Industry News

He’s been VP and Director of Sales and Marketing for The CW Seattle since 2017 and, for three years before that, the station’s Local Sales Manager. He joined the station in 2012.

Now, this nearly decade-long station veteran has been promoted to VP/Station Manager for the CBS News and Stations property serving the biggest market in the Pacific Northwest.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

In 1970, 15-year-old high school sophomore Paul Tinkle joined WCMT(AM/FM) as a “cleanup” boy. 

Today he is the president and part-owner of Thunderbolt Broadcasting, which includes one AM and four FMs as well as seven translators (Tinkle calls them “local FMs”) that serve northwest Tennessee and parts of Kentucky. He is also a former member of the NAB Radio Board.

He recalls that years ago, when an engineer took ill for several months, Tinkle suddenly realized how little he knew about his own facilities. So he started to bone up.

Today he advocates for owners and managers to participate in the creation of maintenance programs and technical documentation, and encourages them to become familiar with their facilities and with basic engineering concepts. 

His engineer visits Thunderbolt’s RF sites monthly, checking everything from the ASRN sign to the tower lights and replacing transmitter filters. Each RF site has a metal bookcase filled with equipment manuals; and Tinkle’s cellphone has the names of dozens of engineers and suppliers he could call if necessary, to help if he had an urgent problem. 

Paul Tinkle wrote the following list of 57 assorted ideas, tips and best practices. He shared it with Radio World for our ebook “Mission-Critical: Maintaining Your Transmitter Site.”

A documentation shelf, two sizes of ladder and a Shop-Vac are at the ready.

1) Purchase a label maker, and see that all equipment is labeled using the name you commonly use when referring to it. Label everything in your service rack. Label the front and back of each piece of equipment as well as where the plugs and wires are inserted.)

2) Label STLs, Marti units and other RF equipment. Include call signs. Note the date each piece of equipment went into service. Do the same for computers, noting their install date. Label the front of each satellite receiver with the name of the program associated with that receiver. Include the serial number on the front.

3) Label your station “calls” on remote gear including headphones, power cords and of course phone and RF equipment that is used on the road. Take a photo of your remote gear with your smartphone or camera.

4) Learn how to read and take transmitter meter readings. Take the actual readings occasionally to stay fresh. Know the transmitter codes and all passwords relating to everything you own. Keep a central log of passwords, and make sure key personnel know how to access it. Change factory default passwords when new equipment arrives.

5) Make sure all EAS equipment includes written instructions on how to perform an EAS test. Keep instructions in the control room.

6) At an AM station, inspect your antenna tuning unit (ATU) at the tower base to check for snakes, birds or other unwelcome intruders or problems.

7) Confirm that your Antenna Structure Registration Number (ASRN) is displayed clearly at the tower site, that your fence is structurally sound and the gate is locked.

8) Inspect your guy wires for damaged insulators. Inspect tower anchors for possible damage due to mowing or lightning. Keep your tower site mowed and neat. FCC inspectors often can tell who’s doing a good job of taking care of their license just by looking at the grass; at least give them a good first impression.

9) Keep a spare set of keys to everything you own. Put it in your vehicle or hidden at the tower site.

10) Keep a journal or notebook — not just a legal pad — at the remote tower site; mandate that anyone who enters the tower building log tower readings and the time they came in and out of your building and the site. Keep a copy of your “vital” records — e.g. the license — in a binder, in plastic sheets. This includes STL (license) path information and transmitter info. Having these at the tower site allows you to access information like transmitter power out (TPO) quickly.

11) Keep a spare tube and parts kit for your transmitter and other vital equipment close by. This includes a fan.

12) At the tower site, keep a set of basic tools and a first aid kit. Also put in a supply of drinking water, paper towels, hand sanitizer, toilet paper and a cot for resting. Engineers may need to take a break, especially if they’ve been working on equipment all night. At some remote sites, for instance where weather might shutter someone in, consider supplies for a longer-term stay such as blankets and non-perishable food. 

13) Change or clean all filters on transmitters and HVAC units.

14) Clean all transmitter and computer filters monthly. Suck out the dust for longer life!

15) Keep a Shop-Vac or similar wet/dry vacuum at the site to help keep the building and equipment clean.

16) Store several flashlights and batteries in your building (including studio control rooms too). Check your smoke detectors annually for performance. Change batteries when you adjust your clocks twice a year.

17) If you have a generator, check it monthly and exercise it weekly. Ensure that you have extra oil and coolant. Check the fuel level. Log it in your journal and write down the hours it was exercised. Put it “online” at least every month.

