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What are the most important current or recent trends in broadcast codec technology and how they are designed or deployed for transport and networking?

How will the development of software-integrated air chains change how engineers choose and deploy codecs? What should engineers know about FM-MPX and MicroMPX solutions?

How does the growing use of the cloud influence radio codecs and how they are deployed? How can an engineer protect codecs and related infrastructure from cyber attacks?

This free ebook explores these questions and more.

Read it here.

The post Trends in Codecs 2024 appeared first on Radio World.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Sept. 2023 Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The chair of the Federal Communications Commission traditionally releases a summary in December of what he or she considers the most important actions taken by the FCC in the past year. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released hers on Dec. 29, covering a range of topics from affordable connectivity and cybersecurity to artificial intelligence the creation of a Space Bureau. For broadcast radio, the list includes granting CPs for new noncom FM stations, opening an application window for new LPFMs and proposing to allow more FM stations to use higher digital power levels.

Here is the full text of her statement.

Our goal to “ensure that every person in every community, of every geography and income, has access to modern telecommunications service” has been the North Star of the Federal Communications Commission since its creation in 1934. This past year at the agency will be remembered for our progress toward that objective and for the policies we advanced to reflect a world where high-speed connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

I spent much of the year barnstorming the country to promote the commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program — the largest broadband affordability initiative in our nation’s history. I rallied with mayors in Boston, Phoenix and Los Angeles and the governor in Maryland. Perhaps my most notable stop was this summer, when I visited the Dallas area to announce that enrollment in the program had surpassed the 20 million household milestone. In addition, the commission conducted a nationwide outreach campaign and awarded over $77 million in grants to 244 trusted partners to help increase ACP awareness and enrollment. Together, nearly 7 million additional households signed up for ACP support in 2023, bringing the number of homes getting more affordable broadband through this historic program to over 22 million. But our progress here cannot slow down — we need help from Congress to keep this groundbreaking program going.

The commission has not only been at the forefront of the effort to make home internet service more affordable, we have been working to make it universally available.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created the Affordable Connectivity Program, also directed the commission to “adopt rules to facilitate equal access to broadband internet access service.” Consistent with the law, the agency adopted rules to prevent digital discrimination of access to broadband services based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin.

To identify where high-speed internet service is and is not available across the country, the commission has also built the most accurate broadband map ever created. But it gets better because the map is iterative, we are continually refining the data, and in 2023, we released two major updates to the broadband map, which federal and state broadband funding programs are using to make smarter investment decisions about where to devote resources and develop infrastructure to close the digital divide.

It has long been a priority of mine and of this agency to close the Homework Gap by ensuring that students across this country have the high-speed internet access necessary to do their schoolwork and fully participate in the modern classroom. For over two decades, schools and libraries have received funding through the commission’s E-Rate program to support these critical connections for students. This year, we took an important step to fund Wi-Fi on school buses. This will enable students to turn ride time into connected time for homework while commuting to and from school. It is especially valuable for students in rural America, who can spend long hours on these buses and are more likely to return home to areas without full broadband access.

Although everyone agrees that high-speed internet is no longer nice-to-have, but instead need-to-have, there is currently no expert agency ensuring that the internet is fast, open, and fair. The internet is too important to our economy and society not to have effective oversight. So, in October, the commission advanced a plan to reassert the agency’s role as the country’s leading communications watchdog over national security and public safety on our broadband networks. This plan would also restore the commission’s overwhelmingly popular net neutrality rules, which preserved internet openness by prohibiting internet providers from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing lawful content.

The commission took many other actions in 2023 to update our rules and policies so they reflect new technologies and new market realities.

Some of the commission’s most exciting work in 2023 was focused on advancing innovation for the new space age. The space industry has entered an era of unprecedented growth, which is fueling an increase in both the complexity and the number of applications for space services before the commission. To keep pace with this rapid change, the commission created a new Space Bureau, which has already developed new rules to streamline our satellite policies and expedite the processing of space and earth station applications. The agency has also dedicated spectrum specifically to commercial space launch activity.

I am especially excited about our proposal to harness the power of satellites to enhance mobile phone operations in areas where there is no terrestrial mobile service. This connectivity can help facilitate life-saving rescues in remote locations and the innovative opportunities it presents will only grow.

On a personal note, perhaps my most memorable trip of the year was a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Kennedy Space Center where I was honored to meet the Artemis II crew who are training to become the first astronauts to visit the moon in over 50 years. I am deeply grateful to NASA Administrator Nelson for the invitation to discuss the commission’s new space ventures.

