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On August 12, security news publication Krebs on Security published an article “sounding the alarm on Emergency Alert System flaws.” Since then, the story has been shared by many industry C-Suite executives, leading RBR+TVBR to share the article via Twitter over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

It appears FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel may have read the piece. On Wednesday, Rosenworcel shared with her colleagues a proposed action to bolster the security of the nation’s public alert and warning systems.

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Six broadcast engineers killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center will be remembered during a special ham radio dedication and memorial this Sunday. 

Andrew Denoncour, an amateur radio enthusiast (Callsign – N1MYY) who works in tech support at Comrex, expects to sign on the new ham radio repeater at 1 p.m. (EDT) on Sept. 11, to honor the six broadcast engineers: Bob Pattison, Don DiFranco, Steve Jacobson, Bill Steckman, Rod Coppola and Isaias Rivera.

The N1MYY setup

“I plan to read a brief statement and cite the names of the six fallen broadcast engineers. And I want to dedicate the installation to them,” Denoncour said. “It just worked out because the timing of it all.”

The new site being dedicated as a memorial to the six broadcast engineers will be on 146.460 and will be part of the New England Emergency Communications Network (NEDECN), which is a digital network of approximately 90 amateur radio service repeaters covering the New England states. 

The new repeater has its antenna mounted 300 feet up on the tower of WXRV(FM) in Haverhill, Mass., Denoncour told Radio World.

“For me at least, it’s something that we all should remember. This amateur radio community shares a lot in common with the six broadcast engineers we lost. I’ve just always remembered them,” Denoncour said. “And it’s not just the six broadcast engineers we need to remember, but all of those who were taken away.”

Amateur radio resources were mobilized in New York City and neighboring New Jersey on 9/11 after commercial telecommunications wired and wireless systems were severely compromised, according to various media reports. 

Denoncour can be reached at YankeeRadio@hotmail.com.

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Referring to the photo above, Denoncour provided the following detailed description: “This is located at the tower site within a building at the base of the tower. Important to note, this picture is during the build. It’s a simple aluminum relay rack which was being discarded from another client of the site. Power strips along both sides. At the top we have a simple 24 port cat5 patch panel, to make the finished product look neat and tidy and to allow easy connection to our two ISP’s. We have ports to 2 ISP’s which allow us to connect to the NEDECN network as well as plugging in equipment for setup and diagnostics.

“Below that we have a telemetry unit which was also retired from another client. It’s undecided if that will be used or not (probably not), but it contains a 10MHz oscillator which could come in handy. Beneath that is a simple rack shelf which holds the Sonicwall network appliance. This allows us to have fail-over between two ISP’s and to have VPN connections in the event I need remote access to any of the gear. Next down is the repeater itself, a Motorola XPR8400, acquired from eBay but found to be in excellent condition upon arrival. Capable of transmitting 50W but used at a much lower power to comply with the terms of my frequency coordination.  Last down is the 4-cavity duplexer. This guy allows us to have separate transmit and receive connections to/from the repeater while only needing one antenna and feedline on the tower. All fairly common items. Since this picture was taken a whole-rack UPS has been added. The finished build will have 2 (maybe 3) independent internet connections, and can be powered from AC line power, a whole-building generator, a whole-rack UPS or an automotive battery. We have plenty of redundancy which is essential in an emergency preparedness network like NEDECN.”

The post Amateur Radio Operator to Honor Broadcast Engineers Lost on 9/11 appeared first on Radio World.

The 2023 New York Festivals® TV & Film Awards competition is now accepting entries.

New York Festivals Television & Film Awards celebrates innovative storytelling from around the globe and honors content creators whose compelling programs reach international audiences. The competition’s 65-year legacy provides a showcase of exceptional work across all genres of entertainment media.

For 2023 New York Festivals has updated several categories reflecting the evolving nature of the industry.

“Journalists today are finding new ways to keep viewers informed in our ever-changing and interconnected world.  Here at New York Festivals, we want to be able to amplify their dedication with categories tailored for those purposes,” said Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.  “We are thrilled to partner once again with the WaterBear Network honoring documentary filmmakers who are using their talents to save our planet.”

