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LAS VEGAS — Super Hi-Fi and Audacy on Tuesday announced an enhanced partnership “to drive operational innovation and efficiency” across Audacy’s digital ecosystem.

The agreement will “streamline” Audacy’s digital content programming, production, and broadcasting processes while creating what the companies call “stickier listener environments” — and more opportunities for advertisers to engage with them.

The enhanced partnership launched Sunday (4/14) with a live on-air radio station branded “Audacy Innovation Radio: Live From NAB.”

The station is a temporary NAB Show offering, airing on KMXB-94.1’s HD2 signal in Las Vegas. It uses Super Hi-Fi’s suite of tools to program rotating formats across the day.

Dayparts will be hosted by some of Audacy’s best-known national talent;  all talent will use Super Hi-Fi’s just-announced Voicetrack Fusion to deliver enhanced quality and efficiency to the station.

The playout will be cloud-based, delivered directly to the transmitter via Orban’s Optimod 5950: Super Hi-Fi Edition, a technology that Super Hi-Fi debuted at NAB.

Concurrently, five Audacy HD Radio stations are transitioning to Super Hi-Fi’s Program Director Radio Operating System. This, says Audacy, enables its programmers and staff to spend less time on production and more time on building differentiating content.

The HD stations include WWBX-HD2 in Boston, WLKK-HD2 in Buffalo, KILT-HD2 in Houston, KROQ-HD2 in Los Angeles and KNRK-HD2 in Portland, Ore.

These announcements follow the recent news that all of Audacy’s 700 digital Exclusive Stations recently upgraded to support Super Hi-Fi’s HLS+ streaming technology.

— With reporting by Adam Jacobson at the Las Vegas Convention Center

As readers of the RBR+TVBR Spring 2024 Special Report have learned, Seattle-headquartered ZTransform is gaining national attention for its construction and build-out of radio and television studio and office space.

With the NAB Show in full swing, ZTransform is on the convention flow showing off its capabilities. And, it is welcoming a new SVP of Solutions and Development to help grow its business.

Taking the post is market strategist Mark Brown.

With more than 30 years’ experience in media production industries, Brown has worked on video streaming, television broadcast, and adjacent video technology projects for such companies as Warner Brothers Discovery, Yankee Entertainment & Sports Network, Madison Square Garden, DirecTV, ESPN, Viacom, Verizon, Spark Sports, Staples Arena, ABC, Disney, Sony Pictures, Hulu, Microsoft, and “major television broadcast groups.”

Brown is tasked with working closely with the senior leadership team to strategically identify and respond to new business opportunities in new sectors and regions. as well as manage pre-sales engineering, and proposal development. His responsibilities will also extend to cultivating and managing strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, vendors, and other external entities to enhance business growth potential and ensure that proposed solutions meet the evolving and dynamic needs of Ztransform customers.

Prior to joining ZTransform, Brown was Director & Principal Solutions Architect at Warner Brothers Discovery. There, he was responsible for aligning clients’ video streaming business objectives with technology solutions; designing and integrating video streaming technology solutions for high profile clientele for major entertainment and sports brands.

“Mark has built a reputation for delivering highly successful, ‘hands-on’ client-focused technology solutions to some of the world’s most high-profile M&E brands” said Ben Wolk, managing partner at ZTransform. “His knowledge spans the entire digital video media ecosystem and his ambition to fulfill customers’ commercial and creative aspirations matches ours. Mark will undoubtedly strengthen our capacity to deliver innovative systems and workflows that focus on the client experience and end user productivity. We’re privileged to have him on our team.”

Brown started off as a systems engineer at SAIC in 1986 and worked his way up the career ladder at companies such as Tektronics and Sony Systems Integration Center (SIC), and later became CTO & Executive Vice President of SignaSys, Inc. More recently, Brown secured executive leadership roles, including Director & Corporate Principal at Ascent Media, Director of Solutions Architecture & Professional Services at Verizon Digital Media Services and as Chief Strategy Officer of Technology & Business development at MPS Broadband.

