Aggregator
FM Table of Allotments, Snowflake, Arizona; Millerton, Oklahoma; Powers, Oregon; Mount Enterprise and Paint Rock, Texas; Hardwick, Vermont; and Meeteetse, Wyoming
Order, Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley, KOGI-LP, Big Pine, California
NAB Announces Plans for NAB Show New York in 2022
The National Association of Broadcasters has announced the NAB Show New York will return to New York City at the Javits Center on Oct. 19–20.
Produced by the NAB, the NAB Show New York is designed to be a more intimate opportunity for the broadcast, media and entertainment industry to present and discover product updates, new applications and workflow efficiencies to deliver superior audio and video experiences.
Additional details, including registration, will be available in the coming months, the NAB said.
More information is available at NABShowNY.com.
The post NAB Announces Plans for NAB Show New York in 2022 appeared first on Radio World.
MRC Speaks Out on Nielsen’s BBO Plan
Nielsen on Thursday morning announced that it plans to move forward with its introduction of Broadband-Only (BBO) Homes in its local television market measurements, beginning in January 2022.
The Media Rating Council (MRC) recently completed an audit of the BBO Homes. And, just after the Closing Bell on Wall Street, shared several “perspectives” on the matter.
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CRB Judges Set MVPD Rates, Retrans Terms for Broadcast Radio, TV
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Copyright Royalty Judges on December 23 announced that they have adopted existing rates and terms for the retransmission of over-the-air television and radio broadcast stations by cable television systems to their subscribers.
Here’s what that means.
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A Broadcast Ministry Gets a ‘Special’ Mako LPTV CP
Corpus Christi, Tex.-based Mako Communications found itself with a group of low-power TV stations with a unique trait: the deadline to build them isn’t until 2023.
It decided to sell them, attracting a variety of buyers and prices. Now, it has a buyer for a facility serving the home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
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A Monterey Bay FM Signal Finds ‘Fusion’
It bills itself as a Chicago-based multimedia company that offers extensive radio programming offerings including mix show syndication, production and imaging.
Now, the entity majority-controlled by Robert Jamrog is poised to become the licensee of a FM translator licensed to serve Monterey-Salinas, Calif.
The seller? One of the biggest acquirers of radio stations in the last decade.
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‘Hippie Radio’ Parent Names a New COO
For Nashville radio listeners, there’s been a longtime presence of a unique Classic Hits station targeted to those that may very well been labeled a “hippie” some 50+ years ago.
Class A WHPY-FM is Hippie Radio, and together with an AM/FM combo in Gallatin, Tenn., and a group of stations in Warsaw, Ind., comprise Kensington Digital Media.
Now, its founder has selected the GM of the Warsaw stations to serve as the company’s COO.
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Original MTV ‘VJ’ Gets iHeartMedia Midday Radio Slot
For listeners of SiriusXM’s “80s on 8” Channel, every weekend “The Big 40 Countdown” features three of the original MTV VJs, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwell and Mark Goodman. With JJ Jackson deceased, there’s been an inconspicuous absence on the satellite radio broadcaster’s lineup.
Martha Quinn is the other VJ who first entertained a generation of cable TV viewers. And, chances are she won’t be joining her former MTV air personalities anytime soon. That’s because she’s just inked a major deal with iHeartMedia that puts her in middays across more than 35 markets where it owns radio stations.
On January 10, Quinn will begin hosting The Martha Quinn Show on radio stations known for playing today much of the songs that were new when Quinn was on MTV in the 1980s.
Quinn’s program will air in middays, regardless of market. Stations include KOSF-FM in San Francisco, the station branded as “103.7 FM 80s+.” Quinn has been associated with KOSF as its morning show host for five years.
Other confirmed markets where Quinn’s show will be heard include Seattle, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and St. Louis. While iHeart operates Classic Hits stations in each of these markets, a roster of stations was not provided by the company.
“Martha has such a genuine and uplifting personality and she constantly brings excitement and positivity to listeners,” said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer and President of the National Programming Group for iHeartMedia. “She has an unmatched ability to connect with her audience, not to mention an amazing playlist filled with the songs she helped make famous through the years. We know that listeners across the country will fall in love with Martha Quinn, just as audiences everywhere have for decades.”
Quinn’s time at MTV began in July 1981, following her graduation from New York University. The man in charge of MTV at the time? iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman, largely known at the time for programming WNBC-AM 660 in New York in September 1977 — at age 23.
