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Wow. What huge changes we have seen in just a few short months, and not just in our industry or nation, but the entire world!

My guess is that for most readers, as it has been for me, the past 2-1/2 months have been sort of surreal, almost like some kind of sensory deprivation because we have lost so many of our points of reference. During the height of the lockdown, much of the time, I would find I had lost track of what day of the week it was and even the date. Things all sort of ran together. It’s getting better now that things are beginning to open up, but it’s still weird.

During the lockdown, a lot of studios were unmanned, but the hits kept on playing.

I’ve heard it said, usually by pols and pundits, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” In the political sense, there is in my view some shame in that kind of attitude. But out here in the real world, there is some wisdom.

Restated in a more positive way, “Don’t fail to learn some things from this crisis.” And we haven’t. We have, in fact, learned a great deal, and I think that is going to change our industry — hopefully for the better — going forward. So what have we learned?

NECESSARY SIMPLIFICATION

At the top of my list is, we have learned what is truly important and what is not. That goes for equipment, processes, procedures, even the programming we broadcast.

A time of crisis, whether the COVID-19 lockdown, a terrorist attack, a hurricane or some other natural disaster or some other national, regional or local crisis, forces us to make decisions as to what is essential and what we can live without. It distills what is otherwise very likely a rather cluttered situation into the essence of what we actually need, and that’s a good thing. It’s so easy to get lost in the minutia in our workaday world.

Any broadcast engineer who has been through a crisis, especially one that has physically impacted the station’s facilities or infrastructure, knows what I’m talking about here. Boil it all down and it takes very little to be on the air: a microphone, some sort of mixer, some sort of playout device (even a laptop computer with Groove or Media Player), an audio processor, an exciter, an RF amplifier, transmission line and antenna supported on something with some elevation.

While the instant crisis has not, in most cases, affected facilities or infrastructure, it has forced broadcasters to do a whole lot more with a whole lot less, quite often by VNC, TeamViewer or other remote desktop software, using VPNs and other tunnels across the public internet.

A pandemic does not stop severe weather. Lightning hit the tower and set a guy wire fiberglass insulator on fire. This is what was left on the end of the severed guy.

In many of the clusters in my company, stations operated for a month or more using virtual mixers on such platforms, even doing live talk with hosts and guests at their homes connecting to the (unmanned) studios with remote codecs or smartphone apps that talk to our studio codecs — and it worked very well! The quality was so good that listeners were hard pressed to know the difference.

GOOD SPORTS, MOSTLY

I have watched, at first with some amusement but then with growing irritation, our local television outlets doing essentially the same thing, with anchors, reporters and weather people doing their thing from their “home studios.” Except for the acoustics, which were often hollow and echoey, the quality was acceptable, but the delay was really irritating.

As a broadcast engineer, I get it — there are encoding, transmission and decoding delays that have to be lived with in both directions, and those add up to several seconds of the on-camera person staring at the camera and nodding long after the other person has quit talking.

Thankfully, in radio, unless we are dealing with a bidirectional satellite link with its space-segment transmission delays in each direction, the amount of latency or delay in our codecs is short enough that listeners don’t notice it. That gives radio a real leg up on other segments of the industry.

Except for the largest operations with their separate IT departments, broadcast engineers have been tasked to equip station staffers to work from home. This includes operations people of course, but also managers, account executives, office managers, traffic people, administrative personnel, writers and producers. Some operations were, to some degree, already set up for this, but in a lot of cases, engineers had to scramble to get things configured and people trained.

Part of that training was to explain to people that in a crisis, we have to expect a certain amount of inconvenience. In my company, most folks were good sports about it, grasping that we simply could not recreate their office conveniences for them at home, but I have heard tell of some situations elsewhere … well, we’ll leave it at that.

Needless to say, there were undoubtedly some challenges of a non-technical nature for a lot of engineers, especially in the early days of the lockout. For both engineers and others in stations or clusters, it was a learning experience unlike any other, but we adapted and people got their work done from home and other remote locations.

REBUILDING

Somehow, during the height of the lockout, the weather didn’t get the word that the weather was supposed to be calm and clear. Spring thunderstorms and even tornadoes came through a lot of markets, especially in the south, right about that time, adding to the workloads of engineers.

In our company, we took a lightning hit on the FM tower at one of our midwestern market studios at the end of March. While there was very little in the way of direct damage, the H-field from that strike ate a lot of NICs and op-amps. Precious resources had to be diverted to deal with the results of that strike.