18)  Personally inspect your towers at night to confirm that all bulbs are burning. Inspect the tower to confirm it will pass FCC paint regulations.

Tower and site inspection sheet.

19) When a bulb goes out, document that you have notified the appropriate officials. Keep the Flight Services NOTAM line phone number (877-487-6867) and your ASRN at hand. Store the ASRN for each site in your smartphone.

20) At AM stations, confirm that your annual NRSC Occupied Bandwidth Measurement and Frequency Test was done within the past 14 months and have it ready for the FCC upon request.

21) Visually inspect your STL, Marti and other auxiliary antennas. Are they secure on your service tower? Check that wind has not damaged or loosened radials.

22) Walk around the back of your radio station and transmitter building to see if anything is out of place. This could be anything such as loose cables, vandalism damage, or strange visitors — cats, rats, snakes, deer, bear, opossum, turkey or groundhogs.

23) Keep spare tools in your vehicle including an air pump for flat tires or slow leaks that happen while you are at the tower site. It will happen.

24) Keep wasp/hornet repellant available. Always have duct tape on hand. It can fix most problems.

25) Show full- and part-time employees where vital controls are located including the electrical breaker box. Label your breakers in the electrical box.

26) Communicate with your engineer regularly, especially if something doesn’t seem right.

27) Instruct part-timers how to turn on and turn off vital equipment such as a backup transmitter.

28) Place combination locks on all gates and tower entrances. Cover them with a piece of rubber tire and a potato chip clip to keep moisture out and prevent freezing.   

29) Keep good records about your equipment, including pictures of all devices. Your smartphone is your friend.

30) If you ship a piece of equipment for repair, tape your business card to it. Use your label maker and put your company’s name on the equipment. (If you put your bumper sticker on it, they will definitely know whose it is.)

31) Be proactive. Ask your engineer what they need to do their job better. Sometimes it’s just an extra roll of tape or a new soldering iron. Sometimes they might tell you something really important that you didn’t know.

32) Document everything. Keep a paper trail for things you do, things the engineer does, things that need to get done, things that got done and things that are undone.

33) Write or print legibly.

34) Teach others in your radio station family the important things. Any DJ/announcer, office manager or newsperson might have to fill in suddenly.

35) If you have a remote vehicle, drive it yourself, inspect it for damage and keep a service record. Check the tires and alignment. It may pull to one side or make a noise; it may need to be cleaned of trash. If connected to remote gear, make sure you have tested it personally.

The station vehicle is well supplied.

36) Inventory any play-by-play equipment. Learn what needs to be replaced or repaired and is being treated professionally. Put headphones in one- or two-gallon plastic freezer bags, available at your local grocer or box store.

37) If there’s a problem at the transmitter site, tell your engineer you want to come watch or hold the flash light — to learn, to help and to keep them company. 

38) Find out where the FCC rules are kept in the radio station, tell the staff and encourage everyone to read them. 

39) Participate in your state’s Alternative Broadcast Inspection program. This is great insurance. It helps your engineer keep equipment running smoothly and in tolerance, and keeps your staff aware of EAS rules.

40) When in doubt about FCC rules and regs, contact your FCC attorney. Spend the money to keep your radio station legal. It’s better to spend money on engineering than wait and send money to the FCC to resolve a Notice of Apparent Liability.

41) Get to know people in the technical community. Network at your state broadcast association’s events. Keep contact names of helpful people at key equipment suppliers. Ask your engineer, “Who are the people you would want me to call if you were in the hospital?

For the engineers

42) Engineers: “Communicate before you medicate.” Let the manager or PD know that you’re planning to take the station off the air. Sometimes really are better than others for routine service.

43) Ask for the equipment you need to keep the station running smoothly. Ask again and again. Research your request with costs and how they will help the station, whether to stay on the air or to clean up noise.

44) Remember to put things away after you have completed a project. Put all the fasteners (nuts and bolts) back in the equipment.

45) Keep good notes. 

46) Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Slow down when working with RF. Turn off the main power to the transmitter. If you disconnect the failsafe, remember to put it back in place and confirm it’s functioning. Work with a partner if at all possible.

47) Provide your password to the manager so they can be helpful to you when you’re unable to come right away.

48) Make a date with the manager to show them what you believe needs to be done to assure that the radio station continues to run smoothly. 

49) Make sure you have all the spare parts you need to keep your radio station on the air.

50) Show your manager the projects you have accomplished.

51) Neatness matters. Labeling is a must.

52) Date everything regardless of when it was received, installed or pulled out of service.

53) When there is an emergency and you get the call, communicate with management when you are likely to appear on the scene.

