Radio World

WorldCast Systems is letting all owners of Ecreso FM transmitters use its SmartFM technology gratis for one year.

SmartFM is compatible with recent generation Ecreso FM transmitters and users can activate it through a software upgrade or license activation.

According to the company, SmartFM can help stations save up to €4000 (about $4,300) per year when using an Ecreso FM 10 kW transmitter. Or they can save €400 (approximately $430) when using an Ecreso FM 1000 W transmitter.

“To support our customers during this tough period, it means a lot to us to contribute in some way. Covid-19 is impacting all industries, worldwide, including FM radio,” said Co-President, Nicolas Boulay. “During these uncertain economic times, limiting costs becomes crucial and for this reason, we are offering SmartFM.”

Worldcast says clients should contact their regional sales managers or email the company at sales@worldcastsystems.com to activate SmartFM.

The post WorldCast Gives Ecreso Users Free Access to SmartFM appeared first on Radio World.

The author is chairman of Digital Radio Mondiale.

While our lives have been recently stripped to the minimum by a virus, our vocabulary has been suddenly enriched with new words, concepts and acronyms like lockdown, social distancing and work from home, for those who can.

Now work from home has become much more than the bonus it might have been occasionally in the past. The same is true about the current intense virtual socializing, conference calling and distance learning many experience.

When schools closed down hundreds of thousands of children and older students started to use the internet intensely to continue their education. But to do so these students need a computer and access to broadband and secure connections. In addition, we are already experiencing the limitations of WFH. The broadband is not infinite, and neither is spectrum, a rare commodity indeed.

Big players like Netflix and Amazon are already trimming their offerings to save some bits. Providers are also asking us to use this precious commodity with care. Broadband itself is also of different grades, better when glass fiber than copper etc.

And then there is the physical laptop. What if your mother is distance teaching, your father is conference calling, you are distance learning and your siblings are just skyping friends? How many laptops does a household need? Maybe not all these activities are simultaneous but the laptop (and the cell phone, too) are our gateway to a world blighted by an invisible enemy.

And this is where free-to-air radio broadcasting in its digital format can be of real help. Unlike analog radio, digital and certainly using DRM will allow you to use a receiver with a LED color screen, not smaller than what you have on a cell phone.

Photo Credit: Radu Obreja

This screen transforms radio into an aggregating platform that delivers quality audio, no matter which band is used.

In digital DRM, audio is accompanied by data. It offers the possibility of carrying up to two audio channels and one data channel just on one of the existing frequencies. This is different from analog, which delivers just one audio program on the same frequency and no data. Data can be anything: A geometry lesson with drawings, a quiz, a poem, any text or picture or diagram, etc.

And if you use Journaline, an open, internationally standardized data application for advanced text information in digital radio systems, you will get hierarchically structured information, giving users easy and immediate access to topics of interest and in the desired language.

Users can browse all received information — both audio program-related but also program-independent text information — and select what is of interest. Journaline is not DRM specific and works with virtually any broadcast platform (i.e. DAB/DAB+) due to its low transmission bandwidth consumption. It even delivers a “Hot Button” feature that allows broadcasters to trigger backchannel interactivity, such as linking to online websites, initiating phone calls or sending short text messages.

Recently the data carriage feature of DRM was demonstrated during the BES event in India. It provides an easy, cheap, wide-coverage way of delivering public signage. Think of the screens placed in public places. They could be fed from a DRM transmitter with data only (warnings, phone numbers, simple instructions, or stock market information, pictures of politicians, celebrities, heroes etc.). The system is being tested and used in China.

If this is news to you, then my point is made. Digital radio has been introduced over many years and decades patchily. I don’t believe its full potential has been presented in a compelling way, or that it’s been fully explored.

Digital terrestrial broadcasting is limitless in the number of users it can reach with audio but also extra data. The graphic color screen is the big public alert that can save lives or the small blackboard that is available “live” or where previously stored material can be displayed later. If this sounds like a clunky computer service, it probably is. But it is a resilient and cheap service, it does not consume a lot of bandwidth or electricity and it can reach everyone over large areas (when broadcast in DRM shortwave and medium wave) or locally (DRM in the FM band).

Not many people would have imagined three months ago that we can be in the rare and extreme situation many of us are experiencing now. We must soldier on working from home. Information keeps us connected and alive.

Digital radio reaches vast numbers of peoples at the same time without a lot of intervention, delivering so much more than audio. Having it as a backup to internet, in some places, or as a main source of information in others, allowing access when there is no laptop available, is now becoming a necessity. What’s more, DRM digital radio delivers emergency information or disaster warnings over large or local areas, a feature which seems to be rising in importance.

The virus will not be forever among us. But when we get back to  the new normality, we mustn’t forget this lesson about the great possibilities of digital radio. Full digital broadcasts and full-feature digital receivers are a necessity and not a cottage industry any longer.

We need this new and resilient platform called digital radio because in the invisible fight between viruses floating in the air and radio waves reaching us from a lonely transmitter far away, I will always bet on the radio waves.

The post The Unexplored Benefits of Digital Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Bringing together the sound of its 1035 main monitor with 96 kHz processing and integration with its GLM calibration software, Genelec has introduced the 1235A Smart Active Monitor, intended for music, film and post-production studios.

Launched in 1989, the original 1035 was a wall-mountable full-range monitor that was adopted in studios around the world, including Metropolis and Olympic in London and JVC and West Side in Japan.

According to Genelec, the new 1235A has similar frequency response both on and off-axis, and is said to have a wide and stable sweet spot. The 1235A also has a short-term SPL of 130 dB and low-frequency extension down to 29 Hz.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

The 12.36 cubic foot enclosure of the 1235A matches exactly the dimensions of the 1035, and features dual high-performance 15-inch drivers, dual 5-inch midrange drivers and a low distortion 1-inch throat compression driver. The midrange and tweeter drivers work in conjunction with DCW waveguide technology to produce directivity and consistent imaging.

