Industry News

Mix 106.5 personality Priestly (right) with Mo, a Children’s Center patient, during the radiothon.

Celebrating the second largest radiothon fundraiser in its history, Baltimore station WWMX(FM) and its parent company Audacy raised more than $1.3 million to benefit the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.

Held Feb. 24–25, the event marked the 33rd time that the station has hosted the annual Mix 106.5 radiothon. The radiothon is a part of Audacy Serves, the company’s social impact platform that is designed to raise awareness of social issues of issues like mental health and anti-bullying; veterans and service members; children’s health; the environment; civic education; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Mix 106.5 has been a long-time champion for families and kids in Maryland and year after year, we are excited that the radiothon supports the vital, life-saving mission of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center,” said Tracy Brandys, senior vice president and market manager for Audacy Baltimore. “With the uncertainty in our world in the weeks leading up to the radiothon, we weren’t sure what to expect, but Maryland residents came through again.”

“Radiothon is such an important event for everyone at the Children’s Center,” said Margaret Moon, M.D., M.P.H., co-director and pediatrician-in-chief at the Children’s Center. “We are incredibly thankful for all of the generous support from this event, as well as to Mix 106.5 and our volunteers and staff members who work tirelessly to make this event such a success every year.”

This year’s radiothon was the second biggest radiothon event since the program began in 1989, said Tom Cook, brand manager for Mix 106.5. The station’s on-air personalities shared stories of inspiration from families and kids treated at Johns Hopkins. Sponsors who contributed to the radiothon’s success included Chick-fil-A, Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union, Weis Markets, Rite Aid Healthy Futures, Wawa, Carroll Fuel Services and Royal Farms.

Since its inception in 1989, the radiothon has raised more than $25 million for the Children’s Center.

The post Audacy Radiothon Raises $1.3 Million for Children’s Center appeared first on Radio World.

Planning for the 2022 NAB Show is ramping up, and Radio World is asking exhibitors about their expectations for what will be the first in-person spring show in three years.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be on hand in the North Hall. Manny Centeno is project manager, National Public Warning System — EAS.

Radio World: What will be your most important news or exhibit message at the convention?

Manny Centeno: FEMA IPAWS encourages all broadcasters and EAS Participants to continue supporting the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and broadcasting in times of emergencies. Broadcasters provide a tremendous public service on a daily basis, and especially during times of extreme situations. IPAWS will provide best practices to attendees about the EAS and emergency broadcasts.

RW: FEMA has a program to harden Primary Entry Point stations. At the same time, the government is promoting the use of electric vehicles. What can or should be done about the EAS reliance on AM stations, while fewer cars may have AM radios? And what should we know about the FCC’s recent changes to the rules for broadcasters regarding EAS?

Centeno: EAS messages can be heard on AM and FM radio, terrestrial digital television, cable television systems and wireline operators.

AM radio continues to be a viable pathway for dissemination of EAS messages to the public. Its ability to reach vast geographical areas originating from a single transmission point and its inherent resilience make AM radio one of the best methods for reaching the public.

FEMA operates and sustains the National Public Warning System (NPWS), which includes 77 broadcast AM and FM station participants and relays covering 90% of the U.S. population. FEMA is currently modernizing its NPWS Primary Entry Point (PEP) facilities to provide added resiliency to assure the nation can be alerted and informed in times of extreme emergencies.

FEMA encourages the automobile industry to continue installing AM and FM radios in cars. Broadcast radio saves lives and supports our national security.

Additionally, FEMA encourages the public to keep a portable, battery-operated AM/FM radio at home with fresh batteries. Broadcast radio has and will continue to save lives in times of disasters and emergencies.

FEMA also encourages broadcasters and local/state jurisdictions to work together to assure that the public continues to receive urgent alerts and warnings.

FEMA Booth: N7106

The post Exhibitor Preview: FEMA at the NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

From our Who’s Buying What page: Calrec said Radio i Televizija Crne Gore (RTCG), the public service broadcaster of Montenegro, has completed a major upgrade of its radio and television facilities.

Calrec technology is being used on its two radio channels, Radio Crne Gore and R98, as well as on four TVCG television channels.