Documentary categories award in-depth storytelling with a distinctive point of view. New Documentary categories include Best Nonfiction Series and Investigative Journalism.

News Programs categories for 2023 include Best Breaking News Coverage, Best Continuing News Coverage, and Best Investigative News Coverage.  News Reports/Features include Breaking News Story Coverage, Continuing News Story Coverage, Financial News Report, Heroes Feature, Human Interest Feature, Investigative Report and Legal News Report

View TV & Film’s powerhouse roster of categories, visit HERE.

New York Festivals TV & Film Grand Awards for 2022 went to the following programs: “The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals” Performing Arts Special (TBI Media for BBC One), “Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds S2” Social Issues Documentary (Endemol Shine Australia for ABC), and “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” Variety Special (Done+Dusted for Apple TV+).

Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports, was honored with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.  CBS Sports host Greg Gumbel made the presentation to Mr. McManus.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards debuted a prestigious new award for 2022, the WaterBear Award, a partnership between WaterBear Network that honors the highest scoring documentary across the Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife categories. Together NYF and WaterBear Network honored “Hippo King” (A Terra Mater Factual Studios / Skyland Productions/ Into Nature Productions production in co-production with DOCLIGHTS/NDR NATURFILM/ The WNET GROUP in association with PBS and CPB) Nature & Wildlife with the inaugural WaterBear Award.

For the sixth consecutive year, Al Jazeera English Qatar’s coverage of international issues and wide-ranging themes earned the network the prestigious title of Broadcaster of the Year. Done+Dusted earned the Production Company of the Year Award for 2022.

Due to ongoing global pandemic quarantine restrictions, the 2022 NYF TV & Film Awards winners were honored via a virtual ceremony on April 26th during the NAB Show in Las Vegas.  The two-part virtual Storytellers Gala ceremony hosted by Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, featured highlights and acceptances from award-winning teams of men and women recording from their hometowns in over 40 countries around the globe.

 

The 2023 TV & Film Awards Storytellers Gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 18, 2023. This is the 13th year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show. All NYF TV & Film Award winners have access to the multi-day event which is the world’s largest global gathering for the media and entertainment industry.

The deadline to enter the 2023 Television & Film Awards competition is December 31st, 2022.  To view entry details and competition rules and regulations visit HERE. For a complete list of 2023 categories, visit HERE.

All Entries in the 2023 competition will be judged online and screened by NYF’s TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the TV & Film Awards winners gallery.

To view the 2022 TV & Film Awards winner’s showcase visit: winners.

This year, Henry Engineering is marking its 40th anniversary. Founded in 1982 by Hank Landsberg, the manufacturer’s products are designed to address problems related to audio interface, studio systems control, digital and analog signal switching and distribution — “issues that broadcast and audio engineers often encounter when building or upgrading their facilities,” according to its website.

To learn more about the history of the company, Radio World connected with Landsberg. The following interview, conducted via email, details the evolution of Henry Engineering, how its problem-solving products became a hit and “what’s next” for the longtime engineer and industry veteran.

Radio World: What brought you into the broadcast community? Where do you draw your expertise from?

Hank Landsberg

Hank Landsberg: I have always been interested in radio broadcasting, ever since I was a little kid! My first “radio station” was the Knight Kit AM Broadcaster that I built when I was 11. My first job in radio was as a “combo DJ”/contract engineer at KMAX(FM) radio in Arcadia, Calif.  I also worked at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, which had rich history in the “Golden Age” of radio (1930s-1940s).

In 1973, I worked as an audio console designer for Visual Electronic Labs in Pasadena, Calif. In 1974, I was hired as director of engineering for Drake-Chenault in Canoga Park, Calif. D-C produced music programming for tape-based automated radio stations.

RW: Tell me a little bit about the inception of Henry Engineering. What were some of your initial goals?

Landsberg: At Drake-Chenault, I often had to build “matching amplifiers” to interface consumer audio equipment (tape decks, turntable preamps, etc.) to the professional gear in the studios. Oddly enough, this device didn’t exist as an off-the-shelf product. After building several of these gadgets, it occurred to me that radio station engineers probably had the same issue — and so the idea for The Matchbox was born out of my necessity.

