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WASHINGTON, D.C. — FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has confirmed the recharter of the agency’s Communications Equity and Diversity Council and on Thursday named members to the advisory panel.

The timing is key, as the CEDC’s first meeting is Wednesday (3/27) and will be held both in-person and virtually.

The March 27 meeting is the first to be scheduled, with consistent subsequent meeting required by Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The meeting will be held in a hybrid manner at FCC headquarters from 10am-2pm.

The Council is operating under a new charter, ending June 22, 2025, and operates as a federal advisory committee comprised outside experts whose role is to provide recommendations to the FCC on how to accelerate the deployment of broadband in all communities by reducing and/or removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure and investment. It also provides recommendations on how to strengthen existing broadband networks and develop new ones.

The Communications Equity and Diversity Council was originally established in 2017 under a different name; it was relaunched by Rosenworcel in 2021.

Here is the complete roster of the current CEDC:

The 18th annual Digital Media Trends Survey has been released by Deloitte, and it offers a detailed look at how consumers interact with media and entertainment.

One of the key takeaways is worth noting — especially for linear television leaders and managers. More than one-third of those surveys believe the content they’re paying for on a OTT platform isn’t worth the money.

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bob Hawkanson

ZTransform has named Bob Hawkanson as senior VP of sales for North America., a newly created position.

He is former solution sales manager at Panasonic Connect, where he worked on ST-2110 and cloud-based projects for clients including high-end sports venues and houses of worship.

“His previous role, as director of broadcast sales for PRG/VER, saw Hawkanson manage large-scale remote production facilities for events such as the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open tennis championships, The Masters golf tournament, as well as League of Legends and Dota 2 eSports tournaments,” ZTransform said in the announcement.

He also worked in the gaming industry as director of technical operations for televised events such as the World Series of Poker for Poker Productions and Show Partners.

The announcement was made by Managing Partner Ben Wolk.

ZTransform was named Utter Associates until last year. Its services include facility planning, architecture and construction interfacing, systems engineering, integration and operational readiness.

The business has been focused mostly in the Pacific Northwest. Hawkanson, based in Florida, will lead the sales team and work toward expanding the company’s geographical footprint.

The company recently also promoted Paul Catterson to general manager and added Bryce Livengood as senior account manager. It named Dewey Cash as senior design engineer, Pierce Cottingham as senior accountant and Dennis McLaughlin as installer.

[Related: “All Classical Radio Gains a Historic HQ” ]

The post ZTransform Adds Hawkanson as Sales Exec appeared first on Radio World.

After nearly 40 years of leadership in local television, Ray Carter will depart on April 1 as President of Content for Cox Media Group and as VP/GM of its flagship station, WSB-2 in Atlanta, which RBR+TVBR first reported on January 5.

We now know who will take on Carter’s dual roles at the broadcast TV and radio station owner with majority interest held by Apollo Global Management.

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Reporting by Adam R Jacobson and Cameron Coats

For millions of truckers, vacationers, “snowbirds” and daily commuters, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Dundalk, Md., is a vital connector bridging the gap created by the Patapsco River between this east-of-Baltimore community and the city of Glen Burnie and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, to the south.

At 1:30am on Tuesday (3/26), the 1.6-mile bridge that is a part of Interstate 695 collapsed as a container ship accidentally struck a bridge pier after losing power. Vehicles on the bridge fell into the water; two individuals have been rescued while six remained unaccounted for as of 10am.

As listeners across the Baltimore region began their day, local radio and television stations were actively covering the story — as a community member actively engaging their audience to share stories and photos.

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Chad Lopez

Radio World is checking in with business and technology leaders about the state of the industry as radio prepares for the NAB Show in April.

Chad Lopez is president of New York City station 77WABC, Red Apple Media, Red Apple Audio Networks and Red Apple Advertising Agency. 

RW: In a sentence or two, how do you describe what your company does?

Chad Lopez: We are compelling content creators, both on a local and national level. We identify the most engaging moments in that content, apply the science to it, and amplify that content through our distribution channels. 

Radio World: Heading into the NAB Show, what do you consider to be the most important business issue or challenge for radio executives right now?

Lopez: Radio’s biggest business challenge is correcting the false narrative that has permeated our industry that radio is dead. This has had a trickle-down effect from advertisers, to agencies, all the way down to how investors see us. 

