Industry News

LOS ANGELES — The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), the association representing content producers, distributors, streamers and buyers that stages the annual NATPE Miami conference and expo, has selected its opening keynoter.

It’s the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Chairman, and he’ll be joined by a popular TODAY anchor.

Mark Lazarus will be joined on the virtual stage by Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY and co-host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.

Kotb will moderate the “fireside conversation” as the all-online NATPE Virtual Miami 2021 event begins on January 19. Sessions conclude Jan. 22; the marketplace is open through Jan. 29.

Attendees to the conference can expect four days of programming channels each with a different theme (Business, Audience, Content, Production). On each of those days, there will be programming blocks with different tracks. Every day will commence with The Big Opening, which includes the conversation with Lazarus, followed by Station Groups, Streaming, and Series.

The line-up includes top content industry executives from AMC, A+E, Avalon, Canal+, CW, DirecTV, DMR, Eccho Rights, Endemol Shine, Entertainment Studios, FilmRise, FOX, Hearst Television Group, ITV Studios, LiveLike, Neilsen, Netflix, Premiere Digital, PBS, StudioCanal, Telemundo, Tubi, RMVISTAR, Starz, Universal Television, Univision, ViacomCBS, Vrio, The Walt Disney Company, and Whip Media.

For more details on the executives speaking and for a look at the programming agenda, please visit www.natpe.com/miami/agenda.

Hearst Television’s Senior Director of Digital Content has been promoted to VP of Digital News.

He’ll continue to lead the digital strategy for the station group while also leading Hearst Television’s central news team, which publishes national and feature news content, produces original video for company franchises including “Stitch” and “Dispatches from the Middle,” and manages the company’s digital copy desk.

Taking the role is Ernesto Mourelo, who has led the digital strategy and social media efforts for Hearst Television’s local TV news websites.

“Ernie is an outstanding journalist who has elevated our digital news product in every assignment he has had with Hearst Television,” said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb. “In addition to his unwavering advocacy of local journalism, Ernie has been an exceptional mentor to many within the company and the industry. His commitment and leadership have contributed to the development of many multi-platform journalists, and will continue to do so.”

Mourelo moved to Hearst Television’s New York headquarters in 2012 as Executive Digital Media Manager of Editorial Operations, tasked with coordinating the efforts of the digital media resources at the company’s TV stations; he was shortly thereafter promoted to Director of Digital Content.

Before that, he was Director of Digital Media at Hearst Television’s WLWT-5, the NBC affiliate serving the Cincinnati market.

Before joining Hearst at WLWT, Mourelo was assistant news director at KVEA-52 and KWHY-22, at the time NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises siblings serving Los Angeles. There, he ran all TV and digital content production. Previously, he was a producer and, later, executive producer at San Diego’s KNSD-39/7, the NBC affiliate.

Mourelo is an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Online News Association, and currently serves as president of the New York chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.

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

This week’s violent clashes in Washington have put the focus on one of community radio’s great challenges: what does a community media organization do when an evolving story grips the nation?

Since Election Day, the United States has spiraled into fractiousness among those who deny Donald Trump lost the White House. The movement this conspiracy theory has inspired reached its possible nadir when at least four people died during a riot at the Capitol Jan. 6. Property was destroyed, explosives were confiscated, and more than 50 arrests were made. News attention was naturally on the scenes of looting, Confederate flag-waving Trump supporters and attempts by law enforcement to regain control of the situation.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Diversity Was Radio’s Story of the Year]

As audiences were hungry for information about this horrendous moment, community media naturally sought out ways to bring coverage. For many outlets, there were few choices.

A range of community radio stations utilize award-winning reporting from NPR or the BBC to supplement their journalism. It is reliable, of a consistent quality, and gives a station the freedom to cut away from regular programming literally at any moment to bring listeners the news as it happens. For stations where such investments are not feasible, however, the options are incredibly limited.

