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Jeff Welton

Jeff Welton is on a roll: At this spring’s NAB Show, the Nautel regional sales manager will receive the 2020 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award.

The National Association of Broadcasters created the the Engineering Achievement Awards in 1959. The program highlights peer-nominated radio and television professionals who have helped to advance broadcast engineering.

This is the third major industry award Welton will receive in as many years. In 2019, the Association of Public Radio Engineers chose Welton as the APRE Engineering Achievement Award honoree. In 2018, the Society of Broadcast Engineers named Welton as the James C. Wulliman  Educator of the Year.

At Nautel, Welton is in charge of transmitter sales and customer support for the central U.S. He has been with the company for three decades, first joining as customer service technician. 

Welton is also known for his internal and external educational efforts. He has developed training materials and webinars and also writes and speaks about digital radio and broadcast engineering. His byline has appeared in the 11th edition of the NAB Engineering Handbook (he wrote the “Facility Grounding Practice and Lightning Protection” chapter) as well as in Radio World and its ebooks, including our latest on transmitter trends.

Additionally, NAB will recognize Jim Stenberg with the 2020 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award. (Learn about Stenberg on TVTechnology.com.) Both will receive their awards during NAB Show at Tuesday’s We Are Broadcasters Celebration.

Last year’s Radio Engineering Achievement Award honoree was Garrison Cavell, who was recognized alongside his wife Cindy, who took home the TV version of the award.

The post 2020 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award Goes to Jeff Welton appeared first on Radio World.

EEO debate, cybersecurity precautions, Italy’s digital radio, tips in AoIP, Promo Power and lots more.

Read it online here.

Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the Issuu link, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.

FUTURE OF AM RADIO “Digital Sunrise” Webcast Available on Demand

This issue of RW includes a sampling of what we covered in our recent webcast (which you can also watch at any time).

 

PRODUCT EVALUATION AKG K275 and K371 Headphones

Rob Tavaglione slips on two new closed-back models and tells us what he heard.

 

Also in This Issue:

• Cybersecurity: Most People Don’t Have a Plan
• A Look Inside Italy’s Digital Radio Rollout
• How to Transition to AoIP in Five Steps

The post Inside the March 4 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

With the 2020 Radiodays Europe just about four weeks away, organizers have announced that the conference will go ahead as planned in Lisbon, Portugal, even with concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus. The conference plans to institute a number of actions to ensure its attendees’ safety.

Radiodays Europe is working with the Portuguese Health Authorities Direção Geral de Saúde, the Lisbon Congress Centre and host venues to meet the guidelines set by the World Health Organization for COVD-19.

It also has provided key practices to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19, which include:

• Keeping a social distance, avoiding handshaking and kissing, etc.;
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth;
• Wash hands regularly, well and for at least 20 seconds;
• Practice respiratory hygiene; and
• Seek medical care immediately if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing

To date, there are no travel restrictions for entering the Portugal. Authorities are asking that people with fever or symptoms check their health status before leaving their countries.

2020 Radiodays Europe is schedule for March 29–31.

The post Radiodays Europe Moving Ahead Amid Coronavirus Concern appeared first on Radio World.

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Given world headlines about COVID-19, it’s not surprising that there is plenty of online chatter in the broadcast technology community, wondering about any impact on the NAB Show next month.

As we’ve reported, the show organizers have said the event is proceeding as planned; and they’ve laid out resources for planning and safety precautions.

[Read: LVCC Takes Precautions Against Coronavirus]

In response to subsequent questions from readers and vendors, Radio World has reached out to a sampling of radio industry exhibitors, specifically, to ask whether the coronavirus situation has affected their own planning for the Las Vegas event. And while video company AJA publicly has said it would withdraw, radio exhibitors that have replied to RW so far have said, on or off the record, some variation of “We plan to be there while monitoring the situation for further developments.”

RW will post the public responses below and add more as we receive them.

Q: What impact if any does the coronavirus situation have on your company’s plans to exhibit at the NAB Show?

