Radio World

 

Manitoulin Broadcasting Corp. electrical room

Electricity is the lifeblood of any radio station. Without power, everything from the office lights to the digital audio systems to the transmitters would cease to run after the generators ran out of fuel. There is no radio without power.

Craig Timmermans is the CEO and owner of Manitoulin Broadcasting Corp., which operates Great Lakes Country 103 FM CHAW(FM) and Hits100 CFRM(FM) in the aptly named community of Little Current, situated on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada.

Timmermans knows all about sky-high electricity bills. That is why his company has made renewable energy investments that slashed their transmitter electrical bills by 80 percent and took their studio/office complex completely off the grid.

“I am very, very happy with this system,” said Timmermans. “I can’t believe that I’m getting all of this energy from the sun and wind to power my stations. Best of all, Mother Nature doesn’t charge me a delivery fee.”

Transmitters first KT and Craig Timmermans.

Timmermans’ venture into radio broadcasting began in 2001, when he was given permission to open CFRM — at a whopping 1.4 watts. Over the next six years he was able to move up incrementally to 27,500 watts, vastly increasing CFRM’s reach from local to regional coverage.

Unfortunately, what also changed was Timmermans’ electricity bill.

“The first one I received from Hydro One was for about $6,000 for two months,” he told RW. “I almost had a heart attack.”

Fortunately, Timmermans is an electrical engineer who knows all about renewable energy. So after his heart settled back to normal, Timmermans decided to slash his transmitter costs by going green.

In 2009, Timmermans took action.  “Since we’re on a mountaintop, it only made sense to install a micro wind turbine to take advantage of the air moving around up there,” he said. “So we did. Now instead of buying $3,000/month of power from Hydro One, we were buying less than $1,200 per month.” This was at Manitoulin Radio’s original rented 300-foot tower site.

Wind turbine.

In 2016, Timmermans added CHAW, Country 103, a 50,000 watt commercial station, to the portfolio. Two years later he bought and erected a new 450-foot tower and transmission site on his property on McLean’s Mountain outside Little Current.

“With both the 50,000-watt transmitter for the country station and 27,500 watt transmitter for the hits station, our monthly electricity costs were projected to hit $6,000-plus! So we bought three more micro wind turbines and put all four of them at the new transmitter site. The result is that our actual monthly electricity bills are $1,350.”

A bonus: Timmermans has configured the power system here so that it only draws on the outside grid when the wind isn’t generating sufficient electricity. Otherwise, Mother Nature is working to keep his two transmitters on air — for a lot less money and reducing our carbon footprint.

As for the cost of installing the micro wind turbines and the associated equipment to power the transmitter complex?

“It was a significant investment, but the money we saved paid it back in about eight months,” Timmermans said. He has since purchased solar panels to install here, “to bring the transmission bill a lot closer to zero.”

Studios came next

Great Lakes Country 103 FM and Hits100 FM have a total of nine employees. Prior to 2020, the offices and studios were in a rented facility in downtown Little Current, population about 2,500.

“People could see our DJs working through the front window,” Timmermans. “It was a way of connecting to the community.” The facility was powered by a biodiesel generator.

But Craig and his wife KT also own and operate two major music festivals, Manitoulin Country Fest and Rockin’ the Rock, on their own 84 acres outside of town every summer; and building a new studio complex on their own land was a logical move.

“After all, we interview the artists who appear at our festivals on our stations as a way of boosting their profiles,” he said. “So it just made sense to have our studios in the same place as our permanent stage and campgrounds.”

In 2020, despite the pandemic, they built a two-story, 2,600-square-foot studio complex to house the two FM stations at 1 Radio Road, Little Current, on the Timmermans’ “Manitoulin Country Fest” grounds.

Because Hydro One wanted to charge a hefty sum to run power lines to the new complex, Manitoulin Broadcasting built it to run entirely off-grid.

To make this possible, Timmermans installed a battery storage system capable of storing 2,000 amp hours of power at 48 volts. When charged, the system has enough power to run the complex for a week, 24/7.

Bank of batteries.

It is primarily charged by a series of south-facing solar panels constructed outside the facility, supplemented by pole-mounted vertical wind turbines.

“Compared to conventional wind turbines, the vertical turbines are extremely quiet,” Timmermans said. For times when there isn’t enough sun nor wind to fully recharge the batteries, the studio complex has a diesel generator, which uses about $20 of diesel fuel per month during the winter.

Solar panels.

“During hot summer months, we generate enough electricity from the sun to power all the lights, computers, broadcast consoles, support equipment and even our central air-conditioning for free,” he said.

“It just amazes me that I can get all that energy from just the sun. I am very proud to say our 2,600-square-foot, air-conditioned office building with two FM radios studios is 100% off-grid.”

Renewable works

The power is consistent and reliable, and the money saved grows every day.

Timmermans expressed a willingness to share his knowledge with other broadcasters. Contact him through www.hits100.ca or www.country103fm.ca.

