Newly released field testing done by Sony Electronics shows that delivery of a NEXTGEN TV signal via ATSC 3.0 signals can be done successfully, and with nearly zero reception trouble.
That’s the latest ATSC 3.0-related news from Pearl TV, the business organization of U.S. broadcast companies with a shared interest in making NEXTGEN TV a success.
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In May 2011, Educational Media Foundation agreed to purchase a Class C3 FM licensed to Okeene, Oklahoma. Its ownership of the property was short-lived, as it later saw for-profit FMI Media and non-profit Libertad En Cristo Ministries obtain ownership of this station.
Most recently, it was poised to become a Highway 64 Media-owned property. Now, that’s not going to happen.
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The founder and CEO of Diya TV, serving South Asian consumers, has been active in recent weeks for his agreements to purchase low-powered TV stations in various locales across the U.S.
His latest deal will put him in the middle of the biggest DMA in America.
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In early November 2020, the No. 1 audio media company in the U.S. received an affirmative Declaratory Ruling from the FCC in response to its request to increase its authorized aggregate foreign ownership from 25% to 100%.
With the decision by the Pai Commission, iHeartMedia gained the ability to become fully foreign-owned, should it choose to go that route.
That’s not likely, but a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing getting lots of coverage in the British press confirms iHeart ownership has just gone “Global” — sort of.
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A pair of South Dakota TV stations are being spun to a broadcast ministry — a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. that fully transitions a property (and its full-time satellite partner) that had been one of the original FOX network affiliates.
In fact, the sale was greatly influenced by Gray Television‘s 2020 acquisition of the intellectual property associated with that 33-year-old broadcast station.
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Here’s something you may find weird: The time spent watching television increased across 2020. Yet, eMarketer analysis finds, viewership “plummeted” last year.
The data suggest television was punished by COVID-19 in very much the same way broadcast Radio was.
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The Digital Division of Nexstar Inc., a subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, has selected from within to fill the newly created role of Chief Revenue Officer and EVP of Revenue Operations.
At the same time, new SVPs of local and national digital sales, respectively, have been named by Nexstar Digital.
Now in the CRO seat is Lori Tavoularis.
She reports to Nexstar Digital President Karen Brophy and will oversee all revenue-related functions including national, local and programmatic sales and digital marketing services.
Brophy said of Tavoularis, “Lori has the expertise and business acumen to allow us to build new digital offerings and bring top-tier advertising solutions to clients.”
Tavoularis first joined Nexstar in June 2019, overseeing digital revenue and operations. Before that, she served as the as the Head of Supply for the Global Advertising Business at Rakuten. Before that, Tavoularis was SVP of Digital Revenue and Operations for Tribune Publishing, where she oversaw all of the company’s digital revenue operations.
Tavoularis commented, “We have a tremendous foothold both locally and nationally, reaching 116 unique markets in the United States. I look forward to building on that foothold in partnership by developing and enhancing our product offerings.”
Helping Tavoularis are Jennifer Scilabro, who takes the role of SVP of Local Digital Sales, and Wil Danielson, who becomes SVP of National Digital Sales.
Scilabro, whose maiden name is Jennifer Guerrieri, was VP of Sales Enablement at Cleveland-based Harvest ROI, a sales-focused HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partner.
Danielson previously served as the Digital Division’s Head of Revenue and Client Success, overseeing sales, operations and fulfillment.
A division of FOX Entertainment paving an advertiser-based video-on-demand (AVOD) platform for the company is expanding its news content.
To accomplish this, it is partnering with four broadcast TV station ownership groups, which have agreed to provide live local news feeds.
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Borrell Associates on Thursday (2/11) released the second in a series of reports that examine 2021 spending plans for a dozen different types of local ad buyers.
This 14-page analysis, drawn from a survey of 373 local businesses that buy TV ads, shifts focus to Broadcast TV Advertisers.
What are they planning as the pandemic subsides? What’s their uptake of TV’s targeted competitor/ally, streaming video?
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Robin Szabo has served as President of Szabo Associates since 2006. If you’ve never heard of this company, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, go chat with your CFO or the collections department!
Szabo Associates began life as a media collection services operation in 1971. Why? Was Radio plagued with a collection of deadbeats?
That’s just one of the questions Robin answers in this latest InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM.
The start of the comment period for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on a bold plan to modify the FCC‘s rules governing the operation of FM booster stations by radio broadcasters has come.
And, it saw the company behind ZoneCasting state its case while noting that the filing of comments “marks the beginning of an active debate on innovation in the radio industry.”
You can say that again. The NAB also filed comments on Wednesday regarding the NPRM. In its view, enabling geo-targeting “will depress Radio advertising rates and revenues at
a time when broadcasters already face enormous economic and competitive challenges.”
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Starting February 12, a Beasley Media Group FM previously owned by Greater Media will begin what amounts to a year-long fete celebrating its 50 years of serving “Detroit Rock City.”
