Radio World

In radio project news: Kintronic Labs said it completed the installation and commissioning of a two-tower, 100 kW medium-wave directional antenna system for Far East Broadcasting Co. on an offshore island in South Korea.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“The transmission system involving Nautel NX100 main and standby transmitters, and the Kintronic Labs antenna system is designed to broadcast in wideband analog, single-channel DRM or DRM simulcast modes via two separate directional patterns,” the company stated.

It provided the photo below. Send news of radio technical projects to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post FEBC Has New 100 kW DA System appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to adopt a consent decree and grant a translator construction permit application despite a series of objections filed by two separate entities.

Back in February 2016, the FCC issued a construction permit license to Rocket Radio Corp. (RRC) for translator K246CH in Tuba City, Ariz., a town of 8,600 within Arizona’s picturesque Painted Desert. The new translator was to serve as a fill-in translator for KIKO(AM), a country music station serving Apache Junction, Ariz.

After the license was granted, an informal objection was raised by Linda C. Corso, owner of KRDE(FM), a country music station in nearby San Carlos, Ariz.

[Read: Licensee Agrees to $8,000 Consent Agreement on Unauthorized License Transfer]

In the midst of all this, RRC filed an application to make minor changes to the translator’s licensed facilities, a move that prompted another entity — this time Mountain Community Translators (MCT) — to file an informal objection.

The FCC agreed with some of the assertions filed by these two licensees. But it dismissed other claims and said the Media Bureau would enter into a consent decree with RRC to resolve issues that were raised during the FCC’s review of the applications.

But there’s a hefty penalty that comes with this consent decree in the form of a $15,000 civil penalty. The FCC also said that not only must RRC pay the civil penalty in a timely manner but must also submit to probationary oversight if it applied to build any other facilities over the next three years.

All this began when the FCC approved RRC’s request to change its translator’s channel to Channel 275 during a 2016 filing window for FM translator modification applications. In April of that year RRC filed a license application and submitted a program test letter saying that it had begun program tests with the translator at the station.

Soon after an objection was filed by Corso who said that RRC broke several rules: It did not construct the facilities authorized in the permit, it violated the commission’s rules governing station identification, and it made false certifications and statements in its license application and the program test letter.

In response, RRC revised its certifications in an amended license application in July 2017 to reflect that the facilities constructed did vary from those authorized in the permit. RRC said it was unaware that the translator’s facilities had not been constructed as authorized and it assured the FCC that the translator has been operating with authorized parameters since October 2016.

Corso fired back again. In another objection she accused RRC and several of its employees of witness intimidation and harassment, and said RRC deliberately concealed facts from the commission. She also asked several questions: why was the translator not constructed as authorized? And how could RCC be unaware of this?

In June 2018, RRC filed a minor change application asking to increase the translator’s power and change its channel. Soon after, another objection arose from MCT which alleged that RRC made a false certification in its application. In July of that year, RRC filed an application to modify the permit to specify the same power increase and channel change proposed in the minor change application. MCT objected to that application too.

Upon review of the objections, the FCC rejected several of Corso’s allegations. The commission did not find that the translator was operating with a different antenna and at a different power than specified in its permit. The commission also found no merit to Corso’s allegation that the translator violated the commission’s rules governing station identification or her allegations that RRC made misrepresentations to the commission.

The commission did find, though, that the facilities constructed were not those authorized in the permit and that RRC violated sections of the commission’s rules.

Specifically, the commission found that for six months in 2016, the translator’s antenna was mounted at the wrong height and oriented in the wrong direction. By starting program tests with nonconforming facilities, RRC also violated the Communications Act and FCC Rules. Plus, the commission found that that RRC further violated the rules by failing to amend its license application in a timely manner and failed to correct the program test letter to reflect that the facilities constructed were not those specified in the permit.

The FCC also rejected MCT’s assessment that RRC made a false claim that it did not have an authorization for an FM translator station that served the same area and was rebroadcasting the same signal as the translator. While MCT correctly noted that RRC is the licensee of another FM translator — K247CF in Payson, Ariz. — that serves substantially the same area as the facilities authorized in the permit, the two translators have not rebroadcast the signal of the same primary station at the same time. K247CF only began rebroadcasting the translator’s primary station when the translator went off the air in May 2018. The FCC also concluded that RCC did not make misrepresentations or false statements to the commission.

As a result of its findings, the Media Bureau entered into a consent decree with RRC based on its unauthorized construction of the translator and its violations of FCC rules. RRC agreed to pay a civil penalty of $15,000. The consent decree also stipulates that RRC will have an outside broadcast engineer come and examine any facilities that RRC constructs or operates and that this engineer will review technical parameters of any future facilities that RRC constructs over the next three years.

 

The post Arizona Licensee Gets Green Light on License After Agreeing to $15K Consent Decree appeared first on Radio World.

When The Infinite Dial’s P1 survey respondents aren’t listening to radio or online media, they’re listening to podcasts. But how often do they listen, and what types of podcasts do they listen to? The researchers searched for answers, and here’s what they found.

As with most of the other conclusions in the data, research suggests considerable differences in level of interest in podcasts among P1 listeners as a function of their preferred format. Listeners of alternative rock appear to be in the lead, with 81% claiming they listen to podcasts. At the midpoint are the 61% of classic rock listeners. The trailing edge is represented by classic hits with  a listenership of 38%.

[Read: Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership]

The data for weekly listenership among P1 respondents does not track with those who claim to listen. While alternative rock’s P1 listeners continue to lead with 51%, the middle ground is held by R&B with 32%. Those who listen least on a weekly basis, according to the survey, are the contemporary Christian demographic, at just 17%.

