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Broadcasters are pushing back hard on the Federal Communications Commission’s potential restoration of the mandate that broadcasters file data on the diversity of their workforces and that the data be available to the public, including by blaming Big Tech for some of broadcasting’s diversity recruiting problems.

The annual collection of Form 395-B data on workforce composition (race and gender) has been in limbo for two decades. The filing of the form was suspended in 2001 following an appeals court decision vacating part of the FCC’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements. Even though the FCC in 2004 revised the regulations on filing the form, broadcasters still did not have to file it due to unresolved issues about data confidentiality, issues the FCC is trying to resolve under Chair Jessica Rosenworcel.

In a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued last July, the FCC said it wanted to “refresh” the record on Form 395-B data collection and related ”legal, logistical and technical issues” of potentially lifting the suspension.

But according to an ex parte filing at the FCC, executives from the National Association of Broadcasters, accompanied by 40 broadcasters — general managers, owners and others — from large and small companies and markets met with staffers for all the commissioners to push back on reinstating the form.

[Related: “FCC Could Recommence Race and Gender Reporting for Broadcaster”]

The broadcasters said they are all for improving diversity, but said restoring the form “would do nothing to help achieve this aim, and in fact, could distract the FCC and industry from more effective actions.”

They suggested one of those actions would be for the FCC to “boost interest” in TV and radio jobs given that broadcasters already were doing “everything in their power to attract and retain diverse talent” against a Big Tech industry draining the workforce.

“Several broadcasters described the hurdles they face in trying to attract a diverse pool of qualified job candidates, or for that matter, any pool of qualified applicants,” the broadcasters told the FCC. “In their recent experience, many job applicants — regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender — are more interested in working for one of the Big Tech companies or some other outlet they perceive as more relevant or cutting-edge, and that typically can afford to pay higher salaries.”

The NAB has also argued to the FCC that the form would pressure broadcasters to give preferential treatment to candidates of a particular gender or race.

Taking quite a different view of the issue was the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), which had its own meeting last week with FCC officials.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

MMTC took issue with some of the broadcaster pushback, saying that while “career-building opportunities that extol the benefits of broadcast employment are useful, they are not a substitute for enforcement of the EEO Rule.”

While the broadcasters told the FCC that they “already do everything in their power to attract and retain diverse talent,” the MMTC didn’t see it that way. “[N]o amount of career enthusiasm can overcome the ill-will of an employer who chooses not to recruit or equally employ people of color or women,” the group said.

As to the suggestion the form would force broadcasters into unfair hiring practices, the MMTC said: “The reporting of EEO data — whether anonymously or publicly — does not ’pressure‘ licensees to hire preferentially on the basis of race or gender.”

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Broadcasters Blame Big Tech for Diversity Deficits appeared first on Radio World.

Salem Media Group will hold its annual stockholders meeting at its principal executive offices, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, on the first Wednesday in May.

The announcement comes on a day when the company’s shares were dipping from a three-year high on Wall Street.

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Its brand has been battered and bruised from a fictional HBO Max series that saw the death of “Mr. Big.” Layoffs came, and sales plummeted.

It hasn’t been great of late for Peloton. Now, a spot cable effort is being used to revive the home cycling athletic brand.

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He’s been associated with a Hearst Communications heritage Rock n’ Roll radio station serving “Charm City” for eight years and has a resume that includes roles at Saga Communications and a top-level role at former WMXJ/Miami and WQSR/Baltimore owner Sconnix Broadcasting. 

Now, this veteran radio industry figure who once served as OM of WIP/Philadelphia and Station Manager of WBZ-AM in Boston has decided to say “Good Morning Baltimore” to his staff one final time come March 31.

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Ferrofish recently introduced its updated A32pro and A32pro Dante multiformat converters and routers. The two new converters feature a newly designed black finish, updated front panel with remote control options and GPIO options for redundancy and DSP expansion.

The A32pro Series is intended for signal conversation and distribution for recording studios, live audio playback systems and broadcast audio facilities, and can also operate as a digital audio format converter and signal router. Audio signals can be freely converted between all analog and digital formats while being simultaneously routed to multiple destinations in blocks of eight channels, allowing for use in a range of professional audio applications. Multiple Ferrofish units can be connected in series to provide large numbers of audio channels in a minimal amount of rack-space thanks to redundant power supplies.

