Radio World

A proposed increase in the regulatory fees that radio licensees pay the Federal Communications Commission has sparked backlash from the industry and calls for the commission to revamp the process by which it establishes those such fees.

Broadcasters also are repeating their years-old argument that the FCC should also charge unregulated “Big Tech” fees for their use of spectrum.

The FCC in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposed an average increase for radio stations for FY2021 of 8 percent, though some fees would climb by as much as 15%. Broadcasters view the increase as significant especially coming on the heels of a pandemic. The commission aims to collect $374 million from all the industries under its purview for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

[Read: Procedures Are Published for NCE FM Window]

Filings by the National Association of Broadcasters and a joint filing by state broadcast associations complain of discrepancies in how the FCC calculates the fees it collects; and the broadcasters argue that the commission cannot justify the substantial increase in regulatory fees.

“For the third consecutive year, the commission plans to significantly increase regulatory fees for broadcasters to unfair, unsustainable levels, and in a manner that is unlawful and ignores the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating economic impact on broadcasters,” NAB wrote in a filing in June.

The association believes the FCC failed to explain the basis for the proposed increases “in any meaningful way.” It also said it is “apparent that broadcasters are not being charged more in regulatory fees because of any increased costs or benefits of their regulation.”

Spread the Burden

The commission is required by Congress to assess regulatory fees each year in an amount that can reasonably be expected to equal the amount of its appropriation. The commission issues a NPRM yearly seeking comment on the proposal; it did that in May.

The FCC estimates that in fiscal 2021 it will collect approximately $20.1 million from FM stations in annual regulatory fees, and another $9.6 million from AM licensees. The fees are based on the size of market a station serves. In all, the FCC projects it needs to collect approximately $136 million from industries regulated by the Media Bureau, including radio and television licensees, to cover the costs of some 119 full-time bureau employees.

The proposed fee increase would mean a Class A AM station in a small market serving a population of under 25,000 would pay $1,050 in 2021 compared to $975 a year ago. The largest FM broadcasters in markets of 6 million or more people would pay a top fee of $22,650 this year compared to $20,925 in 2020.

The FCC’s NPRM asks whether it should extend the temporary measures it adopted last year to help businesses suffering financial hardships because of the pandemic. Those include allowing some payment deferrals at a discounted interest rate, and in some extreme cases, fee waivers.

NAB asked the FCC to take steps to require huge tech companies and other unlicensed spectrum users pay their fair share of the commission’s activities from which they directly benefit. It contends that some of the largest and wealthiest companies in the world leverage commission proceedings to develop profitable business models yet contribute no regulatory fees.

The NAB estimates that broadcasters use 0.07% of allotted spectrum but account for at least 16% of the FCC’s entire budget while offering a free service to the public.

“The commission is forcing broadcasters to subsidize the regulation of other entities that are either contributing less than their fair share of the fees; or allowed to free ride entirely on the commission’s activities,” it wrote.

Broadcasters typically pay their annual fee by the end of September unless granted a financial hardship waiver due to the pandemic. The FCC says it has the authority to charge a 25% late fee if necessary.

The NAB asked the FCC to issue a Further Notice about expanding the base of payers to include Big Tech so the fee system can reflect the work the commission performs and the entities that actually its resources and derive benefits.

“The substantial financial impact on broadcasters and other regulated entities of exempting such companies from regulatory fees certainly warrants further consideration,” Rick Kaplan, NAB general counsel, wrote in ex parte comments in the docket.

States Speak Up

NAB is not alone in making this argument. A joint comment filing from the 50 state broadcast associations says the industry “has been unfairly subsidizing its competitors through regulatory fees for almost 30 years.”

The associations pointed to a recent D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision, Telesat Canada vs. FCC. They said he court dismissed a non-U.S. licensed space stations’ challenge to the FCC decision to expand the base of regulatory fees to include such entities.

The associations said the FCC can no longer “robotically apply its outdated methodology for calculating the regulatory fee obligations of broadcasters.”

Observers note that the FCC has recently made changes to the satellite and earth station fee category, resulting in an increase in the fees charged to the satellite industry.

Advocates for broadcasters claim the appeals court decision makes it clear that the commission has the statutory authority to charge “Big Tech” regulatory fees.

“The FCC should begin the process of expanding its payor base to include unlicensed spectrum users that broadcasters and other licensees are currently forced to subsidize,” the NAB wrote in reply comments to the FCC’s NPRM.

The state associations also wrote that the Ray Baum Act (RBA) of 2018 makes clear that “benefits, rather than licenses, are the touchstone for assessing regulatory fees.”

“The RBA equipped the FCC with the flexible authority to assess and collect fees based on the benefit of the commission’s work, not on the increasingly arbitrary factors of whether the payor holds a license or how the commission has organized itself.

