Industry News

Will the FCC and/or Capitol Hill change the media?

What’s to come at the Federal Communications Commission under the formal leadership of Jessica Rosenworcel will undoubtedly impact both radio and television broadcasting companies.

Remember: Rosenworcel voted against the media ownership rule rewrite that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled was lawful, putting the wheels in motion on cross-ownership rule “modernization” formulated under the Pai Commission.

Will that be the end of any meaningful regulatory reform for broadcast media. If Gigi Sohn were to become a Commissioner — a big if, as of today — could more regulations for broadcasters come to fruition?

That’s just one of many things Inside the Beltway that could impact your bottom line in 2022 and beyond. From Capitol Hill to the Commission’s new offices near Union Station, Washington is abuzz with broadcast media bills and proposals.

Who better than Frank Montero, co-managing partner at Fletcher Heald and Hildreth, to lead a Forecast 2022 discussion on the myriad regulatory challenges and opportunities ahead for broadcasters.

Montero has assembled a group of seasoned broadcast professionals who understand the implications, challenges, and opportunities of these issues and how they might play out in the year ahead.

Appearing at this Forecast 2022 exclusive session are Dr. Mark Fratrik, SVP/Chief Economist at BIA Advisory Services; Bob Mc Allan, CEO of Press Communication LLC and PMCM TV LLC; Justin Nielson, Senior Research Analyst/Broadcast Media at S&P’s Kagan; and Colorado Broadcasters Association President/CEO Justin Sasso.

Understanding what happens Inside the Beltway and how it affects you, your stations, and your future business prospects is essential.

Make sure you are in the room for this blockbuster session at Forecast 2022. Register today!

International Sales Team is truly growing into its name — the Australian company recently announced it is broadening its sales presence in U.S. and is cementing a new sales partnership with a Swiss RF manufacturer to extend its reach into Scandinavia.

Founded earlier this year, the company announced it is providing what it calls sales teams as a service or STaaS. It is based in Australia but services any country.

[Read: 2wcom Signs With International Sales Team]

The company, a network of broadcast and media industry sales professionals, announced late last month that it had signed an agreement with the Swiss company DAC System. The RF manufacturer selected International Sales Team to assist in selling DAC System’s range of professional broadcast products throughout Scandinavia.

The CEO of DAC System said that the addition of the International Sales Team gives DAC a cost-effective means of selling remote monitoring systems, RF accessories and other professional broadcast products in a complicated market. “Having International Sales Team in Scandinavia for us is just like having our own people in country and we look forward to a long and successful relationship together,” said CEO Pietro Casati.

Lee Salas

International Sales Team then announced in November that it has appointed Lee Salas to serve as one of the company’s newest broadcast industry sales professionals. Salas, who is based in San Francisco, has senior sales experience with hardware, software and video platform solutions for the broadcast media and OTT industries. His previous roles have included prospecting leads, negotiating terms and closing deals and he has built relationships with both domestic U.S. and international clients. He previously held positions at CBS Television and  Deluxe Entertainment Services Group.

Salas said he is joining the company at a positive time. Even though the broadcasting industry was hit hard during the pandemic, more and more organizations are looking to grow once again.

The news follows an earlier announcement in which International Sales Team signed an agreement to sell 2wcom broadcast products in the United States.

 

The post International Sales Team Grows U.S. and European Presence appeared first on Radio World.

Rick Edwards, whose career included engineering leadership at Guy Gannett Broadcasting and frequency coordination work for the Society of Broadcast Engineers, died in October. He died at a hospice facility Woodstock, Ga., at age 74, according to an obituary provided by his son Jonathan Edwards, P.E.

Richard L. Edwards was born in North Carolina and began his engineering career with jobs at the state’s WTVD(TV), WPJL(AM), Bob Raleigh Productions and WCHL(AM) as an engineer for the radio network of the University of North Carolina.

His family described him as “an avid learner and self-taught” though he also spent time at the North Carolina School of Broadcasting in Charlotte. “He frequently ran into a Clemson student named Ron Rackley in the press box when UNC played Clemson,” according to the obituary.

In the mid-1970s Edwards became station engineer for WLXG(AM) and WKQQ(FM) in Lexington, Ky.; worked for the radio network of the University of Kentucky; and did some award-winning work in advertising production.