In Alabama in mid-April, thunderstorms and tornadoes chewed up trees, power lines and yes, even a guy wire on one of our towers. It wasn’t easy, but our engineering crew managed to maintain social distancing while addressing those issues and keeping the operations, sales and admin staffs working from home.

One final thing that we have learned, in addition to the above and countless other lessons, is that things are going to be different from here on out. We will do radio in a different way, both on the technical/operations and administrative sides. What that will look like is anyone’s guess at this point, but it will be different. Much of what we implemented during the crisis will carry over into the day-to-day post-crisis.

I think we’re looking at a lengthy period of rebuilding, both in terms of the local and national economies in general and in terms of the broadcast business specifically.

We’re going to have to hunker down for a time, keep things running as economically as possible, and focus on rebuilding our business. Capital budgets likely won’t be what they were in years past. Repair and maintenance will be the name of the game. Many equipment manufacturers will divert resources from manufacturing to support to keep their customers running. Radio engineers will have to be creative as never before to keep their stations on the air and operating at peak efficiency with less budget to work with.

For many, that means that right now, we need to be taking a hard look at our facilities, searching out weak spots and having frank discussions with owners and managers. If we are already crippled going into a lean period, we could find ourselves in dire straits not too far down the road. Our tanks need to be full now so we don’t run out of gas a few months or a year down the road.

Finally, this is a grand opportunity for radio engineers in markets and operations of every size to shine, to show their stuff, to make themselves indispensable. It will be the engineers who hold the facilities together. I’ve already heard one corporate executive say to one engineer, “You’re saving our company.” That was true for many during the crisis, and it will remain true going forward. Don’t miss your chance to be the hero of your station or cluster.

Cris Alexander, CPBE, AMD, DRB, is director of engineering of Crawford Broadcasting Co. and technical editor of RW Engineering Extra. Email him at rweetech@gmail.com.

The post Don’t Let a Crisis Go to Waste appeared first on Radio World.

An Arkansas man must pay $10,000 for alleged illegal broadcasting, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Gerald Sutton has been directed to pay within 30 days, after which the FCC says his case may be referred to the Justice Department.

The investigation began in summer of 2018 when the FCC says it received a complaint about an unauthorized FM station in Alma, Ark. It says an agent subsequently observed a signal on 103.1 MHz, traced it to an address in Alma and found that it exceeded allowable limits under Part 15 of the rules. An agent identified Gerald Sutton as the operator, said he refused an inspection, and said the signal disappeared after the agent’s arrival but was turned on again later.

According to the commission summary, Sutton subsequently wrote to the FCC at the end of 2018 to say that the federal Communications Act did not apply to him.

The Enforcement Bureau issued a notice of apparent liability against Sutton in August 2019, and now says he never replied to it.

“Pirate radio stations undermine the commission’s primary mission to manage radio spectrum,” wrote Ronald Ramage, acting field director of the Enforcement Bureau, summarizing the commission’s longstanding stance on this issue.

“Such illegal operations can interfere with licensed communications, including authorized broadcasts and communications by public safety entities. Moreover, such illegal operations pose a danger to the public because they interfere with licensed stations that inform their listeners of important public safety messages, including Emergency Alert System transmissions that provide vital information regarding weather and other dangers to the public.”

[Related: “It’s Official: PIRATE Act Signed Into Law”]

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In this document the Commission adopts changes to its rules and procedures for broadcast station applicants to provide public notice of application filings to the principal area that is served or to be served by the station. The changes are designed to improve, streamline, and standardize the notices, including replacing notice by newspaper with online notice. The changes are further designed to enhance rule compliance and public participation in the application process, increase public access to filed applications, and reduce applicant burdens.

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Granted Parties Joint Motion for Dismissal

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With podcasters, voice actors and others now working from home during the pandemic, GIK Acoustics has released its VISO Booth vocal shield (Vocal ISOlation Booth).

The VISO Booth aims to provide temporary vocal isolation for broadcasters, recordists, voice actors, podcasters and others who need portable or stowable acoustic treatment.

Vocal shields on the whole are intended to serve as a buffer between a recording microphone and potential nearby sound sources and artifacts from the surrounding room. Employing one helps the microphone capture a cleaner, more immediate vocal. While a full-fledged vocal booth provides an ideal environment for vocal recording, a vocal shield is a lower-cost option that can still provide audible improvements in situations where budgets, portability and production space are significant concerns.

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

The VISO Booth uses the same ECOSE technology found in the company’s patented room treatments, reportedly helping to control the low-mid frequencies to reduce boominess or muddiness in recordings. The unit is available worldwide sporting an aesthetic pattern similar to the company’s Alpha 1D in blonde wood veneer, with GIK’s standard black fabric underneath.