The 1235A’s remote-mountable RAM XL electronics module contains power amplification, crossovers and processing, with Class D amplification delivering 2,000 W, 800 W and 250 W for the LF, MF and HF drivers respectively. Input connectivity is provided via both analog and AES/EBU digital formats — along with an AES/EBU digital output — and the updated design of the 1235 also delivers a flatter on-axis frequency response and improved noise performance than was possible with the original 1035, according to Genelec.

With GLM software, the 1235A can be configured, controlled and calibrated for the user’s acoustic environment, tailoring the frequency response, level, distance delay and more as needed. GLM allows users of any type of Genelec Smart Active Monitors to create systems to suit all types of stereo, multiple stereo, multichannel or 3D immersive audio formats.

For those who already own 1035A and B monitors, they can be upgraded with the new technology of the 1235A. The upgrade, which includes installation of the new RAM-XL module, brand new drivers and a complete system calibration, can be completed with no structural changes and little downtime.

Info: www.genelecusa.com

 

The post Genelec 1235A Smart Active Monitor and Upgrade Launch appeared first on Radio World.

The Telos Alliance says the V1.6 update to its Axia Pathfinder Core Pro enables a virtual monitoring and control version of the middleware intended for smaller systems.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

The new VML version is equipped for 300 connections and has a lower price point to match, as compared to the larger Pathfinder Core Pro VM system. Both options enable broadcasters to discover and ID compatible devices within a Livewire+ AES67 ecosystem and then serve as an AoIP router after determining potential sources and destinations.

Telos says Pathfinder also “can schedule and trigger events, detect audio silence, issue alarms, and instruct failover routing. It even allows the user to create custom screen-based control and monitoring panels.”

Additionally, the company says Pathfinder Core PRO VM and VML could be installed in “hypervisor environments, including VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, Proxmox and Stratus” at off-site data centers.

Info: www.telosalliance.com

 

The post Telos Alliance Adds New Axia Pathfinder Option appeared first on Radio World.

WorldCast Systems’ says that software Version 1.1.5 is now available for the Audemat RDS Encoder.

Version 1.1.5, the company says, offers new communication features for higher flexibility and ease of use. Among these functions, there is the additional backwards compatibility with the previous generation FMB80, which facilitates use of mixed networks and sending of the same set of commands.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

There are also new capacities for file configuration through FTP, which the firm says, enables compatibility with most third-party automation software, and easier unit configuration with debugging tools integrated for UECP and ASCII commands.

Also new is Version 3.10 for the Audemat FM MC5 FM test and measurement system.

Version 3.10 is compliant with ITU-R SM.1268-5, published in August 2019. This evolution of the recommendation redefines the criteria for validating FM deviation measurements. For an MPX trip measurement to be valid, four criteria are now taken into account, compared to two in the past.

V. 3.10 integrates new measurements as defined by the ITU, such as condition verification before measurements.

In addition to ITU compliancy, the latest software updates aim to improve the user experience. According to WorldCast, these updates include fixed point measurements and a simpler, more complete interface for radio technicians and engineers, as well as a simplification of the analysis of mobile measurement campaigns.

 

Info: www.worldcastsystems.com

The post WorldCast Updates Software appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC at its open meeting later this month will vote on new rules to allow low-power FM stations in the United States the use of directional antennas and FM booster stations.

The FCC’s Report and Order will update the technical rules for low-power FM (LPFM) stations and allow them to take advantage of additional engineering options to improve reception, according to the FCC. The LPFM service is two decades old and has grown to over 2,100 stations.

The commission’s vote on the reforms this month would “increase flexibility while maintaining interference protection and the core LPFM goals of diversity and localism,” according to the FCC.

[Read: COVID-19 Updates: Next FCC Meeting Is Online Only, Format Adaptations & More]

LPFM advocates have been pushing the FCC for technical upgrades to improve reception. The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is about 3.5 miles, according to the FCC.

The new LPFM rules on directional antenna changes, which are based on a petition from REC Networks, would permit the use of composite directional antennas, as opposed to off the shelf, in certain cases.

Michi Bradley, founder of REC Networks and an LPFM advocate, previously told Radio World the newly proposed rules are “not a carte blanche for all LPFMs” to use directional antennas.

The FCC in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking last year said it didn’t think the use of DAs will be widespread: “We believe that directional antennas, whether off-the-shelf or custom models, will not be used widely in the LPFM service due to their higher cost and limited necessity. Nevertheless, the use of such antennas could, if properly engineered, provide significant flexibility to LPFM licensees subject to international agreements and to those that must relocate in areas with few available transmitter sites,” according to the FCC.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a blog post this week pointed out several LPFM radio stations that are providing their communities with up-to-date information during the coronavirus pandemic in this country; specifically mentioning WNQZ(LP) in New Orleans, which has been carrying locally produced public service announcements.

In addition, he wrote: “WOMP(LP) in Cambridge, Ohio, which has been carrying local church services, serving the elderly and low-income Americans who are particularly isolated and lack access to streaming services. And KDRT(LP) in Davis, Calif., which stepped up to serve its community after the local college radio station was forced off the air by the pandemic.”

The FCC’s rulemaking process did draw comments from some observers worried the reforms could bring increased congestion to the FM band. For example, Entercom Communications, in a Notice of Ex Parte Communication, noted during a meeting with FCC Chairman Pai last fall the broadcaster expressed concern that certain modifications to the LPFM technical rules proposed “could bring increased congestion to the FM dial leading to interference to full-power stations.”

The National Association of Broadcasters also wrote about concerns they had with several aspects of the proposed rule changes.

