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For the past three years, the Southern New Jersey communities of Clementon and Berlin have been able to tune to an FM translator used to rebroadcast “Ritmo FM,” originating from the HD3 multicast signal associated with WPEN-FM in Philadelphia.

Soon, this will change, thanks to a transaction that awaits FCC approval.

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As 2024 begins, longtime media broker Greg Guy, the founder of recently launched Tideline Partners, is optimistic. With the year starting off with a deal involving the sale of low-power television stations in Los Angeles and Seattle, coming off a transaction that sees two Denver-market FMs being spun, Guy is perhaps in a strong position compared to his peers … or is he?

In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, Guy shares his views on the deal-making landscape for both broadcast TV and radio in a conversation with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Greg Guy” on Spreaker.

The National Association of Farm Broadcasting has named Colleen Callahan as its interim executive director. Based in Platte City, Mo., where NAFB is headquartered, Callahan will serve in the role until a permanent executive director is hired.

Former NAFB Executive Director Tom Brand stepped down from his post this past December, having lead the organization since 2011.

A current member of the NAFB, Callahan was elected as its first female president in 2002. She was also inducted into the NAFB Hall of Fame in 2011.

She is a 1973 graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and started her career as the agribusiness director at WMBD Radio-TV in Peoria, Ill., according to a NAFB press release.

Prior to her new role, Callahan served as the director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, as well as the Illinois director of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. She owns and operates Colleen Callahan Consultancy.

“Colleen Callahan has the enthusiasm, business management, and industry experience we need to help the NAFB continue to do great things while we’re searching for our new executive director,” said Carah Hart, 2024 NAFB president, in the release. “She will serve in the position until the new executive director is named and will help with the onboarding process. We look forward to having Colleen at NAFB in the months ahead.”

The NAFB executive board, along with the board of directors, will continue its search for a permanent executive director. The job listing can be found here.

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The post Callahan Named Interim NAFB Executive Director appeared first on Radio World.

It’s an oft-repeated tale — the digital goliaths ranging from Amazon to Meta and Google are suctioning dollar after dollar away from traditional linear media, offering inexpensive targeting at scale. But, a newly released report from the University of North Carolina Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media offers some rosy predictions for 2024.

Specifically, it suggests that news executives and entrepreneurs who understand the opportunity that can come from investment in local media by the state’s ad buyers will make more money.

 

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From Radio World’s Who’s Buying What page: India public service broadcaster Prasar Bharti has ordered 96 rackmount audio processors from ATC Labs.

ATC said its Perceptual SoundMax Model Q24-6111 processors will be used at 48 FM radio stations that are part of the All India Radio (AIR) service operated by Prasar Bharti. It expects to begin deployment in the spring.

The version supplied to AIR will include new features such as a built-in RDS encoder, independent processing for dual digital outputs and streaming, a streaming encoder and improvements to the audio processing platform including low-latency AI algorithms, according to a press release.
The Perceptual SoundMax line was introduced in 2013; ATC said its notable users include SiriusXM.

“The latest 2023/2024 release of Perceptual SoundMax has been further enhanced using ATC Labs’ latest breakthrough patent-pending technology in low-latency AI/ML audio analysis algorithms, which is being integrated in ATC Labs product under the label AIdeal Audio.”

[Read more product news.]

The post AIR to Deploy 48 ATC Labs Audio Processors appeared first on Radio World.

In a major advancement for Sinclair Inc., its four nationally distributed digital multicast networks are being brought to viewers in some of the nation’s biggest DMAs for the first time,

It’s thanks to agreements just announced by the Baltimore-based media company and its new partner, Paramount Global.

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The Scripps Howard Fund is accepting entries for the 71st Scripps Howard Awards, one of the nation’s most prestigious journalism competitions.

The awards honor the journalism and storytelling produced in 2023, saluting work from television stations, networks, radio and podcasts, visual media, online media outlets, independent producers, newspapers and other print publications.

With a focus on high-impact and investigative storytelling, the Scripps Howard Awards offers $170,000 in prize money in 15 categories.

Categories include:

• Audio Storytelling
• Breaking News
• Business/Financial Reporting
• Environmental Reporting
• Distinguished Service to the First Amendment
• Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling
• Visual Human-Interest Storytelling
• Innovation
• Local/Regional Investigative Reporting
• National/International Investigative Reporting
• Multimedia Journalism
• Opinion Writing
• Local Video Storytelling
• National/International Video Storytelling
• Impact Award*

* The Impact Award winner is chosen from the winners of the other 14 categories and select finalists.  

