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On May 27, iHeartMedia’s Premiere Networks finally announced what its long-term plan was with respect to the successor offering to The Rush Limbaugh Show. 

It’s going with a new show featuring FOX Sports Radio host Clay Travis and Premiere-syndicated talk host Buck Sexton.

Sexton will shift from afternoon drive, Pacific Time, to take the slot. Now, Premiere knows what will fill Sexton’s current three-hour time period.

Introducing The Jesse Kelly Show, which will air from 3pm-6pm PT and is already on the lineup of more than 200 affiliates nationwide.

Kelly, a former Arizona candidate for Congress who lost his 2010 campaign against Rep. Gabby Giffords, starts his new duties on June 28.

He’s a U.S. Marine combat veteran, and his stature grew even as he never successfully won an election. In 2018, his growing Republican Party status led iHeartMedia to give him an hour on KPRC-AM in Houston. This was later expanded to two hours, and in April 2020 grew to a three-hour show before entering syndication via Key Networks, which is ending its relationship with Kelly. Key brought his program to WRKO-AM in Boston.

Now, iHeartMedia says he’ll be called on to “share his unique and entertaining perspective, unfiltered opinions and trademark humor as he discusses the latest headlines and welcomes a variety of guests and experts.”

Kelly said, “I wish I could say I’m humbled, but the truth is that signing with an amazing company like Premiere will only boost my well-established ego. But honestly, I’m beyond
thrilled that now every American will get a chance to hear my voice for three hours a day.”

The radio gig won’t impact his 6pm Pacific OTT-delivered TV program “I’m Right with Jesse
Kelly.” It airs on The First, a digital-only TV offering found on such connected TV offerings as Pluto TV.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Jesse at the helm of our weekday afternoon timeslot,”
Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott said. “His fresh voice will undoubtedly connect
with and engage our audience with intelligent, witty conversation and bold opinions, while
creating impactful opportunities for our partners.”

Kelly’s show is the latest from a political conservative, which overwhelmingly outnumber liberal-leaning talk hosts on commercially licensed radio stations in the U.S.

He offered a keynote address at the 2018 Radio Show in Orlando. He returned to the lineup of guest speakers for the virtual 2020 Radio Show.

Now, Rishad Tobaccowala has booked a trip to Las Vegas in early October to once again deliver a keynote address to Radio Show attendees.

Tobaccowala, who became a Publicis Groupe Senior Advisor in January 2020 after relinquishing his Chief Growth Officer role, will keynote the 2020 Radio Show’s concluding session, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 14.

The session will focus on “the continued transformation happening across the media eco-system, changing consumer behavior, and what it means for radio.”

It’s titled “The Great Reinvention: What Does That Look Like in 2022 and Beyond?”, and will see Tobaccowala also discuss ways the industry can transform in the face of shifting consumer interests.

The 2021 Radio Show is co-locating with the NAB Show in Las Vegas this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a co-production of the NAB and RAB.

Tobaccowala in early 2020 published “Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data” through Harpercollins.

This came following a career that included roles as Starcom IP President from 1999-2002, and a 13 1/2-year run at Leo Burnett, starting in August 1982.

Chris Imlay

The announcement was made by Wayne Pecena, president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

To give you an idea of how deep Imlay’s roots are with the SBE: His first case was to try to appeal the FCC decision to eliminate the First Class Radiotelephone License. He said his SBE role has “allowed me to do what I do best: defending spectrum allocations of clients and participating in technical regulatory proceedings.”

[Read Chris Imlay’s Contributions to Radio World]

“Chris has worked with the SBE since 1980, and has been the SBE’s general counsel since 1991,” the society stated. Pecena called him “a valuable resource for and asset to the SBE over the past 41 years. He has also been a staunch advocate for the SBE’s goals and objectives. He is a tough act to follow.”

The society said it will split Imlay’s duties; it plans a process to find a replacement communications counsel, and also will hire an attorney for business matters based near its headquarters in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile Imlay will continue to work part-time for other long-term clients.

In the announcement, he was quoted describing himself as “a down-in-the-trenches communications lawyer” who loved working with broadcast engineers. And for 37 years until 2018, Imlay also was general counsel for ARRL, the national association for amateur radio; he is former president of the Foundation for Amateur Radio and recently was inducted into the CQ magazine Hall of Fame.