GatesAir — President and Managing Director International Rich Redmond: “There are innumerable sensitivities to consider when it comes to global travel and the coronavirus, the most important of which have to do with the health and well-being of our employees, customers and colleagues. We are actively monitoring official health reports and will take the appropriate guidance and precautions outlined by the CDC and the World Health Organization. In the meantime, we anticipate that NAB will take place, and our plans and preparation for the show continue. We’re grateful that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has taken steps to ensure the safest possible environment inside the LVCC, confirmed through recent industry reports.” Gates Air will be in Booth N3403.

Inovonics — President/CEO Ben Barber: “Currently we are fully committed to the NAB 2020 show and have not changed our plans at all. Each year we give out ‘Swag Bags’ with different items in it like a flashlight, USB charger and an Inovonics catalog. This year we will be adding hand sanitizer to the gifts! I think people will appreciate it. Viva Las Vegas!” Inovonics will be in Booth N6525.

Logitek Electronic Systems — Sales and Support Manager John Davis, “Logitek is monitoring updates from the CDC and NAB daily and is planning to attend the NAB Show. We have purchased extra cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer beyond what we usually bring with us to Las Vegas. Based on the current guidance, as long as we follow some common sense guidelines, we feel we should be at the show.” Logitek will be in Booth C2030.

Arrakis — Sales Engineer Ben Palmer. “The coronavirus is a significant concern, and we are hopeful the situation improves quickly. We still have time before the conference, and are hopeful that the virus can be contained before then. Other conferences have shut down for various reasons, and it is easy to see the wisdom in those decisions. We at Arrakis have always enjoyed visiting with our customers and friends at NAB each year, as well as creating new relationships, but we will respect whatever decision is made by NAB. Fortunately, conferences aren’t as needed as they once were. Customers can visit our website, speak with our dealers, sales and support staff, and get all they need to help with their purchase decisions. That all said, so long as NAB is not cancelled, Arrakis Systems is planning on attending.” Arrakis will be in Booth N3012.

The NAB Show drew 91,500 attendees last year, including about 24,000 from outside the U.S., according to NAB’s post-show tally.

Related: Here’s a link to the Centers of Disease Control page of guidance to organizers of large events.

 

The post What Radio Exhibitors at NAB Show Are Saying About Coronavirus appeared first on Radio World.

The “imminent loss” of four St. Louis-area AM radio stations has the MMTC concerned — and they are asking the FCC to do something about it.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) asked the Federal Communication Commission to provide emergency interim relief to preserve four radio stations and a construction permit by giving its subsidiary, MMTC Broadcasting, ownership and operating responsibility for the stations. The stations have been tangled up in the Bob Romanik imbroglio.

[Read: St. Louis Broadcaster Allegedly Controlled by a Felon]

Back in June 2019, four AM stations in the St. Louis market — KTFK, WQQW, KZQZ and KQQZ as well as the construction permit W275CS — had their renewal and assignment applications held up over several issues, including alleged misrepresentation issues and an alleged unauthorized transfer. When Entertainment Media Trust (EMT) applied for renewal of its licenses in 2012, a Petition to Deny was filed soon after, asserting that the stations were actually controlled by a convicted felon who was not named by the licensee in its applications. Soon after, EMT applied to assign the licenses to a newly formed trust (called EMT #2) but the same ownership concerns were raised. (An application was also filed for a new FM translator to rebroadcast WQQW.)

According to the FCC, a subsequent hearing raised key questions about an alleged undisclosed transfer of control of the stations and questioned whether EMT engaged in misrepresentation and/or lack of candor in its communications with the commission.

The hearing judge found that EMT failed to follow commission rules when addressing the questions at hand; as a result, the commission dismissed all of the applications.

But according to the MMTC, this means that unless emergency interim action is taken by the FCC by the end of March, these stations “will be irretrievably lost,” the MMTC said in response to the FCC ruling. The MMTC said it now “stand[s] ready to assist the commission in saving the stations.”

“The loss of four radio stations and a CP in the nation’s 24th radio market would be unprecedented and devastating,” the MMTC said in its letter. “Facilities such as these are entry points for new talent and entrepreneurship.” Often times stations like these serve underrepresented, minority, multilingual and religious constituencies, the group said.