“However, each year, the FCC has continued to reject that notion, asserting that the fee assessment structure dictated by the statute fundamentally remains unchanged,” that state broadcasters wrote.

Individual state broadcaster associations have been communicating with the membership on the potential fallout of the regulatory fees increase.

Smaller Entities Hit?

The New York State Broadcasters Association stated on its website the FCC previously has exempted stations whose fees were $1,000 or less.

“Some stations, especially Class A AM stations, have historically been assessed a fee under $1,000, and therefore were exempt. With the new fee schedule, some stations that were exempt in past years could find they are no longer exempt and must pay a fee,” it wrote.

Oscar Rodriguez, president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, wrote on its website: “TAB once again is pushing back on the FCC’s proposed regulatory fees for broadcasters, which continue to soar while tech giants like Microsoft and others skate free despite benefiting immensely from the federal agency’s decision-making.”

Since the FCC is required to collect the money by the end of the fiscal year, it has to collect the fees in September, according to attorneys familiar with the process.

“That means an order setting the fees normally is released in August,” said Scott Flick, partner at Washington-based Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, who filed the reply comments on behalf of the 50 state broadcaster associations. “The FCC needs time to set up the fee database with the correct fee amounts before the filing window can be opened.”

Flick said payers also need notice in order to arrange for making the fee payments, particularly when the fees are higher than what they may have budgeted for.

Melodie Virtue, communications attorney with Foster Garvey, said she is doubtful of the prospects for the NAB petition: “I fear it will take an appeal to make the FCC budge on adjusting the annual regulatory fees imposed on broadcasters. The regulatory fee setting process is so interrelated among the various FCC bureaus, and since the FCC must collect by the end of September for the federal fiscal year, I don’t see any short-term resolution to this issue.”

The post Broadcasters Face Higher FCC Regulatory Fees appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast business software developer and service provider Marketron has named Christian Kligora as senior vice president of Client Success.

Kligora comes most recently from Gannett/USA Today where he served as VP of Client Success.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Marketron CEO Jim Howard said of Kligora, “He understands what it takes for an organization to do more than deliver a great product — to move forward into sales enablement, providing the training, resources and tools that clients need to sell the right mix of linear and digital advertising to help their customers get results.”

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Marketron Names Kligora as SVP of Client Success appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission this week reinstated operations of a low-power FM station at the center of a long running dispute over alleged interference to a nearby full-power FM station.

New River Community Church’s WYPH(LP), licensed to Manchester, Conn., has been the subject of interference complaints from Red Wolf Broadcasting’s WDRC(FM) in Hartford, Conn. Red Wolf began submitting letters of listener complaints of interference to its WDRC, which broadcasts at 102.9 MHz, in early 2020. WYPH commenced operations in 2017 at 102.5 MHz.

The FCC in April 2020 ordered the low-power FM station cease operations until it could demonstrate it was not the source of the interference. What followed was back-and-forth series of complaints, supplements and petitions filed by the two interested parties; and Media Bureau decisions that ultimately led to this week’s decisive ruling to reinstate WYPH’s operations.

[Read: FCC Resolving New England Interference Case]

The Media Bureau ordered the parties earlier this year to participate in “joint interference testing” to settle the dispute once and for all. The commission ultimately accepted test results conducted by a third-party independent broadcast engineer filed by WYPH, according to FCC documents released this week, after it determined Red Wolf was not cooperative in the interference testing.

New River conducted interference testing earlier this year and submitted its results in April. The on-off tests were conducted by independent broadcast engineer Michael Graziano and overseen by New River’s consulting engineer Tom Ray, according to the FCC release. The testing occurred at locations of the alleged interference incidents cited by WDRC listeners.

“We have reviewed the Interference Test Results submitted by New River and find that they demonstrate that WYPH-LP is not the source of the interference to the over-the-air reception of WDRC-FM,” according to the FCC. “Therefore, based on those results we will dismiss the complaint.”

The FCC’s letter also points out Red Wolf’s lack of cooperation in testing: “Subsequently, in a series of emails to Red Wolf, New River repeatedly sought Red Wolf’s participation in the on-off testing but Red Wolf did not commit to participating in such testing. Commission staff reaffirmed in an email to the parties that Red Wolf was obligated to work cooperatively. We find that Red Wolf’s decision not to participate in the testing with New River was unreasonable.”

The commission went even further to chastise Red Wolf for its lack of cooperation: “Red Wolf unreasonably refused to participate in the on-off testing as directed multiple times by the bureau and staff. In the future we encourage Red Wolf to participate in joint testing when provided the opportunity to do so.”

Red Wolf also claimed WYPH was using an unauthorized antenna that was not listed in its original construction permit. WYPH uses a two-bay Shively antenna instead of the four-bay Nicom antenna proposed as part of the station’s second-adjacent channel waiver request in its CP application. The FCC says WYPH notified them of the antenna swap.

