WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favor of the Biden Administration’s “Build Back Better” reconciliation package — a bill that includes provisions in the Local Journalism Sustainability Act.
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Many people do not understand audio processing. People do not listen to your station because you have incredible audio processing, they come for the desired content. That said, audio processing adds to the listening experience, making your audience comfortable and giving them the ability to best enjoy the content.
Naturally, audio processing for broadcast radio should be different from the processing of streaming audio.
For broadcast radio you want to be the loudest on the dial so that when a potential listener hits scan, the station stands out. It almost works as a “stop sign,” demanding the listener pause and pay attention.
This will momentarily capture the audience, but they will stay on the channel for the content. Here audio processing helps create a comfortable audio atmosphere that partners with the content to keep your audience.
For streaming radio, which reaches listeners on their computer, smartphone, or smart speaker, you do not need to be the loudest. As I have said many times, “Clarity beats loudness all the time.” With streaming, the audio should be clean so that the intended instrumentation can be heard. A flute should sound like a flute.
Processes for Downward and Upward Loudness Normalization (from AES Technical Document AESTD1008.1.21-9)I am not saying compression or expansion should not be used, but they should be used for the intended playback. Process your stream for your stream; process your over-the-air broadcast for the radio.
Use music you are familiar with and that has a good range to calibrate the processing. I tend to use music by Linda Ronstadt because she has a good selection that ranges across many genres. In addition, a woman’s voice tends to have more range than a male voice.
And please remember that audio processing must partner with the content to increase how long your listener stays, and we all want larger total listener hours (TLH).
Loudness guidelines
As far as loudness goes, I highly recommend the new Audio Engineering Society Technical Document AESTD1008.1.21-9: Recommendations for Loudness of Internet Audio Streaming and On-Demand Distribution. This document, released in September 2021, supplies you with all the knowledge needed for loudness and much more.
The key point of the technical document is to keep your loudness consistent across the music, the DJ, the commercials and the station promos. You do not want to invite the listener to adjust their volume. If they are adjusting the volume, it is just as easy for them to change to another stream or turn off the player.
[Read more Radio World articles by the David Bialik.]
This document took the AES’s Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery (which I co-chair) more than two years to write, but it is available as a free download (which matches most broadcast budgets).
For radio streamers, the most important part of the recommendations is Table 2 on page 6 (reproduced below). This provides recommended loudness levels in Loudness Units with respect to digital Full Scale (LUFS) by format.
AES Technical Document AESTD1008.1.21-9 Table 2 Format Distribution Integrated Loudness News/Talk −18 LUFS Pop Music −16 LUFS Mixed Format −17 LUFS Sports −17 LUFS Drama −18 LUFSThe document recommends audio be normalized, which should not affect dynamic range. Normalization adjusts the loudness of content to match a desired Distribution Loudness by applying uniform attenuation or gain.
I suggest broadcasters use a loudness meter compliant with the ITU-R BS.1770 standard, such as the Orban Loudness Meter. This is a free download, and I believe broadcasters will find it to be an essential tool that provides not only BS.1770 measurements, but also CBS Labs measurements, a VU meter and a PPM meter. I find the addition of the other meters makes your transition to this new meter easier to understand.
David Bialik is a consultant who has held technical broadcast and streaming positions for companies like Entercom, CBS Radio, Bloomberg and Bonneville. He is co-chair of the AES Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery and chair of the Metadata Usage Working Group of the National Radio Systems Committee. Contact him at dkbialik@erols.com or 845-634-6595.
The post New Guidance for Audio Processing Streaming appeared first on Radio World.
In late December 2017, the FCC sought public comment on whether or not two Mexican citizens—one of whom is a major Univision Communications executive — should be allowed to purchase two FM radio stations in rural Arizona and California.
Nearly four years later, one of those two FMs is being spun.
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NEW YORK — As Forecast 2022 wound down and media executives gathered at the Harvard Club to socialize over cocktails for the first time in over 18 months, the Chief Executive Officer of Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) had some big news to share.
On Friday morning, that information became public, putting Apollo Global Management and the media company it controls, Cox Media Group, on the hot seat. In short, SBS has asked the FCC to deny CMG’s request for additional time to divest two FMs in Florida — something that must be done per the terms of Apollo’s acquisition of CMG majority control.
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Following the news that IBC 2021 is taking place, Future is moving forward with both our Best of Show and Best of 2021 Awards remain open for entry.
The two awards are supported by Future’s media and entertainment technology brands TVBEurope, Radio World, and TV Tech, and receive additional editorial coverage across our publications.
The Best of Show Awards are for exhibitors who are attending IBC in the Netherlands in December, while Best of 2021 is for non-exhibiting companies; both awards recognize outstanding broadcast products and solutions introduced between September 2020 (the 2020 IBC Showcase) and December 2021.