Perhaps more interesting than how often the different P1 groups listen to podcasts, is what the survey suggests are their favorite topics. Not surprisingly, music is named by the survey among many respondents. Beyond that, responses vary considerably. Classic rock listeners name history, news/info and food as their top picks. Country’s P1 listeners picked true crime, wellness/self-improvement and music as their top three. Music, entertainment/celebrity gossip and food were favorites for hip-hop/rap listeners.

One of the biggest surprises in podcast data might be the results for P1 listeners in the sports and contemporary Christian groups. While they are on opposite ends of the spectrum in The Infinite Dial’s sex/age positioning nomograph, both groups have named sports, technology and history as the top topics for podcasts they listen to.

 

The post Infinite Dial Research Suggests a Variety of Topics Attract Podcast Listeners appeared first on Radio World.

New videos hosted by the DRM Consortium showcase new receiver models like this version from RF2Digital.

The DRM Consortium is inviting industry stakeholders to view a series of new video productions to get more information on the basic principles of DRM and benefits of to implementing this all-band digital radio system.

On the heels of its participation at the Virtual IBC event held earlier in September, the DRM Consortium created a series of videos that offer everything from basic information on DRM to more complex technical details. The videos offer details on addressing transmission issues over large disparate geographic areas, how to provide adequate disaster warning transmissions with DRM and how to improve local radio services to geographically disparate communities with less power — including how to provide three different radio broadcasts from a signal transmitter.

[Read: DRM Advanced Radio for All]

“Content can be richer, more varied and in the regional languages or dialects [of those areas],” according to the introductory video. “More content in more languages on flexible DRM for all.”

Additional benefits for DRM — or Digital Radio Mondiale — include the delivery of data along with the audio broadcasts. In the video “From Broadcaster to the Listener,” the narrator gives viewers a look at what opportunities DRM can provide to an imaginary country, one with large cities with millions of people, smaller township areas as well as vast forest region that divides a country in two and causes significant geographical broadcast challenges to traditional radio broadcasts.

 

 

Using DRM gives this fictional nation the opportunity to reach more of its citizens with clear, crisp audio as well as connect with them via video/data images. DRM radios have a screen and can provide consumers with text, pictures, maps, math lessons, live sports results, emergency warnings and other educational information, creating an “opportunity for digital radio station managers to use this data channel to create a new revenue stream,” the video says. “Visible adverts can be broadcast alongside traditional audio advertising. DRM is flexible, green and delivers universal access to information so the whole country can be connected.”

Philipp Schmid, CTO of Nautel, a maker of DRM transmitters, explains in another video how six independent DRM signals can be emitted from a single Nautel GV family transmitter, in effect combining signals to be broadcast from a single amplifier, a single antenna and a single location.

“In this way we can of course get a lot more data capacity for our transmitter but we can also use white space that was unable to be allocated in analog FM,” he said. An analog FM channel would have prevented the other adjacent channels to be utilized, he said. But in digital transmission we can make sure that all of these modulated signals are emitted at the same time. “By doing so, we can eliminate interchannel interference and in this way a receiver can pick up its own independent sideband and all the audio services on it.”

The technology may revolution digital radio broadcasting, Schmid said. “It allows us to pack more signals into a smaller frequency spectrum, enabling more broadcast transmission, more radio stations, more services [and] better utilize our spectrum that is available for radio broadcasting,” he said.

Another video demonstrates how DRM is able to deliver distance learning material over large, remote geographic areas where IP is not available.

New DRM receiver options — including standalone models, DRM-capable smartphone receivers and automotive models — have been released from companies like Avion Electronics, Gospell, Inntot, Starwaves and RF2Digital.

 

The post DRM Consortium Updates Industry with New Video Productions appeared first on Radio World.

Lawo released a statement on the death of Michael Mueller. He passed away surrounded by loved ones on Sept. 26 after a brief, but severe illness.

The company said, “We mourn the premature passing of our colleague, team member and friend Michael Mueller, 66; a truly unique colleague, with whom we at Lawo had the pleasure to work together for more than a decade. … Known for his witty sense of humor and kind-hearted personality, we will remember Michael as a key member of the global sales organization, skilled bass player in the Lawo band, a renowned face of the audio industry as a whole and a true gentleman and friend. He will be missed. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, family and friends at this difficult time.

[Read: Brazil’s Rádio Itatiaia Has New Lawo System]

Mueller brought a wealth of experience to his positions as U.S. sales and marketing manager in 2008, and later as vice president of sales, with Lawo North America. He was responsible for the further development of the Lawo brand identity throughout the United States and was also charged with increasing sales of the company’s numerous products.

Prior to joining Lawo North America, Mueller was vice-president, sales and marketing for MediaGear Inc. He also held positions with Audio Techniques, Scharff Weisberg Associates, Siemens Audio Inc./AMS-Neve Inc., Solid State Logic and Fairlight USA.

 

The post Lawo’s Michael Mueller Passes Away at 66 appeared first on Radio World.

A technical session in the upcoming virtual Radio Show will focus on a topic of growing importance to U.S. broadcasters: hybrid radio.

As Radio World readers know, the term refers to in-car radio radios that can receive analog AM/FM or HD Radio over the air but also connect to the wireless internet to download station graphics, song information and station identifications.

Hybrid radios also support interactivity between the listener and the station. And they can switch seamlessly from a station’s broadcast signal to its audio stream whenever the vehicle drives out of the station’s broadcast coverage area.

RadioDNS has updated its standard to add geo-fencing to prevent access to specific platforms based on physical location. Among other benefits, this would allow a station to define its FM coverage area and “deny” access to streaming within that area in favor of the OTA signal.

For radio broadcasters concerned about losing in-car listeners to non-radio streaming services, advocates say hybrid radio is a timely solution that marries broadcast radio’s strengths — free service, localism and wide coverage — with the power of streaming audio including global reach, rich multimedia content and interactivity.