A SVP/Digital Will Soon Come To Cumulus
An individual who most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer of Distributed Media Lab has accepted the role of SVP/Digital at audio content creation and distribution company Cumulus Media.
He reports directly to CEO Mary Berner, and begins his new job on January 18.
As SVP of Digital, Merves will be tasked to lead and further shape Cumulus’ digital strategy, with a focus on generating revenue across multiple Cumulus Media platforms and channels.
Merves is considered by Cumulus to be “a proven leader in digital revenue growth strategies, audience monetization, and branded content.”
Merves ended up at Distributed Media Lab after it acquired the company he founded, Wundervue. There, he dedicated his efforts on supporting media companies and advertising agencies “in their digital transformation, operations, product development and growth opportunities.”
Before starting up Wundervue, Merves was Chief Digital Officer of Belo Corp., working from Dallas. He’s also been Director of Digital Sales at TEGNA, from December 2013-May 2015, and before that held positions of increasing importance at Cars.com.
“Jared has been at the forefront of digital media throughout his career and has helped many companies propel their businesses forward through innovation,” Berner said. “Digital has been a critical and successful pillar of our business strategy, and Jared brings the experience, creativity and technical expertise to build on that foundation and catapult
us to the next level.”
Connoisseur Co-Founder To Shed CFO Role
He has been with radio station owner Connoisseur Media since he was hired as Chief Financial Officer in 1996, when the company was known as Connoisseur Communications.
Now, this longtime partner and colleague of CEO Jeffrey Warshaw is relinquishing his role as EVP/CFO, effective December 31.
As a result, the day-to-day duties held by Michael Driscoll will be handed to Oliver “Olly” Price. He will hold the title of SVP/CFO for Connoisseur Media. Price came to the company in 2012, and presently serves as its VP of Finance and Accounting.
Driscoll won’t be stepping aside, however, as he will still be involved in some aspects of Connoisseur Media as the company’s EVP. Driscoll is a co-founder, with Warshaw, of Connoisseur Media, a new incarnation of the original company formed in 2004.
Warshaw commented, “Mike and I have worked together for a long time. In the years working with him, we have occasionally had different opinions, but never harsh words or arguments. I am glad in this new role he will get a chance to take some more time for travel and things he had wanted to do, but I look forward to still working together. He will always be my partner.”
Driscoll added, “I have really enjoyed the nuts and bolts of helping build a Company and focused on building teams, working on processes and getting the trains to run on time. I could not have had a more fulfilling time, looking forward to coming in each day, and have had a lot of fun working alongside Jeff for this quarter century. I will miss being involved in every decision, and having daily contact with the friends and great colleagues we have in our operations as well as here in the corporate office. I am happy to still be a part of the company, and also an investor in it, and want to watch things grow. This is just a part of a plan Jeff and I have had for a few years, and I have every confidence that our Company will reach new heights as Jeff works with Olly Price as the new CFO.”
Connoisseur Media today owns radio stations in the Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. and Metro Fairfield County, Conn., Nielsen Audio markets embedded within the New York DMA. It also owns stations in nearby New Haven, Conn., and in Frederick, Md.
With A License Loss Looming, A Pastor Fights For WQZS
By Carl Marcucci and Adam R Jacobson
STAHLSTOWN, PA. — For drivers heading west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, exiting the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel signifies two things. First, they are close to Shanksville, and the Flight 93 memorial site. Second, they are 90 minutes from Pittsburgh’s city center and the Golden Triangle.
For radio listeners, most Pittsburgh stations can be heard loud and clear. So can a 630-watt Class A FM licensed to Meyersdale, Pa., whose owner could soon lose his license, as he is a convicted felon. Listeners are aware of this, and a pastor who appears on the station each Sunday is now advocating on the owner’s behalf.
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Merves to Head Digital at Cumulus
Jared Merves has been named senior vice president, digital, of Cumulus Media.
The company called him “a proven leader in digital revenue growth strategies, audience monetization and branded content.”
Merves founded a company offering digital support services called Wundervue. It was acquired by Distributed Media Lab, where he became chief revenue officer.
He is also former chief digital officer of Belo and Co. and had digital roles at Tegna and Cars.com.