“ZTransform has an unwavering commitment to its customers; resolving challenges and presenting opportunities with incredibly well-thought-out technology,” said Brown. “The company’s positive attitude, team spirit and its personable people are what’s making the business thrive. I’m looking forward to helping develop strategies and providing tactical market guidance to roll out new initiatives that will continue its momentum into untapped sectors and regions.”

 

LAS VEGAS — Two companies considered to be innovators in real-time broadcast monitoring and control solutions providers have merged, forming what they believe will be a formidable and strategic alliance that makes it debut at the 2024 NAB Show.

Introducing Leeward Software, formed from the merger of MNC Software and SuiteLife Systems. It can be found in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall, in booth #W2367.

The company’s product line includes Axess, Mosaic, and Tessera software and GPX Pro hardware.

The merger is described as “a natural succession to a long-standing partnership,” as the two companies have successfully collaborated on numerous projects since 2022. “Leeward Software is the culmination of a shared vision and a powerhouse poised to transform how broadcasters, telecommunication network providers, production facilities, studios, and media technology companies monitor and control the functional health of their complex networks, infrastructure, buildings, and systems.”

By harnessing the combined expertise and resources of MNC Software and SuiteLife
Systems, the company says it can offer a more comprehensive suite of network management, monitoring, and control solutions that address a wider range of needs and applications. “This merger unlocks synergies that will bring greater value to customers, employees, and partners,” the company says. “Whether organizations require system monitoring in extreme and remote locations, a broadcast studio environment, or cloud and cloud-hybrid distribution, customers can now access a broader range of solutions and services to address monitoring and control challenges and optimize their workflows.”

 

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Inc., the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting, has revealed who has been select as the recipient of its inaugural “Impact Award.”

The honor goes to the retiring President/CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau.

The “prestigious new accolade” is going in 2024 to Erica Farber, who is being saluted for being a woman “who has effected positive change on multiple fronts.”

MIW calls the Impact Award winner a “true champion of service, this individual actively engages with impactful organizations, generously contributing their time, wisdom, network, and resources. They are deeply involved, consistently doing the work necessary to drive meaningful change.”

Farber has led the RAB for 12 years. Before that, she spent 15 years at the former trade publication Radio & Records, serving in the roles of President, Publisher and CEO. Earlier in her career, EVP/Radio Development Director at Interep. She also held executive-level roles at RKO Radio stations, and was VP/GM of WXLO “99X” in New York at a time when Jay Thomas was its morning host, in the mid-1970s.

Farber in 2021 was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, and is a founding member of the MIWs.

With the Impact Award going to Farber in 2024, all subsequent honorees will be bestowed with “The Erica Farber Impact Award.”

MIW Board President Ruth Presslaff commented, “What more can be said about Erica that hasn’t yet been said? She is a strategic thinker and true trendsetter who gives generously of her time and wisdom. MIW is a better organization because of her. The industry has been enriched in countless ways because of her. What an impact this woman has made!”

Farber said, “Being recognized by such influential women in the industry is incredibly meaningful and humbling to me. I owe immense gratitude to the mentors and inspirational women who have supported and uplifted me along the way. They are the foundation of my success. My heartfelt thanks go to Ruth and the MIW Board, and to all of you who share my passion for radio and the impactful work we are privileged to do every day.”

The fate of WADL-38 in Detroit, which has until June to complete its pending sale to Mission Broadcasting by privately held Adell Broadcasting Corp., continues to look grim for seller Kevin Adell.

The FCC has yet to give its regulatory approval to the $75 million sale of the MyNetwork TV station, announced in May 2023. Now, one of WADL’s minority shareholders is planning a rally to try to sway Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel from making an affirmative decision on the station’s sale.

