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It boasts a FM translator at 105.5 MHz with programming fed from a Class D AM that during daylight hours enjoys a 50kw signal audible from Jupiter to Orlando’s easternmost suburbs.

Until now, it’s been owned by Bruce Maduri and his Genesis Communications. Pending FCC approval, that’s about to change.

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Broadcasters giving back to broadcasters is the key tenet of the annual Year-End Giving Campaign sponsored by the Broadcasters Foundation of America.

The nonprofit organization recognizes that life can change in an instant, whether that be because of severe illness, family tragedy, natural disasters or other accidents. And so, the organization’s Year-End Giving Campaign was created to provide aid to broadcast radio and television colleagues who are in immediate need of financial assistance.

“The Broadcasters Foundation is often the last hope for our peers suffering from severe illness or recovering from disaster,” said Tim McCarthy, foundation president. “To date, we have never turned away a broadcaster who qualified for aid. Donations, in any amount, can ensure that the Broadcasters Foundation continues that track record.”

Over the last 20 years, the foundation has distributed more than $15 million in aid. The foundation expects to award approximately $1.8 million in 2023.

As we approach the end of the year, the foundation is asking individuals and corporations for personal tax-deductible donations to its Guardian Fund. Corporate donations can be given to the Angel Initiative, which is also tax deductible.

Those interested in donating or in applying for aid should visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, email info@thebfoa.org or call 212-373-8250.

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The long-imagined dream of building a museum honoring broadcasting and electronic media has just taken another step forward. 

Plans are in the works for the creation of the National Museum of Broadcasting in Pittsburgh that will explore the 103-year-old timeline of electronic media, from its humble beginnings in AM radio all the way to our modern era of streaming and social media. The city of Pittsburgh was specifically selected for its stamp on broadcasting history: station KDKA(AM) began broadcasting from the Steel City more than 103 years ago, making it the world’s first commercial radio station.

“[Our museum] will be an experience to show how electronic media began and evolved in immersive and interactive ways,” said Bill Hillgrove, Pittsburgh broadcaster and president of the museum board of directors. The National Museum of Broadcasting is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of radio and television and related broadcast and electronic industries.

The museum will include artifacts and tell stories through vintage equipment like those used during the early days at KDKA, and illustrate how the industry has evolved by highlighting the use of radio, television and media technology through the decades. The museum also intends to have in-house radio/podcasting and video production facilities where students can learn media, production and technical skills. 

A KDKA logo from the 1920s.

Individuals connected to the museum have been collecting devices and media that illustrate the history of broadcasting for more than 25 years, according to the museum’s website, including an unusual piece of architecture: the original workshop/garage of Frank Conrad, the amateur broadcaster and Westinghouse engineer who was primarily responsible for putting KDKA on the air.

One of the museum’s early goals is to retrieve the dismantled garage out of storage and reconstruct it adjacent to the center’s main building as a testament to Conrad’s contributions to radio. With only a seventh-grade education, the museum’s website said, Conrad is nonetheless credited with building a station that triggered a media revolution. 

Construction of the museum is expected to take several years but Hillgrove and the board credited the support of Pennsylvania State Senator Jay Costa and the Regional Industrial Development Corp., both of which are helping to raise the millions of dollars it will take to construct and develop the museum.

The museum is hoping to acquire a former Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing location upon which the original KDKA radio studios was built atop the roof. The vacant building has 10,000 square feet of usable space and is in a location that makes it an ideal spot for a museum, Costa said. A historic marker was recently unveiled to memorialize the site where radio and media were born back on Nov. 2, 1920.

“This former bank building is several hundred feet from where the first broadcast took place at the former Westinghouse building,” Rick Harris, museum board secretary and treasurer, told Pittsburgh Magazine earlier this year. “I think this is an appropriate place to have the museum since it’s so close to the original site.” The board is in the midst of another round of fundraising from public and private sources in an effort to formally lease the building. 

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For weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in participation with the FCC, promoted the October 4 nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts.

For those with a smartphone, the 2:20pm Eastern test indeed ensured that the system continues to be successful as a way to get emergency information to the public. How Radio and TV each fared is perhaps an emergency in and of itself, CTA research finds.

In short, broadcasters may be muttering amongst themselves, “What we have here is … a failure to communicate.”

Some 95%, or 245 million, U.S. adults received/heard the October 4 emergency alert via
their phone. Specifically, 92% of U.S. Adults — 237 million individuals — indicated they received the alert through their smartphone.

