Radio World

Columbia Island today, on the market for $13 million. (Photo: Sotheby’s International Realty/Patti Anderson/VHT Studios)

This is the story of a station whose transmitter for two decades sat on an island — arguably the most famous such “island station,” WCBS 880.

The non-directional 50,000 watt powerhouse station, now owned by Audacy (the former Entercom), has been doing the demanding 24/7 format of news, sports and information for more than 50 years. At times it has been the nation’s most listened to station.

How did its transmitter end up on an island?

The saga of this flagship of the Columbia Broadcasting System started with the cigar business of Samuel Paley in the early 1920s. He owned a distribution company at a time when one of America’s growing male vices was a good cigar — or multiple cigars — a day. He dealt mainly with imports and focused on building brand recognition and brand loyalty to succeed in this emerging business.

Radio was “trending” at the time, the “new big thing.” Ad placement was the bailiwick of Sam’s son William Paley; they started using radio — ads and mentions — to get cigars into as many mouths as possible.

The power and the cost-effectiveness of radio piqued the younger Paley’s interest. Shortly thereafter the CBS epic began when he took over management of a nascent network of 16 stations, the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System.

In short order the Paley family and partners bought the operation. With 51 percent ownership, he ran and now controlled the network.

The file on WCBS starts with a different set of call letters. In 1924 the Atlantic Broadcasting Company applied for a New York station and got the apropos call of WABC. As with many stations of this period, WABC meandered around the dial until in 1932 it wound up on 860 kHz with 50 kW non-directional and a transmitter in Wayne, N.J.

The population of metropolitan New York was expanding along roads and transportation lanes into Brooklyn, via the famous bridge, and New Jersey, via the Holland Tunnel. Those demographic trends and travel corridors influenced the choice of new transmitter sites. Managers of other early stations serving New York City such as WOR and WEAF did likewise.

Central location

In 1936, CBS purchased the signal, adding to its station portfolio and distribution network.

In 1940 it sought to move the transmitter from New Jersey to what was then called Little Pea Island, located in lower Long Island Sound and northeast of Manhattan.

CBS bought the island and installed an aux transmitter for testing. The results demonstrated that the seawater conductivity would ensure formidable coverage in New York and New Jersey, and bonus extensive penetration into populous sections of Connecticut.

With the 1941 North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, the station moved from 860 to 880 kHz shortly before the final move.

Little Pea Island — later renamed Columbia Island — is a modest tidal rock of about one acre in size. It became home to an extraordinary engineering installation featuring a 410-foot self-supporting top-loaded tower. In 1941 two underwater cables brought power from New Rochelle to the site, and operations began.

This image of the 410-foot self-supporting top-loaded tower appeared in a 1941 ad in Broadcasting magazine for Federal Telegraph transmission equipment. It was headlined “The New WABC: Key Station of the Columbia Broadcasting System.” The ad stated that the facility would deliver “performance characteristics unsurpassed by any similar installation in the history of broadcasting.” (Collection of John Schneider)

News accounts said CBS spent approximately $500,000 (the equivalent of about $9 million now) to construct the tower, transmitter with backup and the building, including emergency housing for 10 workers.

A headline in the New York Times in October 1941 read: “Radio ‘Island’ Comes to Life; WABC’s New Transmitter Is Called an Engineering Dream — Built on a Man-Made Rock in Long Island Sound.”

Daily boat runs brought a change of operating crew, food, potable water and other creature comforts from the “mainland.” Weather and waves were not always cooperative. The bedrooms, kitchen and other quarters were put to use by stranded crews when circumstances isolated the site.

Federal Radio, a division of IT&T, built the transmitter from its own advanced design. Few details for this rig are available but Federal used it as a model for CBS’s later shortwave station further out Long Island.

Evidently this earlier, similar 50 kW unit was plate modulated. The high voltage supply took three-phase power direct from the power company at 4600 volts using banks of mercury vapor rectifier tubes to make DC. Filaments were transformer-powered unlike earlier motor generator schemes.

Jim Weldon of border blaster fame worked on the Columbia Island station as a Federal Radio engineer.

The official starting date was Oct. 18, 1941, with Kate Smith and Orson Welles, personalities well connected with CBS, participating in the inauguration.

Access to the island was by boat. Note the earlier WABC call letters on the prow. (Photo courtesy The John Landers-Beth Klein Collection)

In 1946 the company received approval to change the station call letters from WABC to WCBS.

Up until the late 1950s transmitters were operated on site by engineers who were on duty whenever the station was on air.

The station had a tremendous signal penetration and was the very definition of a “clear-channel, Class A station” that reached well into the heartland of America. Further, the saltwater location provided possibly an even bigger reach throughout the Atlantic, making it the voice of New York City to many far away at sea in war and the following peace.

Like other similar important big stations including WTIC and WCCO, WCBS during World War II had a guard detail to protect the facility from sabotage or disruption.

One story, legendary but probably true, is that in thick fog, the crew once found its way to the island by following the induction field created by the currents flowing in the underwater power cable.

Moving on

Columbia Island provided a superb signal for CBS, but this rock was an expensive site to operate under any definition.

With the emergence of TV and the dropoff in network radio revenues, CBS explored locations nearby that were easier and more convenient to reach.

Eventually the corporate engineers settled on High Island just off the Bronx shore as a more practical site with a desirable land connection via a sandbar bridge.

After some delay and birthing pains, WCBS moved to that site in early 1962, where it remains today.

The station transmitter site was later moved to nearby High Island, shown. (Collection of John Schneider)

WNBC, 660, was diplexed into the tower shortly thereafter when crooner Perry Como decided he wanted the nearby site that NBC was developing for his New York City home! WNBC is now sister station WFAN 660. (It was this site that was knocked off the air by the fatal crash of a private airplane in 1967 on the day before WCBS launched its all-news format.)