In addition, Red Wolf argued that the WYPH license expired since the low-power station had been silent for over 12 months. While there have been previous such cases of license revocation under those circumstances “the commission may extend or reinstate such a station license if the holder of the station license prevails in an administrative or judicial appeal, the applicable law changes, or for any other reason to promote equity and fairness,” the FCC wrote in its decisive decision.

[Read: LPFM Facing $3,500 Forfeiture]

Those familiar with the most recent developments told Radio World they are unaware if WYPH has resumed broadcasting.

LPFM advocate Michi Bradley, founder of REC Networks, wrote about the New England interference case this week on her website. REC Networks previously worked with New River Community Church on its original CP application.

Bradley made following recommendations for other LPFM licensees based on what she learned from the WYPH circumstances: “LPFM construction permits do not specify a particular antenna make and model. When a second-adjacent waiver is requested, the applicant needs to demonstrate how a certain antenna can prevent interference from reaching occupied areas. While REC does not officially endorse this, if an LPFM station uses an antenna different than what they used in the exhibit demonstration, they leave themselves wide open for a second-adjacent complaint like this. It is important to realize that even if the station was built with the antenna used in the exhibit, they can still receive complaints. It would just be harder for the complaining station to make their case.”

Bradley concluded: “If you get a second-adjacent channel complaint and are forced off the air by the FCC, make sure that you cooperate fully with the Audio Division’s instructions and make every effort, even if the complaining station is uncooperative as was this case. WYPH’s cooperation in this case saved their license from statutory cancellation.”

The post LPFM Station Allowed to Resume Operations appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World’s Community Broadcaster columnist, and executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Ernesto Aguilar is heading for San Francisco to be the new program director for KQED(FM).

He said, “It’s been an honor supporting local broadcasters nationwide as part of NFCB’s leadership. As public media’s leading organization, KQED is a beacon of education, culture and hope in its community and beyond. I look forward to crafting the future of public broadcasting with some of the most brilliant minds in our industry.”

Aguilar was with the NFCB beginning since 2016. His last day is July 30. His first day at KQED will be Aug. 23.

The post Aguilar to Be New KQED Program Director appeared first on Radio World.

If you plan to seek a CP for a new noncommercial educational FM construction permit in the upcoming filing window, be aware that the FCC’s Media Bureau has released procedures and requirements.

The bureau also will put a freeze into effect for certain FM applications starting Oct. 5 until Nov. 9, the close of the week-long filing window.

Remember, this new station opportunity is just for proposals for the FM reserved band, 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. (Read the notice.)

In this window, an applicant can file no more than 10 applications.

The commission reminded first-time applicants that NCE stations are licensed only to non-profit educational organizations, not individuals; that NCE FM new station licensing opportunities are more readily available in rural areas and smaller communities; and that the FCC doesn’t publish a list of “available” frequencies or provide a “channel finder tool” to locate “available” frequencies.

It also pointed out that applicants usually hire legal counsel and broadcast engineering consultants to do frequency searches and help prepare the legal and technical portions of the applications. It noted that the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers is one available source for such help.

The notice also lays out the system that the FCC uses to analyze “mutually exclusive,” i.e. competing, applications, which is expected to come into play given the general desirability of FM frequencies.

Instructions on using the LMS electronic filing system are also available on the Media Bureau’s LMS Help Center page.

The post Procedures Are Published for NCE FM Window appeared first on Radio World.

The author is president, Summit Technology Group. This story is from the Buyer’s Guide section on consoles, routers and mixers.

When deciding to modernize, WJEH(FM) owner Tom Susman found himself faced with a litany of powerful and versatile AoIP options.

The Charleston, W.Va.-based broadcaster considered the workflows in place, and the mix of satellite and local programming aired on the station, before deciding upon the Arrakis DARC Surface.

Summit Technology Group was contracted to, among other projects, install the DARC Surface in late May. The setup includes various presets, all recalled with a touchscreen gesture to allow board operators to easily switch between satellite and live assist as well as configure the console for local baseball remotes.

[Read more Radio World articles about audio consoles and mixers]

“The ability to control levels and call a preset remotely makes the DARC Surface an invaluable tool for broadcasters with unattended studios,” said Dan Hills, senior broadcast and RF engineer for Summit Technology Group.

“Not only is this good for a remote air staff, but it makes supporting the product a trivial task.”

While the initial installation of the DARC Surface at WJEH has solved many workflow challenges, Susman is not done improving the station. Much of the studio gear, including the DARC Surface and automation equipment, will be replicated at the transmitter site for the sake of redundancy.

Hills also notes that the various customization features make installation of the DARC Surface intuitive and helps to save on implementation costs.

Info: Ben Palmer at Arrakis Systems at 1-970-461-0730 or visit www.arrakis-systems.com.

The post Special Report: WJEH Goes DARC for Remote Control of AoIP appeared first on Radio World.

