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The owner of 10 radio stations and TV operations “News Channel Nebraska” and “Telemundo Nebraska” is celebrating a rare achievement — a placement on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America.

Earning the honor is the Mike Flood–helmed Flood Communications.

Out of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the United States, 32 are from Nebraska.

The bigger takeaway: it is the only broadcast media company in the U.S. to make the latest list.

Flood Communications’ unique business mission is to serve two distinct audiences that it believes are frequently overlooked: rural consumers and Hispanics.

Not too many people may be familiar with Groveton, Tex. It’s on the southern tip of Davy Crockett National Forest, some two hours north of central Houston.

It also happens to be the home of a Class A FM, and North Texas Radio Group is readying to welcome it into its family.

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Cox Media Group’s broadcast television advertising rep firm CoxReps has appointed a new President.

It’s the individual who has served as COO since 2019, and in her new role will be asked to build on the “positive momentum” she is spearheading within the organization to strengthen operations and “strategically evolve” the business.

Rising to the role is Ann Hailer, who CMG Executive Chairman Steve Pruett says “exemplifies the leadership, collaboration and resilience” that are the company’s hallmarks.

“She is a respected, passionate and committed leader who is laser focused on bring the best out of her people to deliver exemplary customer service and outperform the competition,” Pruett said. “Over the years, Ann has played a critical role in positioning CoxReps for success by embracing disruption and championing innovation. I am excited to see how the future unfolds under her leadership.”

Hailer has spent most of her career with CMG, serving in various sales, management, and key leadership roles with increasing responsibility throughout her tenure. Prior to serving as COO, she was SVP/Director of Sales.

“My journey at CoxReps continues to evolve and this is the exciting beginning of a new chapter,” Hailer said. “The media industry is more diverse and competitive than ever and I’m incredibly honored to take on this role and lead the amazing CoxReps team during such an extraordinary time. I look forward to further strengthening our business, driving success for our premiere station group clients, and providing the most advanced solutions to agencies and advertisers in the local media space.”

Speaker maker KRK, known for those yellow woofers, is expanding its headphones line with the KNS 6402 (shown) and KNS 8402.

Both models are of the closed back, circumaural design. Earpads, headpads and cable are replaceable. The KNS8402 has an inline volume control. Both ship with, adapter, soft bag and anti-microbial cleaning cloth.

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According to KRK, the KNS 6402 ($99) has acoustic cellular foam pads and provides up to 26 dBA of isolation with a 122 dB maximum SPL rating and a frequency response of 10 Hz–22 kHz. The KNS 8402 ($149) features memory foam pads with premium leatherette covers for greater comfort during long hours of listening and work. The KNS 8402 headphones provide up to 30 dBA of isolation to block out even more external noise and feature a slightly higher SPL with a 124 dB maximum SPL rating and a frequency response of 5 Hz–23 kHz.

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

Info: www.krkmusic.com

 

The post KRK Expands Headphones Line appeared first on Radio World.

Andrea Cummis will be the next president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the first woman to hold that office.

SBE announced the results of its 2021 election for its national board of directors.

Cummis, CBT, CTO, is the chief technical officer of PBS39 WLVT(TV), in Bethlehem, Pa. and a member of SBE Chapter 15 in New York City.

She was unopposed in the election and will take office on Oct. 11. Cummis succeeds Wayne Pecena, who served two terms and remains on the board as immediate past president. (A list of all past presidents appears below.)

Others who will serve one-year terms as officers are Ted Hand as vice president, Kevin Trueblood as secretary and Jason Ornellas as treasurer.

Elected to two-year terms on the board of directors are Zhulieta Ibisheva, Jeff Juniet, Charles “Ched” Keiler, Geary S. Morrill, David Ratener and Dan Whealy.

Now going into their second year of current terms are Stephen Brown, Roswell Clark, Kirk Harnack, Thomas McGinley, Shane Toven and Fred Willard.

