Radio World

Affiliates of the public radio satellite system in the United States are in the process of completing a major receiver switchover.

The project involved deployment of XDS headend hardware and the XDSv7 Content Management system from manufacturer ATX. “Collaboration with NPR was paramount in helping ATX enrich and improve its XDS Radio Platform with new and advanced enhancement,” said Jose Rivero, an executive with the company’s Media Broadcast business.

Radio World asked Michael Beach, NPR vice president of distribution, about this project in March.

RW: What was the scope of this project?
Michael Beach: More than 300 public radio stations interconnected through the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) installed two new ATX receivers. Those downlink sites in turn feed about 1,200 public radio stations throughout the country.

RW: What specific equipment is being swapped out or upgraded?
Beach: The specific equipment at the stations includes two ATX XDS PRO4S Integrated Receiver Decoders. The receivers are integrated with our proprietary software, ContentDepot, which enables content management, scheduling and automation integration. These ATX receivers are replacing two IDC 4104 Integrated Receiver Decoders at each station.

In addition, we’ve rebuilt our Network Operations Center (NOC) in Washington — the hub of our system — and made significant upgrades to our Backup Network Operations Center (BuNOC) in St. Paul, Minn.

Dale Neiburg monitors functions in the NPR Distribution Services Network Operations Center control room in the basement at NPR headquarters in Washington. Photo: Allison Shelley/NPR

RW: What are the key benefits to stations of the change?
Beach: The new ATX system enables us to add new services immediately, and to add others over time with some additional development work.

For example, as soon as we implemented the new system, we were able to activate a backchannel internet connection. This allows instantaneous remote status monitoring by the NOC at NPR headquarters. That means we know immediately if a station is having signal issues or has gone offline.

Another feature of the new PRO4S receivers is that they will automatically receive a feed across the internet in the event that the satellite signal is lost for any reason.

The receiver also helps NPR consider future bandwidth-delivery options over terrestrially-based networks. Using the new system, stations can not only subscribe to national radio content, but also schedule when the content will be played out of the receiver locally.

A view inside the Backup Network Operations Center (BuNOC) in St. Paul, Minn. Photo: Allen Baylus, Doug Bevington, NPR

RW: We heard that there were some bumps along the way. What problems cropped up and how were they resolved?
Beach: The scale of this project was huge. It included a rollout to all public radio stations in the network and required a large equipment change at our main and backup facilities.

The effort required careful planning and execution because it involves an overhaul of equipment, software upgrades and working with almost 400 organizations, many in different time zones. This all needed to be coordinated while running a network 24/7, and a switchover to the new system without causing any stations to go off the air.

Then add a pandemic, just before we planned to ship the receivers.

[Read: Tiny Desk Series Works From “Home”]

The effect of the pandemic meant that many organizations closed their physical stations and moved staff to work remotely either for weeks or months. Many are still working remotely. Since station engineers were working remotely, deliveries had to be delayed until last fall, and then installations were delayed.

Each public radio station is independent of the network, so local station technical designs vary. This means that the receivers require a different, unique effort to fully integrate into each broadcast station’s audio chain.

In some cases, local engineers may have waited until late in the transition phase of the project when we offered both the old and new interconnection systems side by side in dual operations. If the integration effort required more than the local station engineers envisioned, then wrapping up the work in time for the completion of dual operations on Feb. 26, became a challenge for some. We continue working with individual stations that did not complete their integration on time.

Our project management office and account reps worked tirelessly to determine workarounds and time-saving options with our engineers.

Public Radio Satellite System interconnection diagram

For example, the pandemic meant we needed to delay travel to complete installation work at the BuNOC in Minnesota, too. When our engineers were finally able to travel, they drove nonstop from Washington to St. Paul to be as careful as possible and avoid nonessential interactions.

Our engineering team adjusted their schedules, too, making improvements in our NOC and also guiding engineers who were able to get into their stations through installations. Our NOC technicians and help desk adapted to phone and Zoom calls to try to make this transition as smooth as possible. Station leaders across the country and their engineers continued to be terrific, understanding, and patient partners throughout the project. That’s gratifying, especially considering that they each had challenges they were dealing with in their worlds, too.

It’s been an amazing team effort across the entire PRSS, and a reason that we’re such a strong network of technology and people.

RW: What is the budget for this project and who bears the cost?
Beach: The project is part of a four-year, $25.8 million contract between NPR as the system operator and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The cost of operating the system is funded by the users — public radio stations and public radio content producers. The total scope of the contract includes the local receivers, a major revamp of the main and backup technology in Washington and St. Paul, lease of satellite bandwidth for content delivery, and replacement of some aging satellite antennas at local radio stations.

ATX XDS-PRO4S Integrated Receiver Decoder

RW: What is the expected lifespan of a new deployment of receivers across the U.S.?
Beach: The station receivers have an expected life span of four to five years. However, NPR is maintaining a limited inventory of replacement receivers, and has an arrangement with the system vendor for repair or replacement as needed.

RW: What else should we know?
Beach: The new total network design allows the PRSS to provide better service to stations through a network monitoring system to help troubleshoot local receiver issues 24/7. The ATX system also better positions the system for network topology changes — including the transition to a terrestrial delivery system as those costs become more affordable.