He’ll start in mid January and report to President/CEO Mary Berner. Merves succeeds Larry He replaces Larry Linietsky.
Send announcements for People News, particularly engineering and upper management roles, to radioworld@futurenet.com.
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For iHeartMedia/NYC, A COVID-19 Policy Arrives
Come Monday, December 27, all employees and contractors working in the New York City offices of the nation’s No. 1 audio content creation and distribution company will need to comply with mandates put in place on the local, state and federal level regarding COVID-19 workplace protection plans.
How some iHeartMedia employees, including those associated with conservative Talker WOR-AM 710, react to the edict, may be the next conversation topic among industry observers.
In a memo distributed to all who are tied to WLTW “106.7 Lite FM,” WWPR “Power 105.1,” WAXQ “Q104.3,” WHTZ “Z100,” WKTU-FM 103.5, WWRL “BIN 1600,” and the aforementioned WOR, iHeart Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Laven referenced the mandates and its need to comply with them.
While the requirements for the Federal OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which applies to employers with 100 or more workers, “remain fluid,” until further notice iHeart needs to comply.
As such, starting Monday all employees and contractors working in the J.T. Magen-designed futuristic facility at 125 West 55th Street; its studios at 32 Avenue of the Americas in lower Manhattan; “or any other New York City offsite location that includes co-workers or members of the public” will be required to submit proof of having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Importantly, Laven said, “Partially vaccinated employees must become fully vaccinated within 45 days of the date they submitted proof of the first dose.”
After that date — “with limited exceptions for a quick and limited purpose (such as making a delivery, receiving an assignment, using the restroom, etc.)” — neither unvaccinated employees or contractors may physically enter iHeartMedia’s New York City offices or perform work at any of the company’s other New York City offsite locations with co-workers or members of the public.
“Even if you primarily work remotely but need to come to the office for a meeting or other purpose, you must submit proof of vaccination prior to coming to the office,” Laven said, reminding Gotham employees in bold letters that the New York City mandate does not include a testing option.
Documentation is being requested for all iHeart/NYC employees, with uploads of all of the necessary vaccine verification cards to a secure platform managed by CareValidate. This must be completed by December 27.
What is iHeartMedia’s advice to those working from New York offices and studios that have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine? They are strongly encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
“You may take up to 4 hours during the workday (paid) to receive each primary vaccination dose and, to the extent you do not have paid sick leave available, will be allowed up to 2 days of paid time to recover from side effects resulting from each dose of a vaccine, if you experience any,” Laven said.
Employees who either cannot be vaccinated due to “a sincerely held religious belief or medical disability” or are experiencing medical or other circumstances as required by applicable law, causing a delay in vaccination and inability to receive the final dose of an acceptable vaccine by December 27, may request an accommodation through CareValidate as soon as possible and must be prior to that date.
What about indoor mask ordinances in the City of New York? Masks are currently required to be worn by all workers, guests, contractors, etc., in indoor offices regardless of vaccination status — except when alone in an office with the door closed, while actively eating or drinking, or when actively performing an on-air shift so long as a host is six feet apart from others in a studio.
Those who do not ever report to a New York City office location, including those associated with iHeartMedia’s Poughkeepsie, N.Y., stations, are excluded from these requirements.
Meanwhile, per the new New York State regulations all iHeart employees across the Empire State must confirm they have viewed a brief training regarding mask wearing, social distancing and cleaning requirements.
All New York employees will receive a mandatory training assignment from the iHeartMedia Learning Center that must be completed no later than Friday, January 6, Laven adds.
The InFOCUS Podcast: Steve Newberry
CES 2022 is one of the largest events in the world. And, radio industry leaders will be there — including QUU CEO Steve Newberry.
In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, Newberry plans to network, meet with auto industry and technology industry leaders, to build relationships and perhaps collaborate with others to improve radio’s visibility. With “future solutions” top of mind, Newberry shares with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson what he expects to gain from attending CES this year — and what QUU has in store for its users across 2022.
Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Steve Newberry” on Spreaker.
Radio At 100: ‘KDKA: The Morning After’
The evening of Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1920, had come and gone. KDKA, 8MK, and perhaps others had taken to the airwaves that evening to report returns in the election that put Warren G. Harding in the White House. A few hundred, perhaps a few thousand people — there were no rating services then — managed to gain proximity to a primitive radio receiver of some sort and listened as the results were tallied and read into equally primitive microphones.
