Radio World

One in a series of articles about the recently concluded EBU Digital Radio Summit.

When should radio leave AM and FM? Will DAB radios ever be cheap enough to woo consumers away from FM? Is IP distribution the future of radio or not?

These contentious questions were bandied about during the EBU Digital Radio Summit’s closing session, “The Great Debate: The future of radio distribution,” on Feb. 16 2022.

The Great Debate Panel (clockwise from upper left): Darko Ratkaj, Hanns Wolter, Peter Mac Avock, Lindsey Mack andx Roland Beutler

The Great Debate was moderated by EBU Senior Project Manager Darko Ratkaj. He began the session by asking Dr. Roland Beutler, who oversees distribution strategy at German regional public service broadcaster Südwestrundfunk, for his views on radio’s best distribution strategy.

Beutler pulled no punches in his reply. “I believe it’s necessary to shut down FM in order to reduce distribution costs,” he said. “Now the question is, how can you do that? How can you vacate the FM band, and how can you make it available to other services?”

In his home country of Germany, Beutler said that politicians need to make the case for a replacement service on the FM band that would win public support.

“One thing I could see is PPDR [Public Protection and Disaster Relief communications used by first responders], because they are using similar frequency ranges already,” he said. A second FM band user could be Smart City data services, for connecting to gas meters and other devices by radio.

Lindsey Mack was more measured when stating her view as BBC senior manager of DAB & BBC Sounds external affairs. “We do plan to close AM mid-2020s,” she said, due to a “consistent decline in listening making it really not viable, and we assume that trend will continue.”

According to Mack, the threshold for both the BBC and U.K. commercial AM stations to start winding down is when AM listenership falls to 3% of total U.K. listenership.

However, matters are not so clear when it comes to shutting down FM in Britain. “This is always a topic that causes quite a lot of alarm especially in the U.K. … and the reason for that is 36% of radio listening is still via FM,” said Mack.

“It remains really valuable to many listeners, particularly those who are older and vulnerable, and to those who may live in areas with limited DAB and/or broadband coverage, and also to the car listener where 50% of car listening is still tuned to analog,” she said.

“In terms of broadcast radio distribution, FM still dominates,” noted Peter Mac Avock, the EBU’s head of distribution, platforms and services. It also remains popular with local broadcasters as a vehicle for selling local advertising, aided by cheap, ubiquitous receivers. In fact, when the cost of FM and DAB receivers are compared head-to-head, “FM is dirt cheap,” he said.

On the other hand, DAB provides much more content variety for listeners and better advertising sales options for broadcasters, said Hanns Wolter, technical director at DAB Italia.

“If you have [targeted] local advertising, you will be able to deliver it locally [via DAB],” said Wolter. “You don’t need to go on the internet and compete with a hundred thousand IP stations. You’ll be able to get directly to your listener.”

At this point, Ratkaj stirred the pot by asking “if advocating DAB as an AM/FM replacement” and overall “good technology” actually makes much sense, given the belief that “it appears to be a transitional technology to an IP paradise — an IP-only future?”

On this point, the debaters agreed that the answer to this distribution question was not at all clear. For her part, Mack said she sees radio’s path lying in “a mixed future with broadcast and IP.”

Her uncertainty was echoed by Mac Avock. “It’s too early to call it,” he said. “It’s easy to say that it’s all going to be IP-based in the future, but there’s a whole host of problems associated with IP distribution. … IP will be a factor, for sure. How big? I don’t know.”

The only sure conclusion to be drawn from the Great Distribution Debate is that it will continue for years to come. As to whether broadcast will continue to hold its own against IP or not? Mac Avock’s summed up the current situation up nicely. “I’m not backing either horse for now.”

Related stories:

• Human Connection Draws in Younger Listeners
• In-Car Listening Influenced by More Than Music Taste
• How CBC Radio Manages Its Wealth of Digital Content

James Careless is an award-winning freelance journalist with experience in radio/TV broadcasting as well as A/V equipment, system design and integration. He has written for Radio World, TV Tech, Systems Contractor News and AV Technology among others. Broadcast credits include CBC Radio, NPR and NBC News. He co-produces/co-hosts the “CDR Radio podcast” and is a two-time winner of the PBI Media Award for Excellence.

The post EBU Summit Closes With ‘Great Debate’ Over Radio Distribution appeared first on Radio World.

Top executives at iHeartMedia say the trajectory of its revenue is up even as it searches for ways to better monetize its digital assets.

Results released Wednesday, Feb. 23, show consolidated revenues for iHeartMedia were $1.062 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, a year-over-year climb of about 14%, according to the company’s filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman called it “another strong quarter and … a very strong year” and said the numbers reflect the “continuing digital transformation of iHeartMedia into a data-led digital business with important new platforms like podcasting built on the unparalleled scale and audience reach of our broadcast radio assets.”

He expects continued growth in 2022.

For the quarter, the company posted net profits of $111.9 million, compared to $2.9 million in Q4 2020.

Of the company’s three reportable segments, the multiplatform group, which includes its 850 radio stations, reported revenue growth of 9% in the final quarter of 2021 compared to the previous year. The segment, which also includes it network operations and live events, had $726.3 million in revenue in Q4 2021.