Final thoughts

54) Managers: Emergencies are never so big that it you need to put the engineer in harm’s way.

55) Managers: Don’t try to fix what you don’t know how to fix. Engineers should not need to fix what you’ve tried to fix.

56) Managers: Be patient with your engineer.

57) Engineers: Be patient with your manager.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post 57 Tips from the Manager’s Engineering Notebook appeared first on Radio World.

Audix has introduced the A231, a large-diaphragm studio vocal microphone intended for use in lead and backing vocals, spoken word and voiceover applications, and acoustic instrument miking.

The A231 features the same gold-plated brass band as found on Audix’s SCX25A instrument mic, but inside the new microphone, there’s a 33 mm true condenser featuring a tensioned diaphragm with gold deposition all the way to its far edges. According to Audix, this produces a diaphragm area approximately 25% larger than that of a typical large-diaphragm condenser mic. Meanwhile, a cardioid pickup pattern offers a predictable proximity effect and exceptional off-axis rejection.

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

The capsule feeds circuitry designed for quietness, while an active driven shield is employed in an effort to protect the signal path from interference and capacitive coupling. A specially designed internal shockmount is also used to dampen handling noise, enabling the A231 to be used for both studio and live applications.

The A231 capsule is suspended by the internal shock mount behind a double-woven steel alloy mesh grille and seated in the precision-machined aluminum body. Primarily intended for vocals, voiceover and spoken word, the Audix says that the A231 is designed with an aim to provide power, detail and controllable proximity effect due to its cardioid polar pattern with smooth off-axis response over a wide frequency range.

The A231 can also be used on acoustic instruments, able to handle 140 dB maximum SPL even as the mic itself has a low 12 dBA equivalent noise level, making it appropriate for delicate sources like upright bass and strings. The mic itself offers a 128 dB dynamic range.

The A231 is available now for an MSRP of $949.

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

Info: https://audixusa.com

 

The post Audix A231 Studio Vocal Microphone Launched appeared first on Radio World.

A proposal to allow computational directional FM broadcast antenna pattern modeling in the United States is a step closer to being approved.

The Federal Communications Commission says it believes that the proposed rule change “would provide regulatory parity and ongoing relief for both antenna manufacturers and FM broadcasters while maintaining the integrity of our licensing requirements.”

We had reported earlier that the idea was advancing at the  commission; now the FCC has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking asking for comments.

The commission’s text makes clear that it thinks this is a good idea, but it expressly also asks for help from “engineers, broadcasters, antenna manufacturers, and other interested parties” to help clarify some issues raised by the proposed rule.

The proposal was made in a joint petition from Dielectric, Jampro, Radio Frequency Systems and Shively Labs, all of which make antennas, as well as broadcaster Educational Media Foundation.

Currently, the rules for verifying FM directional patters require physical modeling and measurements.

The FCC noted that verification of directional patterns through use of computer modeling is permitted in both AM radio and TV/DTV and is a familiar concept to the commission and the industry.

It says more than 2,000 full-service FM broadcast stations, which is more than 20% of them, use directional antennas. The change would allow any of those stations that replace existing antennas to avoid the expense of field measurements. It would apply not only to applicants for new FM facilities, but to FM licensees applying for facility modifications.

[Read the full NPRM text.]

The commission also said that given the demand for FM spectrum, “we anticipate an increase in the use of directional antennas. We believe those future broadcast applicants would benefit from this proposal.”

Among questions being asked by the FCC are whether this change could increase the risk of interference to adjacent stations; whether the commission should adopt a particular computer program or underlying model; if not, which computer modeling software programs it should accept for verification; and how FCC staff should confirm the accuracy of such models.

“Perhaps most importantly, we are interested in comments from broadcasters, engineers and manufacturers who have used both computer modeling of FM directional antennas and physical models of the same, and who can discuss their experience regarding the accuracy of computer-modeled antennas vis-à-vis the performance of such antennas as installed.”

Comments in MD Docket 21-422 will be due 30 days after the NPRM is published in the Federal Register, which hasn’t happened yet.

The post FCC Opens NPRM to Allow Computer Modeling for FM Antennas appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy has welcomed Jeff Gonsales as Senior Vice President and Market Manager of its Minneapolis market.

In this role, Gonsales will oversee the market’s portfolio of stations, which includes 830 WCCO (WCCO-AM), 104.1 JACK FM (KZJK-FM) and 102.9 The Wolf (KMNB-FM), effective December 6.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff Gonsales to oversee our Minneapolis market and the operations of our three stations,” said Rachel Williamson, Regional President at Audacy. “Throughout his tenure in the Twin Cities, Jeff has built a strong reputation as a leader with integrity who cares about his people and his business partners. We trust that invaluable quality coupled with his rich experience in this area will set Audacy Minneapolis up for continued growth and success under his leadership.”