“NAB is concerned that the proposal to allow LPFM licensees expanded use of directional antennas could cause interference to full-service FM stations. We further object to the commission’s proposal to grant a blanket authorization to LPFM operators to use boosters,” NAB wrote in its comments.

The FCC has previously rejected proposals to allow LPFM stations to increase power greater than 100 watts. LPFM advocates, including REC Networks, have previously asked for a 250 watt service (LP250).

The FCC’s April Open Meeting is scheduled for April 23 in Washington.

 

The post FCC Poised to Improve Reception of LPFM Stations appeared first on Radio World.

Hear from three Voice of America radio journalists seeking to provide studio quality sound from home while complying with social distancing best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chet Rhodes Special Project Manager, Studio and Production Operations

Radio World: VOA says the health crisis has “forced Voice of America’s nearly 50 separate newsrooms out of studio facilities and into its journalists’ homes across the world.” Focusing on the radio and audio services for the moment, describe the technical challenges that this raised, and how your team has gone about solving them.

Chet Rhodes: Very early during this crisis we had to send half of our radio staff home that operate the radio studios to self-isolate themselves. Staff from all over VOA stepped up to volunteer to run shows as the organization worked to move programing out of the building. As of today, all radio programming is being done remotely. Staff are producing shows at home or in the field and sending in files to be played out of our automation systems. Live programming, such as top of the hour newscasts, are being done with VOIP technology or over the cell phone network.

RW: What general technology platforms and specific products are you using and how do the pieces plug together?

Rhodes: We use a wide selection of software from Audacity which is free, to all the Adobe products such as Audition and Premiere, which have great audio editing tools.

RW: What has the impact of the crisis been on your air talent and on other staff?

Rhodes: People have been very supportive across the agency in working to keep our staff safe but also continue the mission of broadcasting the news to the global audience. Many on the staff have expressed concerns about safety, but at the same time they are offering suggestions on how to operate in this challenging environment.

RW: What is the strategy of the VOA technology team to react to the coronavirus, as far as its overall operational and technical processes are concerned?

Rhodes: By increasing the use of the use of social media and digital platformsk, VOA has been able to focus on moving people from working in the building to enabling people to work from home and produce content while doing so. Another key is to continue to improve the quality of the remote production for our sophisticated global audience.

RW: How “virtual” can your operations get, and how?

Rhodes: With radio, we can get completely “virtual.” All of our radio services have in place digital platforms to deliver content and by using something radio has used for years — a phone. We can still gather sound from anywhere and get it on the air. We are using streaming, podcasting and social media.

RW: Any specific technical obstacles have you encountered that you have had to solve, other than described above?

Rhodes: Working from the field has always been part of radio production, so in many ways we are going back to the basics; while some staff have not had to work at home at this pace before, staff has had to make sure the home environment, the Wi-Fi, the older home computer was ready to support everything needed. VOA has deployed laptops, and many staff also upgraded home systems.

Jim Stevenson in the D.C. VOA studio

RW: What lessons can other engineers and technical managers learn from what you’ve been doing these past two weeks?

Rhodes: Even with the staff working virtually, a core technical staff is still needed to work in the building to maintain our operations. Plans have been in place for years for various emergencies, we found that some were outdated, others impractical due to the nature of this emergency. Getting decisions made early on by VOA leadership that we would be working to get almost everyone out of our building was important, so we knew from the start the end goal and have been working towards that.

RW: Do you think these infrastructure changes will be permanent in any way?

Rhodes: The ability for people to work at home for broadcasting has been something looked at for a long time. This might accelerate that to give us more workforce flexibility. All the work done to support that remote workflow will likely remain in place in some way.

RW: What else should we know?

Rhodes: People will be overwhelmed during a situation like this. Support them, and provide the best tools you can and using online collaboration software make sure they can have support to learn how to use them quickly. A lot of training will be needed to support new workflows that are developed.

Martha Townes Managing Editor (Internet), East Asia and Pacific Division

RW: Much of the focus in the press release was about how your TV people are setting up remote facilities. Our readership focuses on radio and audio, but your radio teams too probably are “thinking visually” and setting up for on-camera work, yes?

Martha Townes: Because social media is such an important way to engage with our audience, our radio reporters have been “thinking visually” for many years. Our Indonesian, Thai, Lao, Khmer services, for example, regularly take a camera into the radio studio and broadcast their programs live on Facebook.

The shift to working from home has resulted in innovation and ingenuity.

In the absence of sound proof recording booths, our reporters from Korean and Burmese voiced reports in their closet. Our Khmer staff reporting to Cambodia improvised with blankets. VOA Thai replaced their Facebook Live radio show with a hybrid approach. They recorded their program as an mp4 video file that they posted on Facebook. They stripped out the audio from that recording and aired it on their traditional radio broadcast channels.

Lekhena Sreng Reporter, VOA Khmer Service

RW: How has the situation changed your workflow? 

Lekhena Sreng: I see telework in a positive way except the real life social disconnection but we have social media to reconnect us for now. I started working from 5 a.m. in my living room, gathering all the texts and audios from the newscasters, reporters either in DC or Phnom Penh to record using my iPhone, edit the audio using Adobe Premiere, place the combined 60-minute show in our container for radio.

I talked to some of my friends and family, they all can’t tell I did it from living room but thought I go to work every day.

The post VOA Journalists Adapt to COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Baker

Radio stations and engineers are hearing a lot of questions from U.S. churches and hospitals inquiring whether they can legally set up low-power radio broadcasts to their parking lots. What’s the right answer?

We talked to Bill Baker, whose company Information Station Specialists provides radio solutions for emergencies and events, Traveler’s Information and Highway Advisory Radio and specialized legal unlicensed operations.

Radio World: This seems like a good time to pause and ask generally what the FCC rules allow.

