Industry News

Broadcast audio processing company Orban has brought to market its new OPTIMOD XPN-Enterprise ecosystem. The company describes the product as an “an easy-to-use, customizable Linux-based processing platform for multiple broadcast stations or streaming services, with centralized control.”

It provides Orban’s proprietary OptiCloud processing for up to 8 FM and 8 HD/DAB+/Streaming processing channels in a 1 RU package, using an enterprise-class SoftGear server and the appropriate OPTIMOD XPN-Enterprise Nodes, Orban notes.

The XPN-Enterprise server that’s now shipping provides 16 processing channels via AoIP and supports AES-67/SMPTE-2110 protocols.

Also shipping now: the XPN-Enterprise AES3 Input/Output Node.

Additional nodes to extend the available outputs and functionalities, e.g., DMPX, Kantar and Nielsen watermarking and Orban uMPX, will be released in the near future.

The XPN-Enterprise system has been extensively field-tested and approved by national broadcasters, Orban President David Day said.

Content to be OptiCloud processed is brought to one location, utilizing any of the most common methods of audio transport – AES3, AES-67, SMPTE-2110-30, Dante or Livewire+, and creates the necessary outputs (FM Composite, DMPX, uMPX, and DAB+HD) using the appropriate Orban XPN-Enterprise Nodes for distribution to each transmitter site.

Processed channels destined for streaming are also handled by the XPN-Enterprise server, which sends those outputs to the appropriate streaming devices.

Each signal coming into the OPTIMOD XPN-Enterprise server can be individually processed, with Orban’s OptiCloud providing precision tailoring of each station’s broadcast or stream to meet the requirements of the audience and delivery method. OptiCloud factory presets give users a quick start for each format; Orban’s exclusive “Less-More” controls simplify “dialing in” the desired sound by combining multiple OptiCloud processing parameters with a handful of controls.

Further simplifying the processing path, Orban offers “Last Mile” products including XPN-
Enterprise input and output nodes and low bandwidth (<500 kbps for FM & HD-1, HD-2 & HD-3) equipment for “virtually any requirement,” Day says.

He comments, “We make it possible to manage our processing remotely and feed that signal to a site on lines as slow as 500 kbps, and many nodes are ‘Power over Ethernet’ (PoE) capable, further simplifying installation.”

For more information, visit https://www.orban.com.

Today, digital media and technology have permeated businesses at every level. Yet, they continue to create fundamentally new challenges in the crisis and risk management field.

Perhaps Edelman’s just released 2021 Connected Crisis Study can help. It sheds new light on how significant this shift has become, and how far companies still have to go, to adapt.

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Harker Bos Group recently fielded a study documenting the consumption habits and voting trends of Hispanic Radio Listeners.

A cursory overview of some findings was shared at the Hispanic Radio Conference in late September. Now, an eight-page report with further details is available for public view.

How has revenue recovered from the onset of a pandemic that saw generally steep declines and where some categories continue to experience slower than hoped for rebounds? A Forecast 2022 panel of experts are preparing a provocative discussion about who is going to “show us the money” in the year to come. For more, click on the logo at left!

 

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Music scheduling software developer Powergold has a new edition of its eponymous program.

Called Powergold NXT, the company said “This ground-breaking music scheduling software release is a purpose-built response to the evolving needs of some of the world’s largest broadcasters.”

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

Powergold CEO/CTO Lance Olvey said, “Broadcasters around the globe were already moving toward technology hubs and decentralized working even before the worldwide pandemic. We observed these shifts and subsequently began to build Powergold NXT a number of years ago.” Adding, “COVID-19 only accelerated the need for a more robust scheduling solution that could accommodate many concurrent users working remotely in less-than-ideal networking conditions. It turned out to be the perfect environment in which to deploy Powergold NXT!”

According to Powergold, NXT is built on a Microsoft SQL database which will provide compatibility with most software and hardware it is likely to encounter in the broadcast plant and through remote operation.

According to Powergold, NXT also has enhanced functionality and flexibility that should give programmers more control over their music scheduling. In addition, rule optimization, schedule snapshots, element merge functions, music research imports, and an improved ‘undo’ function back to any point in time ensures will help users.

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

Info: www.powergold.com

 

The post Powergold Rolls Out NXT appeared first on Radio World.

While many broadcast media leaders lament how the “GAFAN” group of digital media Goliaths have grabbed dollar after dollar from their over-the-air stations, resulting in advertising challenges, it turns out that the top brand using Spot Television for the week ending October 10 is one of those “GAFAN” giants.

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A September 29 conversation with the four individuals at the helm of Salem Media Group with a key Wall Street media analyst is available now on Channelchek.

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“People earn cash back, businesses make more.”

That’s the basic premise behind a brand that has sought to grow its national profile by promoting its services via Spot Radio. And, the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report shows, this brand has emerged as one of the more exciting new users of AM and FM radio for its marketing efforts.

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The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Cable report is out, and it shows brand stability across the rankings by play count.

The report also shows that two brands that have been active in the past at Spot Cable are now back in a big way, thanks to new campaigns.

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Swagger Institute and P1 Learning are teaming up for a third time to stage a virtual sales and management training summit.

The two-day affair is scheduled for January 26-27, 2022.

Featuring lessons from top industry professionals, Rising Above (risingabovesummit.com) is designed to help sellers and managers get ready to take on 2022.

P1 Learning’s Speed Marriott commented, “After last January’s summit, we really didn’t think we were going to do another Rising Above event. We figured our world would be on a path to normalcy, but wow, were we wrong! With feedback from sellers and managers along with industry surveys, we learned that the industry still needs motivation and
encouragement, so how could we not do this again?”

Registration for Rising Above will be offered for free through participating State Broadcasters Associations and their memberships.

An on-demand version will be available for those who register.

Derron Steenbergen, of the Swagger Institute, said, “Sales managers across the country keep saying their sellers need help. With this pandemic lingering, salespeople are not getting to travel to training opportunities like they once did. Rising Above was birthed initially to provide help to those in the trenches in our industry and it continues to fill that void today. Speed and I are extremely excited to bring the best trainers together again to give our sellers and managers the tools to go deliver more results for their clients. Finally, the goal for Rising Above 3 will be to provide lift to our industry and those working so hard to help the businesses in their communities.”

For more information about Rising Above: A Virtual Sales & Management Summit, visit
risingabovesummit.com

Seven months ago, RBR+TVBR reported that the fate of three FM radio stations formerly controlled by Ed Stolz through his Royce International Broadcasting Corp. was seeming sealed. Paperwork had been filed with the FCC signaling the properties’ transfer of control to religious broadcast ministry VCY America, from the court-appointed receiver of the stations.

While many believed Stolz would maneuver to thwart the loss of his FMs, the proposed $6 million has perhaps an unexpected obstacle blocking its ultimate fruition: the FCC’s Media Bureau.

As such, the parties involved in the transaction last week met by video conference with the Media Bureau Chief, and the two key leaders in the Audio Division, pleading the Commission to green-light the deal already. It’s a move the frustrated Federal judge overseeing the court-ordered station deal is urging, too.

Join Larry Patrick, the noted broker who is the court-appointed receiver for the three FMs formerly controlled by Ed Stolz’s Royce International Broadcasting, as he moderates a Forecast 2022 panel discussion on how independent broadcasters are surviving and thriving as station owners. For more information, click on the Forecast 2022 logo today!

 

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