My goal? Simple! To become “the standard of the industry” for that one product. Like Kleenex, Scotch tape, Kodak film. I figured that if my company could become known for solving that one problem, other problem-solver products would ride on its coattails. Since my legal first name is Henry, I called the company Henry Engineering. (And I hoped it wouldn’t get confused with Henry Radio, a different company that made ham radio gear!)

Front view of the Matchbox HD

RW: How has the company grown since 1982?

Landsberg: When I started with The Matchbox in 1982, I assumed that Henry Engineering would just be a side gig to augment my “real job” at D-C. In 1983, I needed a way to remotely control the Technics turntables that we used at Drake-Chenault. So, I designed a gadget that eventually became my next product: the Universal Turntable Controller.

“That’s me, at Drake-Chenault, in about 1975,” writes Landsberg. “Loading tapes on an analog automation system (what we call “playout” these days).”

A few years later, Drake-Chenault was sold and the new owner moved the company to Albuquerque. I had no desire to move there, so I decided to make Henry Engineering my main focus and expand the product line with more problem-solving products. SupeRelay, Mix-Minus Plus, Telecart, USDA, TwinMatch, LogiConverter and others followed quickly in 1984-1988. All of these products were unique, not available from other equipment suppliers.

[Related: “Henry Engineering Debuts Talent Pod II“]

RW: What are you most proud of?

I’m still amazed that we’ve shipped over 60,000 Matchboxes! And I’m proud that nearly all of our products were “firsts”…useful “engineering problem-solvers” that nobody else was producing.

For example: the SixMix was the industry’s first broadcast audio console to include a USB audio interface. Some “firsts” were really simple, but necessary, like adding Stereo/Mono switching to an audio distribution amp. Our USDA was the industry’s first DA to have that simple yet useful feature. Nobody built an On-The-Air tally light controller until we created the Superelay. We’ve shipped about 8,000 of them! It’s still a strong seller.

RW: Which products have stayed popular over the years?

Landsberg: The original Matchbox is still popular, although the (digital) USB Matchbox will overtake it soon.

RW: What’s new?

Landsberg: BackUPS is a newer product that is doing well. It automatically bypasses a failed (or failing) UPS unit, so critical equipment keeps working while the UPS is being repaired or replaced.

The Henry Engineering product family circa. 1986

RW: What are some of your aspirations when looking ahead to, say, the next 40 years?

Landsberg: Hmmm…well, I’m 70 now. Maybe someone will buy my company for $50 million and I’ll retire to a villa in Maui! But seriously…

RW: Anything else you’d like to add?

Landsberg: I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support and interest in Henry Engineering’s products! We’ll keep ‘em coming! We endeavor to produce problem-solving products that are effective, reliable, and affordable. I still believe that professional products should last decades and be field-maintainable.

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The post Henry Engineering Hits 40 Years appeared first on Radio World.

For the three Wall Street analysts that cover conservative Talk and Christian-themed programming specialist Salem Media Group, 6.3% sales growth had been expected for the third quarter.

The average estimate for revenue in Q3 is $70.16 million.

Now, Salem has revised its Q3 forecast, and expects revenue to fall below the lowest of the three estimates provided by analysts.

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The 2022 Broadcasters Clinic is set to return to the Madison Marriott West in Middleton, Wisc., from October 11-13.

A slew of technical topics are highlights of this year’s clinic hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and include sessions on remote monitoring, operating in the cloud and building a virtualized radio station, among others.

The clinic kicks off on Oct. 11 with a session that will look at the practical ins and outs of building a virtualized radio station. In the session “A Practical Guide to Building a Virtualized Radio Station On-Premises or in the Cloud,” Kirk Harnack from Telos Alliance will discuss recent improvements to remote workflows and how those lessons are translating into fully virtualized broadcast infrastructure workflows for radio stations.

Other cloud-focused sessions include “Radio Moves to the Cloud …. Full-Time,” in which Jim Hammond from Radio.Cloud will offer a high-level view of full-time playout in cloud-based environments and how this new working environment meshes with existing traditional playout, music and traffic systems in a station. The cloud is also the focus of the session “Cloud-Based Radio Broadcasting and the Last Mile Problem,” in which Mike Pappas from Orban Labs will examine the technical issues that can arise in a cloud environment, such as handling local EAS insertion and managing Nielsen encoding.