“In his early days, Rick was quite innovative in designing remotes for the radio networks that covered entire arenas back when that range was uncommon,” the family wrote. “Rick worked alongside well-known talents Woody Durham (University of North Carolina) and Cawood Ledford (University of Kentucky) and was radio network engineer at the 1977, ’78 and ’79 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Fours.”

In 1979 he accepted an engineering position for Guy Gannett Broadcasting that took him, his wife Jane and their son Jonathan to Florida.

“Rick called Miami’s WINZ(AM/FM) home for the next 15 years. Guy Gannett was based in Portland, Maine, and operated four TV and eight radio stations around the country, which Rick travelled extensively to manage.”

WINZ(AM) had severe nighttime interference from a station in Cuba that exceeded treaty limits. “In 1981, Rick asked the FCC to permit an increase in nighttime power from 10 kW to 25 kW to overcome this interference and was granted an STA which still applies today.”

Soon after he led a project to construct a new tower and relocate the transmitter site for WINZ(FM) to overcome a difficult STL path and multipath issues caused by the construction of high rises in Miami. “This tower was overdesigned to support not only three television stations and 10 FM stations, but many other RF services within its 17,000-squarefoot transmitter building. The tower utilized three 12-foot platforms and was the beginning of the vertical real estate boom.”

When it was completed in 1985, the facility transmitted more than 18 MW, the most of any single facility in the U.S., the obituary said. “This successful project opened up a new business revenue stream for Guy Gannett and Rick was promoted to director of engineering and vice president.”

Edwards soon tried to increase the power of WINZ(AM) from 46 kW-DA to 50 kW-ND, but a nearby FCC monitoring station prohibited the change. “Rick lobbied to relocate the monitoring station to Vero Beach, which then allowed the power increase.”

Also in the 1980s, he led another multiuse, tall tower projects in the Orlando market, upgraded WPLP(AM) in Tampa to a six-tower directional array and received more nighttime power to overcome Cuban interference, “becoming the first station to operate with more power at nighttime than daytime.” He also helped Guy Gannett identify an opportunity to have an AM/FM pair in Orlando, a transaction that led to the sale of WPLP in a swap arrangement.

“Rick’s final project involved his former acquaintance, Ron Rackley, in upgrading this Orlando AM station to a 50 kW-DA. The FCC was not approving power increases to 50 kW anymore, but more lobbying by Rick proved successful. Under Rick’s direction, the entire six-tower facility was constructed and operational in under 5 months.”

Edwards was also an amateur radio operator and a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers and Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers.

During his “middle years” he worked as an NFL game day coordinator and SBE national frequency coordinator and vice president. In 1995, he assisted the NFL in coordinating Super Bowl XXIX in Miami, and went on to lead coordination efforts for numerous Super Bowls. “In Super Bowl XXXIV (Atlanta), Rick invited the local FCC field office to come assist. It was the first time the FCC had been invited. It went so well that today, the FCC is a regular attendee at Super Bowls.”

In the 1990s, Edwards helped found CityScape Consultants to serve local government entities in working with cellular providers when siting towers and understanding the 1996 Telecommunications Act. He wrote the business model with partners Anthony Lepore and Kay Miles; and he was CityScape’s president and chief engineer until August 2021.

Edwards had an early interest in radio. “Growing up he would play DJ, conduct radio shows with his nephew and build kit radios with his uncle who was an engineer,” according to the obituary. He attended Campbell College, where he studied psychology; and he served in the U.S. Army in the 1960s, which took him on a tour of duty in Vietnam as a maintenance data specialist in radio communications. He came home with a Purple Heart.

Donations can be made to the scholarship funds of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers or the Society of Broadcast Engineers. A celebration of life will be held in the Raleigh area at a future date; for information email RLEdwards1947@gmail.com.

 

The post Remembering the Career of Rick Edwards appeared first on Radio World.

Radio advertising continues to outpace TV ad effectiveness, especially in the home improvement space, according to a series of studies commissioned over a six-year period.

Over those six years, the Audio Active Group at Cumulus Media-Westwood One commissioned eight consumer studies focusing specifically on the home improvement market.