If you are interested in the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation 2022 Broadcast Leadership Training Program, you better get moving.

The NABLF has announced that it is accepting applications until Aug. 2.

The NABLF says the “BLT program is designed to prepare senior-level broadcasters to advance into ownership or executive positions.”

It adds, “Broadcast professionals from all areas of the industry, including general managers, experienced sales managers and seasoned department heads, as well as regional and corporate executives, are encouraged to apply. Fellowship opportunities are available for women and people of color.”

The program will see its first weekend session Sept. 17–19. Sessions will be held in Washington on a once-in-a-month basis until June 2022.

The post NABLF Broadcast Leadership Program Deadline Approaches appeared first on Radio World.

The author is group engineering and IT manager, Frontier Media.

Frontier Media operates radio centers in Alaska and Texas, and we’ve had quite a bit of experience with Logitek equipment over the years.

Our move into AoIP operation began when our Texarkana radio center had a lightning strike that took out basically everything in that studio and we needed brand new everything. With that rebuild, we selected Logitek JetStream Minis and Pilot consoles.

After seeing the advantages and possibilities of what that system can do, it had always been in the back of our minds to transition our Juneau stations to a similar setup one day.

[Read more Radio World articles about audio consoles and mixers]

That “day” arrived in late 2020 when we bought our first Jet67 and mixIT-12 for a new studio we were building out for a brand-new station in the Juneau center.

We completed that installation in January 2021. A couple months later we began working on a renovation of our Juneau newsroom.

Since we’d already gotten one Jet67-mixIT combination, we figured we’d keep building out our AoIP system and get another set for the newsroom. This was also the first studio I’d personally built out from the ground up. The installation of the mixIT and Jet67 in that studio was completed over one weekend in April 2021.

One Cable
Both installations in Juneau went smoothly, with everything working as I had anticipated. I have experience with the JetStream Server programs, which are also used to configure the Jet67 and mixIT, so I had no major hiccups or obstacles.

Cable management is minimal in these installations because you only have to run one single Ethernet cable to the mixIT, which means you’ve only got one cable coming out of the table and connecting to your console, whereas with traditional consoles you might have dozens of cables coming out of your console that can be a hassle to tie all together and make it not look like a rat’s nest.

With a little planning I was able to mount the Jet67 right next to the punchdown block with all its audio sources.

The mixIT packs a punch for its size. We’ve got mixers that are about the same size that don’t do half as much as the mixIT. We’ve also got mixers that can rival what the mixIT can do but they’re a lot bigger, and I imagine cost a good deal more.

Getting up to 16 total analog/mic inputs, up to 16 analog outputs, plus two digital ins and outs, and four total output busses (Program/A1/A2/A3), for the price you’re paying is impressive. Even if you’re not yet tapping into the AoIP networking potential, for the number of inputs and output busses you’re getting solid value for what you’re paying.

On the control surface, all the fader sources are clearly labeled so users know what is where, and it’s easy to switch sources with a couple taps on the touch screen display. Which to me is another advantage of the mixIT; for all the possibilities it offers and how complex you can make it, you can also set it up to be simple from a usability standpoint.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

Info: John Davis at Logitek Electronic Systems in Texas at 1-713-664-4470 or visit https://logitekaudio.com.

The post User Report: Logitek Brings Compact AoIP to Alaska Broadcaster appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartRadio introduced a voice-enabled “Request a Song” feature for Alexa.

Highlighting a partnership with Amazon, it says the feature lets listeners “communicate with their favorite DJs by requesting and dedicating songs live on the radio.”

On an Alexa-enabled device, the listener can speak to request and dedicate songs; Alexa will send the request to the station, where radio DJs can act on it.

[Read: For Radio, Audio Is the “New Now”]

The company says the feature is enabled by updates to Alexa’s voice AI. It says it is working on more interactive features including Q&As with DJs and show hosts, voice-driven polls and contests.

The feature was introduced first on stations in South Carolina, Arizona, Texas and Florida, with more planned.

The company posted a video with Chief Product Officer Chris Williams explaining the new skill, see it above. He calls the feature “a direct line to allow our audience to talk back, to share their thoughts and help influence what you hear on the radio.”

The post iHeart Adds “Request a Song” Feature in Alexa appeared first on Radio World.

Local ad revenue in the United States is picking up and radio is participating in the trend, according to new data from BIA Advisory Services.

The research company said it has revised its 2021 forecasts for total U.S. local advertising revenues across media and business verticals to $142.4 billion, up $4.8 billion or 3.9% from its November estimates.

[Read: Brands that Cracked the Advertising Code in 2021]

“The projection is split between traditional and digital media but shows that the divide is narrowing, with traditional advertising only 8% ahead of digital mediums that include mobile, online, over-the-top, email and traditional media’s online ventures,” it stated.