Stations now have increased flexibility to create multiple unique playout schedules from the receiver, including the ability to time delay live content. We’re also working closely with stations who are offering ideas about new features they’d like to see.

 

The post PRSS Stations Get New Receivers appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

We have reached President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office, and vaccine distribution may go down in history as one of his signature achievements. What does that mean for radio stations and reopening?

When Joe Biden arrived in the White House, the coronavirus spread was a top concern in the minds of many Americans. More than 400,000 people in the U.S. had already died from the virus, and vaccinations had sputtered. The Trump administration shouldered much of the blame for the slow response, and voters seemed to want leaders to go on the offensive. Biden promised a bold plan of 100 million COVID vaccine shots in the first 100 days.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: New Radio Filing Is Here]

With spring in the air, Biden can claim victory for that pledge. The United States has administered over 200 million COVID-19 vaccines in his first 100 days in office. The breakneck pace and sheer accessibility of vaccination today — states like Texas and others have made vaccines freely available to everyone — is sparking hope in somewhat of a return back to normal.

Offices, including those of radio stations, are part of the normalcy conversation. Dozens of major corporations and municipalities have announced plans to fully reopen this summer. For media outlets, including public and community radio, the discussion about reopening to staff, volunteers and the public is in full swing.

What are the issues radio stations should consider when weighing out reopening their studios and facilities?

First and foremost, it is best that stations follow recommendations of their cities and counties for reopening. City and county leadership are monitoring infection rates daily. They can give your station tips on issues like office capacity and what other nonprofits and businesses are doing. They may even be able to point you to a group of organizations like yours and how they’re mapping out reopening, and to what degree.

Getty Images/Yaroslav Mikheev

You may also wish to decide how open you want your station to be. Vaccinated staff may feel comfortable around unvaccinated individuals or those whose status is unclear. Vaccination is not a 100% guarantee that a vaccinated person won’t contract the virus. So, you may want to explore this matter with staff and your human resources people. Will you want to do a temperature check with guests? What are your cleaning and social distancing protocols? These are among the topics you will need to resolve.

Voluntary or mandatory vaccination is another question you may want to consider. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor have previously noted vaccines may be required as a safety measure. If your station wants to make vaccines voluntary or mandatory, you will need to ensure that you are making appropriate medical or religious accommodations as they are necessary.

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters recently issued a variety of templates and a checklist for community radio stations considering reopening. Such documents may prove beneficial to stations starting the long journey toward welcoming back our communities to radio studios.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: Reopening Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Westwood One announced several promotions.

Susan Stephens becomes SVP and general manager of Westwood One Programming.

“In this expanded role, Stephens, a 28-year veteran of Westwood One, will work to optimize programming and content opportunities and collaborations between news, talk, music, and entertainment,” the company announced.

Susan Stephens, Tim Seymour, Becky Bennett

Tim Seymour becomes SVP, head of operations, overseeing operations, partner relations, affiliate & sales operations, traffic & continuity, and research operations teams.

And Becky Bennett is promoted to VP of partner relations. “In addition to managing the compensation inventory procurement process and current partner relationships, Bennett is responsible for developing new producer partners.”

Stephens and Seymour report to Westwood One President Suzanne Grimes. Bennett reports to Seymour.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Three Promoted at Westwood One appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has built a collection of online materials to help alert originators design successful emergency messaging procedures, which it hopes will ultimately increase the consistency and accuracy of alerting in the United States.

The IPAWS Programming Planning Toolkit currently contains five documents, including a recently completed Process Map Playbook. The playbook illustrates the interconnected processes at federal, state and local levels and is intended to streamline knowledge for the IPAWS alerting community, including broadcasters, according to FEMA.

[Read: SBE Issues Guidance About RWT Failure]

IPAWS, which stands for Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, is a network of systems used by alerting authorities to create geographically-targeted emergency messages that can be sent through the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts and other unique alerting systems, including internet services.

FEMA says the toolkit’s materials were produced based on “recent innovative changes to technology” and “were derived from the collection of successful practices and lessons learned from hundreds of data points.”

“The toolkit will assist public safety agencies to minimize alerting delays; plan for future alerts, warnings and notifications enhancements; facilitate interoperability across different technologies; and improve information sharing among emergency management and public safety officials,” FEMA says on its website.

IPAWS Workflow

The IPAWS Process Map Playbook includes diagrams depicting the IPAWS alerting tree and process for alerting authorities to secure the needed IPAWS equipment and training to disseminate alerts. It further details the process for sending EAS and WEA alerts.

In addition, standardized checklists are included in the playbook to insure those messages align with national and international standards used by IPAWS.

While the documents are mostly intended for alerting originators like emergency managers and public information officers, FEMA says all IPAWS stakeholders will benefit from “review of the materials to demonstrate the importance of preparation, training, resource-sharing, communication and relationship development.”

One of those interested in IPAWS developments is Ed Czarnecki, senior director of strategy and government affairs for technology manufacturer Digital Alerting Systems.

