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The Video Division, Media Bureau (Bureau), has before it a petition for rulemaking filed August 16, 2023, by Sinclair Media Licensee, LLC (Petitioner or Sinclair), the licensee of KECI-TV, channel 13, Missoula, Montana (Station or KECI-TV). As discussed below, the Station is currently operating on channel 13 and Sinclair successfully petitioned to have its channel changed from channel 13 to channel 20. The Petitioner now requests the substitution of channel 21 for channel 20 at Missoula, Montana (Missoula) in the Table of TV Allotments.

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Two unlikely compatriots are joining forces to ask the FCC to push back the deadline for radio broadcasters to have their EAS equipment compliant with latest mandated upgrades.

The FCC has said Dec. 12 is the date most U.S. radio stations must comply with a report and order adopted in 2022 to improve the clarity and accessibility of EAS messages.

Now, NAB and low-power FM advocate REC Networks — in a joint letter to the FCC — are asking for more time and pointing to an announcement by a major supplier of EAS equipment, who says not all of its customers will have time to install the firmware update by the compliance deadline. 

The manufacturer has a “significant market share of both low power and full-power FM radio stations, and also serves numerous television and multiple video programming distributor EAS Participants,” wrote NAB and REC in their letter to the FCC.

The groups continued: “REC and NAB understand from broadcast stations across the country that a considerable number of EAS participants will be unable to implement the firmware update by December 12 due to the delayed release of this manufacturer’s firmware update.” 

The joint letter doesn’t name Sage Alerting, but earlier this month the company said on its website it continues to work on the update for its Sage ENDEC EAS boxes. Sage, at the time, made the FCC aware that the update has taken longer to implement that anticipated. Sage told Radio World when asked for comment that the firmware is in final testing and is expected to be released soon.

As the year comes to a close, that delay means many entities will be unable to comply regardless of when the manufacturer releases the update, according to the joint filing. “Simply put, it is already too late for many EAS Participants to meet the current deadline,” NAB and REC said.

The advocacy groups remind the FCC it may grant an extension of a compliance deadline for good cause. 

“Therefore, REC and NAB respectfully request a 90-day extension of the December 12 deadline, until March 11, 2024,” they told the commission.

[Related: “Sage EAS Firmware Update Is Still Pending“]

The new EAS regulations require broadcasters to prioritize the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-formatted version of an EAS message on occasion it receives both a legacy version and CAP-formatted version of the same alert. The FCC in its report and order said the new requirements will make radio and TV alerts “clearer and more accessible to the public, particularly [to] people with disabilities.”

EAS participants must also display the new text for the national alert originator code (PEP), the national test code (NPT) and the national emergency code (EAN) by the deadline. 

With the deadline looming, the NAB and REC expressed concern over the sheer number of radio and television stations — especially low-power and small, full-power stations that lack in-house technical personnel — that will be relying on contract engineers to implement the required updates during a very narrow window of opportunity. 

“This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of EAS Participants must update their firmware by the same deadline,” the groups told the FCC. “In addition, some radio and television groups have dozens or even hundreds of EAS boxes that must be updated.”

An FCC spokesperson confirmed by email that the commission has received the NAB/REC letter and is reviewing the filing. The correspondence has been posted in PS Docket No. 15-94 in the FCC’s online database.

Radio World notes the NAB and REC are unexpected partners in this effort to move the broadcaster compliance deadline back since the two often find themselves on opposite sides of regulatory issues coming before the FCC. NAB represents the interests of commercial radio in Washington, while REC is often at the forefront of issues facing community broadcasters in the U.S.

[Related: “EAS Manufacturers Still Working on Those FCC Updates”]

The post NAB and REC Seek More Time for Stations to Meet New EAS Requirement appeared first on Radio World.

He joins publicly traded audio content creation and distribution company Audacy Inc. after leading a new business sales team for an HR Tech company in the SAAS space and, before that, overseeing advertising sales teams for Spectrum Cable.

Introducing the next SVP/Market Manager for the company formerly known as Entercom’s audio brands in Milwaukee, where he takes duties held by its market head in Madison, Wisc.

