Radio World

A unique combination of an unsupervised tower structure and a radio contest gone awry led the Enforcement Bureau to levy a $125,000 civil penalty against a Florida broadcaster as part of a consent decree.

Magic Broadcasting II LLC was the subject of two investigations by two units within the Federal Communications Commission — the Enforcement Bureau and the Investigation and Hearings Division (IHD).

In 2018 the IHD began investigating a complaint that alleged that Magic Broadcasting’s station WILN(FM) failed to conduct radio contests in a fair manner. In the first instance, a complainant suggested that winners of an on-air radio contest were preselected. A scavenger hunt-like contest called Troll Tracker was initiated by WILN and ran for several weeks, even though the bureau alleged that a female listener allegedly solved the puzzle early on and was asked to sign nondisclosure agreements so that the station could continue the contest and entice the broadcast audience to keep listening through a long, drawn-out competition.

[Read: Contest Missteps Slip Up Two Texas Stations]

Likewise, in a second contest called Alexa Almighty, the station offered callers the chance to win prizes if they called into the station at certain times of day. But according to a complaint filed with IHD, it was impossible for the station to have conducted the contest as advertised because there was no live DJ on-air at the time the listeners were asked to call in. “Instead the station allegedly aired prerecorded calls between station employees and their friends posting as contest participants,” the IHD complaint states.

In these two cases, even though the Enforcement Bureau issued a letter of inquiry to Magic Broadcasting to seek more information, Magic Broadcasting could neither confirm or deny the truth of the allegations. The bureau said Magic also did not provide any evidence to rebut the issues in the complaint, although the broadcaster was repeated asked about these matters.

A second, unrelated issue appeared when, in September 2019, the Enforcement Bureau received an anonymous field complaint that an antenna structure had not been properly lit for more than a year. An agent from the bureau’s Miami Field Office investigated and determined that Magic Broadcasting station WVFT(FM) was licensed to operate from that antenna structure.

Magic Broadcasting admitted that it failed to monitor the state of the lighting system over a period of 453 days as required by FCC Rules, that it failed to immediately notify the Federal Aviation Administration that a light was out on the antenna structure as required by FCC Rules and that it failed to notify the commission of its acquisition in 2012 of the entire antenna structure itself.

Both of these two issues were resolved when Magic Broadcasting and the Enforcement Bureau agreed to enter into a consent decree. As part of the deal, Magic agreed to comply with several stipulations including that it create internal procedures to ensure compliance of the lighting system rules of the antenna structure, create internal procedures to ensure compliance with contest laws and live broadcast rules, and develop a compliance manual and training program for all employees to ensure the company complies with FCC Rules.

As part of the consent decree, Magic is also required to report any noncompliance with the aforementioned rules within 15 days of discovery of such noncompliance. Magic must also file compliance reports with the commission several times over the next five years.

In addition to following compliance procedures, Magic also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $125,000 in 20 installments of $6,250, the first of which is due 30 days after the effective date of the consent decree. If Magic defaults on any of the payments, the unpaid amount will accrue interest and the remaining amount will become immediately due.

 

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Business software tools developer Veritone has announced several changes for the good in its Discovery and Attribute advertising analysis software platforms.

According to the company, the Discovery ad campaign and analysis application now has more thorough campaign analysis; improved usage of Nielsen data, for those who subscribe; better report customization options; and new AI models for improved performance.

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

The Attribute broadcast advertising attribution program now offers deeper analytic capabilities; better management and campaign prep along with improvements in administration and user management as well; and better understanding of broadcast integration with the internet; media.

Veritone President Ryan Steelberg said, “Our already comprehensive campaign search and analytics applications keep evolving as we work closely with our customers to continuously identify opportunities to help automate their processes. Further, we’re improving the interface to make it easier and more intuitive to deliver actionable intelligence that helps drive ad revenue and advertiser satisfaction.”

Info: www.veritone.com

 

The post Veritone Polishes Discovery and Attribute appeared first on Radio World.

These transmitters seem like silent sentinels but they tell very good time.

It is nestled in a farmer’s field in southwestern Ottawa, Canada, in a protected area known as the Greenbelt, surrounded by miles of sprawling suburbia.

It is CHU, Canada’s own automated time station.

Operating from a 1940s-era transmitter building and three vertical antenna towers, CHU broadcasts automated voice time signals in both English and French 24/7.

Its broadcasts are transmitted on 3.33, 7.85 and 14.67 MHz, and are heard through central/eastern Canada and the eastern United States, plus many other areas of the planet on a regular basis.

The unassuming exterior of CHU in southwestern Ottowa.

CHU’s time service is operated by Canada’s National Research Council, with the station being remotely controlled from the NRC’s Montreal Road headquarters central Ottawa some 12 miles away. The time signals are based on CHU’s trio of atomic clocks on-site, which are constantly checked against the atomic clocks at NRC headquarters.

“We are equipped with 1960s-era 10 kW transmitters that have been highly modified over the years,” said Bill Hoger. He is the Research Council officer who maintains the unmanned station as part of his overall duties along with two other off-site technicians.

One of CHU’s three towers.

“Before we moved to 7.85 from 7.335 MHz in 2009 due to an ITU frequency reallocation, we ran 7.335 MHz at 10 kW, our highest output power at CHU,” said Hoger. “But after the move we got complaints from a person in New Zealand who said we were causing interference, so we cut our power to 5 kW peak.” (CHU’s other transmissions run at lower powers.)

CHU was launched as experimental station 9CC at the Dominion Observatory in downtown Ottawa. Regular time broadcasts began using the callsign VE9OB in 1929.

