Industry News

The National Association of Broadcasters is highlighting a new study about the challenges and opportunities for media as they cover the story of vaccines being deployed to fight COVID-19.

NAB and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute commissioned the survey, which was conducted by SmithGeiger.

They found that “a strong majority of Americans are eager for a COVID-19 vaccine and interested in news coverage that provides expert testimony on the safety and efficacy of vaccination.”

They said a desire to get back to normal is the biggest motivator for getting vaccinated and that “media organizations could encourage vaccinations by focusing on messages regarding reducing loss of life and helping others.”

Respondents said local news, via TV, radio and print, are their most reliable source of information.

“The information respondents want most centers on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. The most important voices to these respondents are those of their own doctors and nurses (88%) followed by experts at federal, state and local health agencies (87%), their own pharmacist (82%) and friends and family (78%),” the NAB and RJI said in a summary of the research.

“The survey finds the most impactful local news reporting would be an investigation into the safety/effectiveness of a vaccine or recommendations focused on wearing masks, with 58% of respondents saying this type of coverage would lead them to trust that news organization more.”

They said respondents want stories that “make recommendations based on detailed reporting,” to facilitate personal health decisions, rather than stories that offer information without recommendations or personal stories from journalists about the pandemic.

“They express a preference for coverage that focuses on ‘just the facts,’” according to the press release.

“Respondents prefer messaging that highlights concern for others, such as, ‘Don’t put your family through the pain of losing you…’ and, ‘Protect yourself, protect your neighbors’. In both cases, roughly half of all respondents say they are more likely to get vaccinated as a result of seeing that message, versus just 16% who are less likely.”

Six out of 10 respondents intend to get a vaccine once it is available to them, with 13% of respondents saying they “definitely will not” get vaccinated.

Among other findings, African Americans are “significantly more worried” than the broader public about the vaccine making people sick, and “significantly less confident” that it has been adequately tested. (Read the full press release including other findings.)

NAB and RJI will put together a “messaging toolkit” to be available early next year to help with local and regional vaccine education communications. It will be in English and Spanish and shared with local radio and television stations, journalists and partner groups.

 

The post People Want “Just the Facts” in Vaccine Coverage appeared first on Radio World.

In June 2016, the radio broadcasting company led by Bruce Mittman and Jim Leven agreed to purchase four radio stations on the Florida Panhandle from Apex Broadcasting.

Now, Mittman and Leven are saying farewell to the quartet of radio properties.

The buyer? It’s a media company with a presence in Central Florida — and on Long Island in New York State.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Linear TV accounts for roughly two-thirds of all viewing, and its combination with streaming planning and buying can maximize reach and optimize frequency, particularly with the inclusion of first-party data.

That’s a key takeaway from a just-released report from Comcast-owned FreeWheel‘s “Council for Premium Video,” which is full of insights for advertisers “on a decade of chang and the future of OTT” — a subject every TV industry C-Suite executive should be well-versed in.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Jordan Rich recently concluded a twenty-five year tenure as a late-night talk host at legendary News/Talk radio station WBZ-AM 1030 in Boston.  He’s also worked at WRKO in Boston, and has now added author to his long list of accomplishments.

What prompted Rich to write a book about his time behind the mic? How does he describe the demons and personal tragedies that nearly derailed his career?

Rich provides the answers as he discusses his new book “ON AIR: My 50-year Love Affair with Radio,” in this InFOCUS Podcast hosted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jordan Rich” on Spreaker.

Travel down U.S. 30 from the Cherry Hill, N.J., area just east of central Philadelphia, and you’ll happen across some smaller Southern New Jersey communities as Clementon and Berlin.

Here, an FM translator has been used to rebroadcast a religious noncommercial FM. Soon, that will change — along with the language of what’s heard on the air.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

At the end of next year, Paul McNicol intends to retire from his role as EVP/General Counsel and Secretary at the nation’s largest audio media company. While he will remain with the company as an EVP providing counsel to senior management, McNicol’s focus over the next year will be “ensuring a seamless transition” to his successor.