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Hitachi Kokusai comes to NAB Show 2024 with a new Media over IP solution that moves uncompressed SDI video signals onto SMPTE ST 2110 networks through a new interface kit. Developed by Hitachi Kokusai, the new CU7K-MoIP ST 2110 interface kit establishes an ST 2110 studio production workflow for customers that moves camera signals directly onto on-prem IP networks or into the cloud without compressing signals and affecting picture quality. Hitachi Kokusai will demonstrate the workflow in its NAB booth (C4516) from Sunday through Wednesday in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Hitachi Kokusai’s CU7K-MoIP interface solution is a software-defined System on Chip (SoC) that performs advanced processing functions to prepare SDI signals (up to 12G) for IP transport. The dual-port, 25GbE solution can move one 4K or up to four HD uncompressed signals onto ST 2110 IP or cloud networks, with ST 2022-7 hitless merge functionality to provide network path redundancy. The ST 2022-7 specification supports the carriage of redundant streams across IP and cloud networks that borrow lost packets from each other for stream reassembly as they move through the network.

The CU7K-MoIP is added to Hitachi camera control units to receive and process the streams for translation to uncompressed ST 2110 networks, with Precision Time Protocol (PTP) support built into the SoC to ensure proper synchronization of video, audio and data. The CU7K-MoIP is compatible with all current-generation Hitachi 4K and HD cameras, include the SK-UHD-7000 Series of 4K/UHD cameras and the Z-HD6500 multi-format HD camera.

“The CU7K-MoIP interface kit is an ideal solution for broadcasters and content creators seeking an ST 2110 studio production workflow that considers the challenges of navigating a hybrid SDI and IP landscape,” said Sean Moran, COO, Hitachi Kokusai. “We are excited to show our customers how we can help them natively manage high-bandwidth signal flows out of the camera for on-prem, off-prem and cloud environments, improving production efficiency and resource utilization while maintaining pristine image quality.”

— Reporting by Brian Galante

MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions has introduced the second generation of its SilverBULLET series, unveiled at NAB Show in Las Vegas. The newest version of the patented, miniature fiber-optic link and signal conversion solution is an evolution from the first generation, with new benefits including agnostic signal support from 5Mbps to 12Gbps.

MultiDyne exhibits at Booth C7107 in the Las Vegas Convention Center through Wednesday.

MultiDyne’s SilverBULLET transmitters and receivers are built for a variety of purposes, from 24/7 broadcast applications to specialty use cases where small footprint and a ruggedized form factor are key design requirements. They are also highly portable, making them equally useful for last-minute SDI video feeds to AES and MADI audio feeds. SilverBULLETs are also last-minute problem solvers that can repair a failed connection or address an unexpected transport requirement. Each device is encased in machined aluminum for optimal durability, which also makes them ideal for critical situations.

The SilverBULLET is 12G-capable for high-bandwidth, single-link transport to and from any video source. Built-in cable equalization and re-clocking optimizes signal integrity across all short- and long-distance transport, reducing the presence of existing jitter from input signals. The SilverBULLET supports all SDI rates down to 5Mbps, making them a flexible tool for courtesy feeds, confidence monitoring, distance learning, and other broadcast and commercial AV applications.

The updated SilverBULLET can equalize up to 75m of coax at 12G and 200m at 3G, and has an integrated optical power meter on receiver units. Power input is wide-ranging, spanning from to 5-16VDC so that they can be powered from simple USB power sources including cameras and monitors. Options include USB-A and USB-C to miniXLR 4pin power adapter cables, and full-size and HDBNC patch cables. The new SilverBULLETs can also operate in high-temperature and high-humidity environments.

MultiDyne CEO Frank Jachetta adds that later this year the SilverBULLET will be available with a special tray capable of housing multiple transmitting and receiving units with redundant power. “This makes SilverBULLET an ideal solution for fixed broadcast and production studio requirements, along with its portable applications in sports production, remote camera links, pre-fibered venues and interconnects for mobile production trucks,” he said.