In 1938 it became CHU, and in 1947 the station was moved to its current flat rural site in a project to boost its transmitting power, enlarge its antenna farm and extend its reach.

Faraday cage blocks unwanted electromagnetic fields.

The idea behind VE9OB/CHU was to provide accurate time-keeping information to people across Canada, especially those in rural and remote areas who needed accurate time and didn’t have local access to it. The country’s vast spaces and its government’s determination to bridge them is why it has been a pioneer in national microwave and satellite communications for decades.)

Atomic clocks inside the cage.

“Initially our service was just a constant frequency with patterns of Morse Code pulses in it to indicate the time,” said Hoger. More Morse Code information such as station identification was added in the 1930s, with recorded voice time messages coming from a mechanical “speaking clock” starting in 1952. This system used recorded time announcements on film whose playback was controlled remotely by the clocks. “We then went to digital playback in the 1990s,” he said.

Generation and measurement of signals in the CHU control room.

In its early days, CHU had personnel on site, but today the station runs itself with occasional human intervention. Still, it has a following: “We receive listener reports from around the world, and send out QSLs (reception report cards) on a regular basis,” Hoger said. Meanwhile, the NRC keeps this 1940s-facility maintained and repaired.

The post CHU, Canada’s Time Station appeared first on Radio World.

Attorney John Garziglia, a well-known presence in radio broadcast industry legal circles whose familiarity with the industry is rooted in his own past on-air and programming work, will retire at the end of this month.

Womble Bond Dickinson announced his pending departure and said media attorney Reid Avett, who recently joined the firm, will help lead its efforts in broadcasting.

According to a bio released by the company, Garziglia began representing broadcast clients in private practice in 1984.

“His focus in recent years has been AM radio revitalization, representing clients ranging from large broadcasting corporations to state broadcasters’ associations to small, local radio stations,” it stated.

“As part of this practice, Garziglia led the broadcasting industry’s efforts at the FCC to enable numerous AM stations to acquire and be awarded FM translators.”

Avett called Garziglia “A key architect of building a thriving broadcast practice, and we all are grateful for his work and leadership.” Marty Stern heads the firm’s Communications, Technology & Media team.

Garziglia has spent his entire private practice career at WBD and its predecessors. He worked at radio stations in St. Louis and Washington as an air talent and program director before going to law school. He began his legal career at the FCC, processing AM station assignment and transfer applications. He also prosecuted broadcast station license hearings for the FCC’s Hearing Branch before administrative law judges.

Garziglia’s writing and comments have appeared in Radio World many times. Just a sampling from recent years:

FM Translator, Booster Advocates Disagree in Origination Dispute (2020)

82 Broadcasters Want to Change the Definition of a Small Station (2019)

Garziglia: Main Studio Rule Is “an Easy Target” for Elimination (2017)

What Does President Trump Mean for Radio? (2016)

 

The post John Garziglia Will Retire appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Hieatt, an engineer with business expertise who was known in radio for his work at GeoBroadcast Solutions and First Broadcasting, has died. He was 56.

At GBS he was chief technology officer. His death comes as the Federal Communications Commission has just issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to consider allowing the company’s geotargeting technology to be used on FM boosters in the United States.

Hieatt had oversight of the company’s technology operations, according to his LinkedIn page, including “system architecture definition, network infrastructure design, Single Frequency Network (SFN) RF coverage/field measurements/model tuning, project management, intellectual property development, patent applications, field trials, customer presentations/webinars, system and feature development, and more.”

He prepared reports to the FCC and regulatory bodies, and developed intellectual property including at least two patents.

[Read a commentary by Bill Hieatt about geo-targeting.]

For several years at the beginning of this century, Hieatt was VP of engineering and software development for First Broadcasting, a merchant banker specializing in acquisition and development of U.S. radio stations and broadcast properties.

There he was responsible for new technology and software initiatives. In that job he identified radio station upgrades, developed proprietary broadcast allocation and RF propagation software and authored seven patents.

Hieatt worked for several other technical firms outside of broadcast during his career. Early on he joined Motorola Solutions as a graduate intern and became principal staff engineer. At one point he also founded a music label/media firm called GetGo Music Management.

According to his obituary he held a bachelors and master of science in electrical engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington and earned multiple MBAs.

The post Bill Hieatt Dies, Was CTO of GBS appeared first on Radio World.

Four new members will come together to serve on the board of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters — a group of individuals that will bring their knowledge of local, grassroots, community-minded radio to the NFCB.

The new members include station managers, general managers and an executive director from far-flung parts of the country. They are Amanda Eichstaedt, station manager/executive director for KWMR(FM) at Point Reyes Station, Calif.; Serah Mead, station manager for KZMU(FM) in Moab, Utah; Nathan Moore, general manager for WTJU(FM) in Charlottesville, Va.; and Kerry Semrad, general manager for KZUM(FM) in Lincoln, Neb.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Difference Makers]

“NFCB begins a whole new chapter on its board of directors,” said NFCB CEO Sally Kane. “We were delighted to see a broad slate of talented candidates step up.”

Mead and Moore were elected by membership, while Eichstaedt and Semrad are appointments. In addition, NFCB’s board has reappointed Carl A’see and Darrah Blackwater to full terms. Both were filling the terms of previously departed board members Marcellus Shepard and Jenni Monet, respectively.

Julia Kumari Drapkin and board President Sonya Green will conclude their service at the end of 2020, the NFCB said. Board members’ terms begin in January 2021.

“A sure sign of a healthy organization is lively interest in board service and we are so humbled to see that at NFCB,” Kane said.

NFCB also elected officers for the 2021 cycle including President Nathan Moore, Vice President Darrah Blackwater and Secretary Colin Andrews.