“The IPAWS Toolkit is an excellent starting point to orient authorities on the process of becoming an IPAWS alert originator, and it also gives a solid primer on the message flows in both EAS versus WEA and who is supposed to being doing what and where,” he told Radio World. “Hopefully, the toolkit will help start to provide alert originators needed context on how EAS and WEA operate differently.”

For broadcasters, the “toolkit can also serve as a good background on the ecosystem behind WEA and EAS, and also give some background on the process that alert originators need to go through to become an IPAWS Alerting Authority,” he said.

Other entries in the IPAWS Programming Planning Toolkit include a guide for constructing EAS and WEA messages, a training capsule, the IPAWS Lab fact sheet and FAQs.

Download the IPAWS Programming Planning Toolkit here.

 

The post FEMA Dials up IPAWS Playbook appeared first on Radio World.

The software systems that radio stations and networks use to manage media assets have evolved to meet the needs of the 21st century; but their capabilities were put to the test when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the industry along with the rest of the world.

Hear what automation suppliers have to say about the lessons of the past year, along with trends in cloud, remote control, virtualization, tech support and cost.

“Automation: The Next Phase”

The post Automation: The Next Phase appeared first on Radio World.

Solar-powered portable radios that put audio quality second are nothing new. But a solar-powered portable radio that sounds as good as a non-solar high-fidelity radio: This is worth talking about.

The new CCRadio Solar from C.Crane fits this double-barreled description. With its generous top-mounted solar panel (3.75 by 1.5 inches) plus back-mounted generator crank for recharging its Lithium-Ion battery pack, this is a radio for blackouts and other emergency situations. 

After an initial conditioning charge-up of the Lithium-Ion battery from a 5V DC adaptor, just leave it in a sunny window, and the radio is always ready to go. 

In non-emergency situations, the CCRadio Solar can be powered with three AA batteries or a 5V DC charger plugged into its micro-USB port.

Worth noting

The CCRadio Solar has an LED flashlight with glow-in-the-dark “On” switch; and its USB 3.0 port can be used to charge a connected dead smartphone to 50 percent power.

It is a fine radio for listening to AM, FM (regular or extended band) or NOAA Weather Radio. 

The frequency range emitted by the front-mounted 3 watt 2-inch front speaker can be “pumped up” by activating the set’s High Power Audio Mode. The audio quality from the stereo headset jack is superb.

Perhaps the best feature for radio geeks (and non-radio geeks who live with them) is that the 6-by-3-by-2-inch CCRadio Solar with its “shades of pale grey” case looks like a tastefully designed set-top radio, rather than a piece of survivalist gear aimed at wannabe Navy SEALs. 

Dual-purpose

The Solar is the brainchild of longtime radio aficionado and equipment innovator Bob Crane, owner of the C.Crane electronics store in Fortuna, Calif.. 

When he moved to this small remote town some 30 years ago, Crane had a difficult time tuning in the big-city AM talk stations he loved. So Bob Crane began to design and sell high-performance receivers at reasonable prices. 

Today the online store sells a range of radios to fulfill a number of listening preferences, from tuning in distant AM/FM stations (e.g. the CCRadio 3 and CC Radio EP) to providing reliable multi-band coverage during extended power outages (the wind-up CCRadio Observer). 

The CCRadio Solar is a departure in that it combines multiple main functions: high-fidelity audio and distant station reception with indefinite power.

Crane said you can expect 35 hours of run time between charges.

“If you are a lucky radio listener with a sunny window it is conceivable you might pay off the price of the radio with what you save on batteries.”

At $99.99 a unit, and given that I have yet to see a CCrane radio fail despite years of service, payback is a matter of time.

The nitty-gritty

Moving from left to right, the Solar’s front panel features the 2-inch speaker and a large LCD display for tuning, band information, power level and clock functions including alarm and sleep modes.

Underneath the display are five memory buttons to save presets on the AM, FM and weather bands (seven NOAA frequency channels). The memory buttons can also be used in various combinations to turn the High Power Audio mode on and off, set clock and alarm and disable the Beep sound during tuning. 

For distant AM radio fans, the buttons can be used to select 1, 9 or 10 kHz tuning steps plus a narrowband 2.5 kHz filter to reject interference from strong adjacent signals. This allows the user to tune in a weak distant station adjacent to a local AM powerhouse. (The default AM wideband filter is set to 4 kHz). 

Finally, the volume dial is side-mounted on the lower right side.

On the top of the radio is the solar panel, the Flashlight and Band selection buttons on the far left, and the red Power button on the right. There is a fully rotating whip antenna that folds into the side and extends from 4.5 to 25 inches for enhanced FM/Weather Radio reception. 

The AM antenna is inside the set. It is directional, which means that distant signal reception can be improved by rotating the radio 90 degrees horizontally in either direction.

The radio’s settings can be locked/unlocked while in Playback mode by pressing the Band and Power buttons simultaneously.

According to the manual, eight hours of direct sunlight can provide 10 to 14 hours of audio playback at a Medium sound level (without the High Power Audio mode being activated, because its enhanced bass consumes more electricity). Hand-cranking the onboard generator for 90 seconds, at two rotations per second or more, will provide 8 to 13 minutes of runtime from the Lithium-Ion battery, assuming that it was discharged.

