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A principal NPR and PBS Member serving the Commonwealth of Virginia has received the FCC’s blessing to add a channel to its Table of Allotments for a city between the college town of Charlottesville and Staunton, along the busy I-81 corridor to the south of the home of James Madison University.

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As RBR+TVBR reported on February 29, Xperi Corp. lowered its Q4 net loss significantly, with revenue up year-over-year. Among the big takeaways are three new DTS AutoStage contracts as CEO Jon Kirchner said that within the Pay TV segment of the company, “our goal is to deliver more than 10 additional TiVo broadband wins.”

That caught the attention of one influential Wall Street investment influencer, which just upgraded Xperi shares in a big way.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — C-SPAN’s long-serving co-CEOs will leave their posts in 2024, the nonprofit cable network announced today.

That said, C-SPAN Chairman Pat Esser has been working with the two individuals on a succession plan for more than a year. Now, with C-SPAN board approval, a search for a new CEO has started.

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A woman who formerly served as ProPublica’s Data Editor has been hired to serve as the new head of ABC Owned Television Stations’ Data Journalism unit.

It’s a role that will see her take on her new duties April 1, reporting to the President/GM of KGO-7 in San Francisco, Tom Cibrowski.

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A Board Director of broadcast TV station owner Sinclair Inc. has notified the FCC of the disposition of a significant amount of shares in the company, netting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale.

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The SVP/Market Manager for Audacy Inc.‘s Phoenix stations is adding similar duties for its radio stations serving the Seattle-Tacoma market.

The additional responsibilities come as the individual who has held the role since 2009 is retiring.

With Jack Hutchison stepping aside, ending a 26-year run at the company once known as Entercom, Dave Pugh will gain oversight of KSWD “94.1 The Sound,” KISW-FM, KKWF “100.7 The Wolf,” KHTP “Hot 103.7,” KNDD-FM “107.7 The End,” and KNDD HD2’s Channel Q.

Pugh will continue to oversee KOOL-FM “Big 94.5,” KALV-FM “Live 101.5,” Country KMLE-FM 107.9 and the KALV HD Channel Q offering serving the Valley of the Sun.

Audacy Regional President Doug Abernethy commented, “Moving forward under Dave’s leadership, we are well positioned to continue delivering exceptional content to our listeners and super-serving our clients.”

Speaking of Hutchison’s decision to conclude his time at Audacy, he said, “After over 25 years of outstanding leadership and contributions to our company and industry, Jack has decided to retire. We extend our deepest gratitude to him and wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.”

Pugh added, “Our success and the performance-based culture we built in Phoenix has led to this opportunity, and I am excited to lead the Seattle market. I look forward to building upon the incredible foundation established by Jack.”

Pugh has served as the head of Audacy’s Phoenix stations since joining the company in 2016. Prior to that, he spent 19 years with iHeartMedia in leadership roles involving stations in Milwaukee; Michigan; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C.

Pugh’s experience also includes leadership roles at Veritone.

The senior Republican Commissioner on the FCC has spoken out in favor of bipartisan Congressional legislation aimed at fully addressing “the risks” posed by popular social media app TikTok by banning it in the U.S. — unless it “genuinely” divests from its ties to the Communist Party of China.

“TikTok’s own conduct makes clear that it is beholden to the CCP and presents an unacceptable threat to U.S. national security,” says Brendan Carr. “Indeed, TikTok has been caught engaging in a pattern of illicit surveillance and making false statements about personnel in Beijing accessing sensitive U.S. user data. These facts were laid bare for the world to see when the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a TikTok oversight
hearing last year. That is why there is now a broad, bipartisan consensus that TikTok cannot continue to operate in the U.S. in its current form.”

This explains why Carr is cheering the introduction on Tuesday of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” by House Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).

In his view, the act would “definitively resolve the serious threat TikTok poses to America’s national security.”

And, to Carr’s pleasure, soon-to-retire House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has confirmed that her committee will vote on the bill Thursday (3/7).

While Carr can’t cast a vote in Congress, he’s certainly offering his endorsement. “This is a smart, threat-specific bill that would address a clear and present danger,” he concluded. “I hope that this bill will soon become law.”

