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The Ranking Member of the influential Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has asked the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) “to work cooperatively to resolve spectrum policy issues.”

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The fate of a 630-watt FM radio station atop Mt. Hunsack, serving Somerset County, Pa., is once again cloudy. Faced with a Hearing Designation Order that will put his continued ability to own the station in the hands of FCC Administrative Law Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin, Roger Wahl was all but expected to participate in a pre-hearing conference scheduled for Thursday (1/13).

That didn’t happen, and Hinckley isn’t pleased. As such, what the future holds for WQZS-FM 93.3 in Meyersdale, Pa., may come quicker than anticipated. And, it is likely not good for Wahl.

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SiriusXM Holdings Inc. has acquired Cloud Cover Media, expanding its offerings for businesses that want music and messaging services.

Cloud Cover Media offers Cloud Cover Music, which offers services that “allow businesses to deliver music, with customized audio messaging if desired, to create the desired atmosphere for their prospects, customers and clients.”

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SiriusXM already serves the commercial music market with SiriusXM Music for Business and Pandora for Business. “Together these services provide comprehensive and complementary offerings for businesses of all sizes,” it said in the announcement.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Cloud Cover Music has an online platform and a large enterprise account team that “offers organizations of any size in any industry a robust selection of ad-free music for their business with full control over what their customers and employees will hear.”

The announcement was made by SiriusXM EVP Joe Verbrugge and Cloud Cover Music team VP/GM Mark Lehman, who remains with the firm.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post SiriusXM Expands Its Music-for-Business Offerings appeared first on Radio World.

He’s a five-year syndicated morning radio host whose resume includes former Miami Rocker “Zeta 4” and Central Florida Top 40 outlet “107-1 A1A.” He’s also a feature film star.

On Friday, Brad Abrell (pronounced A-Brill) will be heard — but not seen — in potentially millions of homes that have access to Amazon Prime. How so? He’s playing Frankenstein … for real.

In this InFOCUS Podcast, Brad turns on the mic and chats with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson by phone from Hollywood to share how his role in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania came to be, and why radio remains a vital part of his life.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Brad Abrell” on Spreaker.

With Spotify the go-to in 2022 for consumers who desire high-quality audio-on-demand, Pandora has repositioned itself under the ownership of SiriusXM Holdings Inc. as more of an in-store audio solution than an everyday listener attraction, even with Pandora-powered app-only channels for Sirius XM subscribers.

Now, SiriusXM is taking a bigger step into the music-in-stores arena by acquiring a business known for legal streaming of music.

Sirius XM Radio Inc., has acquired Cloud Cover Media, parent of Cloud Cover Music. It’s an entity known for its “music for business” service and employs business management, music programming, licensing, and software development teams. Cloud Cover Music’s offerings allow businesses to deliver music, with customized audio messaging if desired, “to create the desired atmosphere for their prospects, customers, and clients,” Sirius XM says.

Is it another nail in the coffin for traditional radio at a retail establishment? Perhaps not, given its use in mom-and-pop retailers. However, larger retailers and those in the hospitality area likely rely on ad-free music for their business. In the case of Cloud Cover Music, it is in use at a wide variety of commercial locations across the United States and Canada.

Cloud Cover Music joins SiriusXM Music for Business and Pandora for Business in SiriusXM’s commercial music portfolio.

The Cloud Cover Music team will continue to be led by VP/GM Mark Lehman. He commented, “As one of the fastest growing music for business services, we’re proud of the track record that Cloud Cover Music has achieved with our tens of thousands of customers. We’re excited to have the brand recognition and strength of SiriusXM and Pandora behind us as we continue to focus on delivering the best music and messaging products for businesses.”

SiriusXM was represented by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as counsel. Alkali Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to Cloud Cover Media, and David Wohlberg and Ekong Udoekwere represented the company as counsel.

TEGNA has selected the successor to Bruce Cummings, who will be retiring from the company’s ABC affiliate in Corpus Christi, Tex., come March 4.