The party will reach its crescendo on Sunday, as WRIF-FM 101.1 formally celebrates its life as a Rock station.
It’s all part of what Beasley is billing “The Riff’s Legends Weekend.”
The fun begins Friday (2/12) with morning hosts Dave & Chuck The Freak highlighting their favorite moments from their successful seven years at WRIF. Throughout the day, WRIF will then air vignettes paying tribute to legacy WRIF personalities — including “Big Daddy” Arthur Penhallow, Ken Calvert, Karen Savelly, and Steve Kostan.
The following “Legends” are scheduled to be in studio on Friday, Feb. 12 at WRIF-FM:
1pm Hour: Jim Johnson and George Baier from JJ and The Morning Crew with Jade Springart
2pm Hour: Ken Calvert and Karen Savelly with Jade Springart
4pm Hour: Steve Kostan with Meltdown
Detroit native and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alice Cooper commented, “You can’t really talk about Detroit music without talking about Riff. Detroit was easily the hard rock capital of the United States and WRIF supported all those bands. I’ve dropped their name in a couple of songs over the years because it was so Detroit and everyone know what that means.”
What about Drew & Mike, a 22-year morning show that cemented WRIF’s popularity in a market that saw the demise, and return, of WLLZ as a Rock competitor?
At 7pm on Friday, WRIF will air the “Best Of Drew & Mike”, highlighting classic moments from the duo’s time at the station.
The celebration of WRIF comes after the February 4 death of notable local radio personality Jerry Lubin, at the age of 80. Lubin worked at WRIF, although he is largely remembered for his time as an “Air Ace” at another former competitor, WABX. WABX signed off the air in January 1984.
Meanwhile, WRIF successfully outlasted a third Rock station of note in Detroit: WWWW (W4), where Howard Stern was the morning host on the day it changed to Country.
While WRIF’s history dates to Valentine’s Day 1971, its time as a Rock station actually began in 1970. Under previous call letters WXYZ-FM, it was one of ABC’s “Love” network properties, airing a progressive album-oriented Rock format. From 1966, WXYZ-FM had attempted Middle-of-the-Road and, later, Top 40 programming.
Interestingly, WRIF-FM could have ended up at 95.5 MHz in New York — the home of WPLJ. Those calls were requested for the former WABC-FM. In Detroit, the WDAI call letters were sought; they infamously ended up in Chicago at WLS-FM, with a Rock-to-Disco move a catalyst for Steve Dahl’s 1979 “Disco Demolition.”
The WRIF call letters, of course, would not end up in New York. And with Lee Abrams in command, WRIF in its early days wasn’t shy of Top 40 product. That changed in 1975, when it decided to focus solely on rock ‘n’ roll — a formula that continues to this day.
WRIF’s corporate history saw it move from ABC to Capital Cities in 1986, and then to “Silver Star Communications.” In 1987, Great American Broadcasting obtained WRIF; it declared bankruptcy in 1993, and WRIF in 1994 was purchased by Greater Media.
Broadcast business software developer Wedel Software has announced that it has hired Nate Butler as director of North American sales. Wedel is based in Amsterdam.
Butler most recently was vice president of broadcast sales for ATX Network Corp., well-known for its XDS line of satellite programming receivers. Previously he was vice president of operations for satellite programming distribution service Orbital Networks. Before that he was director of iHeartMedia’s Kentucky News Network.
[Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com]
Wedel Software CEO Raoul Wedel said, “We’re delighted to welcome Nate to the team. He has incredible experience and it’s a great step to have him onboard with us.”
Butler said, “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside Wedel Software for a couple years on various projects. I’m excited to now be a part of their team”
The post Wedel Software Hires Butler appeared first on Radio World.
The National Association of Broadcasters has come out strongly against the idea of changing the FM booster rule to allow geo-targeting. It says such a change could undermine the very business model of U.S. radio.
The NAB filed comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the proposal from GeoBroadcast Solutions.
GBS has been garnering support from various stakeholders in and outside of radio; and the company has received a friendly hearing from at least two FCC commissioners in recent months. But NAB’s strong opposition introduces an important new element to the debate.
The association says enabling geo-targeting “will depress advertising rates and revenues at a time when broadcasters already face enormous economic and competitive challenges.”
“The vast majority of broadcasters — from a wide array of perspectives — agree that permitting program origination on boosters will almost certainly drive both advertising rates and revenues down even further as advertisers push to purchase geo-targeted ads,” NAB wrote.
“The outcome is unavoidable, given the obvious business incentives for advertisers to purchase spots that cherry-pick what they view to be their most desirable customers and at a lower cost.”
Further, it could “lead to cannibalization” among stations, and it could hurt smaller stations, including minority-owned ones, in particular. This is a notable point because the possible benefits to small and minority broadcasters have been one of the big selling points for proponents of the GBS system, which has attracted support from a number of minority advocacy groups.