Gonsales commented,  “After starting my radio career at 830 WCCO, I look forward to returning to move this group of local favorites forward in the digital audio world.”

Gonsales joins Audacy after spending the last 18 years with Hubbard Radio in St. Paul, including the last ten years as Director of Sales, managing top line revenue budgets for Hubbard Radio Twin Cities and Hubbard Interactive. He joined Hubbard in 2003 as General Sales Manager/Director of New Business Development. Prior to that, Gonsales was the Regional Director of Business Development for Clear Channel Radio from 1999 to 2004. He launched his radio career in 1996 as a merchandising account executive for WCCO Radio.

In 15 days, Meredith Corporation will cease to exist as a Des Moines-based multimedia company, with its merger with Gray Television now on track for a December 1 closing following what is a largely ceremonial November 30 Meredith shareholder vote.

Already, Gray is making leadership moves at the stations it is acquiring in the transaction. The shifts impact incoming and current assets, and more were revealed on Tuesday (11/16).

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

One has nearly four decades of experience in radio, most recently as Vice President of Programming for WABC-AM 770 in New York.

The other has been the afternoon drive producer since August 2010 and a part of the station’s team since its birth nearly 12 years ago.

Both are now Brand Managers at Audacy Inc. stations serving Pittsburgh.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

NEW YORK — Is investment in a publicly traded broadcast media company a wise one? Has Wall Street responded to the much-heralded benefits of NEXTGEN TV and the potential nontraditional revenue growth tied to the new ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard?

Those are just some of the questions addressed by an all-star panel of financial analysts, joined by one veteran media broker, at a Forecast 2022 morning session.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The impact of Qualcomm shutting down its Reciva internet radio aggregation platform earlier this year continues to reverberate through the internet radio manufacturing industry. The loss of this platform means Reciva-enabled internet radios can no longer connect to audio streams on the web — rendering them effectively useless.

Grace Digital’s page for users affected by the Reciva shutdown.

Sangean Electronics is one of the manufacturers left stranded by the Reciva shutdown.

“The official date was April 30, 2021,” Sangean Marketing Director Andrew Wu said. “The response we got [from Qualcomm] was, ‘We have decided to withdraw this discretionary service, for business reasons. We wish you well in finding alternative solutions’.”

“It’s not the first internet radio platform to shut down,” said Wu. “But it is the first time for a supplier to not offer any viable solutions.”

“The shutdown was difficult on both the brands and customers who used Reciva-based devices,” said Greg Fadul, CEO and cofounder of Grace Digital, another internet radio manufacturer. “For Grace Digital, it’s been very difficult. We are a family-run business and we were partners and friends with the Reciva team. However, over the years Reciva was sold twice and the companies that acquired them decided that they would no longer support the legacy servers.”

Why did Reciva shut down?

Qualcomm has not responded to Radio World’s requests for interviews about the Reciva shutdown. However, internet radio manufacturers who supported this platform have offered several reasons for its demise.

First is the complexity and cost of running the Reciva platform. “Back in 2003 the processors in internet radios were extremely slow and had little memory, so Reciva’s strategy  was for its servers to perform the heavy lifting with the radio only performing the basic streaming function,” said Fadul. “Their server system was not simply an internet radio station aggregator, but a high-end global array of dozens of servers located in key cities around the world. The server network provided radio authentication, managed log-ins for premium services, and various settings and configurations for the radios, among many other functions.”

[Read More Internet Radio Stories Here]

Fast-forward 18 years and quality internet radios perform all those functions on the radio itself without the costs of an intermediary array of servers.

The C. Crane CC WiFi-3 is one of the receivers affected by the Reciva shutdown.

To make matters worse, “there was no path to upgrade due to the age of the code and its incompatibility with new hardware,” said Bob Crane, president of radio equipment firm C. Crane.  “In addition, there are no longer people who fundamentally understand the ins and outs of this proprietary code and programming. The original software was also burdensome and slower than new chips.”

Despite this, Crane said he believes the driving force behind Qualcomm’s Reciva shutdown was the cost of maintaining its global server system. With manufacturers having moved to newer and more self-contained internet radio-tuning systems, Qualcomm had to cover this cost without receiving any revenue to pay for it.