Find the full category descriptions here.

Finalists will be announced in September, with winners announced in October during a special program airing on Scripps News, the national digital multicast network owned by The E.W. Scripps Company.

Last year’s winners represent newsrooms large and small, with the Impact Award going to American Public Media for “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong.” Reporter Emily Hanford unmasked how four influential authors and their publishers sustained the status quo, convincing teachers for decades to embrace a reading program that research has proven to be ineffective and damaging to students. The podcast prompted widespread change, at least 15 states have taken new action related to reading instruction.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 5.

Click here to apply for the 71st Scripps Howard Awards.

He was a Division Director of Sales focused on the automotive category for Sinclair Broadcast Group from August 2019 until his April 2022 shift to DealerX, a provider of digital marketing, data activation and identity resolution for the automotive vertical.

Now, he’s become Market President for an iHeartMedia cluster in the Hawkeye State.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — For decades, the all-News radio station serving the National Capital Region was the home for top-of-the-hour updates and reports from CBS News Radio. Then, on Jan. 1, 2018, Hubbard Radio made a shift to a different content provider — a change significant enough to generate headlines and buzz inside the Beltway.

Two years later, a return to CBS News Radio was made. Now, four years after its return, CBS News Radio is again being replaced by a different service.

And, it sees Hubbard’s WTOP Radio network end its relationship with Skyview Networks by agreeing to bring ABC News Radio to listeners of its WTOP-FM 103.5 in Washington, WWWT-FM 107.7 in Northern Virginia, and WTLP-FM 103.9 in Frederick, Md.

As RBR+TVBR reported in September 2023, ABC Audio at the start of 2024 partnered up with LinkUp Communications Corporation to distribute news and entertainment content and advertising inventory to its network of more than 1,500 AM and FM affiliate radio stations, reaching more than 82 million listeners nationwide. This followed a July 2023 announcement that Compass Media Networks will serve as ABC News Radio’s exclusive advertising representative for commercial radio inventory and sponsorships.

Meanwhile, WTOP listeners familiar with Steven Portnoy —  a White House correspondent at CBS News Radio who reported on the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, the administrations of President Biden and former President Trump and the Jan. 6 insurrection — can again hear him on the network. Portnoy in July rejoined ABC News Radio as a national correspondent based in Washington, D.C.

“ABC News Radio is proud to help serve the listeners of Washington, D.C., by delivering the kind of top-caliber journalism and compelling storytelling that WTOP News is known for,” said ABC Audio VP Liz Alesse.

Joel Oxley

Joel Oxley, the SVP/GM of WTOP, added, “We are thrilled to partner with ABC News Radio to enhance our coverage, particularly as we enter another political season. Our top priority is providing our listeners with the best news on the radio, and adding access to another network partner with the talent and reporting of ABC News will help us continue to achieve that goal.”

According to BIA estimates, WTOP has been the nation’s top-billing radio station for the last several years.

He joined FOX News Media with its 1996 creation as a field photographer. Now, he’s been promoted to EVP/Production and Operations, from SVP/Field Production and Operations reporting to CEO Suzanne Scott.

In this capacity, Scott Wilder will oversee all technical, field and production operations of FOX News Media’s special events and breaking news coverage, including the 2024 presidential election.

“For the past 27 years, Scott has been an integral part of the FOX News Media family,” Suzanne Scott said. “His extraordinary work has helped transform our field operations and events coverage, ensuring our platforms continue to deliver best in class coverage from around the world.”

Wilder commented, “I am truly honored and humbled to take on this role after developing an established Field Engineering team and look forward to enhancing our production for this year’s election coverage and beyond.”

FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio, FOX News Books, the direct-to-consumer streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International, and the free ad-supported television service FOX Weather.

It was my privilege in the current issue of Radio World to introduce the newest recipient of the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award, Alan Jurison. You’ll find our story about him here.

He is our 20th recipient. Below are a few quotes that stand out to me as I look back over our honorees during that time.

Andy Andresen, 2004, talking about the changing nature of engineering — “I have two market managers, nine PDs, and more DJs and sales reps than I can keep track of. … Engineering is a service, and all the people just mentioned are our clients. I don’t believe technology will be our biggest challenge; technology is what we do. Time management won’t challenge us either; we’ll just invent a better way to manage it. Our real challenge is to see the forest for the trees, and like any good business spend some time with our clients.”

Mike Starling, 2005, on advancing in your career — “If you’re really interested in it and you love it, don’t take no for an answer. Just keep knocking on doors until someone gives you a break.”