The technology has been talked about at spring and fall broadcast conventions for years but is taking on more urgency as hybrid radio-equipped vehicles start appearing in the United States, and as AM and FM broadcasters watch SiriusXM roll out its own enhanced 360L platform, which includes personalization and on-demand features.

Benefits

The session “How Radio Broadcasters Can Support RadioDNS” will be presented on Monday Oct. 5 by Nick Piggott, project director of RadioDNS. It’s a not-for-profit membership organization that is promoting the adoption and deployment of hybrid radio globally using open standards.

David Layer, NAB’s vice president of advanced engineering, will moderate.

On one level, the presentation will bring session participants up to speed on hybrid radio’s progress.

“We’ll be talking about hybrid radio’s capabilities and what it can do for radio stations as we’re starting to see more hybrid radio-capable devices proliferate, particularly in cars,” said Skip Pizzi, NAB’s vice president of technology education and outreach.

Piggott also will explain how radio managers can move into this medium through their own efforts or by hiring a third-party contractor.

This Audi receiver shows the availability of a streamed version at right; note the small box “Web.”

“We’ll provide a simple step-by-step guide under the headline, ‘So you’ve decided you’d like to do hybrid radio,’” said Piggott.

“It will be reasonably but not impenetrably technical, so that somebody who has a basic understanding of technology within their radio station or radio group can walk away thinking, ‘I know how we’re going to do hybrid radio. I can see how we’re going to do this.’”

The session will include a discussion of the issue of restricting in-car streaming within a station’s main coverage area, so that broadcasters do not find themselves paying higher streaming music royalties for content that can be heard easily over the air. This is a software-configurable restriction based on constantly comparing the vehicle’s GPS location to the station’s core coverage area.

Tools for Broadcasters

As an open-standards advocacy group, RadioDNS exists to help stations understand and implement hybrid radio solutions.

The Technical Section of its website (https://radiodns.org/technical/) offers a range of downloadable “How To” documents detailing each stage of implementing RadioDNS hybrid radio, from creating station logos and other metadata to station registration, implementing high-definition visuals and setting program listening restrictions by time of day or to a specific program.

The website’s technical section includes a number of presentations on managing RadioDNS hybrid radio applications and support for stations doing this on their own.

By digging into the nuts-and-bolts of hybrid radio in a plainspoken manner, Piggott hopes to make the concept accessible to radio engineers and non-engineers alike. This is why he, NAB and RAB are putting this discussion forward.

“My goal is to demystify the technology and encourage broadcasters not to be apprehensive about trying it,” Piggott said. “That’s the headline: Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio Through RadioDNS, So That Broadcasters Can Do It Themselves.”

For a deeper discussion, see the recent Radio World story “Hybrid Radio Picks Up Momentum” at https://tinyurl.com/rw-hybrid-2.

The post Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Sarah Foss has joined Entercom as chief information officer.

Foss will “provide strategic direction and oversight for the design, development, acquisition, operation and support of the company’s enterprise technology systems and programs.”

Veteran Radio World readers may recall Foss from her tenures at Harris Corp. and Imagine Communications. More recently she was senior VP of strategic initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers. She has also held management or executive positions at Yangaroo, Encompass Digital Media and VCI Solutions.

[Read: Codecs Offer Redundancy, Backup and Failover]

She is a co-founder of Tech Bae, a tech-focused organization for women in the media and advertising ecosystem.

Richard Schmaeling, EVP/CFO of Entercom, praised Foss for “her strong business acumen and enriched media technology intellect.” At Entercom her job also will include helping apply digital, data and analytic tools.

Send People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Sarah Foss Is New Entercom CIO appeared first on Radio World.

The author is chairman of Digital Radio Mondiale. Her commentaries appear regularly in Radio World.

The recent DRM virtual showcase proved to be a real box of delights and new announcements demonstrating that the digital radio industry remains resilient and innovative even in pandemic times. “The best DRM IBC show with the lowest carbon footprint and best attendance” was one of the many feedbacks received. And there were lots of things to excite the over 100 participants from literally all over the world.

The highlights were grouped around some big themes like DRM in practice, extensively proven and used in the FM band; DRM and its possible major role in delivering educational content to large and remote areas in times when many students cannot attend face-to-face lessons; use of DRM in public signage which can be applied for both education, health and emergency announcements; a new and “live” way of monitoring on-air transmissions, which can be beneficial to both the engineers and the editorial staff of broadcasters.

[Read: Can Digital Radio Standards Coexist?]

While the all-band, open DRM standard is stable and well-established, technical improvements can always be implemented like the recent updating of the DRM system specification ETSI ES 201 980. Three improvements were announced by the DRM Technical Chair (BBC) and are to do with removal of some obsolete or unused modulation features and enhanced signaling when using emergency warnings. The changes, which are backwards-compatible, will make DRM’s implementation in chipsets and receivers more reliable, and add additional support for receiver text displays to be able to also support different scripts from around the world. We now know that the publication of the new ETSI version is expected early in 2021.

Around that time a DRM medium-wave pilot to be run by the BBC for the Middle East is also expected to start, as out of the 468 million people tuning to the BBC worldwide, we were told by the BBC representative that a quarter are still doing so on AM. And shortwave, a bit of a blast from the past for some, is not forgotten in places like Russia, China, and many other countries, as the demand for SW digital transmitters is quite healthy. As mentioned by the Ampegon representative the demand is mainly now for bigger capacity transmitters, above 25 kW going to 50 kW, able to cover wide areas with good analog and digital sound and delivering big energy savings. In its new factory Ampegon is working on satisfying these demands.

Improvements were also announced at the level of professional monitoring all these transmissions. So RFmondial announced the upgraded HTML5 GUI in its DRM/AM Monitoring and Measurement Receiver Family RF-SE and the possible software update of older versions. A new exciter version was also unveiled by the German company. Their German colleagues at Fraunhofer IIS also completed the picture with end-to-end implementations offering solutions (content server and multimedia player, data services like Journaline and Emergency Warning Functionality), services for supporting DRM field trials and rollout, as well as  unique expertise.

