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David H. Layer is vice president, advanced engineering at the National Association of Broadcasters. Radio World spoke with him recently ahead of the anticipated Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference at the NAB Show. The convention has since been cancelled but the activities discussed here continue. Here are relevant portions of our conversation.

Radio World: David, there is a Radio Committee of the North American Broadcasters Association, in which NAB is involved. What role is NABA playing right now in regards to the auto infotainment landscape?
David Layer: NABA serves as a bridge between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico regarding radio and TV broadcasting technical and regulatory issues. NABA’s Radio Committee has two active projects, one involving development of a NABA In-Car User Experience (ICUE) guideline that is based upon — and complements — an ICUE document developed by WorldDAB, the other on hybrid radio and metadata.

This second project involves developing resources and guidance for North American broadcasters on how to effectively support hybrid radio platforms and regarding the importance of having good textual and visual metadata which will make radio look as good as it sounds.

RW: Hybrid radio has occupied a lot of your attention recently, and we’ve written a good deal about the topic in Radio World. What’s your key message for broadcasters regarding hybrid radio?
Layer: It’s a straightforward message: for each station to provide good metadata support for their over-the-air and streaming audio products.

At NAB, we’ve been reaching out to broadcasters with this message and backing it up with information on specific metadata suggestions that are relevant to different types of stations.

For example, all analog FM stations and AM and FM HD Radio stations should be registered with RadioDNS, a nonprofit organization that develops and supports open technical standards for hybrid radio — unfortunately, analog AM stations are not at present supported since they have no data-carrying capability.

NAB recently updated and reissued the NAB Digital Dashboard Best Practices Report, which provides lots of detail and recommendations for broadcasters on how to implement and improve their metadata operations. I would encourage your readers to download and read this report.

RW: U.S. broadcasters seem to be cautious about building out the infrastructure to support hybrid radio. Why do you think that is?
Layer: I believe there are many broadcasters who have actually been bullish on hybrid radio and eager to provide top-notch support, encompassing both medium and large radio groups. I do not sense a lack of interest among broadcasters but I definitely think that there are resource issues contributing to a slower-than-desired rollout of support. And not surprisingly, these resource issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

RW: What specific make and models of cars now have hybrid radio available in North America, and when should we expect more?
Layer: I know that Audi, using their MultiMedia Interface or MMI, and Mercedes, using DTS AutoStage, are shipping cars with hybrid radio receivers to North America, but I do not know the model breakdown. Also, there are BMW cars in North America that use RadioDNS for station information and logos but do not support streaming audio service following.

I expect more brands will be doing hybrid radio soon but I expect that the “chip shortage” we’ve been reading about, where the computer chips needed by automobiles are in short supply, will lengthen this hybrid radio rollout.

RW: Something NAB PILOT has been involved in, is testing the reception of all-digital AM radio in electric vehicles. Why is this important?
Layer: I’ve been privileged to work with a fine group of Xperi employees on an all-digital AM in electric vehicles project, most recently with Pooja Nair, an Xperi communications engineer who is my co-author for a paper on this subject in this year’s NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference Proceedings.

Also, a special thanks to Dave Kolesar of Hubbard Broadcasting for making all-digital AM station WWFD at 820 kHz in Frederick, Md., available for electric vehicle-related testing.

One of the topics covered in our BEITC paper is a comparison of the coverage of all-digital AM radio using both internal combustion engine or “ICE” vehicles and electric vehicles, or EVs. While only a limited amount of all-digital AM testing has been done in electric vehicles to date, the clear indication is that all-digital AM works well in electric vehicles and is much more resistant to the electrical noise generated by the motors than is analog AM.

This is important information for automakers as they make decisions affecting radio technology in electric vehicles.

RW: What else should engineers know about these topics and the work in radio that NAB PILOT is doing?
Layer: An interesting recent development is the installation and upgrading of the PILOT radio test bed into the Technology Lab at NAB’s new headquarters building at 1 M Street SE in Washington, D.C.

