Between Clarksville and Jackson, Tenn. is the town of Camden, perhaps best-known as the closest municipality to the Patsy Cline plane crash memorial.
Camden is also home to an AM/FM combo and FM translator owned by an individual who recently passed away. Now, his stations are moving into a trust.
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In Central Florida, Mike McClain has gained national recognition as the SVP/GM of FOX O&O’s WOFL-35 and WRBW-65 in Orlando and WOGX-51 in Gainesville-Ocala.
Now, the FOX operation along the I-4 corridor is getting attention for its choice of a video software provider that will support its rollout of ATSC 3.0-based broadcast TV signals in the market.
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LOS ANGELES — Earlier this month, the SXM-8 satellite completed in-orbit testing and was handed over to SiriusXM.
It’s the ninth high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar Technologies for SiriusXM.
A 11th one is on the way.
Westminister, Colo.-based Maxar late Tuesday (8/24) announced it received an order to build another geostationary communications satellite for longtime customer SiriusXM.
And, it follows the SXM-9 satellite order that was announced earlier this month.
SXM-10 will be built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif.
Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s third-generation satellites, the last one of which was launched earlier this year.
“We’re proud to continue this relationship for both SXM-9 and SXM-10,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery.
— Adam R Jacobson
Nexstar Media Group is partnering up with the company behind a streaming video network that provides extensive coverage of sports betting by way of a just-signed multi-year agreement that will see the launch of what’s being billed as the nation’s first-ever diginet devoted to sports wagering and fantasy sports.
Beginning September 1, SportsGrid Network from SportsGrid Inc. will be distributed across nine digital subchannels licensed to Nexstar in nine major U.S. markets: San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Tampa-St. Petersburg; Portland, Ore.; Nashville; Norfolk; Grand Rapids; Knoxville; and Des Moines.
SportsGrid considers itself to be the nation’s “first and only 24-hour sports wagering and fantasy sports program service.”
That said, it is in many ways a competitor to such established brands as DraftKings, BetQL and VSiN, bringing Nexstar into a highly active and burgeoning non-traditional revenue stream for both television and radio in the broadcast media space.
At present, SportsGrid’s content is distributed across over-the-air broadcast and cable television, connected Smart TVs, a variety of streaming platforms, mobile devices and on the internet. The new network is being added to recently vacated digital sub-channels licensed to Nexstar.
At its launch, SportsGrid Network will feature 18 hours of exclusive live original programming hosted by a team of on-air personalities, sports and gambling experts, and guest contributors, as well as a variety of pre-produced programming and encore presentations of the network’s most popular shows.
The network’s mission: to provide real-time sports news, data, analytics, and statistics to engage sports audiences whenever and wherever they choose. SportsGrid’s reporting and analytic platform includes daily odds, lines, matchups, injury reports, statistics, news, and more across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, golf, tennis, and soccer.
SportsGrid’s live programming originates from television production facilities adjacent to Madison Square Garden in New York and at the SG Studios & Production Hub, across the Hudson River in the state of New Jersey.
SportsGrid was founded by President Louis Maione. He said, “Nexstar’s national reach across 199 owned or operated television stations in 116 markets throughout the U.S. is a great platform for distributing our content to fantasy sports fans and gamblers everywhere. This agreement provides both companies the opportunity to share content and to strategically expand the network to additional Nexstar markets.”
Sean Compton, the former radio industry executive who today is President of Nexstar’s Networks Division, commented, “Our nation is sports obsessed and we are delighted to deliver SportsGrid’s programming to address the rapidly growing interest in sports betting and fantasy sports. Distributing SportsGrid’s programming across digital subchannels in nine of our markets will enable us to connect with new audiences and continue expanding a new and fast growing revenue stream.”
A Class B AM licensed to Horseheads, N.Y., that serves the Corning-Elmira market and reaches nearby Ithaca is being spun.