Ferrofish AA32pro Dante Multiformat Converter

Featuring the latest generation of ESS Tech AD/DA converters, the A32pro and A32pro Dante offer multiple connectivity options in a single 1U frame. Both products feature 32 analog inputs and 32 analog outputs on fully balanced 25-pin D-sub connectors. On the digital side, both devices have support for up to 64 channels of MADI I/O via dual SFP slots, which can accommodate either optical or coaxial MADI SFPs and can run in tandem for added redundancy. Up to 32 channels of ADAT optical I/O is provided in each direction with full support to double sample rates of 96 kHz.

A dual-slot bay is provided for future DSP expansion, providing additional processing powered for both unit’s on-board SHARC DSP processor. They also offer a selection of remote-control option,s including Ferrofish’s free REMOTEFISH app. REMOTEFISH can control one or more Ferrofish devices, including all inputs, outputs, monitoring, routing and settings. The A32pro Dante includes 64×64 Dante I/O channels on dual Ethernet ports with redundant functionality.

Other features include a Stereo TRS Main Out with dedicated DAC monitoring path, 32×32 ADAT I/O channels on TOSlink jacks with 96 kHz support, 64×64 MADI I/O channels on LC Multimode SFP module, user exchangeable (with Optical Singlemode and Coax SFP module options available). The units feature word clock I/O on BNC connectors with proprietary jitter reduction circuit and MIDI I/O on 3.5-mm TRS connectors. The GPIO port is included for remote presets for switching and alert monitoring on dSub15. Also included is a dual stereo headphone quarter-inch TRS outputs with HQ-amp modules and a dedicated DAC.

Beyond a four-screen multitouch user interface, the converters feature an illuminated touch-sensitive high-res encoder.

The post New Ferrofish Multiformat Converters and Routers Make Debut appeared first on Radio World.

A well-known Netherlands-based provider of broadcast software products to radio and television companies has agreed to suspend all of its operations in Russia.

The decision was sparked by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which saw the Russian military destroy the main broadcast communications tower in Kyiv, the nation’s capital.

Raoul Wedel, CEO of Wedel Software, confirmed via LinkedIn on Friday that his company will be putting a halt to all of its Russian operations. “Today’s news out of Tsjernihiv and Borodyanka is heartbreaking and are all war crimes,” Wedel said of Russian military incidents that prompted him to stop his company’s activities in Russia. “No company, person or organization should financially support a regime deliberately killing innocent civilians.”

Roughly 20 employees are impacted. “We are sad that the freedoms promised in the 90s did not prevail,” Wedel added.

Via e-mail communication, Wedel confirmed to Weekly Tech Roundup that his company has had a portion of its research and development in Russia for eight years. Interestingly, prior to that it was in Ukraine, for five years. “I have been in the region many times and have many friends an connections there,” he said. “The decision was on one hand heartbreaking, and on the other hand I feel we have no choice. People must unite against these war crimes. We have employees in Donetsk, Rostov on Don, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. None of them support this war and they are just trying to provide for their families. One is actually emigrating because he does not want to pay taxes to the government.”

Wedel notes that the decision will not impact his company in the short term. But, he added, “We will need to regroup our R&D in the near future. Even if the war were to end soon, the country will remain unstable and sanctioned as long as Putin is in power. I hope this story will make more companies consider cutting all their ties with Russia.”

 

An AM/FM pair serving a small city due north of Amarillo is being spun. The deal value includes the studio building and land, station equipment and the broadcast tower.

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(Getty Images/Carolyn-Hebbard)

I’ve never quite gotten over the fascination of having a supercomputer in my pocket.

This is a kid who was thrilled to get his first electronic calculator, even though the most impressive thing I really ever did with the thing was to spell out “shell oil” upside down with the LCD digits.

Growing up, I too hoped for jetpacks and Dick Tracy wristwatches. But I don’t think I really expected ever to be able to have a face-to-face video conversation with my brother from hundreds of miles away on a high-quality screen in my hand.

Now such capability and many others are part of everyday life — if not exactly humdrum, then at least commonplace.

And just when I get accustomed to all the things I can do with my current iPhone, Apple comes out with an even better one. I have barely scratched what my current one can do, on its own or with third-party apps added. But I try to pause and appreciate how incredible these tools really are and how much information we can call on at will, compared to all of the humans who have lived before us.

I’m musing on this because of our story this week, in which I asked a bunch of our friends and readers to tell us about their most useful smartphone apps. Check it out, and let me know your own faves.