With more and more facets of our lives moving online, I have reinvigorated the commission’s efforts to ensure the privacy of consumer communications. In June, I announced that we created the first-ever Privacy and Data Protection Task Force at the commission. To do this, we are bringing all of our technical and legal experts together from across the agency to maximize coordination and use the law to get results. We have updated our data breach notification rules for the first time in 16 years and put in place new rules to protect consumers from SIM-swapping fraud.

For the first time in the agency’s history, we have taken action to support communications for survivors of domestic violence and help them secure safe and affordable connections. We adopted rules not only to protect the privacy of calls made by survivors to domestic abuse hotlines, but also to help survivors separate service lines from family plans that include their abusers. On top of this, we took steps to help survivors rebuild their lives away from harm by offering six months of support for communications services for those who suffer from financial hardship.

In 2023, you cannot talk about what is new in technology without talking about artificial intelligence.

In July, the commission joined with the National Science Foundation to convene a forum on artificial intelligence. Our focus was on AI’s potential to do real good for communications, from increasing spectrum efficiency to improving network resilience with new tools to self-diagnose and self-heal network anomalies before they become communications challenges. Following this forum, we launched an inquiry to explore how the commission might leverage new AI tools to better understand the actual usage of non-federal spectrum bands.

We also kicked off an inquiry on how best to seize the opportunities of AI regarding robocalls and robotexts, such as developing tools to help filter out sophisticated spam and phishing schemes, while mitigating potential harms of AI.

These AI-centered initiatives illustrate how the commission may be using some new tactics, but we remain focused on long-standing priorities like consumer protection and maximizing the opportunities we have with scarce spectrum resources.

On the consumer protection front, cracking down on unwanted robocalls and robotexts remains at the top of our agenda. Among our many actions on this front, we have adopted the first-ever rules aimed specifically at stopping text messaging scams; closed gaps in our caller-ID authentication framework; empowered consumers to decide which robocalls and robotexts they wish to receive; and advanced rules to allow the commission to “red flag” certain phone numbers and require mobile carriers to block texts from those numbers. We even shut down the “lead generator loophole” through which unscrupulous telemarketers have inundated consumers with unwanted and illegal robocalls and robotexts.

We have also made it clear that if you illegally circumvent our rules to protect consumers from unwanted robocalls and robotexts, you will pay the price, literally. We imposed over $600 million in fines against robocallers, including a record-breaking penalty of nearly $300 million against the firm behind a flood of auto warranty scam robocalls – the largest illegal robocall operation the agency has ever investigated.

If there is one thing consumers hate more than unwanted robocalls, it is junk fees. In March, we voted to protect consumers from surprises on their cable and satellite TV bills by proposing operators provide the “all-in” price on bills and promotional materials. And in December, we proposed to eliminate early termination fees, which make it costlier for cable and satellite TV subscribers to switch service, and billing cycle fees, which require consumers to pay for services they no longer receive.

On the spectrum front, we adopted rules to support new Wi-Fi applications and services using spectrum in the 6 GHz band. This is an area where the mix of capacity and wide channels provide the unique potential for augmented and virtual reality applications. The commission also approved rules to expand the permissible uses for short-range radars in the 60 GHz band, which could facilitate advances in everything from drones to healthcare monitoring to sensors that alert drivers to children and pets left in dangerously hot cars. Looking more long-term, we voted to optimize the use of a massive swath of spectrum from 12.2 to 13.25 GHz for services including 6G and next-generation satellite broadband operations.

We also want spectrum policies that nurture a vibrant broadcasting sector. In April, we launched the public-private Future of TV initiative, which seeks to establish a roadmap for transitioning to a new broadcast standard that enables the offering of enhanced and innovative new services to consumers. In the past year, we also expanded broadcast service to the public by granting over 75 applications for construction permits for new non-commercial FM station and opening a low-power FM new station application window. In addition, we acted to support broadcast innovation by proposing changes to the digital FM technical rules with the goal of improving signal quality and coverage.

In terms of long-standing priorities for the commission, public safety remains at the top of the list. We started the year by establishing a nationwide framework to solidify the 4.9 GHz band’s status as public safety spectrum, while enabling the integration of technologies such as 5G. We made life-saving Wireless Emergency Alerts more accessible by approving enhanced support for multi-lingual alerting, requiring wireless providers that participate in WEA to support messages in the 13 most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. as well as English and American Sign Language. We voted to accelerate the roll out of Next Generation 911, which will support voice, text, data, and video and make the 911 system more resilient. And we are making sure life-saving counseling is there when you need it by establishing reporting and notice requirements for any outages of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

In 2023, we also ramped up our work to promote cybersecurity. We’ve worked closely with our partners at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to bolster the integrity of the Border Gateway Protocol, which is central to the internet’s global routing system. To elevate the level of baseline cybersecurity practices among manufacturers of common smart devices or products, we also proposed a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity labeling program for the Internet of Things. We also proposed a pilot program to help schools and libraries improve their cybersecurity efforts through the Universal Service Fund.