[Check Out More Events on Radio World’s Calendar]

New technologies will be the focus of sessions like “Changing the Landscape of FM Broadcast Technology,” led by Nicole Starrett from Dielectric, who will talk about the advantages of slotted coaxial pylon antenna technology and how this technology is now be put to use in the FM band.

An overview of the entire radio technology landscape will led by David Layer from the National Association of Broadcasters. He will delve into the recent radio activities of the NAB’s technology department in the session “Advancing Radio Technology at NAB.”

Other technical sessions include a look at affordable tools for remote monitoring, the newest technologies used for transmitter site maintenance, captioning, the use of drones in investigating radio station systems and structures, ransomware mitigation strategies and ATSC 3.0 and datacasting as a revenue source for broadcasters.

The clinic will also have an exhibit floor at the Madison Marriott West. Those interested in attending should register with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association by Oct. 3, 2022.

The post Tech Sessions on Tap at 2022 Broadcasters Clinic appeared first on Radio World.

The author is a consultant and is the retired senior VP of engineering at CBS Radio. He responds to the commentary “Let’s Talk About Mono,” in which David Bialik laid out an argument for FM talk stations to broadcast in mono rather than stereo. (Also read a related commentary by Gary Keener.)

I don’t wish to enter into a disagreement with my good friend David Bialik, but there is an argument that modern car radio algorithms essentially eliminate the disadvantages of stereo FM transmissions. 

In order to understand how stereo operation impacts the reception of FM, we need to look at the technology behind FM stereo transmission and reception.

The FM stereo transmission system transmits the monoaural signal, L+R in the spectrum between the carrier frequency and 15 kHz, the stereo pilot at 19 kHz, and the stereo information L–R between 23 kHz and 53 kHz. The audio is low-pass filtered to prevent the monaural audio from interfering with the 19 kHz pilot. The L–R signal is transmitted with a double sideband signal centered about a suppressed 38 kHz subcarrier as can be seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1: FM Stereo Transmission System

Inherent in the FM reception is the mathematical mechanism that causes the noise floor to increase exponentially as the information departs from the carrier frequency. The figure of 10 dB is generally cited as the noise induced by the stereo subcarrier, under fixed conditions. That is why the SNR of a stereo transmission is generally less than 50 dB except in locations close transmitter. 

The receiver process, in Fig. 2, shows the FM composite (L+R), (L–R), and the 19 kHz pilot being split into three signal paths: (1) a low-pass filter for the L+R, (2) a bandpass filter for the L–R, and (3) a second bandpass filter to isolate the 19 kHz pilot. 

Fig. 2: FM Stereo Reception Diagram

The L–R signal, a double sideband suppressed carrier transmission, needs its carrier reinserted to recover the audio without distortion. Following the 19 kHz pilot filter is a frequency multiplier that doubles the pilot frequency to 38 kHz for insertion into the synchronous demodulator. Following the synchronous detector, the demodulated L–R signal feeds one input to a matrix with the second input being fed by the L+R signal. The math shows (L+R) + (L–R) on the upper output terminal leaving 2 L and the lower output terminal being (L+R) – (L–R) yielding 2R or the right channel.

Car radios since the middle 1980s had an additional block, a continuously variable subcarrier insertion level that varies, in real time, the injection from the synchronous detector to the matrix. Additionally, there were variable high-frequency (lowpass) filters on the L and R outputs to mask the noise.  When the receiver detected the presence of noise and/or multipath, the level of L–R audio injected into the matrix was reduced. The blend to monoaural circuitry essentially eliminated the disadvantage of stereo by reducing the level L–R channel injection at a rate commensurate with fading. By the time the radio transitioned near or beyond the 60 dBu contour, radios were generally in full monoaural with the high frequencies rolled off to about 8 kHz. 

At stronger signal levels i.e., greater than 60 dBu, these radios experienced “breathing” between full stereo and degrees of mono while the high-frequency response was simultaneously changing in response to noise and multipath. Those in the receiver industry viewed these artifacts as acceptable, whereas broadcast personnel had a different opinion.

