Feed aggregator

It’s a company known for its visualization technology products. Now, it has brought to market a new family of indoor fine pixel pitch LED video wall displays, which the company says are of interest to broadcasters seeking a strong on-camera visual performance.

Introducing the Planar Venue Pro VX Series.

“The series combines high performing scan and refresh rates with high brightness and narrow pixel pitches, making it well-suited for LED XR stages in markets as diverse as film
and video production, corporate, broadcast, rental and staging, and live events,” Planar says.

Designed to support hanging, stacked or wall-mounted installations, Planar Venue Pro VX
Series expands on the capabilities of the Planar CarbonLight VX Series. It boasts support for HDR-ready content, and has a wide color gamut, including up to DCI-P3 color space,
and compatibility with a wide range of cameras.

“Increasing popularity of VP and XR applications presents a need for high performing but
versatile LED display products,” said Steve Seminario, vice president of product marketing at Planar. “The Planar Venue Pro VX Series takes learnings from the award-winning Planar
CarbonLight VX Series, offering customers the most sought-after features in a flexible,
economical LED solution that’s designed to maximize in-camera performance.”

The series also includes mechanical features to suit both temporary applications and fixed installations. It is available in 1.9 and 2.5 millimeter pixel pitches and compatible with Brompton LED processors and LED controllers from Colorlight.

The Planar Venue Pro VX Series is shipping this month and available through Planar’s global
network of authorized resellers. For more information, visit www.planar.com/VenueProVX.

Picture this: Your assignment editor for the nightly newscast needs images of people eating pizza, or perhaps President Biden eating pizza.

How difficult could that task be? A new partnership between Mobius Labs and Nomad Media is designed to make it easier.

“The AI is being used to recognize objects in video imagery to make searching for content easier and faster when cutting a story,” a spokesperson for Mobius tells the Weekly Tech Roundup from RBR+TVBR.

For Berlin, Germany-based Mobius, the link-up with Nomad Media sees the integration’s next-generation AI-powered metadata with Nomad’s intuitive cloud-based content and asset management platform for on demand and live video.

 

 

“The partnership between Nomad Media and Mobius Labs ushers in a new Artificial Intelligence era where powerful video and image analysis along with speech to text conversion is the foundation of every content catalogue,” said Adam Miller, co-founder and CEO of Nomad Media. “This truly democratizes the use of AI powered services so organizations of all sizes can have discovery, deep search and auto curation of content catalogues and programming. In addition, this new AI powered catalogue foundation will future proof an organization’s content for emerging and innovative new AI services.”

Appu Shaji, CEO and Chief Scientist at Mobius Labs, added, “Forward-thinking media and broadcasting companies around the world are leveraging AI metadata technology to streamline their workflows and productively manage their content archives. Through our partnership with Nomad, they will now have access to powerful new tools that enable them to maximize monetization opportunities for their content.”

 

Köln, Germany-based RTW Audio has introduced a new AoIP-focused monitor controller with onboard metering features.

The company rolled out the new product at IBC 2022, and says it is a tool ready to integrate seamlessly with Audinate Dante audio-over-IP networks.

Introducing the TouchControl 5, a monitor controller and audio meter with an intuitive user interface and a small footprint that preserves valuable desktop real estate, featuring a 5” touchscreen, as well as a rotary knob that also functions as a push button for easy access to dim or mute functions. The screen layout can effortlessly be customized by the user via a browser-based application, and TouchControl 5 is able to control up to 32 AoIP audio channels, making it compatible with audio formats from mono to immersive within a Dante audio network.

“We are very happy to once again take on monitor control with an updated and relevant product designed specifically to manage audio channels on an IP Audio network,” RTW CEO Andreas Tweitmann said. “No doubt, there is a huge demand for monitor control solutions that are able to naturally and easily integrate with Dante and AES67. On top of that, with the touchscreen it was an obvious bonus to also offer a selection of our world-class metering solutions as options that you can add either from the start, or as your needs grow along the way.”