We have also been fighting to make sure vulnerable populations are treated fairly and can enjoy the benefits of the digital age. We voted to make video programming more accessible for blind and visually impaired individuals and smartphones more accessible to people with hearing loss. We provided relief for families of incarcerated people forced to pay exorbitant and unreasonable telephone rates for calls within a state’s borders. To help narrow the digital divide in Indian country, we voted to examine ways to encourage greater Tribal participation in the E-Rate program, extending our special initiative to support high-speed access in Tribal libraries everywhere. With increasing maternal mortality rates in the United States, we also voted to explore ways the commission’s new mapping platform might be enhanced to help us better leverage digital health tools to improve maternal care.

While 2023 marked the arrival of a new commissioner at the commission, it will also be remembered for the loss of an iconic chairman. On May 6, 2023, Newton Minow died at age 97. During his time as President Kennedy’s Chairman of the agency and in the decades since he left office, he reminded us that wanting better and more representative communications is worth fighting for because it strengthens our communities and our country. We are grateful for his service, and we will continue to honor his memory by working hard to ensure everyone, everywhere is connected.

[Related:  “The FCC Keeps Radio Market Caps in Place”]

The post Rosenworcel Posts Her Highlight List for 2023 appeared first on Radio World.

One thing I rarely hear engineers at small facilities talk about is documentation. 

Managers of large facilities live on their documentation systems. At smaller plants, though, some engineers seem to think they can protect their job security by withholding documentation. And some complain that creating documentation is a waste of time. 

They are wrong.

Good documentation allows the staff of a facility to resolve issues in an expedited manner. 

What do I mean by documentation? 

Most engineers will use a good computer-aided design program such as AutoCAD or WireCAD. Yes, a good one will be expensive. Look at it as an insurance policy. 

Some use capable diagramming software such as Visio or Simple Wires. Their files can serve as a schematic to your facility, showing equipment, wire numbers, racks and rooms. 

They can illustrate signal flow and document the workflow. You can obtain libraries of equipment that highlight all the connections. Sometimes the libraries are available from the product support pages or sold by third parties.

Knowing “which” cable in a large bundle is terminated “where” is valuable. Knowing which connector and pins is indispensable! 

A promotional image from Autodesk AutoCAD

In today’s IP-centric world, most cables are Category-5 or Cat-6, terminated with RJ-45s. But then you need to know if it is required to be STP (shielded) or UTP (unshielded). Note this in the documentation. 

I like to make notes of anything relevant to the safe and convenient operation of equipment. For example a device may need space above and below it for air flow. You or another person will appreciate such details when an emergency repair becomes necessary at an inconvenient time.

The schematics also allow you to plan an upgrade or an equipment replacement. Rack space is a commodity; planning your signal flow with smart equipment placement and the shortest cable runs will lead to a more efficient plant.

Withholding documentation is unwise and could be considered negligent. If you have to put out false traps to demonstrate that you are needed, perhaps you are not. 

Good documentation systems allow engineers to take time off. Also, you can manage the inventory. For instance I like to include serial numbers in my notes.

You don’t have diagramming skills? This is understandable. Then just use a good spreadsheet. 

Maintain current backups of your documents, too. I usually make one before any change so I can always revert to the last “good” state if necessary. Having a bunch of printouts with pencil scratch-outs is no substitute for clean documentation.

Usually, I take my notes and save them as PDF files, representing a printed final version. Besides putting them in the documentation folders on the network, I email them to my iPhone and keep them in the Books app. This is helpful when I’m not in the facility and I get THAT CALL. I can refer to my notes and put myself in the mindset to resolve the issue.

Any good manager will appreciate good documentation. It will also be appreciated by all who follow you. This industry is small. Why be known as the guy who did not document? 

Yes, I have worked with managers who did not appreciate documentation and deleted the information; but there is no excuse for being stupid.

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The post Tech Tips: Document, Document, Document appeared first on Radio World.

Engineering consultant Frank Hertel writes in to describe a fix for a power supply failure in the popular BW Broadcast 1000W transmitter.

If you’re not ready for a construction project, you can get service support for the BW lineup from Progressive Concepts, which introduced the transmitters to the U.S. in 1997. The company has expertise servicing BW equipment and has once again been appointed as BW’s sole sales and service center for the United States. For information, contact Eric Hoppe at 630-736-9822.