[Related: “Online Resources Blossom at SBE,” a 2020 Q&A with Wayne Pecena]

Cummis has more than two decades of experience in engineering, operations and new technology, and has worked in television, radio and new media.

She has been involved in many facets of media engineering, according to her LinkedIn bio, including space planning, staff planning and hiring, systems design and installation of production, post-production and on-air facilities, capital and operating budget creation and management, new technology research, staff training, asset management systems, transcoding for VOD and IPTV.

She is the owner of AC Video Solutions, a systems design and integration firm, and has worked with or for organizations such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, WTV, WNET New York Public Media, Vantage Technology Consulting Group, RadiantGrid Technologies, Total RF Productions and USA Networks, among others.

She holds degrees in electrical engineering and in law and technology, and has an MBA as well.

The society’s National Meeting and Awards Presentation will be held Oct. 11 during in Las Vegas during the NAB Show.

SBE Presidents List

Andrea Cummis 2021-

Wayne Pecena 2019-2021

Jim Leifer 2017-2019

Jerry Massey 2015-2017

Joe Snelson 2013-2015

Ralph Hogan 2011-2013

Vincent Lopez 2009-2011

Barry Thomas 2007-2009

Christopher H. Scherer 2005-2007

Raymond C. Benedict 2003-2005

Troy D. Pennington 2001-2003

James “Andy” Butler 1999-2001

Edward J. Miller 1997-1999

Terrence M. Baun 1995-1997

Charles W. Kelly Jr. 1993-1995

Richard Farquhar 1991-1993

Bradley Dick 1989-1991

Jack McKain 1987-1989

Richard Rudman 1985-1987

Roger Johnson 1984-1985

Doyle Thompson, Sr. 1983-1984

Ron Arendall 1981-1983

Robert Jones 1979-1981

James Hurley 1978-1979

Robert Wehrman   1977-1978

Glen Lahman   1975-1977

James Wulliman 1973-1975

Robert Flanders 1971-1973

Lewis Wetzel 1970-1971

Al Chismark   1968-1970

Charles Hallinan 1966-1968

John Battison, P.E. 1965-1966

 

The post SBE Elects Andrea Cummis as Next President appeared first on Radio World.

Is broadcast television’s retransmission consent revenue growth trend, when compared to long-term advertising forecasts, a concern when it comes to station valuations, should a transaction be in the future?

That’s just one of the thoughts longtime broadcast station valuation and appraisal specialist David Schutz shares in an exclusive interview with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. It’s a preview of what’s to come in the Fall 2021 Special Report.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: David Schutz” on Spreaker.

A recently divorced friend of public relations veteran Rosemary Ravinal who was browsing her feed of prospects on a dating app said she liked one gentleman because he exuded “executive presence.” Ravinal asked herself the following question: If the term “executive presence” is a measure of desirability on a dating site based on a static image, does that lessen the importance of those qualities in the business world? To satisfy her curiosity, Ravinal consulted a few friends at recruiting firms.

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Telestream, a provider of digital media tools and workflow products owned by Genstar Capital, has purchased a live event hosting and distribution platform used by Fortune 500 companies and others to stream content to their customers, employees, and members.

As such, Sherpa Digital Media’s platform is now fully integrated with Telestream’s offerings.

Telestream CEO Dan Castles notes, “Sherpa Digital Media has built a solid platform that many rely upon to stream their live, interactive events, and we intend to continue its development to expand into new areas such as using our Wirecast product to produce events distributed on the platform.”

Sherpa Digital Media allows customers to create live events and webinars.

The platform includes breakout rooms, video hosting, marketing automation integration, secure streaming, and the ability to scale up to hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Sherpa Digital Media is a privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team includes a remote workforce which will be fully integrated into the Telestream family.

Existing customers can expect to see additional resources being deployed to support the platform around the world.

A new Wells Fargo Securities report gives linear media a big boost, while lowering expectations for the software industry.

It has much merit, given the financial institution’s track record on coverage of broadcast media companies with publicly traded shares. And, the report provides media executives with further ammo in their fight against local digital.