By Brian Galante

AMSTERDAM — Now a subsidiary of France-based Thomson Broadcast, GatesAir is working on a modernization project squarely focused on the national FM radio infrastructure in a country increasingly popular with tourists from around the globe that was once a part of Yugoslavia.

The efforts by GatesAir are designed to give OIV, the Croatian broadcast network operator, a boost. Lower energy costs for Croatian Radio-Television HRT are also part of the plan.

Thus far, OIV has upgraded five transmission facilities with GatesAir Flexiva FAX air-cooled radio transmission systems, including sites near the capital city of Zagreb and the towns of Rijeka, Dubrovnik and Makarska.

OIV anticipates additional upgrades in the coming years, with a Flexiva FAX system installation planned near the town of Split in 2023.

As HRT’s network operator, OIV manages transmission systems for three national HRT FM radio programs and eight regional HRT programs targeting specific regions. The previous transmitter fleet, which consisted of transmitters up to 20 years old, began showing signs of age in recent years. Furthermore, some of the vendors were no longer in business, making spare parts hard to procure.

OIV favored a transition to transmitters with modern solid-state technology that would boost efficiency, reduce utility costs, and streamline maintenance. Enter GatesAir, which has a local presence through partner Smart AudioVisual d.o.o. (Smart-AV). Smart-AV handled all logistics, including transport of the Flexiva transmitters. Each location includes four or five Flexiva FAX transmitters in redundant 3+1 or 4+1 configurations, with power levels ranging from 5 to 10 kW.

Bruno Cigrovski, Head of Radio Network Department for OIV, believes the Flexiva transmitters are already paying dividends. “We have done the math for the Flexiva performance at Ucka, which is the transmission site serving listeners in and near the town of Rijeka,” he said. “After replacing our old system with GatesAir’s 10kW Flexiva system, our monthly energy consumption dropped by 11,800 kWh. We are now saving €1500 each month.”

Cigrovski emphasized that the redundancy is mostly for peace of mind. “Maintenance is simplified because the transmitters are very reliable,” he said. “We send people to the sites far less frequently, and that much lower maintenance saves us even more money.”

Smart-AV will handle all maintenance and service post-commissioning, including the procurement and delivery of spare parts as required. The common architecture of Flexiva transmitters assures that a minimum set of spare parts can be shared across the entire network.

Cigrovski adds that both GatesAir and Smart-AV have also solved enduring challenges that OIV have faced with cooling higher power systems. “One of our main challenges in Croatia has been effectively cooling higher power transmitters, particularly 10kW systems,” he said. “Smart-AV has provided excellent service and creative insights into properly ventilating high-power transmitters, and GatesAir has really helped us solve that problem with a new generation of high-efficiency transmitters.”

GatesAir Vice President of EMEA Sales and Channel Programs Ray Miklius added, “OIV was especially interested in reducing costs and labor associated with their FM transmitter fleet. We worked closely with OIV and Smart-AV to build air-cooled systems that aligned perfectly with their varied exhaust systems, ensuring that hot air was efficiently moved to the outside of their buildings either through the top roof or through our own air exhaust technology, depending on building designs.

Miklius shares that Smart-AV flew OIV representatives into GatesAir’s Quincy manufacturing facility for training and factory acceptance.

It calls itself “an All-Inclusive TV agency that gives performance brands access to high-quality, effective TV campaigns without the traditional high entry cost and ongoing challenges of optimization, scale and measurement.”

To better assist its clients, this Minneapolis-based shop will continue to use Nielsen local TV measurement data.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

.

.

.

.

.

The International, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Media, and Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus announce a 180-day freeze on the filing of applications in the 12.7-12.75 GHz and 12.75-13.250 GHz bands

Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation enters into consent decree

A CBS News correspondent has been named one of the anchors of the local morning news franchise that is expected to launch this fall on KCAL-9 and the CBS News Los Angeles streaming channel.

