Industry News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has increased funding to the five National Multicultural Alliance public media organizations – Black Public Media, the Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting, Pacific Islanders in Communications and Vision Maker Media.

How much will each organization receive annually?

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The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

The passing of media giant Rush Limbaugh should be a reminder of the ability of radio to shape lives and opinions.

Limbaugh, the conservative antagonist, died Feb. 17 after a battle with cancer. His biggest boosters praise him as a champion of populism and nudging the Republican Party to be something more assertive than it was than when he began his radio broadcasts in 1984. His shock-jock style won over millions, including former President Donald Trump, who awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Has Radio Done Enough to Fix its Racist Past?]

Like many Americans, I wasn’t particularly fond of him. Just last week, I credited Limbaugh with making racist hucksterism viral, infecting local radio coast to coast. Regardless, this column is not an interrogation of Limbaugh’s contributions, but rather a conversation about the medium.

The out-of-touch eulogies may today cast the man as an antique from the 1980s and 1990s. The truth is Limbaugh enjoyed a huge audience in 2021. Carried on over 600 radio stations nationwide, more than 20 million daily listeners tuned in to Limbaugh. Yes, daily. The audience remained loyal even though he’d been largely absent from the program due to illness. That number beats most top television shows on any given week, including football on Sundays, Mondays or Thursdays.

Rush Limbaugh pumps thumb after being awarded the Medal of Freedom by First Lady Melania Trump after being acknowledged by President Donald Trump during the State of the Union address in February 2020. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

For fans, Limbaugh’s act was surely a draw. In addition, the end of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 gave stations greater license to air his viewpoints. However, is there really any debate that television or print would hardly have elevated him the way radio did? Without a medium as ubiquitous as radio, he never would have soared to the heights he did — and remains, frankly.

This gets to the heart of the matter. Radio is often declared dead. Some sneer at it as a relic left behind by Tidal and Spotify. We in community and public media fret over relevance, but sometimes miss the power of relationships. Radio is still a part of the lives of most Americans. In crises like we experienced this week in Texas and other states besieged by winter storms, radio has been a lifeline. Moreover, what would iconic voices we’ve known and do know be without radio?

Even with so much content available to us and the answers to literally every question as far away as our pants pocket or purse, radio still holds a place for all of us. It captures our imaginations and permits us to focus in on just the human voice and the visuals that words create. Netflix can keep churning out programs. Instagram and YouTube can percolate the next stars for Gen-Z. And, as a pillar of media worldwide, radio will continue to be integral enough to take for granted.

Before we again accept another obituary for radio or be subjected to another lazy headline asking about radio’s demise, let’s remember the importance radio has in the world. It continues to impact culture, politics and everyday life, and will for years to come.

The post Community Broadcaster: Unspoken appeared first on Radio World.

A session of the upcoming virtual Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit will explore trends in audio over IP for radio broadcasters.

Moderated by Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane, the 30-minute session will discuss what radio infrastructure planners need to know about current trends, including implications of the new WFH environments that are now part of everyday life for broadcasters.

Panelists will include Ed Bukont of E2 Technical Services & Solutions, an experienced media systems consultant and engineer who works often with networked audio; Michael LeClair, chief engineer of WBUR in Boston, who wrote and edited Radio World’s most recent ebook about AoIP trends; and Chris Crump, senior director of sales and marketing for Comrex, whose products play a key role in the AoIP workflows of many radio broadcast operations.

The one-day virtual event is free and includes separate tracks exploring radio and pro audio technology topics, as well as a virtual show floor that allows attendees to interact with exhibitors and learn about new products.

Registration is open here. Limited sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Also that day, NAB’s David Layer and John Clark will give the radio track keynote about hybrid radio and Android Automotive, two key technology developments that affect radio. Another of the 10 sessions available that day will cover virtualization, featuring Roz Clark of Cox Media and Alan Jurison of iHeartMedia.

This virtual event is produced jointly by Mix magazine, Pro Sound News and Radio World.

The post AoIP Is on the Agenda for April 1 Summit appeared first on Radio World.

The author is EVP of sales, support and marketing, Telos Alliance.

Most Radio World readers might wonder why the next television standard — ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV — would have any relevance to a radio engineer or manager. There is more to consider than you might have guessed.

First, an update on the rollout: A number of U.S. television stations have now adopted the ATSC 3.0 standard. The Advanced Television Systems Committee expects 60+ markets serving about 70% of all U.S. television viewers to launch by mid-2021.