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Dear RW:

Your article about grounding in the Rocky Mountains brings to mind a moment dating back to the early 1960s, when I was ham radio operator K7VPK and attending ASU/Tempe’s radio and TV program.

One of my experiences at that early age was meeting members of the “Mummy Mountain Radio Club.” Among them was Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, ham radio call sign K7UGA.

I was invited to visit the club up in Scottsdale north of Tempe; when I did I was amazed at what I saw. All high-frequency operating bands had their own operating rooms/positions in a custom-built “clubhouse,” the members of which included Goldwater, the CEO of the Donnelley Press in Chicago and other heavy hitters.

The estimated cost invested in building the clubhouse and obtaining equipment was north of $100,000, equivalent to nearly a million dollars today. Each ham band (80 meters, 40 meters, 20 meters, etc.) had its own operating room and complete Collins Kilowatt console. Simply the best of the best!

Now to the relevant part.

Since grounding was such a problem in mountainous Scottsdale, the question was how to be grounded effectively. Each operating position and custom antenna for each band to be worked needed to be grounded well for operating efficiency and safety.

The engineers installing the antennas suggested that the club members simply tap into a copper vein there on Mummy Mountain.

I was told that this took a bit of digging but it was done. The resulting electrical ground turned out, I was told, to be the best possible solution to the problem … in fact, an exceptional one.

Ham radio? Sen. Goldwater and his friends made sure they had nothing but the best; and they produced signals from the MMRC that were heard around the world. As a matter of fact, the MMRC facility was used to run phone patches for GIs in Vietnam as well as Goldwater’s home station on Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale for several years.

Don Watson, W5TNA is with NewsTalkRadio.com in Pensacola, Fla.

Send Letters to the Editor at mailto:radioworld@futurenet.com

The post Letter: Good Ground Was All Around appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC wants to know what you think about possibly modifying the Emergency Alert System to provide “persistent alerts” in extreme emergencies, and how such alerts might work on radio stations and other audio platforms.

Providing persistent alerts is one of several recommendations that were made to the commission by FEMA for improvements to EAS.

FEMA’s recommendations are in addition to alerting changes recently adopted by the commission in June. At that time the FCC issued a further notice of proposed rulemaking to explore FEMA’s ideas.

In addition to persistent alerts, FEMA thinks the FCC should should rename certain EAS terms like EAN and PEP to help public awareness.

The deadlines to comment on the proposed changes have now been set. Comments in PS Docket 15-94 are due Oct. 19, with replies due Nov. 18.

Persistent alerts

A big part of FEMA’s recommendations involves “persistent alerts.” FEMA thinks EAS should be modified to support “persistent display of alert information and/or persistent notification for emergencies that require immediate public protective actions to mitigate loss of life.”

Such alerts would persist on EAS until the alert time has expired or the alert is cancelled by the originator. Merely repeating an EAS message, FEMA says, does not address problems like those that came up in the false missile alert situation in Hawaii. It believes alert information should persist so people can “receive, review and collaborate, whenever they ‘tune in,’ with emergency information received previously from another emergency alert information source.”

The FCC is asking for comments on questions like the technical feasibility of assigning “persistence” to state and local alerts; what kinds of events would qualify; what changes would be required to EAS devices; and whether stations and others who carry state and local alerts on a voluntary basis would agree to carry persistent alerts.

One can envision a persistent alert remaining visible on a video platform, but the FCC also wonders what “persistent” would mean for radio stations and satellite radio, as wall as what role “smart” devices might play for alerts carried by ATSC 3.0 and HD Radio technologies.

Other recommendations

FEMA also thinks the FCC should modify the definition for the EAN event code from “Emergency Action Notification (National Only)” to “Emergency Alert, National,” or replace the EAN event code entirely with a new one called “NEM” for “National Emergency Message.” FEMA thinks “Emergency Action Notification” has no meaning to most people and may create confusion.

FEMA further thinks the FCC should change the EAS originator code for the Primary Entry Point System from “PEP” to “NAT,” which would stand for “National Authority.”