The MMTC pointed to several previous court cases that have been used in the past to rescue stations such as these, but expressed concern that prior litigation routes would not work in this case, and as a result, MMTC said it is prepared to step in.

According to David Honig, who is president of MMTC as well as vice president of MMTC Broadcasting, the goal of the organization’s nonprofit subsidiary is to facilitate diverse ownership of broadcast stations. It has taken ownership of nine AM radio stations since 2008 and incubated new entrants at these stations by training them to become owners.

In this case, the MMTC Broadcasting group told the FCC that it would like to volunteer to assume ownership and operating responsibility for the stations.

“Our plan is to operate them as radio incubators, generally along the lines of the incubator plan approved by the commission in 2018,” the group said. “To execute this plan, MMTC Broadcasting would LMA the stations to Roberts Radio Broadcasting LLC, a minority-owned and family-owned company based in St. Louis,” which currently owns and operates an FM station in Jackson, Miss.

The MMTC reminded the FCC that is has broad authority to grant emergency relief to protect the interests of broadcast consumers, pointing to the operation of WLBT(TV) in Jackson, Miss., that was operated by the nonprofit Communications Improvement Inc. after the D.C. Circuit Court vacated WLBT’s license renewal. In that case, the agency turned to Communications Improvement to operate the station while conducting a hearing to select a new permanent licensee.

During Communications Improvement’s tenure at WLBT(TV), the station rose in the ratings; doubled the size of the news staff; and hired the its first African American general manager, news director and news anchors in Mississippi television, the MMTC said.

“Ultimately, in 1980, five competing applicants settled and, after 11 years of interim operation, a permanent and minority owned licensee took over,” the organization said.

While the WLBT(TV) scenario is not identical to the dilemma in St. Louis, it is close, MMTC said. “It shows how a nonprofit interim operator can heal an ailing facility to the great benefit of the general public.”

“MMTC is confident that the commission can swiftly evaluate the equities and arrive at a course of action that saves the stations by allowing MMTC Broadcasting to operate them as radio incubators on an interim basis, with an LMA to Roberts,” MMTC said. “As the D.C. Circuit observed in 1990, when service to the public should be preserved, it can be ‘reasonable, perhaps essential, therefore, that the commission grant an interim license to someone.’”

“Thus, if the commission invites it to do so, MMTC Broadcasting will file applications to serve as an interim operator,” Honig said.

Radio World will report on any response that comes from the commission.

 

The post MMTC Volunteers to Take Ownership of “Ailing” Stations appeared first on Radio World.

As the spread of the coronavirus continues around the world and has begun to spread more in the U.S., the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which runs the Las Vegas Convention Center that will host the 2020 NAB Show, has revealed a number of efforts it is taking to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus.

To date, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19, the particular strand of coronavirus, in Clark County or the state of Nevada and there have been no domestic travel notices, precautions or guidance specific to travel. In addition, the LVCVA said that southern Nevada and resort properties have not been identified as being at higher risk for transmission.

Even so, LVCVA has announced that it is following CDC and Health District protocols for preventing spreading the disease, and has taken a number of steps at the Las Vegas Convention Center in that regard.

This includes:

•  Increased cleaning protocols, including more frequent wiping and disinfecting of touch points (door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, restroom stall doors and sinks) during occupied show hours;
•  Added additional hand sanitizer stations;
•  Increased the outside air intake/air change rate during occupied show hours;
•  Reinforced its standard employee health practices, including sending employees home and/or encouraging them to stay home if sick or demonstrating symptoms;
•  Reinforce its standard food safety awareness programs, including making alcohol-based hand gel/rub available at every food station and every table at food outlets; and
•  Continuing to participate in webinars and conference calls with the International Association of Venue Managers to stay up on new practices, protocols and guidance

LVCVA also shared efforts being made by authorities in southern Nevada and CDC recommended best practices for individuals.

The 2020 NAB Show is scheduled to take place April 18–22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and as of now the show is set to continue as planned.

However, some individual companies are taking their own actions that could impact travel to the NAB Show. Amazon has said that it is restricting all nonessential employee travel in the U.S. until the end of April.