But some quick advice: For station owners with rural transmitter/tower sites, “small wind turbines to help power your facility just makes good business sense,” he said. “To survive in today’s economy, you have to look at fixed costs that are very high, such as electricity, and find ways to offset those costs and just be greener.”

Owners who can add solar panels and vertical wind turbines to their studio complexes can also save money over time and keep these costs controllable as the grid’s power prices go up.

Besides the savings, there is satisfaction associated with generating most or even all of the electrical lifeblood that your station needs.

Reducing their carbon footprint is important to the Timmermans.

“We just put in all brand-new carpet in the office, and I was vacuuming it the other say,” said Timmermans. “And I said to some friends that were visiting, ‘You know what? I’m vacuuming for free! It’s not costing me a dime to vacuum our building.’”

James Careless is a radio and podcast producer, host and interviewer who has written for RW since 1990. 

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The Georgia Association of Broadcasters named finalists for its 2021 GABBY Awards.

“This year’s awards will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 23. The finalists … will either receive a GABBY or Merit award for broadcasting excellence in various categories,” the association said.

 Finalists are listed on the GAB website.

Registration for the annual GABCON conference also is now open. The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead.

 

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Photo courtesy Dawnco

C-Band users, take note. The Federal Communications Commission released an updated list of earth stations this month.

Making note of this, the law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer says radio stations should review the list “to make sure that any earth station that you operate is included and that all of the details of its operations are correct.”

[Read: Repacking C-Band Earth Stations]

“The updated list (see a PDF version here and an Excel version here) reflects a variety of changes to earth station registrations, including address or coordinate corrections, registration/licensee name changes due to sales or other transfers, and the removal of earth stations that were reportedly inactive and unresponsive to FCC inquiries about their status,” the law firm wrote in a newsletter of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters.

The FCC’s public notice lists Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) earth stations in the 3.7–4.2 GHz band (C-Band) within the contiguous United States that the International Bureau has found satisfy the criteria to be classified as incumbent earth stations for purposes of the C-Band transition.

The post C-Band Users, Check Your Listing appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Wilson

The Radio Board of the National Association of Broadcasters has a new chair. He’s Bill Wilson, the CEO of Townsquare Media Group.

He succeeds David Santrella, the president of Broadcast Media for Salem Media Group, who now becomes chairman of the association’s Joint Board of Directors, succeeding Jordan Wertlieb of Hearst Television.

John Zimmer, president and owner of Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri Inc., was elected Radio Board first vice chair, while Kevin Perry, VP/COO of Perry Publishing and Broadcasting, was elected second vice chair.

Collin Jones, senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for Cumulus Media Inc., was elected as the Radio Board’s major group representative on the NAB Board’s Executive Committee.

[Read: Hershberger Honored With 2021 NAB Engineering Award]

On the TV side, Perry Sook, chairman, president and CEO of Nexstar Media Group, was elected as NAB Television Board chair. Lynn Beall, EVP/COO of Media Operations for TEGNA, was elected TV Board first vice chair. Pat LaPlatney, president and co-chief executive officer of Gray Television Inc., was elected TV Board second vice chair, while and Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, was elected third vice chair.

And Christopher Wood, SVP and associate general counsel for government and regulatory affairs at Univision Communications, was appointed to the designated TV network seat on the NAB Board’s Executive Committee.

 

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This is one in a series of articles from the Radio World ebook “The Real World of AoIP.”

Radio World recently asked several manufacturers to identify the most important technical development or trend in the use of AoIP.

Doug Ferber, Tieline’s VP Sales, Americas, said that the most important trends in the studio are the widespread adoption of AES67 and Networked Media Open Specifications (NMOS), as well as the overall need for increased capacity for IP audio codecs.

“AES67 will make life easier in the world of AoIP with its promise of interoperability between competing audio via standards-based delivery without requiring specialized network equipment,” Ferber said.

“NMOS will provide a control and management layer in addition to the transport layer provided by SMPTE ST 2110 to also provide more straightforward interoperability between products so end users and service providers can build better systems.

“In addition to discovery and registration, device connection management and network control, NMOS will also feature audio channel mapping capability and interoperable security,” he said.

the most important AoIP trend Tieline sees is the need for more audio streams in a single rack unit.

“The move toward more centralized broadcast facilities and content delivery will require audio codecs to do more, or as we like to say in the AoIP world, have higher density. Radio station operations will continue to consolidate, and we think more content will be delivered from fewer locations so the audio encoders/decoders used will have to be equipped with more channels. These AoIP trends are reflected in the design of our new DSP-based codec, the Gateway.”

The post Doug Ferber on Trends in AoIP appeared first on Radio World.

The headlines are everywhere. Weekly online listening is at an all-time high. Sirius bought Pandora; iHeart bought Triton. Smart speakers continue to proliferate. Everyone is talking about audio.

In Radio World’s latest ebook we explore the premise that, if radio organizations want to succeed in the new wider world of audio, streaming needs to be a bigger part of their business strategy.

