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GatesAir has added native Livewire+ IP audio networking to its Intraplex Ascent cloud transport platform.

This means Intraplex Ascent can ingest and output multiple audio channels directly via IP without the need for conversion equipment, which the company said adds scale and efficiency for radio broadcasters that manage many digital audio channels between studios.

Future support is planned for WheatNet-IP.

Intraplex Ascent started shipping last year. The manufacturer describes it as a next-generation audio over IP platform built to transport broadcast and media content at scale, “leveraging common off-the-shelf hardware to reduce the costs of multichannel contribution and distribution between many locations.”

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It quoted VP of Engineering Keyur Parikh saying, “GatesAir has successfully deployed Ascent with a national radio broadcaster that is sending 32 audio channels between two major studio locations. They are directly connecting to the Livewire studios, providing encoding and reliable transport across public IP networks.”

The system’s Dynamic Stream Splicing software supports transport across redundant networks, and GatesAir says it optimizes stream integrity by protecting against jitter, packet losses and network failures. DSS software also supports duplication of SRT streams with video and audio over separate network paths, “leveraging a single stream-splicing buffer for hitless protection against errors and failures.”

“Intraplex Ascent is built to work natively with IP protocol, and IP-based transport is becoming ubiquitous within studio and STL connections,” said Parikh in the announcement. “Whether sending content over cable, DSL, fiber or microwave, everything converges to IP, and Ascent’s software-based solution then provides the engine for moving large volumes of media content for ATSC 1.0/3.0 television and FM radio networks. We are bringing the scalability of the cloud to move content between multiple sites at the same time.”

 

The post GatesAir Adds Native Livewire Support to Intraplex Ascent appeared first on Radio World.

BIA Advisory Services forecasts that for the first time mobile advertising spending will surpass direct mail as the top media advertising platform in 2022. As revealed in BIA’s U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2022, the overall local U.S. advertising market is expected to reach $161.5 billion – a 10.1 percent YoY growth – buoyed by overall strong economic tailwinds coming out of 2021. The forecast says that traditional media revenue will account for $84.6 billion and digital media will be close behind at $76.8. BIA also anticipates $7.5 billion of the sum will come from political advertising during a strong election season. “For a long time, we’ve been talking about direct mail as the king of the share of wallet in local ad spending,” said Rick Ducey, managing director of BIA Advisory Services. “This coming year, for the first time, we pass the crown over to mobile, as its momentum drives it to be the biggest overall piece of the spending wallet – and we expect that to continue in the foreseeable future.” BIA puts mobile spending at 21 percent of the 2022 forecast and direct mail at 20.7 percent, but the gap between the two will continue to widen. Overall, digital ad spending will reach $76.8 billion, with Google and Facebook controlling over half of the spending. Google takes the lion’s share at $26.8 billion, compared with Facebook’s $14.3 billion. Ducey points to four reasons mobile has become the number one advertising medium: (1) COVID’s impact on consumer’s increased time spent with mobile and other digital media making digital the place to find and target consumers; (2) digital’s overall momentum in winning more revenue share of media time from traditional media; (3) the rise of virtual consumer channels like delivery, curbside pickup and e-commerce in top categories like retail, restaurants, CPG where physical channels like retail store visits decline; and (4) greater consumer acceptance and use of virtual and e-commerce channels. Traditional Media Mark Fratrik, senior vice president and chief economist at BIA, says, that the firm’s U.S. Local Advertising forecast also sees a rise in local radio advertising revenue in 2022 and is expected to generate $12.7 billion split between over-the-air ($11.0 billion) and digital ($1.7 billion). By 2026 radio digital revenues are expected to reach $2.4 billion, while OTA goes up and down with the even political years and ends at $11.7 in 2026. “Radio isn’t faring as well as local broadcast TV, and it doesn’t get the same bump as TV in political years,” said Fratrik. “But it is getting close to its pre-pandemic levels as people continue to return to work commutes and traveling by car.” “I like to refer to our data on local television as our ‘piano key graphs,’ because during even political years it is very apparent that the advertising revenue will rise and then dip the following year.” As reported in late September, BIA forecasts local television in 2022 will rise to $19.3 billion in OTA advertising, and $1.7 billion in digital; a sign of a strong $21 billion industry that delivers its audience for political campaigners. U.S. Local Ad Forecast Report BIA’s U.S. Local Advertising Forecast Report provides a nationwide overview of U.S. spending. BIA updates it throughout the year to reflect current economic situations and to adjust ad spend across top media and business verticals. The forecast covers all media, offering a comprehensive and authoritative view of all “local” advertising spent by national and regional companies, as well as small and medium-sized businesses. The forecast can be purchased here. Clients can log into BIA ADVantage to view the full forecast report and view their local advertising market forecast by media and verticals.