But the DRM Showcase was not all about better hardware. It was also about technical innovation. And the one that elicited most of the questions was the extended DRM multiplex for FM, an idea that benefited from the input of Nautel and RFmondial engineers. This solution allows one analog FM transmission (200 kHz) and four DRM channels (two in each of the 200 kHz guard spaces as a DRM channel only occupies 100 kHz). Or if the whole 600 kHz are used in pure DRM then up to six DRM channels (each service with up to three audio and one data services) can be offered from the same transmitter, same antenna with possible sharing of costs among several broadcasters. The individual broadcasters remain in control of their transmissions without the involvement of third-parties.

As usual, participants were also interested in what is happening in the various countries about implementing DRM. While India remains the top DRM country (alongside China), the adoption of DRM in all bands by Pakistan and its public broadcaster (PBC) was one of the big surprises of the showcase. The comprehensive three-phase costed plan to introduce DRM in FM, and medium-wave, first, in all the key areas of the country has been endorsed and praised since the “DRM—Advanced Radio for All” by top Pakistani officials.

Indonesia and its public radio (RRI) representative also presented its five FM transmitters which went on air over the last few months and the excellent results of the Emergency Warning Functionality demonstrated on a DRM FM transmitter in Jakarta in August. The recent tender for digital DRM transmitters in SW, MW and FM in Brazil was welcome news and the expectation is now that a locally produced SW DRM transmitter will be soon transmitting from the key public broadcaster central site.

Africa always gets a mention though South Africa has really scored a first with its policy announced two months ago that it recommends both DRM and DAB as a way to digitize radio in the country; a true torch-bearer for other African countries so reliant on AM and FM radio.

Over 2.5 million of cars with DRM receivers are placing India in a class of its own. Receivers are fitted at no cost in cars from the top brands. Work is continuing to increase pure DRM hours for five All India Radio (AIR) transmitters to full day and diversify content. Possibilities are being explored to have an educational channel and invite also some private broadcasters to use the extra channels available through DRM on AIR transmitters. Six more medium-wave transmitters are to be added to the existing 35 MW DRM transmitters. One of these new batch of DRM transmitters using all the extra DRM features will be launched officially in Hyderabad very soon. The increase of the DRM presence and the general technical effort being made will stimulate the receiver production and availability.

And a good part of the DRM event was devoted to the development of receiver and receiver solutions. One trend we noticed was the extension of DRM reception to FM so that it can cover analog and AM as well as FM broadcasts. Most of the receiver manufacturers proudly announced the availability of attractive features like support for xHE-AAC codec, Journaline, Emergency Warnings. The receivers introduced in excellent videos like that of Avion (India) came in all shapes and forms; from the rich variety of Gospell (China) and its GR series and DRM car stereo, to the Indian multifunctional receivers and SDR-based solutions of Inntot (India). RF2 digital (Korea/Germany) also came up with an SDR receiver solution for analog and all DRM bands, being also a multistandard device. Cambridge Consultants (U.K.) is working on a very low-energy and low-cost solution. The same idea was embraced by Starwaves (Germany/Switzerland) which presented a “tuk-tuk” radio (stripped down but very functional). It also announced the world premiere of Starwaves W293BT receiver, available now upon orders.

So, DRM is making great strides technically, geographically and in coming up with ingenious receiver solutions. To encourage as many digital radio practitioners, stakeholders and decisionmakers to embrace and implement digital radio, DRM, the consortium launched on Sept. 9 its own new video, “DRM — From Broadcaster to Listener.”

 

The post DRM Advanced Radio for All appeared first on Radio World.

APT IP codec promo image

WorldCast Systems has a new offering that it says will give FM broadcasters access to high-quality signal compression for FM MPX/Composite transmission.

“APTmpX is the world’s first and only MPX/composite algorithm to save network bandwidth without deconstructing the original composite signal,” it states in a release.

WorldCast described it as “a new compression format to transmit your high-quality composed signal at even lower bit rates, under 1 Mbps.”

It is available in MPX/composite-compatible APT IP codecs.

The manufacturer said advancements in recent years have eliminated much of the equipment once required to generate an MPX/composite signal. More recently, a single central processor assures consistent audio signature across a transmitter network.

WorldCast Systems graphic

“However, before APTmpX, there remained one challenge: how to manage the relatively high IP data rate of a composite signal without affecting the MPX/composite transmission,” the company wrote.

“APTmpX not only enhances our portfolio for MPX solutions, but also marks a milestone in the transition to an MPX/composite environment,” said APT Product Manager Hartmut Foerster in the announcement.

He said users benefit from lower hardware and distribution costs.

 

The post WorldCast Introduces APTmpX appeared first on Radio World.

For most AM/FM stations, getting listeners to utilize their online stream remains a challenge, according to The Infinite Dial’s report. When asked whether they listened to online audio in the past week, responses ranged from a high of 82% for sports listeners, to a low 39% for those who regularly tune in classic hits.

[Read: Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio?]

 When those same listeners were asked how often they listened to AM/FM radio online, the percentages drop significantly. The report stated that sports listeners still lead, but with 45%. Next comes R&B with 28%, while news/talk, alternative rock and hard rock/heavy metal are in a three-way tie for third with 26%. Bringing up the rear is classic hits with 11%. This disparity is a bit of a mystery, and no explanations are offered in The Infinite Dial’s report.

In some instances, there is a difference in the number of commercials aired on radio and online media, and The Infinite Dial’s report sought to determine how important hearing few/no commercials is to choosing online audio. Leading the pack, according to the report, are hard rock/heavy metal listeners, of whom 64% said few/no commercials was the only reason for listening to music online. 23% of this group said it was not a reason for choosing online audio.

