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According to a LinkedIn post by Wedel Software CEO Raoul Wedel, the Netherlands-based company is halting its operations in Russia immediately.

“Today’s news out of Tsjernihiv and Borodyanka is heartbreaking and are war crimes. No company, person or organization should financially support a regime deliberately killing innocent civilians,” he wrote.

According to Reuters, 47 people were killed in Russian airstrikes on Tsjernihiv, also transliterated as Chernihiv, on Thursday, Mar. 3. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, civilian areas in Borodyanka were hit by Russian airstrikes and artillery shells the same day.

Reached via email, Wedel said that the software company, which develops traffic, billing, sales, and other back-office tools for media companies, has had a portion of its R&D efforts in Russia for the past eight year and before that those efforts were in Ukraine for five years. In his post, Wedel noted that the company has “20 or so” employees in Russia.

“We have employees in Donetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Moscow and St. Petersburg,” stated Wedel. “None of them support this war, and they are just trying to provide for their families.”

Wedel said the company does not expect any short-term problems from pulling out of Russia, but it will need to regroup its R&D efforts in the near future. “Even if the war would end soon, the country will remain unstable and sanctioned as long as Putin is in power,” Wedel said.

“The decision was on one hand heartbreaking; on the other hand, I feel we have no choice, and people must unite against these war crimes,” wrote Wedel. “I hope this story will make more companies consider cutting all their ties with Russia.”

Wedel Software is headquartered in The Hauge, Netherlands, and has offices in New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The post Wedel Software Suspends Operations in Russia appeared first on Radio World.

AEQ has released an application note about its Talent codec, which was introduced last year. It said users who update their firmware can enable fresh applications for this desktop stereo IP device.

For combining voice delivery with external audio, a user can use the codec’s Bluetooth connection and/or line-in to connect it to a smartphone or PC and mix audio from files, streaming, voice notes and pre-recorded clips. The audio from the mic is mixed with the phone or external audio before transmission. Local program audio can also be sent to the phone, PC or audio device for recording and mixing.

For live interviews, a user can call by phone and remotely interview another person while sending the program to the studio. “Thanks to the Bluetooth connection, Talent can be connected to a smartphone and make live interviews by GSM telephony or through applications such as Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom and others, which give a higher quality to the interviewee’s voice,” according to the company.

The voice of the interviewee is mixed with the Talent microphone and sent compressed by IP to the studio console. Simultaneously the mic connected to Talent “is sent clean to the phone to keep the conversation going, although the interviewee can also be given feedback from the studio.”

And for audio at events such as sports, commentary can be sent from the microphone and mixed with the PA audio of the event using the Bluetooth connection or an auxiliary input. “With the help of apps, you can even use your phone as an external microphone for an interview or binaurally capture ambient sound.”

The post AEQ Notes Applications for Talent appeared first on Radio World.

Online presentations can be a drag. But you can change that, says “Zoom expert” and veteran public relations executive Rosemary Ravinal.

“How you open can make a huge difference in your ability to hold attention and make your content memorable,” she says. “Your opening can determine how much interest the audience will show later. The first few sentences you speak must capture their attention and arouse enthusiasm and curiosity. You need to make them understand that what you are about to say is important to them because at the heart of any audience is their own self-interest.”

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Genelec expanded its Smart IP line of installation loudspeaker systems with the compact 4410 model and a new Smart IP Controller app.

“The 4410 joins the existing 4420 and 4430 Smart IP models to cater to an even wider range of applications and room sizes, while the free Controller app provides the end user with instant and intuitive control of key loudspeaker system functions including mute, volume control and power on/off, plus overall zone control,” the company stated.

The Smart IP loudspeaker range operates off a CAT cable and is compatible with Dante and AES67; power is provided via PoE and PoE+ Power-over-Ethernet formats.

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The active two-way 4410 is intended for smaller spaces. It supports up to eight audio channels in a stream with sample rates of 32–96 kHz and 16–24-bit resolution and delivers a frequency response of 67 Hz–40 kHz. It is available in black or white, with a line of mounting accessories.