The virus is also having an industry impact beyond the NAB Show. Sony has reportedly warned investors that production of both image sensors and electronics “could be affected enormously” if the virus continues to spread.

The post LVCC Takes Precautions Against Coronavirus appeared first on Radio World.

Usher is the host. Guest stars include Lizzo, Halsey and Justin Bieber. What’s this all about? It’s the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards live at the Shrine in Los Angeles with a national network television simulcast on Fox. 

The list of nominees for this seventh annual event is equally star-studded: Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Daddy Yankee, Dan + Shay, Drake, Ed Sheeran, El Fantasma, Halsey, J Balvin, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Khalid, Kygo, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Selena Gomez, SHAED, Shawn Mendes, Snow, Summer Walker and Taylor Swift. 

Music fans are encouraged to participate by voting for winners in many categories: Best Fan Army, Best Lyrics, Best Cover Song, Best Music Video, Best Remix, the Social Star, Favorite Tour Photographer and Favorite Music Video Choreography. 

Wanna attend? Considering concert prices these days, it’s priced quite reasonably, ranging from $75 to $250. 

Come on … what is this — a commercial for the show? No, but I’d like you to view this as a model for creating awards to bestow as a local radio station. 

GIVE YOUR OWN AWARDS

Why are awards important? When we show appreciation with awards, the mere fact that we’re doing so positions the medium (you) as a leader, an authority, a vital entity to the community it serves. Radio stations are certainly accustomed to receiving awards, but we don’t put enough focus on giving awards.

The music award approach we are using as a model is reasonable on a local/regional basis and makes sense in markets with an active, supportive new music scene. Perhaps there’s even a local music organization with which you can partner. 

Behold, your award program creation checklist: 

• A name that simply explains the award. 
• Credible host(s) to deliver authenticity, celebrity and audience.
• Media partners, such as a local TV station, newspaper or website. 
• A broad selection of nominees who will spread the word about their nomination. Create enough categories so you’ll have multiple winners. 
• Judges who are admired or connected and can activate their circle. 
• On-air promotion of the award that includes an audience voting element. 
• External public relations outreach, maybe hiring a local PR firm. 
• Advertising support — perhaps inexpensively on a highly targeted social media platform.
  A live awards ceremony that people can attend in person, hear on-air, comment on social media, watch streamed on television or via Facebook, YouTube or an app. 
• A wrap-up of winners on-air that runs for several days after the event. Make certain to capture pictures and video for distribution. 

Perhaps music awards don’t make sense for your format, or you’re in a relatively small market. No worries. Awards are universally appealing, and there are plenty of other ways to achieve this fun and exciting form of connection and entertainment. 

Instead, your station will want to brainstorm other themes that resonate with your local audience.

Striking an emotional chord is important. 

Visual arts such as photography or painting can generate a lot of interest. 

Teaching, coaching and mentoring are hot topics for families. 

Environmental issues loom large on the minds of many young people, so creating a local “Environmental Action Award” will resonate in certain communities. 

Awards take time to establish, so consider a multi-year approach. You’ll know when you’re on to something if your awards catch on outside your typical sphere of influence. 

There was a time when local radio stations embodied these attributes just by existing at an organic level, but this should no longer be taken for granted. Stations must intelligently and actively assert ourselves as a major arbiter of what’s important in the community. The most challenging part is that we also must earn the role by openly recognizing major talent — music or otherwise — in our communities.

The post Awards for Your Community’s Best appeared first on Radio World.

The comments here were posted to social media by readers of the Radio World ebook “Radio Engineering in Crisis.” Read it at www.radioworld.com/ebooks.

