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WASHINGTON, D.C. — With artificial intelligence-fueled technology under the massive spotlight of the CES 2024 conference and expo in Las Vegas, the President/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters is spending Wednesday not along the Strip but instead on Capitol Hill.

Curtis LeGeyt‘s reason for being in D.C.? He’s testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law hearing squarely focused on the “future of journalism.”

 

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As RBR+TVBR first shared on Monday, ROXi, a free music video streaming app for TVs being made available to all in the U.S., is already turning heads as a possible new “share of ear” beneficiary.

While it is known that it will be made available to a vast majority of smart TV owners, what wasn’t previously known is how one of broadcast television’s biggest companies — and one of the key pushers of NEXTGEN TV — is backing ROXi as a partner.

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For the first time in perhaps 25 years, CES 2024 is attracting the most A-listers from across the broadcast media industry. One media broker told RBR+TVBR that he’d love to be there, too, if it wasn’t for needs in his office.

The National Association of Broadcasters appears to have picked up on the industry-wise buzz by sending out a marketing e-mail on Day One of CES gushing about what’s to come in Las Vegas once the NAB Show begins in April.

“Try to contain yourself…ok, scratch that. It’s time to full-on freak out!,” the NAB exclaims in promoting “Brand-New Cool” for its own forthcoming show.

 

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LAS VEGAS — A new OEM for smart TVs “Powered by TiVo,” an expanded partnership with BMW for “DTS AutoStage Video Service Powered by TiVo,” and new content partners across the globe for the living room and the car.

That’s the key takeaway from Xperi Corp.‘s subsidiary focused on visual entertainment from CES 2024.

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In recent years, both TelevisaUnivision and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises poured a significant amount of dollars into bolstering their respective news departments. Now an owner of Univision-affiliated TV stations has decided to beef up its own newscasts, adding coverage to several broadcast properties targeting Spanish-speaking audiences.

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DALLAS — The non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting is welcoming four new members of its Board of Directors. They are comprised of an Audacy Inc. VP; a finance leader at Midwest Communications; a Mr. Master executive; and one-half of Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Consulting.

The four new members are:

• Becky Brenner, Consulting Partner at Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Consulting
• Dawn Krause, Vice President of Finance for Midwest Communications
• Maria Laing-Smith, Senior Vice President of Mr. Master
• Leslie Scott, Vice President of Digital Audio Content for Audacy.

Brenner is celebrating 45+ years in radio and is currently consulting country radio stations across the U.S. and in Canada.  Brenner has held Management, Programming and on-air positions with Midwest Family, EZ Communications, ARS, Infinity and CBS; mostly in Seattle. Her primary station for 26 years was KMPS-FM. She has served on the Country Radio Broadcasters Board of Directors for over 20 years (three years as President) and is an 18 year member of the CMA Board of Directors.

Krause has over 25 years of financial experience. Before joining Midwest, Dawn held management positions at the Marshfield Clinic and senior accounting positions at Northcentral Technical College and Wipfli CPA accounting and consulting firm.

Laing-Smith has been with Mr. Master for nearly two decades and has been recognized as one of Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women in Radio since 2020.

Scott has over 20 years of experience as a Brand Manager, digital marketing leader, on-air personality, and music curator at stations including KNDD-FM “107.7 The End” in Seattle. She presently serves as Audacy’s Vice President of Digital Audio Content, a role she took on in 2021.

In addition to these four new members, 2024 Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. Board of Directors is comprised of Lindsay Adams, General Sales Manager for Good Karma Brands Chicago; Angie Balderas, Senior Vice President and Market Manager with Entravision Communications; Erica Farber, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Radio Advertising Bureau; Lori Flowers, Manager, Integrated Marketing and Project Management for Radio One; Tricia Gallenbeck, Regional Vice President of Reno & Eugene, OR for Cumulus; Brittney Jackson, Director, Integrated Marketing for Radio One + Reach Media; Haley Jones, Head of Independents for Luminate; Sheila Kirby, Senior Vice President Sales Acceleration for Audacy; Jenna Miller, Play by Play Marketing Consultant for Good Karma Brands; Randi P’Pool, CEO of P’Pool Media; and Ruth Presslaff, President of Presslaff Interactive.

“Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily.”

But, how long will the challenges of running a pair of Docket 80/90 Class A radio stations in rural Delaware County, N.Y. keep them dark? And, could Townsquare Media simply try to sell them?

