Industry News

Ten months into the COVID-19 pandemic, “radio hosts on FM still matter.”

Imagine that.

It simply took NuVoodoo Media Services to confirm it in a recent “Ratings Prospects Study.”

 

RBR+TVBR RELATED READ:

Thirty Years Later, Has Pop Radio Learned Anything? Adam Jacobson

Seeking airchecks from WHTZ “Z100” in New York, our Editor-in-Chief stumbled across an article in The New York Times from July 28, 1991 discussing pop radio’s “midlife crisis.” The story addressed issues that are still pressing for CHR/Pop stations some 30 years later. Why?

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New microphones come on the market thanks to the podcasting boom … Rosemary Harold says the FCC is without funds to enforce the new anti-pirate radio law. …

Bernhard Borghei discusses Vertical Bridge’s tower acquisition strategy … Tom Lawler talks about trends in audio processing …

The founder of AdTonos explains why he’s excited about audio interactivity … Kevin Curran offers an appreciation of the EV 635A.

These stories and more are explored in the Feb. 3 issue.

Read it here.

 

The post Inside the Feb. 3 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

In the early part of the 2010s, it was part of Davidson Media Group‘s assets targeting Spanish-language consumers.

Today, this Virginia AM retains its branding from those days. But, it is now under new ownership — an entity formed by two of the station’s veteran air personalities.

SAVE YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE TODAY! SEPT. 22-23, 2020 — DORAL, FLA. REGISTER NOW!

 

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January 2021 is in the history books, and the road to what many hope will be a major recovery for Radio is underway.

As far as veteran programming consultant Clark Smidt sees it, “It WILL all come together. We deserve it and are working for it.”

But, it may require some fresh thinking.

In this column, Smidt writes about “Smooth transitions, new styles, new challenges, adjustments, attitude, cooperation and teamwork.” It could prove to be a catalyst for positive growth at your radio or TV stations.

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Ronald Reagan presidential inauguration, Jan. 20, 1981. Photo: Ronald Reagan Foundation

A new 60-second feature of Ronald Reagan quotes is available, tied to the 40th anniversary of his inauguration as president.

The “Ronald Reagan Quote of the Day” was announced by the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which is leading a year-long celebration called “40 at 40.” Reagan was the 40th president and he was inaugurated 40 years ago, on Jan. 20, 1981.

The president — a former actor, movie star, union leader and governor — had numerous connections to radio during his career.

Early on he was a sportscaster for several stations, and he famously recreated Cubs games based on telegraph and wire reports. In the 1970s he used a daily radio commentary to help cement his political profile and his reputation as “The Great Communicator.” Once president, harking back to Pres. Franklin Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats,” he started the tradition of Saturday radio addresses from the White House in 1982 that continued until they sputtered out under Donald Trump.

Photo: Ronald Reagan Foundation

The clips are free, with the restriction that they may only be broadcast as part of the “Ronald Reagan Quote of the Day” feature; they aren’t to be used for other commercial or political purposes. And although not required, the foundation asks that each station air the “Quote of the Day” at least twice each weekday during daytime hours.

“We are granting geographic exclusivity, based on a first-come first-serve availability,” said Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Giller. “Stations must let us know they want to use these clips so we can ensure no other station in their market is already using them.”

Each month’s batch of audio clips will be available at least a week prior to the beginning of each new month at a Dropbox.

For information email mgiller@reaganfoundation.org.

 

The post Daily Clip Features Ronald Reagan Quotes appeared first on Radio World.

Technology experts David Layer and John Clark from the National Association of Broadcasters will keynote the radio track sessions of the Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit on April 1.

The summit, announced this week, is a free one-day virtual trade show where radio and pro audio professionals can learn about new products and technology and network with colleagues and manufacturers. It is produced jointly by Mix magazine, Pro Sound News and Radio World.

David Layer

The radio keynote session “Hybrid Radio & Android Automotive” will provide a look at two technology topics that affect how your radio station is heard in the car, said Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane.

Hybrid radio combines one-way OTA radio reception with two-way online connectivity and streaming, to create a new kind of platform in connected cars.

Meanwhile, the Android Automotive OS is expected to create more powerful, modern infotainment systems. Over the next couple of years, Android Automotive will be in vehicles from Ford, GM, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

John Clark

David Layer is vice president, advanced engineering for the NAB. John Clark is executive director of NAB’s PILOT technology development initiative.

“We’re honored to have David and John headlining our radio track,” McLane said. “The changes that are happening in the car environment will have crucial implications for radio and other audio media. And we’ll be announcing panelists for the rest of our radio track sessions soon; those will explore trends in AoIP, virtualization, transmitter design and streaming for radio.”

The Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit will also feature a virtual exhibition floor, live chat and a separate track of presentations showcasing technologies and trends in pro audio.

Registration for the event is open.

The post Summit to Explore Hybrid Radio, Android Automotive appeared first on Radio World.

In mid-March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic’s full arrival in North America, Townsquare Media delivered its Q4 and full-year 2020 financial results. On Wall Street, TSQ stock hemorrhaged, dipping to $3.95 after starting the month of February at $10.25.

With Tuesday’s closing bell on the NYSE, TSQ has now fully erased all of its COVID-19 stock woes.