Frank took a DIY approach. The original power supply is a semi-propriety design modified for special use, making his efforts to find a replacement harder, but Frank set out to find a workaround to revive this otherwise good FM transmitter. 

In the end, it was a fairly simple fix. What was lost was software control of the transmitter’s power output; his repair causes the transmitter power to be adjusted using the output voltage of the 48 VDC supply. You will also need to add a 12VDC power supply, rated at 3 to 4 Amps, since the original power supply provided both 48 and 12VDC.

Frank described a series of steps to replace the defective power supply. First, for the 12VDC supply, Frank selected a “brick” power supply from Amazon. They are inexpensive (under $10) and widely available. The 48VDC supply is manufactured by Jingmaida and can be found on Amazon for under $300. Figs. 2 and 3 show where to connect the wires from the new 12VDC and 48VDC power supplies, inside the transmitter chassis. For the 48VDC, Frank used #8 silicone superflex wire. 

Click on the photo to toggle between Figs. 1–7.

Frank adds the following notes:

1. No holes were drilled in repair. The external power supplies can be replaced easily, should they fail.
2. Velcro brand hook-and-loop fastener was used to fasten the new power supplies to the top of the transmitter chassis.
3. Frank chose to remove the defective internal 48VDC power supply. The void provides easier routing of the new power supply wiring.
4. If desired, the on-board voltage adjust potentiometer can be wired to an external larger potentiometer, to make power adjustment easier, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5.
5. The 48 VDC power supply also has a terminal strip where you can add a switch to MUTE the 48 VDC power supply. Frank used this feature for easy shutdown of the transmitter. These MUTE contacts can also be wired to a set of dry relay contacts on your remote control, to remotely shut down the transmitter. 
6. When the new power supply is received, the MUTE terminal strip has a jumper on the bottom of the circuit board.  You will need to remove that jumper to use the MUTE function.
7. The value of the Voltage Adjust Pot is 5 K Ohms. Frank and his team added two small trim pots (10K each) to the lower and upper terminals of the larger external 5K pot (Figs. 4 and 5). One of the small 10K trim pots will let you set the Minimum Voltage Platform (it should be approximately 27 VDC) and the other small 10K Trim Pot will let you set the Maximum Voltage Platform (which should be approximately 42 VDC). These settings help protect the internal regulators.

Other models of BW Broadcast transmitters have similar configurations but deserve a close review to make sure the procedure is suitable. 

The new adjustable 48 VDC power supply also has a current limit adjustment. It is factory set at approximately 33A. You should not need to reset this adjustment. Note that the replacement power supply also has over-current shut down. If something in the transmitter should fail and draw excessive current, the power supply will automatically shut down.

Fig. 6 shows the completed project, and the restored RF output power is seen in Fig. 7. 

If you complete this modification, snap some pictures and let us know how the upgrade went. Email them to me at johnpbisset@gmail.com.

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The post Frank Hertel Revives a 1 kW FM transmitter appeared first on Radio World.

It was late 1984, some 39 years ago this month, and I was new to the company where I still work today. Right out of the chute, the president of the company handed his new D of E an assignment: Fix our Detroit FM station.

We had in those days two “superpower” Class B FMs in our company, one in Buffalo and one in Detroit. Our Detroit station was 115 kW ERP at 300 feet above average terrain, impressive by any measure, at least on paper. The problem: The Detroit FM had severe multipath throughout the market and was unlistenable in many locations.

The site was right in the geographic center of the Detroit metropolitan area, near the intersection of I-96 and the Southfield Expressway. The station had an RCA 10-bay antenna, pole-mounted on a 360-foot free-standing tower. 

The antenna looked fine and the transmitter was operating at full power. There was no indicated reflected power. What could the problem be?

Some sleuthing and scrutiny of the geography and topography of the Detroit area gave me some clues. 

The downtown area, with its buildings some 600 feet tall, was about 10 miles to the east, and there were other high-rise buildings scattered around the area, some not far away. Could those buildings be producing strong reflections to cause the severe multipath that the station was experiencing?

At that point in my career, I didn’t have much experience with FM except at the operational level; I had been a TV guy until just months prior. I had done some FM allocations work in addition to building and maintaining a few FMs, but what I had not done was any kind of systems engineering. All my experience on the ground was building or maintaining what other people had designed, so I was out of my element with this project. 

Still, I had it to do, and while not expressly stated, I figured that this was a test and that my job was on the line. I had to get it right.

