Industry News

iHeartMedia’s decision to reshuffle its organization and technology infrastructure has led to job losses, a major reallocation of internal duties and a new emphasis on artificial intelligence in its operations. But the announcement has had much of the industry coming up with more questions than answers.

Tuesday, iHeartMedia announced major changes nationwide, saying a new decade called for the company to make changes.

The restructuring led to a wave of job cuts. According to a media representative at iHeart, those losses would be relatively small given iHeart’s overall employee base of 12,500. Some news outlets used the term “dozens,” but the website Radio Insight has posted a list of people cut and has been updating it; as of Wednesday afternoon, there were about 130 names, mostly programmers, air talent and producers but other job titles too (see more below).

iHeart has created separate groups to better share resources and experiences. These three new divisions — the Region Division, the Metro Division and the Community Division — will be overseen by Greg Ashlock, president of the iHeartMedia Markets Group, with a separate president leading each division. Another new division that cuts across all markets, the Multi-Market Partnerships Division headed by Julie Donohue.

[Read: iHeart Taps Nashville for Digital HQ2]

Practically, the shakeout has the Region Division overseeing the company’s largest markets such as New York and Los Angeles. The Metro Division will cover mid-size markets that have multiple communities, and the Community Division will include markets that focus on the shared needs of one community/area as well as small markets that are culturally similar or geographically close. Nine senior executives will be named as division presidents of these newly minted iHeartMedia Markets Groups.

iHeart said this structure will allow it to maximize the performance of each of its markets and take better advantage of the technology investments it has made in selling advertising and expanding new businesses like its podcast platform. In a statement, iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman said that “iHeart is the rare example of a major traditional media company that has made the successful transformation into a 21st century media company.”

“We are now using our considerable investments in technology to modernize our operations and infrastructure, further setting us apart from traditional media companies; improving our services to our consumers and advertising partners; and enhancing the work environment for our employees.”

Among the questions observers are asking is whether this new structure will bring new ways of managing local stations, and the role of a new Centers of Excellence venture. iHeart said in a statement that it will use new technology and this new venture to deliver products and services to market, “enabling each to take advantage of the company’s scale and shared resources across programming, marketing, digital, podcasts, sales and sales support.” iHeart noted that it has made several recent acquisitions including Jelli, a programmatic ad platform; RadioJar, a cloud audio playout company; and Stuff Media, a podcasting firm. Its RCS automation arm also has been active in cloud product development this past year.

Online reaction to the news on social media included speculation that iHeart would take advantage of the FCC’s recent elimination of the main studio rule to dramatically cut back on local physical presence in some markets.

iHeartMedia declined a Radio World request for an interview about the technology aspects of the changes and its plans for technical infrastructure management.

The publication Billboard quoted one laid-off employee saying, “Their focus is going to be on their app and podcasting and not as much on local markets and terrestrial.”

In the announcement, the company described itself as “the number one audio company in America” and emphasized its “successful transformation as a technology powered 21st century media company.” It referred to its scale, its multiple platforms, and its “expertise in consumers, monetization and data,” saying that iHeart has made recent significant technology investments “to change everything from how it sells advertising to how it utilizes data and builds new businesses like its digital platform, podcast platform and robust data platform — all of which have given it an undisputed leadership position in the audio world.”

A sampling of the job cuts:

It is being reported that radio personalities are being let go as part of the shakeup. Longtime radio personality Dave Conrad, a 27-year veteran with WBCT(FM) in Grand Rapids, Mich., was told that he was being released, according to the news outlet MLive. Conrad started at B-93 in September 1992, just after the station was launched, and said he couldn’t think of a better place to work.

“I just feel really blessed to work for the people I worked for,” he told MLive, adding that his general manager teared up when he gave him the news.

Long-term iHeart radio personality Chris Warren said he was let go from WTRY(FM) in Rotterdam, N.Y. after 18 years. “I’m saddened to report that my 18-year stint with iHeartMedia/Albany, N.Y. came to an end about an hour ago,” said the DJ, whose given name is Warren Garling, in a statement on Facebook. “I’ve counted myself lucky to have been heard for more than 50 years on some great radio stations in the great Northeast.”