These award programs provide an opportunity to promote brands, products and services, with nominees and winners receiving:
Due to government-imposed lockdown restrictions in the Netherlands, our judges will not be able to carry out booth visits during IBC 2021. Instead, our panel of independent industry specialists will handle the judging virtually.
The nomination deadline is Nov. 23; full details of how to submit an entry are available on the dedicated Awards’ website.
The post Best of 2021, Best of Show Nominations Due Nov. 23 appeared first on Radio World.
Most radio professionals have fond memories of their first radio jobs. Many a seasoned professional started his or her career as a teenage part-timer at a small-town AM or FM station, developed a love for the business there and turned it into a lifetime career track.
But how many professionals later had the opportunity to become the owner of their first station?
One person doing exactly that is Delilah Rene, the well-known syndicated radio personality. Delilah got her start in the mid-1970s in the small coastal town of Reedsport, Ore., where she won a high school speech contest at age 13. The judges, Jerome and Steve Kenagy, owned local station KDUN and were impressed enough to offer her employment.
Delilah Rene on the air at KDUN in the 1970s (left) and in the new studio space today.After three years of radio experience at KDUN, she moved on a number of stations in Eugene and Seattle before landing at KLSY in Seattle. It was there that she created the nighttime “Delilah” show, taking listener phone calls and playing requests.
It quickly gained local popularity and then went into syndication in 1994 with four stations. Today the “Delilah” show is distributed to 170 stations and the Armed Forces Network through the Premiere Radio Network. Delilah Rene was named to the NAB Radio Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016 and 2017.
Now, at age 61 and after experiencing career successes that few broadcasters achieve, Delilah chose to return to her roots when she had the opportunity to purchase KDUN.
The AM station, licensed for 50 kW days and 630 watts nights on 1030 kHz, was silent at the time. The physical plant consisted physically of just an overgrown tower site and a working Nautel transmitter.
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She built new studios in the former Jewett Elementary School building — the exact space that was her homeroom as a child — and put KDUN back on the air on Labor Day morning in 2021.
It’s now operating as a traditional community-oriented station, with a live morning show, daily fishing and crabbing reports, a “Tradio” program and liberal promotion of local events. KDUN is using a PlayOUT One system for both live-assist and automated programs. She is planning to cover local sports in the near future.
“Like Brigadoon”
“I wanted to give back to the community where I grew up,” she said. “It sounds corny and foolish, and everybody in the world tried to talk me out of it. But I owe such a huge debt to the Kenagy’s and to Reedsport, and especially to KDUN, that I felt compelled to give back.
“I really want it to be a full-service small town local radio station, and that’s what we’re trying to build. Of course, I want it to pay for itself, I don’t want it to be a charity. But that certainly wasn’t my motivation.”
Reedsport, population 4,100, has no local newspaper. In addition to KDUN, it is served by an FM station and a non-commercial repeater from Eugene.
Asked if an AM station can be competitive today, she responded, “We’re up against some big challenges obviously. Technology has kind of left AM in the dust. But Reedsport is like Brigadoon, it’s like going back in time in a lot of ways. While I don’t believe it would work in a major market, I do think it will work very well here.”
Delilah believes local content will be the key to KDUN’s success.
Radio veteran Bob Larson is KDUN’s engineer and hosts the morning “Tradio” program.“People are hungry for content, and Reedsport needs a voice. That’s what we’re endeavoring to do — to be that voice they’re missing. For school sports, for local news, for fishing information,” she said.
“The town is perched on the banks of the three rivers, and everybody who lives there loves fishing, loves crabbing, loves clamming. And KDUN used to provide all that information. We’re going to do it again.”
Perhaps a 50,000-watt AM signal is a bit much for small-town radio?
“When I was there, we were ‘5,000 watts of crystal-clear AM power — KDUN, the voice of the Oregon Dunes.’ I still dream that ID every few weeks. Now we’re 50,000 watts, how crazy is that?
“So, I’m hoping to step it down. We really don’t need 50 kW, and I don’t need the electricity bill. Right now, we reach almost border-to-border from Washington to California. But really, the station exists for and about Reedsport, so we’ll adjust that if we can in the future.”
Content is the keyDelilah believes changes in technology are a challenge for the radio business, but that the secret to survival is great program content.
“Technology is changing so quickly. Who’d have thought that TikTok and Instagram would take over where Facebook once was a year or two ago?
“But it doesn’t really matter what the platform is, or how you’re delivering the content. So long as people are hungry for great content, I don’t need to worry about being employed. My job is not to be the best radio personality. My job is to share my heart, my gifts and my talents with as many people as I can, whether that’s on my podcast, Facebook, or whatever forum.
“We want to do that on AM, but we’re also going to do it on kdunradio.com, and hopefully people will find us there.”
Following in Delilah’s footsteps is Molly Anne, who moved to Reedsport from New Mexico. She does weekends and helps with everything else at the station.While she is obviously pouring her heart and soul into KDUN, she has no plans to quit her day job. She still produces her syndicated show at her home studio near Port Orchard in Washington state.