It’s a facility that was owned in recent years by Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman’s Community Broadcasters and later spun by Seven Mountains Media, the dominant radio operator in the market today, to a non-commercial religious entity.
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A licensee of an FM translator serving Marion, Ind., has received a proposed fine from the FCC much like several other NALs issued within the last month.
It shows that the FCC means business when it comes to filing deadlines — and that it hopes to add to its coffers from tardy radio licensees.
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In February, the 12-year-old Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) took to Zoom and conducted the first of its two virtual sessions comprising the 10th annual Cross-Platform Video Measurement & Data Summit.
Six months later, we’re pleased to be checking in with Managing Director and CEO Jane Clarke to get a new look on the state of measurement. Among Clarke’s choice declarations: The panel just doesn’t work anymore.
For all of what Clarke has to say in just under 15 minutes, check out this must-listen RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM!
Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jane Clarke, CIMM” on Spreaker.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications has unveiled the names of eight new inductees, as well as a new class of 33 Legacy inductees, into the Chicago-based Radio Hall of Fame for 2021.
The 2021 inductees will be honored at an in-person 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 28 at Chicago’s Wintrust Grand Banking Hall.
THE 2021 RADIO HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ARE:
Brother Wease – Radio 95.1, Rochester, NY
Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)
Elliot Segal – DC101, Washington, DC
Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)
Dan Patrick – The Dan Patrick Show
Longstanding Networks/Syndication (20 years or more)
Kim Komando – The Kim Komando Show
Active Network/Syndication (10 Years or more)
Javier Romero – WAMR-FM/Amor 107.5, Univision Miami
Music Format On-Air Personality
Preston & Steve – 93.3 WMMR, Philadelphia, PA
Spoken Word On-Air Personality
Erica Farber, President and CEO, Radio Advertising Bureau
Bill Siemering, Founding Director of Programming and Founding Member of the Board of Directors, NPR
Four inductees were determined by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 600 industry professionals and four inductees were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, two with input from the public. The outcome of the listener vote for a music format and spoken word format on-air personality counted as one vote among the committee votes. The process was overseen by the certified public accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase LLP.
Kraig T. Kitchin, Radio Hall of Fame chairman, commented, “I’m thrilled to welcome this deserving Class of 2021 and look forward to celebrating their inductions in late October in Chicago. In addition, it’s my honor to announce and recognize the talents of individuals who provided the foundation for so much of our industry’s success, but have not been yet recognized by this institution. These individuals have earned their place within the Radio Hall of Fame. We used the opportunity of this medium’s 100th anniversary to undertake a review of the industry’s past performers and operators, to identify a select group of industry legends that left us before they could be properly recognized. We honor their contributions and their memory by these inductions.“
In addition, to honor the 100th year of radio, the Radio Hall of Fame has established a Legends induction, recognizing the talents and efforts of air personalities, programmers and operators who although they have died, spent their lives contributing their talents to the industry. While the industry celebrates 100 years of existence, the industry’s Hall of Fame is only 33 years into existence. The centennial milestone provides an opportunity to recognize the talents and efforts of 33 individuals in 2021, as well.
The following 33 radio legends take their place in the Radio Hall of Fame immediately, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of radio:The Mix Group is the presenting sponsor of the Radio Hall of Fame 2021 induction ceremony. The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations in 1991.
From the current incarnation of “93KHJ” in American Samoa to his properties in the Deep South, Larry Fuss has gained national attention as one of the last radio owner/entrepreneurs.
Now, Fuss is in the news for what amounts to a reversal of his 2011 sale of a 1,000-watt AM and its FM translator serving a small city in Mississippi.
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RBR+TVBR first learned August 19 that NEXTGEN TV was coming to Atlanta.
It is now known that that’s not the only new market now offering local viewers broadcast TV channels powered by the ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard.
