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BRUSSELS — Public broadcaster VRT’s Labo Radio is now using its first “Light Remote Radio Studio” for Studio Brussel and Radio 1 broadcasts.

Studio Brussel presenter Stijn Vlaeminck (center) controls the VRT main studio from his living room, together with Studio Brussel engineer Wim Reyniers (L) and Labo Radio engineer Geert Cantens (R).

The broadcaster first tested the new mobile studio with MNM presenter Peter Van de Veire, when he hosted the “Ochtendshow” (“Morning Show”) from New York. It then carried out a second trial for the “Bij Vlaeminck” (“At Vlaeminck’s”) Studio Brussel program, where DJ Stijn Vlaeminck produced the show from his living room.

Labo Radio is VRT’s radio “taskforce” for all of the station’s hardware and software systems used for radio production. In close collaboration with DJs, reporters and music programmers, Labo Radio is continuously developing solutions with a goal of helping radio staff produce creative content.

The Light Remote Radio Studio uses Peplink Pepwave MAX HD4.

The Labo Radio team is also involved with the design and implementation of VRT’s next generation of radio studios for the broadcaster’s future headquarters, which are expected to be ready in 2021. By means of “proof of concepts,” Labo Radio, together with the on-air department, is aiming to make the future radio studio more user-friendly and flexible through the use of new technology.

“The main idea behind the Light Remote Radio Studio concept is that for outside broadcasts, we only take the ‘remote control’ to the location,” explained Tom Hantson, VRT radio system expert and driving force behind the concept. “Audio sources like telephone, music, jingles or commercials remain in VRT’s main broadcast center, the presenter’s microphone signal and control of the audio sources are on location.”

The new concept consists of standard broadcast equipment like a DHD 52/MX console, a laptop controlling a Dalet Plus playout system, a Broadcast Bionics Bionic Studio telephone system, four Shure Beta 87 microphones or four Sennheiser HME headsets.

“VRT engineers developed this remote technology,” said Christophe Delplace, head of VRT Radio Support.

Tom Hantson (center) and Pieter De Coster (R) explain how the Light Remote Radio works to VRT CTO Stijn Lehaen (L).

“DHD already featured a ‘control link’ to control multiple cores with one console, or to split faders on a console over one or more remote users. The New York experiment allowed us to test this long-distance, and it proved successful,” Hantson added.

The Light Remote Radio Studio makes use of a dedicated IP VPN tunnel using Peplink Pepwave MAX HD4 router. “The big challenge was delay and jitter using the IP connection,” said VRT Radio System Engineer Pieter De Coster.

“Too much delay would have been disastrous for the on-air result. We achieved good results with a buffer in the VPN tunnel, but it had to be feasible for the presenter. In the case of New York, Van de Veire is an experienced DJ and he reported positive results with the solution.”

The current final version of the Light Remote Radio Studio includes a feature that allows the presenter to fine-tune the delay from the outside broadcast location, synchronizing the antenna output signal with the DJ’s headset. “It all comes down to establishing a balance between user-friendliness and the extra possibilities offered by this technology,” said Delplace.

“In case of an issue such as signal loss, the engineer in VRT’s broadcast center gets an acoustic warning signal and can take control,” added Hantson and De Coster.

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With a second Light Remote Radio Studio in production, outside broadcasts require less staff and logistics. Does this mean the end of OB-vans for the broadcaster?

“We face increasing demand for on-site broadcasts,” said Delplace. “In the past, we had to drive an OB-van or a truck with 10 flight-cases to the location, and two engineers for 12 hours for a standard production. The Light Remote Radio Studio is shipped in two compact flight-cases with one engineer, cutting the amount of resources and support required to about 60%. This allows us to answer increasing demand without increasing staff.”

In September, VRT’s Radio 2 will begin using the Light Remote Radio Studio for its Saturday morning show “Start je Dag” (“Kick off your day”), hosted by Kim Debrie. VRT’s Studio Brussel will also implement the solution on Fridays for an eight-hour radio broadcast from SME (mall medium enterprises) throughout Flanders, offering “music at work.”