Rebecca Cantu will take over as President/GM for KIII-3. She officially joins the station on February 7, enjoying a month of training and settling in before Cummings bids farewell and concludes his career in local TV management.

Cantu will be responsible for overseeing the station’s operations across all platforms as well as leading the station’s focus on community service and driving results for local advertisers.

Cantu is shifting from TEGNA sibling KHOU-11 in Houston. There, she held the positions of business development manager and community marketing specialist. During her 14-year tenure at KHOU, Cantu led integrated marketing efforts across sales, content and marketing.

KHOU was her first job in broadcast media. Before that, Cantu was the public affairs special projects coordinator for Randalls Food Markets, an Albertsons brand. There, she coordinated community partnerships, sponsorships and special events for stores located in Houston and Austin.

“Rebecca’s proven track record of collaboration and leadership across departments has been a huge part of KHOU’s momentum in recent years,” said Brad Ramsey, SVP of Media Operations at TEGNA. “I am thrilled she will bring her energy and love of Corpus Christi back home to the community where she grew up and help lead the great KIII team into their next chapter of success.”

Cantu graduated from the TEGNA Leadership Development program in 2019.

DHD.audio DX2 Compact Mixing Console

The new DHD.audio DX2 desktop audio console will be unveiled next week in Germany at Hamburg Open 2022, January 19–20.

The DX2 compact mixing console is intended for use in small, tight spaces, such as newsroom desks, podcast studios, voiceover suites and video editing booths. It provides the same assistive mixing functions as other DHD consoles, including motorized faders, automix and auto level gain, and is designed for integration with DHD processing cores to form a complete system.

The DX2 is fully compatible with all current second-generation DHD cores running version 10 firmware. It comes as a four-fader console, with an optional six-fader expansion unit. A 3.5 mm output jack at the rear of the console doubles as an input, which can be used to connect a smartphone for live telephone interviews.

Also debuting will be the latest additions to DHD’s range of audio production processing cores, which integrate elements such as control surfaces, routing and external-device interfacing into a standalone or distributed system. The new XC3- and XD3-cores provide full support for intrasite as well as multisite IP-based device control and audio-over-IP signal distribution. They also support automated workflows and product virtualization.

The DHD XC3 IP core is designed for use in on-air studios. It comprises two dual-core DSP modules which combine into a compact 1U. These jointly support up to 48 stereo faders, 72 stereo buses and 16 channels of AES67 IP audio. IPx expansion modules can be added to accommodate 128 channels of AES67/Ravenna IP audio I/O and up to 512 Dante channels. A companion module, the new XC3 Concentrator, allows interconnection of multiple DHD IPx modules, control surfaces and I/O modules.

DHD’s new XD3 is an IP core for use with large mixing and routing systems. It includes support for networked operations such as DHD web apps. The XD3 IP core allows fully redundant configuration and can accommodate an optional router. Up to 96 stereo faders, 126 stereo buses and 24 Gigabit Ethernet audio ports are supported by the XD3 router and IP core combination.

DHD will also be promoting the extend feature set of is new version 10 firmware. This includes bolstered security and management features, unified user management based on web apps, expanded fader and bus handling, and refinements to the DHD Toolbox configuration software.

The post DHD.audio DX2 Compact Mixing Console Debuts appeared first on Radio World.

Alan Jurison

Alan Jurison is senior operations engineer, iHeartMedia Centralized Technical Operations, and the chair of the Metadata Usage Working Group within the National Radio Systems Committee.

This interview is from the recent ebook “What’s Next for Virtualization?” Find it at radioworld.com/ebooks.

Radio World: Alan you said a year ago that you define virtualization as consolidating broadcast functions into a software environment or single-purpose hardware and facility functions at the transmitter site. How is that definition holding up?

Alan Jurison: I think that concept is progressing. Many vendors are actively consolidating functions into existing processes, whether it be hardware or software.

This is a transition that will happen over time. For the most part, a lot of what has occurred in the last year has been in existing hardware platforms we are accustomed to; but looking towards the future, as new platforms are developed, I think we will be able to take what we’ve learned as an industry and consolidate even more functions in the next generation of hardware and software platforms.