By comparison, 15% of U.S. adults, or 39 million individuals, received/heard the alert through their television, whether it was delivered via cable TV, live streaming or through over-the-air broadcast transmission.

How did Radio do, in an environment where keeping AM radio in vehicles is the biggest goal of the NAB in 2023, rallying broadcasters and key Members of Congress in getting auto companies to retain kHz band access in the name of public safety?

According to Consumer Technology Association research, just 6% of U.S. adults reported they received/heard the alert via Radio. Specifically, 5% heard the alert on FM radio. Only 1% — or 3 million consumers — reported hearing on AM radio.

That said, the CTA has a clear objective, given its role as a voice of technology — demonstrate the power of digital.

And, while 1% sounds tiny, it nevertheless represents some 3 million Americans who would be impacted if AM radio was not present; cities including Boston and Cincinnati would be particularly impacted.

The CTA survey was based on a poll of 800 consumers aged 18 and over, and was conducted between October 4-6, 2023.

 

NEW YORK — Newly appointed NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships Global Chairman Mark Marshall is forming his support team, and as such there are now individuals in place to serve as the division’s President of Advertising and Partnerships and as President of Client Partnerships, respectively.

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The NAB has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 National Association of Broadcasters Technology Awards. The awards honor contributions in digital leadership, broadcast engineering and technology innovation, and will be presented during the 2024 NAB Show, held April 13-17 in Las Vegas.

“Each year, the NAB Technology Awards celebrate the great minds behind the exciting innovations that improve our services, better entertain and inform our audiences, and advance our industry,” said NAB executive vice president and chief technology officer Sam Matheny. “We look forward to honoring these broadcast trailblazers at NAB Show in April and showcasing the breakthrough technologies on the horizon.”

The awards include:

• The NAB Digital Leadership Award honors an individual at a broadcast station, group or network who has had a significant role in transforming a traditional broadcast business to succeed on digital media platforms in a measurable way.
• Two Engineering Achievement Awards are presented each year, honoring individuals for their outstanding accomplishments in the radio and television broadcast industries.
• The Technology Innovation Award is presented to an organization for advanced research and development projects in communications technologies. The technology must demonstrate significant merit, be exhibited at NAB Show and not yet commercialized.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Nomination forms, award rules and lists of past recipients are available at nab.org/events/awards.

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The post Nominations Open for 2024 NAB Technology Awards appeared first on Radio World.

If you thought the “macroeconomic headwinds” being faced by broadcast media companies were tough, cable TV network owner Warner Bros. Discovery, which seeks to establish itself as a OTT and MVPD entertainment hub, may as well be sailing on the roughest seas on Earth.

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When it comes to core advertising growth at broadcast media companies, local over-the-air stations have seen challenges. “Macroeconomic headwinds” have been discussed in Q3 earnings calls, with sprinkles of hope amid a challenging National advertising enviroment.

For Gray Television, local advertising is healthy. Automotive is roaring back. As such, Core Advertising rose year-over-year in the third quarter and is trending upward in Q4, too.

 

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After numerous setbacks, Urban One and its CEO Alfred Liggins expressed confidence in mid-June 2023 that its dream of building and operating a casino resort in Virginia’s capital city would become a reality, with Richmond City Council voting 8-1 in January 2022 to place the gaming facility proposal on the ballot for another vote.

Those casting their ballot in Richmond had their say on Tuesday, and it’s not good news for Urban One. Investors responded by selling off “UONE” shares in a significant way.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the political action committee for the developers of the proposed $562 million casino in the southern portion of Richmond accepted defeat, as its second attempt to get the project built failed to gain voter support.

As such, the Richmond Grand Resort & Casino plan has fizzled, as did the original referendum in November 2021 to get voters to approve what was originally billed as the ONE Casino + Resort.

Some $10 million had been spent on a pro-casino campaign, with Churchill Downs and Urban One, which teamed up for the Richmond Grand project, footing the bill. For the casino developers, “good paying Union careers” was a big selling point, promoting “1,300 new careers that provide a pathway to a middle class with $55,000 in average annual compensation and benefits, including healthcare and retirement.” There was also a pledge of $30 million in annual revenue “to invest in a stronger, safer city with better-funded schools and services, especially for Richmond’s children.” Among those recruited to get a “yes” vote from voters was entertainer Ronald Isley.

Alas, Richmond voters in all but the Eighth and Ninth districts said no to the proposal, which fell short by roughly 13,185 votes; Richmond voters closest to the proposed site at  at 2001 Walmsley Blvd. and 4700 Trenton Ave. voted overwhelmingly for it, the Times-Dispatch reported.

