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NEW YORK — With vendors saying no to Amsterdam in two weeks, others are saying yes to the Big Apple, as TE1 and TE2 DSP engines and remote production products from Solid State Logic (SSL) will be among the wares on display at the Sports Video Group (SVG) Summit.

The event is scheduled for December 12-13 and will be held at the New York Hilton. And, SSL’s presence there coincides with its decision to rejoin the Sports Video Group, an industry organization supporting the sports broadcast community since 2006.

Nigel Beaumont, Managing Director of Solid State Logic, commented, “SSL thought it was the right time to return to SVG, both in terms of our new product and technology offerings and in light of the very encouraging state of the sports broadcast industry at large. We look forward to seeing everyone in New York.”

Unlike other locales, the City of New York strictly enforces COVID-19 vaccination in nearly all large indoor areas, from Midtown Manhattan pubs to the Harvard Club, site of last week’s highly successful Forecast conference staged by Radio + Television Business Report and Radio Ink.

During the SVG Summit, SSL will be showcasing its AoIP based broadcast production solutions, including new System T V3.1 software, which introduces pay-as-you-go DSP licensing via new TE1 and TE2 Tempest Engines.

This, SSL says, allows broadcasters to flexibly scale processing capabilities according to broadcast production requirements. In addition to the new Tempest Engines, attendees will get the opportunity to learn how System T users “are taking advantage of ahead-of-the-curve decentralized production capabilities, large-scale remote production solutions and multi-operator workflows, all the way to easily managing ‘at home’ requirements.”

To find out more or book a consultation at SVG Summit, please visit the SSL Events Page. To learn more about SSL’s broadcast solutions, including its new DSP Tempest Engines, please visit the company’s broadcast audio page.

VIDAA and Intertrust ExpressPlay have confirmed the availability of VIDAA SMART OS-powered Hisense smart TVs preloaded with Intertrust’s ExpressPlay XCATM content security for broadcast TV protection.

This, the companies says, brings secure direct-to-TV broadcasting using a cloud-based content protection product that meets the requirements of premium content owners without requiring additional consumer devices such as set-top boxes (STB) or conditional access modules (CAM).

Based on the open-standard Marlin DRM technology, ExpressPlay XCA is a cloud-based broadcast security product that pre-integrates the XCA client into Hisense smart TVs that support the security requirements for all types of broadcast TV delivery.

Importantly, it meets the Enhanced Content Protection requirements from MovieLabs including Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and Secure Video Path (SVP).

And, the companies say, it enables satellite, cable, and IPTV operators to adopt a converged security strategy to deliver premium/UHD content directly to smart TVs without the need for additional consumer premise equipment.

VIDAA SMART OS is a Linux-based operating system that provides consumers with a full suite of smart TV features as well as linear and streaming content options with more than 200 fully integrated apps.

By transitioning content protection functionality from external devices to smart TVs, ExpressPlay XCA plugs the HDMI security vulnerability exploited by so-called HDMI strippers. These devices, which illegally circumvent the content protection between a receiver and TV set, are now useless since the content remains encrypted until it reaches the SoC built into the smart TV where it is safely decrypted in a controlled environment. This protects revenue for both rights holders and video service providers.

ExpressPlay XCA is a key component of the ExpressPlay Media Security Suite, which also includes a cloud-based and studio-trusted multi-DRM service, comprehensive anti-piracy services, and an offline multi-DRM platform.

Deployed in both IP and SDI broadcast workflows, Imagine Communications’ Selenio Network Processor (SNP) has added new software features that the company believes “enhance customers’ existing investments, driving further efficiencies in production, playout and distribution architectures.”

Imagine’s SNP video and audio processor platform boasts a software-based architecture, allowing it to deliver “all the functionality of a traditional modular processor chassis, but in an infinitely flexible, instantly reconfigurable form,” the company notes.

The latest major software releases add several important new software capabilities, Imagine adds. This includes JPEG XS encoding and decoding; an automated changeover switch (ACO); an advanced keyer (DSK); and additional audio management capabilities.

“These new personalities can be enabled on any SNP in the field, and all take advantage of the core processing of the SNP, including the ability to easily combine HD and UHD, SDR and HDR, and SDI and IP connectivity,” the company notes.