Taking the role for a station group comprised of Top 40 WXSS “103.7 Kiss FM” and Hot Adult Contemporary WMYX “99.1 The Mix” in Milwaukee is Jason Bjorson. He will also oversee digital multicast brands “Hot 105.7,” on the HD2 signal of WXSS, and the LGBTQ-focused “Channel Q” offering on WXSS HD3.

Since September 2021, he has served as Director of Sales and Business Development for Circa, leading a team of six managers, 40 enterprise and mid-market account executives and 20 sales development reps in the “HR Tech” industry.

Before that, Bjorson spent four years at Spectrum Reach, serving as Director of Sales in St. Louis and, prior to that, as Local Sales Manager in Milwaukee.

For radio industry veterans, Bjorson is likely familiar for his former role as General Sales Manager of Journal Broadcast Group‘s two stations in Milwaukee, which were sold to The E.W. Scripps Co. and today flagship properties of Craig Karmazin’s Good Karma Brands.

He rose within Journal over a 14-year period, and was LSM in Milwaukee after serving as a Senior Account Manager in Knoxville for WWST-FM. Bjorson is a 2001 University of Tennessee graduate and was raised in Louisville.

“I am excited to welcome Jason to lead our Milwaukee cluster,” said Audacy Regional President Rachel Williamson. “His experience across radio, video and digital combined with his deep knowledge and relationships throughout the Milwaukee market brings an increased expertise to our cluster and clients.”

The Milwaukee radio stations have been overseen in recent times by Andrea Hansen, who is SVP/Market Manager for Audacy in Madison, Wisc., and has risen through the sales ranks for that station group.

“I’m thrilled to join the Audacy Milwaukee team, with some of Milwaukee’s most iconic brands and an innovative broadcaster,” said Bjorson, who has also worked for Cox Media Group in Jacksonville. “I’ve competed with this team and tried to recruit them for years, so I know how much talent is here. I’m looking forward to working with them to win big here in Milwaukee!”

The Audio Engineering Society says attendance to last month’s AES Show in New York grew 15% over the year before.

It reported about 8,100 registered attendees. Last year was the first physical show post-COVID.

Separately, NAB said the NAB Show New York, held concurrently with AES at the Javits Center, drew about 12,230, an increase of 28%.

The AES floor had 127 exhibitors while NAB had 270. The exhibit floors were separate but adjacent, with traffic moving between them via hallways.

A crowd shot at this year’s AES Show (courtesy of AES)

“Last year’s AES convention and NAB Show New York shared an exhibition hall,” AES said in its summary. “This year, AES’s 20+% growth in the exhibitor count, and the resulting bigger footprint, pushed each group back into their own halls.”

The next AES International Convention will be held in Madrid, Spain, in June of next year. The NAB New York and AES Shows will return to the Javits Center in New York next October.

[For News on This and Other Shows See Our Show News Page]

The post NAB NY + AES = 20,000 Attendees appeared first on Radio World.

Dielectric has signed on Mach Electronics as a business partner in Argentina.

The RF equipment manufacturer says it is working to build out its Caribbean and Central American markets “as the company capitalizes on emerging business opportunities throughout the region, partially fueled by complex digital transition timelines and regulations that vary across each country.”

Mach Electronics is a supplier and integrator for broadcast, broadband and telecom systems; it has a network of distribution partners in Argentina. Broadcast work includes design, integration and commissioning of headend and delivery systems for FM and TV. 

Nicolas Jose Bloise, president and CEO of Mach Electronics, was quoted in the announcement saying that this is a time of substantial change and opportunity for Argentinian broadcasters, with a pending analog TV sunset and the potential expansion of the FM band, similar to what has been done in Brazil.

“Discussions about potential government regulations to expand the FM band to include 76 to 88 MHz frequencies are currently underway,” Dielectric noted, though no decisions have been issued.

Dielectric is part of Sinclair Broadcast Group.

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The post Dielectric Signs Mach as Argentina Partner appeared first on Radio World.

The co-founder of Motor Racing Network, the same individual who served as its first anchor, has passed away. He had just entered Hospice care on Wednesday (11/15), hours before his passing, following a long series of illnesses.