That would be iHeartMedia‘s Deputy General Counsel.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The author of this commentary is director, business development for CommScope.

As the auction for the much-coveted C-Band spectrum kicks off, we are another step into the complicated process to relocate or repack C-Band FSS earth stations.

While the process has been very well explained, it’s worth taking a little more time to discuss some more background and some of the impacts.

Let’s start off by highlighting the new band plan illustrated below in Fig.1.

Fig. 1: 3.7 GHz Service Band Plan

The Federal Communications Commission has reallocated the lower 280 MHz of the band to be auctioned for new 5G uses and renamed it the 3.7 GHz Service.

This means that all the earth stations in the 3.7–4.0 GHz portion of the band will have to be repacked, or relocated, into the upper 200 MHz (4.0–4.2 GHz). The FCC also allowed for a 20 MHz guard band between the new 5G entrants and the relocated earth stations.

Repacking will be accomplished in two phases:

• Phase I – Earth stations in the lower 100 MHz of the band (3.7–3.8 GHz) must be repacked by December 5, 2021.
• Phase II – Remaining earth stations must be repacked by December 5, 2023.

Based on the FCC’s latest list of incumbent earth stations, there are close to 16,000 as shown in Fig. 2 seen farther below. Intel has put these into the following categories:

Broadcast, Religious, Radio, Data: 9% Cable: 9% LDS: 19% Other: 63%

The majority of these earth stations are capable of receiving across the entire 3.7–4.2 GHz band. In addition, since these earth stations typically receive from several satellites, they are configured to operate across the full satellite arc. Thus, the challenge is compressing earth stations into 200 MHz from 500 MHz, possibly configuring to receive from fewer satellites and in some cases, actual physical relocation.

The effect of this moving or compression on the earth stations will be mostly related to modification of existing equipment including:

• Limiting their receive band to the 4.0–4.2 GHz range
• Re-orientation of antennas to different satellites as needed
• Possible filtering required to mitigate interference
• Possible physical relocation if new siting is required or desired

The main challenge for earth station licensees will be managing the logistics and timing required to make the changes needed to their respective systems.

Fortunately, earth station operators don’t necessarily have to foot the bill for this on their own.

The FCC proceeding for this band clearing / repurposing / auctioning is complex, but it affords earth station operators the opportunity to have repacking or relocation costs covered by the new 3.7 GHz Service entrants.

Fig. 2: Earth Stations and Phase 1/2 Market Areas

In late July, the FCC issued a Public Notice (DA 20-802) announcing publication of its “3.7 GHz Transition Final Cost Category Schedule Of Potential Expenses And Estimated Costs.” This catalog describes the potential expenses and estimated costs that incumbent earth station operators may incur as a result of the repacking or relocation.

The FCC worked with RKF Engineering Solutions LLC to develop the catalog. It includes any necessary changes that will allow the earth stations to receive C-Band services throughout the transition — and after the applicable relocation deadline once satellite operators have relocated their services into the upper portion of the band.

The FCC has noted that it is likely most earth stations that are repacking will require filtering to prevent interference from new 5G users operating below 3980 MHz. It is important to note that this conclusion is supported by a multi-stakeholder group representing a diverse collection of many different interested companies and organizations who assembled to study terrestrial-satellite coexistence during and after the transition.

The group (called Technical Working Group 1, “TWG-1”) created a best practices report concluding that: “3.7 GHz Service operators and earth station operators should work cooperatively to avoid interference problems during the network design stage and continue to work cooperatively to resolve interference problems that may arise.”

Members of the TWG discussed possible coordination between new 3.7 GHz Service operators and incumbent earth station operators — yet could not come to a conclusion on how to establish and manage a coordination process. Earth station operators may wish to keep track of the 3.7 GHz Service auction results and possibly contact auction winners in your area, particularly those operating in the 3.9–3.98 GHz portion of the band.