JPEG XS is a transformational codec, offering typical compression ratios between 5:1 and 20:1. It can also be used as an on-ramp and off-ramp to cloud-based production. The JPEG XS codec will be available as an SNP software personality at resolutions up to UHD/4K (and HDR). The user can tailor the bits-per-pixel (coding rate) for the specifics of the application; Imagine is also working with leading cloud providers to create ground-to-cloud connections.

Available in the latest SNP release is an automatic changeover switch (ACO), which uses content-aware metrics to determine the health of each feed.

A downstream keyer (DSK) is also being added to SNP’s capabilities. This offers four layers of keying and supports UHD/4K and HDR, using external and internal keys. The feature supports graphics sequencing and animations, and it uses SNP core functionality to allow mixed IP and SDI inputs and outputs.

The latest SNP release adds support for up to 16 audio channels within each audio stream (across all personalities). Imagine has also upgraded the SNP’s audio shuffling and remapping capabilities to allow more complex audio channel mapping amongst the MADI, embedded, and IP inputs and outputs.

In addition, the latest release brings significant enhancements to the SNP-MV production multiviewer personality, including caption/subtitle rendering and a large set of new on-screen indicators and alarms.

The first of these new SNP personalities and features are now available for ordering, and upcoming features will roll out in phases over the upcoming months.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Leadership changes have been announced for two key working groups of the National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC), a technical standards-setting body co-sponsored by National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

Alan Jurison, Senior Operations Engineer for Engineering and Systems Integration at iHeartMedia, will chair the NRSC’s IBOC Standards Development Working Group (ISDWG).

ISDWG is a sub-group of the Digital Radio Broadcasting (DRB) Subcommittee, which is co-chaired by E. Glynn Walden, consultant to Audacy, and Jackson Wang, President of e-Radio Inc.

Jurison is vacating his current position as chair of the NRSC’s Metadata Usage Working Group (MUWG) where he has served since 2012. Current activities of the ISDWG include development of an NRSC Guideline for all-digital AM radio stations and updating the NRSC-5 digital radio standard – the technical standards expression of Xperi’s HD Radio digital radio system – a task undertaken by the group every five years.

“Having Alan as the new ISDWG chair is a great development,” Walden said. “Alan has been a major contributor to NRSC technical documents and done an outstanding job at the helm of the MUWG. With the NRSC-5 review upcoming, Alan and his group have their work cut out for them.”

David Bialik, a systems engineering consultant, will be the new chair of the MUWG, a sub-group of the Data Services and Metadata (DSM) Subcommittee which is chaired by New York Public Radio Chief Technology Officer Steve Shultis. David’s initial project as group chair is to lead the development of NRSC-G304, Metadata for Streaming Audio Guideline.

“David’s expertise in the area of streaming for broadcast audio will be put to good use as the new chair of the MUWG,” commented DSM Subcommittee chair Shultis. “Radio broadcasters rely increasingly upon their audio streams and the NRSC is eager to help develop better standards in this area.”

A note for the equipment manufacturing community: The deadline to submit nominations for the next Best of Show/Best of 2021 Awards has been extended to Nov. 30.

This year, Future is running two awards programs to accommodate IBC show exhibitors and those that aren’t able to exhibit this time around.

(This program is timed to coincide with the fall IBC show each year. Note that winners were announced recently for the awards that are normally held during the spring NAB Show, which was postponed and then eventually canceled. Those nominations and winners are featured in the award Program Guide.)

The Best of Show Awards 2021 is open to IBC 2021 show exhibitors and celebrates the innovation and craft of the industry’s R&D teams by recognizing standout products and solutions on display at IBC in Amsterdam next month.

New for this year is the Best of 2021 Awards, a program for non-exhibiting companies that recognizes outstanding broadcast products and solutions brought to market between September 2020 (the 2020 IBC Showcase) and December 2021.

Both programs are supported by Future’s media and entertainment technology brands Radio World, TVBEurope and TV Tech  and each brand will provide coverage of the winning entries.

 

The post Best of Show/Best of 2021 Awards Deadline Extended appeared first on Radio World.