We ask how broadcasters can better monetize their streams, improve sound quality and promote their streams more aggressively. And we explain key terminology.

Also, what information can data analytics give managers now about their listeners? How should streaming strategies overlap with deployment for smart speakers, apps and voice-controlled car infotainment systems? Do streaming and podcasting benefit or conflict with one another in a media strategy?

The ebook explores these questions through interviews and commentaries from thought leaders and technology suppliers. Read it here.

The post Streaming for Radio in 2021: A New Ebook appeared first on Radio World.

At an online ceremony this week, Sue Zizza accepted the Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre from the National Audio Theatre Festivals.

Zizza was honored as a producer of award-winning audio theater for radio, the web and commercial release for more than 40 years, as well as an influential teacher of sound for radio, television and film, starting at Hofstra University in 1987 and continuing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Colleagues commented on Zizza’s extensive body of work and prolific output, and they roasted her mildly for an insistent work personality. One described her as “an ants in the pants artist,” another said, “You just can’t say no to Sue.”

Her fellow artist and Corwin Award recipient Brian Price commended her for helping to keep the flame of audio theater alive during the difficult years of the 1990s and early 2000s, before podcasting helped bring a wave of fresh interest in all things audio.

Zizza accepted the Corwin Award on Sunday during an online event.

Participants said she was a worthy recipient of an award named for Norman Corwin, “the grand master of American radio theater.”

Zizza is also owner of Radio Waves Studios with her partner, Dave Shinn. Among her recent work, she was commissioned to create a radio program to help celebrate UNESCO’s World Radio Day in 2021.

Sunday evening’s video conference also served as the conclusion of the ninth annual Hear Now Festival, which celebrates the work of “master storytellers.”

 

The post Colleagues Honor Audio Theater Innovator Sue Zizza appeared first on Radio World.

Delilah has purchased the AM radio station where her career began.

Her company announced that the syndicated radio host acquired KDUN in Reedsport, Ore.

The nondirectional station, which is licensed at 1030 kHz for 50 kW daytime and 630 watts at night, had been owned by Post Rock Communications. Terms were not announced.

[Read: Delilah Thrives on Instant Connection]

According to FCC records, KDUN has been silent since December for technical reasons. It received Special Temporary Authority to remain silent earlier this month, though the commission noted in the letter that the owner had failed to submit a request to remain silent for most of the first part of 2021.

“The transmitter is still housed in the same small wood structure, that is literally in the middle of a cow pasture on the banks of the Smith River,” her company said in a press release.

“Delilah is feverishly working to restore the site in order to be able to again be heard on ‘KDUN, the voice of the Oregon Dunes.’”

Her company related the story that when young Delilah Rene was in middle school, she won a speech contest that was judged in part by Jerome and Steve Kenegy, brothers who owned the local radio station. The contest winners were invited to the studios. “The first time she was in the studio, Delilah says she felt ‘at home,’ and her passion for radio was born.” She eventually took a job there before moving on to become a DJ and later a syndicated host.

[Read more about the history of KDUN.]

It said she hopes to help cultivate “local young talent who have a passion for communicating” but that “for now, getting the station upgraded and updated is first on her agenda.” The company said that other radio professionals including Smokey Rivers, Gary Nolan, Chris Mays and Jim Ryan “have stepped up to the plate in this endeavor” to help.

She was inducted into NAB’s Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2017.

 

The post Delilah Buys the Station Where She Started appeared first on Radio World.

Click to enlarge

Spotify is expanding its audio advertising marketplace to several new countries.

“Following a successful U.S. launch of the Spotify Audience Network in April, Spotify is taking its audio-first advertising marketplace on the road,” according to the announcement. “The network will now be available to advertisers and Megaphone publishers in Australia, Canada and the U.K. as of June 29.”

[Read: Are Podcast Listeners Open to More Ads?]

The company calls it an “audio-first advertising marketplace.” It includes the audiences that listen to podcasts from the company’s four studios — Spotify Studios, The Ringer, Gimlet, Parcast — and from third-party podcast publishers including ViacomCBS, the Wall Street Journal, Girlboss and adelicious.

According to a Spotify info page, “Advertisers have historically bought podcast ads on a title-by-title basis. And while title-based buying remains an effective way to align with trusted podcasts and hosts, an advertiser’s reach is limited to a specific title. This has made it challenging to target your customers at scale.”

Its marketplace, it says, provides audience-based targeting tools including demographic targeting, geographic targeting and audience segment targeting.

 

The post Spotify Expands Audience Network appeared first on Radio World.

Chevy Silverado is one of the models that might be missing an HD Radio due to a shortage of certain chips.

Because of the ongoing chip shortage, General Motors will omit HD Radio from certain pickup models.

The change was first reported by the website GM Trucks. A GM spokesperson has confirmed the plan to Radio World. The change starts with vehicles produced on or after July 12.