 

The post NFCB Introduces New Board Members for 2021 appeared first on Radio World.

Southern California has a new classical music radio format. It is on the AM dial. And it is broadcasting in HD Radio hybrid mode.

It is a particular combination — classical music, AM and HD Radio — that you aren’t likely to encounter much. But then again veteran SoCal indy broadcaster Saul Levine has never been one to do what everyone else is doing.

As we reported recently, Levine is excited about the possibilities for digital on the AM band, including the recent FCC vote to allow all-digital operation.

Since we posted that story in early November, Levine has flipped his 1260 signal in L.A. to classical music. But while the conversion of a low-rated oldies station back to commercial classical may be interesting, it’s his enthusiasm for doing it with hybrid HD Radio on AM that drew our attention, so we followed up to learn more about his thinking.

Levine went after FM listeners early, founding Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters in 1959 and launching classical on 105.1. He now airs country on that signal, while L.A. area listeners listen to classical on listener-supported KUSC 91.5.

But Levine, now 94 years old, seeks to “revive classical radio in Los Angeles and Southern California” by airing classical music on the 1260 signal. The AM station, until recently called KSUR and airing oldies, is now KMZT, for “K-Mozart.” Its classical format is also heard via its FM translator, online stream, station app and the HD4 multicast of Levine’s 105.1 KKGO.

Saul Levine at his office in 2012 with an earlier iteration of K-Mozart branding.

“Please do not miss the real story that hybrid technology allows KMZT 1260 to compete with a quality signal,” Levine wrote in an email, excited about what he called a virtually noise-free signal.

“HD has been around for a few years. Many engineers were first learning how to utilize it with a learning curve of mistakes to overcome. I now have two engineers who believe in AM HD hybrid and are making it purr like a kitten.”

It’s important to note that the station is not airing all-digital, though the FCC recently began allowing that option for AMs. Levine said he would throw that switch once HD Radio receiver penetration reaches 40 to 50%.

KMZT AM 1260 went on the air in 1947 as a 1 kW daytimer; its four-tower array is on its original seven acres in the San Fernando Valley. It now transmits with 20 kW daytime and 7.5 kW nighttime, with about 9 million listeners nearby. (Like many AMs these days, the site is now surrounded by residential development.)

Levine said the station has experimented with hybrid AM HD for a number of years using Nautel transmitters but that it wasn’t satisfactory and that, at any rate, AM HD was “under attack as a flawed technology.”

Since then, however, the transmitter amplifiers have been replaced; a new engineering team of Dan Feely and Tom White were brought in; new audio processing was installed; and more receivers are in the market. Clarence Beverage of Communication Technologies is the station consultant.

“We kept experimenting with hybrid and getting the audio to sound almost like FM on HD receivers and in stereo. One of the single events in moving us to classical music on AM was the installation of a Telos Omnia.7 processor, which knocked down audio noise in both analog as well as hybrid modes,” he said.

“With new HD radios arriving and FCC support, KMZT was ready to launch on Dec. 1. The audience response was positive and it is now anticipated that in a couple years when hybrid and HD set saturation reaches 40 to 50%, we will move to 100% digital operation.”

The big AM stations in L.A. are KFI and KNX, which are built on news/talk and all-news. KSUR’s oldies format earned only a 0.4 AQH share in the latest numbers from Nielsen Audio (November 2020 PPM 6+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid), while Levine’s KKGO FM country station drew a 2.4.

But Levine believes there’s a real opportunity here.

He reiterated that his company has invested about a half million dollars in the AM RF plant. “I consider the investment well spent and encourage AM operators to ignore their CPAs and invest in new equipment and hybrid technology. … The excitement is back in AM radio. Although I am a pioneer in FM radio I see a new opportunity in AM with hybrid HD.”

 

The post Saul Levine Is Fired Up for AM HD appeared first on Radio World.

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

Reflecting on the year as it winds down, 2020 has been a year of many challenges. It has also been a time to appreciate our medium of radio as a uniter, when so much seems deeply divided. It’s also a time to rally to community media’s aid.

In August, Pew Research identified many trust gaps in media. No more than half of respondents have confidence in journalists act in the best interests of the public. An equal number think that other Americans have no confidence in the institution either. However, fully 75% still believe it is possible to improve Americans’ relationship with the media.

Surely more than a bit of distrust is driven by the commercial television news cycle. Columbia Journalism Review is among many media watchers to decry cable TV networks’ obsession with outgoing Pres. Donald Trump. Negative coverage, or stories that seem calculated to spark anger, fear or other emotions aimed at keeping people tuned in are central to the charge. Former MSNBC producer Ariana Pekary wrote of how one TV executive called their field a cancer. “As it is, this cancer stokes national division, even in the middle of a civil rights crisis,” Pekary reflected over the summer. “The model blocks diversity of thought and content because the networks have incentive to amplify fringe voices and events, at the expense of others … all because it pumps up the ratings.”

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Taking Chances]

While radio is not immune to toxic ratings-first leaders, we also have community-minded institutions that want to contribute to their cities and towns. Radio as a medium has long enjoyed more trust than other platforms. Community media, especially community radio, remains a steadfast part of this movement for a better, more trustworthy medium.

Tune across community radio and you will find a fascinating look into local subcultures, community news, area arts that fight to survive in spite of COVID-19, and an ideal of media access that can’t be extinguished, even decades into community media’s run. While commercial media organizations crater under the weight of layoffs and a loss of trust, they scramble for new engagement models, nonprofit status and ways of listening and integrating the audience into their daily work. But guess what? Community media and radio in particular has been doing that for generations. As one astute media observer told me, “community media are the hipsters of this engaged journalism trend today.” And that’s not too far off base.