Bill Baker: FCC “Part 15” rules set the parameters for short-range broadcasts, which can contain almost any kind of content and can operate on any standard frequency as long as interference to broadcasters does not result. A license is not required as long as the equipment bears a FCC certification number.

With the advent of international services such as Amazon, it is relatively easy to inadvertently purchase a foreign-made unit, which is quite illegal in the U.S. So the first question a buyer should ask is whether it has a certification sticker on the product. In this regard, purchasing from a U.S.-based manufacturer is usually the safest move.

This kind of communication service can be very effective at a point in which people are 1) in their vehicles, 2) in a slow-moving line of cars or parked and 3) in need of critical information that is pertinent. Virus treatment information can be critical to our physical health just as spiritual encouragement can be critical on a totally level.  Either way, the point of short-range broadcasting is to deliver critical information just when it’s needed most.

RW: Are both FM and AM broadcasts possible?

Baker: Yes. But the reason that AM band FCC Part 15 devices are most often preferred is because per the FCC’s FM Part 15.219 rules, the broadcast distance is so restricted as to make it unusable for more than a few feet. At 100 feet, the signal need to be gone. A drive-through restaurant that has the listener’s car hugging the building perhaps could utilize a FM system of this kind. But most people we talk to require more range to make such a communication system useful.

RW: Your own transmitter product operates under FCC rules Part 15.219, using a 3 meter antenna and 100 mw of power. What other equipment would a user require?

Baker: Short of an audio and a power source, the InfOspot product line provides basically everything else most operators need. You can send line level audio from a sound board or wireless pickup right to the transmitters live input. There is also a voice recorder/player onboard that some COVID test locations use to record messages for a repeating broadcast, on the fly.

RW: What kind of power or range limitations do the operators need to respect, in order to remain within legal limits? You said that there’s a  common misconception about Part 15. Can you explain?  

Baker: You have put your finger right on it. Part 15.219, while limiting the AM transmitter power and antenna/ground length, does not specify a signal intensity limit the way the Part 15 FM rules do. Therefore, it’s not possible to get out of bounds with the signal distance with a system like InfOspot.

RW: What else should we know?
Baker: Most FM Part 15 systems that you see advertised are not legal for use in the U.S. Buyer beware!

The post Low-Power Radio in the Parking Lot: What You Need to Know appeared first on Radio World.

Thanks for Dick Taylor’s commentary “Invest in People and Programming, Not More Signals.” If I may use an analogy here: Ocean City, U.S.A., is expanding its boardwalk to accommodate more commercial space for eateries.

Sounds great, right? There is the promise of more variety of food offerings for increasingly diverse populations, young and old. We’ll finally have room for more Asian, Latin, Caribbean and Middle Eastern fare that a number of people have been requesting, for decades.

Here’s the problem. The new spaces are being taken by chain restaurants, with no room for “mom and pop” independent vendors. The “new spaces” will only be an extension of what is already available, up and down the boardwalk: everyone’s favorite Italian and Mexican chain restaurants and another “Big Marty’s” burgers, greasy fries and funnel cake, all because “it sells.”

[Check Out More Letters at Radio World’s Reader’s Forum Section]

Sound familiar? That’s exactly how commercial radio has operated since 1996. As with retail in Ocean City, it has nothing to do with adding more variety to the radio dial and everything to do with who controls the radio real estate under current rules and regulations.

We can thank the National Association of Broadcasters for the rider it succeeded in tacking on to the 1996 Telecommunications Act, signed by President Clinton, which increased the number of radio stations that one entity can own in any given radio market in the country (eight stations per major market, and now they want even more station per market). What this did in effect was reduce programming choices across the radio dial, slash payrolls and with it send more and more talented people out on the street.

When I hear someone say they think expanding the number of radio stations we have will improve anything, I laugh, given the current ownership rules. The “big boys” like iHeart own all the “blowtorch” signals everywhere and they homogenize everything they get their hands on.

Under the current “playing field,” expanding the number of radio stations we’d have would only expand the mundane. Instead of “57 channels with nothing on,” we’d have “88 channels with nothing on.” No imagination, no freedom for innovative people, just the same tainted focus group-driven pap.

For just once, I wish “gurus” like iHeart’s Bob Pittman would take a peek back to a time before FM radio became king in the radio marketing world in the 1960s, when circular polarization had just been perfected, but before that groundbreaking technical breakthrough pushed FM radio into the limelight. It was a time when the “inmates ran the asylum” with “underground FM” radio, before the top 40 radio doctors arrived around 1973. It was the most spontaneous, creative and fun time in the history of commercial radio. That is the kind of investment in people and programming that I think Dick Taylor is hinting at in his article; not to dredge up those old album rock tracks, but to bring back that wide-open spirit that has sorely been missing since that contrived “superstars” format arrived to mimic “hip FM” radio in 1973. People see through that kind of plasticity. The numbers show it.

If you want a clue, find a 1972 aircheck from KDKB(FM), Phoenix, to hear unbridled imagination and fun taking place, which included not only cutting edge music of the day, but well-produced (in-house) fake commercials and spoof commentary. It was a golden age of radio for boomers.

Pete Simon
Arvada, Colo.

 

The post Reader’s Forum: Bring Back Radio’s “Unbridled Imagination” 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 coronavirus pandemic has ground many cities’ schools, businesses and civic life to a complete stop. Don’t tell that to dozens of fierce community radio stations though. They are continuing to bring news, music and togetherness for their isolated residents.

President Donald Trump has extended nationwide social distancing guidelines until April 30. What was once the White House’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative is now much longer. The administration recommends that Americans avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; work or attend school and other gatherings remotely whenever possible; and avoid eating or drinking at bars and restaurants. Even states like Florida, which had long resisted such orders have come around to this tactic for halting COVID-19.