Almost evenly divided on the matter are hip-hop/rap listeners, where the survey showed that 39% say no commercials are the only reason to listen to online audio, 38% say it’s not a factor in online listening, and 23% say it’s an important reason, but not the only one. At the other end of the spectrum are contemporary Christian listeners, where the report says 38% find few/no commercials a reason to tune in online, and 56% say it is not a reason.

AM/FM radio has traditionally been considered a top source for music discovery. According to this research, it still is, but it now shares the lead with YouTube and friends/family. The research also suggests that YouTube is the wild card, as its adoption defies the expected radio format and age boundaries. Trailing behind as a source for music discovery in most categories are Spotify, SiriusXM and Pandora.

 

The post Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership appeared first on Radio World.

Greg Ashlock calls iHeartMedia’s newest offering a “product-driven network.”

The president of iHeartMedia Markets Group was talking about the iHeartSports Network that launched today.

“People are passionate about sports and this will deliver the timely regional and local coverage they care most about along with the biggest national stories,” Ashlock said in the announcement.

The network — also referred to as IHSN in the press release — will provide content to some 500 stations and their digital streams.

Almost exactly a year ago, the company launched an iHeartRadio Sports website.

“IHSN will deliver short-form national, regional local sports reports to listeners on formats that index high against sports interest, including rock, country, hip hop, class hits, news, talk and sports,” the company said.

Talent to be heard on the network include Cris Collinsworth, Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick and Joy Taylor.

The company cited research from Scarborough that 83 percent of sports fans want a daily update, and from Nielsen that 89 percent of sports fans listen to radio each week.

“Research also indicates that almost two-thirds of sports fans do not have the time to seek out additional desired information.”

The post iHeart Launches Sports Network appeared first on Radio World.

Microphone hygiene and IP at the BBC are among the topics on the agenda for the Broadcast and Online Delivery track of the upcoming AES Show, which will be held virtually.

There’s also a healthy dollop of radio history, appropriate in this centennial year for radio.

Show planners released these highlights:

“Practical Tips for Using Digital Audio in a 2110 Facility” will explore IP architecture and the SMPTE ST 2110 media networking protocol, of which the Audio Engineering Society’s AES3 and AES67 standards are components. Moderator Andy Butler of PBS will host Wesley D. Simpson (telecom product consultant), Robert Welch (technical solutions lead, Arista Networks) and Peter Wharton (principal consultant, Happy Robot Inc.).

“Pass the Mic” will celebrate the 100th anniversary of radio broadcasting and its innovations with host veteran radio engineer John Holt.

[For News on Other Shows See Our Show News Page]

“A Century of Radio: What You May Not Know About the History of Broadcasting” features Donna Halper of Lesley University and Barry Mishkind of Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource sharing “surprising facts about broadcast history” and dispelling some cherished myths.

“Stay Safe: Disinfecting Microphones in the time of COVID-19” is presented by David Prentice.

“Podcasts: Telling Stories with Sound” has Rob Byers of American Public Media hosting designers/composers Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda of Revel as well as podcast series reporter/producers Laura Starecheski and Ike Sriskandarajah.

The AES Show usually includes facility tours; this year there are two: “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Broadcasting House Studio,” led by Jamie Laundon, and “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Wales — Cardiff Central Square IP-based Broadcast Facility,” with Adrian Wisbey.

The Broadcast and Online Delivery Track has been led David Bialik for 36 years.

Show info is at AESShow.com. Full all-access registration starts at $149. Free AES Show 2020 Showcase registration is free before October 1.

 

The post History and Mic Hygiene Are on AES Show Agenda appeared first on Radio World.

The L’essentiel Radio Transmission Tower

These photos provided by Broadcasting Center Europe are from its project to install a new transmitter for L’essentiel Radio, adding a signal at 103.4 MHz for the French-language service in Luxembourg.

BCE is a European provider of media services, integration and software. The installation is in the small town of Blaschette in central Luxembourg.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“Since 2016, BCE has supported the French-speaking radio station with the integration of its studios, transmitters and antennas,” the company announced. “L’essentiel Radio has increased its country coverage with the launch of new frequencies in Rambrouch, Junglinster, Ettelbruck and Remich.”

The national radio service is now available on seven FM frequencies.

Eugène Muller is head of transmissions at BCE. Emmanuel Fleig is manager at L’essentiel Radio.

L’essentiel Radio is also planning tests of the DAB+ platform.

Send news of radio broadcast projects (studios, RF, TOCs/NOCs, etc.) to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post A New Frequency for L’essentiel Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Screen grab of the YouTube video described below, taken after 140 generations.

Dan Slentz has been trolling the internet again.

This time he has come across a very interesting audio clip on YouTube. “Nickd2011” took an MP3 recording of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and compressed it up to 300 times.

Nick reminds us that every time an MP3 is recompressed, some of the audio is thrown away. In his example, Nick opened a FLAC file of the song in Adobe Audition, then saved it as a 128k MP3.

He then opened the MP3 he just saved, and resaved it as a 128k MP3 with a new file name. Nick repeated that process 300 times.

When you listen to the fifth generation you’ll notice artifacts in the audio. By the 10th, the audio sounds terrible. And with each subsequent compression, the audio quality only gets worse.

Nick compares the degradation to the game of “Telephone” in which a large group of people line up and the first person whispers something to the second person, who whispers it to the third and so on. By the time the message gets to the last person, the meaning would have changed.

A similar process happens when an MP3 file gets compressed over and over. Each generation introduces new artifacts in the audio, as the decoder imperfectly approximates what audio was thrown away. Wait till you hear the 300th generation!

This is a great clip to share with your programming folks. Find it here.

Sniffing for leaks

Amprobe probably is most familiar to broadcast engineers for its line of clamp-on ammeters the company builds. Their innovation doesn’t stop there, however.