This test bed, built for PILOT by Cavell, Mertz & Associates, was housed at their office in Manassas, Va., prior to this move, and while in Manassas was used for a number of important projects including co-channel interference testing for all-digital AM radio and testing of FM-band HD Radio mode MP11 which adds an additional 25 kbps of throughput to digital FM radio signals.

Bringing this facility to the new NAB building will provide us with new opportunities to use the test bed for technology demonstrations to NAB members and others, and will allow NAB and PILOT to continue exploring radio technology and assisting in its development.

The post Layer Reiterates Importance of Good, Consistent Metadata appeared first on Radio World.

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation is putting the final touches on Tuesday’s presentation of the 46th Annual Gracie Awards.

The fete, which celebrates women in the industry who “continue to inspire and support
others, break down barriers, and lead by example in creating opportunities for
future generations,” will be hosted by Lauren Ash, the Canadian actress and comedian known for her role as “Dina” on the NBC sitcom Superstore.

The event, which will be held 7pm ET/PT on October 5, also features performances from recording artists Jewel and CeCe Winans.

The 46th Gracie Awards will stream exclusively at @AllWomenInMedia on Facebook.

The list of Presenters is as follows:

● Adam Rodriguez will present to Caitriona Baife.
● Angela Yee will present to Selenis Leyva and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
● Beth Behrs and Tichina Arnold will present to This Is Us
● Candice Patton will present to Sara Sidner
● Charissa Thompson will present to Erin Andrews
● Devery Jacobs will present to SciGirls
● Gabriel Iglesias will present to Gina Brillon
● Hailie Sahar will present to Between the World & Me
● Judge Judith Sheindlin will present to Robin Roberts
● Kandi Burrus will present to Hoda Kotb & Jenna Bush Hager and
Morgan Radford
● Kelly Hu will present to Mobituaries: Anna May Wong – Death of a
Trailblazer
● Marin Hinkle will present to Eve Lindley and Shannon Thornton
● Marla Gibbs will present to Black-ish
● Medalion Rahimi will present to The Estelle Show and Julie Anne
Robinson
● Omose Ighodaro, AWM Foundation & Ford Motor Company Fund
Scholarship Recipient to Mrs. America
● Paula Madison and Dr. Imani Walker will present to Lindsay Czarniak and
DeDe McGuire
● Yvette Nicole Brown will present to Kelly Clarkson, Alexa Mansour and
Aliyah Royale

Sponsors of the Gracie Awards include Crown Media, Ziploc, CNN, Apple Music,
FOX Sports, Premiere Networks, Katz Media Group, NCTA – The Internet &
Television Association, Meruelo Media, Beasley Media Group, Marketplace and
TEGNA.

At present, the FCC is conducting a review of its broadcast and cable Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules and policies.

As such, it is accepting comments on the matter, officially known as “MB Docket No. 98-204.”

For Foster Garvey PC and a coalition comprised of 18 licensees, the Commission’s proposed rule for how the Commission can recommence the collection of data on the Broadcast Station Annual Employment Report needs an update.

The gender choices listed simply aren’t enough, given today’s USA.

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Click image to enlarge.

The author is executive director, broadcast technology at Xperi Corp.

As broadcasters, we often limit our perception of radio to audio programming. But we shouldn’t.

Jeff Detweiler

Today, Radio Data Systems (RDS) and HD Radio technology mean that data can be sent over the air through radio’s cost-effective and reliable, one-to-many delivery system. Each week, radio broadcast touches the lives of over 93% of the U.S. population, with no point-to-point connection, conveying simplex data effortlessly to a single unit or millions of devices.

Because it’s scalable, broadcasters can add millions of new data “listeners,” without increasing infrastructure costs or reducing existing service quality, for analog and digital broadcasts.