“That’s a good read. I like Gary Kline’s contribution around interviewing new engineers, specifically around site and equipment condition. As an engineer the condition of equipment is usually high on my priority list, especially if I am being called in to fix something urgently. ”

 

“The status quo is in serious danger, but radio will adapt to the engineering shortage. I can foresee entire stations moving into the cloud, and a greater reliance on manufacturers’ field service. The broadcast engineer of the future will likely become a data center technician or a frequent flier, and there will be many fewer of us. ”

 

“Ditching the high-power RF may be possible around urban areas, but rural areas will get the shaft. Due to terrain shielding, DSL is the only option with 800k download and 300k upload … using remnants of the old Ma Bell co-ax system. Executives at the top still get their big raises and perks annually, but rural areas are ignored. Cellular service … I essentially live in a cellular ‘white area’ … and the FCC doesn’t care about serving rural areas … the FCC talks loud and says and does nothing. ”

 

“This has been a serious problem for a while. It is getting worse as more technologists retire. Employers need to increase pay and incentives to turn this around. ”

 

“Broadcast engineers are an endangered species, there is no doubt. I’m grateful to have worked in a time when at least some management respected and valued their tech staff. The thought of being tied to a pager and having a dozen sites to worry over is not appealing to anyone with ‘a life.’ I loved working on transmitters (in well-cared-for sites) and designing user-friendly broadcast studios, but that was ‘back in the day’ when such settings weren’t uncommon (at least in this market). Seeing the neglected TX sites owned by venture capitalists, I’m glad to be retired. ”

 

“I learned about RF as a teenager with ham radio. That helped me with my first phone and AM/FM transmitters. After college I drifted into TV post. But I still have a love for RF. Is there a future for young RF inclined engineers? Does it take an IEEE degree and will it pay above scale? ”

 

“To attract broadcast radio engineers, the industry needs to respect the job position and compensate accordingly. Turn to the cell industry for your compensation and benefit template, then sweeten the deal a bit more. ”

 

“You can’t get engineers or engineering groups involved in changing the mindset of management. That has to come from other management groups, otherwise it looks like a self-serving exercise. It will take a change of mindset at the local, regional and corporate management levels. This is a problem that has been warned about for decades and it is currently on the cusp of crisis. In 10 years, it will be too late. ”

 

“One must continue to listen, learn and love their chosen professional calling. This requires licensing certification and continuing education to stay on top of their game. ”

“I was working for an AM/FM combo when in college and fully expected to stay in the business. Then industry came calling with a 50% premium to go with them. Never looked back and it appears things headed down hill after that day. I still have my license but that doesn’t seem to be important anymore. As industry has done, most maintenance is contracted out to manufacturers now, so if I were to be in the business, I’d look at the OEM for work. MBAs have decided it doesn’t cost as much to do that. ”

 

“There’s much more RF work in mobile networks, home/metro internet and emergency communications, automotive systems, industrial IoT, military and even space systems. In practice, it may or may not require a degree, depending on level of design or debug or deep sales activity vs just installing. ”

 

“The other challenge is senior broadcast techs who are tired and can’t really be bothered passing the baton to new engineers. I was involved in a short-term project where I saw many of the broadcast techs were 60+ years old. There’s nothing wrong with that; however … their energy levels were fading, they were no longer excited to be at the forefront … Meanwhile company management had no succession ideas because to them it wasn’t a problem. To me, it’s all about the seven traits of a good engineer, including continuous learning, serving as mentors, good tech and listening skills — these are key to empowering the next generation of people who will need to be both IT techs and broadcast engineers for a sustainable future. ”

The post “It Will Take a Change of Mindset” appeared first on Radio World.

GatesAir has appointed three new members to its worldwide sales team. These latest hires are focusing respectively on the Caribbean and Latin America; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific regions.

Antonio Satta

Antonio Satta joins GatesAir’s CALA team as sales director, Brazil. Reporting to Felipe Luna, GatesAir’s managing director, CALA region, Satta brings nearly 15 years of broadcast and telecommunications experience to his new role.

Previously he was with Screen Service Broadcasting Technologies for 11 years, most of which were spent in Brazil as managing director.

GatesAir says that as well as direct-end customer relationships, Satta will work closely with Foccus Digital, GatesAir’s long-time Brazilian partner.

Matt Smith

In addition, Matt Smith joins the GatesAir’s EMEA team as regional sales director, covering a diverse geography across Western Europe, the Nordics and southern Africa. Reporting to Andy McClelland, GatesAir’s managing director, EMEA, Smith brings more than 15 years of industry experience to GatesAir.

According to the company, he held roles of increasing responsibility over his years at Envivio and Harmonic, where he most recently served as director, key accounts for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Smith will focus on business growth and managing go-to-market initiatives across nearly 30 countries, with an added goal of strengthening GatesAir’s partner network and reseller base throughout his territory.

