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IP audio and control company Barix this month celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Over two decades, the Swiss company has grown from a control and automation upstart into a globally recognized Audio over IP innovator primarily serving the professional AV, broadcast and security industries, while supporting a variety of vertical markets within each.

Barix has shipped nearly one million devices to serve control, streaming and transport applications for end users, OEM vendors, service providers and systems integrators.

Chief Technology Officer Johannes G. Rietschel founded Barix in 2001. “I had spent too much time traveling to tradeshows doing ‘research’ with little to show beyond expense reports,” he said. “My vision was to build a product that would fit the market and adapt to customer requests from there, instead of overthinking. That’s the premise on which Barix was founded.”

Barix’s roots took shape in residential automation, an area the company remains active in through partnerships with Aiphone, Crestron and other companies. Rietschel soon added audio distribution to his vision, introducing products to move voice and music throughout homes. Commercial markets came calling in search of inexpensive ways to move audio and control signals over then-novel IP networks. Barix’s four core product lines were established before long, with proven hardware devices for voice and intercom (Annuncicom), automation and control (Barionet), and music/audio streaming (Instreamer encoders, Exstreamer decoders).

The broadcast industry was among the first to take interest. It wasn’t long before broadcasters adopted Barix to transport live program signals between studios and transmitter sites over IP networks. Around the same time, Barix saw quickly rising interest in its Annuncicom products for IP paging and intercom systems, and its Instreamer and Exstreamer systems for background music (BGM) delivery. Visionary integrators and service providers were soon moving BGM, paging, intercom and even control functions (HVAC, lighting and more) over a common IP architecture using Barix hardware.

By 2006, Barix had a global partner network — including the highly successful Barix Technology USA division, long managed by the late Andy Stadheim — and a worldwide presence in education, government, hospitality, medical, radio broadcast, retail, scientific, transportation and worship environments. Product developers, enthused by positive feedback, soon came to Barix requesting modular solutions to help them build their own products.

“Many of today’s primary Barix applications were discovered by chance, or developed through early enthusiasts,” said Rietschel. “That’s especially true in broadcast, where many AM and FM radio stations didn’t have the budget for STL systems that ran tens of thousands of dollars. We also saw strong interest from music service providers and retail operations that urgently needed to transition from expensive satellite systems, and transit companies that were replacing copper with fiber. Barix was in a perfect position to assist these customers with their IP transitions, as our devices offered the combination of price, reliability and performance they needed.”

He recounts one challenging period in this timeframe when RoHS environmental regulations forced a substantial product redesign. Barix ran low on cashflow, and one shareholder opted out of further investment. Rietschel worked for months without pay and invested more of his own money to redevelop products and meet regulations. Within months, Barix sold several thousand of the then-new Exstreamer 100 decoder — a product that remains available today.

While Barix continues to develop new IP audio and control hardware devices, the company’s focus has increasingly shifted to more software-defined and cloud-based architectures. These have led to recent game-changing, enterprise-level BGM streaming solutions like RetailPlayer and SoundScape; cloud-based radio signal distribution solutions like Reflector; and fully networked communications systems like Paging Cloud and Simple Paging.

Barix was also an early innovator of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) technology, first adopted by security customers for efficient VoIP connections and now gaining traction in broadcast; and among the first to merge digital signage and BYOD mobile applications with its AudioPoint solution. Meanwhile, the company’s OEM business continues to flourish; Barix is now on its fourth-generation IPAM Series module (IPAM400), and most recently introduced its IP Former solution to help loudspeaker manufacturers transition their legacy products to IP networks.

The unending innovative spirit and sense of creative freedom at Barix has been instrumental in the company’s global growth. The company continues to attract engineering talent from inside and outside their core industries, and recently opened a new “innovation center” in Portugal that focuses on research and development for new and existing markets.

Current CEO Reto Brader, who has accelerated the company’s transition to more cloud and SaaS solutions, jumped at the opportunity to join Barix after growing familiar with Rietschel’s continuously evolving vision. He finds Barix inescapable even while just going about his daily business.