The RJ45 connector provides access to the Smart IP Manager downloadable software tool for Windows 10 that allows the installer to configure rooms, zones, loudspeakers and audio channels.

Users can then download the free Smart IP Controller app onto their phone or tablet for control of mute, volume control and power on/off. The app discovers the loudspeakers on the network; varying levels of access to some or all of the zones can be assigned.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Genelec Expands Smart IP Family appeared first on Radio World.

If there was any doubt that Entravision Communications’ revenue is, today, being driven by its digital assets, it has officially been erased thanks to the company’s just-released Q4 2021 earnings report.

The company’s digital business, now global in scale, fueled growth in the final three months of 2021 and for the entire fiscal year. In fact, it comprises 73% of Entravision’s net revenue.

How did the company’s radio and television divisions, which superserve U.S. Hispanics consumers, perform?

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That’s a question MMTC’s President Emeritus and Senior Advisor David Honig, President/CEO Robert Branson and Tech and Telecom Policy Counsel Danielle Davis asked, among others pertaining to Equal Employment Opportunity, during a March 1 Zoom call with members of the FCC.

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A 3kw Class A FM serving the Fort Walton Beach and Destin areas of Northwest Florida is being sold by its court-appointed receiver.

The station is presently a part of “The Ticket Sports Network.”

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Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting, has opened the application window for the 2022 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program.

Established in 2002, MIW’s heritage annual mentoring initiative connects mentees with accomplished women recognized as leaders, mentors, and game-changers within all aspects of radio broadcasting.

Four candidates from the radio broadcasting industry – within the sales, marketing, programming, and digital disciplines – will be selected for the 2021 program.

For mentee criteria and instructions on how to apply, please visit https://miw.secondstreetapp.com/MC-Mentor-App-2022/

The deadline to apply is March 21, 2022.

Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley commented, “It is a privilege to be part of an outstanding initiative which reflects the values of our company in nurturing, supporting, and promoting the advancement of women to senior positions in the radio industry.”

Karina Cerda, EVP of Marketing & Insights for Entravision Communications, added, “We are very honored to join MIW Radio Group’s mission to champion the professional growth of women executives in our industry through the Mildred Carter Mentoring Program. Entravision is very passionate about encouraging, empowering, and supporting our future female leaders and we look forward to doing our part in spotlighting the merit of this vital program.”

Broadcasting, digital media and publishing revenue was up. And, total operating expenses were down. The result?

Salem Media Group’s Q4 net income roared ahead, year-over-year.

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He has his three FM stations back, for now. And, he continues to operate a Class B AM with 1kw during daylight hours from 2 towers and 300 watts at night from 3 towers.

Royce International Broadcasting, led by Ed Stolz, still faces the very real possibility of no longer operating the FMs he successfully wrestled back from court-appointed receiver Larry Patrick as part of a separate bankruptcy filing in a Nevada federal court.

All this time, the AM, serving Las Vegas, was immune to headlines and attention. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau just changed that.

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Network radio programmer United Stations, radio station owner Audacy Corp., and AccuWeather have extended — and expanded — their three-way partnership. It is thanks to a new, multi-year agreement that provides for the continuation of AccuWeather’s services on existing Audacy affiliates.

The new deal adds 14 Audacy stations to the list of AccuWeather outlets — including FM stations in New York, Detroit, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Buffalo.

Additionally, AccuWeather, Audacy and United Stations collaborated on the creation of the newly introduced “Social Plus” service as well as the “AccuWeather Weather Protection Plan.” Both are expanded weather services that provide affiliates access to weather forecasts and expert reporting from AccuWeather meteorologists before, during and after severe weather events along with social media posts on the affiliates’ social media platforms. These additional AccuWeather services and the enhancements that they bring to each affiliate were “key ingredients” in the renewal process as well as important components to fulfill the needs of Audacy’s FM stations.

In marking the renewal and expansion of the three-way partnership, Fred Bennett, Senior Vice President of Revenue Analytics and Networks at Audacy Corp., said, “Our local radio station brands are deeply embedded in each of their communities, and this partnership helps us solidify our commitment to delivering the kinds of information that they depend on and trust.”