The findings indicate that radio continues to be effective, efficient and often times the most successful way of boosting brand awareness and bringing shoppers to a home improvement retailer, whether in person or online.

As a start, the studies found that the heaviest users of audio are the biggest drivers of home improvement sales. Among three listener categories — heavy radio listeners, podcast listeners and heavy TV viewers (which would be more than eight hours a week for radio and 24 hours a week for TV) — it turns out that audio consumers, which includes either radio listeners or podcast listeners, turn out to be “massive spenders” in the home improvement category.

[Read: Bouvard: COVID Concerns Are Dropping]

“They spend way more than average, take more shopping trips than others, spend more per trip and are visiting more retailers, said Pierre Bouvard, chief insights officer at the Audioactive Group at Cumulus Media-Westwood One, in a recent explanatory video.

Spending more ad dollars on radio also paid off for home improvement retailers. The studies found that a home improvement retailer that increased spending by more than two times on AM/FM radio in 21 local markets experienced a significant surge in store traffic and sales. In addition, AM/FM radio ads that focus on sales events for different home improvement departments consistently created a halo effect that resulted in increased online shopping and store visits.

Take the example of Home Depot’s May 2021 TV ad campaign. A Nielsen Media Impact analysis said that the home improvement store’s television campaign reached about 50% of the 25– to 49–year-old demographic with its TV campaign. But when the advertiser overlaid a radio campaign on top of TV advertising, the reach jumped 61%, enabling Home Depot to reach 80% of American viewers in that demographic.

Take another home improvement retailer in the same month of May. Their TV campaign reached 2/3 of Americans in the 18– to 24–year-old age group. When a radio ad campaign was added, the incremental reach growth was 27%, allowing this retailer to reach 83% of American viewers in that age group.

“How is this possible? Where is all this incremental reach coming from?” Bouvard said. “Nielsen Media Impact reveals clearly the younger the demographic, the greater the lift in reach growth generated by AM/FM radio.”

The Nielsen numbers showed that 45% more listeners were reached via radio advertising in a Wayfair TV and radio ad campaign in May 2020 that when compared against TV advertising alone.

“Radio really helps build 18–49 incremental reach,” Bouvard said. “This is truly where radio makes your TV better.”

It’s no surprise that shopping during the pandemic shifted with the study revealing that 56% of all adults aged 18 years and older shopped for home improvement goods online in the last year. But those numbers shifted even higher when the study calculated whether the buyers were audio listeners. The study found that 69% of radio listeners and 79% of podcast consumers aged 18 years and older shopped online over the last year.

The research also offered other buyer insights too, including the finding that ads with a female voiceover drove stronger brand awareness among both men and women; that for every dollar spent by advertisers on radio advertising, nearly $29 dollars in sales was generated; that the younger the demographic, the greater the reach lift generated by AM/FM radio; and that in some instances, the sales effect of radio is triple that of TV.

The survey offered several recommendations too including that home improvement retailers should increase their AM/FM radio media budgets. “Add AM/FM radio to make home improvement TV campaigns better,” Bouvard said.

 

The post Radio Boosts Sales in Home Improvement Space appeared first on Radio World.

Mark and Paula Persons at their ham station.

Starting in the 1920s and through the ’60s, almost every broadcast engineer was a licensed amateur radio operator. That has changed a bit, but the importance of being a ham has not.

Both environments involve getting an RF signal from Point A to Point B. But it is interesting to note that radio broadcast and amateur radio are similar and yet so different.

For those who don’t know much about ham radio, I’ll tell you that communicating locally or internationally, via licensed amateur radio, can be a fascinating and challenging hobby. There are about 700,000 hams in the U.S. and an equal number worldwide.

Physics
Broadcast and amateur radio operate under the same laws of science. Transmitters, transmission lines, antennas and receivers make up an RF path to convey a message.

Broadcast engineers know that signal propagation on AM and FM bands is dramatically different. It is because our FM band is roughly 100 times the frequency and 1/100th the RF wavelength of that on the AM band. Engineers also know that 950 MHz STL signals are line-of-sight and roughly a 10-times jump in frequency from FM broadcast frequencies. Each band has its own challenges in getting a useable signal through.