That is not to say social distancing has been easy. Employment forecasts are looking dour. Families have had to adjust. And, importantly, our own sense of community is affected by being largely removed from what we traditionally know of where we live.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: COVID-19’s Threat to Community Radio]

For community broadcasters, the coronavirus pandemic has also been hard. Scores of college and community radio stations have been impacted by the choice of licensees to protect people and facilities. Some stations have many volunteers in vulnerable populations. Some managers have felt the risk of spreading the illness is too great and opted for full automation. All of these decisions are fair and appropriate. Such calls are rooted in local conditions. There is absolutely no shame in siding with safety.

When community radio stations can balance out health concerns and continue to broadcast their brand of unique programming, it is remarkable.

The New York Times chronicled a range of community radio stations fighting to stay on the air during the coronavirus pandemic, including WFMU, WWOZ and WOMR. But they are far from the only community radio stations doing all they can to continue despite COVID-19. WORT, KPFZ, KDNK, KEXP and WMPG are just a few of the stations delivering a variety of broadcasts involving in-studio volunteers, remote recordings, and other formats.

Their approach may be best framed by General Manager Jessica Evett, whose KRBX is also on the air. She said, “Music has the power to provide a shelter from stress, and we know our DJs and their playlists are a soothing influence that make us all feel closer, despite being apart.”

Ingenious radio stations have created many schema on the fly. Whether it is programming produced at home and uploaded directly to automation, shared via Dropbox, or dialed-in to the live studio, the solutions are as varied as the stations themselves. Unfortunately, several stations have been forced to develop a means to continue broadcasting quickly, because they did not have contingencies. Yet they continue to do admirable programming in a time when they are much needed.

The moment has offered plenty of innovations. For example, KVRU(LP) created coronavirus education announcements in many languages. Stations are creating book clubs, doing virtual town halls and more.

The longtime narrative about community radio is one of want. Our reputation is of small staffing, few resources and operating on the edge. Yet in a time of incredible uncertainty, community radio surety has been outstanding. Stations that have managed to keep original programming in spite of the odds deserve much regard for their commitment and service.

The post Community Broadcaster: Salute to Stations Fighting On appeared first on Radio World.

The Broadcasters Clinic is famous for its prize drawings. Clinic Chair Kent Aschenbrenner and an exhibitor try his luck at a previous event.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association is seeking presentation proposals for this fall’s Broadcasters Clinic.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 12–15 in Madison, but Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Vice President Linda Baun noted in her proposal solicitation that she expects the “new normal” may distract or delay potential participants. Therefore, WBA is getting a headstart on the process, Baun wrote in her email.

Baun asks, “Do you have unique perspectives or ideas on trends and technologies as we move forward to the future of radio, television, and online media technologies?”

If you have an idea, send an email to Baun detailing your proposed topic, a brief synopsis and the name of the presenter. Submissions are due by April 30.

Baun also highlighted a message of solidarity: “Together, we will make it through these times and look forward to getting us all together again in October.”

The post Broadcasters Clinic Opens Call for 2020 Speakers appeared first on Radio World.

Roger Lanctot

The author is director, automotive connected mobility of the Global Automotive Practice of Strategy Analytics. 

As technology consumers we make tradeoffs.

We let Google peer into our online activity and email communications and we even accept annoying advertisements tied to our browsing activity in order to access free email and browsing. We tolerate smartphones with diminishing performance from Apple — even after Apple admits that the diminishing performance is deliberately-inflicted obsolescence to push us into our next iPhone upgrade. We accept Tesla’s privacy violations in exchange for an awe-inspiring driving experience and software updates.

Along the way we have surrendered our privacy and so much more. Now Tesla Motors may be asking us to surrender free over-the-air broadcast radio.

According to the notes describing the latest software update for owners of 2018-made Tesla’s and earlier (using MCU-1), the latest optional software update (which carries a $2,500 price tag but adds Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and Twitch) removes AM/FM radio and SiriusXM. 

This is the often-cited downside of software updates — the potential to obtain improved system performance while sacrificing previously desirable functionality.

While Tesla’s decision only impacts older Tesla’s, it nevertheless highlights the strangely tortured relationship between the broadcast radio industry and Silicon Valley. The issue is a common thread traceable to Apple’s refusal to activate the FM chips built into its phones — and Google’s decision to ignore “terrestrial” radio as part of either Android Auto or Google Automotive Services.

Google, Apple and Tesla have all turned their backs on the broadcast radio industry in spite of the wide reach of radio — a reach that exceeds that of television — and the fact that it is free, localized content ideally suited to consumption in a mobile environment. Tesla’s decision likely only affects a sliver of Tesla owners given the cost of the optional upgrade and the limited in-vehicle enhancements, but it has the ominous tinge of something more sinister.

The Tesla software update, focused as it is on adding streaming video and a $9.99/month subscription — for owners not already on the company’s premium service tier — points to a streaming-only approach to content delivery. Just as satellite broadcaster SiriusXM felt compelled to offer an IP version of its content, Tesla appears inclined to shift all content delivery to IP reception.

The strategy makes sense for a company delivering cars on multiple continents with varying local broadcast protocols and metadata. Shifting radio reception to IP delivery vastly simplifies the in-dash configuration and, in the long run, may enable some hardware content reduction in the form of deleted tuners and antennas. This is particularly relevant in the run up to 5G adoption — a technology upgrade that will require the additional of multiple antennas.

Tesla vehicles in North America have always come with TuneIn — so, now, TuneIn becomes the preferred radio IP broadcast point of aggregation. In fact, it is quite possible that Tesla has leveraged user data from its own vehicles to determine that radio listening in its vehicles was sufficiently minimal to be worth risking some minor resistance.

