On June 1, RBR+TVBR first reported on the proposed sale of WTMD-FM 89.7 in Towson, Md., an eclectic Adult Alternative noncommercial operation within the Baltimore market, to Your Public Radio Corporation.
On November 10, “Public Radio Music Day” across the U.S., the transaction closed.
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On December 1, leadership changes at stations in Orlando, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., Univision Communications is gaining control of from Entravision will transpire.
At the same time, Univision is giving a promotion to local leader Roberto Yañez.
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Should Cox Media Group be granted additional time to fully divest itself of two FM radio stations in the state of Florida, needed transactions contingent on the FCC’s approval of the company’s transition to majority ownership by Apollo Global Management?
The Commission wants your input on the matter, so it can make its best informed decision on a request with a short expiration date.
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On Tuesday, November 16, attendees of Forecast 2022 will likely enjoy the last-ever public appearance as NAB President/CEO of former Oregon Senator Gordon Smith.
At the event, presented by RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink, Smith will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in a luncheon presentation from Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley and Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb.
Later in the day, Smith will engage in a roundtable conversation about the NAB’s leadership transition with his successor, Curtis LeGeyt, moderated by former NAB EVP for Industry Affairs and Strategic Planning Steve Newberry, today CEO of Quu.
Ahead of that discussion, Smith on Wednesday delivered his final State of the Industry Address.
We are pleased to offer Smith’s entire address here:
GORDON SMITH STATE OF THE INDUSTRY ADDRESS
2021 MARCONI AWARD WINNERS REVEALED
ROCK STATION OF THE YEAR: KLOS-FM/Los Angeles
SPANISH STATION OF THE YEAR: KLLI-FM “Cali 93.9″/Los Angeles
NEWS/TALK STATION OF THE YEAR: WTOP-FM/Washington, D.C.
MEDIUM MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Dan Potter — The KRMG Morning News with Dan Potter, KRMG-FM/Tulsa
COUNTRY STATION OF THE YEAR: WYCD-FM/Detroit
SPORTS STATION OF THE YEAR: KTCK-AM/Dallas
SMALL MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Frito & Katy, KNDE “Kandy 95” in Bryan-College Station, Tex.
CHR STATION OF THE YEAR: KNDE “Kandy 95” in Bryan-College Station, Tex.
SMALL MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR: WTAW-AM/College Station, Tex.
MAJOR MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR: KYW-AM/Philadelphia
CLASSIC HITS STATION OF THE YEAR: WCBS-FM/New York
LARGE MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR: KTMY-FM/Minneapolis
AC STATION OF THE YEAR: WTMX-FM/Chicago
URBAN STATION OF THE YEAR: WEDR-FM “99 JAMZ”/Miami
COLLEGE STATION OF THE YEAR: WPSC-FM, William Patterson University, Wayne, N.J.
RELIGIOUS STATION OF THE YEAR: WGTS-FM/Washington, D.C.
MEDIUM MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR: KRMG-FM/Tulsa
MAJOR MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: The Musers, (George Dunham, Craig Miller, and Gordon Keith), KTCK-AM/Dallas
LARGE MARKET PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Ann Kelly, WDUV-FM “105.5 The Dove” in Tampa
NETWORK SYNDICATED PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Rickey Smiley, Reach Media, Urban One
LEGENDARY MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Ben Downs, Bryan Broadcasting
LEGENDARY STATION OF THE YEAR: WSB-AM/Atlanta
The fight for dashboard visibility continues among audio content providers. Streaming service TuneIn is now collaborating with Harman International in a partnership that targets carmakers.
“Together, Harman and TuneIn will join forces to create a pre-integrated implementation of the TuneIn app, bringing on-demand live sports, news, music, podcasts and radio to the Harman Ignite Store,” they announced.
The Ignite Store is a connected vehicle platform that Harman says lets automakers develop and operate their own in-vehicle app stores.
“Automotive manufacturers can leverage the Harman Ignite Store digital ecosystem to enable drivers to download a TuneIn app tailored to the in-car environment,” the companies stated.