One of Brader’s favorite stories is from a farmer in a rural northwest area of the United States who uses Barix to play music for 3000 cows on a 30-acre dairy farm. “It’s been running in a very harsh weather environment where the temperatures are very extreme and power issues abound, yet it all keeps running,” he said. “The creativity and innovation at Barix extends to our partners and customers that continue to find unique and compelling ways to use our products.”

Rietschel adds that the longevity of their installed products correlates with the longevity of Barix. “Our products are reliable and hold up well over years and even decades, and the more recent generations of our products will have even greater longevity through firmware updates,” he said. “While we have never been the biggest company, we remain profitable and have made it through 20 years and challenging business environments without ever laying off employees.”

— Brian Galante

Triton Digital is harping the addition of what it is calling “robust audit functionality” within its podcast platform, Omny Studio.

The new audit log within Omny Studio provides “an unprecedented level of tracking data that enables users to view who from within their organization or network have created, modified, or deleted a wide range of objects including chapter markers, clips, playlists, programs, and more,” Triton says.

Additionally, the audit log can be utilized to track network and organization activity, such as user settings, invites and permissions.

“We remain committed to providing our clients with powerful and innovative tools to support their enterprise podcast strategies,” said Sharon Taylor, Managing Director at Triton Digital.  “Our in-depth audit log was purpose-built to provide both users and their development teams with the granular information they need to efficiently manage and troubleshoot changes to their content and within their network or organization, enabling them to spend less time manually tracking activity and more time creating great content.”

The Omny Studio platform is used by such companies as Cumulus Media and Canada’s Bell Media.

Telestream, known for its file-based media workflow orchestration, media streaming and delivery technologies, has brought to market the latest version of Wirecast, its live production and streaming platform.

“The new version is filled with features that users have asked for as Wirecast continues to be relied on for remote production and live streaming as well as a capture source for further postproduction and editing,” the company says.

Wirecast’s Rendezvous peer-to-peer remote conferencing and multi-site production feature now includes a back-channel chat feature enabling behind-the-scenes messaging between hosts and guests. “Replicating an on-set comms network, it helps keep programs organized and professional with no surprises during live events,” Telestream claims.

For Wirecast Pro, the new Shot ISO feature allows users to independently record any shot to disk including Rendezvous shots, audio-only shots, or any user-generated shots.

The latest version also supports Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) output using the Caller
method with either x264 or Apple H.264 encoding. SRT is an open-source video transport
protocol that enables the delivery of high-quality and secure, low-latency video across the
public Internet.

The release contains several new features and updates as requested by the user
community. These include ProRes encoding on Windows, for both ISO recording and record
to disk; performance and efficiency improvements for playback of PNG animations, and
restoring the ability to easily bring audio from any application into Wirecast on a Mac.

At the same time, an updated Blackmagic SDK adds new resolution options and improves capturing at certain resolutions. Additionally, Rendezvous connection improvements provide users with better reconnection if Rendezvous guests are disconnected.

A new online event on April 1 will provide a spring convention feel to radio and pro audio professionals who want to learn about new products and technology and network with colleagues and manufacturers.

Future plc, the parent company of Radio World, has announced the Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit, a free one-day online show produced jointly by Mix magazine, Pro Sound News and Radio World.

The event will feature a virtual exhibition floor, panel presentations, live chat and numerous media presentations showcasing technologies and trends in both radio and pro audio, on two separate session tracks.

“It’s been a challenging year across all entertainment and technology markets, but also a transformative one,” says Paul McLane, editor in chief of Radio World.

“We’ve seen changes in workflow, changes in how we collaborate, and rapid changes in distribution of all media. But users and manufacturers have stepped up, often in creative ways, to ensure that talented people have the right tools to produce quality audio and broadcast content. We plan to explore the state of the industry and highlight some of the trends and success stories from across the country.”

The event will use the vFairs virtual events platform, which provides attendees with an impressive convention-live user interface and facilitates interaction and networking.

The Pro Audio Track will feature sessions on remote production, the multipurpose house of worship studio, the rise of immersive music, audio networking technologies, and improved audio for education.

The Radio Track will feature sessions on hybrid radio, Android Automotive, AoIP, virtualization, streaming, and trends in transmission. These topics will be of interest to any radio broadcast manager or engineer who manages technology or uses it to advance their careers and business missions.

Learn more and register here.

The post Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit Announced appeared first on Radio World.