While FM analog RBDS services offer limited data, text or messaging, HD Radio technology enables digital audio programs and much higher levels of data services to automobiles, homes and portable devices. In other words: digital radio IoT.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things, or IoT, has service providers who want to deliver content over a secure cost-effective platform, but security is a big concern.

At present, most connected devices allow bidirectional communication, with vulnerability to hacking. Configuration data, including personal information, may be exposed. Plus, there is the challenge of keeping those devices connected on in-home networks.

Unidirectional communication can mitigate these challenges: device applications can benefit from a one-way secure communication path.

Green initiatives

Recent regulations on Green House Gas (GHG) emissions mandate an energy shift from fossil fuels to an already oversubscribed electrical power grid, impacting electric energy pricing, billing and consumption. Radio is poised to play a significant role in this changing landscape.

On Aug. 5, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order targeting that 50% of all automobiles be zero-emission by 2030, jump-starting a dramatic shift toward EVs. In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order banning all in-state sales of gasoline-fueled vehicles by 2035. In addition, the California Air Resources Board, Natural Gas (NG) plans to tighten rules on natural gas for home heating and hot water, effective in 2023.

Real-time demand/response

The proliferation of electric vehicles, and the shift from gas-fired heating to electric, will further burden an already overtaxed power grid. Constructing new generation plants, or adding battery storage, comes at a high cost to utilities, without addressing the variable nature of the load.

Creation of an intelligent demand/response network for managing power usage offers a solution. How? Providing real-time energy pricing to devices means they become “smarter” about energy cost, use and charging decisions — and this is where radio has a critical role to play.

The Consumer Technology Association has defined CTA-2045 as a modular communications interface (MCI) to facilitate communications with residential devices for applications such as energy management.

Among these are:

• Electric Vehicles (EV) charging systems
• Water Heaters
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Emergency shutdown of electricity and gas
• Smart City Lighting management and control
• Pool and spa pumps
• Autonomous vehicles
• Connected car

As the number of electric vehicles increases, peak use will exceed the design limits of the electric grid, overloading it with potentially disastrous consequences, including wildfires that cause loss of life and property. Rolling blackouts in California have become commonplace to reduce these risks.

Smart charging systems and utility control data mean EV chargers could manage charging times to avoid peak power demands, optimize charging costs. This requires tight collaboration between the auto industry, electricity providers, and data service companies, which is where radio can be indispensable: conveying pricing and control data. While this data distribution may not be exclusive to radio, it just may be the best fit due to security, reliability and cost concerns.

The competitive landscape

Sending 1 MB of data to 10,000 IoT devices requires 1 GB capacity for cellular, BUT only 1 MB for radio.

While 5G’s capacity and interconnectivity can offer advantages to connected cars and personal entertainment, 5G, like the power grid, may be oversubscribed before it reaches mass adoption. In 2020, connected cars and autonomous vehicles will generate 380 GB/hour to over 5 TB/hour of data, according to the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium.

A limitation on 5G networks is that they are yet to be fully deployed. 5G build-out in high population density and urban locations may be cost-effective for providers, but suburban and rural deployment will be a challenge given low population density and high rollout costs.

This is an opportunity for radio broadcasters, who offer broad reach through over 2,400 digital HD Radio stations, as well as scalability and reliability.

Today, through HD Radio data technology, stations are already transmitting real-time traffic and weather data directly to car navigation systems. Multiple automakers are working with HD Radio technology developer, Xperi Corp., to investigate, demonstrate and test additional data services, including software and ECU updates, map updates, navigation corrections, customer relationship management and more.

What is needed

Several components need to coalesce to achieve digital radio IoT. These include a content distribution system and a backend that enables service providers to connect to local radio stations or subscribers to provide content over available data bandwidth.

Radio stations could register to participate in data services and allow part of their data capacity to be used for services or applications. For example, an application provider (utility, city management, etc.) could have a data service or application that needs to communicate to their devices. The cloud distribution system would manage the data input and then route to the appropriately registered stations in the given market. Authentication, scheduling, and routing would happen automatically. The radio station simply has to configure their HD Radio Importer to open the available data ports. This data content distribution system has been prototyped and is operational in selected markets.