Meanwhile, thanks to the internet, I now know that the website Dr. Mike’s Math Games for Kids lists more than 230 words that work for the Upside-Down Calculator Word Game. My childhood “shell oil” would be:

710.77345

That information makes me happy.

The post Indeed There’s an App for That appeared first on Radio World.

It’s another steady-as-she-goes week for advertisers using national radio to reach consumers.

That said, a popular heritage convenience store chain is now in the Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report … and it’s a place we paid $3.59 a gallon for gasoline while visiting St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday.

Our shout-out goes to Circle K, which has a formidable footprint of quick-mart and fill-up sites across the U.S. With 7 Eleven stores expanding of late and competition in Florida from Philadelphia-area legend WAWA, the convenience store category is hot.

Furthermore, as Mintel research conducted in 2011 shows, African Americans overindex in their frequency and purchasing of goods at convenience stores, compared to the total population. This hasn’t changed today, giving the category a unique opportunity at Radio, given the R&B and hip-hop formats that make FM a prime listener destination in markets with a sizable Black population.

Overall, Circle K is No. 10 on the latest Spot Ten Radio report. It’s the lone new entrant, as Indeed remains the big No. 1 and both Progressive and Babbel continue their strong use of spot radio. In particular, Babbel spots were heard Saturday evening on WWLL-FM in Sebring, Fla., and have been heard on stations in Cambria, Calif.

This illustrates the continued importance of national radio in a media mix, and how brands can capitalize on reaching unique audiences in non-rated markets.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KSCW-DT, channel 12, Wichita, Kansas. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 28 for channel 12 at in the Table of Allotments.

An unidentified presenter in the Radio RMF Ukraina studio as posted to the station’s Facebook page.

Just 30 hours after the idea was developed, RMF Ukraina began broadcasting on FM from Przemyślu, Poland, which is about 6 miles from the border with Ukraine.

The station was launched on Mar. 2 by RMF Grupa, part of the Bauer Media Group and the largest radio group in Poland.

“The Office of Electronic Communications immediately selected the frequency and issued approval for temporary broadcasting, which was agreed to by the KRRiT chairman. We are also very grateful to Emiel, which prepared the broadcasting station from which the program is broadcast within a few hours,” stated Andrzej Mielimonka, president of Multimedia Sp. z.o.o., which oversees the RMF Maxxx network.

From Przemyślu, the station can reach people queuing to cross the border with information in Ukrainian and English about procedures for entering Poland, sources for assistance, healthcare, and job opportunities. The station does not carry advertising.

Public service broadcaster Polskie Radio is also working to reach displaced Ukrainians on both sides of the border. The broadcaster’s international service has long produced Ukrainian-language programming, which is distributed online and via longwave. It also has added real-time transmissions from UA: Ukrainian Radio’s first channel to its DAB multiplexes across the country.

The post RMF Launches New Station for Ukrainian Refugees appeared first on Radio World.

Following on the recent suspension and departure of Russian broadcasters from the European Broadcasting Union, the board of directors of egta, the global organization for radio and television sales houses, has suspended its relationship with its Russian members in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According egta, its Russian members included European Media Group (EMG), CTC Media’s Everest Sales, Gazprom-Media, Media-1, National Advertising Alliance (NAA), and Russian Media Group.

In a statement released on Mar. 3, the egta board of directors stated: “As an association built on cooperation across borders, we are deeply concerned by this tragic situation and strongly condemn Russia’s overt attack upon democracy and peace in Europe.

“As such, we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with all egta colleagues in the media and advertising industry, in Ukraine and Russia, who are unwillingly drawn into an unnecessary conflict.

“However, as a strong signal to its leadership and as part of the international effort to isolate Russia from the international community, we are suspending services to all Russian member sales houses. The suspension will remain in effect until further decision by the association’s next General Assembly.”

The association also noted that its members are involved in humanitarian actions and fundraisers in response to the invasion and subsequent refugee crisis. “Additionally, the association will donate €100,000 [$109,275] to both Ukrainian media and humanitarian institutions and invites other associations across Europe to consider similar measures,” according to the statement.

The post Sales Association Suspends Russian Members appeared first on Radio World.

The BBC World Service tweet announcing the new shortwave broadcasts to Russia and Ukraine.