More importantly, the software update removing the radio experience is optional. Maybe the offer is a test to determine the customer reaction to a tradeoff of streaming video and improved user interface performance with the sacrifice of broadcast radio for $2,500? Is the offer a bit of a market research project? Anything is possible from Tesla, which has altered its pricing and discounts on multiple occasions in response to market conditions.

But the inclination to delete radio is a popular behavior pattern in Silicon Valley where Google and Apple have treated broadcasters with disdain. 

Is this approach sustainable? Is it tolerable? Where can an outraged consumer turn to protest?  Will there be consumer outrage? Should there be? Is it time for an in-vehicle radio mandate to ensure that emergency communications — at least — can be broadcast into cars?

I’m not going to cry wolf. And I’m not going to play Chicken Little. I will say that the radio industry offers   contextually relevant and reliable content delivery with a broad reach across a wide range of devices and listening environments. Deleting radio from cars — terrestrial or satellite-based — tears at the fabric of our social connectedness.

The marginal cost of preserving terrestrial broadcast connections — particularly in the context of radio’s ongoing global digital transition and the resilience of the medium during emergencies — ought to place this particular content reception experience in a non-delete category. Tesla doesn’t appear to share this view and Tesla is not alone. Once again, Silicon Valley is asking us to surrender one thing in exchange for another. Yesterday it was our privacy. Today it is the radio. Tomorrow it will be our freedom.

Roger Lanctot posted this to his blog in early March; it appears with permission.

The post Yesterday Our Privacy, Today Our Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Entercom Communications will eliminate or furlough a “significant” numbers of employees, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

“The nation’s No. 2 radio chain, which reaches 170 million listeners, also will temporarily cut employee pay by 10-20% for those earning more than $50,000,” the Inquirer said.

It said CEO David Field will cut his salary 30%, and that bonuses will be eliminated for the first half, as will its 401K match.

Entercom’s headquarters are in Philly, and it owns several radio stations in that market.

The radio industry is reacting to a decline in ad sales commitments in the face of the national health crisis. The paper quoted Field saying, “Better days lie ahead. With the tough but necessary actions we are now taking, we are doing what is required for us to preserve the health of the company and ensure that we are strong when we get to the other side.”

[Related: Beasley Cuts 67 Jobs, Furloughs Others]

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Streaming audio and video are relatively new players in the media ecosphere, but Techsurvey 2020 says AM/FM radio is holding its own against them very well.

Even though radio is not a steaming brand per se, it has been inserted in the Jacobs brand pyramid for comparison. It’s clearly a leader with 90%. Facebook is the next closest competitor with 72%.

It’s no surprise that everything in audio and video streaming is trending upwards, and skewing to a younger audience. The percent who watch streaming video weekly or more has jumped from a total of 62% in TS 2016 to 74% in TS 2020. In the lead is Gen Z with 96%, followed closely by millennials with 93%.

TS 2020 says that just under half of their respondents listen to streaming audio daily, with 50% of the silent generation, and climbing to 77% for Gen Z.

And more good news for radio, TS 2020 says nearly two-thirds of respondents listen to their home station’s stream. That’s way ahead of Pandora, YouTube, Spotify and iHeart Radio.

A key reason they give for listening to AM/FM radio is that it’s free. That is especially important at a time when the survey also suggests that six in ten feel that subscription fees for audio and video fees are a concern.

Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media sees this as a golden opportunity for radio. “We see two forces combining here. First, the coronavirus has increased the already strong interest in local radio and its personalities at a time when most are forced to stay at home, and are probably listening more. Second, many have either lost their jobs, or been without income for some time. When their credit card bills begin to arrive, they may question whether they should, or can afford to pay for several streaming services every month. All of that can work to radio’s advantage.”

[Read: Techsurvey 2020 Tracks Smart Speaker Success]

He adds that some stations have not promoted their streams well in the past, either because they don’t understand how to monetize them, or because they believe it might detract from their ratings numbers. Here’s Jacobs’ to-do list: clean up your stream — in the home it’s the only way many can listen; if you can switch to TLR, do so, it’s a better experience for most stations; test drive your smart speaker commands then heavily promote them and finally think local, it’s the “secret sauce” that none of the other media platforms can provide.

 

The post Techsurvey 2020 Says Home Stations Leads the Streaming Audio Pack appeared first on Radio World.

Alex Roman

MediaCo Holding has named Alex Roman as the new chief technology officer for New York radio stations WBLS(FM) and “Hot97” WQHT(FM).

MediaCo Holding is a public company owned by investment firm Standard General and Emmis Communications.

[Learn more: Biggest Station Trading Deal in Q3 2019 Was MediaCo Creation]

Roman was named Emmis’ director of integrated technologies in New York in 2011. While working for Emmis, the company said, he led efforts to modernize WQHT, WBLS and WLIB, including creation of digital media production spaces and transitioning to AoIP. Roman was also in charge of the team that rebuilt the Empire State Building transmitter facility and added an auxiliary transmitter site on 4 Times Square.

During his career, Roman also served as chief engineer for WKTU(FM) and as director of engineering for Citadel Broadcasting. He began his engineering career 24 years ago in California.

In the announcement, Emmis Communications and MediaCo Holding President/Chief Operating Officer Patrick Walsh called Roman “invaluable” as the broadcaster moves ahead with the creation of “multichannel digital platforms for WBLS and Hot 97.”

The post Alex Roman Named CTO of MediaCo’s NYC Stations appeared first on Radio World.

Steven Lee Sheley died Monday after a lengthy battle with leukemia.

“Steve was a true icon in the southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana radio business,” said colleague Bill Shrode.

According to his obituary, for many years Sheley was the morning DJ for WAKO in Lawrenceville, Ill., after having worked an earlier stint there in the evenings. He also did a stint at WYER in the late 1980s.