The days of high multiples are gone. Correcting the narrative is essential for radio groups and owners. The audio medium may be challenged by the ever-growing number of other media distribution choices and what’s going on with AM radio in electric cars; however, when you have station owners and groups that invest in the product. you see positive results in ratings. and revenue follows. From small businesses to large, when ownership invests in their product, so will Wall Street.  

RW: What technologies or new media platforms are you watching closely, for their potential impact on how radio organizations do business?

Lopez: Streaming and digital assets can give advertisers more avenues for reaching our listeners, and it can combat the negative image that radio is an “old” medium. In terms of running a station, automation can run a board, but you don’t get rid of the people. You move them into content creation. You need the human element to know if what’s being said is of interest to the audience. We need to learn how to use automation to our advantage and enhance the product by freeing those employees to focus on creating additional content that our listeners are yearning for. 

RW: Generative artificial intelligence was last year’s big buzz topic. Has it met expectations for its impact in radio?

Lopez: No. It may have aided the music format to some degree but it has not met expectations, in particular for news/talk/sports format, which requires an “active foreground,” a “personality.” You can’t replace that with a computer. Listening to music is passive listening, you are doing other things while that is playing in the background, but with news/talk/sports you are listening to what is said, thinking about whether you agree or disagree or how that affects you; AI could never successfully replace this format. 

The product on all formats, however, suffers. A computer is not going to generate the human element of interaction and intimacy, which is exactly what makes radio a terrific medium for not only reaching but influencing audiences. This is what we need to push, over and over again, in our dialogue with advertisers, agencies and investors.

RW: Over the next three years, what will be the most important change or evolution in how radio companies are run?

Lopez: Radio has always had an intimacy that other mediums cannot replicate. This intimacy should be the focus of these businesses going forward.

There are many ways to get in front of your audience digitally; however there is still an appetite for that connection that only radio provides. This means in many ways reverting back to what radio was, when radio stations were seen in the streets. Radio needs to get back to grassroots strategies, whether it comes down to events or doing live remotes, we need to create experiences on radio, inside the station and out. In a world where you are fighting for the audience’s attention, we have to engage our listeners by continuing to create great content, and gain more of their time spent listening.

Unfortunately, for most companies this means reducing inventory and finding other ways to make up that revenue. But those who choose to invest in their product will experience meaningful ROI. 

RW: What else should radio managers be thinking about?

Lopez: Many subscribe to the notion that people under 30 don’t want to work in radio, let alone AM radio. We are building a younger audience, and that should be an important topic for everyone in radio. Part of building a younger audience is building a younger staff that is invested in the medium. 

In our company, a large percentage of the staff are young, which is incredible for a news/talk property. I started an internship program at the station that has been wildly successful. We have had numerous interns return every summer only to eventually come to work for us. 

Two of those former interns are now the leaders of their respective departments. I love having conversations with them. They make me more passionate about radio; they make the entire staff excited. And they make their friends excited about AM radio, which helps us grow a younger audience too. 

Having a younger staff involved in the product is a long-term investment. 

[“Natalie Marsh: Keep an Open Mind About New Tech”]

The post Lopez: Radio Needs to Invest in Its Own Product appeared first on Radio World.

Many are familiar with Peter Greenberg from his role as CBS News Travel Editor. Now, Greenberg is poised to host a 30-minute syndicated television series that offers insights and insider tips on improving the trip experience. The show is the result of a partnership between Leap Media Group and the media consultancy and advice firm led by Gary Krantz.

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Between April 1 and the end of June, the broadcast media industry will gain access to a new product from Veritone that is designed to give users of its digital media hub the ability to quickly extract actionable insights and execute dynamic workflows from their media archive data.

Powering this task is a new conversational intelligence tool.

Introducing “Ask Veri,” fueling the Veritone Digital Media Hub (“DMH”) platform.

It is a generative AI-enabled, chat-based tool integrated with Veritone’s aiWARE platform.

“Ask Veri leverages generative AI to swiftly respond to queries and can provide customers with in-depth analysis, insightful summaries, and key findings for their digital media collection,” Veritone notes.

With Ask Veri, customers can formulate their own questions, such as “What is the trend of monthly user activity, or “Source all available footage of Caitlin Clark during the NCAA tournament,” or use the interface’s intuitive, suggested queries, the company notes.