As mentioned, this is one of the most complex proceedings the FCC has undertaken, similar to the TV station repacking where all the TV stations above channel 38 were repacked into channels 2-31 to make way for new wireless operators.

The good news is that this completed with few major issues, other than taking a little longer than expected. So, as we continue stepping through this process, it’s helpful knowing this isn’t the first time. As well, there is plenty of information and help available to smooth the transition.

The post Repacking C-Band Earth Stations appeared first on Radio World.

The Hawaiian island of Maui is known for many things, including its own variation of the cowboy — the upcountry Paniolo. In towns such as Makawao, horses and farming still can be widely seen in the shadow of Haleakala.

This explains why one local operator provides Country programming via a 69kw Class C FM.

As of today, its majority owner will no longer hold attributable interest in the station, transferring his shares to the operator’s President. It’s an individual largely credited with bringing hip-hop to Indianapolis.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

A noncommercial religious FM radio station that debuted in 1991 and shifted to its current broadcast frequency in 2010 is ready to make the latest update to its operations in Sanford, Me.

A new tower site on the New Hampshire side of the Maine state line is ready to be fired up by this station devoted to “The Word” of G-d. And, it is using a new Dielectric DCR-H FM
antenna that’s just been installed and ready to radiate to bring new vigor to its broadcasts.

The new transmission system is expected to be fired up in the early days of 2021 by WSEW-FM 88.7 — a Class B that’s getting a power increase with the new antenna.

Until getting a construction permit for its jump in wattage, WSEW was a 10kw facility from a site just to the west of Sanford, Me., bringing a city-grade signal to Portsmouth, N.E. Now, with 17kw from the Barrington, N.H., site, much improved coverage of greater Portsmouth is being had, while its distance now stretches to Old Orchard Beach, Me. in the north to Newburyport, Mass. in the south.

“While the location change brings us closer to higher-density populations, we needed a
completely new antenna system design with a difficult to achieve directional pattern,” said
Ron Malone, President of Word Radio, who operates and administrates WSEW and four
other Non-Commercial FM stations in Maine and New Hampshire. “Dielectric delivered the
circular polarization we needed to reach our audience with greater signal quality and
stability than our current antenna. We also now have a well-engineered antenna built to
withstand challenging climate for the decades ahead.”

WSEW’s market penetration was previously limited with the use of a log-periodic antenna
system solution using linear, slant polarization.

In addition to the advantages of circular polarization, the side-mounted, six-bay antenna will have a prime position on the 400-foot tower to maximize coverage, with its center of radiation at 287 feet above ground level.

“Listeners traveling through our coverage area will no longer sometimes hear the swishing
sound of multipath, or experience occasional signal drops,” said Malone. “Our position on
the upper third of the tower, along with the circular polarization, will greatly improve the
listener experience for legacy and new listeners.”

The new Dielectric antenna also includes a radome.

Malone added, “For maximum reliability in adverse weather conditions, broadcasters generally choose to protect their radiating elements by covering them with radome enclosures. That is what we have elected to do as part of the DCR-H design. Allowing ice to form on the antenna will de-tune the system, and reflect power back down the transmission line. The antenna loses its ability to radiate its designed allotted power (17kW ERP), and creates problems for the transmitter. Dielectric’s radome eliminates these reflected power concerns caused by wintry weather, and offers a far more affordable option that adding electrical heaters within the antenna elements, which after a few years develop maintenance issues.”

Malone also says that once a decision was made to work with Dielectric, “they went straight to work with computer modeling. They used a collaborative software program to develop the directional radiation pattern using scaled tower models, radiator sizes, dimensions and test frequency while factoring orientation of the antenna for our tower position and geographic spread. They met a tough deadline for delivery with good communication skills and very fair pricing. They basically treated our small organization as if we were VIPs.”

In early November, RBR+TVBR was first to report on a transaction that sees HC2 Holdings say goodbye to a trio of digital full-power TV stations — along with a LPTV facility — in the Valley of the Sun.

Now, the deal has gained FCC approval, giving the company behind the MeTV brand added oomph in some key markets.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)