Kansas City television stations KMBC-9 (ABC), KCTV-5 (CBS), KSHB-41 (NBC), WDAF-4 (FOX), KCPT (PBS), KCWE-29 (CW), KSMO-TV (MyNet) and KMCI-38 (“The Spot”) are all now available to Kansas City area viewers in the NEXTGEN TV format.
The E.W. Scripps Co. owns KMCI and KSHB, while Hearst is the owner of KCWE & KMBC; Nexstar owns WDAF; and Meredith Local Media is the owner of KSMO, pending the closing of the group’s sale to Gray Television.
Tuesday’s launch in Kansas City specifically involves KMCI-38 and KSMO-62, owned by the Meredith Corporation. These facilities, UHF digital channels 25 and 32, respectively, have converted to ATSC 3.0 transmissions.
This means that there are two ATSC 3.0 “lighthouse” stations in the market.
BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the eight television stations.
— Adam R Jacobson, in Los Angeles
RBR+TVBR has learned that Comscore and the Media Rating Council are currently working to commence an audit of Comscore’s national and local TV measurement.
To confirm, the MRC has not officially started an audit. But, it has a statement on what’s to come.
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A Class A FM serving the city of Macomb, Ill., has a new owner.
The transaction is hardly a surprise, however, as the seller has been allowing the buyer to operate the facility, resulting in a change in the non-secular worship and praise programming heard on the station.
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Real-time engagement — digital experiences that are interactive, collaborative and shared through technology such as live video, live audio and extended reality (AR and VR) — is of increasing desire among U.S. consumers. People increasingly want RTE video or audio features in the apps they use. For example, buyers in a shopping app want to talk to sellers.
Can broadcast radio or TV benefit from this growing desire for “RTE,” something wholly different than Ireland’s government-funded radio and TV organization? An Agora survey may have some very interesting takeaways.
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MIAMI — Streamline Publishing’s annual event devoted to Hispanic audio opportunities for marketers, programmers and broadcast media ownership groups is moving forward with a hybrid format amid continued concerns over the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus.
The parent company of Radio Ink and the Radio + Television Business Report announced Tuesday (8/24) that the Hispanic Radio Conference will be presented this year in a manner that will allow those unable or not inclined to travel at this time to attend the event from the comfort of their home and/or office.
Commenting on the decision, RBR+TVBR Publisher Deborah Parenti said, “With so much on the table, we have decided to add a virtual component to this year’s event. All speakers and panelists are set to present from our stage at the InterContinental at Doral in front of a live audience, but with the addition of a virtual option that will allow those who may have reservations or restrictions on travel the opportunity to be part of the conference and participate in the conversation.”
Parenti continued, “This is an extremely important year for Hispanic radio and the conference agenda is set to tackle many of the issues facing it and the radio industry in general. Considering all of the pressing matters of the past year – from the pandemic and the subsequent economic issues that followed, to changes on Capital Hill, at the FCC, and pending legislation impacting broadcasters, the 12th Hispanic Radio Conference could not come at a more crucial time.”
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington will address attendees in a keynote address on the second day of the two-day conference. Other Washington notables confirmed as attendees is former House Member Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
In person and virtual registrations can be made here. If you are attending the conference live, be sure to register at the special hotel rate here.
LOS ANGELES — Buyers and sellers of linear television ad inventory now have a fully transparent solution enabling them to automate and expedite the activation of data-driven linear video inventory without changing existing workflows or technologies.
Be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter!
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No, Educational Media Foundation isn’t about to launch a Spanish-language Christian music station in Oklahoma’s second-largest market.
Rather, it is making a deal with David Ingles Ministries for a noncommercial band FM in Tulsa.
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Looking to upgrade those studio cameras to newer technology?
Who knew that a religious television outfit found on three MVPDs across the New York Tri-State area would provide a wholly different kind of inspiration than that it provides its viewers every day.
The Catholic Faith Network (CFN), a Long Island, N.Y.-based not-for-profit television organization that uses all forms of media to keep the Catholic community connected to their faith, is now future-proofed in the studio thanks to the addition of a trio of SK-HD1800 HDTV production cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. (Hitachi Kokusai).