Some community radio stations have relied on resources like the syndicated program “Democracy Now,” which regularly produces election and other coverage for carriage, or Pacifica for special event broadcasts. Public News Service, Feature Story News and even RT (formerly Russia Today) have filled still others’ news gaps. Yet none of these seem to have the capacity to provide breaking news coverage on location or with a reach or quality anywhere approaching the aforementioned leaders in this space. Many attempts to launch breaking news services have been made over the years. None have lasted.

It is hard for a lightly resourced media outlet where news is not the primary service to pivot quickly to emergency coverage. So, what could you do?

A station could curate reporting from elsewhere. A good start might be for a station to collect a list of its go-to news sources and create a process for reviewing them during breaking news, sharing coverage on social media, and how and what your station covers and attributes when news is happening. Having 5–10 trusted sources gives a community broadcaster a baseline. Don’t forget to try a drill to see where your process needs refinement.

A station could do call-in programming, providing an outlet for the community’s reaction to the news. Call-in programming is popular, but you need the right moderator to steer conversations productively and briskly, especially when emotions run high. If your station decides to wade into this kind of content, consider having an analyst as a guest to supplement the discussion.

If daily news coverage is not your station’s brand, maybe times like these are when you lean into what you already do best. One DJ I heard the night after the riot put it this way, “We know that things are bad and assume, if you’re listening to me right now, you’re looking for shelter from it, so I’ll do my best to give that to you.”

And lastly, if news is what your station desires to be known for, it may be time to have development conversations with your board and donors about what it will take to get the journalism you want. A few may find such a discussion as uncomfortable as being out of the news loop entirely. Nevertheless, stations that want to deliver breaking news should talk openly about their needs to achieve such a goal.

As of this writing, there are few options for stations without news capacity to switch to breaking news coverage. Choosing to do so will require investments of various levels from your station in journalism. Your listeners will appreciate it. In the meantime, creative problem solving may be your best approach.

The post Community Broadcaster: Making Sense of Chaos appeared first on Radio World.

On a busy news day, there was a hot rumor catching fire among media brokers and analysts early Thursday: a major TV industry deal was about to transpire.

By mid-afternoon, the news was confirmed. Quincy Media Inc., owner of 24 broadcast TV stations, is “considering” a sale of all of its assets.

In a statement posted early afternoon Thursday (1/7) on its flagship NBC property, WGEM-10 in Quincy, Ill., QMI confirmed that its Board of Directors “had begun marketing the company for sale.”

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One week into 2021, all eyes are on Washington, D.C. It was called an “insurrection” by former President George W. Bush and by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, now the junior Senator from Utah.

As supporters of the president forcefully entered the buildings of Congress, forcing all staff and Members into a lockdown, the WTOP news team sprung into action.

In this exclusive interview for the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM, WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley shares with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson how the station covered all of the events — including the 4am Eastern certification of the electoral college votes that seals the victory of Joe Biden as the next president of the U.S.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Joel Oxley, WTOP” on Spreaker.

The Federal Communications Commission is reminding U.S. broadcasters and other EAS participants of their obligations to comply with the Emergency Alert System rules, including ensuring that alerts are accessible to persons with disabilities.

Here is a link to the full advisory.

“In reporting on the most recent national level test of the EAS, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau noted improvements in key areas, but identified several issues that impair dissemination of EAS messages,” the Enforcement Bureau stated in a five-page published advisory.

“The 2019 Nationwide EAS Test Report noted, for instance, that EAS Participants must ensure that messages comply with the FCC’s requirements designed to make the message accessible to individuals with hearing and vision disabilities.”

The document reminded stations and other to upgrade their EAS software and firmware to the most recent versions; change default passwords; secure EAS equipment behind good firewalls; and synch EAS equipment clocks to the National Institute of Standards and Technology if the gear doesn’t automatically synchronize via the internet.