According to the Advanced Television Systems Committee website, TV broadcasters are working to bring ATSC 3.0 first to 62 markets.

The standard includes provision for 4K video, immersive audio, control over the viewer experience and quite a bit more. The standard has been tested extensively over the air in Phoenix, and viewers are excited about the enhanced viewing experience.

If you want to learn more, TV Technology, Radio World’s sister magazine, has a great stack of articles at www.tvtechnology.com/tag/nextgen-tv.

Here’s why I think ATSC 3.0 matters to those of us primarily focused on radio broadcasting:

ATSC 3.0 is an IP-based standard and can provide more than just a better TV picture and sound. IP has revolutionized how we distribute and mix audio in our facilities and distribute our content to transmitters and streaming CDNs. Likewise, having the TV over-the-air (OTA) transmission path capable of supporting an IP stream means more flexibility for what is carried by RF signals to all those homes.

An over-the-air “fully IP” system aligns broadcasters with how the audience consumes nearly all their other media, whether audio-only or audio with a picture.

The potential intersection of radio with ATSC 3.0 should prompt us to consider different scenarios. However, we are in the early days and very much on the front end of what is possible.

This is the time when decisions can have a wide-ranging impact. It’s a time to explore and ask “what if” with open minds. Some of what we consider may never come to pass or could look very different than originally described.

The point is, as an industry, we need to consider our future carefully because what we’ve always done might not be what we need to do in the future to be successful. We only need to look at the interruption of radio OTA listening, compared to radio consumed via streaming devices like Alexa and Google Home during the pandemic, to help us consider the possibilities.

Radio Via ATSC 3.0 in the Home?

Listening to the radio while watching TV is an unusual use case. Still, one recently converted TV broadcaster in Seattle is carrying local radio stations on its ATSC 3.0 payload, making these radio stations available via a web-based program guide running on NextGen TVs. A sort of radio repeater, if you will.

Think about it: Many homes do not have conventional radios anymore. In this case, ATSC 3.0 is providing an alternative path for radio stations to enter the home-listening environment. And when the re-broadcasted radio signal starts out at the playout/mixing stage of the radio station as IP, rich metadata can also play a part to enhance any such listening experience much like is possible with HD Radio.

Radio in the car

And it’s not just radio-listening in your house via ATSC 3.0. The new TV standard is intended to operate in a very robust way in cars, long the domain of AM/FM.

Fadio’s dominance of the mobile listening environment (the dashboard) has begun to share the mobile listener with services delivered by LTE either through a dedicated hotspot or docked mobile phone.

ATSC 3.0 signals carrying radio, in the above example, could also provide an alternative to AM/FM in the car. This gives OTA radio more ways to compete in the dashboard of the future. We can think of radio delivered via ATSC 3.0 in the home and car as “extensions of service.”

Chips in the phone

Over the years, there have been efforts to activate radio receiver chips that already exist in many mobile phones.

Of course, the goal is to have access to OTA radio wherever people are, which is wherever they have their phones! We applaud the hard work of our colleagues who have helped the industry achieve some success in this regard, but it has unfortunately been limited.

Now chips are being designed to receive ATSC 3.0 TV signals in phones. Mobile television reception powered by chips that receive a wide range of world TV standards might move the needle with the mobile phone companies. Hence, OTA broadcasters get a shot at this audience in their daily comings and goings.

If successful, having an over-the-air television chip in mobile phones puts radio broadcasters one step closer to having access to listeners through carriage on ATSC 3.0 stations or possibly via ATSC 3.0 chips that also support OTA radio.

Think of this as the rising tide that lifts all over the air (OTA) broadcasters. It’s a stretch, but “what if?”

Who can predict?

Radio has a 100-year history of informing, entertaining and providing critical information to its millions of listeners. While the industry has had highs and lows over its existence, nothing beats its resilience.

While there is no guarantee of another 100 years, all of us can think and put forth our best ideas not just to be relevant from a content perspective but also to innovate technologically to be where people need us. This might mean building bridges and relationships in ways we have not in the past — in order to change.

Maybe ATSC 3.0 will play a part.

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

The post Why We Should Care About ATSC 3.0 appeared first on Radio World.

Dan Jackson is head of audio operations for SCA [Southern Cross Austereo], Australia’s biggest entertainment company. Its multimedia assets include more than 100 radio stations.

This article appeared in Radio World’s “Trends in Codecs and STLs for 2020” ebook.