RW: You’ve also said that there’s no universal solution for getting stations connected to run air chains completely virtually. How far are we from that?

Jurison: I’ve yet to see a cohesive strategy provided by a single vendor, or consortium of vendors, in this space. I think that’s what it will take for most broadcasters to get started — trusted industry partners to help them accomplish this. Vendors are working in this space, but I still think it’ll be a bit of time before we see an ecosystem — i.e., a “product line” or solution that a station could buy into to accomplish this.

RW: The idea of “air chains as a service” is just so interesting. Will we really get to that point?

Jurison: I think so. As connectivity options at transmitter sites improve and become diverse, there will be stations that opt to consolidate everything into a single service or set of appliances to enable them to do exactly that.

RW: We talked too about connectivity at the transmitter site.

Jurison: The success of these future solutions will live or die with connectivity. IP is competing with traditional RF-based STLs that, when designed properly, have near-perfect uptime.

Finding a combination of reliable and diverse connectivity to the transmitter site is key. Diversity is key. You can’t put all of your connectivity in one basket, i.e. with the same connectivity provider, and the same types of delivery mediums.

I think it is possible to achieve IP diversity at many sites across the United States right now with existing wired and wireless telco infrastructure with different providers. As we move forward, connectivity options will only increase over time, as additional technologies and delivery mediums are offered by IP/telco solutions providers.

RW: Are we farther along now in seeing virtualization come to PPM, to EAS?

Jurison: With PPM, we are already there. With the NAB Radio Technology Committee and Nielsen’s PPM Software Encoder, the major audio processing companies all have solutions that eliminate the need for an external PPM encoder.

With EAS on HD2/HD3/HD4, the industry now has a great solution for including alerts on HD subchannels.

EAS on main-channel AM and FM stations is a bit more involved, as the broadcasting industry needs to have broader discussions with our partners at the FCC and FEMA. I wouldn’t expect much change there immediately. But with the FCC’s recent proceedings on EAS, they are looking at ways to modernize EAS, improve alerting capabilities, and out of that process I think there will be a lot of great ideas that can only help serve the public and communities better than we can today.

RW: What are common misconceptions or unfamiliar terms in virtualization?

Jurison: Broadcasters generally think IP audio and software solutions are not as reliable as hardware and traditional STL. The truth is, given the proper hardware and software design, these challenges can be overcome, and someday IP- and software-based solutions will become more reliable and resilient than traditional broadcast infrastructure because it will have more redundancies built in.

RW: What else should we be considering on this topic?

Jurison: It’s interesting, when we started talking about virtualization a few years ago, it seemed like a good term to discuss the modernization efforts for our industry. As time has gone on, it almost seems the term virtual is becoming outdated.

The IT space has moved away from virtual environments and changing platforms completely to work with cloud-based infrastructure. While the industry doesn’t have a “virtual air chain” today, I think by the time we get to that, we’ll be calling it something else.

We likely won’t call it cloud-based either. What we are heading towards is a completely new ecosystem for our industry, and whatever terms we want to call that today will have a short shelf life. Because the new ecosystem will be rapidly changing to meet the industry’s needs, we won’t have time to sit around and dwell on what we should call it.

Share your thoughts on this or any other article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post The Term ’Virtual’ Could Be Outdated Soon appeared first on Radio World.

BALTIMORE — Attention, MVPD operators: Sinclair Broadcast Group just inked a deal with the National Basketball Association that could make it a bit more difficult to attract customers to cable TV packages fueled by local pro hoops action.

For the first time, 16 NBA teams will see their games offered live via over-the-top streaming on an authenticated and direct-to-consumer (DTC) basis.

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NEW YORK — NBCU has unveiled its first certified measurement partner, a decision that provides the multimedia giant with an an alternative currency for cross platform measurement on its One Platform.

The owner of Peacock, NBC, Telemundo and Universal Studios selected iSpot.tv, the TV ad measurement firm promoting “fast, accurate and actionable measurement across linear and streaming investments.”