EAS participants also need to understand their role in the broadcast-based distribution architecture of the EAS, for instance what it means if you have a “participating national” designation. They need to know how to monitor multiple sources to ensure redundancy and reduce the possibility of message receipt failures; how to follow up with monitored sources when an EAS message is not received to determine the cause; and how to submit national test results.

Read the full text here.

The post FCC Issues an EAS Enforcement Advisory appeared first on Radio World.

WEST PALM BEACH — The E.W. Scripps Company and Black Diamond Capital Management LLC have closed Scripps’ acquisition of ION Media Networks.

With the deal, Scripps is, as expected, combining ION’s assets with the Katz networks and Newsy to create “a full-scale national television networks business.” Together, the national networks will reach nearly every American through free over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, over-the-top and digital distribution, with multiple advertising-supported programming streams.

Scripps President/CEO Adam Symson calls the ION merger “a historic and transformational moment” for Scripps, one that strengthens its leadership position in broadcasting and accelerates the media company’s multiplatform strategy “to serve diverse audiences everywhere they seek to be informed and entertained.”

And, with the closing of Scripps’ purchase of ION, Black Diamond has completed what it is calling an 11-year turnaround of ION.

“We are extremely proud of ION’s transformation from $33 million of EBITDA in 2009 to $300 million plus during our ownership,” said Christopher W. Parker, Senior Managing Director of Black Diamond and an ION Director. “This sale brings to a conclusion a successful investment for all of ION’s shareholders. We thank ION’s management team and wish Scripps well with its acquisition.”

Scripps believes “the highly accretive acquisition” will yield $500 million in synergies, most of which are contractually based, over the next six years, reaching a $120 million run rate.

Concurrent with Scripps’ merger with ION, the sale of 23 ION affiliated TV stations to INYO Broadcast Holdings, a Salt Lake City–based operator of stations, has also closed.

Scripps is the No. 4 broadcast TV station owner in the U.S.

However, this deal makes Scripps the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum — a potentially valuable situation given the rollout of ATSC 3.0 and its data capabilities.

The transaction was financed with $800 million in term loans, $550 million of secured notes and $500 million of unsecured notes; a $600 million investment from Berkshire Hathaway in preferred stock; and cash from the balance sheet. The debt financing was led by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. with BofA Securities, Trust Securities, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo as joint book runners.

Methuselah Advisors and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors to Scripps and arranged the preferred equity investment by Berkshire Hathaway. Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. provided the financing commitments for the secured and unsecured debt. Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC served as debt advisor.

BakerHostetler and Brooks Pierce served as Scripps’ legal co-counsel for the acquisition, and Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Dickinson Wright PLLC served as Scripps’ legal co-counsel for the committed financing. Evercore served as exclusive advisor to the Scripps family, and Kirkland & Ellis served as its legal counsel.

Black Diamond was advised by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld on FCC legal matters. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Cooley LLP served as legal counsel for ION Media.

A “seasoned broadcast media legal executive” has joined the C-Suite at the broadcast media company superserving Hispanics that one year ago emerged from bankruptcy protection — and shed all vestiges of its founders by changing the company name.

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In the Pacific Northwest, the Iglesia Pentecostal Víspera Del Fin has emerged as a broadcast ministry dedicated to serving Hispanic evangelicals.

Now, it is gaining some broadcast power by striking deals with both Amador Bustos and Ed Distell.

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WorldCast Systems has announced new software for its Ecreso FM 100W–2000W transmitters.

According to the company, Version 1.9.0, tweaks automation, SmartFM and RDS functions.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

WorldCast says the new version enables the transmitter to automate “a configuration change or send GPIO commands in case of specific alarms.”

There are changes to the SmartFM energy monitoring and usage algorithm which the company says will bring greater efficiencies and operational cost savings. The RDS module is receiving new TA, TP, PTY, DSN and MS settings.

Info: www.worldcastsystems.com/en/

The post WorldCast Updates Transmitter Software appeared first on Radio World.