Several commentaries by Chris Imlay have appeared in Radio World in recent years, on topics such as engineer ethics and the idea of broadcasters as “first responders.” Read those here.

SBE said Imlay has worked for 22 SBE presidents and was elected a Fellow of the SBE in 1997.

According to SBE’s summary of his career, Imlay began working in law in 1975 and in communications in 1979 when he joined Booth and Freret.

When SBE sought to administratively appeal the decision to eliminate the First Phone, SBE President Bob Jones retained Bob Booth for the work, and Booth assigned the task to Imlay. The society regained him as communications counsel in 1984 and named him general counsel in 1991.

He was a partner with Booth, Freret and Imlay from 1981 to 1995; president of Booth, Freret, Imlay & Tepper, P.C., from 1995 to 2014; and managing member, Booth, Freret & Imlay, LLC, 2014 to present.

Other clients in federal communications law have included big names like JVCKenwood USA, the National Football League, NASCAR and Goodyear, as well as many TV and radio stations, common carrier and private wireless licensees, as well as video production companies, auto racing sponsors and speedways; and equipment manufacturers.

 

The post Imlay Will Retire as SBE General Counsel appeared first on Radio World.

Soohyung Kim and his Standard General L.P. have gained considerable notice over the past several years. This is mainly due to his sizable equity interest in TEGNA, the owner of broadcast TV stations he’s unsuccessfully campaigned to gain greater influence and control of.

Kim is also known as Jeff Smulyan‘s partner in Mediaco, the current parent of the former Emmis Communications radio stations in New York, including WBLS-FM and WQHT “Hot 97.’

Now, it’s become known that Kim has attributable interest in the radio broadcasting company led by Mary Berner.

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Streaming and on-demand audio service provider TuneIn, which enjoys a global platform (as opposed to Audacy and iHeartRadio), has ramped up its leadership team by naming a SVP of Business Development and a SVP of Marketing, respectively.

The former position goes to Jennifer Collins, while the latter role is being given to Suzanne Park.

Collins previously served as Vice President of Digital Operations for FOX Entertainment, and has also been the Video and International Business Development Principal for IMDb. She has also served as Vice President of Digital Revenue Development at Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, and as the digital General Manager at Variety.

Collins is based in Los Angeles.

Park was most recently SVP/Marketing for First Look Media, where she led marketing, creative and analytics with a focus on growing Topic, the company’s direct-to-consumer subscription video offering.

Park is based in New York City.

Lareau Farm, Waitsfield, Vt.

The Vermont Association of Broadcasters announced it will hold its annual convention in August.

VAB had to cancel last year because of the pandemic.

The 65th Annual VAB Convention and Production of the Year Award Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the association’s newsletter.

“Our new venue, Lareau Farm Inn, is home to the original American Flatbread in Waitsfield, Vt., and features two outdoor covered pavilions where we’ll spend the day learning, laughing and socializing again,” VAB wrote.

Details and schedule are to follow at the VAB website.

Send your event news and updates to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post VAB Will Hold Annual Convention in August appeared first on Radio World.

Advocates of low-power FM in the United States are hoping that the Federal Communications Commission will adopt a proposal to raise the maximum power level for many stations from 100 to 250 watts.

It’s not a new idea, but supporters are excited because the commission recently opened a 30-day window for public comments on a fresh petition from REC Networks. This has led some to speculate that under a Democratic presidential administration, the FCC may be more willing to entertain the idea.

The proposal to amend Parts 73 and 74 of the rules was submitted by Michelle Bradley, founder of REC Networks. Bradley says the dial can accommodate the change, noting that nearly two-thirds of LPFM stations are outside of the top 100 Nielsen Audio markets and that only 15% are in “deep-urban areas.”

In the summary, Bradley gave a brief history of the 250-watt debate and proposals since 2012 and why she is updating the proposal now, including changes to address concerns that had been raised about the earlier versions.

[Read the proposal.]

Among stations in support is WXOX(LP), “Art FM,” in Louisville, Ky. The station emailed its community calling this “a very exciting and unexpected opportunity that would help our low-power stations exponentially.” It asked supporters to file comments by the June 20 deadline.