Designed with portability in mind, the VISO Booth can be installed on a standard 5/8-inch straight microphone stand or simply placed on a desktop for use without a stand. Weighing 10 pounds, GIK Acoustic’s VISO Booth consists of two 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches x 1.5 inches panels joined to form a large, 162-inch triangular area, creating a shielded working space for performers to move within that the company claims is larger than most sizes attainable with other vocal shields.

Info: www.gikacoustics.com

 

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A pirate operator in Pennsylvania admitted he had been running an unauthorized radio station and entered into a consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission to resolve any further investigation into his activities.

[Read: O’Rielly Seeks Funding to Implement PIRATE Act]

The Enforcement Bureau resolved its investigation of Anthony M. Edwards, who was said to have operated an unauthorized radio station on 90.7 MHz and 91.5 MHz in Stroudsburg, Pa. To settle the matter, Edwards admitted he operated the station. He also agreed not to operate an unauthorized radio station in the future. As part of the settlement, Edwards agreed to pay a $1,500 civil penalty.

If Edwards reneges on his agreement, the FCC said it will hand down an additional civil penalty. This means that if the commission finds that he was involved with operating an unauthorized radio station at any time over the next 20 years, Edwards will be responsible for an additional $23,000 penalty.

The FCC noted that Edwards’ actions took place before the heavy-hitting PIRATE Act, which was enacted in January 2020. That legislation gives the commission the authority to levy much higher fines — up to $100,000 per violation and $2 million in total.

 

The post Pirate Operator Agrees to Consent Decree With FCC appeared first on Radio World.

SiriusXM is expanding its investment in podcasting with the acquisition of Simplecast.

An image from the Simplecast website

The company says it will pair Simplecast, a platform for podcast creators, with its AdsWizz ad technology platform to create “end-to-end solution that enables creators to publish and generate revenue from their podcasts, all in one place.” The announcement did not report the terms.

Pandora had acquired AdsWizz in 2018, and SiriusXM completed its acquisition of Pandora the next year. The satellite company continues to build its business in the broader world of audio content creation and distribution.

Simplecast is a “podcast management platform that enables podcasters to publish, manage, and measure their content” founded by Brad Smith.

“Simplecast and AdsWizz will form SiriusXM’s publisher solution business, a full-service platform designed to meet the needs of podcast creators of all sizes,” the company stated.

The post SiriusXM Acquires Simplecast in Audio Publishing Deal appeared first on Radio World.

Fig. 1: Privacy slats reduce visibility of your facility’s assets. Insert them in your chain link fencing.

It’s hard to steal what one can’t see. Broadcast engineer Ernie Nearman says chain link fence privacy slats, pictured in Fig. 1, provide inexpensive insurance.

The slats are available in a variety of lengths, up to 8 feet high. Find them at Lowe’s, Home Depot and online. Although green is pictured, the slats come in several colors.

The job of weaving the slats through your chain link fencing is a little time-consuming; consider it a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. The slats come packaged 78 to a bundle for around $110.

[Check Out More of Workbench Here]

If you’re inclined to shop online, a company called FenceScreen has a much wider selection. They even offer faux hedge slats that consist of 3-mil PVC green pine needles which, at a distance, look like you have a hedge around your tower — a hedge topped with barbed wire!

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Frank Hertel, like many engineers, owns the Siglent Model SDG 1075 Function Generator. It’s a great tool. But Frank finds that from time to time it will glitch its settings when it’s turned on. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you can get lost in the menu tree. This is especially true when a menu changes to Chinese.

Fig. 2: The Siglent Function Generator is a useful tool but may bring English-speaking engineers up short when it switches to Chinese, as at right.

To help solve the problem, Frank generated a utility settings flow chart, seen in Fig. 3. Most issues can be resolved from the utility settings mode. The chart also helps navigate through numerous button pushes as you step through the menu. Of particular importance are the purple selections on the right; note the selection that chooses English. Owners of this instrument will want to copy this flow chart and keep it handy.

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Frank also submitted a link to an interesting and useful product: the Reliance Products Collapsible Portable Toilet.

At one time, the FCC Rules and Regulations required that transmitter sites include restroom facilities! This goes back to the days when transmitter sites were manned 24/7.

Times have changed, and few sites provide such creature comfort when the need arises. This portable product can be left at a transmitter site, or stowed in a contract engineer’s vehicle. The Reliance Products Collapsible Portable Toilet costs less than $50 and is available from Amazon. It weighs only 5 pounds and folds down to 5 inches when not needed. It has a 300-pound weight capacity. On the Amazon site, enter the product name in the search block.