And so I took a self-administered crash course in FM antennas, vertical plane patterns, multipath and FM propagation. I learned about vertical nulls, Brewster angle and how direct and reflected signals could constructively or destructively combine in a receive antenna. I also learned how subcarriers could sometimes produce multipath-like effects in an imperfect transmission system or where there were already signal issues.

At the end of that study and my analysis of the situation with our Detroit station, I concluded that we had too much antenna gain, too little signal in close-in areas below the main vertical lobe and reflections off the downtown and other high-rise structures that were destructively combining with the direct signal to produce the multipath. 

Was I certain of all that? No. But it was my best, somewhat educated, guess.

The ‘new’ 500-foot tower next to the old 360-foot structure. Note the identical four-bay main and aux antennas.”

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Superpower FMs had been grandfathered, but if you made a change to the HAAT or ERP, the facility would have to come into compliance with the later rules. Clearly we needed more height, and to get that, we would have to become a compliant Class B station with maximum facilities of 50 kW and 150 meters (492 feet) AAT. 

It was with great anxiety that I took that proposal to the president of our company, telling him that the way to fix his FM signal was to reduce power from 115 kW to 50 kW. How would he respond? Should I just go ahead and clean out my desk?

To my great surprise, he gave his full approval to the project.

It included a new 500-foot free-standing tower (not cheap!), a four-bay antenna, new rigid line and a new 27.5 kW transmitter. That tower height got us 142 meters AAT, not 150 meters, but 500 feet AGL was all I could get the FAA to approve. 

I filed the CP application and got a quick grant.

The project was built in record time by today’s standards, just a few months. There was no ASR, NEPA, NPA and all that back then … we just pulled a building permit, drilled the piers into the ground and stacked the steel. 

With the new tower up and the new transmitter building in place and fully equipped, with great trepidation I threw the switch to put the new facility on the air. Would this huge expenditure fix our problems, or did I just throw several hundred thousand dollars down those pier holes?

It didn’t take long to figure out that YES! IT WORKED! The new facility had none of the multipath issues that the old one did. Coverage in the city was solid, with just a few identifiable and very localized areas with any discernible multipath at all. 

But what about distant coverage? The station manager and others drove the outlying areas and found that the coverage was equal to or better than what it had been with the higher ERP. I was greatly relieved, and it was with great pleasure and pride that I reported all this to the boss. 

I learned a lot from that project, and the knowledge has served me well over the years. I’m very grateful to my boss for his faith in me when I didn’t have a lot of faith in myself, and I thank God it all worked out.

I mentioned that our company had two superpower Class B FM stations, with the other one being in Buffalo. That one was 110 kW ERP at 195 meters (640 feet) above average terrain. It used a 10-bay antenna on a 400-foot tower. Buffalo had a lot of tall buildings like Detroit. If a high-gain antenna creates multipath issues in urban areas, why didn’t it do the same thing in Buffalo?

The answer is really simple: location-location-location. The Buffalo site was some distance south of the city. That tight vertical pattern had little impact on the urbanized area some distance from the antenna. That station continues to perform well for us, as does our no-longer-superpower Detroit FM.

In the current edition of Radio World Engineering Extra, Dennis Sloatman deals with some of these issues and teaches us about all the variables that go into an FM transmission system. He shows us how to arrive at a transmitter power output (TPO) figure given all those variables.

We also hear from Dominic Giambo of Wheatstone about RIST, a new, open-source protocol for audio transmission over IP and in particular the public internet. This is exciting and may well represent the next big thing in audio transport. 

Does anything use quartz crystals anymore? Modern transmitters and their exciters are often frequency agile and can go to any frequency in the band with a menu selection, so surely not; why would you need a crystal? 

Not so fast! Even modern, frequency-agile transmitters, receivers and other equipment have a quartz crystal at their heart, often a highly accurate, highly stable reference oscillator running at some low frequency. It’s true that it’s rare to find a crystal cut for the carrier frequency in a modern transmitter, but there’s some quartz in there somewhere.

In this issue, Buc Fitch takes a look at quartz crystals, including their history and how they are made and work. I think you’ll enjoy it.

I hope you’ll learn (or relearn) something from this group of really smart writers. I know I did.

Read the issue here.

The post Solving the Variables in the FM Equation appeared first on Radio World.

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In a note from the Chairwoman of the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday (12/29) offered a year in review essay outlining all of the achievements of the Commission seen during 2023.

While heavy on 5G and broadband issues, Rosenworcel did highlight two initiatives impacting television and radio broadcasters, respectively. As she explained, “We want spectrum policies that nurture a vibrant broadcasting sector.”

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PUNTA GORDA, FLA. — The wife of deceased longtime radio station owner Don Crisp, who today lives in Charlotte County, Fla., has signed off on the sale of a 1kw AM radio station and its FM translator.