The company has developed an ultrasonic leak detector to help troubleshoot leaks. Initially designed for air conditioning technicians, this probe also can be used to sense nitrogen or other gas leaks in pressurized transmission line.

The ULD-420 has a frequency range from 20 kHz to 90 kHz, the optimal range for detecting a variety of leaks. Three switchable filters help remove noise frequencies in noisy environments, and a headphone output is provided.

The tool runs about $1,000 on Amazon, so it may be better suited for group broadcaster purchase. You can find out more at the Amprobe website www.amprobe.com.

Coming up the end of this month, Amprobe is sponsoring a webinar on using the ULD-420 for leak detection. Register at www.amprobe.com/webinars.

Tiny bubbles

Looking for a less expensive means of leak detection? Radio World Technical Advisor and veteran engineer Tom McGinley reminded me of a simpler method: a bottle of soapsuds.

Even dishwashing liquid cut with water will work. Put it in a spray bottle and spray your connections and junctions of nitrogen tubing with the soapy water. If there’s a leak, little bubbles will appear at the leaky junction. Wipe the water off and tighten the connection.

Help the next engineer

I just presented a Generator Maintenance program for members of the SBE Mentor Program, which is designed to help broadcast engineers new to the field by partnering them with seasoned professionals. The goal is for the more-experienced person to share his or her gained knowledge, both empirical and practical, with someone new to the field.

Mentor Committee Chairman Chris Tarr says, “For the seasoned mentor, it’s a chance to give something back. For the freshman mentee, it’s an ideal way to gain inside knowledge and understanding that can sometime take years to accumulate.”

Program participants also are invited to join the SBE Mentor Group on the SBE Facebook page. This is a member-only benefit. Mentor program participants also receive monthly newsletters and have access to a special Mentor program quarterly webinar series.

Interested in learning more? Contact Education Director Cathy Orosz at corosz@sbe.org or 317-846-9000.

We’re hooked!

BGS Sales Associate Mary Schnelle sent us this photo. It’s a view of the underside of an interview table installed at WTOP in Washington by Rob Goldberg and RadioDNA last fall.

Just a simple hook intended for holding headphones. The hook quickly morphed into another use as a place for guests to hang their purses (or murses). Off the floor and easily within reach!

John Bisset has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification, and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post How Michael Bolton Can Be 300 Times Worse appeared first on Radio World.

The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

The noncommercial media industry groups Public Radio Program Directors and Public Media Journalists Association hosted a joint conference virtually. One showcase featured a powerful initiative in public radio’s search for new audiences.

In 2015, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting launched its support of efforts to develop a new music format for noncommercial radio. What emerged was urban alternative, aimed at drawing a younger, multicultural audience to public media.

The graying of public radio has been a concern for many years, though podcasting, led by NPR in the public media sphere, has changed many of these perceptions. Diversity has been an ongoing concern, however. Urban alternative’s potential in this regard is tremendous.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Four Election Day Issues to Avoid]

While noncommercial radio has many successful music formatted stations — think KEXP, WXPN and KCRW — none are explicitly focused on making noncommercial media a draw to multicultural audiences. Thanks to champions like Mike Henry and CPB Vice President for Radio Jacquie Gales Webb, you can now tune in to one of a handful of urban alternative stations and hear one of public media’s boldest experiments in decades.

Turn on The Drop, featured on HD at Denver’s KUVO, and you’ll catch emerging mainstream hip-hop blended with classics, cutting-edge soul and lively conversation. Houston KTSU has just unveiled the Vibe as its digital channel. To ensure success, the Texas Southern University station has introduced Ben Thompson as content director. Thompson is best-known as Madd Hatta, a Houston hip-hop radio luminary who was program director and morning show host at KBXX, the city’s top-rated station for nearly his whole 20+-year run. Elsewhere, urban alternative endeavors are showing promise, too.

The next great chapter for urban alternative will be securing commitments for FM broadcast. Thus far, HD and other secondary bands have been its home. Considering the a new full-power noncommercial license window is on the way, could there be a possibility for an urban alternative-born terrestrial broadcaster? Many media groups, including the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, are stepping up to educate aspiring station operators about their options.

The positive growth of urban alternative is a crucial opening for those of us in noncommercial radio to have some needed discussion about audience engagement. For more than a generation, public media’s story has been, implicitly as well as openly, about “super serving” its core audience — mostly educated, mostly white, mostly older, mostly middle class to wealthy. The suggestion has been that, by providing quality content to this listener, a station was by extension serving listeners who were younger and less white and wealthy.

But, as we are seeing from controversies across public media, such as the recent implosions at Minnesota Public Radio and St. Louis Public Radio, the generic approach is getting internal and external pushback. Super service does not necessarily mean inclusive service. CPB’s recognition that stations should foster relationships with nontraditional audiences is gratifying. One can hope that such innovative approaches empower others to have discussions about engagement, and about acting for our future.

The post Community Broadcaster: Inclusive Service Is the Future appeared first on Radio World.

Jeff Marks

The author of this commentary is a career broadcaster and a consultant to Widelity Corp. The company recently launched an outsource service to help stations maintain compliance with FCC Online Public Information Files requirements.

College students have a habit of graduating and moving on.

So, this year’s student manager at the campus radio station is gone next year and someone else is in charge for one school year.

Widelity’s informal survey of student-run radio stations shows that they are more likely to be in violation of FCC rules requiring online filings than are other non-commercial or commercial stations. It appears that the managers just don’t know to pay attention to the posting rules.

In most of these cases, nothing has been posted in their Issues and Programs folder since the requirement to post online started almost three years ago.

[Related: “Big Companies Settle With FCC on Online Public Files”]

Why would Widelity Corp., a company that derives its operating revenue by representing commercial radio and television stations, take on helping these chronically underfunded non-commercial stations to get current with their online responsibilities?

Widelity’s joint project with College Broadcasters Inc. seeks to educate these station leaders and to help them create systems so that the knowledge is passed on from year to year.