She will anchor the 7am-10am portion of KCAL’s planned seven-hour block of local newscasts poised to begin at 4am, putting KCAL directly against KTLA-5, the Nexstar Media Group-owned West Coast flagship.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

At 3:20pm Eastern on Sunday, Hurricane Fiona made landfall — barely — in Puerto Rico. With winds of 85 MPH and the storm at Category 1 status, it touched the southwestern tip of the island to the south of Mayaguez.

That was enough to wreak havoc on the entire U.S. commonwealth, which left nearly every community without electricity. By Monday morning, nearly 70% of LUMA Energy customers were still in the dark. According to El Nuevo Día, more than 778,000 lack safe drinking water due to filtration plant issues linked to flooded rivers.

Despite all of the problems, broadcast radio and television stations remain on the air.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

From our Who’s Buying What page: South African Adventist World Radio installed an AEQ Capitol IP console in its main studio in Pretoria.

“Adventist World Radio AWR is a private radio station in South Africa under the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, with offices in Pretoria,” AEQ wrote in a press release.

“AWR offers a wide variety of programming, including religious programs, news, information and local music, which are currently broadcast online only through its website.

AEQ said AWR has traditionally worked with analog material but opted for a digital platform for this project.

For more information about AEQ or about the equipment and systems manufactured and its projects, visit www.aeq.eu, send an email to aeqsales@aeq.es or call +34 91 686 1300.

Users and suppliers are both welcome to send news of recent installations for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post AWR Goes With AEQ in South Africa appeared first on Radio World.

The New Jersey Broadcasters Association says radio stations that oppose the idea of making Daylight Saving Time permanent can breathe easy.

“The NJBA’s efforts on Congress to consider the impact on AM broadcasters if Daylight Saving Time becomes permanent have yielded successful results because of Congressman [Frank] Pallone’s steadfast support of broadcasters,” the association told its members in its newsletter.

It said Paul Rotella, president/CEO of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association, met with the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about this issue.

“The chairman is a fellow New Jerseyan, Rep. Frank Pallone,” it pointed out.

According to the newsletter, Rotella expressed his concern with the bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio and passed by the Senate, that would make DST permanent and do away with the need to move clocks forward and back every half year.

Rotella told Pallone that if the bill became law, many if not most AM stations would lose an hour of morning drive with no or reduced power.

“But the chairman has effectively stopped the legislation from moving forward,” NJBA said, “bringing a sigh of relief to the Garden State’s early morning AM radio community,” and presumably those in the rest of the country as well.

The post NJBA Claims Success in Daylight Saving Fight appeared first on Radio World.

Angry Audio has expanded its Chameleon product family with an audio leveling pre-processor called C-Level.

It says the box, which retails for $999, can make dramatic improvements in the sound of modestly priced existing on-air processors. 

“Think of it as a gentle multi-band AGC,” the company website says. “It makes everything sound consistent and polished.”

When inserted between a mixing console and an over-the-air processor, “It’s like having the perfect board operator getting all the elements exactly right every second of every show. C-Level outputs a consistent –24 LUFS signal, which will always keep your OTA processor operating in its sweet spot.”

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

It can also be used to protect an STL from overload.

“Like all Chameleon processors, C-Level adapts to the incoming audio. All processing parameters are controlled dynamically by our Chameleon expert software. Not only does this eliminate the complexity associated with other audio processors, but more importantly, it delivers the most transparent, natural sounding audio you’ve ever heard.”

A four-position rotary switch on the front offers three active settings as well as a bypass mode. Inputs are switchable between analog and AES/EBU digital. Analog and AES/EBU digital outputs are simultaneously active.

The processor begins shipping next month.

The post Angry Audio Introduces Chameleon C-Level appeared first on Radio World.

Keisha Salmon

Keisha Salmon has been named the next executive director of the Association of Independents in Radio, whose members are radio and podcast producers, editors, engineers and reporters.