John Lyons, 2006, on how the terror attacks of 2001 were never far from his mind — “As I’m sitting here in my office [at 4 Times Square] looking down at a void in lower Manhattan, it is still striking. This tower went on the air just about three years ago; stations have moved over to Empire, some still have backups at Alpine and various other places; but still there is no building downtown. It’s difficult.” 

Clay Freinwald, 2007 — “Broadcasters are no longer the kingpin of the public warning thing; we’re relegated to being another tool in the toolbox. Which is good.”

Jeff Littlejohn, 2008, on how radio should respond to the proliferation of platforms — “We need to get beyond the unique channel we have for distribution; we need to make sure we follow our listeners.”

Gary Kline, 2009, on being ambitious — “My dad always told me ‘You can be an engineer; but maybe you should be the guy who tells engineers what to do. You should have more of a business and management understanding.’”

Milford Smith, 2010 — “As much as other things may have been more fun — stuff we did in the field and pulled off involving a facility improvement or allocation — my work with the National Radio Systems Committee is the most important.”

Barry Thomas, 2011, recalling the scent of a small disco-formatted AM where he worked as a teenager — “There was this weird mix of 1940s dust from the Harris boards and Gates transcription turntables, kicked-up dust and this slight tinge of nicotine. It felt huge.” 

Paul Brenner, 2012, on radio maximizing spectrum and digital tools to remain relevant — “The industry has a couple more years to make a decision in which direction to go aggressively. If that doesn’t happen, I’m not sure where we will be in five years.”

Marty Garrison, 2013, on managing the move of NPR’s headquarters — “I love this job. I love the company. … And I just happen to love doing these buildings.”

Wayne Pecena, 2014 — “I think the next tech shift is going to be the radio station in the cloud … I can see a time when what we think of as the radio station is nothing more than a sales office, and audio production is done on something as simple as an iPad or some kind of computer device.”

David Layer, 2015 — “I’m really a lucky man to have landed this job that allows me to pursue all these things I enjoy: engineering, writing, working with people.”

Mike Cooney, 2016–17 — “Caroline [Beasley] and I both believe very much that our future is digital; and if anything, that’s one of our biggest priorities in the future, developing a digital strategy both from third-party products, streaming, websites, podcasting, all those other products.”

Larry Wilkins, 2017–18, about his wife — “Cathy has been extremely supportive of my career over our 31 years of marriage, and I thank her for all the encouragement she has given. It is not easy being married to a broadcast engineer, as transmitters quite often pick the worst times to fail.”

Russ Mundschenk, 2018–19, on the influence of his father Manuel “Munchie” Mundschenk, who ran a hi-fi cabinet shop — “Even when I was three or four, I had a soldering iron in my hand. I grew up around hi-fi. I had my own little radio station set up.” 

Dave Kolesar, 2019–20, on putting all-digital AM on WWFD — “The HD3 station on WTOP, which had been, by corporate edict, airing the Mormon Channel, went silent. Joel Oxley, the GM of WTOP, suggested that we put my own internet radio station on the HD3, and that’s how ‘The Gamut’ was born. Eventually it got put on 820 [kHz], so having control of that station, it became easy for me to suggest digital on it.”

Jason Ornellas, 2020–21 — “I don’t like the answer ‘It can’t be done.’ Well, let’s figure that out. Everything can be done. Someone has done something before, so let’s start peeling back the layers of what’s stopping it, and let’s move forward.”

Roz Clark, 2021–22 — “I still feel like a kid in this business. … If you’re interested in solving puzzles or in having a different experience every day, I don’t think there’s any business more diverse than broadcasting — audio, RF, power distribution and computer networks, it goes on and on.”

Steve Shultis, 2023 — “I am kind of biased by being in New York. Market Number 1’s engineers all run a pretty tight ship. We are all peers and listen to each other and push each other. If you want to get better, you want to compete against the best. We have the best of everything in New York City.”

Congratulations to all of our recipients over two decades.

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The post Reflections on 20 Years of Celebrating Excellence appeared first on Radio World.

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Short Term License Renewal Following Silence

Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to Bet-Nahrain, Inc., in the amount of $9,000 for violations of Commission rules.

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Forfeiture for false certification that FM translator was constructed with authorized antenna

Olivier Cordier from Kiss FM West Coast shared these fantastic photos of the Monaco Média Diffusion transmission site on Mont Agel. This same site was originally built for Télé-Monte-Carlo, but it now hosts the MMD DAB+ multiplex the station operates on.