Sean King, General Manager for Veritone Media and Entertainment, commented, “With content production and consumption at an all-time high, media professionals face the overwhelming challenge of organizing and activating an abundance of data. Ask Veri leverages Veritone’s industry experience and extensive knowledge base to provide both open-ended and template query prompts for DMH customers. For media professionals who aren’t sure where to start in their content journey, Ask Veri’s versatility in query type can help them quickly make sense of their media asset data and help them stay ahead in the market.”

Veritone will showcase Ask Veri during the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 13 to 17, in Booth #W1642 in the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall. Ask Veri will be commercially available in the second quarter of 2024.

The second generation of the Inovonics INOmini RDS encoder is now available for purchase.

The INOmini 704 Dynamic RDS Encoder is a dedicated hardware product in a 1/3-Rack profile. It will make its public debut at the 2024 NAB Show, the California-based company says.

This product replaces the model 703, the first INOmini product produced by the manufacturer and introduced at NAB in 2009.

The 704 is compatible with all standard playout systems. It identifies the radio station by format, displays the station’s “street name”, and continuously updates the Artist and Song Title as provided by the playout system through a network connection.

Electronics Research Inc. will introduce a new FM bandpass filter at the NAB Show.

It said the 940 Series is a compact model with an innovative form factor and construction to provide the smallest available footprint FM bandpass filter capable of handling 5 kW average power.

The filter is a four-section single cabinet design with a footprint less than 18 by 21 inches. It includes the Invar and bellows temperature compensation used in other models of ERI’s medium- and high-power FM filter products. The filter contains a cross-coupling standard for additional isolation in combiner systems with closely spaced frequencies.

The filter also is rated to handle up to 3 kW (depending on tuning) at the output after insertion losses, convection cooled; the rating is increased to 5 kW with a forced-air cooling fan. It includes 1-5/8-inch unflanged input and output connections, and the EIA flanged version is available optionally. 

The filter can be used for intermodulation product suppression or configured as an FM channel combiner. A constant impedance configuration, also compact, is available.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The post ERI Introduces New FM Bandpass Filter appeared first on Radio World.

Burk Technology’s Rack Room Environmental Monitoring Package provides early warning of abnormal environmental conditions before they can develop into costly equipment failures. 

It detects HVAC equipment failure, power outages, smoke, flooding, increased fan noise, heat rise in racks, excessive humidity and intrusions.

The package includes a Climate Guard Environmental Monitor (Plus-X EM32) equipped with sensors for flood, smoke, humidity and temperature. Its Tri-Temp sensor array combines three pre-wired temperature sensors for mounting at the bottom, middle and top of an equipment rack, providing a real-time view of heat rise from air inlet to outlet.

Sensors track changes in light and sound levels over time. More sensors can be added based on your station’s requirements.

Climate Guard’s web interface displays current and historical sensor data and alerts. Colorful web-based charts display variations in heat distribution over time, tracking normal fluctuations due to HVAC operating cycles as well as identifying abnormal temperature variations. Alarm thresholds trigger alerts via email, text and SNMP, giving operators warning of impending failures.

The Plus-X EM32 can operate on its own or integrated with an ARC Plus on the network. Jet Active Flowcharts in ARC Plus can respond to environmental events, enabling backup cooling systems, shutting down non-critical equipment or shifting to backup facilities. AutoPilot custom views integrate environmental data with other critical broadcast system parameters for a comprehensive view of facility performance.

NAB Show Booth: W3621

[“Exhibitor Preview: Burk at the NAB Show”]

The post Burk Offers Rack Room Environmental Monitoring appeared first on Radio World.

It is historically a news brand that started in print to serve the Spanish-speaking consumer in metropolitan Atlanta. Today it is the digital arm of Rene Alegría-led MundoNow.com, and it seeks to expand its content distribution, while growing its revenue further, by teaming up with the nation’s No. 1 owner of radio stations.

 

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PILOT, the innovation arm of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has unveiled the winners of the 2024 PILOT Innovation Challenge.

Two honorable mentions were also named.