Get an orange vest. Give the pickup truck a tuneup. And go top off your genset … For readers who live in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is coming!

Also: Business is booming at Technical Service Group. … Larry Langford is troubleshooting distortion on a client’s FM translator. … Tula has a nifty combo mic/recorder. … And the FCC is listening to the debate over allowing companies to own more stations in one market.

All that plus early Black sportscasters, the power of radio local news and letters from our readers.

Read it here.

The post Inside the Oct. 13, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Radio and TV broadcasters in the state of Georgia are gathering to celebrate the engineers in their midst.

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters will honor three engineers at this year’s GABCON, the largest gathering of radio and TV broadcasters in the state, set to be held Oct. 22–23 in Atlanta.

This year the association will honor Carl “CJ” Jackson with Salem Media Group; retiree Robert LaFore, formerly with Audacy Atlanta; and will posthumously award iHeartMedia executive and EME Communications owner Clyde Scott with the 2021 Angelo Ditty–Frank McLemore Engineering Award.

The award will be presented at the 2021 convention, an in-person event that will also offer educational sessions, an exhibit hall and will honor broadcasters across the state as part of the 2021 GABBY Awards for broadcasting excellence.

 

The post Engineers to Be Honored at GABCON appeared first on Radio World.

Manufacturer Broadcast Partners named Roland Schaller to a post where he’ll work to expand the company’s international sales.

“After spending the first half of his career in internet and telecommunications in technical and marketing roles, he moved to broadcasting in the field of satellite and terrestrial broadcast hardware and software, in presales and sales roles,” the company stated.

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The announcement was made by CEO Robert-Jan van der Hoeven. Broadcast Partners is based in the Netherlands. Schaller will split time between France and Germany.

“Roland is at ease in the business culture of most of Europe, combining a rigorous approach to the sales process in dealing with his customers and business partners,” Broadcast Partners wrote.

The company’s offerings include the SmartRadio “radio as a service” cloud-based system.

Send announcements for People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Broadcast Partners Names Schaller to Sales Post appeared first on Radio World.

For 34 years, he’s been a television executive serving the Joplin, Mo., and Pittsburg, Kan., television market.

Now, this Kansas Association of Broadcasting Hall of Famer is preparing to transition into retirement. And, his successor has been selected by Morgan Murphy Media.

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He represented Georgia’s Ninth Congressional District from 2013 to 2021.

Now, he’s the latest person to launch an audio-on-demand offering. Thank Salem Podcast Network for the opportunity.

The Doug Collins Podcast debuts on October 25.

“I am excited to be hosting a podcast that will give conservatives the tools they need to go out into the marketplace of ideas and stand up for what we believe in,” said Collins. “Our country desperately needs to hear how a little idea that started with our Founding Fathers — the pursuit of happiness. This podcast will explore all topics ranging from politics to life advice and will blend them together for a well-rounded discussion that people can listen to and use to get the most out of life.”

Collins ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, finishing in third place behind Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock, the eventual victor. He has served as a legal counsel for former President Donald Trump following his departure from Congress in January.

“For years, I was so impressed with Doug Collins as a Congressman,” says Phil Boyce, SVP of Spoken Word at Salem. “When we had the opportunity to bring him over to the Salem Podcast Network, we moved fast. He will be a great addition to our lineup, and will help us save the country we all love.”

Orban announced the Optimod XPN-Enterprise ecosystem.