Pittman called the multiplatform group “a growth engine for the company” as the company continues to climb back to revenue totals established prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic. For comparison, iHeartMedia said its multiplatform group had revenue of nearly $849 million in Q4 of 2019 pre-pandemic compared to $726,292 in Q4 last year, a decline of 14.4% over the two-year span.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

iHeartMedia’s eye-popping podcast revenue growth continued in its Q4, according to the latest financial report. The digital audio group in the quarter grew revenue to $273.2 million, which was up by nearly 59% in Q4 compared YoY. Within that group podcast revenue was up 130% to $97 million in the final quarter of 2021.

“This company doesn’t have an audience issue. What we have is a monetization issue, and that is where we are focusing our efforts,” Pittman added.

Digital revenue growth continues to outpace that of iHeartMedia’s other groups, Pittman said on the earnings call. “In Q4 2021, digital revenue represented 26% of total company revenue compared to Q1 of 2019 when it represented under 10%. Clear evidence of our continued digital transformation,” he said.

The company recently announced it will use synthetic voice technology to extend its podcasting segment. iHeartMedia will use Veritone’s voice-cloning tool to convert English-language podcast series into multiple languages, dialects and accents for distribution across the iHeartPodcast Network. The company also recently announced an investment in the Sounders audio intelligence platform, which the company is using to match potential advertisers with podcast audiences.

Its Audio and Media Services Group, which includes which includes Katz Media Group and RCS, reported $65.5 million in revenue in the final quarter, a substantial drop from last quarter of 2020 when the segment recorded about $100 million in revenue. However, Rich Bressler, iHeartMedia president, COO and CFO, said that the dip was partly attributable to lower political ad spending.

Year-end numbers:

For the year ending Dec. 31, 2021, the company totaled $3.5 billion in consolidated revenue, up 21% YoY compared to $2.9 billion in 2020. The multiplatform group revenue grew by 13% YoY to nearly $2.5 billion in 2021.

The company posted a net loss for 2021 of about $158.4 million, which was down dramatically from its net loss the year before of $1.9 billion.

iHeartMedia’s capital expenditures for the year were $183.4 million compared to just $85.2 million in 2020. The company says its capital expenditures increased primarily due to its real estate consolidation initiatives aimed at reducing its structural cost base.

Bressler said iHeartMedia expects to have cap ex spending of between $150 million and $165 million in 2022.

iHeartMedia’s operating cash flow nearly doubled in Q4 2021 to $134 million, which it credited to consolidating real estate assets in certain markets. Cash on hand at the end of the quarter was $352.1 million. The broadcaster’s balance sheet listed $5.73 billion in total debt and $5.38 billion of net debt as of Dec. 31, 2021.

The post iHeartMedia Dishes on Latest Financial News appeared first on Radio World.

The NAB Leadership Foundation has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2023 Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) program through May 31.

The BLT program is designed to prepare senior-level broadcast executives to advance as group executives or station owners. Women and people of color are encouraged to apply.

Now in its 23rd year, BLT is an executive MBA-style program that teaches the fundamentals of purchasing, owning and operating radio and television stations. As the foremost executive training initiative for the broadcast industry, the 10-month program prepares aspiring broadcast station owners and executives with the working knowledge to further their careers.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The 2023 Broadcast Leadership Training program will consist of weekend sessions held in-person at the NAB Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The starting session will be held in September 2022.

Broadcast professionals from all areas of the industry, including general managers, experienced sales managers and seasoned department heads, as well as regional and corporate executives, are encouraged to apply. Fellowship opportunities are available for women and people of color, the NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) said.

“These talented broadcasters join the long list of industry leaders with roots in the BLT program,” said NAB Foundation president Michelle Duke. ” We look forward to watching their careers grow from this success and witnessing the positive impacts as new and diverse leadership advances our industry.”

With this class, more than 350 participants have graduated from the program. The 2021 Broadcast Leadership Training Class graduates are:

• Melissa Begay, Operations Director, Native Public Media
• Robert Brooks, Digital Solutions Specialist, WHUR-FM
• Cathy Cangiano, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Bonneville Seattle Media Group
• Thomas Ciprari, Station Manager, KTMF-TV, ABC Fox 23/Cowles Publishing Co.
• Leon Clark, Vice President and General Manager, KGTV ABC10/The E.W. Scripps Co.
• Tina Commodore, News Director, WFTV-TV/Cox Media Group
• Kate Doty, Director of Talent and Team Development, Morgan Murphy Media
• Susie Doucette-Pyle, Vice President and General Sales Manager, KRIV-TV Fox 26, KTXH My20/Fox Television Stations
• Alfredo Duran, President and Founder, Duran Media Management Services
• Blanca Esparza-Pap, Station Manager, Arizona’s Family, 3TV/ CBS 5
• Mariana Ferro, Regional Vice President, Sales Manager – National Sales, Univision Communications
• Andrew Givens, Station Manager and Director of Sales, KMSS-TV, FOX 33/Mission Broadcasting Inc.
• Ben Hart, President and General Manager, WJCL ABC/Hearst Television
• Charity Holman, Station Manager and General Sales Manager, WVVA-TV/Quincy Media Inc.
• Andre Holmes, Vice President, Financial Analysis, Gray Television
• Kari Jacobs, President and General Manager, 10 Tampa Bay/TEGNA
• Kim Parker, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Graham Media Group
• Nicole Ovadia, Vice President, Client Success, HOT97, WBLS, WLIB/Emmis Communications

The 2021 and 2022 program sponsors included: Beasley Media Group, Bonneville International Corp. Cox Media Group, Fox Television Stations, Futuri Media, Graham Media Group, Gray Television, Hearst Television, Legend Communications, NAB, The Nielsen Foundation, Meredith Corp., Morgan, Murphy Media, The E.W. Scripps Co., Quincy Media Inc., TEGNA, Univision Communications, ViacomCBS.