It is a particularly significant announcement, as it signals a change in how the $70 billion dollar TV industry will be transacted, particularly on the heels of what NBCU calls “the ongoing challenges” with Nielsen. 

“This news seeks to address two major industry issues — that the industry does not currently count everything and that we do not connect counting to understand the true overlap amongst audiences,” a NBCU spokesperson tells RBR+TVBR.

NBCU will utilize a test and learn approach with Publicis Media as the first media holding company to test this new measurement across NBCU’s entire One Platform starting Q1, which includes the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Super Bowl LVI.  

The acceleration to alternative currencies puts in motion what NBCU is calling “a new foundation for the 2022-2023 Upfront cycle; Upfront week is traditionally held in mid-May, with NBCU staging its event at Radio City Music Hall.

The partnership with iSpot.tv begins today, with the company supporting NBCUniversal’s audience verification initiatives for both ads and program ratings.

Why iSpot.tv? NBCU likely saw appeal in its second-by-second measurement for ads and verified impressions for programming and advertising.

“The new deal is part of a transformative effort by NBCUniversal to bring advertisers more accurate, timely and diverse insights that capture the way real audiences consume content and use this broad array of performance metrics to modernize the way video is valued,” the company said.

Using iSpot.tv, brands who advertise with NBCU will gain access to real-time airing data for linear, streaming and time-shifted viewing, and receive reports on a next-day basis that include metrics such as verified ad impressions, reach and frequency, linear and streaming overlap and incrementality. Measurement will be provided at the household level as well as at the person level for age/gender demos and/or for customized audience segments.

Further, select NBCU advertisers will have access to impact measurement including granular attention and interruption rates, business-outcome reporting and creative performance that includes pre-testing and brand-lift analysis.

NBCU added that it comes on the heels of an extensive measurement evaluation process and industry consultation, and will lay a new foundation for how NBCUniversal transacts in the 2022-2023 Upfront cycle. Moreover, this commitment to new measurement and more accurate data builds on the company’s recent introduction of NBCUnified, a first-party consumer data and identity platform that will serve as the data spine for these ongoing measurement transformation initiatives.

NBCUniversal will continue to announce its Certified Measurement Partners as they become certified.

Interestingly, it is former longtime Nielsen executive Kelly Abcarian, today the EVP of Measurement & Impact at NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships, that is pushing for alternatives to her ex-employer.

The key word: alternatives.

“This is not a shift away from one panel-based system to another, but a definitive step toward embracing the metrics brands already use to evaluate media companies,” Abcarian explained. “We have an obligation to deliver consumers a great experience, and an obligation to our customers and shareholders to utilize measurement systems that adequately capture the reach, attention, and outcomes we deliver. Our learnings from this partnership will help transform our measurement solutions as we head into the next Upfront season and bring advertisers more data that accurately reflects our audiences, their consumption habits and campaign impact.”

NEW YORK — The Kristin Dolan-led television and cross-platform measurement, analytics and attribution firm known as 605 is teaming up with Deloitte Digital on an initiative designed to accelerate the launch of 605’s newest product.

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What do country rock, boogie blues, swing and the state of Iowa have in common? This year, they’re all part of the Iowa Rock ’n Roll Music Association’s Hall of Fame Class of 2022. And an iconic radio station from another state is a big part of the celebration.

The association plans to welcome this year’s honorees during a Hall of Fame Induction Spectacular on Labor Day weekend.

The festival will kick off with a Rock the Roof concert on Sept. 1 followed by a weekend of festivities, including an opening ceremony with a guitar marching band, autograph party, Iowa Rocks talent contest and an inductee meet and greet. The weekend will wrap up with the Iowa Rock ’n Roll Induction Ceremony and Concert on Sept. 4.

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The announcement was made by Executive Director Clay Norris, who noted that this year is the association’s 25th anniversary.

Among the 2022 honorees is WLS(AM). The Cumulus Media-owned station might be based in Chicago, but it has served as a “huge part of the rock music history of the entire Midwest, and it had a profound impact on Iowa,” Norris said.