This winter, Crane said that with the oversize solar panel he was able to keep it fully charged using it about one hour a day at full audio power. 

“It would last much longer if I switched to low-power audio. It should run four hours a day in the summer on high power.”

The flashlight and recessed mount for the included carrying strap are on the left side. On the right panel, a water-repelling rubber door protects a mini-plug Aux In jack that allows the Solar to serve as an outboard speaker; a micro-USB port for charging the unit from a 5V DC adaptor; a switch for using either the onboard Lithium-Ion battery or inserted AA batteries; a USB 3.0 port for recharging a phone; and a standard earphone mini-jack.

The rear contains the foldaway crank and the battery compartment, which houses the included rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and three AA cells. (These can be alkaline or Ni-Cads, but not Lithium.) The inside of the compartment door contains a “Cheat Sheet” covering the radio’s basic functions.         

Pros and cons

The audio quality is top-notch on all bands, even given AM’s fidelity. So is signal reception: At night when distant signals bounce off the ionosphere, the radio’s AM band is chock-a-block with stations. Tuning using 10 kHz steps was like changing the channel on a TV set; almost every frequency has something on it, though granted, signal quality varied widely thanks to the vagaries of AM propagation. 

Still, the distance-listening performance is impressive. From a second-story in Ottawa, Canada, I can receive WSB 750 in Atlanta, WWVA 1170 in Wheeling W.Va./St. Clair Ohio, and KDKA 1020 Pittsburgh, among many others.

FM signals are plentiful if not as distant, and the one Canadian “Weatherradio” station available to an Ottawa listener at 162.550 MHz comes in loud and clear.

One format the radio does not offer is HD Radio. “Power consumption is probably about double on HD Radio because of the power needed to process the digital signal,” Crane said. “We will probably need to put this technology into a plug-in radio.”

As for holding a charge? After three months I have yet to manually recharge it after the initial AC charge to prime the Lithium-Ion battery. I do not keep AAs in it; the power is coming from the sun.

Since, by convention, every review is required to include a complaint to prove its journalistic integrity, I will offer one: The rubber door covering the inputs on the right side doesn’t have a hinge. One day the folding rubber crease will likely wear out, and I will be required to put some tape on it.

I have nothing but respect for the CCRadio Solar radio. Based on my 18 years of reviewing his receivers, I know that Bob Crane delivers what he promises in his custom-designed equipment. That said, the CCRadio Solar keeps its promises.

The post New solar radio is an emergency kit too appeared first on Radio World.

Apogee has updated its MetaRecorder iOS app with the release of V2.2. The audio recording app for iPhone and iPad offers linked recording, tagging and organizing of audio on up to four iOS devices.

New to this version is the ability for all Apogee products, including Symphony Desktop, to unlock MetaRecorder on iPhone, iPad and iPad Pro. Additionally the link feature that was ‘broken’ by iOS 14 has been fixed, and there have been additional ‘general bug fixes.’

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

Apogee MetaRecorder is a two-channel audio recording app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with features to support a variety of workflows. Audio is recorded at up to 24-bit/96 kHz in WAV or CAF format. Users can connect an Apogee audio interface or Sennheiser ClipMic digital or MKE 2 digital lavalier mic for a professional quality input signal, and adjust hardware input gain and DSP (Sennheiser only) from MetaRecorder.

MetaRecorder features compatibility with Timecode Systems’ UltraSync BLUE module as an in-app purchase. When enabled, MetaRecorder receives timecode via Bluetooth and embeds it into the audio file metadata. This is intended to simplify synchronization of audio and video files in Final Cut Pro (or another NLE).

The app is available in the Apple app store with a free edition that allows in-app purchases to the full version ($4.99), full version with multidevice support ($14.99) and other upgrades.

Info: https://apogeedigital.com

 

The post Apogee MetaRecorder Updated With V2.2 appeared first on Radio World.

The North American Broadcasters Association has rolled out some security/cybersecurity recommendations for broadcasters working in a studio and out in the field.

The recommendations were generated by the NABA-TC Cybersecurity Subcommittee, which is chaired by engineer John Lee.

“A year or so ago, I was presenting the work of TC Cybersecurity Subcommittee to the board, and there was a specific request from a board member to look at cybersecurity for personnel working in the field,” he said. “There is a lot of information available online on how journalists and their crews can remain cybersecure even when working on stories in hostile physical or political environments. [But] to the best of my knowledge, no broadcast union had to this point formally issued cybersecurity recommendations in this regard. [So] this will hopefully prove to be helpful to our journalists and field personnel,” he said, adding that the recommendations apply to both TV, radio and web journalists.

[Read: Public Warning Cited as Greatest Cyber-risk]

The in-house recommendations released by NABA include installing antivirus, antimalware or endpoint malware detection tools, and employing a password manager to generate and store strong, complex, unique passwords. The organization suggests enabling multifactor authentication for all accounts by using a code generator like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator or Duo.

When it comes to software, only use licensed software and check with the IT team before deploying an unknown software tool.

When out in the field, the organization suggests setting up threat modeling for all journalists that work in the field. Threat modeling involves considering what possible threats might present themselves, how likely those threats are to manifest and what steps can be taken to counter a risk.