[Read: Mark Persons: “I Never Had a Plan B”]

Amateur radio operators have about 30 bands of frequencies, with opportunities to explore from below the AM broadcast band up through GHz and to light. Hams are not limited to amplitude or frequency modulation, but often use single sideband and many modes of digital. A few communicate via teletype and/or transmit television images to friends.

Yes, some hams still use Morse Code to send and receive messages in their hobby. Code proficiency is no longer required for getting an amateur radio license, but it is a fun personal challenge to many.

Similarities
What I find valuable is applying what I know about amateur radio in my work as a broadcast engineer.
And, of course, it works both ways. Forward power, reflected power, transmission line loss, antenna gain, transmitter power amplifier efficiency and path loss are all dictated by the same rules. The mysteries and science of RF propagation to a new broadcast engineer are facts of life for radio amateurs.

Hams deal with the wave propagation challenge every day. Communicating across the world via radio waves may be lost on the internet/millennial generation, but it can be a real challenge for those who want more out of life.

International contacts are common during peaks in the 11-year solar cycle. With 400 watts I was able to make contact with a station in Antarctica from home using a good antenna. I made contacts to Europe, Japan, Russia and even Australia with just 100 watts from my car, mostly on 20 meters (about 14 MHz). Talk about distracted driving! Australia is halfway around the world from Minnesota. The RF path between us was only open for a half hour. It is always a thrill to be on the right frequency at the right time.

As with broadcast, profanity is not allowed on amateur radio. Don’t confuse amateur radio with Citizens Band. CB is a sad story about people transmitting on the 27 MHz band using bad language and unacceptable social conduct. Hams can lose their licenses for that.

Differences
Broadcasters are licensed for specific frequencies at specific power levels.

Hams might run up to 1500 watts of RF peak power in most bands of frequencies. Good operating practice is to transmit with only the amount of power necessary to reach the other end. Some delight in the challenge of contacting amateur stations worldwide with a watt or less of power.

Broadcasters modulate AM, FM and/or digital as per their license. FCC rules mandate tightly controlled occupied bandwidths. Hams select one of many modulation types, although the bands are divided into segments for each modulation type, just to keep order.

Broadcast transmitters are required to maintain a tight frequency tolerance. Hams can wander up and down authorized frequency bands looking for a clear spot to call CQ (calling anyone listening who might want to talk.) They can and do easily converse with hams in foreign countries. That is far more fun and challenging than just listening.

Hams don’t “broadcast” to a city or the world. They don’t play music or run program as you will find on the AM and FM broadcast bands. Instead, amateurs communicate with other hams one on one by voice, digital or Morse Code.

Sometimes hams participate in “nets” where groups meet on frequency to share ideas. The net control operator turns the frequency over to one at a time for the rest of the group to hear.

In broadcasting, almost anyone can buy a station, a construction permit or a license. It just takes money. Amateur radio is different. For a fee of about $35, a person can write an exam to prove his or her knowledge of electronics and FCC rules. With a passing grade, the FCC will issue a license to that person, good for 10 years with a cost of only $35 to renew. Try that in broadcasting!

Amateur radio currently has three levels of licensing: Technician, General and Extra. Climbing that ladder with examinations gets hams more privileges and operating frequencies. Many thousands have done it and so can you, especially now that proficiency with Morse Code is no longer required.

Call Signs
Amateur radio operators and broadcasters are issued call signs by the FCC.

Each call is unique and recognized worldwide. There is only one WGN in Chicago, only one W0HA for my wife Paula and only one W0MH for me. The (0) is zero, not O.

Call signs in other parts of our country use numbers 1 through 9 separating the prefix from the suffix. They start with a G in England, XE in Mexico — the list goes to more than 300 countries.

Because there are so many hams nowadays, new call signs in the United States look something like KF2XYZ. To be clear, broadcast stations have call signs, but broadcast owners do not. An amateur call sign is assigned to an individual person.

Hams use their call signs to identify every 10 minutes and at the end of a conversation. Broadcast stations, as you know, are required to ID once an hour. A broadcast ID has a call sign and city. Hams only use their call sign. They might be mobile, on the water or even airborne.