“Discuss technical issues with the current 100 watts permitted by the FCC,” it suggested. “This includes inability to get FM signal beyond a few miles from the transmitter site and difficulty receiving FM signal inside certain buildings within this limited range. Discuss local populations that may be excluded by the low wattage.”

Specifically, the new proposal would would create an LP250 class of service with an effective service contour of about 4-1/2 miles, in addition to the current LP100 service.

The maximum height above average terrain would be 451 meters or 1,479 feet.

There would be a second distance separation table for the new class that includes distances up to 9 km longer than the LP100 service.

Bradley said the proposal “fully respects the 20-kilometer buffer zone” and includes a suggested policy for upgrades on stations that are already second-adjacent short-spaced. She said the proposal does not add any new processes that would involve a contour study. It would allow class upgrades and downgrades as a minor change as long as other minor change criteria are met.

It also suggests a “launch window” method to manage an expected rush of stations wanting to upgrade. And it proposes a simplified RF radiation standard similar to the one used in LP100.

“In other words, this is simply like the LP100 service that has been around for the past 20 years, but just an add-on with the LP250 ‘numbers,’” Bradley wrote. “Or, in other words, simple.”

[A separate appendix to the proposal lists upgrade implications for all existing LPFMs, read that here.]

Bradley said the new proposal addresses past concerns about 250 watts. For example she submitted the accompanying image showing three hypothetical LPFM facilities.

Their class-standard interfering contours are in red, the full-service station’s protected contour is in green and the buffer zone is in orange 20 kilometers outside of the green protected contour curve.

The LPFM curve at the top depicts an LP100 station under current rules. The middle curve (OLD250) depicts a method proposed earlier in which the buffer zone is penetrated to keep minimum distance separation. The bottom curve (NEW250) depicts what is being proposed.

By increasing the distances for the LP250 class on co- and first-adjacent channels, Bradley says the proposal satisfies the commission’s past concerns.

Comments can be submitted at the FCC comment system. Refer to Proceeding RM-11909.

 

 

The post LPFMs Are Hopeful About “Simple LP250” appeared first on Radio World.

With more than 40 years of private equity experience, Thomas O. Hicks was “an early pioneer” of the “buy and build” strategy of investing, his Hicks Equity Partners LLC says.

For radio industry veterans, his name will forever be linked to iHeartMedia predecessor Clear Channel Communications.

Now, it is set to be connected with a country music and lifestyle cable TV network in addition to a TV network dedicated to showcasing equestrian sports.

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A sample Quu advertiser message.

Quu Inc. and vCreative announced an integration.

“vCreative customers can now publish messages on car dashboards for their clients that use Quu’s advertising services,” they said in an announcement.

vCreative provides media production workflow solutions. Quu adds dynamic visuals to radio broadcasts.

Quu’s system lets stations publish programming and sales messages called Visual Quus that it says helps with upsells and makes ads more effective. With this integration, radio stations now can produce and send those Visual Quus via the vCreative vPPO production workflow system.

The announcement was made by  Susie Hedrick, CEO of vCreative, and Steve Newberry, CEO of Quu.

The post vCreative Can Now Publish to Quu appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Christian, President/CEO of Vision Communications, has attracted attention in recent years for various television industry projects — including the creation of a TV group serving Lafayette, Ind., from the ground up.

Now, Christian is agreeing to purchase a pair of low-power television stations licensed to a community in the Granite State.

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By Rosemary Ravinal

How often do you use these word whiskers and phrases in your public speaking and presentations?

Um. Ah. Well. I mean. You know. Like. Absolutely.

Whether on Zoom or in person, it is easy to lean on filler words or word whiskers, as they are often known. They become verbal crutches that we use either consciously or unconsciously when we are nervous, get rattled or are not sure about what we are saying.  They take up valuable time, cloud the meaning of what we want to say, and diminish our credibility.

Here are some steps on how to eliminate these pesky word whiskers.

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For some broadcasters, the economic pressures brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic were simply too grand to continue day-to-day operations.

In Panama City Beach, Fla., the licensee of an AM with an FM translator was so negatively impacted that it pressed the Stop button on “PLAY-FM.”