“I have an amazing support staff. My regular show has the best producers in the world. I take the calls, I do the breaks, and they figure out all the different incarnations of that. We produce several different incarnations of the show every night, 7 nights a week.”
But her new endeavor is occupying much of her attention.
“I am pretty much managing every aspect. I hope to get it up and running and the programs integrated enough that I can step back and let the people there run the show. But I’m sure I’ll be checking in on a daily basis.”
Local business is excited to have her. “In the short weeks since KDUN AM 1030 made its return, the positive impact on our community has been remarkable,” wrote Jennifer Rockwell of the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce in The News-Review newspaper. “The care, involvement and dedication that has already been shown to the area speaks volumes about the intentions of KDUN.”
Read more of John Schneider’s feature and history articles.
The post Delilah revels in rediscovering her roots appeared first on Radio World.
In the fast-paced, overscheduled world we all live in, the idea of just sitting down and listening to a podcast or other spoken word content seems to be a thing of the past. Most respondents to the latest NPR/Edison Spoken Word Audio Report cite the ability to multitask as one of the main motivations for listening to spoken word audio, but there are many other motivators, particularly for the key demographics of young and multicultural listeners.
When posed with the statement “Spoken word audio is a productive use of your time,” an average of 58 percent of respondents said yes. Sixty-three percent of those 18–34 and 64 percent of listeners 35–54 also agreed. Among multicultural listeners, 63 percent were on board with this statement.
“The Spoken Word Audio Report” finds that listeners view listening to spoken word audio as an important part of their lives.Multitasking
The reasons why those surveyed listen to spoken word audio are many. A distribution of the base of responses puts multitasking on top with 71 percent of respondents. Other reasons given include: encouragement/positivity with 57 percent; fresher than live radio, 51 percent; help with life’s problems, 46 percent; need a break from negativity, 56 percent; and religion/spirituality at 40 percent.
[Read more of our coverage of “The Spoken Word Audio Report”]
When that same data is indexed for the 18–34 and multicultural groups, all but one of those responses indexed above average. The 18–34 demographic ranked multitasking at 97 percent above average; encouragement/positivity at 111 percent; fresher than live radio got 120 percent; help with life’s problems at 124 percent; need a break from negativity got 111 percent; and religion/spirituality got 120 percent.
Respondents provided myriad reasons for why they listen to spoken word audio.The indexed breakdown for multicultural listeners showed multitasking at 100 percent; encouragement/positivity with 112 percent; fresher than live radio with 124 percent; help with life’s problems at 120 percent; need a break from negativity with 113 percent; and religion/spirituality at 115 percent.
Forty-six percent of all respondents said they used spoken word audio to further their education; however multicultural and younger listeners were much more likely to cite the education value of spoken word audio. For the 18–34 demographic education indexed 117 percent above average, and for multicultural listeners it was 122 percent above average.
While the results of this survey strongly suggest that spoken word audio listening is done alone and often while multitasking, there is also evidence of a contrary trend, listening with other people. The average percent who listen with others is 51. Sixty-four percent of 18- to 34-year-olds share the sound, and 61 percent of multicultural listeners do the same.
Finally, here’s a defining statement, “Spoken word audio is becoming a more important part of your life.” The average of those who agreed is 45 percent. Those in the lead are aged 35 to 54 with 58 percent, while multicultural listeners are a close second with 55 percent.
Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.
The post Survey: Spoken Word Audio Provides Meaningful Conversations appeared first on Radio World.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s little secret that they are very much against the “Build Back Better” reconciliation package passed on a party-line vote by Democrats. But, two leading Republicans on the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee are disgusted over what they perceive is an “unprecedented influx of funding” to the FCC.
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The RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, continues to attract new listeners.
And, if you’ve never heard one of these audio reports hosted by Radio + Television Business Report Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson, now is your chance to tune in and catch up on what your peers have been listening to.
Since October 1, thousands of industry leaders have downloaded our podcasts. But, which one has attracted the most listeners?
Michael LeeIntroducing Michael Lee, LPTVBA Executive Director.
In this InFOCUS Podcast, Lee offers a comprehensive update on why his organization seeks passage of the “Local Journalism Sustainability Act” as low-power television stations attract buyers ranging from The E.W. Scripps Co. and Gray Television to entrepreneurs including LPTVBA founder Frank Copsidas and South Asian TV programming specialist Ravi Kapur.
It’s the most-listened-to podcast since it was first distributed October 28!
Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Michael Lee, LPTV Broadcasters Assn.” on Spreaker.
In mid-February 2021, Audacy Inc. shares were priced at $6.26 per share, swiftly rising from a $2.80 per share price seen in early January.
By mid-March, a slow and steady deceleration for the company’s NYSE-traded stock would commence. By November 1, AUD seemingly seemed content on staying in the mid-$3 range.
With Thursday’s Closing Bell on Wall Street, Audacy’s shares have now retreated to where they sat on January 4.
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