SBE
The Society of Broadcast Engineers has a “Chapter of the Air” meeting on amateur radio the second Sunday of each month on 14.205 MHz single sideband. Net control is Hal Hostetler, WA7BGX in Tucson, Ariz. It starts at 2400 GMT. That is 6 p.m. Central Time in Minnesota during the winter and 7 p.m. in the summer. Hams check in and tell what has been happening in their lives, such as attending an NAB convention or SBE meeting. This group has participants from coast to coast.

Morse Code
While walking into the engineering room of a station, I heard the Morse Code letter B (Dah-Dit-Dit-Dit.)

Some hams prefer communicating by Morse Code.

It didn’t take long to realize the sound was coming from a Best brand Ferrups uninterruptible power supply. The “B” was telling me that its battery needed replacing. The letter H is a high temperature alarm. Very clever of them. Knowing Morse Code also comes in handy on 450 MHz transmitter/studio links with Morse identifiers. For those who are Morse challenged, a phone call to a local ham could reveal the answer when the sound that is played over a phone.

Morse Code is another way of speaking English. It is not that difficult to learn. If I can copy code with a severe hearing loss, you can too. (I was a U.S. Army sergeant in Vietnam 1968–69.) My wife Paula passed a 20-word-per-minute code exam to get her Extra Class amateur license.

As mentioned, code is not required nowadays. Many hams find it a preferred mode of operation because it cuts through the noise so well. Many hams refer to Morse Code as the original digital communication mode.

The Ham Hobby
Some radio amateurs like to design and build equipment. Many like to work on antennas. Most like to chat with friends on the radio. Some chase DX (long distance contacts) to stations in foreign countries. They proudly stick a pin in a world map at each far-off location.

Astronauts are licensed amateur radio operators. It is a real thrill to talk to a ham aboard the International Space Station. That can be done with just a few watts of power on VHF or UHF. The old adage is true: If you can see it, you can talk to it.

Conclusion
Broadcast engineers who are licensed amateur operators have a better handle on the world of electronics. Having a ham license is one more way of showing their peers that they know something about RF. It is another feather in their cap.

For more information on amateur radio, go to the ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio at www.arrl.org.

And learn more in this video at youtube.com: “W1AW ARRL Station Tour.”

Mark Persons, WØMH, CPBE, retired after 44 years but continues to mentor broadcast engineers.  For more articles and resources from the author visit http://mwpersons.com.

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Alike, but Not Alike: Broadcast vs. Ham Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Tieline is onboard with Ravenna.

The codec manufacturer said it has joined the Ravenna community. It recently announced a firmware release that adds Ravenna support to the Gateway line of codecs.

 In the announcement, VP Sales APAC/EMEA Charlie Gawley said, “Ever since the days of POTS and ISDN, Tieline has always advocated for interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers. The world of IP is no different. It’s why our Gateway platform is AES67, ST 2110-30, NMOS and now Ravenna compliant, allowing devices using different AoIP protocols to connect seamlessly.”

Tieline said its Gateway and Gateway 4 codecs are capable of routing audio between equipment based on Ravenna, AES67 and ST 2110-30 as well as between devices using proprietary AoIP protocols like WheatNet-IP and others.

The Ravenna platform was developed by ALC NetworX.

The post Tieline Joins Ravenna Community appeared first on Radio World.

The pandemic threw a wrench into many a schedule in 2020: cancelled meetings, abandoned appointments, missed deadlines. And for the Federal Communications Commission, those missed deadlines have generated many a headline as more than a few broadcasters failed to file broadcast license renewal applications on time through the year.

The Broady Media Group, licensee of station WENO(AM) in Nashville, had its license renewal deadline smack in the midst of the COVID explosion. The station’s application needed to be filed before the first business day of the fourth full month before the license expired, which was April 1, 2020. Without providing an explanation for the delay, Broady Media filed the application on July 31, 2020, a day before its license was due to expire.

Another missed deadline in the pandemic epoch of 2020: a FM translator station license renewal application due on Dec. 1, 2020. The Media Bureau issued a forfeiture order for Soli Deo Gloria FM LLC, the licensee of K266AK in Aspen, Colo., for failing to file the renewal on time. The licensee did finally file an application on Jan. 14, 2021, but did not provide an explanation for the late timing.

