760.”

[Related: “San Diego Stations Hit by Wave of Firings and Potential Job Cuts,” Jan. 2020]

It quoted Market President Melissa Forrest noting that the KGB call letters are legendary in San Diego. The company already uses them on an FM signal in the market.

The AM format is talk; iHeartMedia began operating KFMB under a local marketing agreement in March.

iHeartMedia San Diego’s holdings now are KGB(AM), KGB(FM), KHTS(FM), KIOZ(FM), KLSD(AM), KMYI(FM), KOGO(AM) and KSSX(FM).

[Read about the earliest history of the KGB call letters in this 1980 history article.]

The post KBG Call Letters Return to San Diego AM Dial appeared first on Radio World.