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Today’s modern DSP radios are referred to as software-defined radios or SDRs. In these radios, the only analog components are the RF amplifier, the mixer and the audio amplifier. The mixer stage is followed by an analog-to-digital converter, AD, where the signal is transformed into the digital domain for further processing. The digitization of the signal provides (1) better adjacent channel interference rejection (the digital FFT IF filters can be adjusted in real-time to address adjacent channel interference), (2) better demodulation algorithms with lower distortion than analog implementations, and (3) digital noise reduction that just wasn’t possible with analog designs. With a digitally processed signal, it is possible to manipulate the multipath in ways that produce a more listenable signal that is free of the artifacts that were associated with an analog blend to monaural circuitry. 

While developing the HD Radio system, I had the opportunity to study the GM, Ford and similar radios of the day. I had the chance to observe the benefits and disadvantages of the blend to monoaural with high-cut circuitry. 

With those radios, the observed differences between monaural and stereo transmissions were more in the lack of blending artifacts than the elimination of noise. I have not personally field-tested the current generation of SDR radios with mono and stereo transmissions. I have discussed these designs with those who have had the experience and believe with a DSP-based radio it is more difficult to hear the differences between monaural and stereo transmissions. When you broadcast in monaural, the sponsor would not have its spots, produced in stereo, delivered in stereo, and the audience would miss the ambiance of the actualities or natural sound, jingles and music in its original stereo format.

Your streaming and radio competitors are delivering stereo to their audiences.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post Mono on FM? Hang on a Moment appeared first on Radio World.

He’s one of the best-known and most respected multicultural advertising executives in the audio content space. Now, he’s been promoted to EVP of Multicultural Partnerships at Katz Media Group.

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Broadcasters have been watching developments in the FCC Resilient Networks rulemaking proceeding, which could eventually lead to more requirements for their participation in disaster recovery procedures.

The commission updated its rules in July, making wireless network resiliency cooperation mandatory for wireless carriers in the United States. They could do something similar for broadcasters. 

The FCC introduced the Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative (MDRI), which largely codifies and builds upon an industry-developed Wireless Network Resiliency Framework.

That framework, which does not include broadcasters, was developed by a group of facilities-based mobile wireless service providers and had been endorsed by the FCC. The action extends the reach of the provisions to all mobile wireless providers to test their roaming capabilities and report on the performance of their implementation of the new MDRI.

DIRS and backup power A repeater tower seen against brooding dark stormclouds.

The Resilient Networks Report and Order adopted in late June seeks to improve the reliability and resiliency of wireless communications networks during emergencies. The FCC’s goal is to keep cell phones working and people connected when disasters like hurricanes and wildfires strike, the commission says.

“We’ve seen that the mutual aid and other provisions of this framework can be effective at speeding recovery and ensuring responders have all the information they need, and it’s time that these practices be implemented on an industry-wide basis,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. 

However, the accompanying Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) examines broadcaster resiliency and any gaps that might need to be filled in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). 

The original Resiliency Networks proposal considered changes to DIRS, which is a voluntary web-based system used by broadcasters since 2007 to report broadcast service outages to the FCC. The FCC proposal considered the possibility of mandatory DIRS reporting of outages for participants following a disaster.

The commission in July also renewed its inquiry examining the backup power status for communications facilities. The NPRM asked about ways to mitigate the effects of power outages on communications networks in the aftermath of disasters. The FCC in the proposal asked detailed questions about how backup power can be deployed to reduce the frequency of power-related service disruptions. 

The FCC at least discussed adopting backup power requirements for participants in DIRS and NORS, the Network Outage Reporting System, in the original proposal. 

“To the extent that the commission were to adopt backup power requirements, providers subject to them, potentially including cable providers, Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service, TV and radio broadcasters, Commercial Mobile Radio Service and other wireless service providers, could potentially be required to take steps to make their networks more resilient to power outages,” states the FCC notice proposal, released in 2021.

And as recently as this summer when the latest rulemaking affecting wireless carriers was released, Rosenworcel indicated the FCC is still moving forward and looking at additional changes that will speed recovery efforts of communication networks following disasters.