Oscar Hu

Finally, Oscar Hu joins GatesAir’s APAC team as regional sales manager, Southeast Asia. Reporting to Jacky Yee, GatesAir’s head of sales, APAC, Hu will focus on raising GatesAir’s visibility and market share across most of Southeast Asia (and parts of East Asia and Micronesia), including Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hu brings nearly 15 years of broadcast industry experience to his new position, and most recently served as sales manager for Digital Broadcast Asia Pacific.

“GatesAir’s main international initiative has been to establish a stronger global presence, and that strategy included hiring experienced resources with a regional presence that would bring us closer to our customers,” said Rich Redmond, president and managing director, international, GatesAir.

“With a stronger global foundation now in place, we continue to invest in the right talent with the appropriate skillsets that will help broadcasters navigate challenging digital transitions, and develop new business opportunities for over-the-air content delivery.”

The post GatesAir Boosts Global Sales Team appeared first on Radio World.

ANTWERP, Belgium — Radio 2 Antwerpen recently inaugurated new “pop-up” studios.

Els Broekmans is a VRT Radio 2 Antwerpen presenter. Credit: mmpress 

“The basic idea was to bring our regional studios to where people live and work, increasing the station’s visibility,” said Dirk Somers, head of Radio 2’s partners and infrastructure department.

“It was also a cost-savings operation. Before, Radio 2 was housed in buildings with huge studios and space for over 30 people. Today, we have compact, cost-effective and efficient working landscapes in Leuven, Hasselt, Kortrijk and Antwerp.”

“Presenting while standing up is a bonus and results in better breathing,” said presenter Els Broekmans. Credit: Joost Joossen

Boosting the regional station’s visibility was a crucial element in the whole process, echoes Steven Cauwenberg, region-manager for Radio 2 Antwerpen. “The past 41 years, the Antwerp regional studio was located in the back part of De Singel arts center. Today, we broadcast from a glass house, located in the very cradle of the city, within walking distance from the River Scheldt and the town hall,” he said.

“Our neighbors in the Beacon (a smart community and hub that houses more than 60 startups focused on AI and IoT innovation) add value to the location. This is where digital creatives, developing smart-city applications like self-driving vehicles, or elements that could become interesting for radio are located. There’s quite some potential in future synergies or cross-pollination here.”

POP-UP RADIO STATION

Radio 2 Antwerpen’s space for news and digital content. Credit: Joost Joossen

Bearing in mind a possible future relocation, the broadcast site’s infrastructure was conceived as a pop-up studio landscape. “The Beacon building was supposed to be replaced by a new real estate project,” added Somers. “We signed a five-year rental agreement but I gather that, considering the success of the site and its total occupancy, the agreement may be extended”.

The broadcaster initiated the project for the new studio in early 2019, with parameters like visibility, open office structure and user-friendliness playing a crucial role.

The new facilities offer plenty of daylight in the open office space. Credit: Joost Joossen

“Radio 2’s regional programs run on weekdays from 6–8 a.m. and 12–13 p.m., plus three regional news inserts in Radio 2’s national programs,” explained Cauwenberg. “When we designed the studios, we calculated the maximum double use of the rooms. The main on-air studio has no specific ‘Radio 2’ branding or imaging, so other channels can use it. In addition, it’s possible to use the production studio as an on-air facility and our interview studio also serves as a meeting room.”

The 350-square-meter (app. 3,800 square feet) open office landscape with huge windows offers plenty of daylight and looks out on a lively square. The on-air studio and the two production cells are housed in Flexboxes — a 100% plug-and-play concept designed by office furniture manufacturer Ahrend.

Steven Cauwenberg (left) is region manager for Radio 2 Antwerpen. Geert Cantens is engineer with VRT Labo Radio. Credit: mmpress

The cabins are designed to offer flexible, modular and functional room-in-room operations. The acoustically insulated Flexboxes, equipped with mains, data connection, LED-lighting and air circulation, were optimized for radio use. Whereas the two production boxes were standard, the on-air studio cube was tailor-made and equipped with air conditioning.

