Industry News

They had been scheduled for debate and discussion at Tuesday’s FCC July Open Meeting.

On Monday afternoon, two items were deleted from the agenda originally shared with the public on July 6. One deals with steps to combat contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities. The other eliminates and/or amends “outmoded or unnecessary broadcast technical rules.”

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The Broadcasters Foundation of America has elected America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) President/CEO Patrick Butler and Hilton Howell, President/CEO of Gray Television and Atlantic American Corporation, to its Board of Directors.

The new directors were voted in during the recent Foundation’s Board of Directors’ meeting, which was held virtually.

“We are delighted to welcome Patrick and Hilton to our Board,” said Scott Herman, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “They each bring a wealth of broadcast experience to our board, and their perspective will be valuable as we continue to advance our mission of helping broadcasters in acute need.”

The Broadcasters Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of highly respected broadcast executives who are committed to “giving back” through the Broadcasters Foundation. The members of the Board represent a wide array of broadcast and broadcast-related companies.

The latest quarterly broadcast station totals have been released from the FCC.

And, when one compares the numbers to the end of the first quarter of 2021, a clear trend can be seen: AM radio station continues to be in decline, while FM translators are more numerous than ever.

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The Society of Broadcast Engineers has completed its latest salary survey. “Once again, the survey shows that individuals who hold SBE certification on average earn a higher salary than those who do not hold SBE certification,” said President Wayne Pecena. “In short: SBE certification pays.”

The survey finds that the average radio engineer who responded and who holds SBE certification earns a salary of about $81,700 (compared to $78,000 in the 2020 study) while those without certification averaged $72,700 this year (compared to $70,400 last time).

[Read: SBE Drive Nets New Members]

TV engineers and those who work in both radio and TV were grouped together for the purpose of reporting average salary. This group averaged about $90,000 with certification, and $78,600 without.

About 40% of respondents received a salary increase in the past 12 months.

There were 320 qualified respondents. Forty-two percent work just in radio, 31% in TV, and 20% work in both.

The complete results are available free to society members and the survey is available for purchase by others through the SBE Bookstore.

The survey included 23 questions about job titles, broadcast market size and compensation in dollars and offered benefits. It sought responses from both members and non-members. Responses are anonymous. It was conducted April 1 to June 15.

The post 40% of Engineers Got a Raise in Past Year appeared first on Radio World.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s Public Television Stations have given their support to a recommendation by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies for advance funding for public broadcasting in Fiscal Year 2024.

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The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Leadership Foundation on Saturday revealed the winners of the 2021 Celebration of Service to America Awards, recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. Winners were announced during a televised Celebration of Service to America Awards program, sponsored in part by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink and the Radio + Television Business Report. 

“America’s local radio and television broadcasters demonstrated unparalleled devotion to helping families and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” commented NAB Leadership Foundation President Michelle Duke. “We are pleased to honor the winners and celebrate broadcasters nationwide for their commitment to public service.”

The 2021 Service to America Award winners are:

Service to Community Award for Radio – Ownership Group
Zimmer Radio of Mid-Missouri, “Miracles for Kids Radiothon”

For the Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group team, the annual Children’s Miracle Network radiothon is personal. Raising money and awareness for MU’s Children’s Hospital to help sick kids is the main reason “why we do the radiothon,” but this radiothon also happens because many staff members have needed this hospital for their own children at some point. As the self-proclaimed “crown jewel event for the company,” this radiothon showcases the power of radio and love for local communities. The 14th annual 2020 Miracle for Kids radiothon raised over $248,000 and awareness for the phenomenal work of the doctors, nurses and staff every single day at the local Children’s Hospital.

Service to Community Award for Television – Ownership Group
The E.W. Scripps Company, “The Rebound”

In an effort to help guide communities through the COVID-19 crisis, Scripps Local Media launched “The Rebound.” This initiative provided resources to help Americans get back to work and make ends meet. Over nine months, all 61 television stations highlighted creative ways businesses stayed open and showed how communities rallied around them week after week. From the investigative teams helping people across the country get unemployment benefits to the education experts helping students get back to school safely, the Scripps Local Media team helped people manage the pressure and anxiety with advice and resources. Every day for nearly a year, this group told stories that impacted our communities and gave people hope with the help of medical experts, data analysts and more than 100 town halls and specials.