A dramatic new transmission tower that stands above Istanbul, Turkey, includes 100 liquid-cooled Rohde & Schwarz FM transmitters.

The manufacturer said it was picked to provide FM infrastructure at the striking Camlica Tower by transmission service provider Kule Verici Tesisleri Isletim Ve Teknolojileri A.S. “after many other companies claimed the transmission challenge was impossible to achieve.”

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

R&S quoted the project management as citing transmitter efficiency and a small footprint as one of the reasons for choosing its model.

The visually striking TV/radio tower, about 1,200 feet high, is on a hill overlooking the city. According to news reports the structure replaces numerous older transmission towers, and features restaurants, observation decks looking out over the Bosporus Strait, and exhibits. It is expected to be a major tourist attraction.

See more photos of the structure.

Send news for Radio World’s Who’s Buying What coverage to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post R&S Celebrates Istanbul Tower Project appeared first on Radio World.

The battle of the QSRs is on at Spot TV, the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report shows.

While McDonald’s remains a top 5 advertiser, Wendy’s is revving up its activity.

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RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION

It’s funny what a simple Google search will yield. Seeking airchecks from WHTZ “Z100” in New York, the famed Top 40 station, from thirty years ago, we stumbled across an article in The New York Times from July 28, 1991.

Upon reading it in its entirety, it was remarkable to notice just how similar today’s Top 40 radio issues are to back then.

Dude … that’s just sad. Hasn’t the recording industry and radio station owners and operators learned anything from those “dark days,” perhaps a bit more bleak due to the nearly year-long COVID-19 pandemic?

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Quick: At what time of the day does most U.S. radio listening take place? It’s not the traditional drive time hours, despite what you might think.

That’s the topic of a new blog post by Pierre Bouvard of Westwood One, who says misperceptions among ad buyers about radio listening can hurt those companies.

[Read: Determining How Many Ads a Station Needs to Run to Get Results]

“Some advertisers only buy drive times thinking they are getting most of AM/FM radio’s audience,” he writes —understandable given radio’s strength in vehicles.

But in truth 39% of AM/FM radio listening occurs during drive times, “a stark difference in perceived and actual AM/FM radio listening.” Middays actually are the most listened to time period.

The highest share of time spent among adults 25 to 54 is middays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 26%, though the morning and afternoon drive times certainly are also strong. Bouvard notes that middays are helped by the fact that their defined time slot is five hours long.

“There is also a major disconnect about weekend listening. Advertisers perceive only 12% of all listening occurs during the weekend. The Nielsen reality is 21% — bigger than morning drive.”

He concludes that the common advertising rule to “only buy drive times” is actually myth that is “dangerous and harmful to advertiser sales growth,” missing 60% of the AM/FM radio audience, reducing reach and harming advertiser sales “lift.”

He also says that despite the pandemic, the share of AM/FM radio listening by daypart is very stable.

Read the post.

The post Drive Time Ain’t the Only Time appeared first on Radio World.

Looking for the little green gecko?

He’s not here right now. However, how would you like to translate your latest copy into Spanish, Mandarin Chinese or Hmong?

The leading advertiser at broadcast radio for the final week of January 2021 may be of help.

As shown below, Babbel is the No. 1 brand using Spot Radio, according to the latest Media Monitors report. And, it is in the lead with a commanding 68,084 spots — slightly more than the current COVID-19 related CDC campaign.

Meanwhile, it is not GEICO but Progressive that has the auto insurance category lead at spot radio.

Otherwise, more brand consistency is present, with Bank of America and sister brand Merrill each in the latest Spot Ten Radio report.

In recent years, tuning to Channel 32 in Columbus, Ohio, on any TV with a digital antenna attached to it would have yielded the Movies! affiliate, with the Weigel Broadcasting diginet siblings Heroes & Icons and Start TV networks on its DT signals.

Now, the low-power TV station serving the Buckeye State’s capital region is being sold to a religious broadcaster that’s held a Time Brokerage Agreement for the facility since 2019.

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BOCA RATON, FLA. — From a low-rise office building housing Newsmax on the ground floor and its corporate offices on the second floor, Vertical Bridge has established itself as a formidable presence in the world of tower ownership.