— Reporting by Brian Galante

DNAV, a full-service systems integrator, consultant, and manufacturer’s representative of leading broadcast, AV, lighting, and display equipment, created a microphone-to-antenna experience featuring its broadcast radio technology partners at the 2024 NAB Show.

DNAV took down the curtain down between two adjacent partner booths – Sierra Automated Systems (SAS) at West Hall booth No. 3855, and American Amplifier Technologies at West Hall booth No. 3859.

Together, products are being offered that present a conceptual springboard for new radio facility designs and existing system upgrades.

DNAV also has a presence on the Orban booth (W3443), representing the company’s latest audio processing solutions.

“Our main goal at NAB is to demonstrate the power of DNAV as an inclusive vendor that isn’t limited by the belief that radio systems need to follow a certain blueprint,” said Daniel Hyatt, a DNAV Principal. “We will demonstrate new hardware systems as well as virtualized software solutions that emulate the hardware, and make connections for our visitors across in-studio, remote and cloud-based solution examples. There will be a little bit of everything on the combined stand and tied together with examples of the physical and virtual services we offer to the radio broadcaster.”

One way that DNAV will make connections across these different elements is through SAS Global Connect Software, which offers a complete command and control structure for SAS and third-party broadcast devices living on local and wide-area networks. It acts as a software-based NOC for broadcasters to centrally manage entire network operations and can interface with all components in a broadcast infrastructure from microphones to antennas. DNAV will preview a new virtualized SAS on-air console shipping later this year with connectivity to the Global Connect structure, with the ability to remotely manage and control a live broadcast.

DNAV Co-Principal Nick Straka adds that DNAV will preview several virtualized toolsets built into the new console, including an intercom system and touch panels. PlayoutONE automation will also be highlighted on the booth, working in conjunction with SAS Global Connect in its cloud-based software structure. “We are sending a clear message that we embrace the physical and the cloud domain, and there are plenty of opportunities to embrace both in ways that effectively define a solution that works for every broadcaster.”

— reporting by Brian Galante

ENCO Systems, Benztown, Compass Media Networks, and vCreative have entered into apartnership to bring SPECai, an AI spec ad service, to vCreative’s customers by integrating SPECai into its suite of creative workflow platforms for broadcasters.

For stations affiliated with both vCreative and SPECai, the integration streamlines the process of requesting a spec spot.

Consumers can benefit from the integration by selecting the SPECai option from within the vPPO or vProMedia order form to create spec spots to present to their clients.

Mary DelGrande, Chief Executive Officer of vCreative, commented, “AI is not just an add-on, but is becoming a core component that drives efficiency, creativity, and decision-making in all aspects of business. We recognized the need for a more robust AI tool in our suite of creative workflow products, so by integrating SPECai into our platforms, we are not just streamlining operations; we are reimagining what’s possible for our clients. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to innovation that offers our users smarter, faster, and more intuitive tools that adapt to their evolving needs.”

Ken Frommert, President of ENCO Systems, added, “AI development has accelerated at a swift pace since we first previewed SPECai late last year. We anticipate a strong adoption rate in the coming months as customers grow familiar with the technology. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like vCreative is an essential part of our business development strategy for SPECai, and we are thrilled to become a key contributor to the creative production process within vPPO and vProMedia. We share vCreative’s philosophy of enabling more efficient workflows for customers, and we look forward to our collaborations moving forward.”

ENCO, Benztown and Compass Media Networks will be giving SPECai demos at the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas at the ENCO booth, W1743 in the West Hall. To schedule a SPECai demo in advance of the NAB Show, email Masa Patterson at: mp@benztown.com or Nancy Abramson at: nabramson@compassmedianetworks.com.

Futuri is showing off enhancements to its Futuri AudioAI platform across the NAB Show. These innovations, the company says, “represent a significant leap forward in integrating AI with live broadcast programming, podcasts, and audience interaction.”