Now, a new owner is ready to resurrect the facilities. Only, it has different plans for what will air on the temporarily dormant station.

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Wedel Software has hired Rick Rowland as an onboarding manager for its new Adthos Platform.

“Rick has been working in the industry for more than 30 years and has, by his own admission, held just about every radio station role within that time,” the company said in its announcement.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

“Not only that, but he’s also designed his own suite of radio software focused on media readiness, commercial reconciliation and daily file readiness.”

Rowland’s products include Power-Link Software Systems and Proof of Play.

The hire was announced by CEO Raoul Wedel. The company introduced the Adthos ad sales platform this month.

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

 

The post Wedel Hires Rowland in Adthos Role appeared first on Radio World.

A global provider of content protection technology products developed for the media and content owners, broadcasters and operators has tapped a seasoned industry executive as its new CEO.

He previously served as the chief executive of NBA China.

Taking the top spot at Friend MTS is Derek Chang.

He will be based in London.

“We are at the forefront of rapid changes in consumer behavior, new business models and technology, and will ensure that creators, owners and distributors worldwide will have the formidable tools necessary to protect their valuable content,” Chang said.

Founder Jonathan Friend made the announcement. He’ll now serve as Chief Product Officer.

Friend said, “As we continue to innovate with groundbreaking solutions that our valued customers and partners have come to expect, now is the time to transition to our next leader and we are thrilled to welcome Derek to the helm of Friend MTS. With deep expertise in the global sports and entertainment space, Derek brings invaluable insight to leveraging technology to create an impactful footprint for an ever-evolving media and content ecosystem.”

Prior to leading NBA China’s business, Chang was Head of International Lifestyle Channels for Scripps Networks Interactive and had served as EVP/Content for DirecTV.

He also held senior roles for Charter Communications, the YES Network and TCI Communications. Chang currently serves on the board of directors for Liberty Media Corp. and Isos Acquisition Corp.

Wedel Software has hired an Onboarding Manager for its new Adthos Platform.

It’s an individual with some 30 years of industry experience and has, by his own admission, held just about every radio station role within that time.

Not only that, but Rick Rowland says he’s also designed his own suite of radio software focused on “media readiness, commercial reconciliation and daily file readiness.”

Raoul Wedel, CEO of Wedel Software, said, “It’s fantastic to have a true radio professional like Rick onboard right from this critical starting phase. He’s focused a great deal of his career on optimizing log and reconciliation processes and proof of performance. We’re delighted to have someone join our team that shares our passion to finally do away with these issues.”

Rowland added, “I’m very pleased to be joining the team at Wedel and help to introduce Adthos, a groundbreaking and innovative solution that I know will bring many solutions to the industry.”

 

Many know him as the face of Wedel Software. Now, he’s the CEO of a brand-new ad sales platform for radio advertising called Adthos. Raoul Wedel joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson from the Dutch city of The Hague to share more about the new product release. How does Adthos from what is presently available in the marketplace? The Adthos Ad-Server is free … so how does Wedel make money? Get the no-nonsense answers to these questions in this fresh podcast, presented by dot.FM!

Tightrope Media Systems is expanding its Screenweave mobile and OTT apps to bring community media organizations’ live channels and on-demand programs to an even wider range of viewing platforms.

Complementing existing Roku and Apple TV support, a new Screenweave app brings content from Tightrope’s Cablecast Community Media platform immediately to Amazon Fire TV devices. Screenweave apps for Android TV devices as well as Android and iOS smartphones and tablets will follow in the coming months.

Screenweave apps work with Cablecast broadcast automation servers and the Cablecast Reflect cloud-based streaming service to make public access, education, and government (PEG) channels available through OTT media players and mobile devices in HD quality. Viewers can browse categorized collections of VOD clips, search the station’s VOD library for topics of interest, and switch between the station’s live feeds.

Extending the Cablecast platform’s “add once, publish everywhere” simplicity, Screenweave requires no ongoing operational effort by station staff. After initial Screenweave configuration – adding the station’s branding, customizing metadata display, and defining content categories via keywords – new content added to Cablecast is automatically made available in dynamically-updated libraries across all OTT and mobile platforms.