The organization also said that 2022 class is currently underway. They will attend the NAB Show in April and graduate in June.

For more information about the NAB Leadership Foundation or the BLT program, please visit, nabfoundation.org.

The post NAB Opens Application Window for 2023 Broadcast Leadership Training Program appeared first on Radio World.

One in a series of articles about the recently concluded EBU Digital Radio Summit.

CBC’s Julie McCambly (left) and Kevin Siu

Canada’s public radio and television services have gone from being broadcast-only platforms to distributors of a substantial amount of live and on-demand content in cyberspace.

CBC Listen is the home for the CBC’s online audio content, while CBC Gem hosts the TV content. CBC.ca is the overarching structure for all things digital at CBC/Radio-Canada.

During the online EBU Digital Radio Summit held on Feb. 16, 2022, CBC’s Julie McCambley and Kevin Siu explained how Canada’s public broadcaster produces and serves programming and podcasts in a session entitled, “What to do with all of that content?”

McCambley is senior manager of planning & operations for CBC Listen, and Siu is CBC’s senior director of OTT video & audio for CBC Gem & CBC Listen.

From on air to on demand
Every week, CBC Radio produces and broadcasts 70 live local shows across the country for Radio One, its spoken word service. This content is broadcast on the CBC’s FM service, made available live on CBC Listen, and also provided to some third-party broadcasters.

CBC Radio’s local on-air content is a natural resource for after-the-fact, on-demand listening. This being said, “what we’ve learned from experience is not to publish on-demand versions of an entire show when it comes to local,” McCambly said.

Instead, the real value for listeners lies in selecting, posting, and promoting specific interviews and other show segments as standalone content. “That means local segments make up a significant portion of what we call our on-demand listening offer,” she said.

On average, each local show produces two segments per day for CBC Listen.

“Once the show has gone to air, the technician who operated the show will work with the digital producer to identify segments that they want to upload to CBC Listen,” said McCambly. “Then they’ll repackage those segments to make sure that they are clean from a ‘rights’ perspective, and then they’ll publish them into CBC Listen. They’ll also make a version that’s available for third parties.”

For the hour of work it takes to repackage two local segments for on-demand listening, CBC Listen (and sometimes CBC.ca too) gets content that will attract listeners for about a week, McCambly said.

A similar process is used to repackage network-produced on-air content for the web, after it has been broadcast in all of Canada’s six time zones.

Web-only content
In addition to repurposing broadcast content for the web, CBC Radio also produces a special web-only version of the national newscast “The World This Hour” and a variety of podcasts.

So the CBC has 94 podcasts available for on-demand listening. The topics they cover include range from true crime and human interest stories to investigative reporting, history, and more. Some CBC podcasts are original productions, while others are repurposed from CBC Radio programs.

Under Canadian law, CBC Radio isn’t allowed to make money from advertising. But its online platforms can. “We do monetize our podcasts,” said McCambly. “We monetize them by making a pre-roll and mid-roll available for advertising.”

Looking Ahead
With so much online content on offer, CBC Radio’s goal moving forward is to raise awareness of its content and give more people access to it.

Achieving these goals means answering questions such as “how do we improve the discoverability?” said Kevin Siu, and “how do we streamline our technical infrastructure … to allow us to move more quickly?”

In response to the first question, CBC Radio is launching a free membership platform for CBC Listen users to boost their use of CBC online content.

“One of the benefits that we see for users is to be able to get access to either exclusive content or to content early on,” Siu said. In the crowded world of cyber streaming, any tactic that boosts listener loyalty is a plus.

Related stories:

• Human Connection Draws in Younger Listeners
• In-Car Listening Influenced by More Than Music Taste
• How CBC Radio Manages Its Wealth of Digital Content

James Careless is an award-winning freelance journalist with experience in radio/TV broadcasting as well as A/V equipment, system design and integration. He has written for Radio World, TV Tech, Systems Contractor News and AV Technology among others. Broadcast credits include CBC Radio, NPR and NBC News. He co-produces/co-hosts the “CDR Radio podcast” and is a two-time winner of the PBI Media Award for Excellence.

The post How CBC Radio Manages Its Wealth of Digital Content appeared first on Radio World.

To cover the political and military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, NPR is getting a half-million dollars in emergency funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

CPB approved the grant Tuesday.

The money will help NPR add staff and resources. The broadcaster has had reporters in Ukraine since January and said it will use the funds to pay for increased staff there and for security and travel to the region.

NPR President/CEO John Lansing called the situation “one of the most complex and consequential stories of our time.”

CPB President/CEO Patrician Harrison said in the announcement, “As Russia accelerates its use of misinformation and disinformation in its invasion of democratic Ukraine, CPB is proud to support NPR reporters in their difficult and potentially dangerous work in bringing fact-based news and information to audiences in the United States and around the world.”

The post NPR Gets Extra Funding to Cover Ukraine Crisis appeared first on Radio World.

NAB has told the FCC that it opposes a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service to assess an annual programmatic fee on communication uses to cover the Forest Service’s costs of administering its communications use program.

“NAB believes the Forest Service’s current proposal is unlawful, inequitable, and undermines the public interest,” the association told the FCC in comments filed this week. “Citing the ‘need for wireless connectivity for teleworking, tele-education, telehealth, and telemedicine,’ and the need for the Forest Service to ‘do its part by ensuring it has the necessary staff and expertise to administer its communications use program,’ the Proposed Rule seeks to collect an additional ‘annual programmatic administrative fee of $1,400 per communications use authorization for wireless uses such as television and radio broadcasting, cellular telephone, and microwave’ to cover the costs of administering the Forest Service’s communications use program.”