Meanwhile, according to news accounts, Columbia Island was purchased by a show-business couple who aired a breakfast conversation show from their home there; then it went through multiple hands including the College of New Rochelle.

Actor Al Sutton eventually acquired it and built a “green” home on the site; you can find online stories about its construction, which is interesting in itself. At this writing, Zillow listed it for sale at $13 million. You can even take a video tour online.

But regrettably the 20-foot-square, 410-foot-high tower is long gone — regrettable, because for any resident the radio reception using that stick would have been extraordinary.

Broadcasting has often found some advantage or necessity to locate transmitter sites on islands. These islands vary from the isolated home of KUHB on frigid St. Paul Island in the  Bearing Sea to the defunct directional AM of WRIZ built on an island of pilings in Biscayne Bay in Florida.

If interested, we’ll visit some other islands in the stream in future columns. Please let us know your favorite or most engaging island station. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

Charles S. Fitch, P.E., is a longtime contributor whose articles about engineering and radio history are a popular recurring feature in Radio World.

The post WCBS: A Radio Island in the Stream appeared first on Radio World.

One of the newly installed satellite downlinks for the Alabama Emergency Alert system.

The author is the director of engineering services for the Alabama Broadcasters Association and chairman of the Alabama SECC. He can be reached at lwilkins@al-ba.com.

The Alabama State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) is expanding the state’s EAS satellite network from 31 to 48 downlinks. These are strategically located at stations around the state to provide the widest distribution of alerts. There is no cost to the stations in the network.

The system, designed by Global Security Systems (GSS Net) and funded by the Alabama Broadcasters Association, was installed in 2011 to improve redundancy and reduce the amount of “daisy-chain” relay points in the state. The cost of the expansion is being shared by the ABA and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

[Read: Stakeholders Comment on Amendments to EAS]

“When an impending hazard is an immediate threat to Alabamians, a reliable alert and warning system is a critical component of state preparedness and mitigation,” said Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings. “Each opportunity we have to improve warning time and reliability is an opportunity to save lives and property.”

Satellite receivers located at the 48 stations communicate with EAS units via a multicast protocol. Stations are still required to monitor two separate legacy sources. Those with a downlink have four sources to receive tests and alerts: the two legacy monitor sources, GSS Net and IPAWS. The chance of all four being down at the same time is unlikely. Maintenance of the satellite network is managed by the SECC and funded by the ABA. All the stations with downlinks are listed as LP-1.

The network is fully CAP-enabled and includes a secure portal for alert origination by approved agencies. It also is interfaced with the IPAWS network and WEA, which increases redundancy. When a state agency issues an alert, it goes to all downlinks within five seconds. Other features of the origination protocol include sending a test or alert to the entire state or to select counties. This is important for local area alerts and counties around the state’s two nuclear power plants. Recorded audio files can be attached to the alert, eliminating text to speech conversion. The receivers also include audio ports which were utilized during the last National Periodic Test (NPT), relaying the audio from a Sirius/XM receiver feeding the satellite audio channel.

The functionality of the network is constantly evaluated by the SECC which monitors over 150 EAS units around state. While the SECC’s monitoring of receivers does not take the place of the FCC requirements concerning station logs and chief operators, the SECC chairman works with local engineers when an error is observed in their EAS equipment.

ABA President Sharon Tinsley addressed the association’s role in the EAS distribution network, “We view this as one of the most important services we provide stations. In this way, we help equip them to provide alerts to their communities while remaining in compliance with FCC rules. By maintaining and monitoring the distribution network, we can assure operators that alerts will get to their stations.”

 

The post Alabama Expands EAS Satellite Network appeared first on Radio World.

Congress is pushing the FCC for better emergency alerting in the United States and a review of public comments on the latest proposed improvements shows most stakeholders are focused on the ability of the system to repeat national alerts from the president or FEMA if necessary.

Changes are coming to EAS after the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act passed Congress earlier this year and mandated emergency alerting reforms in this country.

[Read: Changes Coming in National Alerting]

Several EAS equipment manufacturers support the commission’s efforts to simplify how national level emergency messages are repeated if necessary. The FCC has acknowledged requiring each EAS participant’s EAS equipment to repeat an alert automatically could present technical complications. Such an upgrade would require firmware or software updates to EAS decoders, EAS experts say.

Sage Alerting Systems agrees with the FCC’s approach in the proposal to repeating alerts: “Reminding originators that they can repeat or update any alert they issue by simply reissuing it, and not making changes to the existing EAS implementation. This greatly reduces the cost to all stakeholders that changes of this level to EAS would cause, and leaves control of repeating information in the hands of originators.”

The EAS equipment maker wrote in its comments that even if protocols are modified and new implementations are pushed into the field, any “automatic system of repetitions could make the overall system more fragile.” Sage continued: “If an errant repeating alert is issued, and the originator can’t issue a cancel, what is the method for removing such an alert, especially if issued via legacy EAS?”

Digital Alert Systems is another manufacturer that supports the manual message repeat approach suggested by the FCC: “Wherein an alert originator may choose to repeat an alert by interactively creating a new alert message is likely the simplest course of action to meet the objectives of the legislation. No modification to existing rules would be necessary.”

However, the EAS equipment manufacturer believes the FCC’s recommended approach would still “require substantial orientation and training among alert originators, and potentially commercial alert origination system providers, so that they may fully understand the features and limitations of each dissemination system.”

A screenshot of a cell phone shows actual emergency messages on Jan. 13, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The background is a composite. (Screen image: Eugene Tanner AFP via Getty Images)

The only comments submitted by the National Association of Broadcasters are specifically aimed at the proposed mandate from Congress to allow repetition of EAS alerts for national security events.