Fig 3: This flowchart, developed by engineering consultant Frank Hertel, will help owners of the Siglent Model 1025 navigate the menu.

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Rolf Taylor is an engineer with a multinational IT firm. He writes in to offer some tips on air filters and air conditioners.

With respect to air filters, not only will dirt affect the heat transfer capabilities of the evaporator coils, that dirt also provides nutrients that encourage the growth of algae. As we’ve mentioned before, the algae can cause clogs and overflows of the condensate drain, leading to some of the worst HVAC problems — especially if a studio or transmitter is underneath.

Periodic coil cleaning isn’t a bad idea, and Rolf recommends that you perform that maintenance procedure when changing over to the high-efficiency filters. Get the gunk out, and keep it out! Drip pan tablets to prevent algae growth are available at the big box stores and are good insurance.

Finally, don’t fall for the myths about the higher-efficiency filters creating an obstruction to air flow. Pleated filters have more surface area, which compensates for the increased air resistance the filter material causes.

One thing you will notice is that as the MERV filter rating goes up, there are more pleats to compensate. In fact, 3M high-end “purple” filters have less air resistance than their “red” filters, due to considerably more pleats.

By the way, MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It ranges from 1 to 10, and is used to compare air filter efficiency. The higher the number, the fewer dust particles or dirt can pass through the filter.

Contribute to Workbench. You’ll help your fellow engineers, and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Send Workbench tips to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

John Bisset has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

The post Use Privacy Slats to Deter Vandalism appeared first on Radio World.

As part of our research for Radio World’s new ebook about remote broadcasting, we contacted Charlie Vollmer, technical operations team leader at Bloomberg Radio, to ask about how the organization responded to the pandemic. Below we share that interview in full. You can read the ebook here.

Charlie Vollmer

Radio World: How is your broadcasting workflow today different that it was before coronavirus?

Charlie Vollmer: Bloomberg News has over 2,700 journalists and analysts located in more than 120 countries around the world. Although our technical operations come from our world headquarters in New York, we are well-versed in working with many of those remote locations daily.

Before the pandemic hit, most of our staff would report to their local newsroom on a daily basis. By mid-March, almost all of our on-air staff was working from home globally. We’ve traded in-person collaboration for video conferences and phone calls. We’ve all had to heavily rely on instant messaging during live programming as opposed to talking to each other in real time through the other side of the glass.

We normally create over 27 hours of unique radio content across all of our platforms each weekday. Throughout the pandemic we haven’t missed a single hour. This is all a credit to the infrastructure investments Bloomberg has made over the years, paired with some incredibly intelligent, dedicated, and hard-working staff across all aspects of operation.

RW: What technologies or products are being used to enable your new workflows, for the major portions of your on-air product?

Vollmer: Most of our anchors were given Comrex NX codecs with sportscaster style boom mics to install in their homes. For reporters and our affiliate team, we heavily relied on the various LUCI Live apps.

As far as actually running the shows, our technical producers were given high-performance laptops so they could VPN into designated PCs back in our headquarters. From there, they were given full access to our Wheatstone LXE remote mixing app, automation and audio playback systems. We have various audio hybrids set up with a program feed from each station’s air chain so they can listen in real time to the broadcast they’re running.

RW: What was the biggest technical management challenge you had to meet, in the first days or weeks of the coronavirus?

Vollmer: We have robust systems that I knew we would be successful with. The first step was to design and implement a process to actually run the radio station from home. We pared it down so an op could successfully operate the board using only a laptop connection to the office.

The next step was sending out equipment to each member of our on-air staff. That led to plenty of unforeseen challenges as we had to walk each and every person through setting up our kits in their unique and personal environment.

In the end, we probably created 60+ custom broadcast spaces that our staff still use today. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work in the broadcast industry. We needed to act quickly to get this done and adjust on the fly to execute the plan.

RW: Was there a particular solution, feature or application that you think your peers would be interested to hear about?

Vollmer: I think the biggest tool is being able to control all these systems remotely. You no longer need physical equipment in front of you to operate successfully. We should all be comfortable working in the cloud and using virtual systems.

RW: How will radio broadcast operations for our industry be permanently changed in the long term as a result of this health crisis?

Vollmer: In my personal opinion, I think we’re going to see a lot of changes to the way many industries operate in the physical workplace. Stations will need to have a diversified plan for deployment of people, equipment and offices. I think every employee needs to learn to work self-sufficiently. It’s important to keep your technical skills fresh and continually learn new systems and processes.

This is what Charlie Vollmer’s screen looks like as he runs “Daybreak Asia.” The remote Wheatstone screen is at bottom right, with displays of Bloomberg’s custom automation and audio playback systems above.