For radio, RTCG uses five native IP Type R consoles, a Brio36 and a Hydra2 router. For television, it installed three Artemis consoles, a router core, a Brio36 and two Type R consoles.

The system supports analog, AES and AoIP in a hybrid workflow. It uses Calrec’s H2 IP Gateway platform to integrate the proprietary and AoIP networks.

Dejan Vujovic is deputy general manager for technology at RTCG.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post RTCG Goes With Calrec appeared first on Radio World.

The broadcasting company controlled by Apollo Global Management with radio stations in four Florida markets, in addition to three other cities, and a collection of television stations that even includes the NBC and CBS affiliates in Eureka-Arcata, Calif., has inked a multi-year renewal with the nation’s dominant audience measurement and consumer data analytics provider.

The new deal allows Cox Media Group‘s local TV stations in 10 full service radio and TV markets to continue to use various Nielsen measurement services.

The new agreement also includes CoxReps, which provides television sales representation of broadcasters with a wide network of advertising agencies.

Included in the agreement is Nielsen Local Media Impact, which has been licensed by CMG radio stations in Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio and Tampa-St. Petersburg.

CMG radio stations will also have access to the National Regional Database (NRD), a customizable tool of radio listening information for every market that Nielsen Audio surveys.

Furthermore, the new Nielsen pact renews access of CMG radio and TV stations and CoxReps to Nielsen Scarborough, which provides local market research and measures 2,000 market categories. The stations will continue to have access to Scarborough MARS Healthcare Module.

CMG television stations also subscribe to Arianna, which delivers local market overnight TV audience estimates providing analytics on program performance as well as trending programs and time periods, and Nielsen’s Local TV View (NLTV).

There’s more.

CMG will also use Grabix, a web-based application that combines Nielsen’s minute-by-minute television audience metrics to actual audio and video content.

Lastly, Cox also subscribes to Nielsen Radio County Coverage data, which provides local insights by breaking out of the standard Nielsen Radio metro boundaries for a broader understanding of listeners.

While CMG has a presence in some of the nation’s smallest markets thanks to Apollo’s acquisition of Brian Brady’s Northwest Broadcasting and subsequent combination of the TV station assets, it owns and operates TV stations in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dayton, Jacksonville, Memphis, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Seattle-Tacoma, Tulsa, Spokane, Syracuse and Yakima-Tri Cities, in addition to the small markets of Eureka-Arcata and Yuma, Ariz.; Alexandria, La.; Medford, Ore.; Binghamton, N.Y.; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Greenville-Greenwood, Miss.

“We had another very strong quarter, with revenue exceeding expectations,”  Urban One President/CEO Alfred Liggins III said in prepared comments as the company superserving Black consumers released its Q4 results.

On the surface, it appears Urban One didn’t do well, as the results showed net income down while net revenue rose. But, political dollars in Q4 2020 proved to be big for Urban One, too.

So, how did Urban One do in Q4 2021 in comparison to two years earlier?

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It uses digital Channel 30 and enjoys a PSIP of Channel 7. For the past year, it has been owned by Craig Ruark, who acquired the property from a Christian-focused broadcasting entity.

Now, Ruark is spinning the LPTV station serving Southern Nevada.

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The next batch of Q4 2021 earnings results from key media companies arrive on Thursday, with a morning dispatch of Urban One‘s fiscal health report and post-Closing Bell distribution of the Q4 financial results from both Salem Media Group and Entravision Communications.

For Hispanic consumer-centric Entravision, the results could further propel its shares, which enjoyed a strong 6.6% gain to $6.62 on Wednesday.

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FM broadcasters soon will have a new and unfamiliar option when shopping for broadcast antennas. Dielectric has announced it will introduce a pylon FM antenna.

It said the FMP line will be “the broadcast industry’s first slot cavity microstrip FM antenna product family.” Dielectric says pylon antennas, which are used in television, are notable for high efficiency, low windload, multicasting capabilities, pattern flexibility and small tower footprint.

But VP/GM Keith Pelletier said that in the past, the cylindrical attributes of pylons produced narrow bandwidth characteristics that were impractical for FM signals.

“We have now adapted what was long a solution for mostly single-channel TV operations for both broadband TV and FM broadcasting, which very much differentiates our product portfolio from competitors.”