Sheley started as a newsman for WNOI(FM) in Flora, Ill., in the early 1970s, and entered the broadcasting program at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. Among subsequent call letters on his resume were WVJC, WREY(AM) and WAKY.

Steve enjoyed radios, DXing, travel and assisting veterans. Affiliations included Moose, Eagles, and Sons of the American Legion.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Lawrence County Cancer Resource Center & Wig Shoppe. Emmons-Macey & Steffey Funeral Home in Lawrenceville, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

 

The post Steve Sheley Dies, “a True Icon” in Illinois Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Working remotely has inspired Wheatstone to release ReMix, a remote mixing application.

ReMix is a Windows PC or tablet app that can access a WheatNet-IP audio network from afar.

According to Wheatstone, ReMix provides an affordable, quick alternative to a physical home studio for remote broadcasting and voicetracking by remotely accessing existing equipment at the station, such as codecs, hybrids, and playout systems.

Wheatstone Director of Sales Jay Tyler said, “ReMix is proving to be a great little application for all our broadcasters who need to get talent up and operating from home quickly and securely.”

The application can be installed on a Windows desktop, laptop or tablet in a home or remote studio or on a station PC that can be accessed by talent remotely through a secure VPN.

ReMix provides a direct user interface to the utility mixers found in the I/O Blades that make up the WheatNet-IP audio network. Each I/O Blade includes two built-in 8 x 2 stereo mixers, the inputs and output busses of which are available as resources on the network. The WheatNet-IP utility mixers are accessible anywhere in the audio network for simple functions such as summing, splitting, and level adjustment, performing crossfades and segues between sources, as well as creating custom mixes or intercom systems.

I/O Blades also include Wheatstone ACI (Automation Control Interface) for third-party control of automation systems and other Wheatstone partners’ gear and can be used for functions such as routing, ducking, panning, logic control, mixing and silence detection.

Info: www.wheatstone.com

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Visual radio system developer Broadcast Pix calls its new RadioPix a voice-automated, integrated visual radio production solution.

The new system combines the company’s Media Aware macros with voice-automation to turn a radio station’s host into a video producer. The package includes two new RoboPix PTZ cameras with 20X zoom and plug-and-play operation. Users plug them into two of the included Lenovo Tiny PCes five NIC ports using Cat-5 cables, connect to the local audio network for automatic triggering and receiving station output and then onto the internet.

Jeff Adams, RadioPix product manager, said, “It’s the behavioral intelligence that makes RadioPix unique. Show hosts don’t usually have time to also produce the video content, so RadioPix automates the production process, keeping it visually appealing.”

He explained, “By detecting microphone activity through the Dante interface, Broadcast Pix’s visually aware macros can be triggered. For example, activity on all mics could trigger a wide shot. Then, there is the ‘boredom’ macro, useful when a guest is speaking for longer than a minute. The shot could pull back, bring up the lower third title graphic, go to a wide shot, and then go back to a close up to keep the output interesting.”

The host can override the behavioral intelligence from optional touch screen panels, MIDI interfaces or even footswitches.

On initial startup, the system is ready to go, but a period of user consultation is included to help create the station’s look and feel. For example, import and position the station ID, choose suitable video clips and graphics elements and finally program the behavioral intelligence.

Broadcast Pix is pegging the price at $15,000.

Info: https://broadcastpix.com.

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As the radio broadcast ecosphere shifts towards streaming and digital delivery, the number of new products for the AM broadcaster seems to be on the decline. That’s why it was a delight when Inovonics unveiled their 674 AM Monitor Receiver in 2019. Part of the INOmini series, the 674 fills the niche for a versatile but inexpensive AM confidence monitor.

This software-defined DSP receiver has many cool features. 

As a global product, it can either tune in 10 kHz increments for the Americas, or 9 kHz increments for Europe. Audio outs are available in analog and digital, each with independent level adjustments. 

The multicolor, backlit LED display continuously shows received signal strength and audio levels. Combined with the jog wheel, this display also facilitates system setup. The 674’s programmable front-panel alarms with rear-panel tallies indicate low or no signal and audio program loss. 

Alarm conditions also cause the display to flash against a red background, a move guaranteed to get your attention. Tweaks and upgrades to the firmware are easily uploaded through the front-panel USB port.

Around back, there’s an F connector for the 50 ohm antenna input as well as terminals for the alarm tallies, including ground, +5 volts, low signal and audio loss. There’s also an AES digital audio output and analog line outputs labeled left and right. 

And no, analog AM stereo is not making a comeback, these are really dual monaural outputs that are adjustable from –15 dBu to +15 dBu. The logic behind the left/right nomenclature is that most studios are wired for stereo, whether the programming is or not. 

Finally, two paralleled coaxial power connectors can take the +12 VDC and daisy-chain it to two additional INOmini devices, useful if the 674 is rack mounted with two companion units.

The front-panel headphone jack will accommodate any stereo phones with a 3.5 mm plug. When the headphones are plugged in, the LCD menu will automatically switch to the headphone volume screen, and you can adjust volume with the knob. Press the knob again and you’re returned to the previous menu. 

Menu screen 6 gives a bargraph presentation of program audio level. The meters are peak-responding with a floating peak-hold function. One-hundred percentcarrier modulation corresponds to 0 dB. 

GETTING THE SIGNAL

As  a practical matter, the 674 can operate with just about any type of antenna. The 50 ohm antenna connector is insulated from the rear panel to create a quasi-balanced configuration. The instructions recommend connecting the shield to an external ground. 

Getting a strong, interference- and noise-free signal can be difficult in some locations, and Inovonics offers as an option the 637-01 passive AM loop antenna, with a figure 8 pattern, which can assist with some of the more challenging AM reception environments. 