Service to Community Award for Radio – Major Market
KTMY-FM Saint Paul, Minnesota, “KTMY Rebuilds the Neighborhoods”
Hubbard Broadcasting

Minority-owned businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul that were already disproportionately affected by COVID-19 restrictions were dealt a brutal blow during the uprising that took place in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. During the civil unrest across the cities, many of these places were vandalized, looted and burned to the ground. In partnership with the Neighborhood Development Center, KTMY launched “10 Stories in 10 Days” to tell the stories of these local businesses hurting and inspire the community to lend a hand. Their show hosts turned their mics over to these business owners, many of whom came to this country chasing the American dream, so they could share their stories with the audience. As a result of this partnership and campaign, KTMY raised over $145,000 for these businesses to rebuild and highlighted the local community’s power and small business owners’ resilience.

Service to Community Award for Television – Large Market
WISN-TV Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “WISN Feeds the Hungry”
Hearst Television, Inc.

Within two weeks of the “stay-at-home order,” WISN knew they needed to find a way to feed the struggling members of their community. As people were being laid off, kids were also home from school without school lunches and there was limited food pantry access for the elderly due to the order. The team at WISN stepped up to the “plate” to help provide hunger relief. In partnership with the Hunger Task Force, WISN held two large fundraisers to feed their communities and help local businesses. With the April Milk Buyback and Thanksgiving Virtual Fundraisers, this local station raised more than $1 million for Hunger Task Force due to WISN 12’s efforts and partnership.

Service to Community Award for Radio – Medium Market
WYCT-FM Pensacola, Florida, Hurricane Sally Relief Efforts
iHeartMedia, Inc.

In September 2020, Hurricane Sally meandered into the Gulf of Mexico and 36 hours out, this slow-moving storm was forecast to make landfall 200 miles away from Pensacola. Instead, it took a slow right turn and became the first direct hit for Pensacola in 16 years. Following the devastation of this hurricane, the team at WYCT-FM wanted to do something to help the community rebuild and recover from the storm. In partnership with United Way of West Florida and their TV partner WEAR-TV, this local station launched “Mission Restore Hope” to raise over $300,000 to help local organizations fund rebuilding efforts and help the community feel at home again.

Service to Community Award for Television – Medium Market
WMC-TV Memphis, Tennessee, “WMC Puts School on TV”
Gray Television

Memphis is home to Tennessee’s largest school district, Shelby County Schools (SCS).  It serves more than 113,000 students, ranking among the top 25 largest public-school districts in the country. Many families living in Shelby County are below the poverty line; distance learning poses a difficult challenge considering many homes do not have computers or internet access. When the team at WMC learned about the shift to virtual learning, the leadership team partnered with the SCS superintendent to offer school on TV. Offering more than 23 hours of programming each week, the WMC team worked with their education partners to ensure that students still had the chance to receive an education without worrying about having the proper equipment.

Service to Community Award for Radio – Small Market
KNDE-FM College Station, Texas, “136 Charities, $794,573, One Day and the KNDE Team”
Bryan Broadcasting Corporation

Amid canceled events and poorly attended virtual fundraisers, many local nonprofits found themselves on the brink of extinction. In partnership with the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, the KNDE team decided it was time to showcase local radio’s power. During the 18-hour virtual giving event held on October 27, 2020, this local station educated its audience on the work of 136 charities and solicited donations to help keep the community members afloat. In one day, this team raised $794,573 and proved that local broadcasting does matter.