U.S. Forest Service communications use sites as shown in the agency’s GIS tool.

In its filing, NAB said the proposed fee would increase the total fee liability for existing broadcast uses serving smaller communities by nearly eight-fold in some cases, threatening their economic viability and potentially resulting in the loss of essential broadcast services in rural and remote areas.

“While NAB agrees that providing increased broadband access to rural communities is an important objective, the Proposed Rule undermines television viewers’ access to critical news and information in the process by drastically increasing the total fees broadcasters serving rural populations pay for communications use authorizations,” the association said. “Over-the-air broadcast television and radio are important sources of news and information to Americans, particularly for households with limited income in rural and tribal areas.”

NAB noted that while some “full-power” broadcasters successfully serve large populations from communications sites on Forest Service lands, such as Mt. Wilson near Los Angeles and Sandia Crest near Albuquerque, other lower-power (but still primary) broadcast stations, often family-run or non-profit, are licensed to serve small communities from Forest Service communication sites.

The association said that the fee could hamper broadcasters in meeting their public service commitments.

“Regardless of power level, all primary broadcast stations have federally-mandated coverage, program, and record-keeping requirements, making service of small communities much more economically challenging,” it said.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

NAB added that its public obligations negate the idea that broadcasters could pass these increased costs on to consumers.

“Given that broadcasters are still dealing with the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, such a substantial unplanned increase in fee liability will force broadcasters to make difficult decisions regarding whether it makes economic sense to maintain these operations, potentially resulting in the loss of essential broadcast services in rural and remote areas. Such an outcome would contravene federal policy to make broadcast television and radio services available throughout the nation.”

NAB suggested that the Forest Service consider alternative fee structures that would base the administrative fee on existing rules and policies tied to the highest value use, market size, and related factors to minimize the risk of disenfranchising persons located in rural areas.

“If the Forest Service nevertheless chooses to move forward with its proposal to assess the fee on existing authorizations, at a minimum it should allow for a phase-in period of five years or longer to minimize the potential harmful impacts on existing authorizations and the communities they serve,” NAB said.

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post NAB Opposes Forest Service Proposal to Add Comms Fee for Rural Coverage appeared first on Radio World.

Ashruf El-Dinary and Peter Sockett

Ashruf El-Dinary will receive the NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award for 2022.

The television recipient will be Peter Sockett, director of engineering and operations for Capitol Broadcasting Co.’s television stations.

El-Dinary is senior vice president of digital platforms at Xperi Corp. He oversees the company’s HD Radio systems engineering teams, manages certification and quality control processes, and represents HD Radio technology standards in discussions with the International Telecommunications Union and international regulatory bodies. 

He currently leads the efforts for new broadcast applications, upgrades to emergency alerting, and deployment of digital radio solutions internationally.

“El-Dinary has over 20 years of experience in developing HD Radio technology and holds a number of patents for innovative digital radio solutions,” NAB wrote.

“He previously worked at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory developing scientific instrumentation in support of space research programs and launched solutions on several satellites. He also taught signal processing courses at JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering.”

Other recent recipients of the radio award include Dave Hershberger, Jeff Welton of Nautel and Gary Cavell of Cavell-Mertz. A full list appears at bottom.

[Read El-Dinary’s commentary “HD Radio’s History of Innovation and Future of Growth”]

Peter Sockett is responsible for leading and steering the technology needs of CBC and preparing for the coming trends affecting broadcasting, NAB wrote, saying he has been instrumental in a total rebuild of CBC’s HD technical plant, the launch of the first non-linear HD newsroom, development of workflows for IP-ENG, implementation of Mobile DTV and Mobile EAS, creation of the first 4K-HDR documentary produced at a local TV station, the launch of the first commercial, simulcast TV station using the ATSC 3.0 standard, and the launch of local sports channel WNGT.

He also sits on the board of directors for the Advanced Television Systems Committee and is the chair of the ATSC 3.0 Advanced Emergency Alerting Implementation Team. He has earned three Emmy Awards, Broadcasting & Cable’s Technical Leadership Award and an Edward R. Murrow award. He is a co-inventor of a patent for geolocation.

The NAB Engineering Achievement Awards will be given during the NAB Show in Las Vegas in April.

HONOR ROLL

Recipients of the NAB Engineering Achievement Award are listed here. Beginning in 1991, radio and TV winners were named; radio winners are shown.