HD Radio isn’t the only victim of the worldwide chip problem. According to automotive trade reports, GM said previously it would build certain trucks without Active Fuel Management and Dynamic Fuel Management technologies due to the global microchip shortage. And the Detroit Free Press recently reported about the broader impact of the chip shortage: “Car dealers have barren parking lots, consumers face limited options on new vehicle purchases and buyers must wait, and wait, for their new ride to be built.”

[Read: HD Radio’s History of Innovation and Future of Growth]

Kevin Kelly, senior manager, product and brand communications for General Motors, confirmed the HD Radio change in an email to Radio World. “Due to the global, industry-wide shortage of semiconductors GM is removing the HD Radio feature from certain 2021 model year Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 [vehicles] and all 2022 model year Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 HD and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 HD [vehicles].”

Kelly said this change to the availability of HD Radio “is currently expected to be permanent.”

Radio World invited comment from Xperi Corp. and will report any reply.

GM Trucks also reported that a window sticker will include the line “Not Equipped with HD Radio,” and a $50 MSRP credit will be applied.

 

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Digital Alert Systems has issued guidance to users of its equipment ahead of the next national test of the Emergency Alert System.

The test is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The manufacturer released a preparation document to help users of its gear.

This test will be sent via the EAS broadcast-based Primary Entry Point (PEP) system, not the FEMA IPAWS CAP message system.

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

“The NPT is an occasion to perform essential checks on fundamental items, such as checking that the EAS equipment is operating, backup power is functional, the radio monitors are tuned and monitoring the appropriate sources from the state EAS plan, and the equipment’s software is updated,” the company said in an announcement.

It quoted Bill Robertson, VP of business development, saying that if a participant’s DASDEC has been maintained with current software, most steps to prepare for the test are already done. “All DASDEC software from version 3.0 onward will automatically and properly process the NPT code, using the six-zeros national-location code, by immediately forwarding the test alert in compliance with the FCC’s rules.”

But if a DASDEC has earlier than version 3.0, you should update it at least to 3.0 and preferably to V4.3, which he said is most current with security and operational features.

[Read: FCC Releases Results of 2019 EAS Test]

The company said proper configuration is important, especially regarding the system clock. Participants should confirm devices are synced to the correct time and time zone. “One way is to double-check if the device is properly synchronized to a network time source. If a DASDEC is not connected to a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server, then it is important for the user to ensure that the unit time is manually synchronized to an official time source.”

DAS also reminded stations that they must fill out forms on the online EAS Test Reporting System. Form One is due July 6. Form Two must be done after the test, by Aug. 12. Form Three is due Sept. 27.

The backup test date is Aug. 25.

 

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Here’s an upcoming event from one of our sister publications that will be of interest to radio people who also work in AV, education and other related fields.

With InfoComm 2021 coming up in October, Systems Contractor News and AVIXA, the association that produces the show, are teaming up for a virtual event on Sept. 23 called InfoComm Sneak Peek.

Attendees will get previews of education sessions on topics including digital signage trends, emerging audio solutions and classrooms of the future. The event will also feature sneak peeks from manufacturers of products they’ll be launching at InfoComm, in addition to networking opportunities.

Rochelle Richardson, CEM, senior vice president of expositions and events at AVIXA, said the virtual event “will pull back the curtain to reveal new and cutting-edge solutions and technologies and give a glimpse of what the industry can expect to experience at the big show.”

InfoComm Sneak Peek is free to attend for qualified integrators, consultants, content creators, technology managers and others. To register or learn more, visit www.infocommsneakpeek.com.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Adam Goldstein at adam.goldstein@futurenet.com.

InfoComm also is giving readers a free Exhibit Hall pass to the show. Use VIP Code “FUTURE” to redeem your free pass during registration. And for show updates, visit the InfoComm 2021 hub.

 

The post SCN and AVIXA Launch InfoComm Sneak Peek Virtual Event appeared first on Radio World.

The AirCheck tool is on screen at right.

The author is head of Audio and Innovation at Eurovision Sport, part of the European Broadcasting Union. EBU commentaries appear regularly at radioworld.com.

Rewind your memory, if you dare, to March 2020 and the start of the global pandemic. For radio broadcasters, there was a sudden need to adapt to new workflows from their sofas and closets.

But for one group of resilient and hardy journalists, this transition was relatively painless. Sports commentators have something in their DNA that allows them to easily connect to their studio centers from anywhere in the world and to start broadcasting.

[Read: EBU’s New Head of Radio Sees Opportunity, Peril]

The problem though was that often there was nothing for them to commentate on! The UEFA Euro2020 tournament was to be the big football event of the year, but that was quickly postponed as nations headed towards local lockdowns.

UEFA Euro2020 was set to be the first edition of the tournament to take place across many different countries — an idea conceived back in 2012, in more innocent times, to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the event.

Football has a remarkable ability to unite nations and to serve as a wonderful distraction in difficult times, something that made its absence in 2020 even more evident.