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The Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with WDGC-FM, School District #99

Stellar Media enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation.

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On October 28, RBR+TVBR first reported that the company founded and led by Jeff Smulyan had earmarked as much as $5.2 million to invest in a long-awaited stock repurchase initiative — one intended to take up to two million Class A Emmis Communications shares out of public hands.

The stock buyback effort fell short of that goal, the company revealed on Monday.

Emmis’ cash tender offer expired at 5pm Eastern on Friday (11/19). And, based on the final count by tender offer depositary Broadridge Inc., a total of 1,027,494 shares of Emmis’ Class A common stock were properly tendered and not withdrawn.

What does this mean? With Class A common stock set by Emmis at a purchase price of $2.60 per share, it will move ahead with the purchase all of the shares tendered for an aggregate price of approximately $2.7 million — excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer.

he shares to be purchased represent approximately 8.5% of the issued and outstanding shares of Emmis’ Class A common stock and 7.5% of Emmis’ total issued and outstanding equity, which includes the issued and outstanding shares of Emmis’ Class B common stock.

The shares purchased in the tender offer will be cancelled by Emmis. And, after giving effect to the purchase and cancellation of the shares, Emmis will have 12,601,659 shares of common stock issued and outstanding consisting of 11,105,959 shares of its Class A common stock and 1,495,700 shares of its Class B common stock.

However, Emmis intended to cancel a higher number of shares in the tender offer.

It was the third transaction to involve a “unique” group of low-power TV construction permits, given their construction deadline. And, the deal was first announced in late August.

Now, Ravi Kapur has completed his acquisition of two digital mini-TV facilities from Mako Communications.

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On November 16, some of the radio industry’s biggest leaders gathered in New York to attend Forecast 2022. Little did they know that they were in perhaps the most underrated hub for AM and FM audio consumption in the United States. From Uber to Lyft, from retailer to sundry shop, traditional radio was alive and well. This leads our Editor-in-Chief to exclaim, “Can someone please alert Madison Avenue that New York loves Radio?!” Check out the newly updated Forecast 2022 Photo Gallery by clicking here now!

 

 

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NEW YORK —  Never More Than 2 Minutes of Commercials at a Time.

That was the pledge presented to listeners of the Alternative music station serving the nation’s largest market, implemented in August 2019 — well before COVID-19 and the pandemic led to advertiser cutbacks. And, it was a sign that Audacy Inc., was prepared to address the No. 1 listener complaint at its “ALT”-branded stations: the length of its commercial breaks.

Now, nearly 28 months after the “2 Minute Promise” even got its own hashtag, Audacy has abandoned it. The reason? Rising advertiser demand.

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Telos Alliance is highlighting Version 4.0 of its Omnia.11 software.

The company describes the new version as being cleaner and brighter, saying it “permeates open sound without a loudness penalty.”

Among its features is a new Silvio Clipper that provides “significant” sonic improvements for G-Force users and new presets for various multiple station formats to make the most of the new design.

Founder Frank Foti and Cornelius Gould will discuss these developments in an upcoming webinar on Dec. 1. The presentation will include interviews with users about the release’s capabilities.

The Omnia.11 is available in FM+HD with separate processing paths for FM or HD/DRM and FM without HD/DRM. The FM-only model is upgradeable to FM/HD at a later date.

The post Telos Highlights V4.0 of Omnia.11 Software appeared first on Radio World.

With Black Friday fast approaching, the holiday vibe is in full effect. For one retailer, that means dominating its ad category on both broadcast and cable television, the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten reports show.

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By Steve Newberry
Special to Streamline Publishing

Forecast 2022 was a great event. Seeing friends in person, gathering to hear industry influencers, and sharing ideas with colleagues felt wonderful! It was a slice of normalcy to the broadcast community that we’ve all missed since March of 2020.

While the social aspect of Forecast 2022 felt familiar, the business challenges facing radio and television broadcasters are far from normal. Digital revenue, D.C. policy battles with giant tech companies, the need for diversity and countless other topics are all impacting how we chart our future. In our previous “normal world”, these were seen as daunting obstacles for broadcasting’s future.