“NAB appreciates the simplicity of [the FCC’s] approach. We recognize that the FCC could have proposed any number of more complex, prescriptive methods for implementing. However, the FCC has wisely struck upon an efficient proposal that fits within the existing regulatory scheme, leverages the current architecture of EAS, and is not expected to require costly upgrades to broadcasters’ existing EAS equipment and system,” the NAB wrote.

Another key facet of the NPRM is holding states more accountable for managing alerting infrastructure and how State Emergency Communications Committees (SECC) are structured. And whether those requirements should be adopted as part of the commission Part 11, EAS Rules. There are no current rules covering SECCs.

The Washington State SECC wrote on that topic: “It is true that the structure of SECCs is not uniform nationwide. It would be most helpful if this issue could be corrected. It also would be helpful if the commission’s rules clarified its scope of authority regarding enforcement of critical aspects of the state EAS Plans.”

In addition to more state oversight on emergency alerting, SECC committees would be required to meet at least once a year and submit an updated EAS plan annually, which would be accepted or rejected by the FCC. State plans, currently posted on the FCC website, would not be available to the public except for names and contact information for SECC chairs.

The FCC also invited comment on whether it should replace the WEA [Wireless Emergency Alert] system’s “Presidential Alert” with a “National Alert,” which is an alert mobile users cannot turn off.

REC Networks, a low-power FM advocate, pointed to the political divide in the United States as a good reason for the alert name change. “REC does support the name change of Presidential Alerts to National Alerts, as such a change would better represent the purpose of the alert as opposed to the originator of the alert,” the group wrote.

REC Networks continue: “Because we are now in a blue vs. red and us vs. them culture, the use of the term presidential can be seen as continuing to divide this nation, where the term national would remove any perceived political party influence out of the objective of such alerts, which is to inform and unite the nation. In this case, perception is important.”

Another proposed change would require jurisdictions to report false EAS or WEA alerts to the FCC Operations Center when they occur in order to help prevent future false alerts. One commenter expressed concern about potential backlash for doing so: “The FCC considers requiring FEMA administrators or state, tribal, local, or territorial entities report a false EAS activation or WEA alert when they become aware of such a message, whether or not they originated the message. However, there is no definition of what constitutes a false EAS activation or WEA alert,” wrote Adrienne Abbott, Nevada SECC chair.

Abbott cited several recent examples of false EAS activations in her state and concluded: “The FCC must also consider the impact of requiring an EAS participant to report a false activation to their regulatory agency and possibly running the risk of being fined for an action over which they have no control.”

 

The post Stakeholders Comment on Amendments to EAS appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus is planning to convert an AM talk radio station in the New York City suburbs to all-digital transmission next month.

WFAS(AM) in White Plains will use the slogan “Digital AM 1230 HD: New Talk for New York.”

The company filed an application with the FCC that it plans to flip on May 24. Its website carries a notice advising listeners that analog radios will no longer hear the station, but that listeners can find it using an HD receiver, online streaming, mobile app or smart speaker.

“Broadcasting in digital will eliminate annoying static and interference, improve the sound quality to equal FM radio and streaming, and extend the range for clear reception,” it told listeners.

WFAS will use the enhanced mode of digital HD Radio.

The decision by one of the country’s biggest broadcast chains to commit an AM frequency to all-digital is a notable one.

The Federal Communications Commission recently approved the option for stations to take this step. But as Radio World has reported, there are only a couple of other stations on the air in the country with all-digital AM, including the Hubbard station WWFD in Maryland that has been a kind of national test case.

Cumulus declined to comment on its plans for the station in response to a query from Radio World.

In Florida, broadcaster NIA Broadcasting, run by Neal Ardman, had flipped one station, WMGG, and told Radio World that as of today he is waiting on a transmitter with plans to flip WTMP, which is also in the Tampa area.

The post A Cumulus AM Near NYC Will Go All-Digital appeared first on Radio World.

Nielsen Audio reports “significant gains in radio listening” across the aggregate of its PPM rated markets in the United States.

While still not quite reaching the highest numbers of the pandemic period, which came last fall, both AQH and weekly reach were up in March compared to a month earlier.

Nielsen said its March PPM survey showed an 8% increase month-over-month in total average quarter-hour audience. “This marks the largest single-month increase in average audience since June of last year,” the company stated.

“These gains were driven by increases in both weekly reach (adding nearly 4 million consumers in March, a 3% increase versus February) as well as time spent listening (gaining by over 20 minutes on average, a 5% increase compared with last month).

It released these two charts.

 

The company said that in terms of weekly reach, the radio audience in March 2021 is 96% of what it was a year ago as the pandemic was taking hold in the United States, and the AQH number is 93%.

“This uptick in radio usage mirrors the positive changes in consumer sentiment and habits observed during Nielsen’s latest radio consumer study conducted during the March survey,” it said.

Nielsen cited other encouraging data for radio. It said six in 10 Americans feel life is becoming more normal in their communities, and that the number of people working outside the home have increased about 70% since a year ago. The number of consumers spending more than an hour daily in their cars more than doubled in that time.

[Related: “In 2020, Radio Hit a Proverbial Iceberg”]

The post Nielsen Reports “Big Gains” for Radio Listening appeared first on Radio World.

iHeart announced a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

It said the mentoring organization was selected as part of its grant program to advance social justice, which would be highlighted on its 850 radio stations.

“The goal of the program is to provide a platform for organizations to inspire, educate and empower listeners to take a stand against systemic racism and promote social justice,” the media company announced.

[Read: NFL, iHeartMedia Launch NFL’s Podcast Network]

A series of PSAs features voices of young people airing on the company’s stations and the iHeartRadio app. “The spots are focused on the need for Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors, and most especially Black men,” it stated.