It notes that PEPs — radio stations that are the primary source of initial broadcast for a presidential alert — are not originators. It said using PEP as an originator code currently requires EAS video participants to scroll a message that begins with “The Primary Entry Point System has issued …” which FEMA says means nothing to the public and again could create confusion.

And probably least controversial is a recommendation from FEMA to delete the term “National Information Center” in FCC rules because there is no longer a National Information Center (NIC) in federal and national emergency response plans.

[Read the full FNPRM, starting on page 25 of the recent FCC order.]

The post The FCC Contemplates “Persistent EAS Alerts” appeared first on Radio World.

Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $3,500 to L.M.N.O.C. Broadcasting LLC for failure to timely file a covering license application for FM Translator K251CJ, Taos, New Mexico, and unauthorized operation of the station

Inovonics has released two firmware updates — one each for the INOmini 635 FM SiteStreamer and INOmini 638 HD Radio SiteStreamer, respectively.

According to the company these updates will add RDS Radio Text Alarm features and modifies LED Header displays to the web interface.

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

The company has provided instructions to aid in the download and installation of the updated firmware.

The updates for the 635, Rev. 2.2.0.0, and 638, Rev. 1.3.0.0, are available directly from the website. Other Inovonics equipment downloads are also available.

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

Info: www.inovonicsbroadcast.com

 

The post Inovonics Releases SiteStreamer Firmware Updates appeared first on Radio World.

LOS ANGELES — A company considered to be a “pioneer for managing, distributing and monetizing content” has received a strategic investment from Fox Corporation.

This, Eluvio says, is designed to accelerate the adoption of Eluvio’s platform across the broader media and entertainment industry.

As part of the investment, the companies also announced that Eluvio will provide the underlying technology platform for Blockchain Creative Labs, FOX Entertainment’s and Bento Box Entertainment’s recently launched NFT business and creative unit.

Fox Corporation’s investment marks the completion of Eluvio’s Series A round at a valuation of $100 million.

Paul Cheesbrough, Chief Technology Officer and President of Digital for Fox Corporation, will also join Eluvio’s Board of Directors.

Launched in 2019, Eluvio is led by technologists Michelle Munson and Serban Simu. The company’s Eluvio Content Fabric is an advanced, open protocol blockchain network purpose-built for owner-controlled storage, distribution, and monetization of digital content at scale. It provides live and file-based content publishing, transcoding, packaging, sequencing, dynamic and static distribution, and minting of derivative NFTs–all backed by blockchain contracts providing proof of ownership and access control.

Eluvio LIVE, powered by the Eluvio Content Fabric, is a multi-tenant turnkey platform for publishers that provides 4K streaming and ticketing of events with media marketplaces.

“At FOX, we believe that the blockchain, and the overall shift towards a more decentralized web, is providing creators with a wealth of opportunities to reach consumers with exciting new experiences,” Cheesbrough said. “Michelle, Serban and the Eluvio team are the best in the business when it comes to the software and scalable infrastructure required to power live, decentralized experiences across the blockchain and our investment will help bring this technology to a wider market of content creators, media partners and advertising clients.”

In May, FOX Entertainment and Bento Box entered the NFT business with the formation of Blockchain Creative Labs and a $100 million creator fund to identify growth opportunities in the space. As such, Blockchain Creative Labs will launch a dedicated digital marketplace for creator Dan Harmon’s upcoming animated comedy, KRAPOPOLIS, marking the first animated series to be curated entirely on the blockchain.

The company will manage and sell digital KRAPOPOLIS goods, including NFTs of one-of-a-kind character and background art and GIFs, as well as tokens that provide exclusive social experiences to engage and reward super fans.

Set in mythical ancient Greece and centered on a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters that tries to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other, KRAPOPOLIS is fully owned and financed by FOX Entertainment and will be produced by Bento Box.

Additional news about Blockchain Creative Labs-driven content will be disclosed in the coming weeks.