“The Reciva problem happened in part because there was no recurring income for the founders,” said Crane. “This is why every software developer on the planet — think Adobe, Microsoft, and Oracle — has switched primarily to subscription-based purchases because there has to be some way to fund ongoing maintenance and future development.”

Manufacturers scramble

As reported by Radio World in March 2021 (“Reciva Internet Radio Platform Shutting Down“), internet radio manufacturers are doing their best to assist Reciva-stranded listeners.

At C. Crane, “we accelerated our new CC WiFi 3 internet radio into production as quickly as possible based on Skytune.net,” said Crane. “We also developed a program to take care of our Reciva-based CC WiFi owners, offering them a graduated discount that took into consideration how recently they’d purchased their older sets. We tried to offer a reasonable solution with proof of purchase and a cutoff date so we could take care of as many people as possible.”

“Since Grace Digital did not own the Reciva radio software — we only licensed the code, which means we could not change the radio software – there was unfortunately nothing we could do to save the old Reciva-based radios,” Fadul said. Fortunately, his company had launched its own self-maintained aggregation platform in 2018 to support its new generation of internet receivers.

“To help our dedicated customers with the transition to our new platform, Grace Digital offers discounts to purchase new radios,” said Fadul. “The vast majority of people understand the situation and realize the shutdown was out of our control.”

Over at Sangean, “we contacted the responsible parties to work on possible solutions, but we weren’t given any options that would allow our Reciva devices to continue working,” said Wu. “Therefore, we took the responsibility and offered our newer internet radio devices to our customers at a loss. It’s a very unfortunate situation and it is our desire to ensure all our customers are pleased, but that’s just not always the case. However, the majority took our offer and were satisfied with our response.”

Reality of business today

At first glance, the logical conclusion to be drawn from the Reciva shutdown is never to purchase a device that relies on third-party servers to function.

The problem with this conclusion is that it ignores the fundamental nature and ubiquity of third-party server solutions on the internet. “Any platform that uses a server is at risk of going down or being shut down,” said Fadul. “Basically anything such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, your cell phone, and even plain old POTS lines use servers/databases.”

[Subscribe to Radio World]

But this is just the tip of the iceberg: “All software platforms are probably at risk when you think about the countless updates and the ‘required’ new equipment purchases we all probably made over the last 15 years,” said Crane. “I am guessing that even Alexa may have a meltdown for the original units at the 15-year mark if you observe the software and hardware upgrades Amazon has issued so far. And even Sirius is looking at sunsetting one of their older platforms,” as reported by thedesk.net on September 21, 2021.

The business reality of “limited lifespans” even applies to broadcast radio. For instance, although AM radio remains viable in North America, the U.K. government’s just-released Digital Radio and Audio Review says that national AM (a.k.a. medium-wave) services should be closed down, due to the AM audience declining to 3% of all radio listening there.

Protecting listeners

Given this reality, the best internet radio manufacturers can do — and are doing — to protect listeners is to make their latest models multi-platform capable.

For instance, Grace Digital allows users to save and display up to 100 presets on their latest internet radios. “The radio presets do not relay on our servers to play,” said Fadul, “so even if we had a short or long server outage it would not affect your ability to play those 100 stations. It would also not affect your ability to play SiriusXM, Pandora, Bluetooth, or Chromecast.”

“It took us years to develop and optimize the software, but we learned from the Reciva shutdown and put all the software in place to make sure that we do not have this issue again,” he added. “Live and learn.”

As for the Reciva shutdown threatening the very existence of internet radio as a viable consumer technology? Bob Crane isn’t worried. Although he acknowledges that smart speakers “dwarf the sales of internet radios, it would be unwise to underestimate the dedication of radio listeners who have a preference to the way they listen,” he said.

“With smart speakers you give part of your private life up to a large company for marketing. Internet radios made by us and others don’t track you at all. It is more of a personal experience well-suited for a person who thoroughly enjoys and relies on radio,” Crane said.

This is why C. Crane, Grace Digital, and Sangean plan to keep developing and selling internet radios — Grace Digital has two models planned for release in 2022 — despite the risk of future Reciva-like platform shutdowns. “Standalone internet radios offer the convenience and simplicity of enjoying various radio streaming services,” said Wu. “They are not only viable, but trending.”

The post With Reciva Dead, Internet Radio Manufacturers Manage the Fallout appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — “A meeting is only as good as the results it inspires and/or achieves.”

Those are the words of Streamline Publishing President and Publisher Deborah Parenti as she welcomed a capacity in-person crowd of the broadcast media industry’s top leaders at Forecast 2022, held at the Harvard Club in midtown Manhattan.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)