While the reports are still rolling in, other job losses across the country include:

• Radio personality Leland Conway from WLAP(AM) in Lexington, Ky., who said he’s “not sure what’s next but can’t wait to see what the future holds. [My time at the company has] “truly been one of the most awesome experiences in my life,” as was reported by the Lexington Harold Leader.
• Longtime host Jim Fisher with WOC(AM) in Davenport, Iowa; host Todd Alan with KUUL(FM) also in Davenport; host Ron Evans from KMXG(FM) in Clinton, Iowa; and employee Aaron Thompson, who worked at several stations. “Great people let go today including the legendary Jim Fisher,” Dan Kennedy, formerly of WOC, posted on Facebook Tuesday. “You all made radio better and you will be missed!”
• Pat McMahon, morning show host on WYYY(FM) in Syracuse, N.Y. After McMahon wrote on Facebook that Tuesday was his last day, a listener expressed frustration with iHeart, calling it “not a nice place to work for.” McMahon said he didn’t blame his station management. “The world is hard, cruel and full of setbacks. It’s also exciting, uplifting and full of opportunity. Chaos is a ladder. I plan to climb it.”

An iHeart media representative said, “During a transition like this it’s reasonable to expect that there will be some shifts in jobs — some by location and some by function,” she said. “That said, we recognize that the loss of any job is significant; we take that responsibility seriously and have been thoughtful in the process.”

As one industry insider said, there may be one silver lining: the opportunity for competitors to acquire newly available, top-level talent. Radio personality Conrad from WBCT is one who said that he’s already had conversations that could lead to new employment.

 

The post Job Losses and Questions Come in the Wake of iHeart Reshuffling appeared first on Radio World.

Companies that plan to exhibit at the NAB Show have been invited to submit their nominations in the seventh annual Best of Show Awards program.

Radio World is among the Future trade publications participating. The award program is intended to help readers become aware of new technology offerings, and help exhibitors highlight and promote outstanding their product introductions. Companies pay a fee to nominate; and winners are chosen by panels of engineers and editors for each brand. Winners are announced at the convention.

After the show, readers receive an online guide to all the nominees, which becomes a handy and deep overview of new products that were shown on the floor. (Read last year’s Guide here.)

Nominate a product or find answers to common questions here.

 

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Allow me to express appreciation for three interesting articles on the international radio scene in Radio World’s Sept. 1 issue. 

“U.S.-Based Shortwave Broadcasters Eye Digital” [discussed] the need for an appropriately priced, mass-production digital shortwave radio. A second article drew attention to the production of a Voice of America program beamed to Asia on shortwave and medium-wave in the Rohingya language for the benefit of refugees who have fled Myanmar into Bangladesh. 

Then there was the fascinating historic article on the AFRS (American Forces Radio Service) Mosquito Network during the devastating Pacific War.  

Back during the middle of the last century, there were usually only two medium-wave stations in Australia on the air late at night, 2UW in Sydney and 3AK in Melbourne, and consequently the band was wide open for late-night listening to the American AFRS stations throughout the Pacific. Over a period of time, we as listeners in both Australia and New Zealand heard all of these exotic little radio stations. 

A photo with the story [right] shows the entrance noticeboard of an AFRS station in the Mosquito Network without location and without call sign. However, the operating frequency 670 kHz provides a valuable clue. 

It is known that only one AFRS Mosquito Network station operated on 670 kHz, and that was for only a short period of time, before a frequency change to 690 kHz. That station was located on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands, and the photo was taken before the station adopted the unofficial and irregular callsign WSSO.  

American AFRS stations in the Pacific were generally allocated four-letter call signs beginning with WV or WX. We would suggest that the photograph of the Bougainville station was taken in very late 1943 or very early 1944, before the informal call sign WSSO was adopted. This information would also agree with the other photograph in your article that promoted WSSO programming in February
1944. 

By the way, we have drawn attention to these Radio World articles in our weekly half-hour program “Wavescan,” broadcast on shortwave in the Americas and worldwide 35 times each week.The program is researched and written in Indianapolis, voiced by Jeff White (Radio Miami International WRMI) and Ray Robinson (Voice of Hope KVOH, Los Angeles). In the United States, “Wavescan” is broadcast by shortwave WRMI and KVOH, as well as by WWCR in Nashville. In Africa, the program is on the air from the Voice of Hope in Zambia, and for Europe, Asia and the Pacific via KSDA on the island of Guam, and additional shortwave relay stations. 

The post Reader Letter: Mosquito Network appeared first on Radio World.

With the installation of Lawo mixing consoles and I/O equipment, China’s Fuzhou Radio and Television has upgraded its radio channels to AES67-compliant Ravenna AoIP, per an announcement from Lawo.

Fuzhou Radio built two identical on-air studios, each equipped with a 12-fader ruby mixing console that features Lawo’s Power Core AoIP mixing engine. Power Core comes with multiple MADI and AES67 interfaces for access to up to 384 channels of stereo audio.