We have had success consulting radio and TV stations and MPVDs in the television repack, in the C-Band repack and in the online filing process, and this is an opportunity to help educate the next generation of broadcasters about their responsibilities.

Widelity and CBI believe that there is the possibility of finding an underwriting sponsor, so that the student-run stations can receive services paid for in exchange for on-air announcements.

COVID-19 changed everyone’s daily life, and the same is true for student-run radio stations. Station staff had to relocate, and most student-run stations were scrambling just to keep programming on the air. The Online Public Inspection Files process wasn’t on everyone’s “to do” list.

Widelity services will provide board members who oversee student-run stations the confidence that FCC compliance standards are being met as required.

Outsourcing these time-sensitive requirements to Widelity should provide peace of mind not only to the directors, but to the staff administrators as well. As students rotate in and out due to churn, Widelity is a constant that can be depended on to assist the new student staff with information about how to properly handle their station OPIF requirements, including the Issues and Programs quarterly reports.

It certainly is not in an educational institution’s best interest to have its station noncompliant and subject to an FCC fine. It also makes for bad public relations.

Our informal survey shows that FCC OPIF compliance is not part of many student-run stations’ curriculums. We are answering that need by creating a webinar that, in conjunction with College Broadcasters, Inc, will be available to student-run stations.

Because sometimes FCC rules change, we plan to be a continuous, reliable source of FCC compliance information to our client schools.

College broadcast leaders, whether student, staff and faculty, can reach out to us at Widelity for more information.

Radio World welcomes other points of view at radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post College Stations Need Help With Online Public Files appeared first on Radio World.

What do sports radio listeners have in common with top 40 listeners? Not much, really. That’s according to the latest report from Edison Research The Infinite Dial series. It profiles listeners of 11 U.S. radio formats. The report goes on to give some granularity to these different listening audio behaviors.

Titled “Radio Listener Profiles,” this report focuses on weekly AM/FM radio listeners who reported listening most often to a radio station with one of the following formats: alternative rock, classic hits, classic rock, contemporary Christian, country, hard rock/heavy metal, hip-hop/rap, news/talk, R&B, sports and top 40.

[Read: Radio Listening Audiences Rebound Despite Pandemic Impact]

The thesis of Edison Research and Triton Digital’s report is that while formats are usually classified by the age and sex of their listeners, not all audio and audio device behaviors can be inferred along those lines. The report refers to the survey participants as P1 listeners.

Ownership of an in-home AM/FM radio continues to be a challenge for the industry, according to the report. Formats whose listeners are most likely to have a radio at home include classic hits, classic rock, country, hard rock/heavy metal, news/talk and sports. Those listeners likely lacking this appliance regularly tune in to alternative rock, contemporary Christian, hip-hop/rap and top 40. Positioned exactly between these two in terms of radio ownership are R&B listeners, representing the overall average.

According to the report, this loss of traditional home radio receivers is partially offset by the influx of smart speakers. Again, the report claims, the utilization of these new devices is not consistent across the board. Not surprisingly, it suggests that smart speaker adoption tracks pretty consistently with the formats which attract younger listeners. Those most likely to own a smart speaker tune in to alternative rock, hard rock/heavy metal, hip-hop/rap, R&B, sports and top 40. On the other hand, the report says, those holding on to their AM/FM radio prefer country, classic hits, classic rock, contemporary Christian and news/talk.

 

The post Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio? appeared first on Radio World.

Mark Persons

Only nine people had received the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Broadcast Engineers, until this week. Mark Persons becomes the 10th.

It was presented to Persons during an SBE online membership meeting and award ceremony.

Radio World is proud to share this news in part because Mark is a longtime contributor and valued member of the RW family. (You can read many of his recent tech tips and commentaries here.)

“The SBE John H. Battison Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes and pays tribute to individuals for their dedication, lifelong achievement and outstanding contribution to broadcast engineering,” the SBE wrote in its announcement.

Prior recipients are Benjamin Wolfe and James Wulliman (1995), Philo and Elma Farnsworth (1997), Morris Blum (1998), Richard Rudman (2002), Richard Burden (2005), John Battison (2006) and Terry Baun (2010).

Persons told SBE: “I never had a Plan B. I was always going to be a broadcast engineer, and that’s exactly how it came out.”

The event planners had to get clever to plan the presentation. They secretly contacted Paula Persons via the Brainerd, Minn., VFW to ship the plaque to her via a friend.

To ensure Mark Persons was online for the ceremonies, they then invited him as 2018 recipient of the SBE Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award, to be present for a cameo with other past winners. And during the online ceremony, Paula came into his office with the award.

[Related: “SBE Names Its New Executive Director”]

SBE provided this summary of his career:

“Mark, a life-long resident of Minnesota, followed in the footstep of his father, who was also a radio broadcast engineer. Mark started turning transmitter knobs more than 60 years ago. While reaching the rank of sergeant in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, Mark was in charge of an avionics repair shop for the OV-1 Mohawk high-tech surveillance aircraft in Vietnam.

“After his military service, he spent the next 10 years with KVBR radio in Brainerd, MN, where he became chief engineer. In 1977, he opened his own radio engineering consulting business, which he operated for the next 40 years. He married his wife Paula in 1978, and she became instrumental in running the business side of the business out of their home.

“Mark has been a respected engineer in Minnesota and the upper Midwest his entire career. He built 12 commercial AM and FM radio stations, and rebuilt, upgraded, maintained and repaired countless other radio stations for clients. He has endeavored to share his knowledge and experience with others in the field. He has written more than 140 articles that have appeared in industry magazines and made more than 25 speeches and presentations at industry conventions, conferences and meetings.”

Nominees are SBE members and have been active for 40 years or more in broadcast engineering or an allied field. Persons joined the SBE in 1981 and is now a life member. He holds three life certifications from the society.

