Industry News

Eric Hoppe, shown “sheltering in place”

This is one in a series of interviews about legal, unlicensed low-power broadcasting and how these systems are being used during the coronavirus crisis in the United States. Eric Hoppe is owner of Progressive Concepts. Its product line includes FM and low-power systems.

Radio World: Are you hearing interest from unfamiliar quarters in how to use low-power transmitter systems for specialized applications right now?

Eric Hoppe: Yes. We are getting a huge number of calls from churches around the country asking if we can help them to broadcast their sermon into the parking lot of their church.

RW: Can you share a specific example?

Hoppe: Just last week a customer from Texas called and explained that he was trying to find a way to set up a mini drive-in theatre in the parking lot of his temporarily closed restaurant using a large screen TV and a DVD player. But he needed help figuring out how to get the audio signal out into all of the cars that would be parked in his lot. We set him up with one of our FCC certified Part 15 FM transmitters to solve the problem. [Part 15 is the section of federal regulations that pertains to unlicensed transmissions.]

RW: Which product of yours is used in these kinds of applications?

Hoppe: That would be our model ACC100, which is FCC certified for license-free Part 15 use in the U.S. We manufacture them right here in Streamwood, Illinois.

RW: What should potential buyers of such systems know about legality and about FCC certification?

Hoppe: Whatever you do, avoid at all costs buying something from websites like Amazon or eBay. That is a recipe for disaster. Most, if not all, of the FM transmitters you will find on sites like those are made in China and will not be FCC certified.

Using an FM transmitter that is not FCC certified can get the user into a lot of trouble with the FCC. Fines start at $10,000 and go up to $75,000 for each offense of this type. Look for the FCC ID number on the transmitter you intend you use.

Avoid at all costs buying something from websites like Amazon or eBay. That is a recipe for disaster.

For example, our model ACC100 bears the FCC ID number MBMACC100. You can look that number up on the FCC’s database to verify that the product is certified and registered with the FCC before using such a device. The first three letters of the ID are the manufacturer’s “Grantee Code” (in our case this is “MBM”) and the remaining letters and numbers are the manufacturer’s “Product Code.”

RW: A common question we hear is “How far will it cover?” What can users expect?

Hoppe: We get that question all the time. Users can expect to get anywhere from 50 to 200 feet in radius when using a Part 15 FM transmitter. Results will vary depending on the location that the transmitter is deployed in. If all the stars are in alignment, you can cover an area the size of a football field (just the playing surface, not including the stadium) or about one acre.

Many customers think that they will be able to set up the transmitter inside the church then connect it to their mixing console and broadcast through the walls of the church and out into the parking lot. This just isn’t possible with such a low-power device.

To get the best results with a Part 15 transmitter we recommend that the customer locate the transmitter as close to the center of the parking as is possible. This requires using a long extension cord for the power and a relatively long audio cable. Then they need to use their car radio to scan for an open spot on the FM “dial” and then simply set their transmitter to that frequency. Once the customer understands this concept, they have reported back to us with very good results!

[Related: “Distinguish Pirates From Part 15 Operators”]

RW: What else should we know?

Hoppe: Some customers have asked me if I can set them up with an FM transmitter that will cover an area of several miles. Unfortunately, while we do sell LPFM transmitters that can provide that kind of range, there is no legal way for them to do that. They would need a license for that kind of RF power and range. Fortunately there is a legal way that they can cover the area of an average size parking lot. They can use one of our FCC certified Part 15 FM transmitters. Part 15 certified FM transmitters can be used legally by anybody, anywhere in the U.S. without the need for a license.

The post Look for FCC Certification When Choosing a Part 15 FM Transmitter appeared first on Radio World.

Chris Tarr

Magnum.Media has tapped Chris Tarr to serve as group director of engineering for its 16 radio and three LPTV stations in Wisconsin. 

Tarr stepped down from his role at Entercom last week after accepting an offer from Magnum.Media in mid-March. He had been with the broadcaster for 16 years and most recently held the title of director of technical operations for its Wisconsin cluster. Tarr was quoted in the release as saying, “I made lifelong friends at Entercom and am so proud of all we accomplished with the Milwaukee and Madison facilities.”