The Power Core also has eight I/O plug-in slots for mic, line, AES3, HD MADI and Dante expansion cards. When paired with the ruby console, Power Core can provide up to 96 DSP channels, 80 summing busses, multiple AutoMix groups and compression/expansion/de-essing tools.

The studios were also equipped with Electro-Voice RE27 and Shure MX 418 microphones, Genelec 8030 monitor speakers, Eventide BD600+ broadcast delay systems and Infomedia AOIPBox terminals.

 

 

The post China’s Fuzhou Radio Modernizes With Lawo AoIP Gear appeared first on Radio World.

Even the Federal Communications Commission makes a mistake once in a while. And in the case of a potential financial liability, that can be good news for the stations concerned.

The commission cancelled several Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture that had been issued to three radio stations in North Carolina — Radio Hatteras, CTC Media Group and Pirate Media Group.

[Read: Out-of-Date Online Files Being Investigated by FCC]

In the case of Radio Hatteras, the FCC said that station WHDZ(FM) in Buxton, N.C., had failed to file a timely license renewal application for the station, which was due Aug. 1, 2019. The FCC said the license renewal application was not filed on time — the FCC said it was filed Oct. 25, 2019 — but in reality Radio Hatteras filed the application on July 30, 2019. In reality, the filing made on Oct. 25, 2019, was an amendment to the application. Since the application was timely filed, the FCC cancelled the NAL.

The same was the case for CTC Media Group, which is licensee of FM translator station W282CQ in Bridgeton, N.C., for the same alleged offense: failing to timely file a license renewal application for the station. The background is the same as it was for Radio Hatteras — the FCC said the station failed its renewal by Aug. 1, 2019. In this case, however,  the commission had actually issued the initial license for the station on Aug. 12. 2019, therefore there was no need for CTC to file a renewal application.

The commission also cancelled a Notice of Apparent Liability for a Forfeiture issued to Pirate Media Group, licensee of FM translator station W281CH in Washington, N.C., for the same alleged violations. But in this case, too, the commission had already issued a license for the station on Sept.11, 2019, so it was impossible for Pirate to file an application to renew the station’s license.

In all three cases, the FCC has cancelled all of the forfeitures.

 

The post FCC Moves to Cancel Forfeitures After Catching its Own Errors appeared first on Radio World.

Streaming service tools provider StreamGuys has reworked its native media player, SGplayer.

Version 3.0 has a new GUI along with “greater continuity between desktop and mobile experiences; and additional GDPR- and CCPA- compliance tools for media enterprises leveraging targeted advertising,” according to a release.

“SGplayer 3.0’s new interface puts the visual focus more heavily on the branding and artwork of the broadcast station or podcast while more cleanly integrating additional elements such as song metadata and advertising. Supplemental functionality such as stream or episode selection — always visible on-screen in earlier versions — has been moved into collapsible menus to minimize distractions and streamline the user experience,” a release details among a number of user experience improvements.

Content search functionality has also been improved and expanded. 

Additionally, there has been added compliance features, “Of particular interest to media companies serving; European and Californian listeners, new tools for GDPR and CCPA compliance allow SGplayer’s targeted advertising to be disabled based on user preferences.”

Other new goodies include: support for both HLS and ICY protocols for HTTP-based delivery; automatic fallback from AAC to MP3 live audio streams for compatibility with older devices; authentication of tokenized streams to ensure user entitlement; Nielsen SDK integration for enhanced online audience measurement; Google Analytics tracking; and a customer-hosted persistent player option for enterprise clients wishing to combine SGplayer even more closely with their own custom development.

SGplayer is now available.

The post StreamGuys Revamps SGplayer appeared first on Radio World.

Frequent Workbench contributor and consultant Frank Hertel of Newman-Kees is not one to brag, but he has quite a bit of experience in dealing with mice. After 50+ years of servicing some really bad transmitter sites, he has a number of tips to share with readers.