“Alongside the three studio-boxes the work floor is split in a production section for audio production, and a news section for digital and radio content, plus two national news journalists operating from Antwerp as regional hub,” said Cauwenberg.

HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE DESKS

A DHD 52/XC2 core powers the main on-air studio. There are two DHD 52/MX mixer frames at the presenter position and one mixer for the news host or program sidekick.

“The entire configuration is packed in three racks,” said Geert Cantens, engineer with VRT Labo Radio. Credit: mmpress

“Two presenters in one self-op studio is new — before, the presenter and news host worked in separate studios,” explained Geert Cantens, engineer with VRT Labo Radio.

Another novelty for Radio 2 Antwerpen is the integration of the Broadcast Bionics PhoneBOX SIP telephone system “Until recently, the Antwerp studio used an ISDN-based telephone system with analog lines. PhoneBOX is fully IP-based allowing recording, editing and the transfer of telephone content from a PC. On the journalists office desk, a small DHD module is used for preliminary talks and switching PhoneBOX footage/material to the main studio, boosting the news flow’s flexibility. PhoneBOX is not only the main hub to receive telephone calls, but can also receives LUCI calls from reporter smartphones.”

The transportable Flexboxes are the basis for Radio 2’s pop-up principle. Credit: mmpress

The on-air staff also works from height-adjustable desks — Radio 2 Antwerpen was the last studio with seated presenter positions. “Apart from the fact that we’re really in the middle of the action, quite a different vibe. presenting while standing up is a bonus, and results in better breathing,” said presenter Els Broekmans. “Radio 2’s former tagline, ‘Altijd dicht bij jou’ [‘Always Close to You’] has become true and this reflects in our presentation.”

Although most processing takes place within the DHD engine, an Empirical Labs Distressor was added in the equipment rack. “It has become a standard component for our on-air studios and engineers have become used to the settings,” commented Cantens. “We also use DHD’s internal automatic mic mixer feature for studio guests.”

The on-air studio is equipped with a Dalet Plus playout system, connected with VRT’s database in Brussels as well as Genelec 8240A monitors and Neumann U89 microphones. Two silent PCs are located under the presenter desk. “The whole concept had to be economical. We stepped away from the expensive and complex KVM connection to the engine room,” Cantens explained.

CROSS-TALK STUDIO

“It was crucial that the on-air and production studios had the same functionalities and layout,” continued Cauwenberg.

The production booth’s configuration is identical to the on-air studio’s setup. Credit: mmpress

“All studios are self-op — for many people with a journalistic background, this is a next step ahead. That’s why our production booth is identical to the main studio,” he said.

The production Flexbox has a back-up on-air studio, and Cauwenberg underlined the multipurpose aspect of the studio, for use by other VRT channels or programs.

The broadcaster uses a third booth so a guest can be in the Antwerp studio and the reporter in another VRT studio, thus not having to travel between different cities. “We had this option before, but we’ve added a Sennheiser HMD26 headset, an Axis camera and a big display,” Cauwenberg said.

“This allows us to interview people in Antwerp face-to-face, offering a clean feed for any VRT channel, without them having to travel to Brussels. And the room also serves as meeting room.”

The three studios are connected with the DHD 52/XC2 core in the technical area — the signal is routed to VRT’s line center by means of a redundant fiber-optic link.

It was system integrator Amptec who won the public tender for the cabling and installation of the new studio landscape. The company also took on the integration of the studios in Leuven, Kortrijk and Hasselt.

“The main challenge was that the configuration had to be designed in view of a future relocation,” said Jasper Willems, broadcast project engineer with Amptec.

“Both the presenter desk as well as the three racks in the machine room can be disconnected — just put in place the horizontal cabling and the studio can fairly easily be relocated … plug and play!”

The post Radio 2 Antwerpen Inaugurates New Pop-up Studios appeared first on Radio World.

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Dismissed the complaint with prejudice and terminated the proceeding

Media Bureau issues forfeiture to Carolina Radio Group, Inc., in the amount of $2,000 for failure to notify FCC of change to W225DF's primary station and failure to submit technical need showing