The BBC World Service is turning to shortwave radio to deliver trustworthy news to Russians, now that the Kremlin is blocking Western media websites’ reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There is apparently a hunger for alternatives to Putin’s propaganda among Russian-speakers. According to a March 2, 2022, BBC media release, “The audience for the BBC’s Russian language news website more than tripled its year-to-date weekly average, with a record reach of 10.7 million people in the last week (compared to 3.1 million). In English, bbc.com visitors in Russia were up 252% to 423,000 last week.” [The week cited by the BBC was Feb. 21–27, 2022; Russia troops entered Ukraine on Feb. 24. —eds.]

To help satisfy this hunger, the BBCWS announced it is broadcasting four hours of English news daily on two shortwave frequencies, both of which “can be received clearly in Kyiv and parts of Russia,” said a BBC media release. The additional shortwave frequencies are on 15735 kHz operating from 1400 to 1600 UTC and on 5875 kHz from 2000 to 2200 UTC. Eastern European Standard Time, where Kyiv is located, is two hours ahead of UTC; for reference, U.S. Eastern Standard Time is five hours behind UTC.

The BBCWS ended its Russian-language shortwave broadcasts in 2011. At that time, U.K. government budget cuts forced the BBCWS to eliminate five language services and focus seven others, including Ukrainian and Russian, on online, mobile, and television platforms.

In addition to BBCWS’s new service to Russia and Ukraine, Ö1, the main news channel for Austrian public service broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk has expanded distribution of morning, midday, and evening news programs to shortwave. “Ö1-Morgenjournal” can be heard on 6155 kHz at 0600 UTC, “Ö1 Mittagsjournal” on 13730 kHz at 1100 UTC and “Ö1 Abendjournal” on 5940 kHz at 1700 UTC.

“With this additional service, the Ö1 radio journals can be received easily by German-speaking listeners throughout Europe, including in Ukraine,” stated ORF Radio Director Ingrid Thurnher in a press release announcing the change.

Still, at least the BBCWS is back on shortwave to Russia and Ukraine. Other trusted Western Cold War powerhouses such as Radio Canada International are gone from the shortwave airwaves, their antennas torn down and their transmitters turned off.

“RCI was dismantled because of a lack of vision on how well and important an international service is,” said Gilles Letourneau, co-host of the “International Radio Report” program on CKUT-FM in Montreal and owner of the OfficialSWLchannel on YouTube. “Although Voice of America is still on air, it has changed its focus to Africa and Asia. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is still transmitting, but mostly using medium-wave frequencies rather than shortwave.”

When asked if VOA intends to revive shortwave broadcasts to Ukraine and Russia, a VOA public affairs officer replied, “That is a decision for our programming division.”

It remains unclear how effective the new BBCWS shortwave broadcasts will actually be, given the decline of shortwave radio ownership/listening in the Internet Age. But Russians who still have shortwave receivers should be able to tune in.

“I noted that the new frequencies for BBCWS are making it quite well here in North America,” said Letourneau. “They should be quite good and easy to receive on small shortwave portable radios in Ukraine and Russia.”

“It is sad that BBCWS abandoned its Russian language service,” he added. “That would definitely be useful right now, especially as Russia dismantled all of its shortwave jamming transmitters in the 1990s.”

Russia may have diminished its ability to block shortwave broadcasts, but on Mar. 4 Roskomnadzor, the Russian government’s media supervision agency, announced it had blocked the websites of BBC, VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Deutsche Welle and other foreign media outlets, according to Reuters.

In response, the BBC has promoted the use of VPNs, apps such as Telegram and Viber, and the privacy-focused Tor platform as ways to circumvent Roskomnadzor’s filters.

T. Carter Ross contributed to this story.

James Careless is an award-winning freelance journalist with experience in radio/TV broadcasting as well as A/V equipment, system design and integration. He has written for Radio World, TV Tech, Systems Contractor News and AV Technology, among others. Broadcast credits include CBC Radio, NPR and NBC News. He co-produces/co-hosts the “CDR Radio podcast” and is a two-time winner of the PBI Media Award for Excellence.

The post BBC World Service Revives Shortwave to Russia, Ukraine appeared first on Radio World.

The iOS App Store launched in 2008 with 500 apps, according to the Business of Apps website, which says that today, the App Store has 1.85 million different apps available to download, while Android users have 2.56 million on the Google Play Store.

We asked a few Radio World readers and contributors to name their favorite apps.

1. Camera

Perhaps the most useful app of all, and easily overlooked is your phone’s camera.

“I constantly document wiring and changes with it so I can update drawings,” said RW contributor Dan Slentz. “Also, when working on gear or a transmitter, I tend to snap a lot of pics just in case I ‘misplace’ a wire or component so I remember where it went.”