Getty/anuwat_meereewee

1. Inspect the seals of all doors and windows and cable entries to the outside world, to ensure they fit tight.
2. Screen all fan openings and air exits with 1/4-inch galvanized hardware mesh, to keep critters out.
3. Make sure to plus the main electrical service entry conduits with stainless steel wool or copper wool and caulk. (Mice will eat through caulk alone.)
4. Resist the temptation to “dress up” your site by adding dropped ceilings; they provide an ideal location for nesting of mice.
5. Never take food or soft drinks into the building. Even a few crumbs or an empty soda can and will invite mice.
6. The same is true for any food-scented wrappers or containers. Keep them out of the transmitter building. Also use a trash can with a tight seal to dispose of everything. Better yet, always take your trash with you as you leave a transmitter building.
7. Realize that food scents in the building can entice mice. They will gnaw through some types of exterior wall surfaces if they get even the slightest scent of food.
8. Don’t use rodent bait; it actually attracts mice! And although it works, many times the mice often crawl off into some secluded space to die and make the building smell. Furthermore, most rodent bait will decompose over time and turn to dust — which you end up breathing. If you ever go to a transmitter site and find they have used mouse bait, don’t ever sweep or vacuum the floor without a respirator.
9. Instead of rodent bait, use something safe like “Peppermint Oil” to repel mice. It works! Here’s a video example showing its effectiveness.
10. On visits to infested sites, be sure to take a change of clothes and a bag to put your dirty clothes in! Otherwise you are infesting your vehicle with all the nasty stuff from the transmitter building.
11. Carry a jug of water, a bar of soap, a roll of paper towels and a bottle of alcohol, and clean yourself when leaving and before getting into your vehicle. This is especially helpful if you take a break to eat.

[Don’t Let Mice Kill Your Transmitter]

Frank adds that he has a personal reason for helping you to manage your exposure to rodents. 

For a long time, he suffered from an unusual medical condition. Whenever he at something sweet or drank a sugary drink, he would get an extreme pain where his esophagus entered his stomach. He tolerated this for 25 years, and had a number of tests during those 25 years; nothing was diagnosed.

One Thanksgiving, after eating a couple of those miniature Hershey bars, Frank was in deep distress and was taken to the hospital. Initially, the doctors thought it was a heart attack. Among the tests they performed was a “bore scope” down Frank’s throat. When Frank awoke from the anesthesia, the doctor had identified the problem: five small bacterial-based ulcers. Frank asked whether exposure to mouse bacteria, from contact with urine and droppings dust, could have caused the problem. The doctor’s reply was an emphatic “YES!”  

A 20-day treatment with Amoxicillin worked. But Frank no longer views mouse-infested transmitter sites the same way. His business does not provide routine service/maintenance; he is usually called in just for an emergency, and too many facilities have not had routine cleaning. 

He now carries a face mask and respirator in his vehicle. Mice are not to be taken lightly. More than just your equipment is at risk.

* * *

Wiring maven Steve Lampen attended a recent tips webinar sponsored by Telos. From our discussion of AoIP installations and the tons of analog wiring that is usually removed, Steve suggested that engineers Google “copper scrap reclamation” for information on turning your old wire into money. 

A recent Bloomberg headline stated, “Copper Tapped as the Next Big Metals Trade of 2020.” 

* * *  Fig. 1: A compact recorder and mixer from CEntrance.

I was commiserating with an engineer about remote broadcasts of the 1960s and ’70s and how they’ve changed.  Many stations load their jocks up with a tablet or a smartphone, and it’s show time! Even the gear required for news interviews has been simplified thanks to several codec manufacturers.

Using a smartphone for an interview is fine, but there are times where you’d like to mix two signals. That’s where CEntrance comes in.  

The MixerFace R4, pictured in Fig. 1, is a high-quality mixer, recorder and USB interface. The rugged metal enclosure is about the size of a smartphone, and can record to an SD card or the phone.

Fig. 2: This is not some kind of science fiction monster; it’s two people holding a MixerFace. Identify the hands and maybe you’ll win a prize.

In addition to gain and monitor controls, each channel has a switchable high-pass filter (to reduce on-location wind noise) as well as a Hi-Z/Low-Z selector switch for each channel. Longer recording sessions are assured with an 8 hour battery.

The MixerFace R4 is available through broadcast distributor Broadcasters General Store, which is sponsoring a fun contest. Look at Fig. 2. The first person identifying the hands holding the MixerFace R4 will win a $25 coffee card. Send your entry to my email and maybe include a tip or a picture of something to share from your gallery (not required). Only one winner, and the time/date stamp on your email will be the determining factor. 

Earn recertification credit when you share a tip published in Workbench. Thank you for sharing your tips and high-resolution photos by sending them to  johnpbisset@gmail.com.

John Bisset has spent 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

The post Frank Hertel’s 11 Tips for Dealing With Mice appeared first on Radio World.

The Adam Hall Group has unveiled its Palmer brand’s new active studio monitor, the Studimon 5.

The Studimon 5 comes in compact bass reflex housing with wooden sidewalls. It has a 5-inch ferrite custom subwoofer, 0.75-inch neodymium silk diaphragm tweeter, and a frequency response of 70 Hz to 20 kHz.

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

The two-way monitor, with an output power of two 30 W (RMS) amplifiers is intended for home studios as well as professional audio environments.

