Industry News

In May 2015, the Rev. Denny Hazen passed away, leaving behind his wife, Marge.

Both were widely known across Northeast Ohio for their long-running broadcast ministry, which saw the launch of a TV program and ownership of radio stations.

Now, one of those FMs is being spun.

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“The proliferation and rising popularity of a myriad of digital channels over the past decade has made the measurement of media effectiveness increasingly complex,” says Mike Campbell, the head of international effectiveness at London-based Ebiquity.

In his view, the 2020s will be defined as a time when “a real shift to an effectiveness-led media planning strategy, incorporating both online and offline channels,” begins.

Campbell says, “As we likely head into a recession at the start of the decade, we’ll see a greater demand for, and investment in, analytics – something that traditionally happens during times of uncertainty.”

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She joined Hearst Television in 2017 to lead the central digital teams that curate and produce a broader palate of content for distribution through the station-branded sites, apps and social expressions.

Now, she’s being promoted to Senior Director and Managing Editor for Hearst Television’s central digital content teams.

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WEST PALM BEACH — As expected, the merger of ION Media with The E.W. Scripps Co. has led Scripps to initiate a migration plan that will bring its five Katz Networks multicast networks to newly acquired ION properties.

The moves begin on March 1.

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With the start of the 117th U.S. Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Republican Leader became Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who succeeds the now-retired Greg Walden.

On Thursday (1/14), Rodgers revealed that eight fellow GOP members will be seated with her on the powerful committee that maintains oversight of the FCC.

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Digital media measurement, data and analytics software platform DoubleVerify has received Media Rating Council accreditation for display and video rendered ad impression measurement and sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) filtration, including app fraud, in the Connected TV media environment.

“As marketers increasingly adopt Connected TV/OTT platforms for their ad investments, it becomes ever more critical for those investments to have the protection of MRC-accredited measurements,” said George W. Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the MRC. “DV’s accreditation for its SIVT-filtered rendered ad impression measurement of both video and display ad creatives in these environments is an important step toward that goal.”

DoubleVerify is one of a select few companies in the industry accredited for both video and display impression measurement and SIVT in Connected TV.

Connected TV now reaches over 80% of U.S. households. This number is expected to grow to 86% by 2024; cord-cutter and cord-never households are expected to increase to 44% of the population during this same period, according to Leichtman Research Group. Although Connected TV ad spend increased 27% from 2019 to 2020, eMarketer data shows, ad spend does not yet fully reflect consumer demand for Connected TV.

“As more audiences flock to Connected TV and OTT, advertiser demand for greater transparency in these channels continues to accelerate,” Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify, said. “Our mission is to give our clients the clarity they need to be confident in their media investments so they can take advantage of the opportunity CTV presents.”

DoubleVerify first received MRC accreditation in February 2013 for its tag-based measurement for its impression quality suite of services and desktop display viewability. In 2015, the MRC accredited DoubleVerify for desktop video ad viewability and invalid traffic for both desktop and mobile web, and in 2017, DoubleVerify received additional accreditation for the detection of invalid traffic within mobile apps.

More recently, the company became the first measurement provider to receive MRC accreditation for third-party integrated measurement on Facebook.

Note: RBR+TVBR does not use the term “CTV” for Connected TV, in order to eliminate confusion with Canadian broadcast TV network CTV.

The virtual CES 2021 conference and expo is in full swing, and Jacobs Media on Wednesday offered a three-hour midday tour of what’s hot for radio broadcasters.

Among those participating in the event was Joe D’Angelo, the senior vice president of broadcast at the parent of both DTS and HD Radio, Xperi.

What are Joe’s key takeaways from what he’s seen at CES 2021? Are there some exciting new and/or improved tech products of use not only for radio, but also TV, in the year ahead?

Joe shares all in this latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Joe D’Angelo, Xperi” on Spreaker.

Any given enthusiast on any given subject has his or her favorite “make” and “model.” Fishermen can rattle off their preferred rod and reel combinations in an instant. The same is true with home theatre junkies. And bicyclists. And gardeners.

If, however, you want to engage in a fiery, passionate debate for the ages, get an engineer riled up about microphones!

Radio engineers have a well-established pallet of large-diaphragm studio microphones from which to choose. Over the years a few players have darted on and off the scene in their efforts to provide some sort of nuance or cost-effective solution.

One of the more recent contributions comes from PreSonus. Known mostly for their audio interfaces and mixing consoles, the Louisiana-based manufacturer does have a microphone selection. They offer drum kit mics, matched-pair condensers, an RTA mic, large-diaphragm side address, and very recently, a USB voiceover mic option.