Where community media struggles at times is around scaling this important outreach and storytelling. But with the year-end period upon us, that is where you come in.

From now until Dec. 31 is where nonprofits traditionally see the most generosity from their communities. These large and small gifts help nonprofits pay staff, sustain their initiatives, and dream big as they plan bold new efforts. In the case of community media, a gift’s impact is as easy to observe as turning to your television, radio or internet browser. Your gifts have immediate results by supporting broadcasting, and chipping through the walls of distrust we see in many towns.

Those giving back have many options. Whether it’s donating to a local community radio station or lifting up nonprofits helping our medium, such as OpenNews or the Maynard Institute, or even contributing to an admired nonprofit media outlet, your year-end donation can really help radio to thrive.

Repairing trust and bridging divides will be an ongoing process. If you are one of those good souls who gives back to your communities during the holiday season, do not forget community radio. This year more than most, stations have made a difference, but need your help to do much more.

The post Community Broadcaster: Difference Makers appeared first on Radio World.

An Alabama licensee is facing a forfeiture of $6,000 for failing to file renewal applications on time.

Jimmy Dale Media LLC was required to file a renewal application for its two stations — WFMH(AM) and WMCJ(AM) — on Dec. 2, 2019. That date meets the Federal Communications Commission requirement that a license renewal should be filed no later than the first day of the fourth calendar month prior to expiration of the license.

In this case, the Media Bureau said the applications were filed on March 30, 2020. Initially, the bureau said, Jimmy Dale Media gave no explanation for the late filing. But in an amendment to the application filed on July 16, 2020, the licensee said that it was struggling financially and working days and many nights to keep the station on air. The licensee also stated that he was not advised by legal counsel as to the FCC rules for the license renewal process. The licensee has since joined the Alabama Broadcasters Association in an effort to stay up to date on filing deadlines and other requirements and indicated that the company “will sincerely endeavor to comply with all FCC rules and regulations” in the future.

[Read: Failure to File a Renewal Application Trips Up Two Licensees in Louisiana]

In response, the Media Bureau applauded the licensee’s efforts to ensure compliance with the commission’s rules going forward. But these efforts do not excuse or mitigate the violations. FCC rules and the commission’s own Forfeiture Policy Statement establishes a base forfeiture amount of $3,000 for failing to file a required form in a timely manner. The bureau may also adjust that amount based on the gravity of the violation and the degree of culpability.

In this case, the licensee did not dispute that the renewal applications were filed late. And the commission does not give do-overs to those who violate the rules because they were unaware of the guidelines. In addition, even though the licensee said the stations were struggling financially, it provided no documentation that would allow the commission to evaluate the licensee’s ability to pay.

“The commission has repeatedly held that corrective action taken to come into compliance with the rules is expected, and does not nullify or mitigate any prior forfeitures or violations,” the bureau said.

Based on those factors, the commission proposed the full $3,000 forfeiture amount for each late-filed application for a total of $6,000. The commission said it would grant the renewal applications after the forfeiture had been paid — assuming that no other issues arise.

The FCC’s action is a notice of apparent liability for forfeiture. The broadcaster has 30 days to pay or file an argument on why the penalty should be reduced or cancelled.

 

The post AM Stations Face Forfeiture for Late License Renewals appeared first on Radio World.

We don’t usually delve too deeply into radio programming or format specifics, because music is a specialized world of its own within radio. But December is the time of year for “top song” lists, and here’s another fun one.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers released its list of the top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs, highlighting the work of its member artists.

“Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” takes the #1 spot as the most-played holiday hit, according to an ASCAP analysis of streaming and terrestrial radio data,” the organization stated.

The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff and published by Universal Music Group Publishing, Sony/ATV, Kobalt Music and Tamal Vista Music. ASCAP noted that Carey posted a holiday message to fans including a shoutout to radio.

The organization also noted that Johnny Marks has three entries on this list, “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

So below are the year’s top 25 most played ASCAP holiday songs, meaning they were written or co-written by ASCAP songwriters and composers. The ranking is based on an analysis of ASCAP streaming and terrestrial radio data.

1. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff (1994)
2. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Willson (1951)
3. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (1962)
4. “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (1948)
5. “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1945)
6. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (1958)
7. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (1958)
8. “Last Christmas” by George Michael (1984)
9. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle (1963)
10. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (1944)
11. “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (1934)
12. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (1934)
13. “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin (1941)
14. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (1949)
15. “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1946)
16. “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” by Oakley Haldeman and Gene Autry (1947)
17. “Home for the Holidays” by Robert Allen and Al Stillman (1954)
18. “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (1970)
19. “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season” by Kay Tompson and Irving Berlin (1942)
20. “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Anthony Springer and Philip Springer (1953)
21. “Frosty the Snowman” by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (1950)
22. “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont; Frank Sinatra version arranged by Gordon Jenkins (ASCAP, 1958)
23. “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin (2013)
24. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague (1966)
25. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande and Savan Kotecha (2013)

 

The post ASCAP Lists Its Top 25 Holiday Songs appeared first on Radio World.

Codec manufacturer Tieline is now shipping its Gateway Multichannel IP audio codec, and it announced that the new unit supersedes the Merlin Plus and Genie Distribution models.

Tieline highlights the DSP power of the 1RU IP codec; it says the Gateway enables transport of multiple channels of mono or stereo audio across the internet or any QoS-enabled IP network, including T1 and T3 connections and private WANs with MPLS.