The facilities serve a small town in the Volunteer State, and their sale was engineered by broker George Kimble of Kozacko Media Services.

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Salem Media Group has given formal notice to the Nasdaq Stock Market of its intention to voluntarily delist its Class A Common Stock from the Nasdaq Global Market and to deregister its Class A Common Stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

It allows Salem to avoid a potential delisting procedure — something that was likely to commence given the media company’s time under the all-important $1 threshold.

With Friday’s announcement, Salem currently anticipates that it will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a “Form 25” Notification of Removal of Listing on or about January 8, 2024, with the delisting of its Class A Common Stock taking effect no earlier than ten days thereafter.

As a result, Salem expects that the last trading day of its common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market will be on or about January 18, 2024. Further, prior to March 29, 2024, Salem intends to file a Form 15 with the SEC to suspend the company’s reporting obligations under Sections 12(g) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

For Salem, known for its conservative and Christian-themed programming, it anticipates “significant financial savings” as a result of this decision.

In addition, delisting and deregistration provide several benefits to Salem and its stockholders — including lower operating costs and reduced management time commitment for compliance and reporting activities, it said.

Does this mean Salem stock will no longer be traded? No. Like Audacy Inc., Salem anticipates that its Class A Common Stock will be quoted on an over-the-counter exchange. Specifically, Salem believes it’s shares will trade on the OTCQX or other market operated by OTC Markets Group Inc.

Salem expects its Class A Common Stock to be quoted on the OTCQX Market beginning on or around January 19, 2024, pending approval by OTC Markets.

Polish public broadcasting has been put into liquidation as part of a political struggle between the Poland’s new centrist parliament and its conservative president.

Officially under Polish law, Polskie Radio and Telewizja Polska (TVP) are apolitical public-service entities, but since the conservative Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) party and President Andrzej Duda came into power in 2015 there have been concerns about political interference. At that time, the PiS-led government moved to appoint directly senior management at the broadcasters, drawing a caution from the European Broadcasting Union.

Since the new centrist governing coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, gained control of the Sejm and Senate in the October 2023 elections, the question of media neutrality and control has been front and center. Media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières called for Tusk’s government to move quickly to ensure the independence of the public-service broadcasters.

“We ask them to transform the historic opportunity into systemic measures in favour of media independence and protection of journalists resulting from an inclusive public debate,” stated Pavol Szalai, head of the EU–Balkans Desk at RSF.

On Dec. 20, Tusk’s government passed a resolution calling for restoration of “impartiality and reliability of the public media.” This was followed by the removal of the chairs and boards of Polskie Radio, TVP, and the newsagency Polska Agencja Prasowa, all of whom were considered too close to the PiS party. The moves sparked a sit-in at TVP headquarters by PiS officials, including former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who claimed the new government’s moves diminished “media pluralism.”

Just before Christmas, President Duda announced his intent to veto Tusk’s government’s spending bill, which included 3 billion złoty (about $762 million) for overhauling public broadcasting. In response to the veto, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz announced that Polskie Radio, TVP and PAP would all be placed into liquidation.

“In the current situation, such action will ensure the continued operation of these companies, carry out the necessary restructuring and prevent layoffs of employees in the above-mentioned companies,” Sienkiewicz posted to X (formerly Twitter).

Tusk’s government is expected to take up a new spending bill in January in response to Duda’s veto.

In response to the turmoil, an EBU statement noted that it is monitoring the situation in Poland. “In general, the EBU supports strong safeguards for independent, well-funded public service media, as have been included in internationally agreed standards such as from the Council of Europe and in the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).”

The post Poland Puts Public Broadcasters in Liquidation appeared first on Radio World.

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. — Hasbro, Inc. has completed the sale of its Entertainment One film and TV business to Lionsgate.

The all-cash deal is subject to certain purchase price adjustments, plus the assumption by Lionsgate of production financing loans.

With the $375 million sale, Hasbro says it will continue to develop and produce entertainment based on its “rich vault” of Hasbro brands.

The sale includes unscripted television production companies Renegade and Daisybeck, as well as Hasbro’s interest in the Canadian film and TV operations of Entertainment One Canada Ltd.

In connection with the closing, Hasbro expects to retire approximately $400 million of floating rate debt.

J.P. Morgan and Centerview Partners served as lead financial advisors to Hasbro in the transaction. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Mayer Brown International LLP and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as legal counsel to Hasbro and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted as legal counsel to Entertainment One Canada Limited.