The company describes it as a customizable, Linux-based processing platform with capabilities for centralized contexts, particularly broadcast groups that run multiple stations or clusters and/or streaming services.

“It provides Orban’s proprietary OptiCloud processing for up to eight FM and eight HD/DAB+/Streaming processing channels in a 1 RU package and supports AES-67/SMPTE-2110 protocols using an enterprise-class SoftGear server and the appropriate Optimod XPN-Enterprise Nodes,” the company stated.

The XPN-Enterprise server is shipping, as is the XPN-Enterprise AES3 Input/Output Node. Orban said nodes to extend the available outputs and functionalities are coming including DMPX, Kantar and Nielsen watermarking and Orban uMPX.

“Broadcasters worldwide are realizing the benefits of moving operations to centralized — and ideally, virtualized — environments. Many of these customers have high-density needs, with many signals that need to be managed,” it quoted Orban President David Day in the announcement.

Content to be OptiCloud processed is brought to one location using AES3, AES-67, SMPTE-2110-30, Dante or Livewire+, and creates the necessary outputs (FM composite, DMPX, uMPX and DAB+HD) using the appropriate Orban XPN-Enterprise Nodes for distribution to each transmitter site, the company said.

The server also handles processed channels for streaming, sending those outputs to the appropriate streaming devices.

“Each signal coming into the Optimod XPN-Enterprise server can be individually processed, with Orban’s OptiCloud providing precision tailoring of each station’s broadcast or stream to meet the requirements of the audience and delivery method,” it continued.

Features include factory presets for various formats, and “Less-More” controls to simplify “dialing in” a desired sound by combining multiple processing parameters.

Day also highlighted the company’s “Last Mile” solutions including XPN-Enterprise input and output nodes and low-bandwidth solutions.

“This ‘Last Mile’ service is especially important for stations whose transmitter sites may be in locations with less-than-ideal internet access. We make it possible to manage our processing remotely and feed that signal to a site on lines as slow as 500 kbps, with high-quality results. And many nodes are ‘Power over Ethernet’ (PoE) capable, further simplifying installation.”

The post Orban Announces XPN-Enterprise appeared first on Radio World.

SAN FRANCISCO — Data connectivity platform LiveRamp has added streaming inventory forecasting and data collaboration capabilities into its TV platform.

With these additions, LiveRamp TV becomes an end-to-end platform enabling media sellers and advertisers to collaborate, activate, and quantify media campaigns in a coordinated way across all TV inventory: linear, streaming, and digital video.

And, the launch came with the support from two of broadcast television’s biggest players.

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Pierre Bouvard once again has combed through fresh data from Nielsen and put together a series of positive bullet points about trends in radio, intended to of help to radio salespeople and managers.

Bouvard is chief insights manager of Cumulus Media and Westwood One, which makes him one of the industry’s prominent pitch persons.

Looking at Google data, he said that through September and into October, COVID search volumes have sharply fallen, an indication that pandemic concerns have eased.

American travel miles also are up, which means people are spending more time in their cars.

Further, Bouvard says that marketers and ad agencies continue to “dramatically underestimate the number of Americans that are commuting to work each day.”

And he cites Nielsen data showing AM/FM radio listening recovery continuing in September with Portable People Meter listening up +4% over the prior year.

Below is the latest chart from his post showing month-to-month changes in Average Quarter Hour audience in PPM markets.

[Read the blog post: “Nielsen AM/FM Radio Audiences Grow as COVID Concerns Drop and Vehicular Traffic Surges”]

 

The post Bouvard: COVID Concerns Are Dropping appeared first on Radio World.

Add the Constitution State to the list of locales where local TV viewers who own television sets capable of receiving NEXTGEN TV-powered signals can enjoy watching them.

The next-generation digital television signals, which offer improved sound and picture quality for consumers along with new revenue opportunities for broadcast media, make their debut on Tuesday in Hartford.

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Getty Images Zhihong Zhuo

Jessica Rosenworcel is talking up 6G.

“If you think I’m too early on this one, think again. Much like in the early days of 5G, the scrum for 6G is already intensifying,” she said.