Now, the competitor to Steve Bernstein’s SBA, just up the street; Crown Castle; and American Tower Corp. has struck a potentially game-changing deal with Dish Network Corp. that will go a long way toward helping the DBS provider become a major 5G player nationwide.

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Entercom Communications distributed “an important update” on Monday morning regarding one of its most important audio brands.

“Later in 2021,” its Brand Manager — the Sports Format Captain for the entire company — will step down from day-to-day oversight of WFAN-AM & FM in New York and CBS Sports Radio.

What’s next for Entercom … and for Mark Chernoff?

Many are likely asking that question, as Chris Oliviero, Sr. VP and Market Manager for Entercom/New York, wrote in a company memo to the local staff that “[a]fter nearly 30 years of unmatched success,” Chernoff will be relieved of day-to-day oversight of WFAN and for CBS Sports Radio “after a worthy successor has been identified.”

While that will come over the next 11 months, Chernoff notes it won’t be rushed. “Trust me,” Oliviero wrote. “[It] will be no easy task.”

And, “since no one knows the job better,” Oliviero said Chernoff will be a member of the search committee for the next sports content lead for both brands. Until that time, he’ll remain fully responsible for all operations.

Chernoff will continue on as an advisor to WFAN after the search and transition is
complete.

Oliviero commented, “I was lucky enough to first meet Mark in 1998 in his windowless sub-sub-basement office out at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens. I was a college grad groveling for part-time board op shifts at WFAN. That began a relationship that has evolved into one of the most rewarding, important and genuine friendships of my entire life. One that I have and always will cherish.”

Chernoff’s tenure at WFAN includes overseeing a Sports Talk giant that gained an FM signal, the former WPIX-FM and WQCD-FM at 101.9 MHz; saw Imus in the Morning continue the legacy of the former WNBC-AM; and gain a huge legion of fans through such sports talk shows as Mike & The Mad Dog.

While those programs may be top of mind, “no name has been more responsible for the consistent excellence of ‘The Fan’ than ‘Chernoff,’” Oliviero said.

A trio of Urban One radio division leaders have each been promoted to the roles of VP/Radio at the company superserving African American consumers across the U.S.

Taking those titles for the Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; and Philadelphia markets, respectively, are Daniel Abercrombie, Kimberly Kyle and Ezio Torres. 

Abercrombie will gain full oversight of WDBZ-AM, WIZF-FM & WOSL-FM, and marks his ascension to the lead role at the three stations in Cincinnati after starting in 2015 as an LSM for Urban One in the market. He was promoted to GSM in 2018 and in 2019 gained the role of Station Manager.

Speaking of his new role, Abercrombie said, “The importance of radio as a means of serving our local communities cannot be understated. I am humbled for the recognition but truly proud of our entire Cincinnati team with how they persevered in 2020 and excited to continue the journey with them. But also, it is an honor just to be surrounded by great people every day as a whole at Urban One, and I am just very thankful.”

Kyle held the role of Local Sales Manager with Radio One for 14 years. After serving two years as the Director of Sales at North American Broadcasting, Kyle returned to Urban One in 2017 as the Columbus market station manager.

She’ll oversee WCKX-FM, WJYD-FM and WXMG-FM.

“Urban One and the Columbus team are amazingly resilient. Our people just know how to get it done!” she said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the business and to represent this audience every day!”

Torres returned to Urban One in 2016 as the Philadelphia cluster’s Director of Sales. He’ll now have top duties for WPHI-FM, WPPZ-FM and WRNB-FM. His experience includes a stint from 2002-2009 as NSM for Urban One’s Washington, D.C., flagship station group.

In Philadelphia, he has been National Sales Manager and General Sales Manager and was promoted to General Manager in 2018. “I am excited and thrilled to be recognized by the company!,” Torres said. “I am also humbled because the acknowledgment should go to every member of the Philadelphia market team – one of the best teams with which I have had the pleasure to be associated.”

Urban One Radio Division CEO David Kantor added, “I am delighted to celebrate the achievements and recognize the outstanding efforts of Dan, Kim, and Ezio. They earned the promotion to Vice President with their strong management capabilities, especially in 2020. Not only have they continued to improve their operations, but each made their 2020 budget in what can only be described as an unprecedented year. Under their leadership, each market beat their Miller Kaplan Metrics in Local, National, Total Spot, Digital, and Total Revenues.”