1960 T.A.M. Craven

1961 Raymond F. Guy

1962 Ralph N. Harmon

1963 Dr. George R. Town

1964 John H. DeWitt Jr.

1965 Edward W. Allen Jr.

1966 Carl J. Meyers

1967 Robert M. Morris

1968 Howard A. Chinn

1969 Jarrett L. Hathaway

1970 Philip Whitney

1971 Benjamin Wolfe

1972 John M. Sherman

1973 A. James Ebel

1974 Joseph B. Epperson

1975 John D. Silva

1976 Dr. Frank G. Kear

1977 Daniel H. Smith

1978 John A. Moseley

1979 Robert W. Flanders

1980 James D. Parker

1981 Wallace E. Johnson

1982 Julius Barnathan

1983 Joseph Flaherty

1984 Otis S. Freeman

1985 Carl E. Smith

1986 Dr. George Brown

1987 Renville H. McMann

1988 Jules Cohen

1989 William Connolly

1990 Hilmer Swanson

1991 George Marti

1992 Edward Edison & Robert L. Hammett

1993 Robert M. Silliman

1994 Charles T. Morgan

1995 Robert Orban

1996 Ogden Prestholdt

1997 George Jacobs

1998 John Battison

1999 Geoffrey Mendenhall

2000 Michael Dorrough

2001 Arno Meyer

2002 Paul Schafer

2003 John W. Reiser

2004 E. Glynn Walden

2005 Milford Smith

2006 Benjamin Dawson & Ronald Rackley

2007 Louis A. King

2008 Thomas B. Silliman

2009 Jack Sellmeyer

2010 Steve Church

2011 L. Robert du Treil

2012 Paul Brenner

2013 Frank Foti

2014 Jeff Littlejohn

2015 Thomas F. King

2016 Andy Laird

2017 John Kean

2018 Tom Jones

2019 Garrison Cavell

2020 Jeff Welton

2021 David Hershberger

2022 Ashruf El-Dinary

The post El-Dinary to Receive NAB Engineering Award appeared first on Radio World.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is accepting nominations for its 2022 class of inductees to the Radio Hall of Fame. The nominating committee will accept suggestions for nominees through Mar. 31, 2022.

“We desire the input and suggestions of both industry members and longtime radio listeners, both who have front row seats to radio programs hosted by very deserving air personalities the 2022 Nominating Committee members should give consideration to,” stated Kraig T. Kitchin, chair of the Radio Hall of Fame.

[Related: “Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2021 Inductees”]

Suggestions for Radio Hall of Fame nominees can be made in the following categories:

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

To submit a name for consideration, visit https://www.radiohalloffame.com/nominate.

Inductees will be honored at the annual Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with plans to be held live in Chicago on Thursday, October 27, 2022.

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

The post Radio Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations appeared first on Radio World.

Universal Audio has introduced its first microphones, the start of a string of offerings that will roll out this year.

Many of the mics build on the technologies and expertise acquired by UA when it purchased the Bock Audio brand in 2020 followed by the technology acquisition of Townsend Labs Inc. in 2021. “We’re excited to bring UA’s audio expertise to microphones, and to bring something new to the table,” said Bill Putnam, CEO/founder of Universal Audio. “With Bock, Sphere, and the new Standard Series mics, there’s a UA mic within reach of every serious creator.”

Handmade in Santa Cruz, the new flagship UA Bock mics, due to arrive in autumn 2022, will be a trio of premium tube- and FET-based models designed by David Bock. The large-diaphragm UA Bock mics will include the UA Bock 187 ($1,249) FET condenser mic and the UA Bock 167 ($2,999) and UA Bock 251 ($5,999) tube-condenser mics.

“The UA Bock mics are the best-sounding and most beautiful mics I’ve had the pleasure of designing over my long career,” said Bock. “These mics are going to have discriminating singers, producers, and audio engineers smiling from ear-to-ear.”

Coming in at a more widely accessible price point is the Standard Series of microphones, kicking off with the Standard SD-1 dynamic mic. Intended for vocal, broadcast and streaming applications, the $299 mic is now shipping. Coming this summer will be the  Standard SP-1 pencil mic for stereo recording of instruments and live performances, running $399 a pair.

With the technology acquisition of Townsend Labs Inc., UA is aligning the company’s proprietary Sphere Modeling Microphone technology with its own UAD audio plug-in platform, with the aid of modeling guru Chris Townsend. The Sphere L22 Modeling Microphone, offering 34 classic mic models, remains shipping at $1,499.

UA Standard Series and UA Bock microphones include presets for use with UA Apollo audio interfaces.

The post Universal Audio Unveils First Microphones appeared first on Radio World.

From our Who’s Buying What page: German regional public broadcaster WDR has implemented aixtream software from Ferncast to process its internet streaming and DVB multiplexing on the same system.

WDR offers radio programs in various formats across the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. “In 2020 they decided to overhaul their provisioning of web streams and DVB multiplexes for all their programs by implementing aixtream software developed by Ferncast,” the supplier write in a press release.

The broadcaster finished the implementation in September. “Since then, they have been handling their internet streaming and DVB multiplexing workflow with aixtream servers,” Ferncast said.

“They are now streaming 36 different programs with aixtream software, including: 1LIVE, WDR2, WDR3, WDR4, WDR5, WDR COSMO, Die Maus, WDR Event, WDR Vera. All their programs are available in multiple formats and quality levels. In total, each program is streamed in at least five formats and qualities. HLS streams are available in three quality levels (using adaptive bitrate to adjust to the listener’s circumstances), while Icecast streams are available in at least two quality levels.”

Aixtrea is scalable software, running as a server or VM installation.

The post WDR Deploys Ferncast aixtream appeared first on Radio World.

In April 2021, Spotify announced its exploration of a smart player for the car. In October, the company did a limited release of Car Thing to Spotify Premium users. Now the device is available for purchase in the U.S. for $89.99 with a few caveats.

If you’re tired of arguing with Hey Siri, you can switch to Hey Spotify voice commands. If Spotify doesn’t listen any better than Siri does, there are also “simple taps, turns, and swipes” for a seamless in-car experience. With a reported 2 million people on the waitlist, it’s easy to wonder “what is this thing that’s so different from my iPhone that it should cost $90 plus a monthly subscription?”