Rosenworcel, acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, spoke Tuesday to the wireless industry’s Americas Spectrum Management Conference. She devoted a good part of her online remarks to the topic “Paving the Way for 6G and Beyond.”

She cited plans or developments that look ahead to 6G in South Korea, Finland, Japan and China.

While no one knows exactly what 6G will entail, she said, “Let’s learn from what came before. Let’s acknowledge here and now that it is time to start thinking seriously about how we can better position ourselves for success with 6G.”

She called for a “6G Solarium” modeled on a recent bipartisan government initiative called “Project Solarium” that resulted in 80 recommendations on how to overhaul the nation’s approach to cybersecurity.

“What we need now is new thinking, broader consensus and more early focus than we had for 5G,” Rosenworcel said. “We need a process for prioritizing and executing on spectrum objectives and for developing strategies to align the ends, way  and means for 6G.” She wants to see a similar effort that brings together government, business, the non-profit sector “and the rest of civil society and the public to chart a new course.”

Rosenworcel said that to help, the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council could be charged with “looking beyond 5G and conceptualizing 6G — to help set the stage for our leadership. By refocusing the TAC in this way, the FCC will be able to stay on top of new developments and ensure that the nation can turn the latest scientific research into viable communications technologies that will help power our future.”

Not to skip over 5G, in the first half of her remarks Rosenworcel discussed steps that she said would “reinvigorate the momentum toward 5G.”

She highlighted FCC efforts to provide more spectrum — including the granting of 5,600 licenses in the C-band — as well as her goals of expanding the reach of fiber facilities, diversifying technology that goes into 5G networks, building security and resiliency in supply chains, and participating more substantially in global technology standards-setting.

The post Rosenworcel Calls for 6G Initiative appeared first on Radio World.

Telos Alliance has introduced a streamlined version of its Axia Quasar AoIP surface.

The Quasar SR replaces the Axia Fusion in the company’s lineup. Telos also announced a major free system update for users of its original Quasar.

The new Quasar SR is part of the Livewire+ AES67 ecosystem. Telos said it uses the frame, power supply and master module of the original Quasar, but the fader modules are not motorized and there are fewer, larger and easier-to-reach buttons on each channel strip.

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“All of these refinements make it easy for any operator to use the SR console, while introducing cost efficiencies that allow SR to be an exceptional value,” the company stated in the announcement.

The surface includes a heavy-duty 12.1-inch touchscreen user interface so an external monitor is not required, though one can be used if desired via the external video output.

Axia Quasar DSP user interface

The system includes Expert Source Profile controls for power users to set custom logic associated with each source. “The user can program GPIO control, mix-minus routing, talkback and other functions based upon console channel state,” Telos said. “Flexible Record Mode gives complete control of monitors, meters, headphone feeds, program bus assignments, and more.”

Show Profiles allow up to 4,000 console “snapshots” with different settings, layouts and defaults. Automatic mix-minus and automixing are available on all channels. Features include touch-sensitive encoders, faders and user buttons.

The new model also introduces a remote control option called Quasar Soft. “This solution lets broadcasters control the surface from any HTML5 browser. Included as part of the Quasar Soft license, Quasar Cast is a remote monitoring solution that lets users listen to what is happening in the studio and on the air while they operate the console remotely using Quasar Soft.”

In a related development, Telos announced availability of a Quasar V2.0 Major System Update, which converts an original Quasar console to Quasar XR. This is a free system update that adds scalability and modularity to the original console; it also adds Quasar Soft and Quasar Cast, integration with Telos Infinity IP Intercom and support for planned Quasar Accessory Modules. Telos said the update makes Quasar more flexible for applications like working from home.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: https://telosalliance.com

 

The post Telos Offers a Streamlined Quasar appeared first on Radio World.

It’s a Class A FM covering a rural portion of Arkansas, just south of the Ozarks resort town of Branson, Mo. Until now, it’s been a part of the “Here’s Help Network,” tied to stations offering the religious-themed programming to towns in Missouri.

That’s about to change thanks to the second-largest licensee of FM radio stations in the U.S.

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At the start of 2021, it became known that Iliana Communications had agreed to divest its stations in one Illinois town.