[Read: Political File Slip Leads Two Texas Broadcasters Into Consent Agreement]

The procedures are clear when it comes to a missed license renewal application deadline, pandemic or no pandemic.

For Broady Media, the Media Bureau issued a notice of apparent liability, the first step in cases like these, and ordered that the broadcaster pay a forfeiture of $3,000 for failing to file a required form on time.

For Soli Deo Gloria, it received a forfeiture order, which is the second step in a process like this. The initial a notice of apparent liability was delivered on June 8, 2021, in which the commission proposed Soli Deo Gloria pay a $1,500 fine, the base forfeiture for a secondary service like an FM translator. To date, no one at Soli Deo Gloria has either paid the proposed forfeiture or filed a written response.

Broady Media has 30 days to respond to the notice and to ask for reduction or cancellation of the forfeiture. Soli Deo Gloria, however, is now being told by the Media Bureau that it must now pay the $1,500 forfeiture outright.

The post Woe the Missed Deadlines of 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

When Fox News Radio’s Eben Brown arrives on scene (wherever it may be) he’s ready to report.
Photo: Fox News Radio

Radio news is a combination of sound, speed and story. The best reports, be they live or recorded, take the listener to the scene where the news is made and tell a story, using the words of the reporter on scene, the sound of the news or the words of a newsmaker.

Network radio reporters, major-market reporters or small-market broadcasters have a tool kit they rely on to make those stories come alive for the listener.

Eben Brown’s voice is familiar to Fox News Radio listeners. Brown is a national correspondent based in Miami. One would expect him to be able to send a report from wherever his assignment takes him.

“I’m responsible for transporting and operating my own gear. Going live from anywhere is something I’ve often considered my big strength as a radio reporter. One of my recurring nightmares is being sent into the field and not being able to send line-quality audio back to the home base.

Eben Brown Photo: Fox News Radio

“Going live over telephone quality audio, to me, feels like a fail — even when it truly is the only option. With more people listening to our product via digital means or even with so many news/talk stations migrating to FM, the sound of a POTS line can be jarring. So, when I’m on my own in the field, I carry with me multiple options for getting high-quality audio, live, back to New York. But it’s not just my mic I want live. I want to be able to play my own recorded sound.”

[Check Out More From the Road Warrior]

Brown rolls with a Comrex Access NX, which allows for connections through Ethernet or multiple cellular paths, and with a second input, allows him to insert actuality with his voice. He also files a copy of his live reports in case the line back to the New York studios drops.

“Nothing is ever 100% foolproof, so filing a backup is always smart.”

He’ll use workarounds like Zoom or Skype or the smartphone if necessary, but those options won’t let him insert actuality. Recording that actuality has become easier, with iOS-based apps like TwistedWave for short recordings. Brown uses TwistedWave, but breaks out a digital audio recorder for longer news conferences.

“I’d worry too much that a smartphone battery could die if made to record 30 minutes of conference.” His choice for microphones: A Shure SM58 and Electro-Voice RE50.

Though smartphone microphones sound good, there’s another reason Brown likes the stick microphone: “Walking up to total strangers can be daunting for both parties. I find that having a stick mic with a flag — and a famous network logo — is a way of presenting my bona fides.”

“If I say I’m a network reporter, and I try to record them only by holding up a smartphone near their face, they tend to doubt my sincerity or professionalism.”

Production in the field for Brown is handled by a MacBook pro running Adobe Audition.

“Being Apple-dependent means I can record something on my iPhone and airdrop the file to my MacBook Pro. I can lay my own tracks into the MacBook via an IK Multimedia iRig-connected mic. I can edit in Audition and can send finished products back to New York via several file transferring methods that are commercially available and not specific to the industry.”

[Read More Tech Tips Here]

He can also use the iPhone to do all of that, using an app called Ferrite, which is a multitrack editor that allows him to record and mix narration, natural sound and newsmaker actuality, and send the finished product back to New York.

John Sylvester, vice president of Fox News Radio, says “FNR reporters like Brown have been given remote access to Adobe Audition, Amazon Workspace, Slack, Zoom, iNews for writing and editorial newsgathering, and VPN access to our ENCO automated audio systems. In addition, we have provided various other tools and software applications.”