Salmon succeeds Amanda Hickman, who filled that post on an interim basis for the past year after Ken Ikeda resigned. AIR also announced that Hickman, whose primary role was managing director, will leave the organization next month after three years.

Of its new leader, AIR said in its press release: “Keisha is just the kind of strategist we’ve been looking for, with over 15 years of experience developing high-impact programs that protect and amplify the voices of emerging creators, established media makers and authentic storytellers.”

It quoted Salmon committing to expanding on “AIR’s vision to amplify new voices and new narratives for public radio and podcasting” and on the need for support and advocacy for its member professionals in an era when the audio industry is growing dramatically.

AIR said that Salmon “has a long history of working for equitable access to power” through her work at John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, ReflectUS, American Documentary and the off-Broadway production house The Play Company (PlayCo).

On Amanda Hickman’s pending departure in October, AIR stated: “We will greatly miss her energy, leadership and dedication to members and our mission. We know she will be extremely successful in her next project.”

The post AIR Names Salmon as New Executive Director appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World’s “Guest Commentaries” section provides a platform for industry thought leaders and other readers to share their perspective on radio news, technological trends and more. If you’d like to contribute a commentary, or reply to an already published piece, send a submission to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The author is the president emeritus and senior advisor of Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council.

My friend and mentor Lowry Mays passed away last week.

David Honig

Lowry seldom took credit for doing what was the right thing. That’s why his principled walking-of-the-walk for civil rights is little known in the radio industry.

Since 1999, MMTC’s media brokerage, representing Clear Channel, has sold 50 radio stations to nine minority-owned buyers. Clear Channel donated another seven stations to MMTC, which placed the stations with minority or women entrepreneurs.

[Related: “Clear Channel Founder Lowry Mays Passes“]

Lowry earned another place in history by championing FCC regulation of broadcast equal employment opportunity. On Lowry’s watch, Clear Channel (now iHeart) became a radio industry leader in developing careers for minority and women broadcast executives and personalities.

And there were several unsung incidents in which Lowry drew lines in the sand – a prime example being how he handled local “morning zoo” radio stars who threatened the safety of the NAACP’s branch presidents in Rochester, NY and Toledo by broadcasting their home addresses and inviting listeners to drive there. Declaring such behavior unacceptable, Lowry fired both air personalities, even though no one had asked him to do that.

Credit: The Broadcasting & Cable Photo Archive.

In 2001, Lowry famously showed up at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s annual conference, and explained, extemporaneously, why it was good for the industry, and the public, to have FCC EEO regulation.

This is a record of statesmanship that will never be surpassed – or forgotten.

Lowry Mays was one of the great ones.

[Read More Guest Commentaries Here]

The post A Reflection of the Late Lowry Mays, His Values appeared first on Radio World.

MIAMI — Starting Thursday, representatives from at least 100 radio industry businesses will convene at the Intercontinental at Doral Miami for the first-ever Radio Masters Sales Summit, a two-day event presented by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink and The Center for Sales Strategy.

There’s still time to register for this exclusive learning and networking event, which expands on the prestigious tradition established by Radio Wayne.

The Radio Masters Sales Summit features two days of sessions devoted to all-things sales, including sales marketing and sales management professional development. There’s room for inspiration and brainstorming, along with entertainment and surprises.

The conference is scheduled for September 22-23, 2022 and includes the 30th annual Radio Wayne Awards presentation, followed by a cocktail reception with an emphasis on networking and lively conversation. The venue is easily accessible from Miami International Airport and is just minutes away from fine dining in Coral Gables, the business hub of Doral and the excitement of Calle Ocho.

Register Now by Clicking Here!

Following two years of turmoil and distractions, it’s time to get back on track. It’s time to rethink sales strategy, refresh skills and training, and refocus goals and expectations. The Radio Masters Sales Summit will give you two days of intense learning, brainstorming, and idea exchange.

Who’s confirmed as an attendee? This is the agenda. These are the speakers. Please join us this week in South Florida!