RW: Anything else we should know?

Vollmer: I have one great story that illustrates how the radio community comes together during a crisis. I knew on a Sunday night that we had to figure out a way to get some of our staff in our Boston office broadcasting from home by 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. At 9 a.m., Monday morning I called Comrex and explained the situation to one of their sales and marketing representatives. She immediately set aside three NX codecs for our anchors. Going the extra mile, the techs were nice enough to program all of our IPs into the codecs. One anchor made a 45-minute trip up to Devens, Mass., to pick up the codecs. I simultaneously sent site-to-store orders to a local Guitar Center and Home Depot for mics, headsets and Cat-6. A second anchor grabbed those items and then met the rest of the crew in Natick, Mass., to swap all the needed gear. We had them all set up at home by noon for that 3 p.m. show and they have all been working from home since.

The post How Bloomberg Radio Put Remote Mixing Into Action appeared first on Radio World.

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Tracy Johnson, president and CEO of Tracy Johnson Media Group

Everyone knows the world has changed in the past few months. Life has been disrupted, and there’s no timeline for returning to normal. The current crisis has had a lasting impact on everyone.

So now what? What’s our new normal?

In a recent webinar, Ken Benson of P1 Media Group, Dave “Chachi” Denes of Benztown and I shared best practices and ideas for the current environment, provided guidance for the near term, and offered our forecast for the long term.

Here are some of the highlights from the webinar.

The New Normal — Programming
In contrast with recent surveys indicating listeners say they are listening to radio more, early ratings results show AQH has declined significantly in most markets. Listeners are now forming new habits, which may or may not be similar to previous habits. The longer folks are at home, the more difficult it will be to re-attract them to our stations when society is more mobile.

Listening to AM/FM radio via streaming and smart speaker usage is higher. Programmers who have not converted to Total Line Reporting to consolidate over-the-air and online listening into one ratings number should do so immediately.

Stations should focus on connecting with listeners emotionally, providing an escape from anxiety and renew efforts to reflect the local community.

In times of stress, listeners seek comfort. Consider adjusting the music mix to play fewer new songs and more popular library titles. This is a great time to become more nostalgic, familiar and comfortable.

The New Normal — Personality
Air talent plays a vital role at this time. Most shows should remain calm, generally upbeat and positive. Don’t ignore the crisis, but find ways to relieve listener stress.

Personalities should continue to be themselves, with a few subtle adjustments. Some segments that were hilarious a month ago (like prank calls) may seem mean-spirited now. Be a little more sensitive with a little less less edge.

Keep your sense of humor. The number one most desired trait listeners seek from radio personalities is someone that makes them laugh. That may be even more important now. But be tasteful. There’s plenty to have fun with, but it’s probably not a good idea to make jokes about the disease itself.
Personalities having a hard time finding content ideas should consider just being the show that listens to the listener. Many personalities are finding connections just by asking “How are you doing today?”

The New Normal: Production
It makes no sense to spend marketing or contesting budgets now. If it hasn’t already been taken out of the budget, save it for when life returns to normal. However, play games on the air. You don’t even need prizes! Just have fun.

Most stations report phone and text activity is virtually non-existent, but social media engagement remains strong. Use that leverage. Create videos. Take listeners behind the scenes into your new normal. Some should consider starting a podcast now.

Plan now for the future. It seems a long way off, but this will end, and life will return to normal. Be ready to take advantage of it. Brainstorm ideas for being at the center of your city’s celebration when life resumes.

Forecast and Recommendations
From Tracy Johnson: Just when you thought the radio industry had no more room to cut, the COVID-19 event has made it necessary for more changes. This is a painful time for everyone in radio. Some stations will never recover. Some may simply go off the air. There are two major challenges ahead. One is re-attracting listeners to your radio station. The other is finding new sources of revenue, because we can’t assume advertisers will automatically return anytime soon.

From Dave Denes: Radio is going to struggle well into 2021. Smart managers will apply the principles in the Stockdale Paradox by maintaining a balance of reality and optimism. This is the time great leadership steps up to keep their teams positive and inspired.

From Ken Benson: The world has changed as much as it did after 9/11. We need to step back and take a new look at the industry and realize there’s an opportunity for radio to shine. This is the time to pull together and make major differences in listener lives. This could be one of the most exciting and meaningful times in your station’s history.

The webinar is available on demand here. For more ideas, visit the Coronavirus Radio Idea Facebook Group established by Benztown and P1 Media Group.

The author is president and CEO of Tracy Johnson Media Group.

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