“Through the app, TuneIn listeners can access audio content from around the world, while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”
They said their scalable platform can be customized and added into an automaker’s development cycle, “allowing manufacturers to benefit from faster go-to-market timelines and gain the ability to tailor in-vehicle offerings to meet specific customer needs.”
Drivers will be offered a free trial subscription to TuneIn Premium and personalized content recommendations from the dashboard app.
The announcement was made by Harman Ignite Store VP Albert Jordan and TuneIn CEO Richard Stern.
The post TuneIn Collaborates With Harman appeared first on Radio World.
Early in 2020, WAMU completed its new ERI 1183-series FM master antenna system, the largest in Washington, D.C. It serves WAMU, WTOP and WPFW, and is an aux for WETA. The tower also holds separate noncombined antennas for WMMJ(FM) and a backup to WPGC(FM).
Senior Director of Technology Rob Bertrand had been part of the management group for a high-profile master antenna group in another major market, which had experienced some operational challenges over the course of its history that a modern monitoring system might have alleviated. When Director of Engineering Andy Gunn joined the WAMU team, the two set the goal of building the most robust system they could imagine.
Rob contributed his knowledge from managing the prior system and Andy brought his tenacity, creativity, and attention to detail to the project. The result was an implementation of Burk’s Arcturus system of which both engineers are very proud and is a showcase of the system’s capabilities.
[See Radio World’s 2020 Article About This Project]
The monitoring and control project sought to address multiple concerns from the start. Several of the stations have relatively high TPOs in the 20 to 30 kW range, so very solid VSWR monitoring is important. There are unique switching and monitoring considerations to meet some of the backup features incorporated into the antenna systems. There was also a strong desire to ensure the system would accommodate the addition of more stations in the future.
Prior experiences with esoteric failures made redundancy a significant design concern across the system. WAMU wanted dual interlock strings for each station operating in parallel so no single wire would cause an interlock issue for stations. They also added dual dehydrators, which automatically rotate duty cycle via Arcturus, and can be switched online in the event of failure.
Multiple safety features were incorporated: U-links on every transmitter input to the system as well as a key switch and controller lockout system to protect climbers on the tower. There is also a centrally located interlock bypass for when maintenance is required on the VSWR monitoring system itself.
The Burk Plus-X VSWR fit the bill for a self-contained VSWR monitoring unit that would be fast-acting, have three-strike capability, and operate even if it lost connection to the Arcturus controller. Additional Burk Plus-X 600 and Plus-X EM32 units provide the necessary I/O to operate additional functions and monitor critical temperatures, fire, and security statuses throughout the complex.
Burk engineers collaborated with WAMU to program many macros on the Arcturus system that gives it the extensive functionality required. The sheer quantity of monitoring and control points across the system necessitated relatively complex macros, which Burk designed. WAMU also requested the ability to view key system values over the course of a year, so that operating variables across seasons could be tracked. Burk delivered multiple custom pages of monitoring and control in AutoPilot to meet all these needs. Paul Shulins and David Wing of Shulins Solutions provided integration services for the installation of the system. They were vital in thinking through the installation and making sure there were no “gotchas” in this stage.
The Arcturus system has been running reliably for WAMU and its tenants for nearly 18 months. During the initial buildout there were several challenges in ironing out final configurations, but Burk support worked with WAMU as was necessary to get everything as they wanted it to be. The wiring for the system is very complex, and the labeling and documentation for the system is similarly complex. It took a while to determine the best method to label and document the system. The complex macros required extensive testing to ensure they didn’t have any unintended consequences — for instance, opening interlocks in the event of power loss to a single unit or loss of network connection between the devices. Thorough testing and final corrective action ensured the platform will be reliable and responsive to the needs of DC’s largest master FM system for years to come.
Info: Contact Matt Leland at Burk Technology at 1-978-486-0086 or https://www.burk.com.
Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.
The post User Report: Burk Arcturus Serves Washington’s WAMU appeared first on Radio World.