The back of the Studimon 5 features a 1/4-inch jack and XLR inputs, and a volume controller for tuning stereo balance.

The Studiomon 5 is priced at $269 each.

Info: www.palmer-germany.com/en/

The post Palmer Releases Studiomon 5 Studio Monitor appeared first on Radio World.

Steve Newberry

Steve Newberry will step down from his role as executive vice president for industry affairs and strategic planning at the National Association of Broadcasters this spring. 

Newberry is leaving the broadcast advocacy association to serve as CEO for ad sync technology company Quu Inc. He will remain with NAB through March 31.

“While we hate to see him leave, we’re delighted Steve will be with us through the completion of our move to a new headquarters this spring. We’re also pleased that Steve will be fulfilling his entrepreneurial passion with QUU, an auto dashboard initiative that uses technology to improve the listener experience and drive higher radio station revenue,” NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith said in the announcement. 

Smith added, “I will miss Steve’s daily presence at NAB and will always be grateful for his friendship and many contributions to the success of broadcasting.”

Newberry became a station owner at 21 years old and went on to serve as a NAB Radio Board chair and NAB Joint Board chair. He also served as president of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association and chairman of the Authority for Kentucky Educational Television, as well as a national board member for America’s Public Television Station. 

Quu was founded in 2007 by Joe Harb, who also serves as chief innovation officer. According to the announcement, Quu’s “technology enables radio stations to take full control of the RDS/HD in-car stereo display with the ability to monetize through ad augmentation.”

The company is based in Mercer Island, Wash., but Newberry will remain in D.C. He will also continue to serve as chairman for Commonwealth Broadcasting of Glasgow, Ky.

The post NAB EVP Newberry Plans Exit appeared first on Radio World.

The author is CEO, Digital Radio UK.

LONDON — It looks like 2020 is going to be another milestone year for digital radio in the United Kingdom with digital listening expected to increase to over 60% of all radio listening.

Ford Ennals

The growth in digital listening is being driven by the continued expansion of national commercial digital stations, with nine new national digital stations added in the last year, the fitting of DAB in just about all new cars, and the rise in online listening in homes driven by the strong take-up of smart speakers.

EXPANSION

This is also the year when the U.K. government will play a key role working with the radio industry on a Radio and Audio Review supporting the long-term health of the radio sector, announced by the Digital Minister in May 2019, and by determining the future of the U.K.’s national and local commercial radio station analog licenses.

The consultation document on analog license renewal published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on Dec. 23 confirms government support for digital radio and the intent to sustain progress. The U.K. government has been a long-term supporter of digital radio dating back to the 2010 Digital Radio Action Plan and the passage of the Digital Economy Act.

Photo Courtesy of Teracom SE

This support was reiterated in the consultation document that highlights the department’s digital radio strategy and the potential options for analog station license renewals. The consultation has been prompted by the fact that the national and local commercial station analog licenses start to expire in 2022 and as government recognize that there “is little prospect of a radio switchover before the mid-2020s,” they will have to take action to support the continued stability of the commercial radio sector and the continued growth of digital radio.

The document details the progress made post the Digital Radio Action Plan and the set of government initiatives announced at the end of 2013. It highlights the development of a “competitive DAB network used by nearly 66% of adults; the expansion of both national and local DAB coverage; the launch of new services; the fitment of DAB in new cars,” and the growth of digital listening to nearly 57%.

DCMS emphasizes that while a “decisive shift to digital has started, progress is not uniform” and that analog still has an important role to play, accounting for more than 40% of radio listening, and with local stations still having the majority of listening on analog.

NEXT STEPS

Consequently government needs to consider what steps to take with regards to commercial analog station renewals and has proposed three options, which range from letting analog licenses expire to renewing licenses for 5–8 years. It is reluctant to support a “do nothing” approach, as it wants to maintain the stability of commercial radio and the incentives to support the further development of DAB in the U.K.

The consultation also looks forward to the launch of new ultra-local small-scale multiplexes, which media regulator Ofcom is planning to license in the U.K. later in 2020, and the potential prospect of some local commercial stations having the option to satisfy their DAB carriage license obligations through distribution on the new small-scale DAB multiplexes.

The outcome of the DCMS consultation on analog license renewal, which closes on Feb. 21 (responses to analoguelicence@culture.gov.uk) and the DCMS/Industry Radio and Audio Review are unknown at this point and will be shaped by industry and stakeholder response and feedback.

What is clear is that in 2020 the government is working to support the development of the radio sector and the long-term transition to a digital future for U.K. radio.

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