So, after a long year of waiting, fans collectively breathed a sigh of relief as the first match kicked off in June 2021 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The tournament, played across different European countries, as originally planned, was to prove challenging for broadcasters dealing with travel restrictions.

The European Broadcasters Union represents and unites broadcasters across Europe and the rest of the world, and around 40 of our radio members delivered coverage of the tournament to millions of listeners worldwide.

Many of those broadcasters deployed commentary teams to cover matches inside venues throughout Europe, while others decided to work from home, commentating off TV monitors in their studios.

For those working “off-tube,” UEFA Bookings provided a “radio international sound streaming service” over the public internet, delivering high-quality sound with watermarked TV pictures specifically for radio commentators.

The rights-protected service was delivered over the SRT and WebRTC streaming protocols to provide high-quality, reliable and low-latency pictures to broadcasters, freeing them from the traditional reliance on expensive satellite downlinks.

Another popular innovation introduced at this tournament was the Eurovision Sport AudioFoot AirCheck platform, designed for EBU radio members to share near-live emotions.

Football delivers raw and passionate moments that cross language barriers. For example, the Portuguese broadcaster RTP celebrates each and every goal with their iconic “Goooaaaal” shouts. Radio Nacional de España sounds dramatic, punctuating their commentary with music and sound effects. The BBC in the U.K. and ARD in Germany deliver a considered commentary style.

Yet no broadcaster can hold back their emotions when their team is about to drop out of the tournament or progress through to the finals.

All of these moments, no matter their language, can prove incredibly useful to producers and journalists looking to build a story of a tournament that stretches far beyond their own radio station’s boundaries.

Swiss start-up deliver.media developed a platform, dubbed AirCheck, to provide access to near-live recordings of the audio output from many of our members.

The platform is unique in its ability to scale using a distributed cloud architecture, currently recording over 240 radio stations. Mathieu Habegger, who established deliver.media, has years’ of broadcast experience behind him.

He created a simple and efficient user interface that does its best to abstract away all of the technicalities involved in the backend, allowing the producer to mark-in, mark-out and download any section of audio for use in their own features or live broadcasts.

We worked with the developers to further customize the platform to support the specific needs of sports journalists working in a pressurized environment.

Live sports data was ingested and embedded onto the digital audio files, making it incredibly easy to locate and download goal commentary.

In addition, a player was developed that could synchronize, display and download audio from multiple broadcasters at any one time.

For broadcasters, it is now incredibly easy to locate a goal from a particular match and to have instant access to the commentary from all of our broadcasters — this makes it so easy for us to reflect the emotions of football across Europe.

It also had some unintended uses. For example, on the second night of the tournament, Denmark’s Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch.

Our Senior Sports Producer Micky Curling was able to locate DR’s highly emotional commentary and make it available to other broadcasters within minutes of the incident. This would have been impossible without the new tool.

The platform also has a flexible data backend that allows users to ingest any type of additional metadata and commentary. deliver.media aims to make linear and audio content searchable in the future and are looking to use AI and deeper audio analysis to really enhance the user experience.

With deliver.media’s AirCheck tool, the innovation from UEFA, and of course the ongoing dedication from radio sports journalists across Europe, UEFA Euro2020 proves once again that football is an opportunity for nations to unite and celebrate a shared human experience.

 

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Then-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is shown at a Senate hearing in 2020. She is now acting chairwoman. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

The FCC’s ongoing local media ownership review is in a state of flux without a confirmed chairperson leading it.

Since late January the Federal Communications Commission has been led by Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, and FCC watchers consider it unlikely that she would proceed with the 2018 Quadrennial Review of Media Ownership Rules until a chair is named by President Biden and approved by the Senate. As of mid-June the FCC remained split 2–2 along party lines.

But even when a chair is named — Rosenworcel or anyone else — we probably shouldn’t expect a Democratic-controlled FCC to relax ownership rules further.

Unanimous vote

Broadcasters got a big win in April when the Supreme Court unanimously upheld changes that the FCC made to ownership rules in 2017. The commission had a Republican majority when those changes were made.

The ruling in “Federal Communications Commission v. Prometheus Radio Project” allowed the FCC to abolish the ban on newspaper/broadcast and radio/TV cross-ownership, and relax several local TV ownership regulations. Court challenges have now been exhausted.

That outcome “effectively reinstates the rules adopted in the 2017 Recon Order,” according to a FCC spokesperson.

One attorney familiar with the process says the FCC is likely to tread lightly on further rule changes at least until a chair is named.

“Traditionally an FCC interim chair is unwilling to begin any new initiatives, or in this case conclude the review with any changes. Especially when the current commission is deadlocked,” the attorney said.

And the political world has continued to turn since then-Chairman Ajit Pai prioritized relaxation of media ownership limits.

Rosenworcel voted against the rule changes then; and she again made her feelings known in a statement following the SCOTUS announcement.