A light electorate may have played a role in the outcome. Voter turnout was 43%, with 58% of voters saying “No” and just 41% selecting “Yes,” based on Virginia state Board of Elections preliminary results.

The ONE Casino + Resort proposal was defeated by a much smaller margin.

For Urban One, which moved forward with a divestment of its stake in MGM National Harbor casino resort in Prince George’s County, Md., generating an impressive $136.8 million return on a $40 million investment made in 2016, the defeat puts into question its long-term revenue at a most fragile point in time for the company.

As of 10:45am Eastern on Wednesday, “UONE” was down 31.6% in value to $3.9212; key institutional investors include Zazove Associates LLC, which owns 5.95% of the company’s publicly traded shares. “UONEK,” a preferred stock held by insiders and institutional investors including Zazove, which has 7.2% equity interest via this listing, was down by 31.2%, to $3.8850.

With the 8-1 vote in January 2022, the City of Richmond City Council determined that Urban One “didn’t show its full cards” in the first referendum, and that the benefits from the $565 million proposal were simply too good to pass up.

What’s next for Urban One and Liggins? In an interview in October 2023 with the Richmond Times-Dispatch he reiterated earlier comments that it would no longer be a Richmond issue, with the Commonwealth of Virginia determining where the next proposed casino will be decided on. “I think that this project will go somewhere else,” Liggins said.

But, how, and if, it involves Urban One remains a question investors could be uneasy about.

The timing of the Richmond referendum on November 8 comes as Urban One continues to work with EY to complete its restatement quarterly financial statements for 2023. This was necessary after Urban One dismissed BDO as its independent outside auditing firm for its failure in properly stating its investment in the MGM National Harbor casino resort. 

BURBANK, CALIF. — The Byron Allen-led Allen Media Group (AMG) has selected a specialist in analytics and technology for multi-currency, cross-platform consumer gateways to provide data-driven linear media plans across its networks, starting with The Weather Channel.

Through this partnership, datafuelX’s M3 SaaS platform, which allows the TV ecosystem to plan and forecast against any currency and any audience, will enable AMG to generate “optimized data-driven linear media plans against advertisers’ advanced audience targets.”

This will be done through VideoAmp, the measurement currency AMG selected for the 2023-2024 Upfront season, as previously announced.

Previously, data-driven linear campaigns were measured with panel-only data.

“Marketers are increasingly becoming data-driven and desire better outcomes against the audiences that matter most to them,” said Byron Allen. “Our partnership with datafuelX allows us to deliver precisely that to our brand partners. We are confident that with the combination of M3 and VideoAmp, we will be able to uncover the full value of our audience for our advertisers.”

Jay Amato, CEO for datafuelX, added, “The industry is poised to take advantage of the move from panel-based measurement to nearly Census-based measurement that will drive more audience outcome-based selling. However, to do that well, the sell side needs a solution to forecast, optimize, and steward the deals. Our M3 platform is the only SaaS platform designed to do just that. With this partnership, AMG will be able to realize greater yield and assure buyers of the value their inventory offers.”

The nation’s biggest owner of broadcast TV stations, the NewsNation cable TV network, and WGN-AM in Chicago — and the majority-interest holder in The CW Network — has experienced a bumpy 2023 on Wall Street. Like its peers, the often-cited “macroeconomic headwinds” have indeed created whitewater rapids for the company created in Scranton, Pa., by Perry Sook some three decades ago.

For investors, the focus may now be on 2024, as Nexstar Media Group released its Q3 2023 report. The company did not meet analysts’ estimates on revenue, as Sook spoke positively of how “recently negotiated distribution contracts” will benefit Nexstar starting with Q4 of this year.

 

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The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau) has before it a notice of proposed rulemaking issued in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Iowa Public Broadcasting Board (Petitioner), the licensee of noncommercial educational television PBS member station KDIN-TV (KDIN-TV or Station), channel *11, Des Moines, Iowa. The Petitioner has requested the substitution of channel *34 in place of channel *11 at Des Moines in the Table of TV Allotments, and requested that we delete vacant channel *34, Ames, Iowa (Ames) and substitute it with the allotment of vacant channel *21 to Ames. Petitioner filed comments in support of the petition, as required by the Commission's rules (rules), reaffirming its commitment to apply for channel *34.

The Petitioner now requests the substitution of channel 21 for channel 20 at Missoula, Montana in the Table of TV Allotments.