Register for this event, on Tuesday in New York, today!
Take it from Gordon Borrell … You’ve Got To Be There! Gordon Borrell, CEO, Borrell Associates Register today!
Colorado Public Radio logo
Colorado Public Radio and a local community college will exchange radio signals in Colorado Springs.
CPR and Pikes Peak Community College said that early next year, the college’s station KEPC will change call letters to KXRE and air on 102.1 FM and 1490 AM, while CPR’s “Indie 102.3” will air on 89.7 in Colorado Springs and 93.3 in Pueblo.
“Indie 102.3 began broadcasting in Colorado Springs in April 2020 and has seen steady audience growth in the region,” said CPR President/CEO Stewart Vanderwilt, who made the announcement with PPCC President Lance Bolton.
“We’re excited to expand its reach through this trade while also establishing a paid internship program for students from Pikes Peak Community College.”
PPCC students will have the opportunity to intern with KRCC, the news station operated by CPR in southern Colorado.
Bolton said CPR gets a stronger signal, and the students get new internship opportunities at KRCC.
“Meanwhile, the college’s station, now called Xtra Music 102.1, will continue to play the maximum variety of tunes that our campus community loves.” That station is run by faculty and operated by students. Its interns are enrolled in the Broadcast and Electronic Media Program at the school.
CPR and station KRCC will also provide engineering assistance to PPCC’s tower and infrastructure.
The post A Radio Station Swap in Colorado Springs appeared first on Radio World.
The seven-day filing window for applications for new noncommercial educational FM station construction permits closed Tuesday evening. Almost 1,300 applications were received.
The FCC’s Media Bureau now will look for mutually exclusive (MX) groups of applications – those that conflict with one another – as well as “singletons,” those that do not. Then the bureau will release public notices to identify MX groups of applications and explain the procedures for filing settlement agreements and technical amendments. MX applicants will have an opportunity to resolve conflicts through settlements or technical amendments.
The commission also placed a temporary freeze on the filing of any amendments to NCE FM new station applications submitted in this filing window until Nov. 29.
The window is only for proposals in the FM reserved band, Channels 201 to 220, which is 87.9 to 91.9 MHz, and individual entities could only apply for up to 10.
The post Almost 1,300 Applications Received in NCE FM Window appeared first on Radio World.
With the aim of providing financial assistance to those in broadcasting who need it most, the Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its annual year-end giving campaign in which more than $1.8 million in aid will be awarded to broadcast colleagues. The 501(c)3 charity is dedicated exclusively to delivering financial aid to broadcasters and their families whose lives have been upended by illness, accident or catastrophe.
This year’s call for donations follows nearly two years of cancelled fundraising events, most caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the organization, more broadcasters than ever have reached out for monthly or emergency relief.
[Read: Broadcasters Foundation Offers Aid for Texas Broadcasters]
“Requests for assistance have escalated at a significant rate over the past several years,” said Jim Thompson, co-president of the Broadcasters Foundation. “Combined with the cancellation of several fundraising events due to the pandemic, personal and corporate donations are vital to continuing our charitable mission of disbursing financial aid to those in your industry who need it most.”
Over the past 20 years, the Broadcasters Foundation has distributed more than $15 million to broadcasters in need. Since 2017, the organization has awarded more than 500 emergency grants and increased monthly grants 75%. Donations are made through several funds including the Guardian Fund, which handles individual donations, the Angel Initiative, which takes in corporate contributions, and the Legacy Society, which handles bequest request.
“Our grant recipients are hard-working broadcasters from across the country and from all size markets, who have been hit by challenging, often life-altering circumstances,” said Scott Herman, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “With the support and generosity of the people in our industry, we can help … colleagues and their families get through their toughest times.”
To donate or learn more, contact the Broadcasters Foundation at 1-212-373-8250, info@thebofa.org or at www.broadcastersfoundation.org.
The post Giving Campaign Aims to Distribute $1.8 million to Broadcasters appeared first on Radio World.
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