The organization tells broadcasters to consider providing a smartphone or laptop that can be used specifically for travel; such a device would most likely have limited data stored on it. NABA also suggests that reporters keep essential devices on their person — don’t leave computers in a hotel room or check them in luggage.

A smart but simple step: sign out of applications that store sensitive or confidential data before you leave on assignment, which is particularly important in high-risk situations where the authorities may compel a reporter to turn over a device for examination. And consider using VPN connections at all times when connecting through the Internet in the field.

Here is the complete list of suggestions from the NABA. Broadcasters should also take advantage of additional security guidance by organizations like Freedom of the Press Foundation and Committee to Protect Journalists.

 

The post Steps to Keeping Safety in the Studio and On the Road appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World friend David Antoine is heading back to an old stomping ground, WBGO(FM), Newark, N.J. Previously ending his time there as chief engineer, he returns to be chief technology officer.

[Read: Antoine Builds on a Sound Education]

Through a four-decade career Antoine has also been at WBLS(FM), WLIB(AM), WOR(AM), WQHT(FM), WRKS(FM), WNCN(FM), WQXR(FM) and WQEW(AM). He has also served as the director of broadcast IT for Westwood One’s network distribution & technical operations center.

He was most recently a radio broadcast engineer with equipment maker Lawo. In addition he is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and holds SBE certifications CBRE and CBNT.

 

The post Antoine Returns to WBGO appeared first on Radio World.

Compliance is the keyword.

It has now been three years since all U.S. radio stations were required to establish an online public file or OPIF and move their paper files to the online portal set up by the Federal Communications Commission.

Since that deadline, it has become apparent that many licensees were not maintaining their files correctly. The FCC has drawn attention to this as station licenses come up for renewal, announcing a series of consent decrees in which owners large and small acknowledge that they failed to comply. 

The commission has been lenient; these agreements involve no financial penalty and the commission acknowledged the impact of the pandemic. But the decrees require immediate steps be taken to address deficiencies, put best practices in place to ensure compliance and report back to the FCC.

Concern and diligence

Properly maintaining the OPIF, political file and the quarterly issues and programs lists are of upmost importance as stations in 20 states have their license renewal cycle this year, and lack of compliance can cause the commission at minimum to put an application on hold.

Frank Montero

“With it being moved online and accessible by all, the public inspection file has gone from a randomly maintained annoyance to an important aspect of station compliance,” said Frank Montero of the law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth. 

“Licensees are learning that they can no longer just check the ‘Yes’ [compliance] box on the license renewal.”

While the recent consent decrees have not involved monetary penalties, failure to comply with these rules can indeed be costly, said Cary Tepper of Tepper Law Firm.

“On occasion, multiple public file deficiencies have resulted not only in fines, but in license renewals being processed slowly, or in a couple of cases, short-term renewals issued,” he said.

“Instead of an eight-year renewal, you get a one-year renewal with the order to clean up your act and prove to the FCC that you’re going to remain compliant. It’s created a lot of concern for some clients, but also made others more diligent.”

Cary Tepper with puppy Ava

To avoid issues or delays in the renewal process, stations should consider hiring an attorney to conduct an external audit of their OPIF.

Tepper and Montero said the most common trouble spots are with the political file or the quarterly issues and programs lists. Montero said this may be because these items “do not involve information that is automatically uploaded by the FCC.”

Montero said, “For your political file, we tell clients that even if they had no contact with political candidates during election season, they may want to place a memo in the political file.” He said this will let the FCC know that the station is aware of the requirements and that a lack of information does not indicate neglect.

In the event that stations find that their quarterly issues and programs list are deficient or there are other areas in the file that need revisions, Tepper recommends including a special exhibit during the license renewal process.

This will indicate that while “preparing the license renewal application, the station had its public file audited and found X, Y and Z needed to be fixed so fixed it before filing the renewal application,” Tepper said.

 “Normally, when the [FCC] staff sees that you are self-monitoring and fixing it, they don’t make an issue out of it.” 

He said many stations don’t realize that their remote programming can be included in the quarterly issues and programs list as “responsive programming.”

“People don’t think in terms of the complete picture of ‘What have we done that qualifies?’” He noted that many stations broadcast live from local and charitable events but overlook these events when considering what to include in the quarterly reports. He said these may be documented in an attachment. 

Best practices

Both attorneys stressed the importance of uploading any OPIF documents on or before the required deadline. 

Montero recommended that stations assign an employee or staffer who is specifically responsible to make sure the file is kept current. 

Indeed the recent FCC settlements typically include stipulations that the offending company designate a senior manager to serve as a compliance officer, someone who reports directly to the CEO or senior officer; establish a compliance manual; and set up a staff training program.

Tepper said the FCC website provides public file information about what documents need to be included in the public and political files. 

“If you have any doubt, just throw every political document in there,” Tepper said. “Even if you’re not sure what should be there, they’re not going to fine you or fault you for having too much in the public file.” 

Even though the online filing requirement was issued three years ago, some stations still have insufficiencies or have simply not set up their OPIF.