By Cameron Coats

She spent 19 years at Univision’s Dallas-Fort Worth station group, serving as VP/General Manager. Now, many across North Texas and the U.S. Hispanic market are pausing to pay their respects to this Spanish-language media sales trailblazer, who has died of brain cancer.

Rebecca Muñoz-Diaz was 65 years old. She is remembered for her deep faith, mentorship, and compassion.

Muñoz-Diaz’s career in media began at KIKK Radio in Houston. She also played pivotal roles in establishing KXTJ-FM, KTXH-20, and KTMD-47, the market’s Telemundo O&O property.

Muñoz-Diaz then made her mark in Dallas, where she was deeply involved in community service, holding positions on several boards and receiving numerous awards for her contributions, including the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award and the Ford Mujeres Legendarias award.

Houston Public Media Director of Sales and Sponsorships Millie Adan-Garza said, “Becky was a pioneer in Spanish language media, a role model for women, a mentor to many, and an inspiration for all. She was the second woman honored by the Texas Association of Broadcasters for leading efforts to establish and grow TV and radio stations in the Houston and Dallas markets, opening doors for women and advancing communities—preceded by Lady Bird Johnson. Becky was a fearless, determined, vibrant, and kind Tejana, who was my mentor and friend, and who leaves a legacy for future generations.”

Funeral services will be held on December 30 in Sealy, Tex., at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, with a Celebration of Life service in Dallas on January 7, 2024. The family welcomes the public to both services and suggests donations to a charity of choice in lieu of flowers, to honor her memory.

He enjoyed a 25-year run as a co-host on the Dave Ryan in the Morning program on Top 40 KDWB-FM 101.3 in Minneapolis-St. Paul and also worked behind the scenes for Tom Barnard on his podcast and on KQRS-FM 92.5.

Now, Twin Cities radio listeners and local media are paying tribute to Pat Ebertz.

Ebertz died at his home on Christmas (12/25), at the age of 62.

“Our hearts are broken and will forever miss and love Patrick John Ebertz,” daughter Isabelle Ebertz shared on social media. “Thank you dad for a lifetime of happiness squeezed into 22 years. You left such a mark on the world and all the people you’ve encountered.”

Speaking with FOX’s KMSP-9, Ryan also shared memories of Ebertz. “Pat would do anything to be entertaining,” he said. “Pat got arrested at least twice during our show. We sent him to Buffalo for the Vikings-Buffalo game. We had some time before the stadium opened, so they made a road trip to Niagara Falls, and Pat climbed over the railing. Pat was the kind of person who would run through a wall to be entertaining. He was the class clown, but very serious about his work.”

More recently, Ebertz was a sales and marketing consultant.

A Maru April 2023 theatrical study that asked respondents if they heard of some upcoming movie titles focused on those who said “yes.” The key finding? Heavy podcast and broadcast radio listeners are more aware than heavy television viewers.

Cumulus Media’s Westwood One, through Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard, took this finding and shared it as yet another benefit for marketers audio advertising brings. It grabbed the attention of the author of “the essential guide to selling films in a multi-platformed world.”

As shown below, 49% of heavy AM and FM radio listeners heard of 10 upcoming movie titles when asked 8 months ago.

By comparison, just 33% of heavy TV watchers had heard of the upcoming movie titles.

The findings also suggest audio streaming and on-demand audio that accepts advertising is a strong ROI vehicle for Hollywood.

As Robert Marich, who produces “Marketing to Moviegoers,” noted, at the moment radio gets just 1%-2% of movie advertising.

By comparison, linear TV and digital media “gobble up” around 95% of movie ad spending.

That’s why the custom research commissioned by Westwood One from movie audience researcher Screen Engine/ASI presents a marketing model asserting that shifting 20% of paid-advertising budgets for film campaigns to Radio will double the audience reach.

More specifically, the recommended reallocation of 20% of a film campaign spend on radio media consists of 58% for AM/FM radio, 28% for podcasts, 10% for Spotify/Pandora, and 4% for SiriusXM.

Screen Engine/ASI made case studies of specific films to identify how changing media-advertising mix more toward radio would be beneficial; its research panel is 2,300 consumers.

The Screen Engine/ASI conclusion?  “A Nielsen analysis of five major film TV campaigns reveals 60% of the [ages] 18-49 demographic are missed,” Marich pointed out in an article shared with his audience this week. “The $24.3 million-dollar TV campaign for Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ reached only 45% of the 18-49 demographic. The $34.8 million-dollar TV campaign for ‘Sing 2’ missed 62% of U.S. 18-49s.”

Each of those films underperformed at the box office.