“These changes will help restore service faster, help speed response coordination, and keep more people connected in disaster. But we can’t stop here. In the rulemaking we adopted last year, we looked at several other ways our disaster response playbook could be updated,” Rosenworcel wrote in a letter accompanying the rulemaking. 

She continued: “We sought comment on where there are gaps that need to be filled in our Disaster Information Reporting System. We also renewed our inquiry into backup power for communications facilities as well as the essential intersection between modern communications and the electrical grid. We will continue to assess the record and work on these issues.” 

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Prioritize broadcast infrastructure

The National Association of Broadcasters and state broadcasters’ associations have been active filing comments in the current proceeding and looking for any signs the FCC could be considering mandates on radio broadcasters.    

NAB told the FCC mandatory participation for broadcasters in DIRS is unnecessary and wish for no additional rules regarding fuel backup during times of crisis. 

“Broadcasters already participate in DIRS to the best of their ability and depending on their individual circumstances, have no objections to further voluntary coordination with other telecommunications providers during emergencies, and already install generators and maintain fuel reserves commensurate with their financial resources and likelihood of experiencing a prolonged power failure,” NAB wrote.

The FCC says DIRS participation increases its situational awareness following a disaster and gives it the ability to share status information with government partners.

If the FCC still believes that DIRS should be mandatory, NAB commented, perhaps the onus should be on government to create and fund an automated system that identifies which broadcast stations are operating during a disaster.

The broadcast advocacy group says the reliable nature of broadcast architecture allows it to continue service during a disaster even when the electrical grid, cellular service and the internet is down.

 “For example, radio broadcast transmission facilities are designed with redundant systems and backups, auxiliary transmission sites, emergency power, and more, all with the goal of keeping stations on the air in all circumstances,” NAB says.

The association used the comment opportunity to ask the FCC to work with its government partners to prioritize the restoration of electricity to broadcasters, or alternatively, the delivery of fuel for generators. 

“After local public safety and medical service providers, service to communications providers should be considered among the most critical functions as an electrical grid is repaired,” NAB declared. “The FCC should also consider ways to foster access by broadcasters to their studios and transmitters during times of crisis in a safe manner that does not impede emergency public safety and medical services.”

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“All good here”

A number of state broadcast associations in joint comments reiterated many of NAB’s arguments against a mandate but went a step further in claiming making DIRS reporting mandatory for broadcasters would actually undercut the system and divert critical broadcast resources.

“Where a station is operational but running with a skeleton staff in a disaster area, stepping back from keeping the station operational, gathering news and emergency information, and getting that information to the public, merely in order to file a DIRS report saying ‘all good here’ diverts station resources with no upside for the public and a limited informational benefit to the FCC,” the broadcast associations told the FCC.

Meanwhile, National Public Radio went so far as to downplay the importance of DIRS in its comments to the FCC.     

“Although public radio stations may be aware of DIRS, it does not appear to have been widely used by stations, if at all. Most stations do not experience extended service outages, primarily because of the extraordinary measures they take to maintain broadcast operations in the wake of a disaster,” NPR wrote.

Smaller radio broadcasters may also find DIRS difficult to use, according to comments by REC Networks, an LPFM advocacy consultancy. REC commented that small broadcasters are likely to only have access to smart phones with narrow screens if they need to access DIRS during an outage following a natural disaster of some sort.

“The current DIRS system is built on the commission’s legacy architecture and substantially uses tables and requests entries, such as geographic coordinates in decimal format.

“Because of the fact that the current DIRS system is not mobile-friendly and requires a significant number of entries to make a report, including information where accessing a different website may be necessary, this will make it difficult or in some cases, impossible for small radio broadcast stations to participate, voluntarily or mandatorily in DIRS,” REC told the FCC.

Still other viewpoints expressed in the resiliency proceeding discuss establishing cooperative efforts for mutual aid between local broadcasters, which could increase overall broadcaster resiliency through the sharing of backup power resources such as generators and fuel supplies.

Gary Timm, a public warning expert from Wisconsin, told the FCC much of that sort of contingency planning has been completed already. 