Ken Squier is also widely known for his time broadcasting NASCAR on the CBS Television Network and later with TBS. Yet it was Squire who was personally selected by NASCAR Founder Bill France Sr. to build a nationwide network of radio stations to cover the growing sport.

Squier started with his family-owned WDEV-AM & FM in Waterbury, Vt., and Daytona Beach, Fla.’s WNDB-AM. Both of these stations still air MRN programming today, more than 53 years after the very first MRN broadcast of the Daytona 500, in 1970.

“Whether from a bed of a logging truck at the Morrisville, Vt., Speedway, or high atop the grandstands of ‘The Great American Race’ in Daytona, Ken Squier’s eloquent voice entertained and educated millions of race fans, no matter the medium,” said Chris Schwartz, President of Motor Racing Network. “His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career. An entrepreneur to the end, Squier set the course that the network follows to this day. We will continue to honor his unique way of storytelling by bringing the excitement and passion of this incredible sport to core fans, casual fans, and first-time fans alike.”

Motor Racing Network plans to share retrospectives of his life on MRN signature program NASCAR LIVE at 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, during the NASCAR Champions Celebration & Awards broadcast on November 30th at 7pm Eastern, and again during the 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony broadcast at 8pm Eastern on January 19, 2024.

Regardless of the reason, a station must remain in compliance with its operating parameters. Or a civil penalty may be around the corner. 

That’s the lesson a low-power FM station in Kansas learned after it found its antenna was constructed at the wrong height. In February 2021, Sunflower Community Action filed an application to renew the license of KYOM(LP) in Wichita, Kan. In its application, the licensee revealed that the station’s antenna has been constructed at the wrong height — at 13 meters above ground level instead of the 24 meters that was authorized by the Media Bureau. 

After the station discovered the issue, Sunflower sought authority from the commission to remain silent and to operate the antenna at the lower level of 13 meters. FCC rules state that any change in antenna height of more than 2 meters above or 4 meters below the authorized value requires authorization from the commission. 

And, as the bureau has reminded stations before, a licensee is responsible for maintaining and operating its broadcast station in a way that complies with the original authorization. 

In an order released on Nov. 14 by the bureau, Sunflower acknowledged the violation and agreed to enter into a consent decree with the FCC, including submission of a civil penalty payment of $2,500 within 30 calendar days. If Sunflower abides by the stipulations laid out by the consent decree, its license renewal application for the station will be granted.

[Related: “LPFM in Queens Hit With FCC Penalty“]

The post Kansas LPFM Hit With $2,500 Penalty for Antenna Construction Error appeared first on Radio World.

Forecast, presented by Streamline Publishing’s Radio + Television Business Report and Radio Ink, is now a wrap. The capacity crowd enjoyed a full day’s worth of informative and engaging panel discussions and keynote speakers, and among the participants is Vince Bodiford.

Bodiford, who is based in Cheyenne, Wyo., is Chief Executive Officer and Head of Media for Bridge Media Network, the parent of NEWSnet, SportsNews Highlights, TravelHost TV networks, and some 84 owned-and-operated television stations.

Bridge Media Network is based in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, Mich. To learn more about its growth plans and the vision for both NEWSnet and its fledgling sports operation, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson sat down with Bodiford for an exclusive one-on-one conversation at the Harvard Club.

We’re pleased to offer their chat in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

 

Bodiford has more than 35 years of experience in media and marketing. He has owned media outlets in Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming via his company, Golden Media, Inc. He has held leadership roles with Cabela’s, Inc., Gannett Co., CommunityMedia Corp., and GateHouse Media and is a noted expert in the automotive, retail, and media industries.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Vince Bodiford” on Spreaker.

Looking at AI from a business lens and what it can do — “create capacity” — is a centerpoint of how Graham Media Group is using generative artificial intelligence in the right way, and ensuring the TV station owner doesn’t run afoul of the law.

That’s a statement shared by the company’s CEO during the closing Executive Super Session at Forecast on Wednesday afternoon in New York.

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Ken Squire

Ken Squier, co-founder of Motor Racing Network and its first anchor, has died. He was 88.