Tepper said some minority-owned stations may be missing important communication from the FCC because of language issues. Montero said many smaller stations may not be aware of requirements and updates because they don’t have the luxury of a FCC law firm.

Montero said good information is available from state broadcast associations, FCC resources, past articles in Radio World, YouTube training videos and blog articles.

State association websites often provide training materials, webinars and contact information for people who can assist smaller stations and provide education and training on compliance issues. 

Participation in the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program also provides a connection to a local expert who conducts an FCC-style inspection of the public file and station operations. While the certificate of completion from these programs does not free a station from FCC scrutiny, an ABIP inspection is an excellent way to identify any problems before the commission does.

Watch a webcast demo of the FCC’s online public inspection file interface at https://tinyurl.com/rw-opif.

The author is station manager of REV 89 | KTSC(FM) in the Department of Media Communication, Colorado State University Pueblo.

The post The FCC Can See Your Public File appeared first on Radio World.

PreSonus has released Studio One 5 Professional V5.2, marking the second feature update to its long-running DAW. The new edition adds more than 30 new features and improvements.

Studio One 5.2’s new Sound Variations is intended for use corralling complex virtual instruments and orchestral libraries. Central to it is a mapping editor that provides tools for managing complex articulation maps. According to PreSonus, each Sound Variation can be customized with its own name and color, and can be dragged-and-dropped in any order and placed into custom folders. Sound Variations can be triggered by key switches, as well as from remote commands, including hardware controllers, keyboard shortcuts, custom macros and more.

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

All Synchron-enabled Vienna Symphonic Instruments, as well as instruments from UJAM fully support dynamic Sound Variations mapping with Studio One, and a new API allows third-party developers to enable their VST2 and VST3 instruments’ articulations to be queried by Studio One so that Sound Variation maps are automatically generated.

The Score View has been updated with the addition of drum notation and tablature. Users can choose between viewing standard notation with tablature or select tablature only to print lead sheets and more. A new drum map interface lets users add both the drum and note names to a corresponding notated pitch. A General MIDI map is included for quick setup. New symbols in the Score View allow open/closed/half-open techniques to be added as well. A new Voices icon allows up to four voices per staff to be created.

For performers, the relatively new Show Page has gained a new feature — the Arranger Track — letting users experiment on the fly with new arrangements. Each Arranger section in every Setlist item has five playback mode options: Continue, Stop at End, Skip, Loop, or Loop and Continue; the latter can repeat any section for a specific number of times before playback continues to the next Arranger Section, aiding impromptu extended solos and breakdowns on stage. The new Arranger Track also supports patch changes mid-song.

Version 5.2 adds a number of other features, including the ability to create multiple clip versions, allowing the user to apply clip-based edits in Gain Envelopes or Melodyne independently to Events sharing the same audio; a new “Smart” tool for editing Note Events in the Piano Roll editor; and deeper integration with both ATOM SQ and FaderPort-series controllers. PreSonus Sphere workspaces are also now available directly from the Studio One Browser for bidirectional file transfer. And Studio One is now officially supported for Apple Silicon ARM processors in Rosetta 2 compatibility mode.

Studio One 5.2 is a free update to all registered Studio One 5 customers and is available free to PreSonus Sphere members.

Info: www.presonus.com

 

The post PreSonus Studio One 5 Is Updated appeared first on Radio World.

A Nautel GV30 FM transmitter and HD MultiCast+ importer/exporter for Northwestern Media’s KNWI in Des Moines, Iowa.

Here’s an item from Radio World’s “Who’s Buying What” page: Northwestern Media purchased a Nautel GV30DN transmitter and HD MultiCast+ importer/exporter for KNWI(FM) on 107.1 in Des Moines, Iowa.

“By adding HD capability Northwestern will be able to feed a translator in downtown Des Moines and provide HD programming of its Faith Radio talk and teaching format to the Des Moines market,” the manufacturer said.

Rod Thannum is director of engineering for Northwestern Media.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

The station currently operates at 30 kW at 630 feet above ground level but is about to get an upgrade.

“KNWI was limited in height and power due to KDSN in Denison, Iowa, which was also at 107.1,” Nautel said in a project summary.

“Northwestern Media purchased KDSN and changed its frequency to 104.9 in January of 2020 and then resold KDSN. This allowed Northwestern Media to begin to build a 995-foot tower which allowed for an increase to 100 kW to better serve the Des Moines market with its music-oriented format.”

Thannum said the tower stacking will be done by the end of July and the new operation should be on the air in early August. The project also includes a 10-bay ERI SHPX-10AC antenna and a Slatercom/Dialight LED high-/medium-intensity lighting system.

Suppliers and users are invited to submit their project news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Nautel Supports Big Signal Upgrade in Des Moines appeared first on Radio World.

The coronavirus pandemic may have stalled its progress, but live music is making a comeback in time for Europe Day.

The membership organization Liveurope and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have joined forces to boost support for the European live music scene. Fifteen young European artists will record music at 15 venues across Europe in an initiative that will culminate in a series of live performances on May 9, otherwise known as Europe Day. The collection of musical performances will be made available to public radio stations worldwide starting May 2.