“Community broadcasters need to reach their audiences whenever, wherever, and on whatever device each viewer prefers,” said Steve Israelsky, President of Cablecast Community Media. “OTT platforms have become crucial conduits for making content accessible to potential viewers who don’t have cable subscriptions. Meanwhile, although our responsive online templates already let stations offer content to mobile viewers through their websites, users often now prefer an app-based approach for everything from media consumption to online shopping. With the expansion of our Screenweave app family, our customers can effortlessly make their content available in intuitive apps on all of the most popular OTT and mobile platforms.”

Viewers can access content through the standard Screenweave app, which provides a central directory of all Screenweave-powered community media channels and automatically recommends the station located closest to the viewer when the app is first used. The viewer’s preferred station is remembered for subsequent app sessions, automatically going directly to the station’s branded portal. Stations can also upgrade to their own custom-branded, dedicated app, making it even easier for their audience to find the station in their platform’s app library.

Publishing through the community Screenweave app is free of charge for Cablecast customers with an active Cablecast Reflect stream delivery subscription, including up to three channels per station. Custom, dedicated Screenweave apps can be created by Tightrope’s professional services team at extremely competitive pricing – typically far less expensive than alternative offerings or the time and effort of customers doing their own development.

“With the standard Screenweave apps free for stations to use with our Cablecast Reflect subscription, there’s less reason for any PEG broadcaster not to make their content available on all of these OTT and mobile platforms,” Israelsky added. “Even for viewers who also have cable, Screenweave lets them add the community channel to their device’s home screen right alongside their favorite commercial media services, elevating it from being buried deep in a channel guide. Plus, once a station sets up Screenweave for one OTT or mobile platform, they’re instantly set up for the other five – plus any future Screenweave platforms we add. For example, our new Fire TV app launched with several hundred channels already available from our existing Screenweave customers – all with zero additional effort required on their part.”

The new Screenweave Fire TV app is available to viewers immediately, with the Android TV, Android mobile and iOS mobile apps slated for release in the coming months.

Nautel has announced the June 2021 topics for the Jeff Welton-hosted “Transmission Talk Tuesday” roundtable sessions, which have now been taking place for a full year.

These interactive discussion sessions have covered a broad range of engineering-oriented topics, providing an opportunity for engineers to learn and discuss ideas with their peers.

“When we started these sessions in June 2020, it was a way to stay in touch with our friends in the Radio community and keep ideas flowing through the pandemic lockdowns,” Welton said. “We had no idea that our online gatherings would still be in place a year later, or that they would remain as popular as they have been.”

Since the inception of the online seminars, an average attendance of over 100 people for each session has been seen.

Topics for June 2021 include:

“How Technology has Changed our Lives,” June 8.

Changes in technology have dramatically affected the way people work over the past 10 – 15 years. Welton will be joined by Jim Gray, Managing Partner for Optimized Media Group, and Matt Herdon, Product Manager for Nautel.

“SNMP – How and Why,” on June 15.

Josh Bohn, President/CEO of the MaxxKonnect Group and Shane Toven, Senior Engineer with Educational Media Foundation, will join Welton to talk about interfacing SNMP managers with transmitters and other devices, and how to manage the data.

“STLs – Moving Signals from Here to There,” on June 22.

Josh Bohn will join Welton and Customer Service Technologist Alex Hartman to talk about different ways of getting audio and data from Point A to Point B, as well as thoughts on how the future will look for STLs.

“Tips and Thoughts for Contract Engineering,” on June 29.

Tom Ray, president of Tom Ray Broadcast Consulting, will join Welton to talk about the challenges faced by contract engineers and some of the “must do” business and planning items for contract engineers.

All sessions begin at noon Eastern and pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit Nautel.com/webinars/.

Sessions are also posted online for those who are unable to join the live chats.

As with traditional Nautel webinars, ½ SBE recertification credit is available for attending each session.

PILOT, NAB’s technology innovation initiative, will be accepting submissions for the PILOT Innovation Challenge through 5 p.m. ET on July 9.

The program will provide mentorship and promotion to winning proposals, along with an opportunity to demonstrate their products at NAB Show in Las Vegas, October 9-13, 2021.

This year’s challenge is seeking startups and growing companies providing solutions to some of the key challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters over the next two to three years.