“Squier, also known for his time broadcasting NASCAR on the CBS Television Network and later with TBS, had just entered hospice care earlier in the day on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, after a long series of illnesses,” MRN said in an announcement.

It said that Squier was personally selected by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., to build a nationwide network of radio stations starting in 1970.

“Of course, Squier started with the obvious, his family owned WDEV(AM/FM) in Waterbury, Vt., and Daytona Beach’s WNDB(AM), both of which still air MRN programming today, and then went on to add hundreds more stations to air the very first MRN broadcast of the Daytona 500 in 1970.”

It quoted MRN President Chris Schwartz saying, “Whether from a bed of a logging truck at the Morrisville (Vt.) Speedway, or high atop the grandstands of ‘The Great American Race’ in Daytona, Ken Squier’s eloquent voice entertained and educated millions of race fans, no matter the medium. His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career.”

 

The post Ken Squier, MRN Co-Founder, Dies appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — Artificial intelligence is already bringing new opportunities for broadcasters, in particular radio station owners. But, what could bring monetary benefits could also yield a mess of legal troubles, an esteemed panel of industry leaders shared on Wednesday afternoon at Forecast.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) has circulated a letter to Members of the House of Representatives that urges them to oppose an amendment that would defund the federal advisory committee chartered by the FCC to help it develop policies to achieve greater equity in the telecommunications and electronic mass media industries.

 

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NEW YORK — A provider of “currency-grade” smart TV data based in Los Angeles has found that some 94% of total streaming time during the third quarter of 2023 was driven by viewers who only (64.6%) or mostly (29%) streamed on their smart TVs.

It’s yet more evidence that broadcast television and radio executives need to accept FAST channels and OTT as sources of ad dollars that won’t be disappearing anytime soon, and are only growing by leaps and bounds.

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For the first time in the U.S., students of the Atlanta University Center will have the opportunity to complete a four-year college degree in which the last two years of
the curriculum are devoted to equipping them with the skills to succeed in media sales,
operations, and marketing starting in the Fall of 2026.

 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC’s newly created Office of International Affairs has announced its leadership team. They’ll oversee an office that will lead and coordinate the FCC’s overseas efforts, including its participation in the upcoming World Radiocommunications Conference, cross-border negotiations, foreign ownership and national security reviews, and licensing of submarine cables and international telecommunications services.

 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Advanced Television Systems Committee Inc. (ATSC) have elected three media and technology executives to serve on the ATSC Board of Directors for three-year terms that begin in January 2024.

Mark Aitken, Senior Vice President of Advanced Media at Sinclair Broadcast Group, has been re-elected for a second three-year term. Also elected to the ATSC Board are Dr. Paul Hearty, Chief Standards Strategist at Samsung Research America, and Kerry Oslund, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at the E.W. Scripps Company.

In addition, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers appointed Guy Bouchard as an ATSC board member representing IEEE. Bouchard, who is Chair of the Montreal Chapter of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society, succeeds Dr. Yian Wu of Canada’s Communications Research Centre, on ATSC’s Board.

ATSC thanks board members who are completing their terms at the end of 2023:  Mark Corl of Triveni Digital and Jon Fairhurst of Samsung.

“ATSC is working to anticipate the needs of our members and the industry, supported by our board’s strategic direction. Our board of seasoned executives from the broadcast, cable and consumer technology industries provide a wealth of experience to help ATSC steer through ongoing change and growth,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland, who also recognized Corl and Fairhurst for their contributions to ATSC.

She also acknowledged current board members whose terms continue in 2024:

• Lynn Claudy, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB);
• Zandra Clarke, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers;
• Jim DeChant, Production Distribution & Revenue Group, LLC;
• Fred Engel, PBS North Carolina;
• Adam Goldberg, Sony Electronics;
• Brett Jenkins, Nexstar Media Group;
• Brian Markwalter, Consumer Technology Association;
• Richard Friedel, Broadcast Advocate (2023 Chairman);
• Andy Scott, NCTA – The Internet and Television Association;
• Anne Schelle, Pearl TV; and
• John Taylor, LG Electronics USA.