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NEW YORK — The iHeartMedia-owned Total Traffic & Weather Network (TTWN) is teaming up with popular weather app brand MyRadar for a multi-year partnership designed to bring consumers in the U.S. ” a comprehensive traffic and weather television graphics solution.”

What does the pact entail?

TTWN plans to enhance its T3 Graphics Solution by layering MyRadar’s weather data as a standard offering with its traffic incident and flow data, featuring street-level data, integrated video, dynamic full-screen options and 3D modeling.

It’s an offering that is designed to bring television broadcasters “a unique and comprehensive tool” for delivering traffic and weather information. TTWN supports 135 markets in the U.S. and Canada.

“Layering MyRadar’s weather radar with TTWN’s traffic incident and flow data makes it easier for viewers to understand how the weather will impact them as they embark on their daily journeys,” said Kevin Loftus, Senior Vice President of Operations for TTWN.

 

In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopts rules to implement the Low Power Protection Act (LPPA or Act), which was enacted on January 5, 2023. The LPPA provides certain low power television (LPTV) stations with a limited window of opportunity to apply for primary spectrum use status as Class A television stations. With limited exceptions, the rules adopted herein are consistent with the Commission's proposals in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in this proceeding. In this Order, we further the implementation of the LPPA by establishing the period during which eligible stations may file applications for Class A status, eligibility and interference requirements, and the process for submitting applications.

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Another rise in the number of noneducational FM radio stations was during the final quarter of 2023, as commercial AM and FM radio stations again declined in number, continuing a trend that began earlier in the year.

That’s the biggest takeaway from the FCC’s latest broadcast station total list, for the three-month period ending December 31, 2023.

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Yet another asset purchase agreement has been signed that, pending FCC approval, will put ownership of an AM, an FM and an FM translator serving a tiny South Carolina city due north of Augusta, Ga., in the hands of a not-for-profit broadcast ministry.

It’s Good News, no pun intended, for the buyer.

 

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For longtime radio broadcasting industry executives and those in the brokerage community, the name Scott Savage is likely a familiar one.

Five years ago, he went on hiatus as a broker and consultant, opting to focus his efforts enjoying live in Sedona, Ariz., where he relocated to in 2017 following many years in Dallas. Now, Savage is relaunching Savage Media Group, and he’s sharing the reasons why in an exclusive RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast conversation presented by dot.FM with Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Scott Savage” on Spreaker.

Disney Entertainment has a new Executive Vice President of International Original Television, and he’ll work from Los Angeles squarely focused on working directly with regional leaders and their teams across the globe to create local content for Disney+.

In this newly created role, John Wax will work alongside EVP for International Television Strategy & Operations for Disney Entertainment, Kristen Finney. Together, they will lead a team dedicated to setting a global original television strategy and supporting Disney Entertainment’s regional teams in providing Disney+ with “best-in-class international content.”

Wax is focusing on the creative and Finney will be charged with overseeing the business operations of the international slate.

Wax has an intriguing background, and previously oversaw the genre development division at Amazon’s Prime Video unit, focused on sci-fi and fantasy series. Before joining Amazon, he led the drama and movies division for YouTube Originals. He also worked as EVP/Original Programming at the former WGN America, where Tribune Broadcasting engaged in big-budget productions before selling its properties to Nexstar Media Group.

Wax began his career at Fox working on series such as “24,” “Bones,” “Firefly” and “Prison Break,” and later served as VP of Drama Development at Twentieth Century Fox Television.

“At Disney Entertainment, our regional teams have done an incredible job building an exceptional slate of locally produced content that has fueled the growth of our streaming platforms,” said Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy for Disney Entertainment. “Jon’s vast experience and unique perspective will serve us well as we continue to elevate our global content strategy with impactful shows that resonate with customers around the world.”

The Society of Broadcast Engineers is celebrating its 60th Diamond anniversary in 2024 by giving lapsed members a break. If you are someone who has earned SBE certification in the past but let it expire, you can now restore your SBE-certified status without taking an SBE certification exam

That’s right: Restoration to SBE-certified status without taking an exam. What’s not to like?

This amnesty is being offered under the SBE’s Diamond Project, and it is available now through the end of 2024. Learn more here. Again, individuals who allowed their SBE certification to expire prior to Jan. 1, 2023 qualify for this benefit.

Apparently all SBE certifications are included in the reinstatement program, with two price levels. All SBE certifications except Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE) can be reinstated for $125 for each level of certification.

Those who held CPBE certifications that expired prior to Jan. 1 may either reinstate at the senior level certification held prior to the CPBE at $125, or reinstate their CPBE status for $200. 