[Read: EBU’s New Head of Radio Sees Opportunity, Peril]

The live music sector took a significant hit from the COVID-19 pandemic as venues around the world shut their doors more than a year ago. In response, Liveurope, EBU and a handful of creative and cultural organizations joined forces to highlight the important role that concert halls play in shaping the European music industry. Organizers say this is an opportunity to underline the importance of live music to see a way out of the crisis.

“In our everyday work, we see how music has the power to bring people together and to build bridges between cultures and territories from all over the continent,” said Elise Phamgia, Liveurope’s coordinator. “At a time when the pandemic has pushed forward social isolation, we believe culture can be a vehicle to regenerate enthusiasm for the future, especially among new generations. And this initiative is a prime example of that.”

As part of the initiative, each artist’s showcase will consist of one or two songs for broadcast by EBU public radio stations. Broadcasters have the option to use the content anytime from May 2 through the culmination of the campaign on May 9, a date that traditionally promotes cross-border cooperation and collaboration across the European continent.

Some of the 15 artists include the Grammy nominated Turkish-Dutch band Altın Gün, the Spanish musician Stay Homas, the Hungarian electro-duo Belau and the Norwegian act Pom Poko.

Some of the 15 participating Liveurope venues include Melkweg, a concert and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Village Underground in Shoreditch, London, and the A38 ship in Budapest, located on the River Danube.

A full listing of artists and venues is available.

 

The post Support for Live Music and Artists Culminate on Europe Day appeared first on Radio World.

Public stations in the U.S. get new satellite receivers. The work of NAB’s Radio Technology Committee pays a dividend.

Digital Alert Systems and AudioLogger make product announcements. We review the new CC Radio Solar receiver.

And John Bisset tells us about a way to blast through concrete without using dynamite!

These stories and more are in the new issue. Find it here.

The post Read the April 28, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

The author is assistant chief engineer of Radio One Dallas.

For years, Radio One Dallas had a Nortel phone system that seemingly required a service call for anything beyond switching out a handset cord.

In order to change an IVR (interactive voice response), a service technician had to come to our location, plug a laptop into a secret port, enter a super-secret password and fiddle with the system for half an hour or more just to change the main phone greeting. Then would come the bill for at least $150.

In 2013, Chief Engineer Don Stevenson and I decided we could do better.

From mutual friend Joe Talbot, who was with Telos Systems at the time, we had learned about an open source PBX system called Asterisk that ran on a standard desktop computer running Linux. Not having much Linux experience yet we were a little wary but decided to dive in and figure it out.

Up and Running

Two years later and after a steep learning curve, we were up and running with Asterisk and a whole new crop of VoIP phones.

The Nortel was gone, and so was its high cost of maintenance and upgrades. Phones for a VoIP-based system are a fraction of the cost of phones for the system we replaced. And we were generating our own ISDN and POTS lines.

Asterisk configuration was done via the Linux command line, but we had learned enough to be able to maintain the system ourselves with only an occasional call for help from our friendly neighborhood Linux geek.

FreePBX Dashboard

We still use Asterisk to this day, and it has been the most reliable phone system we could ask for. It’s online in many other Radio One markets as well.

We no longer need to worry about command line configuration, where a single mistyped character can send you down a rabbit hole you don’t want to drop into. Instead, we’re using FreePBX (www.freepbx.org), an open source graphical user interface originally built on top of Asterisk by the open source community.

Over the years, FreePBX has transitioned from a clunky piece of software originally called “Asterisk Management Portal” to a polished, highly configurable interface that makes building and using an Asterisk PBX easy for just about anyone.

It was maintained by Schmooze until 2015 when the project was purchased by Sangoma, a business phone system company based in Canada. They are now the primary developer of FreePBX. The company purchased Asterisk developer and hardware manufacturer Digium in 2018, making Sangoma the primary developer of Asterisk as well.

Setup

Hardware requirements are pretty simple. A 64-bit desktop computer or server that has been retired but still runs should suffice. If you use a PRI (Primary Rate Interface) you will want to get a single or multiport PRI card for the computer. If you are using SIP you won’t need any additional hardware.

To install FreePBX, download the latest stable build from freepbx.org. Sangoma has packaged their own build of Linux, based on Centos, along with Asterisk and the FreePBX system and it’s all installed through one process. Burn the ISO to a CD or USB drive and boot your system off that image. The process is GUI-based and straightforward. In most cases you can accept the default or recommended selections.

The FreePBX command line logon message

We recommend building two systems. These can be set up in what FreePBX calls a “warm spare” configuration. The main system automatically sends a complete config backup to the warm spare on a regular basis, including voicemail messages and faxes, and in the event of a failure of the main system, you only need to change the IP address of the warm spare and you’re back up and running having lost virtually nothing.

In Dallas, we have three systems. One for our office lines, one for all of the radio station and Reach Media studio lines, and a spare we can use to backup either main system.

With fewer people in the office for most of us in the radio business, and with companies like Avaya sunsetting support for their legacy phone systems, now might be a good time to get rid of the mammoth old-school phone system and bring in a VoIP-based system like Asterisk/FreePBX that is easy and inexpensive, but has all the features of traditional PBX systems and many more.