WorldCast Systems has said that a massive implementation of its SmartFM technology in Germany by Uplink Network GmbH — now approaching 1,000 transmitters — is “a major step towards the decarbonization of FM broadcast in Germany.”

The manufacturer says its AI-based SmartFM technology enables broadcasters that use its Ecreso transmitters to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%. A 10 kW FM using an Ecreso transmitter with SmartFM could save 824 MWh over 10 years compared to an older transmitter with 55% efficiency.

The tool predicts human perception of audio quality at the limit of coverage and depending on content characteristics. According to WorldCast, after a psychoanalysis algorithm qualifies the robustness of audio content to perturbations, SmartFM dynamically changes the RF output power in relation to broadcast content.

Michael Radomski

In Radio World’s latest ebook “Artificial Intelligence in Radio,” we asked Michael Radomski, CEO of Uplink Group, about the large project. 

Radio World: What stations are served by this rollout? 

Michael Radomski: Uplink Group is the market leader for FM broadcasting in Germany and supplies about 50% of the private and a large portion of the public broadcasters. We operate almost 900 FM frequencies at approximately 600 locations; among them are all large radio towers in Germany, e.g. in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf etc.

We run those FM frequencies exclusively with transmitters from French producer WorldCast Systems, ranging from 100 to 10,000 watts transmission energy. They serve private radio groups such as Regiocast Group, TopRadio Group, Hit Radio FFH, Radio NRW, ATSW Group, Metropol FM, Schlager Radio and others, as well as public radio entities like DeutschlandRadio, NDR-MV, RBB, SR, WDR and Thüringer Landesmedienanstalt.

RW: How did it come about?

Radomski: WorldCast Systems had said that Uplink would see significant energy savings through a chargeable software update to its modern FM transmitters called SmartFM. The specialists at Uplink initially were skeptical, since a reduction in transmission energy always has an impact on transmission quality. 

We held long discussions and conducted many laboratory tests and later extensive field tests. After that there were some improvements to the software for the special regulatory requirements of the German market and of course deep commercial considerations. 

At the end it became obvious that SmartFM is a real game-changer in broadcasting. Understanding this, Uplink then took on the task of convincing its customers in Germany of the advantages of SmartFM

RW: When was this work done?

Radomski: Uplink started an extensive and technically detailed test phase with public service customer DeutschlandRadio — in the end, representing a total of 220 FM frequencies — in July 2020. In October 2021, the gradual conversion of other customers was started. Today most customers in Germany have switched.

Installation crew at work.

RW: Who led the technical project and who else was involved?

Radomski: On the market side, Thomas Weiner, the COO of the Uplink Group, and his team laid the foundations for the introduction of SmartFM in Germany. On the WorldCast Systems side, the key people were Gregory Mercier Diaz, the director of product marketing and pre/post sales support, and Christophe Poulain, co-president of WorldCast Group.

Uplink established the SmartFM project in Germany as one of the first transmitter network operators worldwide. This would not have been possible without a trustful and multi-stage cooperation between Uplink and WorldCast. At the end, strong reservations of the customers and national peculiarities in regulation had to be solved together. It was a highly time-consuming process.

RW: What would a fellow radio manager find most interesting about this?

Radomski: SmartFM offers transmitters from WorldCast Systems the possibility of subsequent optimization of energy consumption. This optimization is carried out purely on the software side and without any modifications to the hardware. The use of SmartFM significantly reduces energy consumption while maintaining the same transmission quality. Energy costs and the CO2 footprint for broadcasting are significantly reduced. The return on investment for using SmartFM is easy to calculate, with the amount also depending on national regulations, the transmission power and the type of program content.

WorldCast gear and other equipment seen in a fisheye view of a facility in Woldegk, Germany.

RW: What particular problems or challenges had to be overcome?

Radomski: The core challenge was to convince our customers that SmartFM does not entail a loss of quality. It was expected that a reduction in transmission power would automatically result in a reduction in range and quality. In the end, we were only able to provide proof to the contrary through a large-scale field test with many complex measurements. After that, the willingness of our customers to use SmartFM became very good.

Broadcast tower in Düsseldorf.

In addition, the technical requirements for FM operation in Germany are particularly high by the supervisory authority, the Bundesnetzagentur, compared to those in other European countries, e.g. the multiplex power limit in Germany is 0.0 dBr. Since SmartFM has a particularly strong effect in this technical area, the average savings potential in Germany is lower than elsewhere.