In retrospect, one can’t help but wonder what went through the minds of those individuals who stayed up late to present election results via “radiophone.” A radio broadcast is at best an intangible — something highly ephemeral, perhaps even a bit ethereal.
Had their voices really gone out into space to reach invisible ears? Had anything happened at all? There had to have been at least a slight sense of unreality in those first moments, a feeling perhaps best captured by Garrison Keillor in his description of the inaugural broadcast of mythical station WLT in St. Paul, Minn.
“Roy Jr. switched off the transmitter. It sighed, expelling a faint breath that smelled of vacuum tubes and electrodes. Ray leaned against the doorway, feeling faint. His speech had exhausted him.
‘Did anybody hear it, do you think?’
‘Guess so.’
‘Anybody ring up and say so?’
‘Nope. Maybe they were too busy listening.”
(WLT: A Radio Romance, 1992)
What now?KDKA’s seminal broadcast way back in 1920, is now viewed as a great day — a truly historical one; something that changed the landscape forever. However, as with any event important enough to make its way into the history books, there’s always the dawning of the next day — the interval after the initial exuberance has passed and cold reality begins to set in. It is then that those who have been cheering in celebration are forced to stop and ponder “what happens next?”
KDKA’s hometown paper highlighted Harding’s win on Nov. 3, but nothing about the station’s historic broadcast.This thought most certainly was on the minds of those at Westinghouse the morning of Wednesday, Nov.3, 1920.
Newspaper headlines that day said virtually nothing about radio. Instead, they screamed “HARDING BY MILLIONS,” “G.O.P.’s GREATEST VICTORY,” “HARDING WINS,” or whatever similar messages regarding election outcomes that could be fitted across the page in the largest type fonts available.
The words “radio” or “wireless” were hard to find, even down in the “noise” of the 6-point type reserved for classifieds and obituaries. Was there really a future in radio, or was the broadcast destined to be just another “flash in the pan?
Where are the cards and letters?
Judging from initial reaction by the public — other than some amount of well-wishing by those tuning in the KDKA broadcast — nothing had really changed. An examination of post-election night periodicals seems to indicate there was little direct impact — no uptick in business at the few sources for radio receivers and parts, no immediate backlog of applications for new stations at the Department of Commerce.
The public continued to read their newspapers and magazines, exchange gossip at card games and in barber shops, and seek out sources of illicit alcohol as Prohibition set in. The print media for the most part ignored radio as 1920 flowed on into 1921.
This would not be unexpected, as there is generally a “wait and see” attitude following the launch of new technology. A commercial aviation industry did not spring up immediately after the Wright brothers’ inaugural flight, and more than 100 years passed between the issuance of a patent for the first dishwasher and its widespread appearance in homes.
As for “radio gripping the hearts and imagination of Americans everywhere” following KDKA’s big broadcast, there’s little evidence to indicate that it initially made much difference one way or the other.
There were even non-believers and scoffers. One 1921 account describes an early demonstration of broadcasting with music transmissions demonstrated via a “mobile” receiver constructed in a baby carriage. Some “ear witnesses” were in denial of the wireless nature of what they were hearing, insisting that there must be a record player concealed in the carriage.
Pittsburgh push continuesWestinghouse still convinced it was riding a winning horse, continued to plow money into fledgling KDKA in 1921, boosting its power from 100 watts to 500, and then a full kilowatt and creating a broadcast studio.
Program offerings were also expanded with the addition of live musical performances, agricultural and weather reports, church services, and more
As 1921 progressed, Westinghouse, convinced that there was a future in radio broadcasting, continued to enhance the facilities of its fledgling station KDKA. One of the additions was the construction of the first real studio seen in the photo at left.; Westinghouse management also budgeted a higher power replacement for KDKA’s original 100-Watt transmitter. It was installed just a few months after the November 1920 election eve broadcast (center). Another indication radio for the masses was here to stay was the January 1921 KDKA hire of the world’s first full-time radio announcer, Harold Arlin (right). He is credited with handling the first radio play-by-play descriptions of both baseball and football games. (photos courtesy National Museum of Broadcasting)Westinghouse’s PR branch stayed busy, issuing frequent press releases about KDKA to any and all print publications that might help to further the cause.