At the consumer end is a low-cost, low-power HD Radio-enabled IoT receiver module in the form of a plug-in card for an existing CTA-2045 compatible smart appliance or, ultimately, built-in to the appliance circuit board. The IoT module scans the band, detecting the application’s required data service. Once data is available, the HD Radio IoT device pulls the appropriate data from the digital broadcast and provides the content to the smart appliance application.

Xperi is testing this end-to-end system in several markets, gathering data on coverage and data reliability to create Quality of Service (QoS) metrics for these data applications. Xperi, together with the broadcast community and our development partners, looks forward to bolstering radio’s future with digital radio IoT, providing game-changing, cost-efficient and reliable data transmission services.

The post Radio Broadcasting and the Internet of Things appeared first on Radio World.

This article originally appeared in the Nov. 19, 2014, issue of Radio World and was posted on this website Nov. 26, 2014, a nice Thanksgiving treat. See More of John’s Schneider’s Roots of Radio.

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch employee reads the facsimile newspaper received over W9XZY. An RCA printer is shown. The black roller at the top contains the used carbon paper after the page has been printed. Wide World Photo, 1938.

In the beginning, there were newspapers.

And then radio arrived, challenging the newspapers’ journalistic monopoly.

At first, many newspapers fought the new competitor, refusing to print radio news or program schedules. But some went in the opposite direction, deciding to operate their own radio stations to augment their businesses. And finally, a few brave pioneering publications went even farther: They tried to deliver their newspapers via radio facsimile.

In the early 1930s, radio facsimile looked like the dream application for newspapers. They could use their own local radio stations to deliver newspapers directly to consumers during overnight hours. It would eliminate the cost of printing and distribution and shift those costs onto consumers, who would provide their own printers and paper.

A home user receives a Detroit News bulletin from WWJ on her Finch facsimile printer, 1938. Courtesy of the Detroit News archives.

This led several radio stations and newspapers to experiment with facsimile transmission during the late 1930s.

THE FINCH SYSTEM
The person most responsible for this technology was William G. H. Finch. He worked for the International News Service and set up their first teletype circuits between New York, Chicago and Havana. He became interested in facsimile machines and eventually amassed hundreds of patents.

In 1935, he established Finch Telecommunications Laboratories to build and market his system. Although RCA had already developed a facsimile system, it was only focused on its commercial possibilities. Finch envisioned the delivery of newspapers to the public via radio facsimile.

The Finch system circumvented RCA’s patents in several ways.

First, image details were transmitted by varying the amplitude of an audio tone, instead of its frequency.

An example of a news bulletin received on the Finch system.

Second, it recreated the image by generating an electric current at the tip of a stylus to trace the image onto thermally sensitive paper (the origins of the thermal paper still used by cash registers today). Synchronization between the transmitter and receiver used the 60 Hz line frequency. The Finch scanning head focused a pinpoint scanning spot on the document. A motor moved the scanner across the page while another motor advanced the page at the end of each scanning line. Low-frequency sync pulses were inserted at the end of each line. The result was an audio signal that could be fed into any conventional AM transmitter.

Finch receivers sold for $125 and were housed in a one-foot-square wooden box that could be connected to the speaker of any radio receiver. The images were drawn onto a continuous roll of thermal paper 5 inches wide that sold for one dollar and would last about a week. The process was slow, taking about 20 minutes to print a 12-inch page, but a timer was used to capture the transmissions from a local AM station during overnight hours. Six hours overnight was enough time to print a six-page, two-column news bulletin.

Several stations received FCC permission in 1937 and 1938 to experiment with the Finch system. The first was KSTP in St. Paul, Minn. It was followed by WHO in Des Moines, Iowa; WGH in Newport News, Va.; WOR in New York; WGN in Chicago; WHK in Cleveland; WSM in Nashville, Tenn.; and WWJ in Detroit.