The Petitioner has requested the substitution of UHF channel 16 for VHF channel 7 in the Table of TV Allotments.

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The Petitioner has requested the substitution of UHF channel 18 for VHF channel 8 in the Table of TV Allotments.

A new report from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) says the fix to AM radio and electric vehicle interference will come with a huge price tag.

A CAR study released in October says EMI [electromagnetic interference] mitigation through shielding and filtering in new electric vehicles could cost carmakers $3.8 billion over the next seven years.   

CAR’s interview with one automaker revealed approximate shielding costs of $35 to $50 and filtering costs of $15 to $20 per vehicle, according to the report.

Shielding cables, interference filters, active noise cancellation, physical placement of components and vehicle redesigns are among the options to reduce EMI interference with analog AM, but those options come with a cost and add weight to the vehicle that will reduce its range, according to the report.

Some automakers have already discontinued or plan to discontinue AM radio in their new vehicles, both electric and traditional internal combustion cars. 

The center’s research study says there are multitudes of other ways EV owners can receive audio products: “These include FM, satellite, Bluetooth and phone connectivity, allowing consumers to curate their in-car audio experience. 

“Additionally, AM radio content can be accessed through digital AM radio if the broadcast is available, which has less noise and includes more text information for the user interface, or in-car streaming services stream AM station content,” according to the CAR study.

The organization says modern vehicles of all kinds have complex onboard electronics systems controlling everything from brakes and adaptive driver assistance to infotainment and safety, all of which can generate EMI and distort AM signals. Specifically, EVs bring new noise sources stemming from the electromotive nature of their propulsion system, the report states. 

The nature of EVs and their operating conditions pose a challenge to ensure electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with the analog AM band radio, the CAR research says. The most effective methods to mitigate AM interference would need to be engineered into new vehicle designs, it says. “A total vehicle system EMC requirement would need to be included from the beginning of any future EV redesign, if not already considered by the automakers, to eliminate the need for piecemeal late-stage mitigations.”

Those costs can be avoided by deleting analog AM radio from vehicles and providing consumers with alternative products for in-vehicle audio content, according to the study.  

[Read more stories about the future of AM radio in cars]

Meanwhile, Congress is still considering bills that would require analog AM radio in all new vehicles. The AM for Every Vehicle Act would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a rule that requires automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate or additional payment, fee or surcharge.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill remain pending in Washington. In a new development last week, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested if a car manufacturer rips AM from their new electric vehicles then the federal government should in turn withhold the $7,500 per car tax credit available for eligible EVs.    

Supporters of keeping AM radio in new vehicles often point to its importance for public warnings when it comes to an emergency. However, John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, says the nationwide test of EAS and WEA in October proved otherwise. In an online blog post Monday noting the CAR study, he also cited a survey from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) that showed 95 percent of adults received the alert on a phone, 15 percent on TV, five percent on FM radio and one percent via AM radio.

The alliance is a trade group that represents automakers such as General Motors, Stellantis and Ford. 

Bozzella cited the new CAR study as further proof that the cost of saving analog AM radio in vehicles is too high: “Government forcing AM radio in vehicles … not required for public safety, not popular with consumers and now we know: not cheap.”

Alex Siciliano, senior VP of communications for NAB, replied to Radio Worlds email seeking comment on the CAR technical report: “Hundreds of thousands of Americans have voiced their support to their lawmakers for keeping AM radio in the vehicle because they understand the critical role local AM stations play during emergencies — not just when the initial alert goes out but until the danger has passed.

“It is noteworthy that the impartial Congressional Budget Office estimates the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would necessitate automakers spend a fraction of their estimate to ensure access to local AM radio stations in electric vehicles. We hope automakers follow Ford’s lead in reversing their decision to remove AM radio capability from their vehicles to ensure the 82 million Americans who listen to AM radio have access to this local, free service.”

CAR, which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is an independent, non-profit research organization and supports technology advancements within the U.S. auto industry. The organization is partially subsidized by funds derived from the dues of its affiliates, which include car manufacturers and auto parts suppliers.  

The CAR research results can be found on their website.

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The post Carmakers Say Solving Analog AM Interference in EVs Could Cost Billions appeared first on Radio World.

It has all of 10 watts of broadcast power, but enjoys a transmitter atop Shaw Butte in north central Phoenix, giving it coverage of the city and neighboring Glendale.

That’s good enough for Vic Michael, who has struck a deal to buy the noncommercial micro FM.

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