This year’s winners are:

• Amira Labs: Specializes in AI-centric, cloud-based broadcasting solutions for enhancing real-time audio and video content integrity with unparalleled multi-language capabilities. Cloud-based, containerized, AI-driven system designed for real-time audio and video processing, crucial for use-cases like quality service monitoring, content localization and metadata extraction for archiving.
• AudioShake: Opens up content workflows with audio separation AI. Its technology can split a recording into its stems to power next-gen audio experiences in film, TV, music and sports. AudioShake is used for audio editing, remastering, immersive mixing, synthetic voice, ASR, copyright compliance and more.
• Chord Communities: Enables broadcast organizations to easily create thriving online communities, rich with actionable first-party data. Its integrated customer data platform CDP and segmentation tools help broadcasters deliver relevant local advertising into their new online communities. The platform easily integrates into websites, dramatically increasing traffic, engagement and digital revenues.

This year’s honorable mentions are:

• Black Stock Footages: A stock video marketplace for video creators to download HD and 4K stock videos of Black people, cultures and activities. Helps to streamline production workflows with diversity-focused stock videos.
• ConnectionOpen: Provides a low latency, HD video/uncompressed audio solution for remote and home studio connections. It has features like screen sharing/sizing, an onboard recording device for backups as well as plugins for digital audio workstations (DAWs) using a variety of plugin formats. Windows, Mac and iOS compatible.

 

The winners will receive a trip to the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas. They will also be given exhibit space on the convention floor to demonstrate their products to potential customers, investors and partners, and the opportunity to present their findings in the Connect Zone Theater.

The PILOT Innovation Challenge specifically sought products or prototypes that align with three focus areas of the 2024 NAB Show associated with the content lifecycle: Create, Capitalize and Connect. Winning submissions provided compelling solutions to key challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters over the coming two to three years.

 

 

Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), known for its production and distribution of wildlife programming, is rolling out a new weekly series starting April 6 that will air as part of the “Weekend Adventure” educational/informational program block on ABC O&Os and affiliates alike.

And, while it is named after a late, beloved host of wildlife shows of yesteryear, it is to be hosted by a man known for his hosting roles on Dancing With the Stars and America’s Funniest Home Videos as well as for playing “Carlton” on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Actor and original “Tap Dance Kid” Alfonso Ribiero will host Jack Hanna’s Passport, which takes a fresh look at “the most compelling stories from Hanna’s legendary career and his greatest past adventures across the globe.”

“Jack Hanna’s Passport will celebrate the decades of adventures brought to audiences by the legendary wildlife ambassador Jack Hanna,” said Bryan Curb, HMPG EVP/General Manager for Education/Information.

HMPG recently acquired the library of programs hosted by Hanna, further expanding its presence in the genre. Overall, HMPG’s current program portfolio comprises more than 30 original series and boasts a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming; its content can be found in 97 countries.

At the 2024 NAB Show, customers can see the now-shipping DK-H700 4K box camera from Hitatchi.

On demonstration at Booth C4516 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (April 14-17), Hitachi Kokusai’s next-generation box camera is being marketed to a variety of high-end broadcast, professional AV and government applications.

The DK-H700’s smooth operability, artistic capabilities and striking visual quality are some of the key marketing characteristics of the product being shared by Hitachi; the camera boasts advanced digital signal processing and HDR support.

The DK-H700’s design also includes 2/3-inch, RGB 3-chips, 8.3 million pixel each CMOS sensors., Collectively, these features add up to produce sharp and clear images with minimal noise, lifelike color fidelity, and high sensitivity.

The DK-H700 is a multi-format solution that complies with ITU-R.BT-2020 wide color gamut specs and operates within REC BT2100 High Dynamic Range standards. These allow content creators to produce independent programs in a dual workflow configuration for both HDTV and/or UHD SDI output formats. The new DK-H700 has also added a ¼ ND filter to be able to produce a shallow depth of field with iris opened, which will add to artistic value and reduce the Moire Effect on video walls. Providing the ability to produce shallow Depth of Field, while also having 2/3” Native Global Shutter sensors for maximum depth of field, offers the best of both worlds in creating a maximum artistic experience.

“This offers a versatile solution for customers across all of Hitachi Kokusai’s business verticals, and shines in studio-based news production, indoor and outdoor venues, and even brings a premium level of detailed reality to ophthalmology and other medical procedures,” said Kenneth Cyr, National Sales Manager for Hitatchi. “We are excited to show our customers how the DK-H700 can play the lead role in their productions, or used to complement larger shoots when paired with our SK-UHD7000 Series of 4K/UHD cameras.”