The challenge is specifically seeking products or prototypes that are focused on the following areas:

• Edge technologies that drive new revenue opportunities for broadcasters, such as through geo-targeted content, location-based advertising, accurate audience measurement and augmented experiences;

• Technologies that enhance broadcast journalism to help viewers and listeners get more from their most trusted source of local news, including tools to better aggregate and verify crowd-sourced news reports, enhancements to news-gathering technologies such as drones, or avatar news anchors to deliver personalized updates on a myriad of topics; and

• In-vehicle technologies that deliver more value out of broadcasting, including technologies that enhance the in-car experience for radio listeners, as well as technologies that harness the mobile reception capabilities of the NextGen TV standard to deliver even more rich data services or back-seat entertainment.

“The Innovation Challenge offers a platform for developing technologies that will help broadcasters better serve their audience, while providing emerging companies a showcase for their cutting-edge products,” said PILOT Executive Director John Clark. “We are excited for this year’s program to explore the ideas and innovations that will open up new revenue streams, strengthen local journalism and enrich broadcasting’s relationship with the car.”

Individuals, teams, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply subject to the Challenge’s official rules of participation. Up to 10 finalists will be selected by a panel of industry experts by early August, with up to three winning proposals being notified by September 1. Participants can review the judging criteria on the PILOT website.

Three winners will be selected to receive relevant mentorship, feedback, numerous opportunities to engage with broadcasters and a trip to the annual NAB Show, held October 9-13, 2021 in Las Vegas. They will be provided exhibit space in the “Startup Loft” to demonstrate their prototype to potential customers, investors and partners.

The deadline to apply is July 9 at 5 p.m. ET.

AEQ has a new codec for remote broadcasting; we asked Roberto Tejero, right, AEQ product manager and expert trainer, about it as part of our recent ebook about remote radio.

RW: What prompted it, and how does it reflect trends in radio workflows?

Roberto Tejero: Radio has historically been the most flexible, immediate and dynamic media. Stations have been trying for a long time to prevent regular contributors or collaborators having to travel to the station. Thousands of ALIO audio codecs have been installed on the home desks of regular participants of talk shows, commentators, correspondents and experts.

The pandemic has accelerated the trend. After the first confinement, all radio organizations have begun to facilitate technical resources so that their hosts and regular guests and contributors can work remotely.

The budget for this has put a lot of strain on many stations, and they have started looking for non-professional solutions. Dropouts, artifacts and faulty sound are common. 

Our mission is to adapt to the needs of changing environments. After almost exhausting our stock of the Phoenix ALIO portable audio codec, and seeing the need to produce a device that is easier to operate, adapted to non-technical personnel, we developed TALENT, which is a new portable audio codec, with fantastic design and small dimensions. 

It is simple to connect and allows transmission of a high-quality stereo audio channel. With a simple, domestic internet connection or wireless 3G / 4G / 5G data and a headset, you can make radio at home or from anywhere easily and safely.

RW: Generally speaking, what level of home connectivity is needed to create reliable work-from-home operations?

Tejero: This problem doesn’t have a single solution. It depends on the quality of service of the telecommunications infrastructure at each location. 

In many countries it is essential to be able to request a connection with guaranteed QoS from the service provider, either wired or wireless.

The good news is that a high-capacity connection is normally not required to be able to operate audio codecs from a remote location or home. A stable connection is enough to provide sufficient bandwidth for the encoding algorithm used. 

An ideal environment is the use of fiber optics, but it is also possible to use ADSL connections if they have reasonable latency and bandwidth. In numbers, for radio broadcast quality, OPUS encoding, a stable bandwidth of 400 kbps and a latency of less than 100 ms is sufficient.

RW: What other considerations are stations dealing with now? 

Tejero: There are many challenges when it comes to outside radio broadcasting. Almost more important than latency and audio quality are the costs involved. This affects both large corporations and small radio stations to different degrees. 

The fact that hosts are producing their shows from home at least implies a minimum investment in audio codecs. This expense can be multiplied by hundreds of audio codecs for each possible collaborator who goes on the air. 

In addition to responding to the requirements of simple handling, TALENT has a suitable price for any broadcaster. It eliminates the need to purchase more expensive audio codecs or the purchase of mobile devices dedicated exclusively to broadcast software applications.