At the forefront of these advancements is the introduction of real-time AI with CoHostAI, which creates a collaboration between human hosts and AI personalities during live broadcasts. This enables hosts to engage in natural, dynamic conversations with AI
counterparts.

Futuri also announced new CallerAI technology, where listeners can “call in” and talk directly with AI.

Conversations are recorded with permission of listeners, and may be used on the air.

As Futuri sees it, this level of interaction and connection between listeners and AI opens up new possibilities for audience engagement and creates unique on-air content and audience experiences.

Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig expressed excitement about the potential impact of these latest AI technologies on the broadcast and media industry. “Our mission is to empower broadcasters and creators to grow audience and revenue by creating compelling, interactive content that captivates audiences and fosters lasting connections,” he said.

Codec manufacturer Tieline the Codec Company is using the 2024 NAB Show to unveil its new Bridge-IT II and Bridge-IT XTRA II IP audio codecs. The new codecs are designed to deliver broadcast solutions for home studios and simple remote broadcasts, Studio-to-Transmitter Links (STLs), Studio-to-Studio Links (SSLs) and multi-unicasting and
multicasting applications.

The new codecs include all first-generation Bridge-IT features, including a front panel screen and keypad for simple menu navigation, XLR analog and digital AES inputs, a range of encoding options, and support for multi-unicast and multicast connections.

New features to support modern networking requirements include native support for AES67, ST2110-30, ST2022-7, Livewire, RAVENNA and AMWA NMOS IS-04 and IS-05; two full-duplex mono connections, or full duplex stereo; multiple Ethernet and AoIP ports; failover to another connection, HTTP stream, or audio file playback; and support for wireless cellular modems.

The codecs support automated failover and SNMP for STL links. SmartStream PLUS redundant streaming and Fuse-IP data aggregation are also included as standard. They also connect over SIP with devices that are EBU N/ACIP Tech 3326, 3347 and 3368 compliant. The ToolBox HTML5 web-GUI and optional Cloud Codec Controller software provide real-time monitoring and remote management of connections.

Visit Tieline booth C2811 at NAB 2024 to learn more about the new Bridge-IT II and Bridge-IT XTRA II codecs.

The NAB has released new broadcast station self-inspection guides for FM and television stations. These two guides assist broadcasters in conducting a self-inspection of their stations.

Guides for AM, low-power and translator stations are expected to be released soon.

NAB joined with the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) to provide up-to-date, standardized guidance toward compliance with FCC rules and policies. Up until 2003, the FCC published self-inspection checklists, but has ceased updating them although rules and policies have changed since that time. The guides are also intended to be used by contract inspectors who are part of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program, which are contracted by most state broadcaster associations.

Availability of the self-inspection guides was scheduled to be announced at a joint NAB/SBE session on Tuesday (4/16) at 3:30pm Pacific during the session “FCC Enforcement – New Self-Inspection Guides Can Help Your Station Avoid Fines.” Representatives from NAB, the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Association (NASBA) and SBE will present the new guides and will be available to answer questions. It is to be conducted at the Connect Zone Conversation Corner (LVCC West Hall, W3943).

The guides will initially be a free member benefit to NAB and SBE members.

The guides will be available for download from the NAB website under the Membership / Member Tools / Member Downloads tab as well as from SBE.

 

It was a final push for those needing to file their taxes by Monday’s filing deadline that pushed TurboTax to the top in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Cable report. By next week, however, the advertiser is liking to be gone until 2025.

That will leave an auto insurance specialist as the leader in a category that has yet to see new efforts from GEICO arrive from the once-dominant user of spot TV.

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LAS VEGAS — Visitors to the NEXTGEN TV booth within the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center attending the NAB Show may notice a television screen showcasing the NBCUniversal-owned WTVJ-6 in Miami and its use of new technology that personalizes the station’s live broadcasts.

The unique broadcast experiences seen on the station, and others in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia owned by NBCUniversal, is a direct result of ATSC 3.0 empowerment.