Now, Iliana has agreed to sell an AM, along with its FM translator, in another municipality in the Land of Lincoln.

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There’s a flurry of activity going on at both the FCC and on Capitol Hill that directly impacts broadcast media leaders. From a new bill that could force a New Jersey TV station to devote specific hours of the day to “local” programming to concerns that President Biden will not nominate a FCC Chair, there’s much to discuss.

Forecast 2022 participants will get to hear all about it during a session moderated by Frank Montero, the notable attorney at Fletcher Heald & Hildreth with a pulse on what’s happening Inside the Beltway.

In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, Montero shares his thoughts on a notion once thought to be preposterous — a possible Republican FCC majority during a Democratic presidency.

He also tackles a question that perhaps no one wants to answer. Is a Democratic majority at the FCC doom for deregulation? “By and large, Democrats at the FCC have really not focused that much on broadcasting,” Montero says, noting that broadband, wireless, infrastructure and other topics have been their forte.

But, when Democrats do discuss broadcasting, they have perhaps unfairly put their collective lenses on consolidation, and whether or not it has harmed consumers.

At Forecast 2022, Montero will moderate a session that sees Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley take the stage as a panelist. Joining her: BIA Advisory Services Chief Economist Dr. Mark Fratrik.

This podcast offers a great preview of what’s to come on November 16 at Forecast 2022. Listen now, and then be sure to save your seat at Forecast 2022 in New York. It’s easy — just click here!

 

 

 
Listen to “Frank Montero, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth” on Spreaker.
 

One month ago, a seemingly final plan of action was put in place for RBR+TVBR as it reviewed the full agenda of 2021 NAB Show sessions, selecting which ones to cover for its readers. Among the topics on tap for today: New Perspectives for Local Radio Audience Measurement, Reception of All-digital AM Radio in Electric Vehicles and The TV Industry’s New Normal.

Alas, there would be no discussion of the “new normal” come October 12 — aside from the decision by several Cumulus Media air personalities to leave their respective jobs rather than be forced to vaccinate against COVID-19, the very reason the NAB scrapped their event with less than a month to go.

Yet, there are several radio industry professionals who have just wrapped up a two-day event full of discussions and insight on the future of radio, and of audio.

With an in-person and virtual option, Radiodays Europe concluded its postponed event five months after its originally scheduled date on Monday in Lisbon, Portugal.

Where will the top broadcast media industry leaders be this autumn? The only time this year you’ll get to see them — and perhaps the final time you’ll get to see soon-to-retire NAB head Gordon Smith — is at Forecast 2022 on November 16. Learn more, and register today, by visiting the official event website.

 

 

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Radio Maria, an international network of 77 Catholic radio stations, is now participating in DTS AutoStage.

Xperi says that given Radio Maria’s reach of roughly a half-billion listeners, this is its largest global radio integration to date.

[Related: “Cumulus Stations Support DTS AutoStage”]

DTS AutoStage is a hybrid radio platform that parent company Xperi Corp. is offering in 60 countries and hopes will be adopted by broadcasters and carmakers globally.

Hybrid radio systems combine over-the-air radio with IP delivered content. Xperi is working to make DTS AutoStage available widely in vehicles; it is available in the market so far in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Radio Maria began as a parish radio station in 1983 in Milan, Italy. It now has 77 stations and is also heard on FM-world, a streaming and aggregation platform for radio stations run by 22HBG, which facilitated the integration of Radio Maria with DTS AutoStage.

[Related: “Xperi Has Big Ambitions for DTS AutoStage”]

The announcement was made by Joe D’Angelo, Xperi senior vice president, business development, broadcast, and Vittorio Viccardi, president of World Family of Radio Maria.

DTS AutoStage is based on a large database of broadcast metadata that Xperi highlights for its “large and stunning” artwork, artist and album information, personalization and other functionality.

 

The post Radio Maria Joins DTS AutoStage appeared first on Radio World.

In late September, the analytics and advertising division of AT&T that operates the Community digital advertising online platform released its annual “Relevance Report” findings.”