The announcement was made by Tony Coles, president of iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network (BIN) and division president of Metro Markets at iHeartMedia, along with Artis Stevens, president/CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Stevens also has joined the BIN Advisory Board.

iHeartMedia will participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America 2021 Virtual National Conference that takes place in late June.

 

The post iHeart Partners With Big Brothers Big Sisters appeared first on Radio World.

IBC 2021 is set to go ahead as planned in September, with organizers saying they are focused on delivering “a fantastic event” at the RAI in Amsterdam.

However, the fall back dates for December are still in place, and an announcement on that is expected to be made in June. Organizers are asking the industry to keep their options open for both possible sets of dates.

The current dates for the show are Sept. 10–13 with the fall-back option of Dec.3–6.

IBC CEO Michael Crimp said organizers realize this year’s show might be the first large scale event many people have attended in a long time, and the team is putting lots of planning into that. They are working closely with the city of Amsterdam and the RAI, monitoring changes as they evolve.

“The industry is telling us that people are keen to come together again after being apart for a long time. In the coming months, a number of factors will help us decide when the event can happen and in what format. From macro trends such as vaccine roll out and testing, to the willingness of our attendees to travel, we will take all things into consideration as we make those important decisions,” he added.

IBC said it is budgeting for exhibition space to be about 30% less than in 2019, with the two pavilions not being used in 2021.

This year’s event will have more of a festival feel, said Crimp, with a perimeter to the site that will enable them to move around more freely. Attendees will have their temperatures checked before entering the perimeter, and will need to declare that they have recently passed a COVID test.

There will be no onsite registration for people who have not preregistered.

Inside, the halls will have extra wide aisles and one-way for ease of access. IBC intends to use cameras to monitor capacity in each hall. Each exhibitor will be told of their stand capacity, with attendees being scanned-in and out to monitor numbers.

Steve Connolly, head of sales at IBC, said support from the industry continues to be strong, with 30,000-sq. foot of booth space booked so far.

IBC will also run a digital platform for exhibitors alongside the physical event to enable them to promote products and book digital meetings.

The post IBC Set to Go Ahead as Planned in September appeared first on Radio World.

MPR News named Sarah Glover as its newsroom’s managing editor.

She is former manager of social media strategy at NBC Owned Television Stations. She has experience as a photographer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, and was the first two-term president of the National Association of Black Journalists.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

“During her tenure, she created the NABJ Black Male Media Project, which examines the portrayal of Black men in the media,” MPR stated in its announcement. “She also played a crucial role in the Associated Press Stylebook’s move to capitalize the ‘B’ in Black to describe people and communities.”

She will lead 40 reporters, photojournalists and editors and be responsible for editorial decisions and planning on MPR News platforms.

“As communities across America strive for equity, so does the news industry,” she was quoted in the announcement. “My goal is to build upon the diversity work at MPR and develop an anti-racist and inclusive newsroom that’s a model for the nation. Storytelling is truth-telling, and the role of journalism is vital.”

Mike Mulcahy has been acting as interim managing editor since Laura McCallum took another post.

Minnesota Public Radio is a subsidiary of American Public Media Group.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Glover Named to Editorial Post at MPR appeared first on Radio World.

A recent Radio World ebook explored trends in audio processing for radio broadcasters. Among the stories in that ebook was an interview with Ben Barber, president/CEO of Inovonics.

RW: Your take on the most important development in processors?

Ben Barber: Everything needs to be remote controllable and “monitorable.”

With fewer and fewer people actually being onsite, if there is an issue, broadcasters want to know about it right away. All of our newer audio processors are web-enabled, which means you can log into them and control them via their web page and not a proprietary app or program that may run on your PC but not on your smartphone.

With web-enabled products, everything can be controlled from any device with a web browser. You can also get emails, text messages and SNMP alerts as well as stream the audio back over the web.

RW: What should we know about differences in processing for analog and digital OTA, streaming and podcasts?

Barber: Today’s processors are all DSP-controlled and most can sound very good while at the same time controlling peak modulation as well as density. All that is great; but if you start with an MP3, especially at a lower bitrate, there is little you can do to make that source material sound great.

Always start with great audio, which will in the long run save you so many headaches down the road.

RW: What are the implications for managing processing, now that so many people have been working remotely?

Barber: I think what COVID has shown us is the resilience of both broadcast personalities as well as engineering to be able to do “everything” remotely. But just because it can be done begs the question, “Is it best for radio?”

Our medium is a very personal one, where the synergy between hosts is evident on nearly every show. Sure, programs can be done remotely; but in my opinion, if we think this is the new normal and we continue doing everything from scattered offices with little human interaction, then we are not giving our best.

As for processing, its primary purpose is to control peaks in order to protect your transmitter’s modulation, and also to keep you from splattering on your “neighbor.” Our industry should strive to give that processing air chain the best possible content that we can produce; to do that, I think in-person energy is what stimulates the mind, and the product shows it.

RW: What tools are available to mitigate issues involving synchronization of HD Radio and analog signals?

Barber: Back in the day when HD Radio was introduced, the system could be stable if everything was collocated and set up properly.

Unfortunately, the problem was exacerbated by splitting up the system and not keeping the importer and exporter at the same location, nor keeping them time-locked together via GPS. In addition you had latency and packet issues that would wreak havoc on the FM and HD1 alignment.

Though there are new processors and equipment on the market that should keep things in alignment, the majority or equipment still in service still has huge drift issues.

Here’s a picture of FM/HD1 drift over a 20-day period on a local FM/HD1 station.

FM/HD1 drift over a 20-day period on a California station.