McClatchy Newspapers published the Radio Bee over KFBK in Sacramento and KMJ in Fresno, Calif. It required a staff of seven to produce the radio newspaper, and McClatchy bought 100 Finch receivers to distribute to listeners.

RCA ADAPTS
RCA, sensing it had missed an opportunity, quickly adapted its system for use by broadcasters.

The RCA Radio Facsimile system was displayed in the RCA Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, 1939.

The RCA system went into operation overnights on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s station KSD in St. Louis in 1937. By late the following year, the service moved to an experimental ultra-high-frequency station, W9XZY, transmitting on 31,600 kHz with 100 watts. It had a range of about 20 miles. By using a dedicated transmitter for facsimile, the transmissions could be made during daytime hours, and so the Post-Dispatch transmissions now took place at 2 p.m. Also, ultrahigh frequencies were less susceptible to radio static, which greatly disrupted the received image quality. RCA provided 15 receivers for the experiment, placing them at Washington University and in St. Louis area homes.

The receivers sold for $260 each and combined an ultra-high frequency receiver and facsimile printer into a single cabinet that had no controls or adjustments — the user simply kept the receiver supplied with rolls of carbon paper and white printing paper. RCA also demonstrated its facsimile system at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, transmitting special “Radiopress” bulletins daily over WOR.

CROSLEY GETS IN THE GAME
At the same world’s fair, Crosley Radio Corp. surprised everyone by introducing its own facsimile machine called the “Reado,” with two models selling for $60 and $80. (A timer to turn the unit overnight cost an additional $10.)

A Crosley Reado with a shortwave receiver and Finch facsimile printer (removed from its cabinet) at WWJ in Detroit, 1940. Courtesy of the Detroit News archives.

Powel Crosley had licensed the Finch technology and made some changes to reduce the cost. He produced an initial stock of 500 units and made plans to turn out up to 1,000 units a day. He began Reado facsimile transmissions during overnight hours over 500,000-watt WLW, which continued until 1942.

Most radio facsimile transmissions soon shifted from the AM band to the ultrahigh frequencies. About a dozen of these experimental stations were built, including the Milwaukee Journal station WTMJ, which transmitted over W9XAF.

Nonetheless, it soon became clear that radio facsimile was a technological dead end.

An engineer at W9XZY in St. Louis prepares an RCA scanner for the transmission of a news bulletin in 1938 in this photo from the author’s collection.

Despite all the promotion and hype, the public had neither asked for, nor cared about, the technology.

Receivers were expensive, suffered from frequent paper jams and outages, and were subject to content loss due to static.

To make matters worse, there were two incompatible standards fighting for market dominance.

Further, advertisers didn’t want to risk their money on the new medium, preferring the safety of traditional media.

The World War II paper shortages caused most facsimile stations to cease operations, and when the war was over, it was all but forgotten in the rush to build the new television industry. An attempt to bring it back on the FM band found no takers.

William Finch’s company went into bankruptcy in 1952, and RCA eventually took over many of his patents. Finch died in Florida in 1990 at the age of 93.

John Schneider is a lifelong radio history researcher. Write the author at jschneid93@gmail.com. See other photos from his collection. Click on the Roots of Radio tab atradioworld.comunder Columns.

The post A Look Back at the Radio Newspaper of the Air appeared first on Radio World.

In this document, the Commission requires that any remaining applications and reports administered by the International Bureau and filed on paper or through an alternative filing process be filed only electronically through the Commission's International Bureau Filing System. Specifically, the Commission modifies its rules to mandate the electronic filings of applications for permits to deliver programs to foreign stations, applications for International High Frequency Broadcast Stations, and quarterly reports filed by U.S.-authorized carriers that are affiliates of foreign carriers with market power on the foreign end of a U.S.-international route, and to remove a duplicate paper filing requirement for satellite cost-recovery declarations.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of WYMT-TV (CBS), channel 12, Hazard, Kentucky. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 20 for channel 12 at in the DTV Table of Allotments.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KNOE (CBS), channel 8, Monroe, Louisiana. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 24 for channel 8 at in the DTV Table of Allotments.