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Four NAB members have been selected by Pilot as the recipients of grants designed to fund paid engineering or media technology internships in the spring of 2020. They are stations are WISR(AM)/WBUT(AM)/WLER(FM), Butler County Radio Network in Butler, Pa.; KNXV(TV), Scripps Media Inc. in Phoenix; WNKY(TV), Marquee Broadcasting in Bowling Green, Ky.; and WKAR(AM/FM/TV), Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.

[Read: NAB’s Pilot Seeking Proposals For AI-Inspired Innovation Challenge]

The program, which began this past spring, is in partnership with the NABLF to help grow technical and engineering talent. The recipients are NAB members that do not currently offer engineering or media technology internships. Also as part of the program, NAB provides resources to help identify and support interns, including having them attend the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

“Pilot and the NAB Leadership Foundation remain committed to assisting NAB member stations in attracting the best and brightest new candidates to a career in broadcast technology,” said Sam Matheny, NAB’s executive vice president and chief technology officer.

Since it was initiated, the program has provided technology internship grants to 13 organizations.

For more information on the program, visit nabpilot.org/techinterns/.

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The pace of mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. broadcast industry is slow.

According to Kagan, a research group of S&P Global Market Intelligence, U.S. broadcast station M&A volume was $215.1 million in the third quarter of 2019, the lowest quarterly volume since late 2016.

“In the radio business, the largest deal of the quarter took place in New York, where Emmis Communications Corp. partnered with investment firm Standard General L.P. and founded a new public company, Mediaco Holding, which will own and operate Emmis FM stations WBLS and WQHT,” the company noted. “Standard General will pay $91.5 million in cash and a $5 million note receivable to Emmis, while Emmis will have a 23.7% minority stake in the new company.”

Radio station deal volume in millions, as of Sept. 30, 2019

The second-largest radio deal was Stephens Media Group’s acquisition of Mapleton Communications, which agreed to sell its 29 FM and eight AM stations, together with a number of boosters and translators, for $21 million.

Another notable sale, done in two parts, was 12 AM stations and seven FM translators from Salem Media Group to Starboard Media Foundation, the parent company of Immaculate Heart Media, for $16.9 million.

In the TV sector, the only major deal of the quarter was the announced sale of KMBH(DT) in Harlingen, Texas, from MBTV Texas Valley LLC to Entravision Communications Corporation for $2.9 million.

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Jim Pattison Broadcasting operates 47 radio stations in four Canadian provinces. Twenty-two of our stations use WideOrbit Automation for Radio Version 4.0. One of the main benefits of WideOrbit V4 is AFR Mobile, an iPhone and iPad app that allows full control of WideOrbit from anywhere.

AFR Mobile gives our users full control of the on-air product, including the ability to start and stop events, play hotkeys, make changes to the playlist and record new audio files. But for most of our users, the voice-tracking function is the most useful.

Like most broadcasters today, our on-air talent is responsible for recording voice tracks for our stations in our other markets. We have found that AFR Mobile is faster and easier to use than other voice-tracking solutions, including WideOrbit’s Distant City Voice Tracker. We have purchased 14 iPads for use by our staff to record voice tracks, and we have installed iPad holders in our production studios to hold the iPads. The iPads are integrated with Axia Livewire network for the best audio quality, and connect to our Wi-Fi for connectivity to our LAN. The DJ can quickly connect to the remote station and record all of the voice tracks for their shift.

We also have one remote DJ that records voice tracks from their home studio. We supplied this DJ with an iPad that connects to our infrastructure via our VPN over an LTE  cellular network connection. Voice-tracking works great even when used with only a cellular connection.

In addition to voice-tracking, we have used AFR Mobile for remote broadcasts. Earlier this year, during the opening of a new children’s hospital, we used AFR Mobile to record drop-ins from the hospital. AFR Mobile uploaded the drop-ins to one of our local stations for broadcast, and WideOrbit’s Friendship Server automatically distributed the drop-ins to our other markets for broadcast. This works well but we found that we had to test our audio levels before the broadcast. This was because AFR Mobile does not normalize audio after recording. A useful  improvement to AFR Mobile would be the ability to normalize audio after recording.