In a NEXTGEN TV environment, personalization, hyper-localization and enhanced content capabilities can be used by broadcast television. This, NBCUniversal believes, can “improve the viewer experience and enable advanced engagement, advertising, and measurement opportunities.”

Stations offering the personalization as of today are WNBC-4 and Telemundo sibling WNJU-47 in New York; KNBC-4 in Los Angeles; WCAU-10 in Philadelphia; and Miami’s WTVJ and Telemundo-affiliated WSCV-51.

Additional NBCUniversal Local properties will soon deploy the new application.

“The launch of this innovative experience is a considerable milestone for broadcast television and demonstrates the immense potential and possibilities NextGen TV has for viewers, programmers, stations and advertisers,” said Shawn Makhijani, SVP of Business Development and Strategy abd “NBC Spot On” for NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “We are proud to further our leadership position in ATSC 3.0 by developing this innovative product with our partners and look forward to the continued evolution of its capabilities and benefits. We are truly excited to present these enhancements to our NBC and Telemundo viewers in several top markets, with more to come.”

Created in partnership with Fincons, Evertz’s Ease Live and Pearl TV, features of NBCUniversal’s new product are highlighted by the ability to restart programs when joined in progress; hyper-localized elements integrated into the “TODAY” show; and access to personalized weather information — including radar, forecasts and meteorologist reports, and severe weather alerts.

The experience also provides expanded and enhanced access to content, including clips, full episodes and alternate programming from NBC and Telemundo’s local and national news, sports and entertainment shows and events.

Other user enhancements include rich public safety alerts from both the FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and The Weather Channel (TWC) customized to viewers’ locations and specific households.

 

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) seeks comment on revising Commission rules to establish processing, licensing, and service rules that will enable full power FM and low power FM (LPFM) broadcast stations to originate programming using FM booster stations. In a concurrently adopted Report and Order (R&O), published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the Commission found that it would be in the public interest to provide broadcasters flexibility to use program originating boosters, subject to certain safeguards needed to address concerns raised in the record. This further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPRM) seeks comment on the details of implementing these safeguards and on a number of proposed rule changes.

In a Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) finds that allowing FM booster stations to originate content on a limited basis would serve the public interest. The Report and Order adopts rules to allow for the voluntary implementation of program originating FM booster stations, subject to future adoption of processing, licensing, and service rules proposed concurrently in a further notice of proposed rulemaking, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The rule changes in this document are needed to expand the potential uses of FM booster stations, which currently may not originate programming. The intended effect is to allow radio broadcasters to provide more relevant localized programming and information to different zones within their service areas.

The FCC’s proposal for more multilingual EAS announcements has been met with skepticism from stakeholders worried about the complications of implementing the technology to carry out the FCC’s wishes.

The proposal would allow use of pre-scripted alerts to make additional numbers of non-English speakers aware of public emergencies and weather warnings. But several groups are balking at the plan, saying the templates might work for alerts received by mobile devices (WEA), but recordings stored in broadcasters’ EAS equipment present further issues.

The commission’s plan would require broadcasters to transmit alerts in the primary language of their station’s content. Broadcasters would also have the option to provide additional alerts using pre-translated, pre-loaded scripts in a variety of languages.

The National Association of Broadcasters says it does not object to the proposed approach to enhance the accessibility of EAS for persons who do not speak English, but says the commission’s ambitiousness to roll out multilingual alerts creates confusion. 

“The NPRM reads more like a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) as it provides only a bare construct of the FCC’s proposal, and leaves open many questions about how it would work in practice. NAB is concerned that implementing the proposal will be more complex and costly than the FCC suggests. to ensure that implementation is simple, economical, and flexible,” the advocacy group tells the commission.

The FCC proposes creating template alert scripts in the 13 most commonly spoken non-English languages in the U.S. The template scripts and audio files would be produced by the commission. 