Kiss FM West Coast, along with a dozen other stations, uses the multiplex to broadcast to the French Riviera. The transmitter actually sits in French territory, but it operates on a frequency allocated to the Principality of Monaco.

The self-supporting metal structure for the antenna is original from the 1950s, even though the DAB multiplex, the second established by MMD, launched in 2016. The site is a complex RF environment with FM and digital television broadcasts, along with DAB+.

For the multiplex, MMD installed two Kathrein Broadcast panels in front of an existing tower, along with a Selecom multiplexer. Since then, two additional multiplexers were added to expand the DAB offerings.

An oddity of the old tower is that it has an adjustable mechanical tilt once uses to direct the TMC television signals. The mechanism is no longer usable, but the pylon remains tilted a few degrees downward. MMD had to install suitable antenna supports to compensate for the orientation.

“Monaco Média Diffusion’s equipment allows good DAB+ reception from the Italian border to Esterel thanks to an effective radiated power of 10 kW,” wrote Cordier. “We use four two-dipole panels towards Nice and two two-dipole panels oriented towards Monaco and Menton.”

The other stations on the multiplex are Fréquence Mistral, Hope Radio, Melody in Paris, Metropolys Riviera, MyZen Radio, NetRadio, Radio J, Radio Orient, RCF Nice Côte d’Azur,Sud Radio, Tech Radio, and Yellow Radio.

Cordier noted that while the station broadcasts across the French Riviera, one advantage of using a Monegasque frequency is that the stations need not follow French quotes for francophone music. “The law does not apply, which leaves each radio station great freedom regarding musical programming,” he wrote.

Looking up at the Mont Agel tower

 

A look inside at the multiplexer and transmitter

The post MMD’s DAB+ Multiplex With a View appeared first on Radio World.

Facing deadlines this year to pay back some of its $2 billion in debt, Audacy appears poised to file for bankruptcy protection, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ says all that debt is about to trigger a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, possible within weeks, with senior lenders assuming ownership of the radio company following the reorganization. (Chapter 11 is the type of bankruptcy that allows a company to maintain operations while creating a plan to repay creditors, rather than Chapter 7, which involves liquidation of assets.)

Audacy has been slow rolling payback of its massive debt, which was mostly accumulated back in 2017 when the former Entercom Communications merged with CBS Radio. The broadcast company rebranded as Audacy in 2021.

The publicly-owned radio company has been skipping loan interest payments since late last year in efforts to facilitate talks with its lenders, according to reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission. The broadcaster has blamed a softness in the ad markets for its inability to pay back the loans.   

The WSJ says Audacy — which has $632 million in first lien debt due in Nov. 2024 — has reached agreement with its lenders for a “pre-packaged bankruptcy plan.” The business and economy-focused newspaper reports lenders will help finance the reorganization. It’s unclear if Audacy CEO David Field will remain with the company following the reorganization. 

[Related: “NYSE Will Delist Audacy Stock as Planned“]

Audacy, which is one of the biggest U.S. radio owners with 230 radio stations in 46 markets, has gone through recent format reorganizations that have resulted in significant job losses through consolidation of on-air positions.

Equity research analyst Craig Huber with Huber Research Partners, LLC, who covers Audacy, told Radio World in an email that the radio company’s pending bankruptcy has been in the making for a long time.

“This has been evident to us for many years given long-term secular pressures on radio advertising and listenership and lack of focus on debt paydown and aggressive cost-cutting early enough,” Huber said. “The ill-advised merger with CBS Radio in late 2017, which added around $1.5 billion in debt, became the undoing of the company.”

In addition, Huber says digital revenue for the company “remains too small a part of the overall revenues for Audacy and peers to offset pressures in traditional radio.”

The Philadelphia-based company continues to lose money, according its most recent quarterly report, including a $281.7 million loss in the third quarter of 2023.

Audacy has been working with restructuring advisors from PJT Partners and attorneys from Latham & Watkins LLP, according to the WSJ report.

A Radio World email to Audacy seeking comment on the WSJ report was not immediately returned.

[Related: “Audacy Posts Big Operating Loss in Q3“]

The post WSJ Report: Audacy Close to Filing for Bankruptcy appeared first on Radio World.

A noncommercial FM radio station licensed to serve the tourist haven of Santa Catalina Island and Avalon, Calif., has been granted a truncated license renewal by the FCC.

Instead of eight years, it is getting a one-year renewal OK. Why? Periods of silence are to blame.

 

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