CNET Roadshoww can help you figure out what it is and whether you want one. (Japolnik says you don’t)

Recently CNET took a look at what it’s like to live with the device, but with sales locked behind an invitation system for select Premium subscribers, most consumers wouldn’t get an opportunity to find out for themselves what the Car Thing’s deal is.  As the hype train prepares to leave the station again, I think it’s worth revisiting what the Spotify Car Thing is and, more importantly, what it’s not.

Here’s how Spotify describes the beta period for it’s new hardware and how you can in theory get in on it.

During our exploration phase, we discovered a lot about how people listen in the car, and for many users, how Car Thing can help improve that experience. We heard from drivers some requests that we are working to incorporate into future Car Thing updates. These include Night Mode, which dims screen brightness in the evening, and an Add to Queue command, which lets you queue up your favorite music and podcasts by simply using your voice. Car Thing is now available to purchase for $89.99 and requires a Spotify Premium subscription plan along with a phone with a mobile data connection. You can find more details about how to use the device at carthing.spotify.com.

Per Spotify, here’s what you need to know:

1. Select users in the U.S. who have signed up for the Car Thing waitlist will be among the first to purchase Car Thing for $79.99.
2. All U.S. Spotify users — Free and Premium — can sign up for the Car Thing waitlist.
3. Car Thing does require a paid Spotify Premium subscription plan — whether that’s an Individual, Family, Duo, or Student plan — and it connects to your smartphone for mobile data.
4. We’ve already released some software updates and will continue to evolve and improve it over time.
5. Check out if you’re eligible and the other terms that apply.

This article appeared first in our sister publication, Sound & Video Contractor.

The post Car Thing from Spotify Officially Reaches U.S. appeared first on Radio World.

This week, Radio World is providing coverage of the EBU Digital Radio Summit.

As more media and entertainment options integrate with the dashboard, how do motorists decide what to listen to, and what factors guide those decisions?

These questions were answered by BBC Researcher Aleksandra Gojkovic during the EBU Digital Radio Summit session, “Case Study: Audience Behavior in Car.” The summit was held online on Feb. 16, 2022.

Why study motorists?
The BBC’s decision to study motorists’ listening behaviors was spurred by the advent of web-connected car audio systems, and the lack of firm data explaining motorists’ content choices in the option-rich environment. “With a growing number of cars becoming increasingly connected, we looked at what this means for the BBC and where the threats and opportunities of this technology lie,” Gojkovic said.

The study was conducted in early 2020 using 20 subjects. They recorded their in-car listening behaviors on a mobile app. The BBC also installed dash cams that watched the car cabin, so that the actual behaviors and actions of drivers and their passengers were documented accurately.

Three factors
Not surprisingly, “our research uncovered a really complex ecosystem of needs and mediating factors that influence audio choices people make when in cars,” Gojkovic said.

Analysis of data collected identified three distinct trip characteristics that influenced listening choices: the length of the journey, the purpose of the journey, and the company inside the vehicle. This last factor was not just whether the driver was alone or with passengers, but who was along for the ride.

According to the BBC’s research, the expected length of a car journey has a substantial impact on the effort people make in selecting the best possible audio choices for their tastes and mood.

“Shorter journeys involve little preparation, and audio choices tend to be quicker and more [people] are more likely to resort to defaults,” said Gojkovic. “On longer journeys, there is a greater need to make the time count, and people are more likely to do things like tether [their devices to the car’s audio system] and listen to downloaded content, podcasts, and audiobooks.”

The purpose of the journey also affects audio choices. “Commuting drivers are looking to calibrate for the day ahead,” said Gojkovic. “They want to get into the zone, be prepared for their day of work, and get up to speed with what’s happening in the world. Homebound journeys can be more restorative. People are reflecting on the day that’s happened. They’re more contemplative anticipating an evening with friends, family, or an evening with their favorite books.”

When journeys are long, motorists want to get value from their listening experiences so that the time spent driving is not wasted. As a result, “they’re more likely to invest time in self-improvement, and they will listen to things like language learning on a speech podcast,” Gojkovic said.

The influence of passengers
The third factor is company: If there are passengers in the car, drivers will often choose audio that caters to their needs or to the group’s collective mood.

For example, when driving with children, the journey tends to be about either appeasing children or bonding with them, which is why drivers will choose audio that appeals to a young age group. If it’s a social group in the car out to have a good time, the “audio choices are crowd pleasers, and they tend to be non-contentious, light and frivolous,” said Gojkovic.

“Individual leisure drives are indulgent. They’re all about me and their needs are for either an energizing or a restorative experience. And companion drives are about connection and affinity,” she said.

One point worth noting: On social drives, “bonding is the overarching need, and audio is more likely to be background noise,” said Gojkovic. “When adult passengers are in cars, people are more likely to drive with no audio at all. … Whereas when alone, drivers are more likely to be actively engaged with the audio content they’re listening to, and in this case also more likely to listen to speech.”

Beyond these three factors, the ability of drivers to tether their smartphones to their audio systems (or not) and the success of algorithmically-curated web streams in providing content that suits their tastes and keeps them logged on also shape people’s in-car audio selections.

The bottom line: “More so than other media, audio choices in cars tend to be fast,” Gojkovic said concluding her talk. “And we’ll always gravitate towards the path of least resistance.”

Related stories:

• Human Connection Draws in Younger Listeners

The post In-Car Listening Influenced by More Than Music Taste appeared first on Radio World.