AccuWeather’s Ken Prehl added, “Developing new and creative ways of delivering the best weather forecasts, warnings and data around is always energizing, but it becomes extra compelling when we are helping legendary radio stations continue to fulfill their fundamental roles as broadcasters. Weather is still ‘lean in’ content, and we are extremely excited and proud to extend this important partnership.”

United Stations Chief Revenue Officer Greg Janoff commented, “Our job is to bring together great content, essential services and the most powerful brands in radio so that our marketing partners are in the most impactful environment possible. When you are talking about brands like WINS, WCBS-AM, WBBM, and WWJ it’s an impressive universe, and now that we are adding major market FM stations to the mix, it’s a milestone moment for everyone involved.”

The Federal Communications Commission is making good on a commitment to promote radio service tailored to the needs of local tribal and rural communities.

For the Blackfeet Nation, formally known as the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, that undertaking has translated into the tentative selection of its application to build a new noncommercial educational (NCE) FM station in Little Browning, Mont.

The announcement comes after the closing of the November NCE FM new station application filing window available for the FM reserved band, Channels 201–220, which is 88.1 to 91.9 on the dial.

In November the bureau issued a public notice identifying 231 groups of mutually exclusive (MX) NCE FM applications. MX applications refers to situations where multiple groups have applied for the same or adjacent channels but only one application in the group can be successful.

Group 131 included the Blackfeet Nation as well as Holy Spirit Radio Inc., which proposed to construct a new station in Conrad, Mont.

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In considering two MX applicants, the Media Bureau said it used tribal priority criteria, service area population data and certifications provided by the applicants to make a decision.

In this case, it followed a threshold tribal priority process that guides the commission in ascertaining if any of the applicants in the MX group are a Native American tribe or Alaska native village proposing to serve tribal lands. It was in 2010 that the commission agreed to a series of policies to promote rural radio service with a key takeaway from that proceeding: It was in the public interest to prioritize tribes when reviewing AM and FM NCE applications and FM allotments.

“Because of their status as sovereign nations responsible for, among other things, maintaining and sustaining their sacred histories, languages and traditions, tribes have a vital role to play in serving the needs and interests of their local communities,” the commission wrote in its report and order.

If only one applicant in a group qualifies for the tribal priority, that applicant will be awarded the construction permit. The applicant must identify as a tribal applicant, propose tribal coverage and offer to provide the first reserved channel NCE service owned by a tribal applicant on those tribal lands. In its application, the Blackfeet Nation said it could meet those requirements.

The other applicant in the MX group, Holy Spirit, does not claim to be a tribe. As a result, the Media Bureau selected the Blackfeet Nation as the tentative selectee.

But the selection is a tentative one. The Media Bureau has created a 30-day window for receiving objection petitions before the application can receive approval. If the process moves forward from there, the bureau will dismiss the MX application of Holy Spirit and formally award the construction permit to the Blackfeet Nation.

The tribe, whose 3,000-square-mile reservation sits east of Glacier National Park and borders the Canadian province of Alberta, also operates station KBWG(LP) on 107.5 MHz in Browning, Mont.

The post FCC Tentatively Awards CP to Blackfeet Tribe appeared first on Radio World.

Since December 2019, he has served as VP/GM of one of the newest members of The E.W. Scripps Co. family. Starting Monday (3/7), he’ll become VP/GM of the company’s NBC affiliate and its “FLORIDA 24 Network” over-the-air station serving the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County, Florida.

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It’s been a year since the company’s stock went ex-dividend. The 1-year target price set by analysts was last seen on November 5.

That said, the worst may be behind Audacy Corp. as its stock continues its climb from pandemic-era depths that seemingly continued up to February 22.

Since then, AUD shares are up by more than one dollar per share.

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Xandr has unveiled a new end-to-end technology platform solution for political advertising including its Invest DSP, Monetize SSP and Xandr Curate platforms in all 50 states.

Xandr’s “holistic approach for political” is comprised of multiple tools for advertisers and publishers to buy and sell political advertising programmatically.

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