An example of such Westinghouse puffery appears the April 1921 issue of the trade publication, Radio News:
THEATRE MUSIC SENT BY RADIOFONE
The latest thing in providing entertainment by radiofone in Pittsburgh is the sending out of portions of the program given at a downtown theater. This is accomplisht in the same manner as the church services at the Calvary Church in the East End. Telefone transmitters placed in the theater collect and transmit the sound over a special telefone wire to the radio station of the Westinghouse company in East Pittsburgh (Radio KDKA), where it is then sent out by radiofone.
Promotions big and small Futurist Hugo Gernsback was an early supporter of democratizing radio, and used his monthly Radio News publication to further the cause whenever possible as seen in this January 1921 cover art.
Hugo Gernsback, editor of Radio News, and something of a visionary and prophet, was also a believer in radio broadcasting’s future, going so far as to drop the word “Amateur” from the title of his radio magazine in mid-1920 and welcoming such press releases.
Throughout 1921 Gernsbeck advocated “radio for everyone” in his magazine’s pages, with sometimes lengthy articles on new “radiophone” stations, demonstrations of speech and music transmissions, and simplified and less expensive access to radio for the public.
Perhaps the biggest boost received by radio broadcasting during its first year was the July 2 “fight of the century” featuring Georges Carpentier and Jack Dempsey.
While radio coverage was not the prime objective of this heavily-promoted event, others, outside of Westinghouse (most-notably RCA’s David Sarnoff), apparently saw some dollar signs in the new medium and added it to the mix.
The fight coverage station, WJY, was licensed as a temporary entity, and equipped with a General Electric transmitter that had been sidelined from delivery to another customer. (The “borrowed” nature of the gear may explain why WJY operated at 1,600 meters (187 kHz.) Another twist was the recruiting of licensed radio amateurs to assist in disseminating the broadcast, as radio sets were not really household items in 1921.
Radio broadcasting received a really big boost in 1921 from the broadcast of the July 2 Dempsey–Carpentier fight. The 3 kW transmitter used by the Hoboken, N.J. temporary station, WJY, is seen here. Reports were relayed from ringside and read by an announcer. The radio coverage of the championship fight was heavily promoted as evidenced in this photo (right) of a New Jersey boardwalk rolling chair.The “ham” community set up receiving apparatus in performance halls and other venues, and ensured that everything worked properly. Even though reception of a 187 kHz signal and amplification to room-filling volume presented a challenge to the amateur radio ranks, many were able to deliver the goods to their captive and somewhat astonished audiences.
That collective audience was substantial, estimated at some 300,000, and most-assuredly exceeded “tuners-in” to KDKA’s election night event.
While the intent of July broadcast was to attract attention to the fight, it also did much to arouse public interest in radio, perhaps even more so than what Westinghouse was trying to accomplish with KDKA.
Priming the pump
1921 also saw other, less flamboyant, demonstrations of broadcasting.
Perhaps the best documented of these took place on Nov. 15, 1921 in Pine Bluff, Ark., where the president of the Arkansas Power and Light Company, Harvey Couch, had arranged for a broadcast of live and recorded music from Couch’s home to a meeting of the city’s Rotary Club. (AP&L was a Westinghouse customer, with Couch touring the KDKA operation during a buying trip to Pittsburgh and becoming a convert.)
Harvey Couch (Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System)Couch, the Rotarians, and others were so impressed with this latest miracle of science that shortly after the pre-Thanksgiving demo, Couch applied for a license for Arkansas’s first broadcast station.
This, and similar efforts around the country had the effect of priming the pump. The public was definitely becoming interested in radio and Westinghouse extended its broadcasting reach to other population centers, breaking ground on stations in Massachusetts (WBZ), Chicago (KYW) and New Jersey (WJZ).
Gernsback also kept up with his promotions in print, ending 1921 with this editorial:
“To the careful observer, during the past six months it has become apparent that we are finally headed in the right direction as far as popularizing radio is concerned. We may say that we are now right in the midst of a revolution, as far as radio and the great public are concerned. We see the weather marks everywhere. The newspapers are becoming enthusiastic about radio, and devote more and more space to it. The man in the street is beginning to take a lively interest in all things radio. The editor’s desk is beginning to become flooded with letters, not from radio bugs alone, but from the layman, who does not know the difference between a detector and a telephone receiver—all of which is a healthy sign, and we may say that radio is entering into its last and final stage, as far as the public at large is concerned.”