The Chicago station’s daytime signal can be heard across much of eastern Iowa — where two thirds of the state’s population lives — and at night, it could be heard all over the state, he said. WLS has also played and promoted other Iowa Hall of Fame inductees — bands like The Buckinghams, New Colony Six and Head East.

In the DJ Category, the Iowa Rock ‘’n Roll Hall of Fame will induct Ron Sorenson of KFMG-LP in Des Moines and Bruce Wasenius of KLKK(FM) in Clear Lake, Iowa.

2022 Iowa Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

• Band Category: Blue Strings, Gray James Band, The Library, The Pendletons, The Unidynes, Zini
• Individual Category: Dan Bern, Johnnie Bolin, Tommy Bolin, Jen Brucher, Barry Clark, Laurie Haag, Glenn Henriksen, Kelli James, Troy Johnson, Vance Jorgensen, Kris Karr, T. Wilson King, Ralph Kluseman, Tom Nelson, Paul Miller, Heath Pattschull, Jim Poffenberger, Robby Vee
• Venue Category: The Burlington Capital Theatre
• Radio Station Category: WLS(AM), Chicago
• DJ Category: Ron Sorenson, Bruce Wasenius
• Support Person Category: Bill Monroe, Mark Sampson

Special Achievement Awards

• Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award: JC Wilson
• Matousek Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Pick
• Spirit Award: Jeremy Ober, Maddie Poppe, Amedeo Rossi
• John Senn Legacy Award: Naomi Senn

The post Iowa Event Will Honor Chicago’s WLS (and Other Musical Legends) appeared first on Radio World.

What was the deal-making market like in December 2021 for the entire media and telecommunications sector?

S&P Global Market Intelligence crunched the numbers. And, of the top deals announced in the final month of 2021, an Allen Media Group transaction and a radio transaction involving Craig Karmazin-led Good Karma Brands are among the biggest.

But, neither is on top.

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BURBANK, CALIF. — The Hispanic-targeted multimedia company led by CEO Peter Markham that recently welcomed veteran Spanish-language sales leader Steve Mandala as Chief Revenue and Local Media Officer has inked a multi-year renewal agreement for local television measurement from Nielsen.

Signing the renewal is Estrella Media, known for its original programming targeting Spanish-speaking audiences. While Estrella Media owns radio stations, this agreement is for its TV stations only. Estrella properties are in its home DMA of Los Angeles, and in Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, and San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose.

Estrella will have access to Nielsen’s Local TV View (NLTV) and Nielsen’s Arianna services across these markets. Arianna is an analysis tool that offers program performance reports on an overnight basis, in addition to trending programs and time periods in their markets. “With NLTV, Estrella will have the capability to analyze household and persons-level data in custom geographies that align with an advertiser’s customer base using a wide range of demographic analysis,” Nielsen says.

Estrella also gains access to Nielsen’s sales activation program. Mandala commented, “Estrella, like every media company, seeks full measurement of our audiences, and we are pleased to continue working with Nielsen to ensure every user, viewer, and listener is fully counted. As our audience continues to grow, it is valuable for us to access the full suite of Nielsen’s measurement tools. While important to all broadcasters, it is especially relevant to Spanish language stations as over-the-air penetration among Hispanic households often doubles that of the general market.”

Mark January 19-20 on your calendar. The dates tied to the now-cancelled NATPE Miami conference and expo in Miami Beach also happen to be when a virtual small cap conference will take place.

Among the participants is a local media company known for its digital and broadcast radio solutions.

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On a national level, Capitol Broadcasting Company‘s Raleigh duo, comprised of NBC affiliate WRAL-5 and FOX affiliate WRAZ-50, are known for their roles as pioneers in the rollout of NEXTGEN TV in the U.S.

Now, they have a new Station Manager, and she couldn’t be more excited about her new role.

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The Petitioner has requested the substitution of UHF channel 21 for VHF channel 12 in the Table of Allotments

The Media Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with The King's Musician Educational Foundation, Inc.

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