You can build a system in a few hours. There is plenty of free online support, as is typical with open source software. You’ll find thousands of searchable questions and answers on the FreePBX community forums and other sites. Paid support is available if you need it.

Happy PBXing!

Learn More

The FreePBX Blog has info about product updates and access to support, engineers and developers. It’s at www.freepbx.org/blog.

 

The post My experience with Asterisk and FreePBX appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission last week finalized the dates for its planned NCE FM new station application filing window.

The Media Bureau announced that the window will be open Nov. 2 to Nov. 9, 2021.

The opportunity is just for 88.1 to 91.9 MHz, which is the FM reserved band (Channels 201 to 220).

“New applications must be filed electronically on FCC Form 2100, Schedule 340 in the Bureau’s
Licensing Management System (LMS),” it stated. “The commission recently amended its rules and procedures for filing NCE FM applications and selecting and licensing competing NCE FM applications.”

As we’ve reported, any given entity is limited to filing 10 applications.

Details about filing procedures and requirements will be in a subsequent public notice and posted on the Audio Division Web Page when published.

The post Dates Are Set for NCE FM Filing Window appeared first on Radio World.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers has issued helpful guidance to stations about what to do in light of the failure of an IPAWS Required Weekly Test on Monday.

“When FEMA issues an IPAWS test or alert it includes a “‘certificate,’ SBE explained in an email to members.

“This operates similar to a password for accessing different sites or files on a computer. In the case of a message from FEMA, a message without a correct signature, the EAS device should ignore the message.”

SBE reported that on Monday, April 26, the Required Weekly Test from IPAWS was transmitted with an incorrect signature.

“The test messages had a mismatch between the digest inside the message, and the digest computed by receivers. This is a part of the validation for an alert, and checking it is required by FCC Rule 11.56(c): ‘EAS Participants shall configure their systems to reject all CAP-formatted EAS messages that include an invalid digital signature.’”

[Read: FCC Will Explore EAS on the Internet]

SBE emphasized that all EAS devices should have rejected the test including units made by Sage Alerting Systems, Digital Alert Systems and Trilithic. The advisory describes how various models should have responded and what you should do next; read that here.

It also said all EAS units would have reported failed validations in a temporary log, and that users should check with their device manufacturer for the location of that file and the correct “signature validation” settings for the unit.

“Stations should check and correct any issues before the next test on May 3, 2021. Stations should insert a note in the station log indicating the failed test and the reason for failure.”

 

The post SBE Issues Guidance About RWT Failure appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media named Tricia Gallenbeck as vice president/market manager for its five-station cluster in Eugene, Ore.

She most recently was VP/GM for Reno Media Group in Reno, Nev.

Previous posts include director of sales for Beasley Media Group in Fayetteville, N.C., and director of new business and events and general sales manager for Beasley Las Vegas.

She will report to Don Morin, regional vice president, who also is market manager for Boise. He mentioned Gallenbeck’s “strategic approach to management coupled with her ability to build a winning culture.”

The cluster includes KUJZ(FM) airing sports; KZEL(FM) with classic rock; KUGN(AM), news/talk; KNRQ(FM), which is alternative; and KEHK(FM) with Hot AC.

Radio World welcomes announcements for People News focused on our key readership categories of engineering and upper management. Send to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

 

The post Gallenbeck to Lead Eugene for Cumulus appeared first on Radio World.

Part of the Shulins Solutions Stellar Eclipse broadcast site monitoring and protection system installed in Houston.

A familiar name to Radio World readers Paul Shulins is the subject of our latest Who’s Buying What news.

His Shulins Solutions, a provider in select engineering services and broadcast consulting, recently installed its Stellar Eclipse monitoring system at a shared combiner and antenna facility serving four Houston stations.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Shulins Solutions offered this description of the system: “Stellar Eclipse with our exclusive VSWR Sentinel is designed to protect and monitor these systems by constantly monitoring the VSWR on all inputs and outputs to the combiner system, refreshing these values many times every second. Anytime a VSWR is detected that exceeds a preset threshold, hard relay interlock relays are controlled that can open interlocks on connected transmitters. RF power is then removed from the system when an unsafe condition exists, thereby saving the systems from costly damage.”

It added that it, “provides unique cloud-based monitoring of many shared systems often overlooked in an individual stations remote control.”

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Stellar Eclipse in Space City appeared first on Radio World.

From our People News page: iHeartMedia promoted Shari Gonzalez to its president for the Miami/Fort Lauderdale group, which is market No. 11 in Nielsen Audio ratings.

She succeeds Brian Olson.

She’ll report to Division President Linda Byrd, who in the announcement complimented Gonzalez for her “competitiveness, work ethic and ability to move her team in the direction we need to go.”

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Gonzalez joined the company in 2015 and most recently was region SVP of sales in Miami.

Prior she was general sales manager and director of sales for CBS in Washington, the market where she got started as a sales assistant and worked her way up into sales leadership.

In the announcement, Gonzalez said Miami/Fort Lauderdale “is experiencing a boom like no other market in the country, and the South Florida market is filled with a culture and uniqueness that is second to none.”

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Gonzalez Takes Helm in Miami for iHeart appeared first on Radio World.