For far too long, our industry looked toward the inevitable changes to the media landscape as a looming threat. I’m criticizing myself as much as anyone. I loved how radio worked. I loved the margins. I felt like I had it figured out, and I really didn’t want to have to deal with a long list of new issues like podcasting, streaming, apps, digital sales, competition from the tech companies and…well, the list seemed to go on and on.

However, Forecast 2022 felt like a pivotal point in how broadcasting is approaching the future. Instead of frustration, objection to or denial of the challenges ahead, I heard optimism, strategic thought, and the embracing of new opportunities.

It seems, at long last, broadcasting is embracing the “new normal.”

There was excitement and energy around merging new business and distribution opportunities with our long-established and trusted brands. A realization broadcasters can do more than ever before. A fresh approach to taking traditional over-the-air signals, enhancing our familiar and trusted broadcast products with new delivery paths, and creating rich content. An approach that both deepens the relationships with our listeners/viewers while also creating exciting new revenue opportunities.

Panel after panel presented this new perspective throughout the day. Discussions about business growth, station valuations, diversity and revenue trends ALL had the same general theme. Radio and television broadcasting are strong industries with tremendous legacies of service. However, by embracing a different way of running our businesses, creating compelling content, and serving our communities, the future path is filled with opportunity for enormous reward.

It was great to be in-person at Forecast 2022 with so many colleagues. It felt terrific. But in reflection, what felt best about this year’s event was the sense of how those in the room have pivoted from defending threats to embracing opportunities. Broadcasting’s world is not back to “normal.” Instead, it appears broadcasters are now embracing a “new normal” with enthusiasm and a sense of opportunity.

I’m looking forward to Forecast 2023 and I’m really looking forward to broadcasting’s exciting new future. It will have its challenges, but the opportunities are endless!

Steve Newberry is CEO of Quu Inc. He was previously Executive Vice-President, Industry Affairs and Strategic Planning for the National Association of Broadcasters. He can be reached at snewberry@radioky.com

KIRO(AM)’s Jake and Stacy broadcast their mid-day sports show live from the emergency studio. (Photo courtesy FMEA Region 10 via Twitter)

In the event of a natural disaster or national emergency, Seattle’s KIRO(AM) is prepared to keep the public informed. The Bonneville International station is the latest station to upgrade its emergency broadcasting capabilities as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Public Warning System (NPWS).

Based at the station’s Vashon Island, Wash., transmitter site in Puget Sound, the free-standing emergency studio is designed and hardened to withstand natural disasters and acts of terrorism. The upgraded facility was formally dedicated on Nov. 19. As part of the unveiling, KIRO mid-day hosts Jake Heaps and Stacy Rost originated their show live from the new emergency studio.

“It’s an honor for Bonneville Seattle to serve the community and we are proud to partner with FEMA. We share and salute the agency’s commitment to protecting the public,” said Bonneville International President Darrell Brown in a statement released by FEMA. “Radio is a lifeline, and the new studio and continued investment will ensure KIRO-AM 710’s resiliency during times of crisis when communication is vital.”

[Related: “FEMA Celebrates PEP Upgrade at Historic WBZ”]

Maintained under FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), KIRO is a Primary Entry Point (PEP) station — one of 77 across the country. PEP stations are specially designated NPWS broadcast stations that serve as the primary intake source of initial broadcasts for a national alert. Together, the 77 PEP stations provide coverage to 90 percent of the United States.

FEMA equips PEP stations, which are operated by local station personnel, with backup communications equipment and power generators, allowing them to continue broadcasting information to the public during and after an emergency, including conveying official alerts to communities regionally and nationwide.

KIRO is the 14th PEP station to complete the all-hazards upgrade, which included outfitting a hardened shipping container with a full radio studio, a 60-day supply of food and water, and sleeping and bathroom facilities, along with sustainable power-generation capabilities.

The island location of the site is not a problem for emergency readiness, according to Bonneville Seattle General Manager Cathy Cangiano. “The Coast Guard has standing orders to meet members of the KIRO staff at the Seattle waterfront and rush them to the Vashon transmitter site,” Cangiano told MyNorthwest.

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

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