This is not a small market off in the corner of some small city or county. They either need to replace all their HD Radio equipment, or get a JUSTIN 808 Time Alignment Processor from Inovonics. Our box goes in-line with the HD1 audio and continuously monitors the alignment of the two audio signals. When the alignment drifts, samples are slowly added or subtracted from the air chain until the FM and HD1 audio is aligned. It’s really that simple to fix.

That picture shows a drift of 20,000 samples which is nearly 0.5 second!

RW: In 2014 when we visited processing in an ebook, we thought radio processors were so powerful and had such incredible algorithms, that it was hard to imagine where further dramatic improvements would come from. How do you answer that today?

Barber: I more or less agree. Today’s DSPs are so powerful that the issue no longer becomes processing power, but the intellectual property of making algorithms function in a way that makes things sound exceptional.

Inovonics’ goal in designing and manufacturing audio processing has been to design a quality product that is innovative and gives exceptional results at an affordable price.

I like to use the analogy of driving a car when comparing audio processors. It would be hard to argue that a McLaren 720S, Lamborghini Aventador or Ferrari 488 are not incredibly magnificent automobiles and take driving to a whole new level; but, for most of us, a solid Mercedes, BMW, Chevy, Ford or Toyota are probably quite sufficient to get the job done of a “daily driver.”

Again, taking nothing away from the supercars of today; but you will see a lot more “regular” cars on the road as we go about our daily tasks. The honest truth? That’s where I see Inovonics fitting into the processor market: a solid, dependable, reliable, innovative audio processor for the “regular” guy.

The post Solid, Innovative Processing for “Regular Guys” appeared first on Radio World.

The DRM Consortium recently concluded its General Assembly. Seventy people from 13 countries participated.

Chairman Ruxandra Obreja said the past year has been the busiest for DRM since the consortium was founded.

She reported “excellent progress” over that time in countries including India, South Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Russia and Hungary.

[Read: StarWaves Introduces DRM SoftRadio App]

Obreja also cited prototypes, updates and developments announced by receiver and chipset manufacturers including Gospell, RF2Digital, Inntot, Cambridge Consultants, NXP, Fraunhofer IIS and StarWaves.

She also noted the announcement of a project to test the DRM framework within ATSC 3.0 digital television, which would give access to DRM content on various devices and platforms.

And she said interest was strong in the recent trial of DRM for FM in India, which she called a success and which also featured head unit radios with both DRM AM and DRM FM integrated.

 

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The Federal Communications Commission has taken the unusual step of cancelling two proposed forfeitures — but not without admonishing the licensees for their violations.

In both cases, a Notice of Apparent Liability was issued by the Audio Division of the Media Bureau for the same violation: failing to file a license renewal application in a timely manner.

In the first case, the Bay City Public Schools district in Bay City, Mich., failed to file an application to renew the license of station WCHW(FM) on time. The same error was made by Billy R. Autry, licensee of two Mississippi stations —  WKRA(AM) and WKRA(FM) in Holly Springs, Miss.

[Read: Four Stations Receive Forfeitures for Same Alleged Violation: Late Filings]

The FCC Rules are clear when it comes to submitting license renewal applications: the request must be submitted on the first calendar day four months prior to the expiration of the license.

In Bay City’s case, that meant that the application should have been filed by June 1, 2020, to prepare for the station’s Oct. 1, 2020, license expiration date. That application was not filed until the day before it expired: Sept. 29, 2020.

For Autry, the renewal applications for the two stations should have been filed by Feb. 3, 2020, in preparation for a June 1, 2020 license expiration date. Those applications were not filed until May 20, 2020.

In both cases, the bureau proposed a forfeiture of $3,000 per station. Both licensees were given 30 days to pay the full amount or file a written statement as to why it should be reduced or cancelled.

For the Bay City Public Schools district, it blamed the coronavirus pandemic.

The school wrote to explain that its employees did not have access to the station for four months in early 2020 because of restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The district also had the impression that its filing deadline was July 1, 2020, and believed that it had already filed its renewal application on June 29.

It turns out that the licensee had saved the application in the commission’s Licensing and Management System database but it had not formally turned it in. Mistakes that result from unfamiliarity with the FCC’s requirements are still willful violations, the bureau said. “[C]onfusion or difficulties with the commission’s electronic filing system are not grounds for reduction or cancellation of a forfeiture,” the bureau said.

But the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic held sway; the bureau moved to cancel the forfeiture and granted the renewal application. But it admonished the licensee for failing to file on time.

In Autry’s case, the bureau proposed a $6,000 fine for failing to renew the two stations’ licenses and gave him 30 days to pay the full amount or explain why the forfeiture should be reduced or cancelled.

Autry responded by saying that he was not aware of the filing deadline because a notification was sent to a former employee of the stations. He also asked the bureau to cancel the proposed forfeiture based on his inability to pay and included copies of federal tax returns for 2017, 2018 and 2019 in support of this request.

Being unaware of a deadline is not enough to excuse the violation, the bureau said. Violations resulting from error or unfamiliarity are still willful violations.

But the bureau will consider a reduction or cancellation of a fine if the licensee can demonstrate a legitimate financial hardship through three recent federal tax returns. After reviewing those, the bureau found that payment of the proposed forfeiture would create such a hardship. As a result, the bureau cancelled the proposed forfeiture and granted the renewal applications — but not before admonishing Autry for his violations.

 

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Starwaves and Fraunhofer IIS announced an Android app that allows reception of Digital Radio Mondiale transmissions on mobile devices, when used in conjunction with an RF dongle.

“Starwaves enables Android phones and tablets to receive entertainment, text information and emergency warnings via DRM Digital Radio — without costly data plans, independent from cell phone network availability, and based on innovative Fraunhofer technology,” Starwaves said in its announcement.

 

A promo image from the Starwaves website.