The company quoted its SVP and Chief Economist Mark Fratrik saying, “There’s an acceleration in the market that couldn’t be accounted for last fall. The economy is growing and we’re observing money being spent to reach audiences through various media.”

For radio specifically, it said local advertising “will rebound somewhat to $11.7 billion in 2021 and $12.3 billion in 2022.” Of those numbers, digital platforms will contribute $940 million and $1.04 billion respectively.

OTT will grow 16% this year, “surpassing the trajectory of mobile as more consumers take advantage of various streaming services on their TV screens.”

Local TV advertising will decline to $16.2 billion in 2021 “but bounce up to $19.3 billion in 2022,” with $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion respectively coming from digital platforms.

“The revised forecast also sees a 5.6% increase in overall compound annual growth in U.S. spending in local ad markets and expects the amount to reach $157.1 billion in 2022 and $162.1 billion in 2023, while the digital media share will first leapfrog to 51% over traditional media by 2023,” BIA reported.

The post Local Radio Ad Revenue to “Rebound Somewhat” appeared first on Radio World.

This is one in a series of comments from the ebook “The Real World of AoIP.” We asked several manufacturers to identify the most important technical development or trend in the use of AoIP.

The use of AoIP simplifies workflows and can support future upgrades, says AEQ Sales Manager Gustavo Robles, who expects the trend will continue.

“Based on AEQ’s experience with more than 40 years in the market and one of the most  extensive catalogue of AoIP solutions, and in view of the projects we have done in the past year as well as the point of view of our clients, we believe that the next step in AoIP technology will be the integration and standardization of control protocols, equipment, signals and clocks, both in audio projects and in audio and video applications,” he said.

He noted the adoption of standards like SMPTE 2110 and SMPTE 2022, on which AEQ is working and offering in new products such as the Atrium console and audio router X_core.

“In many cases, broadcast companies have both radio and television facilities,” he continued. “Being able to use common — or at least compatible — AoIP solutions greatly simplifies workflows and improves the possibility of growth or upgrades to their studios in the future.”

The global health crisis of the past year and a half will have a permanent impact. “It’s important to note that the migration of standard radio clients to VoIP has been very significant … coinciding with the terrible COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“End users have finally seen the great potential of AES67 technology, helping greatly in the ‘work at home mode’ mandatory at most program production centers in the world.

“New work habits that IP technology has made possible have come to stay and will establish themselves as a new industry standard.”

Read more opinions about trends in AoIP.

The post AoIP Supports New Work Habits appeared first on Radio World.

I’m the co-founder and a host of Vibez.Live in South Africa, an internet radio station that my fiancé Valerie Jacobs and I launched on April 1, 2019. We had many years of experience of commercial radio broadcasting in South Africa; but as internet penetration continues to grow across Africa we saw a new opportunity.

As a retro station, we broadcast music from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. But we don’t do that exclusively, and we have experimented a lot since we started. For example, recent months have seen us do something unique in South Africa by hosting a weekly “Trance Vibez” show in conjunction with Denon DJ SA and Midi Music.

Having used a variety of older equipment over the first 18 months of our existence, including an analog desk, we knew that we needed to upgrade to keep expanding and to benefit from enhanced capabilities.

We turned to Wild & Marr, Calrec’s partner in South Africa. We spoke with them in detail about Calrec’s AoIP-based Type R for Radio system. We were impressed and ordered and installed — with Wild & Marr’s expert guidance — a six-fader Type R with dual layer functionality, which gives us an extra six faders at the touch of a button.

We also added a Type R large soft panel with the feature sets preloaded for more control.

While the Type R core has enough I/O for our current needs, we also purchased a Type R analog I/O box that provides an additional 16 mic/line inputs and six GPIO interfaces. Being able to add more surfaces on the same core was cost-effective for us.

In terms of other equipment, we use two pairs of Shure SRH840 headphones, two Shure SM7B microphones and On-Stage’s versatile microphone boom arms.

[Read more Radio World articles about audio consoles and mixers]

Moving into the digital realm has been great. Microphone levels and music levels are now easily managed and compressed, which previously was virtually impossible. And then there’s the sound quality, with our listeners experiencing a far more crisp, clear and fuller sound. On our first broadcast with this technology, we were impressed with the positive comments from listeners about the improvement.

Although it may appear daunting at first, the Calrec Type R is probably one of the most user-friendly digital broadcast desks I’ve worked on. It has a simple layout, supersmooth faders and crystal-clear touchscreen display. The sleek, compact, no-fuss design fits perfectly into our studio environment, taking up less space while still doing the job that other much bigger desks do. For broadcasters where studio or desk space is limited, the Calrec Type R with its Ethernet connection does away with the old spaghetti junction of cables found in conventional studios. That’s also a major benefit regardless of size.

We are very happy with this solution; it takes us to the leading edge of radio broadcasting.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

Info: In U.S., Chris Fichera at Calrec/Group One at 1-310-927-7788; international, Anthony Harrison at Calrec at +44-7832-487565; or visit www.calrec.com.