Hitachi Kokusai will also demonstrate its SK-UHD7000 Series, including the now-shipping SK-UHD7000-S2 camera introduced last year. The SK-UHD7000-S2 is a multi-format camera with an affordable license option for 4K. This offers a lower initial purchase point for customers that want high-quality 1080p immediately and a field-upgradeable path to 4K.

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It looks like Good News Broadcasting Network will secure a construction permit for a new noncom educational station in Gallup, N.M.

The organization owns several TV stations, mostly in Arizona, and wants to broadcast Christian programming on a 3 kW signal on 90.9 FM in Gallup. It had filed an application in the 2021 NCE filing window.

But its application ended up in one of the 231 groups of mutually exclusive applications from that window. After the original tentative selectee was dismissed for a rule violation, the FCC ran a new point system analysis and named New Hope Baptist Church of Artesia, N.M. as the tentative selectee in Group 152. It awarded New Hope Baptist two points for diversity in ownership while Good News received one point for best technical proposal.

But Good News then filed a petition to deny. It said New Hope Baptist’s application had been signed by Jason Perry, its pastor, but said Perry was not identified as an officer on the church’s application nor on the New Mexico secretary of state’s website. The FCC’s signature rule requires an officer or director to sign an application if it is a corporation such as New Hope Baptist Church.

The commission now has agreed that New Hope violated the signature rule. It said it has made clear that it will “adhere strictly” to the signature rule requirements and that violations “are not curable.”

Because Perry is neither an officer nor director of New Hope Baptist, its application is dismissed and Good News Broadcasting Network’s NCE CP was accepted for filing.

There is a 30-day window for filing a petition to deny.

(Read the decision.)

The post Good News for Good News appeared first on Radio World.

By Brian Galante
Special to RBR+TVBR

Cablecast Community Media is helping PEG channels improve the viewer experience with several new features that will be demonstrated at NAB Show 2024 in Las Vegas April 14-17. Cablecast will exhibit at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel next to the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Known for its streamlined solutions for linear TV, Video on Demand, OTT and mobile streaming for local media, Cablecast is leading with accessibility upgrades at NAB this year. Its new Multiple Audio Programs (MAP) functionality answers the need for Secondary Audio Program (SAP) support. Other upgrades include expanded web content accessibility features and improved VOD search capabilities.

Developed for Cablecast VIO video servers, MAP allows PEG channels to broadcast multiple audio pairs. Initially supporting two audio channels, this full-featured option will eventually allow PEG stations to air four languages simultaneously. Station programmers can define languages and select them at the channel or program level. Viewers can use the SAP feature via their television or streaming app on mobile and OTT platforms. MAP allows for other use cases as well, such as audio description for residents with visual impairments or director’s commentary.

“Some states are considering implementing SAP requirements anytime the population of a community reaches a certain threshold of non-English speaking residents,” explained Steve Israelsky, President, Cablecast Community Media. “Our new MAP feature will enable them to serve these groups of non-native English speakers without requiring an additional channel.”

Another upgrade allows community media centers with the Cablecast REFLECT+ cloud-based content delivery service to offer Enhanced Search on Cablecast Internet Channels. This feature enables search of Video-on-Demand (VOD) titles, chapters, and transcripts. “The ability to search closed captioning transcriptions across an entire online library of content, particularly for local sports and city meetings, makes it much easier to find the content you want to watch and skip the parts you don’t need,” Israelsky said.

For example, rather than watch an entire basketball game, a viewer can type in the name of a specific player. If the player’s name is included in the closed captioning, the viewer can then access the portions of the game that mention the player and watch those highlights. The same process can also work for viewing specific agenda items or discussion topics during a city commission meeting, rather than watching the whole meeting or needing to scrub to the exact moment frame by frame.

Cablecast is also making an effort to expand video accessibility features on its Cablecast Internet Channels by conforming to the updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Published by the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG 2.2 became a W3C recommendation last fall. The guidelines are designed to make web content more usable for people with disabilities and users in general.

“Community media channels want their programming to be enjoyed by all members of the community,” Israelsky added. “By making sure Cablecast Internet Channels not only comply with but exceed the WCAG, we are helping our PEG customers serve residents with disabilities.”