This photo shows the lobby of facilities built in 2020 by Red Apple Media to serve iconic New York City station 77 WABC as well as wabcradio.TV, 107.1 WLIR Riverhead and Red Apple Audio Networks.

Dan Hirschl, vice president of engineering for Red Apple Media, shared this picture for Radio World’s new ebook about recent studio projects, but we thought the lobby photo was interesting on its own as well.

“The goal was to capture WABC through the years through traditional printed signage and video presentation,” said Dan Hirschl.

“Visitors to our floor need to know where they are from the moment they step off the elevator.”

[Check Out More of Radio World’s Ebooks Here]

Among people and events celebrated are iconic broadcasters Lowell Thomas and “Cousin Brucie” Morrow; the change in call letters from WJZ to WABC in 1953; the station’s dominance of the AM dial in the 1960s (“More people listen to WABC than to any other radio station in North America”); and its acquisition from Cumulus by businessman John Catsimatidis, finalized in 2020.

“The build included three news desks, two talk studios with associated control rooms, two production rooms, video control room and a TV studio/live performance area,” Hirschl said. “WABC needed to move from our legacy studios at 2 Penn Plaza not only because of the sale, but because of building-wide renovations and lease complications.”

The ebook “Spectacular Radio Studios” includes projects by other leading broadcasters including Educational Media Foundation, Audacy, Cumulus, Nashville Public Radio, Hubbard Media, CBC/Radio-Canada and numerous others. You can access it free at radioworld.com/ebooks.

The post WABC Lobby Offers a Nod to History appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane will moderate a session next month in the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Pulse series, focused on the changing nature of radio’s presence in car dashboards.

The BTS Pulse sessions are virtual; the upcoming series takes place March 8–10.

“Radio’s New Dashboard Technologies” is a two-hour session on Wednesday March 9 that explores changes in how broadcast radio looks and functions in vehicle dashboards. What technologies are driving these changes, and what should broadcast radio engineers and managers know about them?

Speakers will include David Layer of NAB PILOT; Joe D’Angelo of Xperi; Ben Poor of the European Broadcasting Union; and Joe Harb of Quu Inc.

Another session that week will focus on global digital radio and will be moderated by Glynn Walden, while a third on will address virtualization and cybersecurity, moderated by Wayne Pecena.

Registration is open.

The BTS says attendees have the opportunity to earn multiple Continuing Education Credits or Professional Development Hours.

The post BTS Pulse Focuses on Dashboard Technologies appeared first on Radio World.

Iconic all-news station WINS(AM) in New York was chosen by the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America to receive the 2022 World Radio Day Award.

“1010 WINS” is famous as the station that launched a groundbreaking all-news format in 1965. Today it is owned by Audacy.

The honor commemorates World Radio Day, established by UNESCO and celebrated annually on Feb. 13.

This is the third annual award given to a U.S. radio station; last year’s recipient was WHRU at Hofstra University on Long Island, and the first was all-news station WTOP in Washington.

The award honors a U.S. station that exemplifies the best attributes of the radio industry. Recipients may be large or small, commercial or noncommercial, located in any market, and broadcasting in any language. The jury looks for stations that demonstrate ideals of localism, audience reach, community service, effective use of new digital platforms, diversity in program content and staffing, and financial and ratings success.

Jurors included representatives of trade publications, including Radio World; broadcast law firms; consultants; and the New Jersey Broadcasters Association.

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The association for companies that work on the U.S. communications infrastructure has set a new record.

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association said it now has 1,100 member companies.

It made the announcement at the NATE UNITE 2022 Conference in Las Vegas.

The association also announced that board members Jimmy Miller, Victor Drouin and Kevin Dougherty were elected to serve on its executive committee. Miller, president and CEO of MILLERCO in Gulfport, Miss., was re-elected as chairman of the board.

Member Services Coordinator Jill Rethke attributed the growth to “the association’s commitment to investing into strategic initiatives and benefits that directly support our membership.” The organization also has added staff positions in government relations, safety, health, compliance and marketing.

NATE members include tower construction firms, general contractors, vertical real estate companies, wireless carriers, engineering and technology companies, public safety and non-profit organizations, design professionals, manufacturers, distributors and training companies.

The post NATE Sets Membership Record appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on products for radio remotes and sports.

John Dinse and BJ DeGroot are ready to provide live courtside coverage.

WSCO(AM), a Wisconsin station that is part of the Woodward Radio Group, serves sports and talk programming to an audience that stretches from Green Bay to Oshkosh.

As part of its sports coverage, the station produces live play-by-play for Wisconsin major league, minor league, college and high school sports, as well as a sports morning show called “BJ and the Bear.” WSCO covers every game live for the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks.

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

In its search for a way to send audio from the arena back to the station, WSCO became familiar with ACCESS 2USB, a portable IP audio codec from Comrex that’s no longer available for purchase.

When Comrex released its latest model, WSCO decided to purchase a new ACCESS NX for courtside coverage of the Herd.

The station often uses a hard-wired internet connection, and intends to implement NX’s portable capabilities for live broadcasts of road games in the coming season. ACCESS NX’s attachable mixer allows them to feed in arena sound as well as maintain a private two-way connection with a producer at the studio.

The Comrex ACCESS NX

BJ DeGroot, assistant brand manager for WSCO/WHBY and co-host of “BJ and the Bear,” told Comrex, “It’s functional and reliable, and it’s changed the game for our live play-by-play broadcasting. As far as quality standpoint and ease of use is concerned, we have been so happy. If you’re looking to take your station to the next level, it’s the way to go.”