The post Calrec Has the Vibez in South Africa appeared first on Radio World.

Mike Erickson on how to pick a broadcast processor. John Bisset on preventive maintenance, counterfeit circuit breakers and acoustic wall treatments.

Ron Schacht on why his AM station’s FM translator might be a net minus. Also, Paul Shulins on the services being offered by his new company.

And product news from SurferNetwork, Tieline, PromoSuite and WideOrbit.

Read the issue.

The post Inside the July 21, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

State emergency communications committees pay attention.

The FCC’s the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has announced that July 5, 2022, is the one-year deadline for filing State EAS Plans via the ARS online filing system, and the deadline for compliance with both the State EAS Plan content rules (Section 11.21(a)(1)-(7)) and EAS designations (Section 11.18).

[Read: Emergency Alert Changes Pass FCC]

The agency adds, “The ARS is an online filing system adopted in 2018 to modernize State EAS Plan submissions, and provide uniformity across State EAS Plans, in terms of both format and terminology, while affording sufficient flexibility to accommodate each SECC’s unique needs.”

The post State EAS Plan Deadlines Announced appeared first on Radio World.

A Florida radio station has received a notice of violation from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau for alleged spurious emissions on frequencies beyond the FM band.

The FCC said agents from its Miami office inspected WQTL(FM) in Tallahassee, which is owned by Adams Radio of Tallahassee.

The rules state that any emission on a frequency removed from a station’s carrier by more than 600 kHz must be attenuated at least 43 + 10 Log10 (Power, in watts) dB below the level of the unmodulated carrier, or 80 dB, whichever is the lesser attenuation.

[Read: FCC Nixes $1,500 Liability Against FM Translator]

The FCC noted that WQTL’s effective radiated power is 2250 Watts, so emissions on a frequency removed from carrier by more than 600 kHz must be attenuated by at least 76.52 dB.

The agents found that WQTL’s fundamental frequency, 106.1 MHz, had a signal level of –24.35 dBm. The Enforcement Bureau’s agents said they conducted measurements on spurious emissions from WQTL’s transmitter on two frequencies. Emissions on 121.249 MHz had a signal level of –54.89 dBm, and emissions on 136.41 MHz had a level of –75.50 dBm.

“The spurious emissions identified … have signal levels in excess of the limit for such emissions determined pursuant to Section 73.317(d) of the commission’s rules,” the bureau wrote.

The commission did not say what prompted this inspection. It has asked the station for additional information concerning the finding and any remedial actions taken. It has 20 days to reply.

The post FCC Taps Florida Station on the Shoulder appeared first on Radio World.

In September, Clay Freinwald will step down from his role as chair of the State Emergency Communications Committee in Washington state.

He has held that volunteer position longer than the Emergency Alert System has existed. Indeed, in 1996, when Freinwald was asked — by Entercom engineer John Price and the late Jimmy Hocutt of the state’s Emergency Management Division — to chair the SECC, the task at hand was to help write the state EAS plan, because the FCC was phasing out the Emergency Broadcasting System.

Several of the people who joined the committee at that time are still on it 25 years later, including current Vice Chair Ted Buehner.

[Read: Washington State EAS Is Evolving]

Freinwald continues to work part-time at Northwest Public Broadcasting as a telecommunications engineer, where he recently was involved with a transmitter installation at KQWS(FM) in Omak, Wash. He also provides site services for four American Tower sites around Seattle; he does contract work for KIRO(FM) and KING(FM); and he helps out at Bustos Media station KMIA(AM) in his hometown of Auburn, Wash.

He wants to spend more time on those activities as well as life at home; but said he’ll be available to work in other SECC roles if needed. “I would like to continue to deal with monitoring assignments, as this is part of our new plan,” he told Radio World.

Freinwald, who for a decade also chaired the EAS committee of the national Society of Broadcast Engineers, received Radio World’s “Excellence in Engineering” Award in 2007, and he was honored by the National Association of Broadcasters in 2018 with its Service to Broadcast Engineering Achievement Award. He’s also the rare engineer to receive a “Broadcaster of the Year” award from a state association; the Washington State Association of Broadcasters bestowed that honor in 1997.

New Plans in Place

In September the Washington SECC will roll out WA-PAWS, for Washington Public Alert and Warning Systems, incorporating updates as well as items required by the FCC for the EAS plan.

That’s timely, given that Congress and the commission are pressing states and their SECCs for a more organized and structured approach to alert management. But it seems Washington is one state that doesn’t need prompting.

Among the nation’s SECCs, the one in Washington has been among the most visible. When the commission asks for public input on an alerting issue, the Washington SECC usually is among those who reply. When the FCC began work on its Alert Reporting System, the state committee helped out with the beta testing.