RW: Are air talent connecting wirelessly or via wired connection from home?

Tejero: That depends on the country. For example, in Spain, wired connections are the most reliable. This is the case in the urban areas of most developed countries. 

In rural areas and countries with lower levels of development, quality wired connections are not always available and it may be a better solution to use a 3G / 4G router modem. 

To respond to this situation, TALENT has an Ethernet interface through which it allows both wired and wireless connections. This interface can be connected to a local network with connectivity to a fiber optic service provider network, domestic ADSL or other wired connection. But you can also connect to a wireless router that provides connectivity through WiFi or through 3G / 4G / 5G wireless phone networks.

RW: Anything else we should know? 

Tejero: We want to highlight the benefits that we have incorporated into a basic device as TALENT.

It does not need to be configured or operated by the user. You can simply speak without needing to touch any buttons, except Help if required. It also has a local app for smartphone, TALENT Pilot, allowing the user to control and configure the audio codec.

It supports all types of headphones, low or high impedance, and microphones, dynamic and condenser, as it features phantom power. It also has a Bluetooth connection so you can connect it to your mobile phone, do phone interviews and send them mixed to the studio.

It can be powered in many ways, depending on where and how you are: from the USB outlet of a PC, from a 5 to 15 volt outlet, such as a vehicle battery or a power bank, or from the mains power supply that comes with the unit.

Operation is very intuitive. It is intended for personnel without prior technical knowledge. Typically the station’s technician will hand it over to the user, ready to connect to the domestic router and the power source and start working.

For local control, the Talent audio codec has indicators and basic controls to make the necessary adjustments during the broadcast. It also has the app for smartphone so that somewhat expert users can connect it in places other than their home.

TALENT, connected by Bluetooth to a smartphone, allows you make telephone interviews or, alternatively, through applications such as Skype, WhatsApp or Zoom, among others. These latter provide high quality to the interviewee’s voice and mix them to program signal sent to the station through the IP connection.

Further, TALENT can be controlled remotely. This operation can be in parallel or even overriding the local controls of the equipment. Therefore, one of the most important buttons is the “HELP” button. This is used to call for attention or request remote assistance from the station’s technician.

The post AEQ Rolls Out a New Codec appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters’ technology innovation initiative, Pilot, will be accepting submissions for this year’s Pilot Innovation Challenge through 5 p.m. ET on July 9.

The program will provide mentorship and promotion to winning proposals, along with an opportunity to demonstrate their products at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Oct. 9–13, 2021.

“The Innovation Challenge offers a platform for developing technologies that will help broadcasters better serve their audience, while providing emerging companies a showcase for their cutting-edge products,” said Pilot Executive Director John Clark in a press statement.

[Read: The Fall Radio Show Will Be at the Westgate]

This year’s challenge seeks startups and growing companies that provide solutions to some of the challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters over the next two to three years. The challenge is looking for products or prototypes that are focused on the following areas:

• Edge technologies that drive new revenue opportunities for broadcasters, such as through geo-targeted content, location-based advertising, accurate audience measurement and augmented experiences;
• Technologies that enhance broadcast journalism to help viewers and listeners get more from their most trusted source of local news, including tools to better aggregate and verify crowd-sourced news reports, enhancements to news-gathering technologies such as drones, or avatar news anchors to deliver personalized updates on a myriad of topics; and
• In-vehicle technologies that deliver more value out of broadcasting, including technologies that enhance the in-car experience for radio listeners, as well as technologies that harness the mobile reception capabilities of the NextGen TV standard to deliver even more rich data services or back-seat entertainment.

Individuals, teams, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply subject to the official rules of participation. Up to 10 finalists will be selected by a panel of industry experts by early August, with up to three winning proposals being notified by Sept. 1.

Three winners will be selected to receive relevant mentorship, feedback, numerous opportunities to engage with broadcasters and a trip to the annual NAB Show. They will be provided exhibit space in the “Startup Loft” to demonstrate their prototype to potential customers, investors and partners.

To learn more, visit NAB’s Pilot website.

 

The post Pilot’s 2021 Innovation Challenge Is Open for Applications appeared first on Radio World.