“If the commission is truly interested in fostering this mutual aid among broadcasters, the FCC can rely on work done by its past Federal Advisory Committees, the Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC). The MSRC priorities were developing plans for mutual aid among broadcasters (e.g., routing programming from Station A’s studio to Station B’s transmitter to keep programming on the air for the public) and second, to develop communications channels from emergency management agencies to local broadcasters to keep the official information flowing when normal communications are disrupted,” he wrote.

He concluded his comments: “The FCC relaunching the MSRC recommendations would support many aspects of Broadcast Resiliency raised in the NPRM.”  

A comment period on the FNPRM (PS Docket 21-346) will commence following publication in the Federal Register.

The post Broadcasters Monitor “Resilient Networks” Proceeding appeared first on Radio World.

Some 6,000 consumers have found the live and video on demand (VOD) platform. Now, the Colorado-based company behind it seeks to grow its global footprint by acquiring a Swedish video player specialist for an undisclosed price.

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Bauer Media Audio has launched ad-free subscription versions of its radio stations in Finland.

Subscribers get access to premium versions of Bauer Media Audio Finland’s 13 national radio brands and two webcast stations.

They’re available via various platforms including Sonos for a three-month free trial followed by a monthly subscription fee of €4.99.

“The launch of premium subscription radio services follows on from similar launches in Denmark, the U.K. and Norway,” the organization said, adding that it aims to be “a global audio pioneer.”

The available brands are Radio Nova Premium, Iskelmä Premium, Radio City Premium, NRJ Premium, Radio Nostalgia Premium, Radio Pooki Premium, Suomirock Premium, Kasari Premium, Basso Premium, Suomiräp Premium, TOP51 Premium, Radio Classic Premium, Radio Pori Premium, Ysäri Premium and KISS Premium.

The announcement was made by Tobias Nielsen, director of premium projects.

Bauer Media Audio calls itself “Europe’s leading commercial radio broadcaster,” with an estimated 61 million listeners weekly in nine countries.

[Related: “Bauer Media Expands to Portugal”]

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Maxie C. Jackson III is the new executive director of WYMS(FM), non-commercial 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.

The station’s board conducted a national search after Kevin Sucher resigned last winter after less than two years in the job. Danae Davis, a former board president, has served as interim executive director.

Jackson is former chief content officer for New England Public Media who also has consulted and was a leader of Pacifica Foundation and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. He also served in executive roles at public radio stations He has also worked in executive roles at several major public station.

Erickajoy Daniels, chair of the executive director search committee, called him “a public media powerhouse” with experience in management, content and audience development experience in radio, television, digital and live events.

Radio Milwaukee launched in 2007. Its music format includes at least one song by a Milwaukee artist each hour as well as short stories called “Uniquely Milwaukee.” An urban alternative format called HYFIN airs on its HD2 channel and online. An all-Milwaukee music channel, 414Music.fm, is carried on HD3 and online. 

Send People News announcements, especially for executive and engineering positions, to radioworld@futurenet.com.

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Since its debut in the mid-2000s, WYMS-FM 88.9 has emerged as one of the nation’s tastemaker eclectic Adult Alternative stations, providing Milwaukee with music and programming perhaps akin to KCRW in Southern California and KEXP in Seattle.

Now, noncommercial “88Nine Radio Milwaukee” has a new Executive Director.

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It’s been a much-discussed move for an individual who was dismissed from CNN at the end of 2021 for allegedly assisting in the defense of brother Andrew Cuomo against sexual harassment claims that ultimately led him to resign as Governor of New York.

Chris Cuomo is coming to Nexstar Media Group-owned NewsNation. And, there’s now a debut date as the show begins production in New York.

“Cuomo” has officially begun production in the Big Apple, and the first official trailer, graphics and promotional videos for the prime-time news program have been dropped.

“Cuomo” will debut Monday, October 3, and air weeknights at 8pm Eastern.

Alexandra “Dusty” Cohen is serving as Executive Producer, and the program will be produced live at Nexstar’s Midtown Manhattan production studios. Cohen spent nearly two decades at “The View,” where she worked closely with Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie as part of the original production team.

She’s also known Cuomo for three decades.