Now that our users are comfortable with AFR Mobile, we have also used AFR Mobile for five live remote broadcasts without a board operator. The DJ uses hotkeys on AFR Mobile  to turn their microphone on and off.  In the next month, we plan to adapt this work methodology for a mobile studio for use in remote broadcasts. Our goal is to give the DJ the same experience in the remote studio as in the main studio, with a Tieline audio link, virtual Axia faders, and AFR Mobile.

Installation of AFR Mobile is easy. The app is available as a free download and it connects to our infrastructure via our own VPN, so we have control of who can connect to our system. If one of our AFR Mobile users leaves their job, we can disable their access to our automation system simply by disabling their VPN connection.

We have shared some feedback with WideOrbit about improvements that could be made to AFR Mobile, In addition to normalization, our users have found that the dark colors of AFR Mobile are difficult to see in bright sunlight, so a “bright” mode would be helpful.

For information, contact WideOrbit in California at 1-415-675-6700, Option 2, or visit www.wideorbit.com.

The post User Report: WideOrbit App Puts Remotes in Charge appeared first on Radio World.

RFmondial has added a new member to its line of LV-series of DRM modulators and exciters with an advanced multiplexed DRM modulation designed specifically for the FM band.

This new DRM system allows for the parallel generation and transmission of up to six pure digital DRM channels, or in combined analog and digital “simulcast” mode, on one traditional analog FM channel or up to four DRM channels.

Stefan Galler, managing director of RFmondial, said the new DRM modulators give “the ability to freely mix and combine analog and multiple digital DRM signals, in adjacent channels, with individually varying power levels, supporting single frequency networks, allows broadcasters, network regulators and frequency planners a new dimension of possibilities for planning and operation of digital radio networks.”

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Cable Operators may adjust their rates for inflation

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In recently filed comments on the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on EEO Compliance and Enforcement, the NAB suggests a new method for promoting diversity in the broadcast industry instead of reworked or increased rules and regulations, which the organization says are overly burdensome on broadcasters.

Claiming that broadcasters already take appropriate actions toward promoting diversity in the industry because of the benefits it inherently provides both their business and communities they serve, NAB criticized the current rules, saying that they “push the outer limits of constitutionality,” put significant burdens of time and expenses on stations to fill out required paperwork and claiming that data from the last 17 years say that the regulations are effective as possible.

[Read: EEO Supporters Oppose Any Big Change in Threshold]

NAB thinks a new, streamlined process could be beneficial for diversity efforts and on what is expected of broadcasters.

“Instead of taking the easy, familiar path of focusing on additional rules and regulations, the commission should center its efforts on two areas in particular,” the statement reads. “First, the commission should take pro-active, concrete steps that will actually increase employment diversity,” like raising public awareness for equal employment opportunities, expand industry education and facilitate connections among job applicants and employers. “Second, the commission should take steps to reduce unnecessary burdens on broadcasters, especially small stations,” specifically citing audits on stations regarding EEO rules.

“Rather than writing new rules, the commission should join the NAB in rolling up our sleeves and making a real dent in the challenges broadcasters face in hiring the most diverse workforce possible.”

The FCC was required by the federal court in its upcoming quadrennial review of media ownership rules to consider the impact of its policies on broadcast diversity. Related, the U.S. Third Circuit Court recently vacated earlier deregulation efforts dealing with media ownership diversity by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, saying the commission failed to adequately gauge the impact.

Read the full comments from NAB here.

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The post NAB Believes FCC’s EEO Rules Can Be “Streamlined” appeared first on Radio World.

DAVENPORT, IOWA — Regional Media partnered with Radio Workflow in September 2018. Throughout our first year, we have improved our productivity in sales and budgetary goals, team collaboration and overall success of our 14 radio stations.

We were presented with this new, fast-growing Consumer Relationship Management System, and it was easy to get acquainted with. It is an easy, simple to use system. Through detailed, well-instructed demos and tutorials from Radio Workflow, my team and I were able to learn how the system worked in order to get the most out of its features.

Radio Workflow has a 24-hour support team available to answer our questions and adjust anything in our system to suit our needs. They do a great job ensuring our knowledge of the system and providing different tips on how to optimize our use of it.