“While I am disappointed by the court’s decision, the values that have long upheld our media policies — competition, localism and diversity — remain strong. I am committed to ensuring that these principles guide this agency as we move forward.”

Congress directs the FCC to review ownership rules every four years and update them to reflect competitive changes that affect the radio and television business. The process is intended to allow reforms to reflect the evolving media marketplace. In addition, local ownership rules seek to “promote competition, localism and viewpoint diversity in today’s radio marketplace,” according to the FCC.

The current cycle will likely be completed late this year or early 2022.

The review does offer the commission an opening to change the radio subcap limit, observers said. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that launched the process mentions the “local radio ownership rule” as one of those subject to review.

And pressure to relax ownership rules further has increased in light of the economic hit radio took during the pandemic.

The current caps were adopted in 1996. They allow for an entity to own up to eight stations in the largest markets, no more than five of which may be in the same service (AM or FM). The limits drop in smaller markets.

The National Association of Broadcasters thinks that one party should be able to own up to eight FM stations in any of the top 75 Nielsen radio markets. It also has said there should be no FCC ownership limits in markets smaller than the top 75, and that AMs should not be counted against the ownership limits.

In addition, NAB hopes that radio owners that incubate the ownership of stations by new entrants into broadcasting would be allowed to own up to two additional FMs in a market.

NAB in its proposal cited a dramatic increase in competition from streaming and satellite radio. It said over-the-air radio should have a level regulatory playing field with the new competition.

“We should take a close look”

The association is optimistic there will be some movement on radio subcaps.

“We think there will be changes. It’s more of a question how far the FCC will go. A lot will depend on who the chair is. Everyone has a different opinion,” an NAB spokesperson told Radio World.

The spokesperson anticipated that the FCC would issue a notice to refresh the record and collect additional comments before releasing a final order — and that in fact happened in early June.

In inviting fresh comments, the FCC wrote: “Beyond reviewing the existing record in light of the passage of time, we also seek submission of new or additional information regarding the media marketplace that commenters believe is relevant to this proceeding,” mentioning the broadcast industry’s evolution since early 2019, the growth of online audio and video sources and the impact of the pandemic.

When NAB floated its subcap proposal in 2019, the largest ownership group was opposed to higher FM limits. According to an internal memo reported on several industry websites, iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman and COO Rich Bressler described the NAB proposal as “bad for the industry” and worried “what NAB’s idea would do to the value of AM properties.”

Emails requesting comment from iHeartMedia leadership were not returned.

Matthew McCormick, co-managing member at the law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreath PLC, would be surprised if there were any significant further relaxation of ownership rules. “I think it is unlikely that a Democratic-controlled commission will adopt the NAB’s proposal to loosen the radio ownership caps,” he said.

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, in a speech to the Media Institute in May, said it is not clear if consolidation will accelerate following the Supreme Court decision.

“I certainly have a renewed interested in using the next Quadrennial Review to ensure that the pillars of diversity, localism and competition are fully considered in determining what future media ownership regulation should look like,” said Starks, the other Democrat on the commission.

“We should take a close look at everything and see what makes sense in today’s markets.”

Starks compared today’s media ownership landscape to how it was just 40 years ago.

“In 1983 there were about 50 dominant media companies. Today there are five media conglomerates that own about 90 percent of the media in the United States, including newspapers, magazines, movie studios and radio and television stations,” he said.

David Honig, president emeritus and co-founder of the Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council, thinks it unlikely that this quadrennial review will result in further major changes.

“MMTC, along with NABOB [National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters], has asked the commission to maintain the local ownership caps, and we expect that to happen,” Honig told Radio World in an e-mail.

Others pointed out that as political administrations swing back and forth, so do priorities.

“A Democratic commission is unlikely to relax the multiple ownership rules any more than the Supreme Court required. [And] while the commission is tied 2–2, don’t expect controversial changes,” said Melodie Virtue, a communications attorney with Foster and Garvey PC.

More comments?

David Oxenford at Wilkinson Barker Knauer wrote on his blog earlier this year: “Now that the Third Circuit’s reasoning has been rejected, that still does not mean that the FCC, particularly a Democratic-controlled FCC, will automatically look to relax the radio rule.”

When Oxenford wrote that, he too anticipated that the commission would ask for more comments, as it eventually did. “In other words, any change in the radio ownership rules will not come quickly.”

But political volatility in Washington could also lead to a more unpredictable FCC, according to Scott Flick, a Washington-based attorney with Pillsbury Shaw Pittman LLP.

“The traditional Washington perspective on the FCC is that Democratic commissioners seek to regulate and Republican commissioners seek to deregulate. There was a period of time, however, where the views of an FCC commissioner were more informed by their background and experience than by their party affiliation,” he said.

“Whether it was the result of more flexibility in party ideology or a greater willingness to horse trade on issues to achieve the best overall result in that commissioner’s view, it led to a more predictable and consistent FCC.”