“Whatever Is Most Practical”
Michelle Wright reports for Atlanta’s WSB Radio, heard on 95.5 FM and 750 AM.

“In my bag, I’ve got a laptop equipped with Adobe Audition for editing, a microphone, Zoom recorder, headset and a box that connect to the phone to do live remotes, a wireless hotspot and various charging cables for all the above-mentioned electronics. And of course, my phone.

“I also still have the old-school pen and reporter’s notebook to jot down notes as well.” Back in the newsroom at Peachtree Street, NewsBoss software and email are used to process reports.

This simple field kit helps KKHJ Radio keep their audience in American Samoa informed. Photo: KKHJ

Six thousand five hundred miles away, Joey Cummings is the operations manager for KKHJ(FM) Radio in American Samoa.

“We have three full-time news people. Of course, in a small market, everyone is responsible for gathering news. As such, we’re all using whatever is most practical and comfortable in the field.

“If we’re trying to capture a speaker at a conference or meeting, we can’t always get a full-size microphone in place. In this case, we’ll use a small Sony or Olympus field recorder and sneak it onto the table or lectern,” he said.

“Otherwise, I like the wireless Samson HXD1 wireless mic. This connects to a small USB receiver. I typically connect this to my iPhone or iPad using the Apple USB to Lightning adapter. For recording and editing in the field, I am quite fond of the TwistedWave Editor app. Best $10 I ever spent on the app store. Dropbox gets files from A to B.”

Radio World is interested in sharing with readers how other stations and organizations have outfitted their news kits to assure redundancy, efficiency and versatility. Email us at radioworld@futurenet.com to tell us what tools you use to gather, edit and send news audio. And don’t forget to include a photo of yourself using your gear.

Paul Kaminski, CBT, has been a contributor to RW since 1997. He has reported for CBS News Radio, the Associated Press, BBC World Service, CBC Radio and American Forces Radio. Twitter: msrpk_com.

 

The post What’s in your Radio News Toolkit? appeared first on Radio World.

Content delivery company LinkUp Communications Corp. has acquired the majority of assets of Orbital Media Networks Inc.

“The acquisition includes the service agreements for a wide array of broadcast customers, including those who purchase space segment and other services from OMNi, and others who subscribe to the company’s XDS satellite and streaming platform,” LinkUp stated in the announcement.

“It does not include the Rocky Mountain News Network, nor OMNi’s two-way IP services.”

[Read: Workbench: Invasion of the Bees]

Terms were not announced.

OMNi has its roots in what was once called Clear Channel Satellite Services. It was created about seven years ago when iHeartMedia got out of the backbone transport capacity business and sold it to entrepreneur Sam Dibrell Jr.

Mark Johnson, president of LinkUp, was quoted: “Our knowledge and skills complement each other. While OMNi offers the best in innovation and technology with their content distribution facility, LinkUp is known for its quality service, tailored solutions and positive working relationships with the industry’s top manufacturers.”

LinkUp Chairman Karen Johnson said OMNi customers will gain more design and installation services while LinkUp customers will have access to a distribution platform that offers both satellite and streaming.

Target client markets include secular and faith-based broadcasters, universities and colleges, sports distribution and businesses.

Orbital Media Networks offered broadcast programming delivery via C-Band, Ku-band and terrestrial, satellite-based IP networking and internet services.

LinkUp is based in Panama City, Fla. OMNi is in Englewood, Colo. LinkUp said it plans to integrate its customer support with the Network Operations Center in Englewood in a process that will take three to six months.

 

The post LinkUp Acquires Most of Orbital Media’s Assets appeared first on Radio World.

It’s being called “the most comprehensive and in-depth source of econometric data and analysis covering the entire U.S. audio media industry for the 2019-2023 period by all three industry KPIs.

Here’s your first look at PQ Media’s “U.S. Audio Media Forecast,” which covers over 40 audio media platforms, channels and categories.

Business growth starts with great information. That’s what you’ll get November 16 at the Harvard Club in New York when you attend Forecast 2022. For full details, including the agenda and registration information, simply visit http://www.radioinkforecast.com.

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