Before partnering with Radio Workflow, we used another system for our sales, keeping track of our accounts, production, etc. My team at Regional Media is able to merge our accounts and documents easily with Radio Workflow. We can view a list of all of our accounts and organize them based on seasonal businesses, current clients of ours, along with prospective business. Radio Workflow allows us to keep better track of our progress and set/achieve monthly goals throughout the entire company.

Regional Media works with our clients to ensure they are getting the most out of their advertising with our radio stations; and Radio Workflow gives us the tools to do this efficiently and professionally. Through their digital proposals and contracts, our advertising campaigns are broken down concisely for our clients to review with multiple options, choose what suits them best, convert everything to a contract and sign, all from any web browser on any computer. My team along with our clients enjoy how accessible this cloud-based system is. We have increased our closing ratio, increased our client return and earned more new businesses since partnering with Radio Workflow.

In addition to its customer relationship management elements, Radio Workflow is notable for its production features and traffic merging capabilities. Using Radio Workflow in production removes the possibility for error and allows us to work more efficiently with our production team. We input all of our production orders in one place, including our scripts, any necessary media and additional files, along with instructions for what needs to be included in the production order. Our production team accesses all of this, produces the spot and provides our sales team with finalized projects in Radio Workflow.

We keep better track of the spots we have running, when they will expire, and what still needs to be completed. Radio Workflow keeps our entire team in-sync from production to sales and management with lower probability for human error as everything is at our fingertips through its cloud-based format.

Radio Workflow will soon release their own traffic system and we will integrate that, allowing us access to everything we need under one domain. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them.

For information, contact Robert Maschio at Radio Workflow at 1-855-973-1145 or visit www.radioworkflow.com.

The post User Report: Radio Workflow Provides Dividends to Regional Media appeared first on Radio World.

The author is an Earle K. Moore Fellow at the Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council.

Jamila Flomo

According to a 2011 Census Bureau report, 21 percent of the U.S population speaks a language other than English at home. Yet many of these individuals find themselves at a profound disadvantage when emergencies strike because very few of America’s radio stations routinely transmit emergency information in widely spoken languages other than English.

Notably and infamously, in August 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, close to 100,000 Spanish-speaking individuals were left with no radio lifeline after the only Spanish language station in New Orleans was knocked off the air.

To date, the FCC has no multilingual emergency broadcasting requirements. “It means that if you speak only Spanish, and a hurricane hits, you are on your own,” said Brent Wilkes, the former CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports extending alerting to the non-English speaking populations, stations have the choice to provide emergency information only in English.

America has no national language, so it is imperative that the broadcast marketplace ensure that those who do not speak English still receive life-saving information during emergencies.

NEXT SOLDIER UP

The idea of requiring EAS in languages other than English is not a new concept and can work if each local area has a “designated hitter” selected in advance to broadcast in languages other than English. The concept is based on the U.S. Army’s training of platoons: If a soldier goes down when the platoon is taking a hill, another soldier takes his or her place, and the job still gets done.

In 2018, this idea worked when three radio station groups voluntarily cooperated to provide vital information to Spanish-speaking residents to communities threatened by Hurricane Florence. At the request of MMTC and LULAC, Miami-based Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) voiced and transmitted Spanish-language alerts for Cumulus Media and Dick Broadcasting, which serve Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

The execution of the process was quite simple. According to Dick Broadcasting’s Aaron Wilborn, “Broadcasters can pick up the phone and in two hours it can be broadcast, put on the air and done.”

These broadcasters made it possible for 22,000 Hispanic residents in Myrtle Beach and 21,000 Hispanic residents in Hilton Head to receive information about health care issues, avoiding injury, shelters and where to find missing bodies after the hurricane hit. The initiative worked because “[w]e are accountable as broadcasters and license holders,” said Jesus Salas of Spanish Broadcasting System, the largest Hispanic owned media company in the United States.

“These companies are an example to other broadcasters of the essential services that they should provide to the public they serve in times of disaster,” said MMTC President Maurita Coley. “America’s broadcasters should engage now, in this hurricane season, to save the lives of everyone, no matter what languages they speak.”