The Bureau cancels the Notice of Apparent Liability issued to Carlos Lopez

“What a set of circumstances.”

Twenty months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the automobile industry’s agenda appears to be completely upside down. Chip shortages have wreaked havoc on many an automotive brand, including Hyundai.

What’s a broadcast ad sales leader to do? Jason Stein, CEO at Flat Six Media, painted the automotive portrait of today for TVB Forward Conference attendees during a Thursday address.

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The “very hot topic” of Measurement was a major part of the discussion at the TVB Forward Conference on Thursday.

And, it was a subject addressed first and foremost by Sinclair Broadcast Group President of Broadcast and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer Rob Weisbord during an afternoon Q&A session conducted by Operative CEO Lorne Brown.

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With thousands of industry executives participating online from their computers and tablets, TVB Forward Conference 2021 kicked off on Thursday morning with welcome comments from both President/CEO Steve Lanzano and the Chair of its Board of Directors, Debra OConnell.

For OConnell, who serves as President of Networks at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, a highly positive and encouraging tone was struck.

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Every day we hear of another ransomware attack or data breach, and it seems that the cyber adversaries are taking over companies, catching them off-guard and ill-prepared.

How are the cyber adversaries doing it? Why are people and companies in the dark when it comes to cybercrime? What should you do to protect your organization?

A Forecast 2022 session featuring the founder of Cybersecurity Ventures and Editor-in-Chief at Cybercrime Magazine is a must-attend for those who don’t want to deal with the issues many radio station owners and one big tech company serving radio just suffered through.

Cyber security expert Steve Morgan chats with WABC-AM in New York’s Juliet Huddy at Forecast 2022, November 16 at the Harvard Club in midtown Manhattan, for a provocative interview delivered free of technobabble.

Morgan has written more than 500 articles for Forbes, CSO, and others. He is co-author of the book “Women Know Cyber: 100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime” and named on numerous lists including LinkedIn’s 5 Security Influencers to Follow, Onalytica’s Who’s Who in Cybersecurity, and the Top 100 Cybersecurity Influencers at RSA Conference.

 

“The value of a business depends largely on how well it guards its data, the strength of its cybersecurity, and its level of cyber resilience,” Morgan says

Forecast 2022 explores the most critical challenge facing business and industry today — cyber security — with a session packed with information you need to know and answers to questions you have – or should have. Seating is limited. Register today for Forecast 2022 and take advantage of early bird pricing. Registration include admittance into the Broadcast Leadership Reception honoring the 2021 Top Radio and Television Leaders. Always a great networking event, this may be a one-of-a-kind opportunity this year!

 

PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS TOP 40 PLAQUE SPONSOR CORPORATE SPONSORS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS

Who knew that the Chief Research Officer of the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry would be as hard-hitting as a 60 Minutes journalist?

Hadassa Gerber proved to be quite the moderator at a TVB Forward Conference session on “the future of measurement,” the first of a series of panelists delivered across the TVB’s virtual affair on Thursday.

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Oh, by the way, about that NAL? You can toss that …

The Federal Communications Commission has canceled a notice of apparent liability for forfeiture issued to Carlos Lopez in relation to two FM translators in Texas.

As we reported earlier, the commission was planning a $3,000 penalty because the license renewal forms for the translators in Conroe and South Padre Island were due April 1 but not received until late May.

Now, the FCC says it had “overlooked the fact that the commission first issued licenses for the stations on May 14, 2021.” Thus it was impossible for Lopez to file for renewal by April 1.