That consistency, Flick said, benefited everyone — not just those appearing before the FCC trying to build new businesses and business models without finding their plans upended every four years, but also “the FCC staffers themselves, whose job is made easier when the correct answer on a particular point is the same this year as it was last year, unaffected by perennial changes in commissioners and politics.”

The post Further Relaxation of Ownership Seems Unlikely appeared first on Radio World.

I recently had the opportunity to test out the new Movo UM700 USB Desktop Studio Microphone.

Movo Photo is an L.A.-based dealer that offers its own products along with those of others in the field of audio, video, photography and lots of accessories for those disciplines.

The UM700 costs about $100. The company markets it as “a Blue Yeti killer.”

To throw the specs out first, it stands about a foot tall on its desk mount and weighs just over 2 pounds.

It is a solid mic as far as its metal body and overall build, and certainly has the physical feel of a mic that will stand up to time, with a notable exception to be discussed.

It uses a 1/2-in he diaphragm and shows a frequency response (per manufacturer) of 20 Hz–20 kHz. As a USB microphone — no XLR — it’s limited to the world of PCs and laptops. It pulls its 5V power over the USB (at 150mA per manufacturer’s specification), and that is to power the internal headphone amplifier (using a mini 1/8-inch stereo jacks).

The sample rate listed is 48 kHz with a 16-bit depth. According to the company the headphone amplifier output impedance is 16 ohms, and headphone amp output frequency response is 15 kHz–20 kHz.

Choose your pattern

What makes this microphone unique for an affordable USB microphone is an adjustable polar pattern.

On the back of the mic are two controls. One for mic gain/sensitivity, and the other for pick-up pattern. By rotating a solid switch, it can have a stereo, cardioid, omnidirectional or bidirectional pick-up pattern.

The front of the mic has a headphone volume adjustment, plus a handy “mute” button (which illuminates to remind you that it is muted). It has a green indicator light to show you when it has a connection and is powered. One other feature is the 5/8-inch threaded opening in the bottom for a standard mic mount. Though you can’t swivel the mic on its included stand, it can be removed and used with a microphone stand, gooseneck or boom arm.

How does it sound? This is always a subjective question when working with microphones. So much relies on an individual’s own voice; mine is lower. For that it sounds decent.

It has a “proximity effect” to it, meaning you can “color” the audio quality of the mic by working it close or far. This is not something I like with mics in general, but some mics (like the EV RE320 and 20 series) are excellent at producing the same tonal quality no matter what the distance.

On the positive side, the adjustable pattern is a cool feature, and using a mic in stereo mode for some situations (like an interview where you only use a single mic) really provides an excellent “audible image” of the interview. You can hear the placement of the people in relation to the listener (or the mic). This is very nice.

The sensitivity is also a plus, though it should be noted that there’s enough gain to the mic to really increase noise as well.

Though I’ve had this mic for testing for about a month, there is a notable weakness. The micro USB connection on the bottom of the mic is flimsy. Mine is already loose and occasionally causes an intermittent issue.

That is a serious flaw and, in my opinion, likely to cause failure and a short life. Unless they redesign it with a much more robust connection (or full-size) USB, I wouldn’t recommend it because of that problem.

For the quality of the sound, features and otherwise robust built, it’s a shame that a 25-cent connection limits this microphone.

PRODUCT CAPSULE

Movo UM700 USB Desktop Studio Microphone

Thumbs Up: Nice sound, multipattern mic in USB connection format; compatible with Windows and Mac

Thumbs Down: Flimsy USB connector

Price: $99.95

For information, contact Movo Photo at 1-800-354-1739 or visit www.movophoto.com.

The post Movin’ on Up With the Movo UM700 appeared first on Radio World.

So here’s the buzz… if the unusual design of the King Bee II makes one think about Blue, that’s not an accident.

The same group that founded Blue (technically Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics) a couple of decades ago and built it into a major microphone player, are also behind Neat Microphones, the maker of the King Bee II (and the original King Bee along with other XLR mics and many USB mics).

Not surprisingly, the mic designs put out by Neat have been … eye-catching.

Neat was recently acquired by iconic computer sound card pioneer now computer gaming peripherals power Turtle Beach …

But back to the King Bee II. It’s a cardioid large diaphragm condenser aiming to be a studio mic rather than a computer peripheral. This mic has an XLR output. Following in the tradition of Blue, Neat points to quality electronics on the inside.

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

The target market includes the standard studio performers — electric guitar, acoustic instruments, drums along with voiceovers, podcasting and streaming content.

In addition it ships with the custom “Beekeeper” shockmount and “Honeycomb” pop filter. Price: 169.99

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

Info: www.neatmic.com

 

The post Neat King Bee II Takes Flight appeared first on Radio World.

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

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters has joined a range of organizations to submit comments in support of REC Networks’ Petition for Rulemaking. The petition, RM-11909, promises to be a game changer for rural communities, in NFCB’s assessment.