One of the most interesting aspects of SmartFM is that the integration of this function is completely software-based. No hardware changes or work are required for the tremendous savings achieved with this feature. The necessary software updates can be carried out remotely via online access.

RW: What else should we know about the project?

Weiner: We would particularly like to emphasize the good cooperation between the Uplink Group and WorldCast Systems. 

To date, about 1,000 transmitters with spare parts and more than 1,000 other components have been delivered to us. In such a close partnership there are always unexpected challenges. We would therefore particularly like to recognize the willingness of WorldCast Systems and the management to always find a constructive solution to problems and obstacles.

In addition, the SmartFM function shows how an entire fleet of transmitters can be subsequently expanded with useful functions through software updates. In this sense WorldCast is on a par with electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, which can equip its cars with new functions only through software updates and without the vehicle having to go back to the factory.

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

The post Uplink Network Embraces SmartFM Technology appeared first on Radio World.

A marketing technology and managed services company known until late 2016 as Sinclair Digital Solutions has entered into a strategic partnership with a “Smart Marketing” provider to help their respective clients accelerate and manage advertising campaigns.

The partnership between Sinclair Inc.’s Compulse and TapClicks integrates software and services from both companies to streamline and optimize omnichannel advertising campaigns, Compulse notes.

“The integration adds functionality, eliminates the need for manual data re-entry, reduces the likelihood of human error, and dramatically speeds up the sales process, campaign creation, and go-live timelines,” Compulse states. “Simultaneously, campaign metrics from Compulse will feed into TapClicks’ analytics and reporting platform while reducing media costs and fees for all customers. ”

Compulse Managing Director Martin Kristiseter commented, “Local media companies and agencies need a better way to manage their rapidly growing digital business. Our joint customers no longer need costly point systems for media planning, proposal generation and omnichannel fulfillment. Our unified solution greatly enhances our customers’ ability to generate more revenue, improve profit margins, and increase operational efficiencies to future-proof their businesses.”

The partnership between Compulse and TapClicks comes at a time when more media investments are shifting toward programmatic activation, and marketers seek greater transparency on advertising ROI. Compulse and TapClicks claim they address this demand by providing technology to enhance and streamline marketers’ workflow, delivering greater insight into where and how media dollars are being spent. The savings derived from an improved workflow and lower media costs, in turn, can be invested in more working media, allowing marketers to drive even better results, they say.

“Partnerships are part of our DNA,” said Chel Heler, Executive General Manager at TapClicks.  “The breadth of complementary technology and services between TapClicks and Compulse gives us an unprecedented opportunity to create a powerful end-to-end solution and generate huge efficiencies for our collective customers.”

Executives from Compulse and TapClicks will be participating in panel discussions at the Borrell Miami Advertising Conference, scheduled for March 10-12. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The President/CEO of MVPD services provider Schurz Communications has been elected as Vice Chairman of advocacy group ACA Connects and will fulfill the term of Cable One Chief Growth Officer Mike Bowker, who is completing his vice chairmanship early and plans to retire this year.

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AM station WMVP in Chicago will be allowed to move from its longtime tower site and operate with lower nighttime power.

The FCC has approved its application over an objection that raised concerns about a deterioration of skywave service.

In August, station owner Good Karma Broadcasting filed an application to move 50 kW WMVP, which broadcasts a sports format on 1000 kHz and is the home of the Chicago Bears and White Sox. 

It plans to move from its three-tower site in Downers Grove, Ill., to the nighttime transmitter site of 820 WCPT(AM). The latter station is licensed to Willow Springs while its tower site is in Joliet, about 19 miles to the south.

Along with the move to Joliet, Good Karma applied to downgrade WMVP’s nighttime power from 50 kW to 37 kW while diplexing from WCPT’s facility. According to earlier reporting by the website RadioInsight, the move is a consequence of the sale of the station by ESPN to Good Karma. The transmitter property was not part of that sale.

But Albert Adam David filed an informal objection in November. He argued that as a “clear-channel” Class A AM facility, WMVP’s power downgrade would not meet neither the secondary service its status is designed to protect nor the power requirements of its class designation. 