Got an opinion on an issue of importance regarding radio technology, management or regulation? Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

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OTTAWA, Ontario — On Nov. 10, 2014, DJ John “Milky” Mielke and his fellow on-air talent at Ottawa’s CKKL(FM) — BOB-FM — were unexpectedly laid off when CKKL changed its format from’70-’80-’90s pop to new country. In response, Mielke launched his own internet radio station BlastThe Radio.com from his basement studio. RWI covered his efforts in 2015: Radio Station Not Required.

John Mielke behind the mic at BlastTheRadio.com in his Ottawa home. Credit: BlastTheRadio.com

Today, BlastTheRadio.com (aka “BTR” to its many fans) continues to stream Milky’s live show 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., plus content from other contributors who have joined BTR’s roster and automated music playout 24/7. It all originates from his house in suburban Ottawa, Canada.

“When we started it was just me on the air,” said Mielke. “But as things have progressed we’ve been able to add other on-air shows. Veteran broadcaster Brian Kelly was the very first to reach out to us wanting to participate. He voices tracks six hours both Saturday and Sundays now.”

Also playing on BTR are podcasts from a number of former Canadian radio DJs such as Jesse and Jenna, Scotty Mars, and Jeunesse; plus weekday sports reports from Bruce Barker. Many of these are recorded in BTR’s “Podcastle;” a studio put together in Mielke’s dining room.

The studio at BlastTheRadio.com. Credit: BlastTheRadio.com

“We’re working with a number of local clients to develop podcasts for them,” Mielke said. “Some of that programming is also sourced for on-air broadcast, and I’ve just started hosting a weekend countdown show that airs Saturdays and Sundays.”

STEADY INCREASE

Since launching in 2015, BTR’s audio stream has racked up almost 600,000 “Listens” (unique streaming sessions), and built a fiercely loyal fan base in Ottawa and around the world.

“Initially we started off on one streaming platform — making it very easy to see just who was listening and when,” said Mielke. “Over the years we’ve added other audio streams in order to serve our audience via our phone app, smart speakers, and most recently an in-studio video feed.”

To build its brand awareness among Ottawa radio listeners, Mielke takes BTR on location whenever he can.

The “Podcastle,” a podcasting studio created in Mielke’s dining room. Credit: BlastTheRadio.com

“We co-host an annual Superhero Breakfast where families are invited to a local restaurant to have pancakes with their favorite superheros,” Mielke said. “I emcee countless events. Every Christmas several of us install Christmas lights in exchange for a donation to a local crisis line, and we solicit donations on Taffy Lane [a street in Ottawa where every house is decorated] over the course of two weekends. Plus we make bumper stickers and magnets available at various locations as well.”

“Our fans are our biggest form of advertising, really,” he added. “They take it upon themselves to do things like put www.BlastTheRadio.com on computers on the sales floor of the local Best Buy, or on cellphones at various mobile retailers. They also send me countless photos of them having spelled out BTR or even BlastTheRadio with monogrammed coffee mugs and towels they’ve found at stores.”

PROFESSIONAL FREEDOM

BTR’s new voice announcing booth was built inside a repurposed personal sauna. Credit: BlastTheRadio.com

Like the commercial radio station Mielke used to work at, BlastTheRadio.com is a money-making venture. Given that BTR is very much a one-man-band, “ad sales are the big challenge as I’m busy hosting a daily show, uploading content, producing podcasts and producing station imaging; plus I have other businesses that I run,” he said. “The sponsors we do have are people who have come to us through — mostly — word of mouth.”

“I’m very lucky in that I run a successful web enterprise that services conventional radio (www.MilkmanUnLimited.com) that provides me with an income,” Mielke continued. “I do some voice work for local clients as well as a few international ones. Most recently I was signed-on to be the voice of ABC Local Radio Networks’ New Country format.”

Challenges aside, Mielke loves being the voice of BlastTheRadio.com, and doesn’t regret leaving on-air work behind.

“Online is the most freedom I’ve ever had in a 30-plus year radio career! “ he said. “I can’t think of anything more exciting than being at the forefront of what is going to carry the medium I love so far forward.”

The post DJ-Run Internet Radio Station Thriving appeared first on Radio World.

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