Persons retired several years ago but is active in the SBE Mentor Program. He’s also a ham and a member of the American Legion, The VFW and Disabled American Veterans.

You can watch the replay of the membership meeting and awards ceremonies on the SBE YouTube channel.

As previously announced, RJ Russell received the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award. Fred Baumgartner and Roland Robinson received the James C. Wulliman SBE Educator of the Year award. New SBE Fellows Ralph Beaver and Jim Leifer were saluted.

[Related: “RJ Russell Is SBE’s Engineer of the Year”]

The post Mark Persons Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on Radio World.

The “Next Best Thing Media Tour” is rolling onward, having visited almost two dozen markets so far, and with a long list to go before it concludes around Thanksgiving time.

Greg Dahl

It’s a traveling outdoor equipment expo intended to help engineers and others see equipment or talk to vendors in person, in this year without an NAB Show. In some cases the visits coincide with SBE chapter meetings.

Stops for the week of Sept. 28 are Philadelphia, Baltimore, Raleigh and Charlotte. Major markets on the list and yet to be visited include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Atlanta.

Prime movers in the effort include Greg Dahl of Second Opinion Communication, Dave Kerstin of Broadcasters General Store and Jeff Williams of Yellowtec.

Companies with product and/or people taking part are American Recorders, Angry Audio, BDI, Broadcast Bionics, Broadcast Tools Inc., CANARE Corp. of America, CircuitWerkes, Comrex, DJB, ENCO Systems Inc., Graham Studios, Henry Engineering, Inovonics Inc., Kathrein Broadcast USA, Kintronic Labs, Masterclock, Inc, Myat, NotaBotYet, Radio Design Labs, Shoreview Distribution, Shure Incorporated, Sprite Media, Summit Technologies Group, Telos Alliance, Vclock, and WorldCast Group.

Dahl has said that the idea was inspired in part by the “Taste of NAB” tour that Larry Bloomfield conducted over several years.

The tour stops in four communities each week. The group photo above was taken this week in Cleveland.

Masks and hand sanitizer are available at each location. The organizers said equipment and surfaces are sanitized between interactions.

A link to the schedule is available at the Second Opinion Facebook page.

Traveling van of Second Opinion Communications.

 

The post “Next Best Thing” Tour on Mid-Atlantic Swing appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters is standing behind the Federal Communications Commission decision not to create a new class of low-power FM stations.

In a Report and Order issued earlier this year, the FCC concluded that it would not move to create a new class of 250-watt LPFM stations, known as the LP-250 service. The NAB agreed with the FCC in recently submitted comments, arguing that there is no reason for the FCC to create another class of service, governed by a different set of rules. Moreover, the association said, if an LPFM applicant or station wants to operate a 250-watt radio station, it can apply for a Class A license just like any other entity.

[Read: LPFM Stations Seek Technical Upgrades]

A formal Petition for Reconsideration was filed by a group of LPFM/NCE community radio engineer advocates as part of an FCC Report and Order on modernizing media regulations (formally known as Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 to Improve the Low Power FM Radio Service Technical Rules, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 19-193 and 17-105). Those commenters included Todd Urick with Common Frequency, Paul Bame with the Prometheus Radio Project and five other LPFM operators and engineers.

The group complained in its most recent filing that the FCC did not adequately acknowledge LPFM advocates’ concerns nor did it address numerous sentiments regarding the subject in the final FCC order. Specifically, the commenters argued that LP-250 is not in conflict with the Local Community Radio Act’s requirement regarding reducing minimum distance separations between LPFM and full-service stations. The commenters said that nothing in the commission’s reasoning within the order offer adequate enough rationale for denying the creation of an LP-250 service.

Rather, they said, the commission seemed to imply that the LP-250 issue required further study, which the commenters infer to mean that the commission intends to open a proceeding in the future to solicit various LP-250 proposals for stakeholders to contemplate. In addition, such a solicitation would also address LPFM operators’ concerns about low-power FM service deficiencies that curtail listener reception.

“There does not seem conclusive reasoning to not consider a LP-250 service,” the group said in its comments. “The commission has vastly assisted in relief concerning AM broadcasters failing coverage. Shouldn’t commensurate effort be extended to ameliorating LPFM coverage issues? [Plus,] there is certainly a demand for relief concerning LPFM interference/underpower concerns within the station’s 60 dBu contour of many LPFM stations.”

The NAB responded by saying the petitioners are only rehashing claims in support of LP-250 service that the FCC already fully considered. The petitioners also offer no new information about the burden on applicants of preparing contour studies and entirely ignore the impact on the FCC of having to review such studies, the NAB said. The association also said that although the text of the LCRA does not specifically cap LPFM power levels, the act does prohibit reduction of the minimum distance separations between LPFM and FM stations and that LP-250 supporters have not shown that LP250 service could be consistent with these spacing requirements.

“Petitioners urge the FCC to relitigate its view of the LCRA, but do not offer any additional facts or policy reasons,” the NAB said. “The FCC has repeatedly and consistently spoken on this matter, and while petitioners may disagree with the commission, the FCC’s approach is perfectly valid, thoughtful and requires deference.”

The NAB reminded the FCC that the group failed to provide new facts or new arguments in this subsequent round of comments, which is a necessary part of the process when the FCC considers reversing an earlier decision.

“As [the commenters are] well-aware, the act struck a careful balance between the interests of noncommercial entities for more licensing of LPFM stations with those of incumbent services for interference safeguards,” the NAB said in its comments. “Allowing LPFM stations to more than double their maximum power now, a decade later, would upend the careful balance that stakeholders forged at the time.”

Comments on the issue can be viewed within the FCC’s ECFS electronic database using Docket 17-105 or 19-193.

 

The post FCC Decision to Nix Creation of New LPFM Class Gets Reactions appeared first on Radio World.