“Given this and the fact that the licensee filed the renewal applications prior to expiration of the stations’ licenses, we find that cancellation of the NAL is appropriate,” it said.

Hey, it’s not called a notice of apparent liability for nuthin…

The post FCC Cancels NAL on Texas Translators appeared first on Radio World.

On August 2, the end of an era — and the leadership of a broadcast media company — came for Ralph Oakley.

The President/CEO of Quincy Media, Inc., formally retired, as the Illinois-based owner of over-the-air TV stations completed its sale to Gray Television, with spinoff stations going to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group.

Oakley was saluted for his accomplishments at the virtual TVB Forward Conference on Thursday, marking perhaps his final industry appearance.

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With nine weeks to go, IBC Show organizers have unveiled their plans to hold a hybrid event in December.

Following the reduction in COVID restrictions announced by the Dutch government earlier this month, organizers say they are “heading in the right direction” in terms of the physical event. “We are focusing on delivering an absolutely safe event,” CEO Mike Crimp told a media briefing.

While the rules around social distancing and wearing of masks have been relaxed, the IBC exhibition will include signs asking attendees to respect everyone’s preferences if they should want to continue with the measures.

The exhibition will also implement a “festival-style” perimeter fence, and include checks on vaccinations status, as well as recent COVID test status. Attendees from non-EU countries (such as the U.K. and U.S.) will be able to gain access to the Netherlands with a negative PCR test, but organizers suggest they check both their own government and the Dutch government’s websites in the run-up to the event.

In terms of the digital side of the event, this year’s content program will be free for everyone to access whether they are in Amsterdam or at home, the first time this has happened in the event’s history.

IBC Digital is a hybrid platform that will run in tandem with the live event, and enable users to watch content, schedule online meetings with exhibitors and other attendees, review exhibitor profiles, and invite colleagues to live meetings.

IBC 2021 takes place Dec. 3–6 at the RAI in Amsterdam.

 

The post “We Are Confident. We Are Not Complacent”: IBC Unveils Plans for Hybrid Event appeared first on Radio World.

Volkswagen Australia added DAB+ digital radio across most of its 2022 vehicle lineup.

The announcement came from industry body Commercial Radio Australia.

“All Volkswagen passenger and commercial vehicles in Australia will offer DAB+ with the exception of the base model grades of its van and ‘ute’ range,” CRA announced. It said models with DAB+ will include the Golf and T-Cross SUV.

[Read: Warner to Step Down at Commercial Radio Australia]

DAB+ is on air in five major metro markets and four other cities, and there are plans to add it to the Gold Coast.

CEO Joan Warner said the number of new vehicles in Australia with DAB+ had increased by 420,000 in the first half of 2021.

“The number of new vehicles sold with DAB+ was up by 25% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. This is good news for radio listeners who will benefit from the extra station choice, reliability and ease of use of digital technology,” she said in the announcement.

She added that 76% of new vehicles sold in Australia come with DAB+ from the factory and that 4.1 million new vehicles have been sold with DAB+ to June 2021.

 

The post VW Australia Expands Use of DAB+ appeared first on Radio World.

In mid-September, Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned Dielectric first shared how the company literally changed how FM broadcast antenna manufacturers validate directional pattern studies for new FM broadcast antennas.

This led Dielectric to submit a Petition for Rulemaking with the FCC. And, if the FCC moves forward with a NPRM and subsequently approves the rules, a process that could take just months, a move from physical to AI-driven simulated modeling could come to fruition.

The engineering guys may get this, but those in the C-Suite may already have eyes glazed over. In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, Dielectric VP/GM Keith Pelleiter explains this so the only thing glazed in their office is a Krispy Kreme donut.

 

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast – Keith Pelletier” on Spreaker.

The Holladay family has become well-known for their ownership of radio properties across the Deep South.

Now, Bryan Holladay is signing of on an acquisition. Pending FCC approval, it will see the transfer of control of three FMs to his Meridian Media Group.

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