This year’s report focuses on the state of convergence and advanced TV, and there’s certainly something to glean for over-the-air broadcast television station operators from the findings.

AT&T ad tech company Xandr examined the data and automation that are bringing video into the future of advertising. Xandr spoke with 357 advertising decision-makers across five global regions — the U.S., the U.K., Australia, France and Germany — to get a holistic picture of the state of convergence.

The full report, available here, found that much of the world is experiencing a “golden age” of premium video content for viewers, it is also the height of complexity for advertisers.

Among the key findings from Xandr:

• Data-driven linear (DDL) is gaining momentum in the U.S. with 3 in 4 advertisers believing it gives marketers the very best of TV and digital advertising and over half planning to increase DDL spending in the next year.
• OTT and CTV remain a top strategic priority among advertisers with 4 out of 5 regions surveyed ranking it as a top priority among video types.
• There is work to be done to move people and technology to a converged future as a third of advertisers surveyed lack familiarity with the programmatic OTT buying process.

The first point is perhaps the most intriguing one. How is that helping broadcast television?

“In short, Data Driven Linear is a more precise approach to buying linear TV, without compromising scale,” a Xandr spokesperson tells Weekly Tech Roundup.

Literature shared by Xandr elaborates that “data-driven linear leverages advanced data and automation to further define and target audiences across national linear TV.”

Why? Traditional TV advertising, in its view, is broad. “From a marketing perspective, women 25-54 can be very different,” Xandr shares.

With Data Driven Linear opportunities, a marketer can gain access to targeted audiences, “optimized plans across high-indexing networks and dayparts on the largest national TV networks to deliver on KPIs,” drive efficiencies with streamlined RFPs and negotiation, and “advanced measurement.”

 

BELLEVUE, WASH. — A “real-time platform” for measuring the business and brand impact of cross-platform television advertising has agreed to purchase a real-time television ad measurement company that specializes in products for D2C and direct response TV advertisers.

The deal, which sees the acquisition of DRMetrix by iSpot.tv, widens iSpot’s measurement of emerging formats for addressable advertising.

And, the iSpot.tv says, it enhances its ability to track rotating calls-to-actions, including website URLs, SMS and toll-free numbers.

“This capability — coupled with iSpot’s ability to track distinct creatives at scale and correlate ad exposures to conversion events such as digital actions and in-store traffic — gives brands of all sizes the expanded ability to measure the business impact of complex and dynamic ad buys across platforms,” iSpot notes.

Sean Muller, founder and CEO of iSpot, elaborates, “DRMetrix has developed unique and real-time measurement capabilities around creative versioning and dynamic advertising that will become increasingly important as the TV ad market evolves.”

DRMetrix’s AdSphere developed a measurement system for monitoring all TV ad formats and executions including those delivered via digital program insertion (DPI) ad breaks. The DPI measurement capabilities allow precise identification of ad creatives that are sold by the cable networks as “cover-ups,” which MVPDs inconsistently overlay with their own inventories.

This inventory, which includes addressable and local advertising, creates a continuous blind spot for networks, agencies and brands. The cover-ups are a favorite means for DTC and DR advertisers to invest in and test television, as they often come at a heavy discount. But both the buy and sell side struggle to accurately quantify the performance and value of this inventory because, until the combination of DRMetrix and iSpot, they could not be measured precisely at scale.

“We developed a unique system for accurately measuring one of the most dynamic and difficult portions of TV advertising, and we amassed a client base that represents a growing and important part of the TV ecosystem,” says Joseph Gray, founder/CEO of DRMetrix. “In iSpot, we’ve found a home for our innovations to thrive and a vehicle to accelerate our shared goals of making all TV ad measurement more transparent, more actionable and easier.”

DRMetrix serves 120 brands, networks and agencies, growing iSpot’s customer footprint to more than 450 annual brand subscriptions representing 50%+ of brands in the Ad Age 100 and 95% of TV networks in North America. This is iSpot’s second acquisition of a real-time ad measurement company, as it acquired Ace Metrix in January 2021 to combine business and brand impact using Ace’s comprehensive qualitative approach to measurement and scoring of creative performance.

— Reporting by Melissa Hourigan