He cited several factors that allowed Dielectric to offer a pylon for full-band FM operation.

They include reducing the antenna Q factor, which he said improves the bandwidth from one to 20 percent; and stabilizing the H:V ratio across the band.

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“The 20 percent bandwidth translates to full FM band operation, which is the key goal of the FMP antenna’s design,” the company wrote.

“Dielectric has also included its patented parasitic dipole, which adds a vertical component to the existing horizontal signal. This creates more pattern options for FM broadcasters, including elliptical and circular polarization, and contributes to the substantial bandwidth increase.”

The company says FMP antennas use 60 percent fewer parts than equivalent ring-style antennas, which improves reliability.

“The pylon design also provides broadcasters and tower crews with top-mounting options, in addition to the traditional side-mounted configurations of ring antennas,” it continued.

“This is ideal for high-power FM stations that want a true top-mounted omnidirectional antenna. The FMP can handle input powers of 100 kW and higher, which also makes the antenna excellent for combined operation of multiple stations.”

The FMP designs use full-wavelength spacing between elements, so fewer of them are needed. Antennas are built in four-layer building blocks and can be increased to eight or 12 bays to suit higher power requirements and elevation pattern gains.

The company noted that the antenna design process was done in a virtual environment using using High Frequency Simulation Software, and then built to validate the designs.

The company will be talking about the new antenna line at its booth at the upcoming NAB Show.

Dielectric NAB Show Booth: W7107

The post Dielectric Introduces an FM Pylon Antenna appeared first on Radio World.

The CEO of AMC Entertainment, the owner of cinemas across the U.S., posted its strongest quarterly results in two years. And, its CEO, Adam Aron, can thank Spider Man for besting analyst estimates.

Aron can also perhaps be thanked for propelling Paramount Global‘s shares on Wednesday. Why? The owner of CBS News and Stations could be poised for boffo box office results from its Paramount Pictures arm, after all.

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There is clarity when it comes to how much money is available to pay FM radio broadcasters for expenses incurred due to the TV spectrum repack in the United States.

The FCC now says it will cover 100% of verified estimates — instead of 92.5% — because allocations are concluding and there is still money left in a $2.75 billion relocation fund created by Congress to cover broadcasters’ expenses.

The FCC in a recent public notice explained the final reimbursement procedures for owners of FM broadcasters who share tower space with full power or Class A TV stations that participated in the incentive auction and repacking. The TV repack process, intended to create additional spectrum for wireless services, resulted in some FM broadcasters incurring costs in order to facilitate the repack stations’ construction projects.

Radio stations affected have been filing reimbursement claims but now have until Sept. 6, 2022, to submit all remaining requests for expenses.

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The FCC says invoices totaling more than $1.67 billion have already been sent to the U.S. Treasury Department for processing and payment with some $34 million in invoices on hand still under review. The FCC said it took care to spend down the reimbursement fund in phases to prevent running out of money, acknowledging that estimates and expenditures were refined and changed over time as broadcasters moved forward with projects.

The Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau said their cautious payment allocation approach throughout the 39-month transition period “reduced the likelihood of over-allocating funds that would then have to be reduced or issuing payments that would have to be clawed back.”

In a previous public notice released in December 2019, the FCC indicated the owners of approximately 90 FM radio stations — all co-located with TV facilities — had been assisted with projects such as building auxiliary facilities in order to remain on air throughout repack work. The FCC at the time estimated that fewer than 500 radio stations in all would be affected by the TV spectrum repack.

Congress had designated $50 million of the reimbursement fund to be set aside for FM broadcasters. The FCC previously reported that as of late 2019, just over $17 million had been allocated for FM stations.

Radio broadcasters submitting their remaining reimbursement claims should be careful to have documentation to back up any reimbursement claims. The FCC says it will begin site visits to facilities of some fund recipients to validate the existence and operational status of post-transition equipment for which entities received reimbursement. Site visits, to be conducted by a third-party contractor, are expected to begin in March 2022 and continue throughout 2022, according to the FCC notice.

The TV repack resulted in new channel assignments for 987 full power and Class A stations. The reassignments cleared approximately 60 MHz of spectrum for use by wireless licensees.

[See Radio World’s 2017 eBook “Hey Radio, Here Comes the TV Repack”]

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