 

The company noted that it has been active in DRM radio receivers for years. Johannes von Weyssenhoff is founder of Starwaves, which was founded in Germany in 2005 and subsequently moved to Switzerland. Its early products included Starwaves Prelude, a DRM-DAB receiver, and Carbox, an automotive DRM-DAB with analog shortwave. The company was also involved in Africa’s first DRM trial in the FM band in South Africa.

[Related: “Sinclair, Fraunhofer Will Integrate DRM in ATSC 3.0”]

The new app provides listeners with access to the DRM digital radio standard, across all transmission bands from DRM on longwave to FM band and VHF band-III. The app is available on the Google and Amazon Android app stores.

The app supports DRM features like Emergency Warning Functionality, image slideshows, station logos, and service descriptions including Unicode support.

“To provide all these services, the app only requires a standard off-the-shelf SDR RF dongle that is attached to the device’s USB port,” it said.

DRM’s largest market is India, where it is heard on mediumwave and has recently been tested for possible use on the FM band. The DRM Consortium recently concluded its General Assembly, which also reported on projects in Indonesia and Pakistan as well as a DRM trial on FM in Russia and another on shortwave in Brazil.

The post StarWaves Introduces DRM SoftRadio App appeared first on Radio World.

Commissioner Brendan Carr is objecting to what he says is politically motivated pressure for the FCC to reject the sale of a Miami radio station.

Carr, a Republican, cited news reports that members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus want the commission to reject the sale of WSUA, “Caracol 1260 AM.”

“According to the Democrat representatives, the FCC must block this change in ownership to prevent what they view as a progressive broadcast station from beginning to air conservative viewpoints to Miami’s Hispanic community,” Carr stated in a press release.

He cited quotes in Newsweek’s reporting from Florida Democrats “sounding the alarm” including a quote from Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell that “To win in 2022 this must stop!”

[Newsweek: “Florida Democrats Sound the Alarm After ‘Spanish-Language OAN’ Buys Miami Radio Station, Fires Liberal Host”]

Carr called it an attempt by Democrats in Congress to block the sale of the Spanish-language station based on its projected political viewpoints.

“The FCC has no business doing the Democrats’ bidding or using our regulatory process to censor political opinions that Democrats do not like,” Carr wrote.

“What’s worse, the Democrats appear to be treating the FCC as merely an arm of the DNC — expressly pressuring the agency to take action that they believe will increase their electoral odds in Florida in 2022.”

He called it a “deeply troubling transgression of free speech and the FCC’s status as an independent agency” and asked his FCC colleagues to the effort.

Newsweek reported that the buyer plans to change the name of Caracol 1260 AM to América Radio.

 

The post Carr Calls Foul on Congressional Democrats appeared first on Radio World.

A promotional image from the Audioburst website.

Audio search and delivery firm Audioburst now is available on the Harman Ignite Store connected vehicle platform.

Separately, Harman also opened a hub for Android Automotive developers.

“The Audioburst Android Automotive app is now available through the Harman Ignite Store to augment vehicle infotainment systems, providing drivers and passengers alike with unprecedented personalization and access to the world’s largest searchable library of talk audio content,” the companies announced.

The company’s AI listens to podcasts and radio stations, analyzes and indexes the long-form content and cuts it into short-form audio clips called bursts.

“Keywords, entities, sentiment and additional metadata features are extracted to ensure the most accurate topical segmentation,” the company explains. “The bursts are then grouped together into playlists to provide listeners with a recommended content stream based on trending topics, past behavior, and defined keywords and interests. These can be as broad as ‘Tech’ and ‘Business’ or as specific as ‘Ariana Grande,’ ‘LA Lakers,’ and ‘Pfizer stock.’”

Audioburst CEO Amir Hirsh was quoted saying this approach means drivers don’t have to browse podcasts and radio stations “in futile, and at times dangerous, attempts to find relevant content,” thanks to personalization and discovery capabilities.

Audioburst said its APIs also “provide OEMs with powerful user analytics and unique monetization opportunities.” OEMs can collect info about content consumption that can be used to inform subscriptions or advertisements.

Albert Jordan, VP of the Harman Ignite Store business unit, said the purpose of its platform is to connect drivers and passengers to their favorite apps and media.

Harman International is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Samsung Venture Investment is an investor in Audioburst. Harman says 50 million cars on the road have its audio systems. Its brands include AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Revel.

Reflecting the growing importance of the Android Automotive OS, Harman also announced a Harman Ignite Store Developers Portal, a hub for Android Automotive developers.

“Those developing to the Android Automotive open operating system can deploy automotive apps, which OEMs can then easily scale and manage to drive new digital touchpoints with their customers through the Harman Ignite Store.”

 

The post Audioburst Joins Harman Ignite Store appeared first on Radio World.

A spare transmitter blower is a great idea. Pre-wiring it is even better!

If you’ve never lost a blower motor in a high-power transmitter, your time probably is coming!

It is a helpless feeling when the transmitter completely shut down. Then add the frustration of trying to find a replacement, not to mention removing the old motor and assembly.

Honolulu contract engineer Dale Machado found a replacement blower and motor assembly to keep on hand, and added to the insurance policy by pre-wiring it. Adding the wiring harness is one less thing to think about when you are off the air.

In the case of three-phase motors, pre-wiring also reduces the chance you’ll miswire the phase, causing the motor to run backwards!

Data points

Consulting Engineer and frequent Workbench contributor Frank Hertel of Newman-Kees RF Measurement and Engineering compiled useful information for engineers working with AM stations. Frank bases the information on his own experience and on documents available from Kintronic Laboratories (www.kintronic.com).

Frank has been called in after lightning hits to repair a number of antenna tuning units at the base of AM towers. Lightning knows no season! Frank’s summary keeps things simple and easy to understand.