Other “Cuomo” senior production hires include: 

• Senior Supervising Producer Jonathan Faulhaber 
• Director Renee Cullen
• Senior Broadcast Producer Ron Messer 
• Head Booking Producer Hillary Kun 
• Talent Producer Brad LaRosa 

It was teased on Tuesday in the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. Now, it can be told.

MultiDyne Fiber Optic Solutions has acquired a Livermore, Calif.-based supplier of compression, streaming and IPTV products for the broadcast and commercial AV markets.

 

MultiDyne has purchased Niagara Video Corporation.

The acquisition, says Long Island, N.Y.-based MultiDyne, strengthens its value proposition for software-defined video transport. MultiDyne adds that the purchase of Niagara positions the company as a full-service provider of hardware and software products for moving high-quality video over any distance or network architecture.

Black Pearl Management Group, owned and operated by broadcast industry veteran Bob McAlpine, facilitated the acquisition process on behalf of both companies.

“The MultiDyne brand has long been associated with fiber optics, but as a company we excel at processing and moving media,” said MultiDyne CEO Frank Jachetta. “At IBC2019, we added audio processing and monitoring to our portfolio with the acquisition of Census Digital. Three years on, we head into IBC2022 with another strategic acquisition that takes MultiDyne into exciting new territory.”

IBC2022 opens Friday in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. MultiDyne will exhibit a limited range of Niagara Video technologies at IBC2022 booth (RAI Amsterdam, Stand 11.B17).

 

Jachetta believes the addition of the Niagara Video business will help the company proliferate media transport opportunities for its customers. “That includes moving media from server-based engines and over more diverse network topologies, while ensuring seamless interoperability with a mix of industry protocols (HEVC, HLS, RTMP, SRT and more),” he notes. “We have expanded beyond dark fiber to moving content across the internet in different ways. One example is how we can now reliably take video over the top (OTT), using open-protocol SRT transport for perfect video delivery. It’s about delivering broadcast-quality video over challenging networks for our customers.”

Jesse Foster, MultiDyne’s Vice President of Products, cites the growing eSports market as well as AV business verticals, notably corporate and education, as business strengths of Niagara Video that will expand MultiDyne’s customer base. Foster also sees a natural expansion of its core broadcast and live production business into the REMI production space, and an opportunity to offer complete solutions for worship facilities.

“This really opens MultiDyne to new verticals,” Foster said. “Compression is a necessary technology for remote connectivity, and Niagara’s portable GoStream encoders and decoders will provide our customers with the low-latency streaming and backhaul solutions they need for REMI production and live entertainment events. We see strong integration opportunities for MultiDyne fiber products with Niagara’s IPTV solutions, used widely today in the enterprise, corporate, government and hospitality markets. And we can now help our worship customers easily extend their signals from the sanctuary to external locations, thanks to clean integration between our fiber camera adapters, our fiber throwdowns, and Niagara’s live streaming solutions.”

GALLI TO JOIN MULTIDYNE

Niagara Video Corporation CEO Mike Galli says that in addition to technology and in-house talent, the company broadens MultiDyne’s channel partner network through its own distributors and resellers worldwide.

With the transaction, Galli will join MultiDyne as VP of Streaming Products; MultiDyne will retain Niagara’s existing staff.

“We have built a network of channel partners with strong reputations that will help raise MultiDyne’s visibility in areas where they have less brand representation, including parts of Asia where Niagara Video has historically seen brisk business,” Galli said. “At the end of the day, we can help MultiDyne establish a robust streaming portfolio and bring them into the compression world with greater authority. And we at Niagara have always looked for the right partner to complete our vision. MultiDyne’s global presence, business reputation, and the range of customers and applications they support are all phenomenal.”

From our Who’s Buying What page: Thomson Broadcast said its radio transmitters were part of a larger project including television installed for Mauritius Broadcasting Corp. in Citronnelle on the island of Rodrigues.

The supplier said the new facilities launched on Aug. 29, attended by officials including Pravind Jugnauth, the prime minister of Mauritius and Rodrigues, shown at right in the photo.

“Our DVBT-2 and FM solutions will support the broadcasting of 12 television channels, including one in HD, and four Radio channels,” the manufacturer said.

“This development also includes interactive services such as EPG and HBBTV. A mobile channel is also available for reception on mobile phones.”

 

 

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