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

The Gateway streams up to 16 IP audio channels with support for AES67, ST 2110-30, AES3 and analog I/O as standard. It comes in two versions; one supports eight channels in/out (eight mono or four stereo) and the other supports 16 channels in/out (16 mono or eight stereo). An upgrade path allows a buyer to start with eight and expand later.

The company posted a video about the codec and its features.

Production of Merlin Plus and Genie Distribution has ceased. Tieline will continue to provide support and software updates for them.

The company says typical applications of Gateway will include large-scale audio distribution and management of multiple incoming remotes at the studio.

Features include hitless packet switching using SmartStream Plus redundant streaming, plus bandwidth aggregation using Fuse-IP technologies over internet connections. It supports 16 bidirectional mono or eight bidirectional stereo streams of IP audio in 1RU.

It is interoperable with other Tieline IP codecs and compatible over SIP with EBU N/ACIP Tech 3326 and 3368 compliant codecs and devices. The Gateway interfaces with analog and AES/EBU sources, as well as newer broadcast plants with AES67 and ST 2110-30 IP audio infrastructure. An optional WheatNet-IP card will be available.

Gateway is configurable through an embedded HTML5 Toolbox Web-GUI interface and is controllable using Tieline’s Cloud Codec Controller.

 

The post Tieline Rolls Out Gateway Codec appeared first on Radio World.

Korean Super Group BTS visited the Radio Disney studio. Photo: Radio Disney

As The Walt Disney Co. continues to emphasize streaming video, it is shutting down its Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country operations, effective the first quarter of 2021.

The move comes at a time when the media business is changing, giving kids more personalized music choices and the pandemic prevents Radio Disney from holding in-person events that attract sponsors.

Disney has been restructuring to focus on its direct-to-consumer business. Combined with the pandemic, which has devastated the company’s theme parks and movie business, the company reported a $710 million loss for its fiscal fourth quarter and has eliminated thousands of employees to reduce costs.

Launched in 1996, Radio Disney helped launch young Disney music stars including the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, as well as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and One Direction. In 2013, it began producing the Radio Disney Music Awards, which were televised on Disney Channel and showcased stars like Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor and Zendaya.

Radio Disney’s 36 staffers were informed of plans to cease operations Thursday morning via a teleconference with Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Branded Television.

“I want to thank Phil Guerini [Radio Disney’s general manager] and the entire Radio Disney team for their work over the years to cultivate and amplify the careers of music artists that became the definitive voices of their generation,” Marsh said. “The innovation and creativity of this team helped to deliver unforgettable experiences. Radio Disney has made an indelible impact on my family — and on millions of others.”

The Radio Disney staffers will lose their jobs early next year and receive an enhanced severance package.

The decision to close follows Disney’s exit from the radio station business, which began in 2007 and concluded with the sale of five Radio Disney stations to Salem Media Group for $2.225 million in 2015. Radio Disney kept one local station, KRDC(AM), Los Angeles, to originate its national programming feed. Disney will sell that station in 2021.

Sirius XM started carrying Radio Disney in 2002 and its current deal expired at the end of the year.

The shutdown process will take a few months, and the Radio Disney signal will be turned off in the first quarter.

In 2005, Radio Disney was available in 97% of the U.S. through more than 50 radio stations and SiriusXM and had offshoots in the U.K., Japan and Latin America.

The radio network became part of the Disney Channels business in 2006, consolidating the company’s kids business. Radio Disney showcased Disney Channel music and Disney Channel aired music videos. The strategy drove demand for soundtracks released by Walt Disney Records, including High School Musical, the top selling album that year.

In 2008, Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing (NBT), a multiplatform feature to showcase emerging recording artists, launched, boosting Shawn Mendes, Becky G, Fifth Harmony and others.

Radio Disney Country launched in 2015 as a digital only platform and expanded it in 2017 with the launch of two Los Angeles terrestrial stations and increased digital streaming.

Radio Disney opened a state-of-the-art studio in Burbank in 2009. Artists and celebrities would visit the studio for interviews and acoustic performances that became a big part of Radio Disney’s programming.

Radio Disney in Latin America is a separate operation and is not impacted by the U.S. shutdown announcement.

 

The post Radio Disney Shutting Down in First Quarter appeared first on Radio World.

The author is technology director at Australia Radio Network/ARN.

MELBOURNE, Victoria — ARN (Australian Radio Network) is one of the country’s leading broadcast and on-demand audio companies, “Defining Audio” with ownership or investments in 12 radio stations nationwide plus digital entertainment platform iHeartRadio and Australia’s number one podcast publisher, the iHeartPodcast Network.

We have a long history of providing our audience with the latest in streaming technology and were the first broadcaster in Australia to offer clients and listeners dynamic addressable content and interactive inventory.

To accommodate evolving technology, we have worked with several major streaming and cloud vendors. While we learned a lot in the process, the most obvious lesson was the challenge of managing a public-facing production platform. It’s not as simple as “set it and forget it.” The server farm required constant maintenance, which is time-consuming — particularly when dealing with multiple vendors.

Two years ago, we made the strategic decision to migrate our services to a hybrid hosting environment. We considered moving our streaming infrastructure to our private cloud, but we wanted to explore using a managed service that had experience with dynamic audio.

Our first goal for the transition was to simplify our streaming infrastructure to prepare for the future. We had multiple vendors and legacy systems supporting our live streams, making the existing infrastructure complicated and too difficult to scale. We also needed to increase our streaming capacity to accommodate an expanding number of audio channels and ensure suitable headroom for forecasted streaming listener growth.

Finally, we wanted to improve our reporting and analytics, as our management, commercial and content teams had no visibility of real-time or historical data.