Two menu screens determine how the 674 will sound. The standard NRSC truncated 75 µs de-emphasis may be switched in or out. The manual suggests making a decision based on which sounds best to you. A second screen enables selection of  IF bandwidth. Your options are 2, 3, 4 and 6 kHz. These settings mark the –6 dB points. 

Your selection is really a tradeoff between background noise and fidelity, with the 6 kHz setting being as close to high fidelity as you’re going to get. 

The days when you could troubleshoot broadcast equipment and make the repairs yourself are long gone. As with most modern gear, the Inovonics 674 is designed around surface-mount technology and chips with firmware, so the company recommends returning equipment to the factory for repairs. 

Nevertheless, curiosity dictates that it be taken apart just to see what it looks like inside. The board work, sheet metal and paint jobs are all up to Inovonics’ usual high standards.

Our evaluation 674 performed well with a long-wire outdoor antenna. The use of the traditional cold water pipe as an antenna ground turned out to be ill-advised. Smart meters dump large amounts of noise into the ground wiring. A stake driven into the ground outside the window worked much better. 

As expected, local stations could be set for NRSC off and 6 kHz with good fidelity and no noise. The AGC range of the 674 is broad enough to seamlessly handle day/night power reductions and antenna pattern changes. Although not intended for DXing, distant stations can easily be received, and are listenable with NRSC on and reduced bandwidth. Of course, noise from summer electrical storms is always a problem.

While the firmware in the 674 works as expected, other features could make it much better. As it stands, there is no way to store settings for multiple stations. That could make it inconvenient for users who work for a cluster. A preset function would also be useful if you want to do an A-B comparison between your station and the competition for the purpose of setting up audio processing

While the 674 is geared to a global market, the display is only offered in English. A menu selection of languages might make it more user-friendly outside the United States and other English-speaking countries.

Your happiness with the 674’s performance may depend to a large degree on how much thought and planning has been put into its antenna. Back in the day, a frightening number of stations used a short piece of wire and a clip lead as an AM antenna for EBS and EAS boxes, and even for mod monitors. It was never a good idea. 

Today, the proliferation of smart meters, LED and fluorescent lights, computers and switching power supplies all combine to create very high noise levels across the LW, MW and SW frequency bands. An outdoor antenna connected to the 674 via coax is almost mandatory for good reception. 

PRODUCT CAPSULE: Inovonics 674

Monitor Receiver

Thumbs Up

+ Independent audio level controls for analog and digital outputs

+ Programmable front alarms with rear-panel tallies for low signal and audio program loss

+ De-emphasis and IF bandwidth options for best audio quality

Thumbs Down

– English-only display

– No presets or easy to A-B compare stations

Price: MSRP $880

 

Contact: Gary Luhrman at Inovonics at 1-831-458-0552 or visit www.inovonicsbroadcast.com.

The post Exploring the Inovonics 674 AM Monitor Receiver appeared first on Radio World.

The author is president of WorldDAB.

Patrick Hannon

As people around the world are faced with a global pandemic, the full extent of which has yet to be determined, governments are increasingly looking for new ways to keep their citizens informed and out of harm’s way, while enforcing strict stay-at-home regulations.

As one of the oldest communication platforms available, radio has always played a significant role in times of crisis. Today, the role of DAB+ digital radio is more important than ever — keeping citizens informed, and providing some sense of belonging and togetherness to the most vulnerable people who are faced with a lengthy spell of uncertainty and isolation.

HELPING THE MOST VULNERABLE

In this time of crisis, we are seeing more and more ways by which DAB+ digital radio is helping broadcasters address issues such as loneliness, due to long period of social distancing and self-isolation.

A graph highlighting the number of national radio services on air (DAB/FM) in some European countries.

In the United Kingdom, BBC local radio has partnered with manufacturers, retailers and a loneliness charity to offer free DAB radios to the most vulnerable people aged over 70. The campaign has been a huge success, with local radio stations receiving more than 8,000 calls a day from members of the public.

NEW SERVICES

One of the key benefits of DAB+ is that it offers listeners a wider pool of content to choose from — both on a national level and in specific regions. In the U.K., a new DAB+ service broadcasting important information on the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 has just launched on a number of small-scale multiplexes across the country.

Named Health Info Radio, the DAB+ station broadcasts a mixture of updates on COVID-19 symptoms, myths and social isolation rules and guidelines, as well as interviews designed to help listeners through the national lockdown. Produced as a public service in London, the station is already available in a several major cities across the U.K.

Similarly, in Austria’s capital Vienna, DAB+ is being used to broadcast announcement loops with crucial information related to COVID-19. In addition to the announcements that run continuously in German, there are also several information stations on air in English, Turkish and Romanian, as well as an “Emergency Warning Functionality” (EWF) station broadcasting in Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian.

When on air, the EWF station — a special service dedicated to disasters and matters of the utmost importance — can break into the majority of receivers, including radios that are in sleep mode.

In Germany, the commercial radio station Schwarzwald Radio (Blackforest Radio), broadcast nationally on DAB+, has announced the launch of the first nationwide game night on DAB+. Schwarzwald Radio’s aim is to provide some distraction and boost the morale of German citizens who are currently confined to their homes.

CONGESTED NETWORKS

As millions of people remain confined to their homes, telecoms operators are struggling to cope with the surge in internet and mobile phone usage, and the network congestions that come hand in hand with them.

In Britain, the biggest telecoms companies have set aside their rivalries and launched a national campaign to tell the public how to manage this surge with the hope of reducing congestion. DAB+ does not require internet, and as such, helps alleviate some of the pressure building up on telecoms operators as internet usage continues to grow.

DAB+ allows broadcasters to combine classic content with digital diversity, without the need for internet connectivity, freeing up much needed internet bandwidth. More importantly in this time of crisis, it offers a wide range of news, safety guidelines, tailored information and distractions to the population — both nationally and on a regional level — all much needed at this time.

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