First discussed are estimated impedances for a single reference tower that is series-fed, and operating at 1000 kHz (1 MHz) at heights of 150, 90 and 60 electrical degrees. Under these conditions, the values in the first table are typical:

(150 deg. height)     782R      –j13         (Capacitive Reactance

(90 deg. Height)     44R        +j18         (Inductive Reactance)

(60 deg. Height)     11R        –j113       (Capacitive Reactance)

If you are using an isocoupler on your (single) series-fed tower, it is assumed that the isocoupler has a typical capacitance of around 100 pF (or more). Thus, the isocoupler will present its added shunt value, to your single series-fed tower.

When the isocoupler’s shunt value is added in parallel to the impedance of your single series-fed tower, the addition of the isocoupler will shift the single tower’s impedance and typically yield the approximate values in the second table:

(150 deg. Height)      623R    –j315       (Capacitive Reactance)

(90 deg. Height)        45R      +j17         (Inductive Reactance)

(60 deg. Height)        10R      –j105       (Capacitive Reactance)

Frank adds that a single 90 degree height, series-fed tower will normally use a simpler ATU matching circuit. This circuit may be more efficient as a result of needing fewer components and lessened power loss, but this is debatable.

A single series-fed tower that is shorter than 90 degrees will yield a low R value with capacitive reactance. A single series-fed tower that is taller than 90 degrees will yield a higher R value with capacitive reactance.

Finally, it is worth noting that a tower height of slightly more than 90 degrees should yield an R value of approximately 50 ohms with a manageable reactance value.

Spring is in full swing for many readers. If you find yourself doing AM work and needing AM components, visit the Kintronic site.

Unbalanced-to-balanced adaptor

San Francisco contract and project engineer Bill Ruck has built a number of unbalanced-to-balanced adaptors over the years. He is careful to pay attention to absolute phase — if you’re not, the design can invert the audio.

There is an easy fix to this; the input inverting op amp output is connected to Pin 3. The inverted unity gain IC connection is Pin 2. Swapping Pins 2 and 3 will ensure that the output is in absolute phase with the input signal.

Bill prefers to use +/–15 VDC as a power source, but he has also used inexpensive DC-to-DC converters to take a nominal 9 to 12VDC signal and make +/-15VDC.

And Bill has found it wise to add a small capacitor across the op amp feedback resistor in order to limit bandwidth and make the amplifier stable. Although this is not critical, he tries to pick a capacitor value to be equal to the resistance at around 150 kHz.

Storage strap

Over the years, we’ve shown a variety of cable management solutions from brands like Velcro and other hook-and-loop manufacturers. But the one in Fig. 2 serves a dual purpose.

A heavy-duty hook-and-loop cable organizer.

The metal grommet helps organize and hang bundles of remote broadcast cables. In the Technical Operations Center, the grommet secures large bundles of cables, especially of the Ethernet variety. The fastener secures the cables without deforming the wire wrap. This heavy-duty nylon strap is available from Koppy and they come in small, medium and large sizes. There is a quantity discount. Go to https://koppy.co/ .

John Bisset, CPBE, has spent over 50 years in broadcasting and is in his 31st year of Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post Workbench: Blower Motors and AM Tips appeared first on Radio World.

The author is director of engineering, Leighton Broadcasting.

I’ll be the first in line for new audio processing if I think it can give us an edge, but only if it’s truly a step up and not just the same old tech in new packaging.

We serve a predominantly young population here in the college town of St. Cloud, Minn. With 70 other stations competing for those ears, our six stations will take every advantage we can get.

I’d heard about the Wheatstone MP-532 AM/FM/HD multipurpose processor before it was officially released. The inside scoop was that Wheatstone’s Jeff Keith had designed into it a new five-band “windowed” AGC, which he called Windy.

As different program material comes in, it adapts to make sure that the multiband section and the five-band limiter later on are always fed consistent audio. This, I was told, was one of the reasons why the MP-532 could deliver those “airy” highs and deeper lows we’re all hoping for in the business.

It was worth a listen.

I got one of the first MP-532s and put it on our classic rock station, KZPK, K277BS/ZRock (HD2) 103.3 MHz. The installation experience was typical Wheatstone. Super intuitive, with presets that immediately gave us a much-improved sound right out of the box.

Friendly install

I’ll get to the sound in a minute, but first I’d like to pause for a moment and give you a busy engineer’s perspective on audio processing.

Yes, most of us like to tweak processing. But we also have a huge appreciation for a smooth installation experience. I need to get it on the air, make minor adjustments and move on in life. That’s one very strong suit of this processor, its ease of installation.

To be fair, I know my way around Wheatstone processors, having owned X1s, AM-55s, FM-55s, X3s and X5s.

As easy as the setup was, this alone is not a good enough reason to invest in an audio processor. It has to sound good; that’s the core mission for processing, and for radio.

[“Engineer Tony Abfalter Is an MVP”]

So how did the MP-532 do? Impressive. Very impressive.

They weren’t kidding when they said the highs would be airy and detailed and the lows would be deep. The MP-532 has the most articulation and clarity of any audio processor I’ve ever heard. It effectively kicked its predecessor, the FM-55, into the prehistoric dinosaur age and can hold its own next to Wheatstone’s flagship processor, the X5 FM/HD processor, but with a few less features and a lot less dollars.

One nice bonus is that it is a multipurpose processor (that’s what the MP is for), which means it would make an excellent backup for both my AM as well as FM stations. But, it’s really too good to be a backup processor, so I have it running continuous programming on ZRock.

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 contact Jay Tyler at Wheatstone in North Carolina at 1-252-638-7000 or visit www.wheatstone.com.