From all appearances, 1922 was shaping up to be a very big year for radio broadcasting.
The author wishes to express thanks to the National Museum of Broadcasting’s Rick Harris; radio collector and conservator, Gary Alley; and to Guy Lancaster and Brian Robertson at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas for their assistance in the preparation of this article.
Further reading
- Ray Poindexter, Arkansas Airwaves, Cassville, Mo.: Litho Printers, 1974
- Thomas H. White, “Battle of the Century” The WJY Story, 2000
- First Broadcast Dempsey–Carpentier Fight July 2, 1921, RCA internal memo, 1921
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A Radiant TV Deal Closes In South Dakota
In February, an agreement was struck that would see the sale of a pair of South Dakota TV stations to a broadcast ministry. It was a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. that fully transitions a property (and its full-time satellite partner) that had been one of the original FOX network affiliates.
Now, the sale — greatly influenced by Gray Television‘s 2020 acquisition of the intellectual property associated with that 33-year-old broadcast station — has just been completed.
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In Defense of Public Service Media News
The author is senior news editor and head of the Eurovision News Exchange at the European Broadcasting Union.
Let’s face it — there are too many podcasts for any of us to listen to in our combined lifetimes. This wasn’t always the case — far from it — but it is true now. And there are podcasts for every taste and style. So, the first thing anyone wanting to start a new podcast has to do is consider who their target audience might be and what they want to talk about.
My colleague Laurent Frat who came up with the idea for the Eurovision News Podcast felt he knew the answer to the first question.
“As an avid podcast listener, I could see the enormous potential for community building among our dozens of member news organizations and I really thought it was the right time to delve into the most pressing issues facing journalism and more specifically public service media like the European Broadcasting Union and its Members in the 21st century,” Laurent said.
I arrived at the EBU in March 2021, having worked as one of the presenters of the highly popular Global News Podcast at the BBC World Service. So, it’s no surprise I was, of course, thrilled when Laurent asked me to work alongside him and the podcast editor, Cathy Milner, to develop his idea. I jumped at the opportunity.
We immediately decided we’d make the first episode entirely about the issue of media freedom and the challenges faced by journalists coming up against autocratic rulers determined to silence them and conspiracy theorists who see the news media as part of everything that’s wrong with society. This was at the time when journalists in the U.S. and Europe were coming under attack on their own streets by demonstrators protesting against new COVID restrictions or the results of the 2020 U.S. elections.
[Read More Guest Commentaries Here]
So, we had cleared that first hurdle of what we wanted to talk about, but who would our target audience be?
From the start, we agreed this fledgling podcast of ours would be primarily directed at the wider EBU community and more specifically the dozens of member networks in Europe and elsewhere that are connected to the Eurovision News Exchange — a network of public-service newsrooms operating in over 50 countries and providing tens of thousands of news stories per year.
If you’ve watched the news in Europe this week or news about Europe either on TV or on your favorite news website — chances are that you will have come across at least one if not five or ten of our news items.
Yes, we are the people who gather and share the images that you see on the news from the tensions at the border between Belarus and Poland to the harrowing scenes of the Kabul airport after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to the proceedings at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
And, unlike traditional news agencies, we don’t usually commission and record that footage. Instead, we rely heavily on the news gathered and recorded by our member news organizations from ZDF in Germany to RAI in Italy to NOS in the Netherlands, RTVE in Spain, the BBC in the U.K. and France Televisions.
For 60 years now, they’ve been sending in their news items and in return they get the latest news — both live and recorded from the other members. It’s a genuine community of the largest newsrooms in Europe and the Mediterranean working together through us.
According to Laurent Frat, “In this challenging period for journalism it’s more critical than ever to build on and develop our already tight-knit EBU community, and it’s why we have made a point of featuring journalists and senior editorial figures from our member news organizations in every one of our episodes to date. As far as we are concerned The Eurovision News Podcast is just as much about them as it is about us.”
So far, we have produced four episodes of our new podcast and we are busy working on another two to conclude our first of what we hope will be many more seasons to come.
In this era of fake news and rising distrust in the news media we are determined to raise the curtain and go beyond the news stories to show our listeners the serious thinking, editorial rigor and determination that goes into producing and delivering the public service media news that we are proud to stand behind and call our own.
Radio World invites industry-oriented commentaries and responses. Send to Radio World.
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