Radio World: What’s the latest in trends in the design and performance of codecs?
Dan Jackson: At SCA we are a big believer in standards to ensure interoperability between products. We like to talk in terms of SMPTE 2110 and AES67 for audio distribution, and AES67/SNMP for control. As for codecs we tend to change our choice based on the application; we still use aptX for voice and AAC, Opus and Tieline MusicPlus for audio distribution.

One of the most important trends is delivery of service. As we move away from dedicated POTS and ISDN lines and onto 4G/5G services, we are at the mercy of the tower operators. Having the ability to double-deliver the data through the same or two carriers ensures that content is delivered 100% of the time.

We’ve also noticed a shift away from having extremely low latency links, so things like Forward Error Correction are welcome to help ensure the quality of service.

Another important trend I see is the shift away from traditional “boxes” and capital expenditure. We are seeing a large demand for a software and op-ex model, much like the rest of the IT world.

One of the biggest issues we faced during COVID was the inability to scale our codec fleet. Technologies like ipDTL are certainly paving the way for a software/op-ex future.

When we talk about remote codecs for remote broadcasts, the more portable and durable, the better. Gone are the days of running OB trucks and lengthy ISDN installs. Content teams want to be able to go as soon as possible.

RW: How are today’s technologies solving problems in creative ways?
Jackson: Moving to IP-based technologies has decreased reliability on links, so SmartStream and dual link codecs have allowed codecs to be used in place of expensive microwave links, where historically the IP service is no good.

RW: What role are codecs playing for you in at-home broadcasting?
Jackson: During COVID we had around 20 shows at 50 locations using mostly Tieline VIAs. Their Cloud Codec Controller was an excellent add-on as it allowed our engineers to manage the codecs remotely.

Historically we have been fairly flexible without talent, so broadcasting from home was not new for us. Holiday homes, pregnancies and simply being in another state have required us to have the capability to broadcast remotely. Moving to more portable devices like IOS and Android, but still providing the same level of quality, is an important factor.

[Check Out More of Radio World’s Ebooks Here]

RW: What recent features are offered that other engineers may appreciate?
Jackson: Time-zone delay is a great feature. The ability to pass data streams as well as audio is great.

RW: What will the codec of the future look like, if we use one at all? How powerful can codecs get?
Jackson: As for the future: Fully flexible drop-and-drag DSP boxes, with inputs and outputs on AES67.

If you think about virtual environments and how much resource these environments have, there doesn’t seem to be a limit to power!

RW: What best practice tips should codec buyers be aware of in 2020?
Jackson: Plan for the future. If you don’t have AoIP just yet, it probably won’t be long.

Think about the environment. Is it being installed into a data room or carted to every football game? Do you require dual bonded SIMs?

 

The post Delivery of Service Is Key for Planning appeared first on Radio World.

From our People News page: iHeartMedia has named Derrick Martin to be the market president for its four-station cluster in Norfolk, Va.

He’ll report to Area President for Virginia Chuck Peterson.

“Martin joins iHeartMedia Norfolk from the iHeartMedia St. Louis market, where he most recently served as the region president, overseeing the St. Louis; Des Moines, Iowa; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa; and Springfield, Mo. markets,” the company said in a press release.

“Prior to serving as the region president for St. Louis, from 2013 to 2017, he served as the market president for the Norfolk market and is now making his return.”

He started his career at iHeartMedia Memphis.

[Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com]

 

The post Martin Takes Reins at iHeart Norfolk appeared first on Radio World.

Dish Network on Monday morning, prior to the Opening Bell on Wall Street, will reveal its fourth quarter and full-year 2020 earnings results.

What can investors anticipate?

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A transaction that brings a small MVPD in Northwestern New Jersey into the Altice USA family prompted the owner of a regional news and information station born as WTZA-62 in Kingston, N.Y., to modify the station’s market to include all of the areas this cable TV services provider covered.

The FCC has just said yes to the unopposed petition.

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On December 21, 2020, Entercom Communications stock sat at $2.13, ending a push to $3 that stalled out earlier in the month.

Some believed this would signal a return to sub-$2 trading, seen from mid-June through October 2020.

The exact opposite happened. Entercom shares are up 190% since just two months ago.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER!

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Up on Persimmon Knob in Alum Springs, Ky., sits the broadcast tower for a Class A FM recently reported as silent.

The radio station using this tower has just been handed to a new licensee, pending FCC approval. And, the buyer will take care of creditors’ bills — including the one for the tower lease.

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