The non-English languages include Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole, German, Hindi, Portuguese and Italian. The FCC extended the reach of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system in similar fashion last year.

[Related: “FCC Pushes for Expansion of Multilingual Emergency Alerts“]

The NAB says the FCC proposal adds up to another unfunded EAS mandate. It asks the FCC to acknowledge that EAS is a government-imposed mandate that is “unfunded, and thus imposes direct costs on stations required to implement and maintain the system.”

NAB stresses the FCC must be cautious about imposing costs that are unjustified or unnecessary. “To that end, whatever plan the FCC ultimately adopts should be able to be executed through a routine software update, rather than require broadcasters to purchase additional hardware or a new EAS device,” NAB tells the commission.

In addition, the NAB says radio stations whose primary language is English but multicast HD radio channels in a non-English language could face complications, because such stations typically have a single EAS device that transmits one EAS alert across all of their channels at a time.

The advocacy group also questions the trade-off between using pre-canned EAS scripts and the amount of useful information that can be included in an EAS alert.

The NAB states: “There will be a trade-off under the FCC’s approach between providing access to non-English alerts and the content of alerts because EAS messages will have to be stripped down to the bare essentials for pre-translation into pre-canned scripts.”

If the new proposal is adopted, the NAB asks the FCC to clarify certain aspects to ensure the implementation is “simple, economical and flexible.”

Meanwhile, a response from National Weather Service expresses appreciation for the commission’s effort to expand EAS for multiple languages, but the government agency questions the ability of pre-scripted templates since they would lack a description of the threat or event, the location and population at risk, any guidance on what protective action to take and when people should begin taking the protective action.     

“(NWS) does not use fixed alert templates for English language warnings for NWR (NOAA Weather Radio) and EAS and we do not envision fixed templates at any point in the near future because of the dynamic nature of NWS warnings and the need for localizations specific to events and locations,” NWS says in comments to the FCC.

The weather service says all of the weather alerts that have been implemented in the EAS to-date are time-sensitive, critical and thus issued to save lives and property. “As a national agency, it would be unfeasible for us to identify the messages most commonly used because our message types often vary depending on localities (e.g., hurricane alerts are not issued for states well inland),” NWS Meteorologist Timothy Schott wrote in the comments. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also questions the FCC’s approach to reach non-English speaking populations with pre-scripted templates. The agency says “the use of pre-installed templates may not be an effective approach.”

FEMA says its concerns include the effectiveness of providing generic event warnings without including the five key types of content in the message that motivate people to respond in a timely manner.

Sage Alerting Systems says it is unwilling to offer an opinion on the need for multilingual EAS alerts, but it does offer multiple suggestions to the FCC about the practicality of using the template concept for EAS.

The provider of EAS equipment says EAS is not WEA. “Alerts issued via WEA are usually displayed on a device that provides its user the opportunity to immediately search for additional information, using a clickable link in the message itself, or by using other search tools enabled by the device,” the company says. In addition, WEA offers geofencing, it says.

Sage also believes that adding additional codes that specifically invoke the uses of templates is counterproductive for EAS. “The proposal for a parallel set of new event codes is not the best way to go,” it says.

Instead, Sage recommends the following: “Don’t use new template event codes, continue to use the old event codes. The template text and audio proposed by the commission, tied to the existing event codes, simply becomes an additional fallback if secondary languages are not provided by the AO in the original CAP message.”

If Sage’s suggestion to not use template codes is accepted, then only broadcasters that have non-English programming will need the template files, the company says. 

Sage says its 3644 ENDEC would be able to store the template and audio files on an external flash drive connected to one of the USB ports on the back of the unit. It would be user installable. Cost of a user-provided USB drive is as little as $20, the company says.

Comments on the FCC’s NPRM (MB Docket 15-94) on multilingual EAS alerts can be read online at the FCC website.

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The post FCC Gets Stakeholder Feedback on Multilingual EAS Alerts appeared first on Radio World.

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