“The ‘Sing 2’ campaign would see the reach soar from 38% of 18-49s to 80%, a 2X increase,” Screen Engine/ASI concluded. “Shifting 20% of the ‘Eternals’ linear TV campaign to AM/FM radio would cause campaign reach to surge from 45% to 80%, an astonishing +78% lift in incremental reach.”

Then, there is Bouvard’s additional analysis, conducted in November.  Looking at just that slice of heavy moviegoers, he said, “Ad supported audio, whether it is podcast, streaming and AM-FM, together have the highest reach at 93% among this heavy moviegoer segment. So, ad supported audio has by far the biggest reach among American heavy moviegoers.”

In February 2022, a family-owned independent broadcaster led by President/CEO Patsy Smullin moved forward with the sale of the FOX and MyNetwork TV affiliates serving the Eugene-Springfield, Ore., market. The deal, brokered by Frank Higney of Kalil & Co., closed in May 2022.

Now, an internal consolidation of licensees linked to Cox Media Group has brought the properties directly under the Atlanta-headquartered company’s control.

 

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A Class A noncommercial FM radio station serving an Illinois town to the west of Rockford is being acquired by Moody Bible Institute. 

For current listeners, there won’t be significant changes in the programming, which currently offers a locals a locale “where you hear the Word” of God.

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Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on antennas, RF products and power protection.

“Time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.”

Dave Hacker

Dave Hacker quotes scripture to describe the case of a 3 kW Class A station in Bolivar, Tenn. He said a typical, uneventful summer day was transformed into a tangled pile of steel, cable and antenna debris after a logging company backed a hauler truck into and over a guy anchor of FM station WMOD’s 260-foot tower. 

A strategy was needed and quickly. Hacker, whose regular job is chief engineer for Forever Communications, was called upon to help WMOD as a contractor. 

“Having good people at your disposal certainly makes the process of rebuilding much simpler, and that was where Ernie Oliver from American Antennas and Mike Phelps from SCMS helped immensely.”

Hacker has worked with both for years. “We kinda know what the other wants and expects.” Because the tower had crashed into and through the existing transmitter building, it was going to be a complete rebuild. 

Hacker says West Tennessee is in one of those geographic zones where winter would be happy to give you a half inch of cold rain, a half inch of snow, or a half inch of ice. 

“I’ve learned well that antennas may claim to tolerate a quarter-inch of ice without significant impact, but it’s just not the case.” He considers radomes essential in his area, and his preferred antenna for this type of station and situation is the Shively 6813 three-bay. 

This was right around the time that American Amplifier Technologies was purchasing the Shively line from Howell Laboratories. 

The Shively 6813-3 in situ.

“I had zero experience with AAT and really knew nothing about them. Moving manufacturing from one side of the country to the other in my mind was a significant undertaking, given the state of logistics these days, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it would take time for them to get up to speed and glitches ironed out at the new location.”

Despite the aggressive timetable, he was delighted when the antenna arrived at the freight terminal, and even more so when he inspected the crate.

“Gone were cardboard boxes. An extremely robust framed wooden ‘vault’ sat in front of me. Even more surprising when I opened it was the engineering that had gone into preserving the structural integrity of the antenna during shipment — wonderfully thought out and well executed in every minute detail. Superb job, AAT.”

Another surprise was that the bays had been assembled onto their feedline mount sections. And the radomes had already been attached. 

The author was pleased with how the antenna was tuned out of the box.

“Gone was the old pressure relief valve for purging the line and ensuring a future tower climb for replacement when it inevitably started leaking. Also absent was the two-plunger tuning section, which was easy enough to use but at times could be finicky.”

So up the tower it went. With all cables, connectors, ground kits attached and dressed, the moment of truth had arrived. To achieve 3 kW ERP with 1-5/8-inch line and an antenna power gain of 1.56 dB, the transmitter needed to operate at a TPO of around 2.4 kW. 

“The power button on the new GatesAir FAX 3 was energized — fire in the hole — and instant gratification, with 2.4 kW forward, 0.9 reflected. POINT 9!” Hacker said he has not had an antenna of any brand tune so well out of the box with no intervention. 

“Coverage is superlative for this little Class A, and everyone was happy at the end of the day and ready for beer.  Are Shively antennas now even better? I couldn’t argue against it.”

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

The post WMOD Puts Shively to Work in Tennessee appeared first on Radio World.

This document amends the Table of FM Allotments, of the Federal Communications Commission's (Commission) rules, by allotting FM Channel 225A at Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin, as a Tribal Allotment. The staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 225A can be allotted to Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the Commission's rules, with a site restriction of 12.1 km (7.5 miles) northwest of the community. The reference coordinates are 46-01-14 NL and 89-44-54 WL.