Why did NFCB sign on to expand LPFM? Low power stations represent an important moment in radio’s evolution in the U.S. REC Networks’ proposal is straightforward and intuitive. It would permit LPFMs in communities where it is possible to upgrade their signals. Currently, most LPFMs only go about three miles from their transmitters due to the existing power limits of a maximum broadcast power of 100 watts. An increase would help sparsely populated areas tremendously, and cause no conflict with existing broadcasters, where they are otherwise present.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Giving Mood]

Radio World recently shared some of the words of noncommercial broadcasters representing governmental, community and faith-based licensees. Many radio station representatives share that their outlets are assets in their communities. “Our little station has provided hyperlocal programming,” the comments from WVMO read, for example. In each of these stories is the spark of why many people get into radio in the first place. These broadcasters aim to make a difference locally. A signal increase would only deepen those area relationships.

In few places is our medium’s relationship more necessary as it is in far flung regions. With not nearly the number of broadcast options as one might hope in rural regions, low-power FM stations serve a vital purpose. They provide a sense of belonging, emergency response information, and a cultural gathering place where in-person meeting is more difficult due to the terrain. Stronger radio in these areas means stronger communities.

The idea presented by REC Networks has its share of critiques. For as long as there has been radio, it feels like there have been tensions over space on the dial. However, such disputes are not nearly as prevalent in rural communities where, to quote NFCB CEO Sally Kane, there are more cows than people. Regardless, some argue possible conflicts should mean a complete halt on progress. But, with natural disasters and crying needs of communities for education and support, isn’t it wiser to be simply more responsive when issues arise, rather than stop everything? I tend to believe commissioners are professionals enough to handle matters as they arise.

The FCC has yet to consider REC Networks’ Petition for Rulemaking, but the overwhelming number of comments are an apt demonstration that, especially in rural communities, LPFM increases are an idea whose time has come.

The post Community Broadcaster: LPFM-250’s Time Is Now appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy has launched a podcast studio that’s intended to be the home of its sports digital audio content.

It is called 2400Sports. “The new studio launches on the heels of Audacy becoming the official audio and podcast partner of Major League Baseball,” the company said in the announcement.

“As part of that partnership, Audacy and Major League Baseball will collaborate on the production and distribution of official podcast programming for the league and its clubs.” That includes a new series coming this fall about past playoff highlights, as well as projects with the individual ballclubs.

Audacy also announced an agreement with podcast producer Jody Avirgan’s Roulette Productions to develop and create shows. Avirgan is former executive producer and host of ESPN’s “30 for 30” podcasts.

2400Sports joins Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studio along with podcast marketplace Podcorn as elements of the company’s podcast stable.

The post Audacy Launches Sports Podcast Studio appeared first on Radio World.

A committee that advises the Federal Communications Commission on diversity and “digital empowerment” in the media will have its mission broadened to cover the broader tech sector.

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the Advisory Committee for Diversity and Digital Empowerment will be renamed the Communications Equity and Diversity Council.

“This committee is charged with providing recommendations to ensure that underserved communities are not denied the wide range of opportunities made possible by next-generation networks. Jamila Bess Johnson will remain the Designated Federal Officer for the committee, which will run for two years.”

The committee was created in 2017 with the goal of providing advice and recommendations about how to help disadvantaged communities and accelerate the entry of small businesses, “including those owned by women and minorities into the media, digital news and information, and audio and video programming industries.”

Rosenworcel complimented its work and described its members as including “some of the most talented civic-minded people in the communications industry, helping to open doors of opportunity that too often have been closed to women and minorities.”

But she said she hopes for “meaningful progress on these issues” of diversity and equity across the tech sector.

The current committee chair is Anna M. Gomez, partner at Wiley Rein, representing the Hispanic National Bar Association. Among current members who will be familiar to radio readers are Raúl Alarcón of the Spanish Broadcasting System, Caroline Beasley of Beasley Media Group, Skip Dillard of Emmis Communications, Nimisha Shukla of NJ Broadcasting/South Asian Broadcasting and James L. Winston of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.

 

The post Rosenworcel Widens Focus of Diversity Group appeared first on Radio World.

Jason Church

From our “Who’s Buying What” page: WSIE 88.7 “The Sound” recently put in a bunch of Heil Sound microphones as part of a studio upgrade project. The mics were donated by the manufacturer.

The station at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville installed 14 PR30s as well as PL2T booms and PRSM shockmounts. The mics are being used in its main studio, production and voice tracking rooms.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Jason Church is director of operations and general manager at The Sound. Heil quoted him as saying that at WSIE, students are taught skills that apply to traditional radio, streaming, podcasting, YouTube and other media. “They come here and work on real equipment and learn to present themselves on the air in a professional manner.”

The school and the manufacturer are both located near St. Louis. Their partnership was arranged by Michelle Levitt, marketing director for Heil Sound, who was contacted by a representative at the school about underwriting partners.

Users and suppliers are both welcome to submit news for “Who’s Buying What.” Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

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