Service to Community Award for Television – Small Market
KTVB-TV Boise, Idaho, “7Cares Idaho Shares”
TEGNA

With the holiday season approaching, the team at KTVB wanted to do something to help feed the hungry and homeless in the local community because no one should go hungry during the holidays. With the launch of “7Cares Idaho Shares,” this local radio station held a two-week virtual campaign to solicit cash and food donations to help local nonprofits feed the hungry. Due to an outpouring of support from individuals and local businesses, KTVB raised more than 49,890 pounds of food and $950,000 to equal almost 2.9 million meals.

The Celebration of Service to America Awards highlight and honor the exceptional community service exhibited by local radio and television stations across the U.S. Produced by the NAB Leadership Foundation, the 2021 program was presented as a televised program and is available for airing by local stations through August 14.

Ten more Members of Congress have pledged to refrain from voting for any new “performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” on local broadcast radio stations.

Their decision further puts the latest attempt by Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to “provide fair treatment of radio stations and artists for the use of sound recordings, and for other purposes” in doubt of succeeding on Capitol Hill.

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Take a look at the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report, and you’ll see auto insurance specialists dominating the Top 5.

That said, there’s also a new entrant that’s particularly notable. It’s Starbucks.

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Their brand mission is simple: they’re “the ones who get it done.”

Perhaps it is a tag line Radio can incorporate to demonstrate how audio commercials can lift a brand’s sales.

And, it can use Grainger as an example, given its brand-new use of Spot Radio.

For the week ending July 11 as determined by Media Monitors, Grainger — the industrial supply company — ranks No. 5 by spot play count.

This puts Grainger behind just Indeed and No. 1 paid advertiser Progressive.

The activity from Grainger is highly positive, as it demonstrates the use of a media for a company that’s proven to be selective with its mix of consumer outreach platforms.

Meanwhile, Capital One is back on the Spot Ten with some 30,726 spot plays.

The author is manager of the Media Intelligence Service at the European Broadcasting Union.

In these days of flashy audio innovations — with professionals, the trade press and dedicated events and conferences often focusing on podcasts, vocal assistants and social audio — we tend to forget the central role that old-fashioned and resilient broadcast radio plays in peoples’ lives.

At the EBU, we estimate that broadcast radio still represents between 85 and 90% of total radio consumption, which remains the bulk of audio consumption.

[Read: The Great Unbundling of Radio]

To understand the situation of broadcast radio, we have recently conducted research on the distribution networks used by radio services in Europe and the northern African territories that form part of the EBU, i.e. in 56 countries with a total population of more than 1 billion.

Many readers will no doubt be surprised to learn that our census found more than 12,000 radio services across the area. These are services operating each under their own brand, independently from the number of frequencies or transmitters.

Less surprisingly, 95% of those services broadcast in FM. This sends out a strong signal showing how prevalent FM remains.

Of course, the picture on the ground is more diverse, from Southern Europe where dials are typically overcrowded to Algeria, the sole remaining public radio monopoly in the area, and on to Norway, the only country to have shut down analog FM radio nationwide. Although some countries still grant FM licenses, the total number of services in this band is on the decrease.

The future looks darker for other analog networks, medium- and longwave. There are already 19 countries with no medium-wave services, although the U.K. still operates 69 services in that band, nearly as many as all 27 countries of the European Union taken together, where 74 services were identified.

There are only 12 services available in longwave, down from 21 in 2017 and 18 in 2019. Those originate in 10 countries, with public radio in Algeria and Iceland broadcasting two different signals. The LW band is only used for radio in Region 1 of the ITU, and outside the area covered by our study, in Mongolia and Turkmenistan.

As the reader may guess, digital radio broadcast networks are the fastest-growing. In 2021 nearly 2,000 different services were identified, a 23% increase in only two years, with no sign of slowing down short term. Again, the U.K. is an outlier here, with 80% of the 265 DAB stations identified. Meanwhile, DAB+ continues gaining ground.

And what about international radio? More shortwave services are appearing, but often at a high cost: large, well-known broadcasters are turning away from a bandwidth that is increasingly being taken over by religious denominational and other niche services. DRM, for its part, has not been embraced so far as a viable digital alternative to shortwave.

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The post EBU Finds That Radio Is in the Air appeared first on Radio World.