Freinwald told me the group has historically tried to go beyond EAS by embracing all forms of public alert and warning. “Yes, Washington State’s program is different. We do what we feel should be done for the citizens here and are not limited by the FCC’s rules.”

He recalls being asked by the commission to send a copy of their state EAS plan, so he took a picture of its two large binders and asked if the commission really wanted copies of all of that information. (“We knew that one day we would want to change the title on the front of that binder.”)

[Read: Freinwald: Blue Alerts Offer No Tangible Improvements]

What might other states learn from the Washington experience?

“In many ways, our states are like ships passing in the night,” he said. “We all can, and should, be learning from each other. Washington has, perhaps, done a better job than some. Our goal to constantly improve is at the core of that.

“One of the biggest problems has been a lack of federal leadership and guidance,” he continued. “Some of this is based on the fear and/or respect for states’ rights, perhaps. The FCC recognizes this in that when states and territories submit their ‘plans,’ they get over 50 different approaches. The ARS will certainly help with this problem by providing some structure that has been lacking.”

But he noted that some states don’t even have a functioning SECC. “The fact that there is not a requirement to have one has not helped,” he said. “Clearly Congress was not happy with the situation in Hawaii, and this has started the ball rolling.”

He feels that the commission now is taking steps in the right direction that that it could do more. And he emphasizes that in Washington, EAS is a team effort.

“We work with a number of private and government entities. Communications is vital. We have email remailers for everyone in the state as well as one for the SECC members, and we do a lot of outreach and training.

“We have been blessed, and I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish,” he said. “This is not to say that we are perfect; we are far from it, and have a lot of work to do going forward. There is always room for improvement.”

The post Freinwald to Resign Washington SECC’s Chair appeared first on Radio World.

The author is senior solutions architect at Nova Entertainment.

When the 2000-vintage Klotz audio systems at Nova Entertainment Australia came up for replacement, the Technology & Content teams joined forces to design and deliver new spaces that more effectively captured, distributed and monetized content for multiple platforms.

Nova Entertainment operates stations in all major Australian capital cities. Because the Sydney site was the oldest and busiest, it was chosen first. The former system’s configurations were rigid by today’s standards and custom-designed only for live broadcast radio content. Due to capabilities, some studios went days without use, while others worked round the clock.

[Read more Radio World articles about audio consoles and mixers]

In recent years, content like podcasts have emerged as a major contributor to ongoing success as well as the now-inseparable video integration. Inspiration was therefore taken from numerous international TV studios as well as radio. Jago Design in the U.K. was engaged to help develop the initial concepts.

The technical design went out to tender a few years ago and a robust evaluation process followed.

In the end, the technology chosen was Lawo Ruby consoles and Power Core IP audio I/O and DSP nodes, Arista switches, Lawo VisTool and VSM, Riedel’s MediorNet video router, the Riedel Artist comms system, Philips Commercial Displays, Scala digital signage players, IHSE KVM extenders and routers, DMX lighting fixtures, and Panasonic PTZ cameras.

The Lawo ecosystem was chosen for its suite of relevant products under the one roof. As well as that, the Power Core, the building block of the system, was at an exciting point in its development and unrivalled for density and customization.

To maximize studio utilization and flexibility, each new space is designed as a blank canvas. Functionality is defined by settings saved in user snapshots, accessible by swiping an RFID building access card. Different scenarios are recalled in seconds. Control for audio, video, signage, lighting, KVM and more is through a single Lawo VisTool touch interface. When not in use, all settings are cleared and studios are turned off. When automated or network content is playing out, studios are bypassed.

System control is shared between Lawo’s VisTool, VSM and Line Scheduler systems. Studio touchscreen interfaces and user snapshot database management are handled by VisTool. VSM glues the discrete components of the system together, and Line Scheduler performs clever tricks to stitch studios together, as well as managing resources like codecs and interstate audio and video tielines.

The power of the integration between VisTool and VSM is put to good use, cross points controlled by VSM are visible to VisTool and able to be stored in user snapshots. This allows user snapshots to store settings for systems well outside its normal scope.

Now that Sydney is complete, the focus has shifted to other sites in the NOVA Entertainment network. Once rolled out further, the technology will connect sites together like never before with audio, video, intercom and control. An approach of “Any station, Any show, Anywhere” will allow any studio to go on-air to any brand nationally.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

Info: Jochen Richter in the U.S. at 1-888-810-4468 or for international queries +49-7222-1002-0 or visit www.lawo.com.

The post User Report: Nova Entertainment Rebuilds Anew in Sydney appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission wants to get a better sense of how effective the delivery of Wireless Emergency Alerts are.

So it has announced a new program of partnerships with 11 other government agencies. For the first time, it will survey these federal, state and local government partners about the delivery of WEA during the upcoming nationwide test on Aug. 11.

The FCC also has sent letters to wireless providers asking them to provide information on their performance after the test.