— Editing by Adam R Jacobson

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Solutions is bringing a new version of its flagship SilverBack-V series fiber camera adapters to market.

Ideal for content producers of live concerts, sports and other televised events, the new SilverBack-VB retains the main features required for HD, 4K and even 8K productions while streamlining the feature set for smaller budgets.

The SilverBack-V and SilverBack-VB both convert digital cinema cameras into SMPTE studio cameras for use in live multi-camera productions.

As such, a live production company can now mix and match digital cinema cameras.

“Digital cinema cameras were traditionally used for filmmaking, but a larger sector of content producers now desire these cameras for their 35mm and larger image sensors,” said Jesse Foster, Director of Product Development and Western Region Sales. “The larger imager size provides a shallower depth of field and greater emotion by having the foreground on a different focal plane than the background. Digital cinema cameras also bring 4K resolution, HDR and Wide Color Gamut, as well as 24fps support for film-like motion blur as well as high framerate acquisition for slow motion. These benefits are now available to users that could not achieve their storytelling goals because they were priced out of the market.”

The SilverBack-VB is a 1RU half-rack-width enclosure that provides a full-bandwidth fiber optic link between any 12G, 4K or HD camera and a truck, control room or video village position. The design puts more emphasis on video payload across four I/O options, including bi-directional 12G-SDI and 3G-SDI, while streamlining audio transport options to the essentials. Live multicamera production features such as intercom, genlock, timecode and serial data, along with front-panel status monitoring, are retained to optimize live cinematic production flexibility.

The SilverBack-VB is also vendor-agnostic. When paired with MultiDyne’s JUICE-48 power supply, users can operate on a hybrid cable and provide power to the camera, or use lightweight, robust tactical fiber and power the camera locally. The SilverBack-VB also adds PoE capability to power remote control panels and other production workflows over Ethernet – a first for the SilverBack series.

“The modular design of the SilverBack-VB ensures that the system can be customized with various types, amounts and directions of video inputs and outputs, while our agnostic approach provides no limitations to camera choice for our customers,” said Frank Jachetta, CEO at MultiDyne. “Our latest SilverBack innovation, one of our flagship product lines today, incorporates the proven connectivity solutions of MultiDyne’s decades of experience outfitting high-end, broadcast-quality production requirements.”

— Brian Galante

Borrell Associates has just completed the analysis of its annual local advertiser survey, conducted in April, May and June. The findings are now available for all to digest.

What’s the biggest takeaway?

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HOUSTON — A facility exchange agreement is in the works that sets the stage for a move of a Tropical-formatted Spanish-language operation branded as “La Calle.”

It involves Daij Media, and two religious broadcasting licensees.

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On the evening of November 15, 2020, outdoors enthusiast turned radio station owner Jamie McKibbin died in a boating accident near Tippecanoe, Ohio.

Now, the properties associated with his McKibbin Media Group are being transferred from his estate to his widow.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has selected an individual to serve in the newly created SVP/Innovation and System Strategies, effective Sept. 13.

He will be responsible for the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategy to advance innovation and sustainability of public media through accelerating public media’s digital transformation.

Taking the role is Stacey Decker.

“Stacey is a strategic and creative thinker with more than two decades of innovative leadership in public media,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “He is a technology leader whose experience with broadcast technology, navigation, and communications systems was enhanced through five years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard. He will help CPB develop and create strategies and services to assist the public media industry in many areas, including implementing and leveraging the new Next Gen TV broadcast standard.”

For the last two years, Decker has served as president of Public Media Management, a media management and content distribution service, and chief technology officer at Signal Infrastructure Group, which builds and operates the physical and digital infrastructure to enable all broadcasters – commercial and public – to leverage the full power and revenue opportunities of ATSC 3.0.

From 2013 to 2019, Decker served as chief technology officer for WGBH in Boston, playing a key role in evolving the organization’s strategic planning, production, audience development, and technology direction. For 11 years before that, Decker held technology leadership roles for Nebraska Educational Telecommunication and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. He also served on the PBS Technical Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2016.

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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