CFN is available on Optimum, Verizon FiOS and Charter Spectrum systems throughout the Five Boroughs of New York, and communities across Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Ulster, Dutchess, Sullivan, Orange, Putnam and Rockland Counties; Northern New Jersey, and in Fairfield County, Conn. Select cable and satellite systems nationwide also provide CFN to viewers. CFN’s programming includes live masses, talk shows, and topics ranging from faith and societal issues to health and cooking.
With Catholic Faith Network expanding, CFN senior executive producer Sean Kennedy explains, “With our productions expanding and our existing Z-HD5000 models still going strong but over eight years old, we decided to double our roster of cameras by adding the latest and greatest HD technology. We didn’t go up to 4K because we wouldn’t really be able to take advantage of the extra resolution. We broadcast in HD, but some of our carriers even still down-convert our signal to standard definition.”
Before working at CFN, Kennedy and studio and production coordinator Bryan Butler worked for a high school sports network. There, they used twelve Hitachi cameras on the HD trucks. “We compared Hitachi picture quality side-by-side to more expensive alternatives, and nobody could tell the difference,” Butler says. “Despite constantly beating up those cameras while producing sports six days a week with many different operators, they withstood everything we threw at them without any issues.”
CFN purchased their new SK-HD1800 cameras in March. Setting them up went seamlessly. “We built the three cameras ourselves within 45 minutes from opening the boxes – more than 20 of them, from camera heads to lenses and teleprompters – to fully built,” Butler says. “Local Hitachi staff helped us wire in our new CU-HD1200 CCUs in the control room and commission the cameras. We were all done within two hours and shooting just three hours later.”
The CFN team points to the SK-HD1800’s global shutter sensor as one of their favorite features of the new cameras, and particularly valuable in their LED-intensive environment. Some of CFN’s sets are heavily monitor based — with a nine-by-nine monitor wall, monitor strip, and large standalone monitor – and also use a mix of generations of LED lighting.
“I do a lot of the set design in terms of lighting, and I’m dealing with a lot of different types of LED fixtures from various manufacturers,” adds TJ Katsoulas, studio manager at CFN. “With earlier camera technologies we could get rolling shutter artifacts from LEDs, so I would manually dial in the shutter to avoid issues such as banding. However, making those adjustments would affect my lighting. Now with the SK-HD1800’s global shutter I don’t need to worry about that, and it’s tremendous how much it has helped me in making my compositions what I want them to be.”
Katsoulas also highlights the SK-HD1800’s enhanced skin tone adjustments and notes that the ability to dial in and preset multiple skin tones has been very helpful when dealing with multiple people on set. “Other standouts from our upgrade include the RU-1500JY remote control units with their amazing LCD touchscreens, and the VF-PBM-307 color viewfinders, which our camera operators love,” he adds.
— Reporting by Brian Galante. Editing by Adam R Jacobson
The final stretch of the FCC’s Broadcast Incentive Auction, or spectrum repack, is in progress.
This will relocate displaced low-power TV (LPTV), TV translator and FM stations to new frequencies no later than September 5. And, Dielectric is preparing for “brisk business” over the next week as broadcast antenna and RF systems needs potentially increase.
Dielectric has developed a new strategy for low-power repack customers, anchored by its Powerlite Series and an automated, high-efficiency production process.
“We revamped our production floor and workflow to accelerate the antenna manufacturing and shipping process during the challenging high-power repack phases,” said Cory Edwards, Director of OEM, Distributor and Southeast Asia Sales at Dielectric. “We shipped a total of 1073 high-power repack systems over 12 phases, accounting for 80 percent of high-power repack market share.”
While these workflow changes remain in place, the commercial quoting process for low-power antenna systems take a different path. Edwards notes that a great deal of collaboration takes place on the front end between Dielectric, the transmitter OEM, and tower owner to ensure the most cost-effective system for the LPTV station.