David told the FCC that areas of the Appalachian Mountain region in Virginia and West Virginia would suffer from the power reduction and what he called a “significant” null in skywave propagation.

He said that if the FCC allowed the move, it should reclassify WMVP as a Class B so that other stations on 1000 AM could add or increase nighttime coverage. Class A stations are given protection within a 750-mile radius of their transmitter site. 

Good Karma, in response, noted that two other Class A AMs operate with less than 50 kW nighttime power and argued that its application fulfills all technical requirements.

The commission now has denied David’s argument.

The Media Bureau wrote that while 50 kW is “a power level best suited for stations intended to provide wide-area service in the most efficient manner,” WMVP is a former Class I-B AM station, which existed as a class, along with Class I-A and Class I-N stations, before being reformed into a single Class A category by the FCC in 1991. 

Former Class I-B stations, which were long authorized to operate at less than 50 kW, were encouraged to continue to or apply to run at a lower power, “provided that the proposed power level was sufficient to generate a secondary service contour,” it noted.

The bureau said that grandfathered Class I-B stations running at lower nighttime power had already been considered in its rulemaking process dating back to the 1991 class merger and that most Class A stations still run 50 kW at night.

As a result, Good Karma has been given the green light to relocate WMVP’s broadcast facility and the objection from David was denied.

Craig Karmazin founded Good Karma Brands in 1997 with the purchase of three radio stations in Wisconsin. WMVP is formatted as “ESPN 1000, Chicago’s Home for Sports.”

(Read the decision.)

(Read about the rich history of broadcasts on 1000 kHz in Chicago.)

The post Good Karma Can Move and Diplex WMVP(AM) appeared first on Radio World.

BOCA RATON, FLA. — With all of the talk about audio advertising created through the use of artificial intelligence, are consumers ready — and willing — to embrace the production advancement?

According to a newly released study, the time is now to bring both generic and personalized AI ad variations to podcasts and streaming radio environments.

The study, performed by audio research and analytics firm Veritonic on a campaign run by dentsu for Intel, was shared on Wednesday (3/6) by Instreamatic — a voice and audio marketing firm led by South Florida-based CEO Stas Tushinskiy. 

The performance of both generic and personalized AI-generated audio ads for the Intel Evo Edition laptop computer were compared to a control group exposed to neither. Brand awareness, brand favorability, purchase intent, and memorability were measured.

The results were then split into three audience segments: one exposed to listener-personalized AI-generated audio ads, one exposed to generic AI-generated audio ads, and a control group not exposed to ads. Ads were inserted into streaming radio and podcast listening environments; the same audience hearing those ads was recontacted and surveyed 48 hours later to measure key brand metrics.

Based on the study participants, audio ads with personalized, context-driven creative “decisively outperformed” those with generic creative. In particular, Instreamatic points to how personalized ads increased brand favorability by 18-22 percentage points.

By comparison, generic AI-generated creative increased brand favorability by 9% over those not exposed to the campaign.

Additionally, 62% of those exposed to personalized ads reported they were likelier to think favorably of a brand that personalizes its message.

Furthermore, the study found that personalized ads boosted purchase intent by 15-18 percentage points; generic AI creative drove a 3% increase. Some 60% of those exposed to the personalized AI campaign also reported being more likely to consider purchasing from a brand offering personalized ads.

Listening to personalized ads increased brand awareness by 6-12 percentage points. Additionally, 73% of those hearing personalized AI-generated ads reported being more likely to pay attention to ads personalized just for them.

For Instreamatic, that’s a business opportunity, as AI-fueled audio ads are its calling card.

The study also demonstrated how AI can be strategically used to generate improved campaign results with less time and lower cost.

“Where a single traditional audio campaign creative would require extensive studio costs and 4-6 weeks to produce, Instreamatic’s platform can prepare that same ad in three minutes,” the company said.

Similar statements have been made by other companies in the fast-growing space.

 

KINGSTON, N.Y. — The University of Northwestern-St. Paul has in the last several years been a buyer, rather than a seller, of radio stations. Now, it is ready to enter four distinct regions of New York, thanks to a deal that involves the charitable donation of 9 FMs and three FM translators.

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Denies informal objection and grants modification application

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