On volume of 102,224 shares (average volume is 37,790 shares), Townsquare Media shares finished at $10.17; in early after-hours trading, TSQ was up to $10.18.

This marks a 157% improvement for TSQ, climbing from the depths of 2020, when the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic punctured media stocks severely.

Analysts have pegged a $13.33 1-year target estimate on Townsquare stock, and the latest growth is likely tied to an announcement 8 days ago that it would repurchase at least 10 million shares.

The growth further puts into question why Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP, which describes itself as “a class action law firm dedicated to representing shareholders nationwide,’ is investigating “a potential breach of fiduciary duty claim involving the board of directors of Townsquare Media.”

The law firm made the announcement January 18.

Wall Street shrugged.

He’s been the Market Manager for NRG Media stations in Wausau-Stevens Point, Wisc. Most recently, he served as Market President for iHeartMedia in Wichita.

Now, this veteran radio station cluster leader has joined Cumulus Media to oversee its group of broadcast properties in Montgomery, Ala.

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I’ve heard from plenty of folks who think the boat has left the dock not only for digital on AM but for the entire AM band. Business and technical challenges facing America’s AM broadcasters have been well documented here and elsewhere.

You certainly won’t hear CEOs of big broadcast companies proclaiming their excitement around AM radio strategies unless it’s to count the cash they got from selling tower sites.

Yet when you talk with the handful of people who have real experience with the MA3 mode of HD Radio, their enthusiasm is notable. They say the signal sounds great, that coverage is strong and that they love how station metadata displays on modern dashboard displays.

Our latest Radio World ebook explores the question of what’s next.

One of the people I interviewed is Neal Ardman, who activated the MA3 mode on WMGG in Florida in January, the first station to take the step since the commission approved the option. 

“The MA3 is the great equalizer in terms of audio quality,” Ardman told me. “When we flipped the switch, the sound is incredible. The station sounds like an FM.”

He pointed out that about 30% of cars in his area have HD Radio receivers, then echoed a comment we’ve heard from Dave Kolesar of Hubbard’s WWFD: “Our thinking is, would we rather be in a third of the cars sounding phenomenal, or in all of the cars sounding sketchy and marginal? We chose to be in the cars sounding great,” Ardman said.

It’s worth noting that some AM owners are watching these developments to see if multicasting on the digital AM signal is viable and, if so, whether that might eventually give them another path to obtaining more analog FM translators — similar to how current FM hybrid digital stations can use an HD2 to feed an analog FM. 

I’m sure we’ll hear plenty about that possibility. Note, though, that while existing digital AM receivers can receive MA3, they are not set up to receive multicasting, so this isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

(Urban One tried unsuccessfully last year to obtain experimental authority to feed an FM translator from a digital AM multicast. For now the FCC has said, “Because the record does not establish that an audio stream on an HD-2 subchannel is currently technically feasible, we will evaluate requests to rebroadcast multicast channels on an FM translator on a case-by-case basis until a more fully developed record is available on this subject.”)

I hope you’ll read the free ebook and let me know what you think. 

 

The post Ebook Explores Digital Outlook for AM appeared first on Radio World.

NATE is encouraged by the reintroduction of a bill in the Senate to promote development of a skilled telecom workforce.

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association commented on introduction of the Telecommunications Skilled Workforce Act by Senators John Thune, Jon Tester, Roger Wicker, Gary Peters and Jerry Moran.

Those three Republicans and two Democrats are members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; they say they want to address a shortage of trained workers needed to fill jobs in the telecommunications industry. The bill was introduced a year ago but didn’t get out of committee.

[Read: Telecom and Workforce Development: Why It Matters to Broadcast]

Though proponents of the bill speak mostly about the need to build out 5G and broadband, the bill likely would have some benefits as well to the broadcast industry, which often draws on the same telecom workforce for tower work.

NATE President/CEO Todd Schlekeway said in a statement, “It is great to see this bipartisan group of U.S. senators come out of the gate strong in the 117th Congress through the introduction of this legislation.”

The organization says that if passed the law would be a springboard to greater collaboration between the federal government, state workforce boards, the higher education sector and industry “to accomplish the ultimate goal of developing a future pipeline of skilled technicians that the country sorely needs to meet its ambitious broadband and 5G deployment objectives.”

The bill would set up an interagency group led by the Federal Communications Commission that would work with the Labor Department and other government entities to push this issue. It would also require the FCC to publish guidance on how states can address the workforce shortage by using federal resources. And it would direct the Government Accountability Office to do a study into how many skilled workers will be required to maintain broadband infrastructure in rural areas as well as build the country’s 5G wireless infrastructure.

Schlekeway told Radio World that NATE “certainly feels like there is growing momentum behind support for telecom workforce provisions in a broadband infrastructure package that could emerge from Congress.” Last year, he said, was a difficult one for standalone legislation due to COVID-19 and the elections.

NATE formerly was called the National Association of Tower Erectors, but its name and mission have evolved. The nonprofit trade organization includes more than 1,000 member companies that construct, service and maintain hundreds of thousands of communications towers for broadcast and wireless, as well as distributed antenna systems, small cell networks and broadband.

 

The post NATE Welcomes Telecom Workforce Bill appeared first on Radio World.