Adding to that growing catalog, PreSonus entered the hardcore radio broadcaster arena with the new PD-70, which retails for $129.95.

What is it? Read on!

A radio studio is the most unforgiving environment for a microphone. Energetic on-air talent are physical and loud, and the first recipient of that energy is the mic. It’s why studio microphones are heavy and robust. The PreSonus PD-70 holds its own in that regard.

It weighs 1.4 pounds and is nothing but steel. A built-in pop filter and outer foam windscreen foster a sleek design and more importantly, excellent plosive rejection. It has a hard-mount design, but handling noise is minimal due to the sheer weight and solid inner construction.

The most interesting rugged feature is the XLR jack construction. It is built firmly into the back end of the PD-70 and it’s not going anywhere. If ever a microphone could be called a “brick,” the PD-70 is it.

The PD-70, from a performance perspective, wasn’t designed to reproduce or accentuate warmth and tone. Its sole purpose is to accentuate clarity.

The frequency response is a full 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but the HP rolloff happens at nearly 100 Hz and falls off fairly rapidly. The upper frequencies are accented beginning at 1 kHz, leveling off at +5 dB around 4 kHz and then rolling off at 11 kHz. This translates into a microphone that keeps voices out of the mud. It’s that simple.

When conducting A/B comparisons to other legacy “radio mics,” the PD-70 coloration lends itself to aiding in situations where vocal clarity and microphone technique are poor. The proximity effect is greatly reduced by the early 100 Hz high-pass rolloff. Additionally, the PD-70 exhibits some sort of magic as it pertains to the higher frequency response, in that “S” sounds are very detailed and clean.

The dynamic nature of the PD-70 and its aggressive off-axis rejection makes it very forgiving in less-than-perfect acoustic environments. Unlike some dynamic microphones, the PD-70 noise floor is virtually nonexistent. It has a very clean output and performs smoothly, using any preamp.

So where should the PD-70 go?

As the price of $129.95 suggests, PreSonus introduced it as an entry-level, budget-friendly studio mic solution. In testing and comparisons, however, it is competitive against long-standing industry stalwarts.

The PD-70 would stand out where novice voice talent is present. It is forgiving to poor mic technique, accommodating to untrained vocal talent (who generally don’t know how to project properly), friendly to bad acoustical environments and it can absorb physical abuse.

For voice talent who have deeper, warm voices and need a microphone that will reproduce that warmth, the PD-70 may not be what he or she is looking for. For everyone else, who needs clarity and accurate voice reproduction, the PD-70 is a top-notch, affordable choice.

Large-diaphragm dynamic microphones frequently are used on kick drums and guitar cabinets. The PD-70 may not necessarily be a kick drum mic. It would, however, perform well as a guitar microphone. Its frequency response rejects the “boomy” tones produced by guitar soundholes and accurately reproduces string sounds with clarity. When a soloist arrives in a studio to do a guitar performance, the PD-70 is an excellent choice.

As for me, my voice can be muddy for two reasons. It’s fairly deep, but also very asymmetrical. The asymmetry demonstrated itself using the PD-70, but it wasn’t as pronounced. Plus, the PD-70’s focus on clarity overcame the asymmetry effects very nicely.

Finally, for this review I asked a production director to spend some time with the PD-70. He conducted an A/B comparison against a very expensive industry standard. After the comparison, he immediately ordered a PD-70.

For information, contact PreSonus in Louisiana at +1-225-216-7887 or visit www.presonus.com.

The post PreSonus PD-70: A Little Different Flavor appeared first on Radio World.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of news organizations today sent a letter to federal law enforcement agencies calling for greater transparency and timely, vital information about the January 6, 2021 insurgency by supporters of President Trump on the U.S. Capitol Building and the possibility of further violence — including at the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

“The agencies must share information about possible civil unrest in the days leading up to Inauguration Day, January 20, through frequent and regular in-person press briefings so the public and news outlets can be properly informed about viable threats and can take appropriate action to protect themselves,” the groups state in the letter.

The letter was addressed to Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Pete Gayno, U.S. Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman, U.S. House of Representatives Acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy P. Blodgett and U.S. Senate Acting Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway.

Signing the letter are the NAB, Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Newspaper Association, Native American Journalists Association, News Media Alliance, News Media for Open Government, News Leaders Association, Online News Association, Radio Television Digital News Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Society of Professional Journalists.

The owner of three FMs and an AM serving North Central Washington state has decided to put the AM and two of the FMs it owns on the market.

And, it has retained Greg Guy of Patrick Communications to find the right buyer — preferably a local one.

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