NZME, our iHeartRadio partners in New Zealand, had transitioned to a managed service a year before us and selected StreamGuys as their provider. After speaking with multiple potential vendors, it was obvious there was a certain “peace of mind” and assurance that StreamGuys’ leadership brought to the conversation.

StreamGuys also works closely with the AdsWizz platform that we use for ad replacement and monetization, and their proposal provided the headroom we wanted for growth and a clear migration plan.

Seamless Migration

We commenced the migration of our streams to StreamGuys in March 2020. Their team was professional throughout the onboarding and user migration process. It is honestly the first time I’ve migrated so many streaming services with no noise. The “lift-and-shift” was seamless — and this was during the early months of COVID-19 when everything else was difficult.

StreamGuys now manage live streaming with midstream ad replacement for ARN’s iconic Australian brands KIIS, Pure Gold and The Edge, which are all integrated into the iHeartRadio Platform. StreamGuys handles our full audio payload, including radio simulcasts, DAB+ simulcasts, iHeartRadio stations and our expanding array of audio partnerships. StreamGuys hosts our audio streams through their Australian data center and is giving 100% uptime to our listeners.

StreamGuys’ SaaS suite provides flexible tools to help us monitor our operations. SGmetadata monitors what we are encoding from the studio complex to ensure that ad break replacement is being properly triggered. StreamGuys also created custom alerts in their SGalerts monitoring system that notify us of changes to our load balancing or other outages in our systems.

Our migration turned out to be perfect timing. During the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in streaming traffic across all ARN and iHeartRadio audiences. In a relatively short time, StreamGuys have delivered multiple significant benefits — doubling our streaming capacity, adding new commercial inventory opportunities and overcoming our data visualization issues.

The operational stress of managing the server farms and day-to-day operation ourselves is not missed, and StreamGuys have proven to be a valuable technology partner. In many ways it’s like they have joined the ARN technology team.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

For information about this product, contact StreamGuys in California at 1-707-667-9479 or visit www.streamguys.com.

The post User Report: StreamGuys Assures Streaming Uptime for ARN appeared first on Radio World.

Digital Radio Mondiale expressed satisfaction with its progress in Pakistan.

Pakistan Broadcasting Corp. requested that the government include a policy mandating that all new cars in Pakistan have DRM receivers, a policy already supported by the Ministry of Broadcasting.

The plan will be discussed for inclusion in an Automotive Industry Development and Export Plan for the coming five-year period, created by the Ministry of Industries and Production. DRM said PBC representatives will be part of the consultative body that will issue the new automotive policy.

PBC has a three-stage plan with cost estimates, for the rollout of DRM across Pakistan.

“This represents yet another major step in the already significant progress made by PBC towards the rollout of the DRM digital radio standard in both the AM as well as VHF bands in their country,” DRM wrote in an announcement.

“This policy will be a key driver for all major automobile brands and OEMs to prepare and produce line-fit DRM radios in their new cars and also to provide solutions for the after-market vehicles in Pakistan.”

 

 

 

The post DRM Pleased With Progress in Pakistan appeared first on Radio World.

The commercial radio business may be challenged in the United States right now; but it will still be in the top five media platforms in terms of local ad revenue next year, and it should hold onto its share of the overall local ad market.

That is the projection of BIA Advisory Services, which released its U.S. Local Advertising Forecast.

It believes total local advertising revenue across all media in the U.S. will reach $137.5 billion in 2021. “This estimate represents a 2.5 percent year-over-year growth from the firm’s final post-COVID estimate for 2020 of $134.1 billion, as businesses start to adapt and rebound from the pandemic lows,” it stated.

“As the expected presence of vaccines will help with the continuing rebound in the economy, we expect this increase will occur throughout 2021 even without the presence of significant political advertising.”

Radio, the company projects, will bring in $12.6 billion in ad revenue. (This includes all spot revenue from OTA radio, from national, regional and local advertisers, as well as radio online advertising.)

That performance would be up 1.4% from BIA’s latest estimates for 2020, the company told Radio World, and it would keep radio at about 9.2% of the local ad pie, “pretty flat” with this year’s 9%.

The graphic shows the top five categories with dollar totals and percentages provided by BIA.

Overall the company thinks traditional media revenue will see a slight decline from this year, while digital media will grow a few percentage points and reach 44.7 percent of total local media revenue.

“Although we are estimating an overall increase in total local advertising next year, we do not expect spending to recover to pre-COVID (2019) levels until 2022,” said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and SVP at BIA Advisory Services.

“The availability of a vaccine early in the new year will be a key factor to a much stronger year for almost all vertical advertising as the economy rebounds and consumers start moving around more freely and even going back into the office.”

“This year saw a very strong shift into digital media for its lower costs, accountability and flexibility,” Fratrik said in a press release. “However, it also included substantially improved targeting, attribution and ROI tools from broadcast TV, broadcast radio and MVPDs that cannot be ignored.”

Speaking of TV and radio, the company wrote: “Even with the onslaught of new digital competitors, these traditional media still retain sizable audiences that many national and local advertisers want to reach.”

But it said local mobile and online will account for more than one-third of all local advertising, and that OTT advertising will continue to grow; it described OTT TV and the connected TV segment as “game changers for the broadcast industry” because of how easy it is to purchase fragmented inventory and do audience targeting.

The post U.S. Local Ad Revenue to Grow in ’21, BIA Predicts appeared first on Radio World.

It’s an SBE special! We talk with Society of Broadcast Engineers President Wayne Pecena about the organization’s pending projects, its pandemic response and its new executive director. Geary Morrill previews the Technical Professional Training Program that launches in January. And Mark Persons reflects on his career after receiving the SBE’s prestigious John H. Battison Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Read it online here.

Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the digital edition, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.

Buyer’s Guide

Streaming, Podcasting and Online Content Delivery

Customers of Comrex, Telos and StreamGuys explain why they chose the products they did. Also learn about new offerings from Tieline, Inovonics, StreamS, Wheatstone, RME and BroadcastPix.

Processing

Making PPM Encoding Easier

Mike Pappas writes about how an Orban AM processor came to have the Nielsen encoding built in.

 

Also in this issue:

• A Lineman’s Tips to Ground an STL Pole
• Belizaire Reflects on Race, Success
• HD Radio: A History of Innovation, a Future of Growth

 

The post Inside the Nov. 25, 2020 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Programmatic ad platform AdTonos says a campaign for Audi in London marked the first time interactive audio ads have been launched across commercial radio on smart speakers.

The U.K.-based company has a technology called YoursTruly that was used in a campaign in which listeners could react to the Audi ad with a voice command to book test drives for Audi cars or find a dealer.

“The innovative technology allows advertisers to reach listeners via smart speakers with engaging two-way, voice-based communications, delivered across Octave’s vast portfolio of commercial radio stations,” AdTonos wrote in a press release.

It said YoursTruly was developed to exploit “the significant and fast-growing potential of native audio ad experiences.”

To make it work, the ad features an “interaction trigger” that is inserted into an ad break; listeners can react to the ad with a voice command to engage the voice assistant and complete a desired action before being returned to the live station.

This campaign was in partnership with Octave and Omnicom Media Group’s agency, PHD. It was planned by PHD and targeted commercial stations including Absolute Radio, Kiss Radio and Magic Radio.

 

The post AdTonos Promotes Interactive Audio Ads appeared first on Radio World.

The author is SVP, Engineering — Digital Platforms at Xperi Corp. This commentary is part of Radio World’s Radio@100 series marking the industry centennial.

A hundred years later, reports of the demise of radio continue to be greatly exaggerated. Again.

In fact, it seems that the very idea of radio has been waved away as a second-hand thought only for it to show its deep value — time after time. Even today, as the media splinters and morphs into the many ways people engage with content, radio is here, valued and appreciated — and continuing to rank above all other channels in consumption.

Radio has survived and thrived thanks to continuous innovation, along with the dogged work of achieving scale and adoption of those innovations. Those who have made radio their careers have focused on delivering what consumers want by coming together to innovate across content and technology.

For example, in the early days of FM radio that meant that stations launched FM broadcasts without receivers in the market, driving the adoption of an improved sound experience that increased the value of their content.

Making Radio Competitive

In a way, the idea of HD Radio began, over 20 years ago, much like those FM radio days. Broadcasters were seeing competition for their products and services — from satellite radio, iPods and MP3s. The vision was to develop a digital solution that would allow broadcasters to be competitive, by improving quality and enriching the overall content experience. It was “CD-quality sound, no hiss or fuss” with the name of the song showing up on the digital screen, with multi-casting opportunities.

This would prove to be a more engaging way for this increasingly digitally oriented audience to experience the local and personal content that broadcasters had spent years nurturing.

It sounds easy, but being the first to do something is always a risky, uphill endeavor. And while the story of HD Radio has always been about technical invention, the most critical part of that story is how it brought receiver-makers and broadcasters together.

It’s fair to say, in fact, that the HD Radio journey started as a classic Catch-22: the receiver-makers would not invest in a new product if no one was transmitting; broadcasters would not transmit if there were no receivers in the market to pick up their signal.

Fortunately, precedent had already been set when Westinghouse created broadcast content for their early wireless receivers. The first commercial broadcast in the U.S., aired on KDKA on Nov. 2, 1920, announced the winner of the Harding-Cox presidential race. More importantly it announced commercial radio — and changed the world.

Glory Days of Receivers

The first commercial automotive HD receiver was the Kenwood KTC-HR100 HD Radio tuner; it was a dealer-installed aftermarket item. The black box went into the vehicle’s trunk and the HD Radio function was completely separate from the main radio headunit.

We spent thousands of hours developing and testing it, including having groups from Japan and the U.S. drive around, measuring reception and performance for days on end. Home products took the same journey: the Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD went through hundreds of hours of testing and validation.

At first, those units were expensive.  But the economic tipping point came when Visteon signed with BMW AG to put HD Radio in 2006 model-year cars — that was the key that started the engine for HD Radio.

Today there are 42 car manufacturers and 290 models available with HD Radio. The Catch-22 has been solved, with each side of the ecosystem having exactly what they need: the audience and the technology to serve up a premium experience, where and how consumers want it.

According to the recent Techsurvey 2020 by Jacobs Media, 69% of listeners surveyed said that the main reason they listen to radio is that it’s easiest to listen to in the car.

Innovation Evolves

Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with our partners to develop thousands of different radio models for car, home, portable and phone. To date, we have tested almost 4,000 radio models through our 80+ point product certification program.

What began with 12 people working on our vision for HD Radio, continues with hundreds of experts in technology development and systems engineering. All told, thousands of people around the world are involved in the development, production and sale of HD Radio.

And those new receiver products have innovated to transform radio listening into a much richer experience compared to the first HD Radio receivers launched 16 years ago. Consumers can now access multicast HD2-HD3 audio programs and have a visual experience with album images

It has been quite a journey, one in which the immutable law of consumer value has ruled. Costs have decreased and the accessibility of HD receivers has increased. Quality has improved thanks to a worldwide production ecosystem with established relationships with over 50 manufacturing partners across the world.