Info: http://comrex.com or email info@comrex.com.

The post ACCESS NX Changes the Game for WSCO appeared first on Radio World.

“The picture is bleak.”

That’s the assessment from IABM, which published results of its electronic components supply survey of global media technology companies.

The association said lead times are lengthening and component prices are rising significantly since its last survey nine months ago.

“Respondents also sounded the alarm on their financial positions if component supply problems persist for a further 12 months; there are very few signs that the situation will improve in the short-to-medium term,” it wrote.

STMicroelectronics IC microchips designed by ARM Ltd. in a storage tray at CSI Electronic Manufacturing Services Ltd. in April. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

IABM is a trade association for broadcast and media technology. [See a list of IABM member companies.]

It said 97% of technology vendors reported being significantly affected by component shortages, with 63% saying they are severely affected, up from 40% last April.

“The survey finds that lead times for components have increased by an average of 74% and component costs by 44%, resulting in a 26% impact on final product costs.”

[Previously: “Chip Shortage Hits Radio Technology Marketplace”]

The association expressed concern that 86% of respondents “reported facing moderate or severe impact on their financial sustainability if the issues persist for another 12 months.”

CEO Peter White said in the announcement, “With no early prospect of the component shortage problem being resolved, many media tech companies have responded by redesigning their products to mitigate issues with sourcing specific components, and/or stockpiling components where possible to keep their production lines flowing in the face of dramatically increased lead times.”

He also cited evidence of component price increases “which will either need to be absorbed by media tech suppliers or will feed through into increased end-product prices.”

The association recently launched a service that allows companies to list their excess stock; members experiencing shortages can use it to find supplies. “I have been surprised that not many companies have taken advantage of the BaM Stock Exchange so far; perhaps this is the moment for them to do so,” White said in the release.

The post Media Tech Firms Face ‘Bleak’ Components Outlook appeared first on Radio World.

The list of 50 finalists for the NAB Crystal Radio Awards is out.

The National Association of Broadcasters released the list, below. The awards recognize radio stations for outstanding commitment to community service.

KBFB(FM) Dallas, Texas
KBHP(FM) Bemidji, Minn.
KBLB(FM) Baxter, Minn.
KCLY(FM) Clay Center, Kan.
KDWB(FM) Minneapolis, Minn.
KIKV(FM) Saint Cloud, Minn.
KIRO(FM) Seattle, Wash.
KJR(FM) Seattle, Wash.
KMVP(FM) Phoenix, Ariz.
KNDE(FM) College Station, Texas
KOSI(FM) Greenwood Village, Colo.
KPEK(FM) New York, N.Y.
KRMG(FM) Tulsa, Okla.
KRWM(FM) Seattle, Wash.
KSFI(FM) Salt Lake City, Utah
KSNE(FM) Las Vegas, Nv.
KTAR(FM) Phoenix, Ariz.
KTMY(FM) Saint Paul, Minn.
KUPD(FM) Phoenix, Ariz.
KXKT(FM) Omaha, Neb.
KYGO(FM) Greenwood Village, Colo.
KYW(AM) Philadelphia, Pa.
KZFN(FM) Moscow, Idaho
WBAB West Babylon, N.Y.
WBAL(AM) Baltimore, Md.
WBZZ(FM) Pittsburgh, Pa.
WDAS(FM) Philadelphia, Pa.
WDNS(FM) Bowling Green, Ky.
WDSN(FM) Pittsburgh, Pa.
WEDR(FM) Hollywood, Fla.
WFEZ(FM) Hollywood, Fla.
WFLC(FM) Hollywood, Fla.
WGKB(AM) Milwaukee, Wis.
WGY(AM) Schenectady, N.Y.
WHIO(FM) Dayton, Ohio
WHKO(FM) Dayton, Ohio
WHQT(FM) Hollywood, Fla.
WIYY(FM) Baltimore, Md.
WJNO(AM) West Palm Beach, Fla.
WMBX(FM) West Palm Beach, Fla.
WMGK(FM) Philadelphia, Pa.
WMMX(FM) Dayton, Ohio
WNRP(AM) Pensacola, Fla.
WOKV(FM) Jacksonville, Fla.
WSUN(FM) St. Petersburg, Fla.
WTAW(AM) College Station, Texas
WTLC(FM) Columbus, Ohio
WTMJ(AM) Milwaukee, Wis.
WUSQ(FM) Hagerstown, Md.
WXTU(FM) Philadelphia, Pa.

Winners will be announced on April 26 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.

[Read the list of last year’s winners.]

The post NAB Crystal Radio Finalists Are Announced appeared first on Radio World.

Dutch cable operator Ziggo is pulling the plug on its carriage of analog radio signals. The company is the last cable company in the Netherlands to offer analog radio as part of its service, but it is ending the service during the first quarter of 2022 to free up bandwidth.

According to Ziggo, only about 5% of its customers use its analog radio service. “In 2018, we started to discontinue the analog TV signal via cable, now it is analog radio’s turn,” the company wrote in its Dutch-language FAQ about the switchover.

To aid customers affected, Ziggo is offering a free FM antenna to replace the cable connection to their stereo system, or it suggests tuning digital radio stations via television or connecting a cable box to the stereo. The company is also offering for €50 (about $56) a DAB receiver that connects to an existing stereo system.

Ziggo carries more than 100 radio and audio channels via its television platform, including Dutch public and private stations, German and British public broadcasters, and German, French, and British international services.

Ziggo is the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, serving nearly 4 million households.

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