Note: All these costs are for current SBE members. Non-member fees will be applied to those who are not currently SBE members, which is an additional $85 for a traditional membership or $175 for SBE MemberPlus.

SBE certifications must be renewed every five years. This requirement exists to ensure those who are SBE certified stay current with technology. If a certification is allowed to expire, the individual must normally take the SBE certification exam again to obtain the credential.

Founded in 1964, the SBE has grown from its humble beginnings when about 100 broadcast engineers gathered for a meeting at the NAB Convention in Chicago to a force 4,500 members strong, spreading 115 chapters across the United States and in Hong Kong and Eastern Europe. The organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary all year long.

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The post Renew Your Expired SBE Certification Without a Retest appeared first on Radio World.

The rapid growth in FM translators appears to have leveled off, at least for now … the number of FM NCE stations continues to grow … while 40 more AM stations have gone silent.

Those are three of the data points we can glean from the latest station totals from the Federal Communications Commission.

Radio World has compiled year-end data for the past decade to give you a frame of reference. You can see the chart at bottom.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, there were 4,444 AM radio stations licensed in the country. The AM number has been declining a little bit year after year for some time. This year it fell by 40 stations compared to a year earlier. The AM total is down 175 stations, or almost 4%, compared to five years ago.

The number of FM educational stations grew this year by 79 to a total of 4,286 and should continue to grow; the commission held a filing window for new stations in 2021. But the number of FM commercial stations shrank this year by 23 to 6,663.

For the first time in recent memory and on the chart below, the category of FM translators/boosters shrank, if only a little, dropping by 23 licenses to 8,927.

And the low-power FM category has been declining from its peak in 2018, falling back under 2,000 during the past year. But it will grow again once new stations come on the air after the recent filing window for new CPs.

 

The post AM Station Totals Continue to Erode in the U.S. appeared first on Radio World.

New from Arrakis Systems is the H-10 console. It is a 10-channel board with two stereo outputs, an analog board that can be controlled with software “from anywhere in the world.”

The pitch from Arrakis is that the H-10 combines the simplicity and reliability of analog with the flexibility of digital technologies. It includes a license for HSeries Controller software, which runs on a Windows PC and allows the user to control the console. 

“You can activate and deactivate channels either from the console itself or your Windows PC. Since the faders are not motorized, we provide users with the ability to switch to pre-fader levels, enabling them to adjust the volume remotely to their desired level.”

The software includes 12 user presets that allow the user to choose which channels are on or off with a click. Automatic Restore will return the console to its previous settings in the event of a power failure. The controller software includes additional logic control, remote monitoring of audio levels and an up/down timer.

The board has 10 input channels and two output busses. Two mic preamps are built in and two more can be added optionally. Seven stereo inputs are provided, with both unbalanced RCA and balanced inputs on Channels 3–8. 

Mix-minus and Bluetooth channels are standard. The board ships with either illuminated analog VU metering or LED meters.

List price is $3,299.

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The post Arrakis H-10 Can Be Controlled by Software appeared first on Radio World.

IBC2024 is due to take place in Amsterdam Sept. 13-16, 2024, and the call for technical papers to be presented at the conference is now open.

These technical papers and their presentations at IBC are meant to provide delegates with original, novel research on solutions to real world problems being faced by the international broadcast and digital media industry. The should be informative and not overtly commercial in tone.

The link for submitting a 300-word synopsis for each proposed technical paper can be found here. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 9, 2024.

A crowd shot from the 2023 IBC Show (Credit: IBC)

According to an email sent to Radio World by the IBC Team, “The Technical Papers Program forms an integral part of the content programs at IBC and we welcome entries from all industry sectors across the media, entertainment and technology sector and from every discipline, whether you are a professional, or a professor, a member of an R&D team, working alone or with a global brand and from across any part of the broadcast, communications, electronic media and entertainment fields.

“This is an excellent opportunity for forward-thinking technologists and companies to unveil their ideas and research to media industry leaders hungry for new technology concepts, their possible uses and practical applications.”

A word to the wise: Each 300-word synopsis should be written to provide a clear and concise overview of the concept that will be the key topics of the proposed technical paper, highlighting what is unique and explaining its background. All such submissions are then reviewed by a panel of professional experts.

Papers accepted for presentation at IBC2024 have the opportunity to win the Best Conference Paper Award, which will be recognized at the IBC Awards.

Any questions can be answered by emailing IBC at technicalpapers@ibc.org.

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The post IBC2024 Call for Technical Papers Now Open appeared first on Radio World.