The post User Report: Wheatstone MP-532 Opens Eyes at Leighton appeared first on Radio World.

Global Security Systems has acquired a license to participate in the ShakeAlert earthquake notification system through its Alert FM disaster warning system. Alert FM provides tornado, hurricane, fire and other possibly life-threatening emergency notifications across the United States.

The earthquake information is from the United States Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert earthquake detection and warning system.

[Read: Changes Coming in National Alerting]

Matthew Straeb, EVP/CTO of Global Security Systems, developer and operator of Alert FM, said, “As a long-time provider of emergency notifications for tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, evacuations, and tsunamis, adding early earthquake warning notifications is a tremendous benefit for increasing public safety in all of our communities.”

The ShakeAlert system is active on the West Coast and GSS is implementing AlertFM/ShakeAlert for customers in in California, Oregon and Washington state.

In addition in the following months, according to a release, “Alert FM will integrate automated actions to accompany earthquake early warnings for sirens, accessible devices such as bed-shakers and other consumer electronic devices. … GSS will also pursue partnerships with accessible, hospital, transportation and public utility systems.”

Straeb explained, “We will be seeking partners to integrate our low-cost FM technology to control emergency generators, door openers, production machinery, and other sensitive equipment in concert with alert messages. The benefits are nearly endless in earthquake situations.”

 

The post FM Alert to Add Earthquake Warnings appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters is unhappy about a planned change to FCC rules involving sponsorship identification of content that came from foreign governments.

General Counsel Rick Kaplan wrote about it on an NAB blog. He said the Federal Communications Commission had good intentions of helping the public better understand when they are watching or listening to content sponsored by a foreign government, and he said NAB agrees with the goal even though there are few broadcast cases compared to pay TV providers and social media.

[“Pai Calls for Transparency on Government Sponsored Broadcast Content”]

But Kaplan and the NAB oppose a provision that broadcasters entering into lease agreements with any programmers must take a series of steps to determine whether they are dealing with a foreign government in the first place.

“You might be wondering if there is an exception for the station leasing time to a long-standing trusted business partner, right? Nope,” Kaplan wrote.

“What if you are leasing time to a local church for services on Sunday mornings? Nope. Surely, it can’t involve leases for the 3:30 a.m. long-form Snuggie infomercial? Sorry, it does, says the FCC.”

Kaplan said “hundreds if not thousands” of stations “are now on the verge of being mandated to undertake steps to prove in advance they are not dealing with foreign governments, even when they each know with certainty they are not.” He called it “old-world regulation at its worst.”

He said there’s no evidence of a “groundswell of foreign propaganda” on the U.S. airwaves or that stations are confused about the origins of what they air.

“The FCC should not simply saddle broadcasters with this needless obligation — or rather, multiple needless obligations — because it can regulate broadcasters but not social media companies,” he argued.

And he said that “with each added regulation, the FCC makes broadcasting a less attractive investment, including for new entrants and historically underrepresented groups.”

He urged the FCC to “fix its proposal before approving it later this week.”

Read the proposed order (PDF).

Read Kaplan’s blog post “Let’s Not Overregulate Broadcasters Yet Again Because We’re Upset With Facebook”

 

 

 

The post NAB Unhappy With Lease Agreement Proposal appeared first on Radio World.

Vandalia Media Partners is inching closer to receiving an answer on its whether its license renewal application will be granted or denied.

The Media Bureau at the Federal Communications Commissioned announced that a status conference will be held virtually on April 28, at 10 a.m. as part of a hearing on renewing Vandalia’s license. Earlier this month the Media Bureau announced that an administrative law judge will work to determine whether or not to renew the license of AM radio station WJEH in Gallipolis, Ohio.

[Read: AM Station’s Spotty Operational Schedule Puts License at Risk]

The move is in light of the station’s minimal record of operation, the bureau said. Vandalia began broadcasting with the WJEH license on Dec. 31, 2019, and during its tenure as licensee (from December 2019 through 2020), the station was silent for 364 days and operated for two days at an authorized reduced power level of 100 W.

The Communications Act states that if a broadcasting station fails to transmit broadcast signals for any consecutive 12-month period, then the station license expires at the end of that period. This was set up by Congress to relieve the burden of conducting a drawn-out license renewal or revocation proceedings for stations that remain silent for extended periods of time.

The commission subsequently found that some licensees of silent stations respond by resuming operation for a short period of time — in some cases as short as a day — before the one-year-limit hits to prevent automatically license expiration. Others alternate between periods of silence and operations with minimal power levels that only cover a small portion of their service areas.

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

The method for renewing an application is fairly straightforward. According to the FCC Rules, a renewal is granted if the bureau finds that the station met three key requirements: the station served the public interest, convenience and necessity; there have been no serious violations of the Communications Act of 1934 or FCC Rules; and there are no major violations that would constitute a pattern of abuse.

When these three tenets cannot be met, the renewal application is designated for a hearing. Because of the WJEH’s extended periods of silence and operation at significantly reduced power during its license term, the bureau was unable to find that grant of the renewal application is in the public interest.

A proposed schedule with next steps will be laid out during the virtual conference. The commission said that interested parties can share relevant documents and comments about this case through April 26 via the commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System.

 

The post Hearing Set to Determine Ohio AM License appeared first on Radio World.

The TM-250U from TASCAM is a USB condenser microphone with a supercardioid pattern.

The company says that it is aimed at direct connection computer audio for podcasting, dialog and vocal recording, music recording, conferencing, and other forms of online audio.

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

The digital audio output is 16-bit/48 kHz. It has mic gain and a headphone output volume control along with a mute switch.

It also ships with a 6-foot USB C-A mic cable, mic holder and a desktop mic tripod.

Info: www.tascam.com

 

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