The important thing, though, is content. That’s why radio is a sustainable platform. It’s something we’re very proud to be a part of, this innovative power to deliver personal options to consumers. The Jacobs’ Media Techsurvey makes it clear: Six in 10 say that personalities are the main reason they listen — and close to 90% agreed that one of radio’s primary advantages was its local content.

Personal. Local. And immersive. I see that as the future of HD Radio.

As we get set for the next 100 years, there are three things that will power the growth of HD Radio — and radio in general.

The first is humility. Learning from our experience informs the growth of the future, especially in terms of HD.

The second is momentum, because as HD grows, all connected industries gain velocity and opportunities to create more interactive and personal radio experiences.

And finally, it’s to remain fearless in our innovation journey, and to be relentless in bringing new ideas and features to the market. That’s how we deliver on the promise of a better experience for listeners — and that’s why we’ll be here 100 years from now.

The post HD Radio’s History of Innovation and Future of Growth appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartRadio released an interesting list of popular songs for 2020, based on its listener data.

It added up total audience spins and streams across its broadcast radio stations and digital network “to look at the top songs that got Americans through this truly one of a kind year.”

“What’s perhaps most interesting about this data is that it shows a complete picture of what folks across the country listened to — not just what those using digital streaming services had queued up,” a company representative wrote in an email.

She said ”Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd reached an audience over 2 billion in the United States alone.

The overall list is below.

The company also posted lists for specific genres; it has been a good year for acts like country’s Morgan Wallen, rhythmic’s Roddy Ricch, alternative’s Twenty One Pilots, rock’s Shinedown and R&B’s Chris Brown. (Find the lists here.)

iHeart’s Top 10 Overall Songs of 2020:

1. THE WEEKND, Blinding Lights
2. POST MALONE, Circles
3. HARRY STYLES, Adore You
4. DUA LIPA, Don’t Start Now
5. LEWIS CAPALDI, Someone You Loved
6. DOJA CAT, Say So
7. LEWIS CAPALDI, Before You Go
8. MAROON 5, Memories
9. BLACKBEAR, Hot Girl Bummer
10. DUA LIPA, Break My Heart

The post iHeart Lists Top 10 Overall Songs of 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

Geary Morrill

The Technical Professional Training Program just announced by the Society of Broadcast Engineers aims to position new entrants to broadcast engineering for success by expanding their knowledge base.

Geary Morrill of Alpha Media chairs the Education Committee of the SBE and is a member of the organization’s executive board. He talked with Radio World in November about the pending program.

“What we’re doing by offering TPTP,” he said, “is providing means to deliver support to a new broadcast engineer,  leveraging inherent strengths of current SBE initiatives — providing a step-by-step template that can be utilized by group owners, independent broadcasters, contract engineering firms, state associations … basically any organization concerned with finding and developing our next generation of broadcast technical professionals.”

Over the years, SBE has developed and delivered programs and support to those already employed in the profession. “Unfortunately, those not intimately involved in the technical side of our industry aren’t truly aware of what and how we do this,” he said.

“They are however acutely aware there’s less and less folks available to perform technical work critical to their enterprise, and that sources traditionally geared to prepare new techs — trade schools and electronic vocational training programs, and on-the-job learning opportunities — have either shrunk or disappeared completely.”

SBE’s leaders weighed how to fill the gap.

“This was not just a technical issue. We would need to make everything user-friendly to both technical and non-technical folks, or it could never get off the ground,” Morrill said.

Cost and Benefits

The cost for a person entering the program is $475. What do they receive for this?

First, they’ll be paired with a mentor, someone already in the technical side of the industry with a knowledge base and practical experience that will help to encourage and guide their learning process.

“In a group owner situation, this could be someone already in their employ at a market, regional or national level,” Morrill said.

“It may be someone affiliated with another organization, like a state broadcasters’ association, interested in supporting this effort for their membership. Or it could be a retired engineer looking to pay forward the support he or she received as a new entrant to our profession some time ago. The common denominator is a desire to see a new person succeed in their broadcast technology career.”

Second, the mentor will collaborate with their mentee to determine their grasp of the disciplines and technologies needed for their role using existing and enhanced tools like SBE CertPreview.

“Armed with this evaluation, the mentors can direct a mentees’ studies by curating the extensive archived SBE webinar series as well as new offerings that are always in development as technology evolves,” he said.

“Included with enrollment in the program, the mentee receives SBE Member Plus level access to the entire educational webinar library of the society for a year, including all new webinars. Mentee learning is further supplemented with a copy of the recently published ‘SBE Engineering Handbook,’ providing a written resource that can be used for both their studies and future reference.”

Third, a natural byproduct of this effort will be preparation to write the Broadcast Technologist Certification exam for either AM/FM or TV. That helps to demonstrate a mentees mastery of electronic fundamentals and relevant FCC rules.

Morrill said SBE is encouraging employers to invest in participation by their new hires.

“In return, it’s reasonable to ask for a commitment from the employee to remain with the employer making this investment, for a mutually agreeable period, or to reimburse the employer’s hard cost if they should choose to withdraw. That way, both parties have a vested interest in the employee being successful, as they have ‘skin in the game.’”

Morrill said the effort involves education, mentorship and certification that already exist in SBE offerings but brings them together in a “guided” system rather than offering things a la carte.

“This is a huge benefit to the intended users because we realize folks who aren’t already technically proficient simply don’t know what they don’t know. And non-technical folks wanting to help don’t either.”

SBE will also provide support and training for volunteers to make their role effective and rewarding.

“A successful mentor doesn’t need to be a professional educator … just be willing to take an active interest in bringing this next generation along.”

[Read the announcement about the program launch.]

The post Geary Morrill on SBE’s New TPTP Program appeared first on Radio World.