Workbench readers know that columnist John Bisset has long preached often about the usefulness of your phone’s camera in troubleshooting and educating your boss about the work you do.

2. SatFinder Lite

Randy Williams, chief engineer at Learfield, recommends SatFinder Lite from , free for Apple and Android users, as a tool to help in setup and alignment of a satellite dish or antenna.

“A user can program the satellite name or orbital slot from the list of satellites provided, and save to your settings. Then the app syncs to your phone’s internal GPS, compass and camera features, allowing you to point the camera of the phone toward the horizon. And it will display the satellite arc and the location of the satellite you are looking for by look angle.”

Williams says the app isn’t a precision instrument but will get you 95% of the way there in tuning your satellite antenna by giving you azimuth/elevation data from the camera lens to get a dish in the reception ballpark.

The app works for DirectTV, DishNetwork and C-Band satellite locations.

3. Luci Live Lite

Engineers like Greg Dahl of Second Opinion Communications and Tony Peterle of WorldCast Systems useCi various versions of Luci Live for audio streaming over IP. It’s made by Technica del Arte, which offers wideband codec apps for iPhone and Android.

“These are considered among broadcasters to be the easiest-to-use and best performing apps on the market,” writes Comrex in a tech note. There’s info on the Technica del Arte website about how to connect their apps to studio codecs from Comrex, Telos, Orban and other manufacturers.

“Even the SE version has everything I need,” says Tony Peterle. “Bidirectional stereo audio streaming with a variety of algorithms from which to choose. Very useful when trying to diagnose why a particular stream isn’t arriving at a particular site. Put Luci Live in the middle and find out which end has the blockage. Hint: It’s usually the receiving end, where public traffic has to transit a firewall, but it’s nice to be able to confirm and show that to others.”

4. Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

“Using a VPN for remote access to your facility’s network is critical to maintaining security and protecting against external attacks,” says Shane Toven, senior broadcast engineer for Educational Media Foundation.

“Depending on your network infrastructure, you may have a manufacturer specific client, or you may be able to use the client built into your phone’s operating system.”

5. Microsoft Remote Desktop Client

“Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is a common means of accessing Windows systems remotely, and is built into most versions of Windows,” says Shane Toven. “It can be used in conjunction with a VPN client, or configured with a gateway server for external access.”

Use Microsoft Remote Desktop for iOS or Android to connect to a remote PC or virtual apps and desktops made available by the admin of your organization.

6. Angry IP Scanner

“This app will scan the currently connected subnet, or any other reachable subnet, for active hosts,” says Paul Thurst, principal/owner of Data Wave. “It can also be used to find open ports. I like this particular IP scanner because there is also a PC version that operates the same way.”

This is free, open-source software written by Anton Keks, co-founder of Codeborne. It runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

“Angry IP scanner simply pings each IP address to check if it’s alive, then optionally it is resolving its hostname, determines the MAC address, scans ports, etc. The amount of gathered data about each host can be extended with plugins,” according to its website https://angryip.org/. It has additional features, like NetBIOS information — computer name, workgroup name, and currently logged in Windows user — favorite IP address ranges, web server detection and customizable openers.

7. Electrodoc Pro

Paul Thurst likes this app, formerly called Electrodroid, for its many useful collection of electronics tools and references including Ohm’s law, resistor color code, filers, voltage divider, reactance/resonance, resistor series/parallel, capacitor series/parallel, NE555 calculator and more, as well as converters including dB to Watt, frequency, and analog to digital. It also has an extensive list of pinouts.

8. Units Plus Converter

“This is what it sounds like, a converter for almost any unit into any like unit,” says Paul Thurst.

The app, developed by Alan Mrvica, includes tools to convert area, computer data, fuel mileage, length, power, pressure, speed, temperature, time zones, volumes dry and wet, and weight/mass. It also can convert 155+ world currencies.

9. Datadog

Another app recommended by Shane Toven of EMF. “This service allows you to create custom dashboards to monitor all of the systems and applications within your infrastructure at a glance. Its companion app makes those dashboards readily available on your smartphone or tablet.”

Datadog is a monitoring and security platform for cloud applications. It integrates and automates infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring and log management.

What’s your fave? Tell us your favorite app and why. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post What’s Your Favorite App? appeared first on Radio World.

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The Media Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with Salt of the Earth Broadcasting, Inc

The Media Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with KRML Radio, LLC

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