For $925 million, Gray Television is grabbing all of the broadcast TV stations and the AM/FM radio combo in Quincy, Ill., owned by Quincy Media, Inc.

To get the deal done, six QMI stations in markets where market concentration concerns are present will be divested. What stations will Gray gain?

The family-owned media company in 16 markets, aside from Tucson primarily in the Midwest, will be selling to Gray the following stations it will integrate into its operations:

WPTA (ABC/NBC) and WISE (CW) in Fort Wayne, Indiana (DMA 104)
WEEK (NBC/ABC/CW) in Peoria, Illinois (DMA 118)
WREX (NBC/CW) in Rockford, Illinois (DMA 132)
KBJR (NBC/CBS) and KDLH (CW) in Duluth, Minnesota (DMA 136)
KTIV (NBC/CW) in Sioux City, Iowa (DMA 147)
KTTC (NBC/CW) in Rochester-Mason City, Minnesota-Iowa (DMA 156)
WBNG (CBS/CW) in Binghamton, New York (DMA 158)
WVVA (NBC/CW) in Bluefield-Beckley, West Virginia (DMA 162)
WGEM (NBC/FOX/CW) in Quincy, Illinois (DMA 172)

In addition, Gray is also acquiring Quincy’s Heroes & Icons affiliate WSJV-TV in South Bend, Ind.

Welcoming the station’s staff into the Gray family could come with some ease, as Gray likens itself to Quincy in some ways.

“Like Gray, Quincy’s portfolio of best-in-class television stations maintain local control over
programming and operational decisions and have reputations for a commitment to excellence in local news operations, programming, community engagement and public service,” the company said in a pre-market statement issued Monday (2/1). “Gray believes that the deep similarities between Gray and Quincy in terms of company cultures, award-winning journalistic commitments, and exceptional community service will help ensure a smooth integration of the acquired stations.”

Gray will not acquire Quincy’s newspaper operations, which will be divested prior to the Gray/Quincy closing.

The parties expect to close their transaction following receipt of regulatory and other approvals in the second or third quarter of 2021.

And, Gray expects that the Quincy transaction will be immediately accretive to Gray’s free cash flow per share.

Including expected year-one annualized synergies of approximately $23 million, the transaction purchase price represents a multiple of approximately 6.9x a blended average of Quincy’s 2019/2020 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

How will Gray pay for the stations? It said it intends to finance the transaction, net of divestiture proceeds, with cash on hand and/or new debt.

Importantly, Wells Fargo Securities has provided a debt financing commitment for an incremental loan to finance up to the full purchase price of $925 million.

Gray anticipates that its expected “strong free cash flow generation” throughout 2021 should allow Gray to continue to deleverage its capital structure following the closing.

Further, Gray expects that its total leverage ratio, net of all cash and net of proceeds from divestiture sales, would approximate 4.0 times trailing eight-quarter operating cash flow, including estimated synergies, at year-end 2021.

The transaction requires no Gray shareholder vote will be required.

Wells Fargo Securities served as financial advisor to Quincy. Cooley LLP served as primary legal counsel for Gray. Brooks Pierce and Scholz, Loos, Palmer, Siebers and Duesterhaus LLP served as legal counsel for Quincy.

Gray currently owns and/or operates television stations and leading digital properties in 94 television markets.  Gray also owns video program production, marketing, and digital businesses including Raycom Sports, TupeloRaycom, and RTM Studios, the producer of PowerNation programs and content.

With Monday’s early morning blockbuster announcement that Quincy Media, Inc., largely controlled by two families whose ownership stake in the Illinois-based company dates to 1926, will be purchased by Gray Television, the question of whether the deal meets FCC and Justice Department approval is perhaps of one the biggest topics surrounding the transaction to swiftly emerge in D.C. circles.

The quick answer: Yes. But, that depends on the spin-off of stations in six markets. One of those markets is Tucson — where Quincy in 2019 completed its October 2018 deal to purchase NBC affiliate KVOA-4 from Cordillera Communications.

What does the future hold for KVOA? That’s up to its future owner.

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