Further, NAB feels that revising the rule could lead to listener confusion, hurting consumer perceptions of the FM service; and it could result in unwelcome “red-lining” of certain listeners.
“While geo-targeted news and information could benefit certain parts of a market, it could also facilitate the geo-targeting of advertising away from certain parts of a radio market based on the demographics of an area. If given the opportunity, radio advertisers may simply direct their ad dollars to zoned ads aimed at their favored customers, especially since geo-targeted ads will cost less than market-wide ads. Listeners in some sections of a market, such as low-income areas, could find themselves ‘redlined’ out of certain radio advertisements.”
Although noting that some broadcasters and other organizations have officially expressed support for the idea, NAB said its own radio members “overwhelmingly and vehemently oppose amending the booster rule. … Any potential benefits of permitting geo-targeting are speculative at best and far outweighed by the far more certain, potentially seismic risks to the business model of FM radio.”
(It added that most of the filed comments in this proceeding so far are “essentially identical and submitted by one attorney who represented GBS in previous requests to modify the booster rule.”)
NAB advised the FCC that if the commission still thinks the whole idea is worthy of further consideration, more real-world testing is needed.
GeoBroadcast Solutions issued a statement Wednesday that didn’t mention NAB’s comments specifically but said that it views the current phase as “the beginning of an active debate on innovation in the radio industry.”
It quoted GBS spokesman Robert Udowitz saying, “Some parties oppose new technologies and innovation, and that is a familiar story for those who have watched broadcast media evolve over the decades. However, a broad range of large and small stations and broadcast groups, the advertising community, and minority coalitions, have indicated their desire to embrace innovation and the future by using broadcast airwaves for a more personal and localized experience.”
Radio World will provide a sampling of other filed comments in subsequent reporting. Initial comments were due today; reply comments are due March 12.
[Related: “GBS Will Test Geo-Targeting in San Jose”]
The post NAB “Strongly Opposes” Geo-Targeting Proposal appeared first on Radio World.
The first of the fourth quarter and full-year 2020 earnings reports from the radio broadcasting industry quietly arrived on Wednesday morning, as Beasley Broadcast Group shared its fiscal report card for the final three months of last year.
How did the audio media company with an investment in eSports perform? Its earnings per share shattered the analysts’ consensus estimate by eighteen cents.
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The Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) Group has just released its 2020 Annual Gender Analysis study.
It tracks the career progress of women in radio broadcasting rising to the ranks of management.
“Even with the unpredictability of 2020, you will still see glimmers of hope within the findings,” they say.
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NORTHVILLE, MICH. — In August 2019, a Class A FM playing country music’s greatest hits, serving such Michigan towns as St. Helen and Skidway Lake, in August found itself in a tussle over its future ownership.
A family trust filed an objection with the FCC against the station’s transfer from its licensee to a new 50/50 partnership driven by the station’s manager. “Misrepresentations” were noted by the trust.
Nearly 18 months later, the trust has secured ownership of the station.
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Travel to the Champaign-Urbana area of downstate Illinois, and you’ll find a quartet of radio stations licensed to Stevie Jay Broadcasting.
Until now, it’s been a three-way partnership involving an investment group and two individuals.
As of today, Stevie Jay himself is poised to be the sole owner of these FMs.
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RF manufacturer Nautel has acquired Digidia, a digital radio technology firm based in France, saying the move adds significant DAB+, DRM and synchronous FM technology to its offerings.
Terms were not stated in the announcement.
Nautel plans to continue to operate the two businesses as separate entities.
Nautel highlighted Digidia’s expertise in high-power electronics design and digital signal processing, saying it has “rare design knowledge” in DAB+ and DRM.
Digidia also has been involved in specialized projects such as a highway system in central France using synchronous FM on 107.7 MHz with TDF, a DAB tunnel project in Hong Kong and projects to provide radio reception in various European mountain tunnels.
Digidia was founded in 2005 and is a member of the WorldDAB Consortium. Its product line includes specialized digital radio gear such as multiplexers, content servers, modulators and IP gateways. Nautel said Digidia products are used in some 300 digital radio deployments.
Nautel is headquartered in Nova Scotia, Canada, and with a significant facility in Maine.
“Digidia will continue as a separate entity, serving its customers out of its fully integrated design and manufacturing facility in Rennes, France,” Nautel announced. “Former shareholders Hermann Zensen, Manuel Billot and Damien Bernard will remain as executives for the two companies.”
The announcement was made by Nautel President/CEO Kevin Rodgers and Digidia Sales Manager Hermann Zensen. Rodgers said with this acquisition, Nautel “is underlining its commitment to all major digital radio transmission standards.”
The post Nautel Acquires Digital Tech Firm Digidia appeared first on Radio World.
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