To ensure expediency, Dielectric has recalibrated its precision automatic pole machine, first commissioned for the high-power repack initiative. The machine is equipped with a Bridgeport head with an automated flex drill. The system is driven by Dielectric’s CAD package, which includes the appropriate custom programming for each low-power antenna. This ensures that low-power antennas can now be built quicker than was previously possible.
“The poles range from 15 to 25 feet long for lower-power slot antennas, and fit into a series of saddles on the machine,” said Edwards. “The CAD software, which automatically uploads once the design work is completed, tells the flex drill precisely where every slot and hole on the antenna should be located. We can finish an 8-bay antenna for an LPTV customer in less than an hour, compared to what previously took nearly a full business day, and antenna tuning times have improved by 50 percent, which means quicker deployments..”
Dielectric produced and shipped nearly 60 Powerlite low-power TV antenna systems in the recent months using this machine and automated production workflow, Edwards said. That includes “analog sunset” LPTV customers that faced an early July deadline. The company currently has about another 60 Powerlite systems in production for low-power repack projects, and anticipates bidding on up to 500 additional projects in the coming months.
Edwards adds that the Powerlite Series, which serves broadcast requirements of 6kW or less, packages all required RF components into a singular system. This further simplifies challenging deployment timelines for low-power stations, which typically lack the budget to outsource installation services.
Powerlite systems ship with Dielectric antennas, transmission line, tunable filters and RF components. The company recently added a 5kW tunable filter to the Powerlite Series, which Edwards says has helped Dielectric efficiently match specific transmitter power levels that have become more common with LPTV repack projects.
— Brian Galante, with editing by Adam R Jacobson
Dielectric will demonstrate its Powerlite Series, including its new 5kW Powerlite filter, at its 2021 NAB Booth (C7215) from October 10-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Nexstar Media Group has appointed a VP/GM for its broadcast and digital operations in DMA No. 167. This puts him in control of the market’s ABC affiliate and the company’s operational agreements with Mission Broadcasting.
Thus, he’ll also be overseeing operations of the local FOX affiliate.
Taking the role is Stephen Eaton. He reports to Traci Wilkinson, Nexstar’s SVP/Regional Manager for its broadcasting division.
Eaton has been GSM of KTVQ-TV in Billings, Mont., the CBS affiliate, since February 2016. Now, he’ll be across town, overseeing KSVI-TV, the ABC affiliate, and Mission-owned FOX affiliate KMHT-TV.
Prior career stops include a role as a Senior Account Manager at KUSA-9 in Denver.
JW Player, the leading video software and data insights platform, today announced it has appointed a Chief Technology Officer. The strategic hire, the company says, ‘will accelerate JW Player’s product innovation to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Digital Video Economy.”
Gaining the role is David LaPalomento.
“David has proven himself to be a visionary leader in both developing and scaling innovative video delivery products,” said Dave Otten, CEO and co-founder of JW Player. “I have no doubt that his expertise will strengthen our position as a leading force for innovation in the digital video industry. With his leadership, we will scale our engineering teams and bring new products to market that further empower customers with independence and control in the Digital Video Economy. We could not be more excited to have him on our team.”
LaPalomento enjoyed a decade-long tenure at Brightcove, where he led the overhaul of the company’s legacy data center-based architecture, replacing it with a scalable, cloud-native architecture. “His experience will be invaluable as JW Player rises to meet the explosive growth in demand for digital video since the pandemic began,” his new employer says.
JW Player’s data from over 12,000 publishers and broadcasters shows that video consumption has risen by nearly 50% since 2020 and by 28.6% since January 2021. “The growing demand has made it an imperative for organizations of all stripes, including fitness, e-commerce, sports and e-learning businesses, to develop a robust video strategy to engage their audience on the screen of their choice: web, mobile or connected TV,” JW Player says.
JW Player uses an API-driven video platform.
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