[Read: National EAS Test Will Focus on Broadcast Chain]

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made the announcement.

“While the FCC has long required Emergency Alert System participants to report how nationwide EAS tests fared on their television and radio systems, this is the first time we will gather meaningful data about the performance of a nationwide Wireless Emergency Alert test,” Rosenworcel said in the announcement.

FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

For the WEA portion, a test message will be directed only to consumer cellphones where the subscriber has opted in to receive test messages.

Participating in the survey will be FEMA, the National Weather Service, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Harris County (Texas) Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, New York City Emergency Management, Mendocino County (Calif.) Office of Emergency Services, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, and the Utah Department of Public Safety.

The post FCC Wants Better Feedback About WEA appeared first on Radio World.

An Indiana public radio news station will be doubling down its efforts to reach even more listeners thanks to a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

The $983,000 grant to Indianapolis-based WFYI will allow its radio and TV stations to continue leading the America Amplified 2.0 public media program that is designed to meaningfully address local news and information needs through solid journalism practices. The initiative builds on the success of the first America Amplified, a CPB-supported partnership with public media outlets across the country.

[Read: CPB Announces Federal Grant Amounts]

Launched in 2019 to help strengthen public media’s ability to better incorporate community and citizen perspectives into the nation’s election coverage, the partnership also helped shape public media coverage of the coronavirus. One such venture under the previous grant was the establishment of weekly call-in radio shows co-hosted by public radio stations in different parts of the U.S.

With this current round of funding, WFYI plans to establish a team that will develop community engagement journalism practices at 20 public media stations around the country, with a particular focus on those parts of the nation that are often underserved by media.

“At WFYI, we believe engagement is the key to expanding audiences and deepening impact through all our public media platforms,” said WFYI President and CEO Greg Petrowich. “We’re pleased to have this opportunity to work with our colleagues at other stations to strengthen the role public media plays in their communities and learn from our shared experiences.”

[Read: Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media to Take Reins of Purdue Station]

As part of the 18-month grant, a four-person team hosted by WFYI will develop and implement community engagement journalism strategies alongside participating public media stations. According to WFYI, stations will be grouped in peer learning groups based on their shared interests. Subgrants will be distributed directly to those stations to fund their engagement initiatives.

“America Amplified demonstrated that community engagement is vital to public media journalism and a key to the trust that people place in their local public media stations,” said Kathy Merritt, CPB senior vice president, journalism, radio and community service grant services. “CPB is proud to support this initiative, which will extend engaged journalism across the system, enable stations to be more responsive to their audiences and foster public trust.”

The post $983,000 Grant to Help Public Media Stations appeared first on Radio World.

The radio station with a static video need, JVC Professional Video has announced a new line of PTZ remote operated cameras — 4K KY-PZ400NW/NB (pictured) and HD KY-PZ200NW/NB, for late summer/fall delivery.

Both cameras provide optimal streaming image quality and performance for remote production over the internet according to JVC. They are equipped with NDI|HX and SRT streaming, H.265/H.264/MJPEG encoding and VITC (vertical interval timecode) multicamera synchronization technologies.

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

JVC Professional Video Vice President Joe D’Amico said, “This new camera line marks many firsts for us at JVC, including our first PTZ camera to feature 4K streaming as well as our first PTZ with NDI|HX and SRT.” He explained, “(T)he JVC PTZ cameras now offer a high-quality, low-latency IP video transmission standard that is ideal for streaming in an ever-evolving media landscape.”

A third new camera, HD KY-PZ200W/B, provides a more affordable option for those without the need for NDI|HX.

The KY-PZ400N is equipped with a 4K 1/2.5-inch progressive scanning CMOS image sensor, has a wide angle of view (approx. 26.4mm @35mm equivalence), 0.5 Lux of minimum illumination and 16x digital zoom. The KY-PZ200N and KY-PZ200 feature an HD 1/2.8-inch progressive CMOS image sensor, as well as 20x optical zoom reaching out to 606.9mm @35mm equivalence. All three cameras have HDMI and 3G-SDI, RJ45 with PoE, RS232 and RS485 interfaces standard.

The three cameras also offer cameras include SRT, HTTP, RTSP, RTMP/RTMPS and standard protocols along with Network Time Protocol. NTP allows for multicamera synchronization for live event production — for the mixing and streaming of concerts, shows, sports and other live productions where image synchronization is crucial.

All three cameras are available in black or white exteriors to best match the studio color scheme. They are compatible with JVC’s RM-LP100 remote camera controller, JVC’s KM-IP6000/4000 live IP production suites and a variety of other options from vMix, OBS Studio and NewTek

Prices: KY-PZ400N — $2,599 (MSRP); KY-PZ200N — $2,099 (MSRP); and KY-PZ200 — $1,899 (MSRP).

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: http://pro.jvc.com

The post JVC Pro Video Offers New PTZ Camera Line appeared first on Radio World.