At Magnum.Media, Tarr steps into a newly created position for the family-owned business. According to Tarr, he and Dave Magnum had been friends for 15 years before he recruited him. Tarr also called Magnum a kindred spirit and said he expects the role to be “a perfect match” for him and his lifestyle. 

The media company was founded in 1991 by Dave and Lynn Magnum. Initially, the Magnums kept the stations on the air with the help of contract engineers, namely Steve Konopka, Mark Burg, Bruce Herzog, Jim Zastrow, Jon Zecherle, Darrel Sanders, Bob Gorjance, John Church and Chuck Gennaro. 

However, Magnum explained in the press release that “the more we’ve grown, several of those great contract engineers have strongly encouraged me to bring on board a group chief to take our stations under his wing,” which is why he sought out Tarr. He also noted that the choice was greeted with approval from those same engineers. 

[Most People Don’t Have a Cybersecurity Plan, Tarr Warns]

“Working with Chris is no doubt going to make our on-going adventure in broadcasting even more of a blast as we head into our fourth decade,” said Magnum.

Chris Tarr currently serves on the Society of Broadcast Engineers’  national board as the Mentor Committee chair and has earned CSRE, AMD, DRB, CBNE accreditations. Additionally, in 2007 the society recognized him with the Wulliman Award for service to the SBE and engineering community in southeast Wisconsin.

The post Tarr Takes on New Role for Magnum.Media appeared first on Radio World.

MultiCAM Systems has named SCMS Inc. as U.S. master distributor for its automated visual radio offerings, the company announced.

According to a press release, SCMS is now MultiCAM Systems-certified to provide technical service and support.

SCMS’ Matt Cauthen was quoted in the announcement saying that MultiCAM’s offerings are the type of “product that everyone is looking for right now” given the workflow changes spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Read our ebook: Trends in Visual Radio]

MultiCAM Systems is headquartered in Paris, and SCMS is a dealer based in Pineville, N.C., with representatives at several locations in the United States.

The post SCMS Is Named MultiCAM’s U.S. Distributor appeared first on Radio World.

Wheatstone is expanding its blade offerings with the StreamBlade, a WheatNet-IP appliance that accepts up to eight input steams of native WheatNet-IP audio directly from a sound card or AoIP driver as well as RTP sources and can output each in four streams; providing up to 32 total streams per device.

Output choices include Opus, AAC and MP3 encoders. The company says it is cloud-ready and compatible with standard CDN and streaming platforms, including Icecast, Wowza and RTP.

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

The StreamBlade has onboard processing with a six-band parametric EQ, a five-band AGC, a two-band final limiter and a stereo width control.

Wheatstone says that the AGC is designed for streaming. Jeff Keith, senior product development engineer for Wheatstone’s audio processing line explains, “Fast time constants (compression) can add intermod sidebands around a sustained note or bass note, which the codec has to spend bits on instead of the signals that are actually part of the program. That can be bad for any stream, but it’s especially bad for low-bitrate streams that don’t have a lot of data bits to begin with.”

StreamBlade can be configured and managed from a laptop and web browser using WheatNet-IP Navigator software. The box has two Ethernet ports, one for direct connectivity into the WheatNet-IP audio network on one end and another for connectivity into a WAN for streaming to a CDN or other service provider.

Info: www.wheatstone.com

The post Putting the Blade to the Stream appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters has released details for its digital 2020 NAB Show alternative.

Dubbed NAB Show Express, it will be held online May 13–14. Registration opens April 20 and is free. 

NAB will feature on-demand content including 100 educational sessions organized into three channels: 

• BEIT Express, which centers on broadcast engineering and information technology
• NAB Show Experience, offering product showcases, interviews with industry leaders and more
• Tech Talks, produced by Broadcast Beat 

Each channel will be populated with eight hours of on-demand content, including interactive panels and some sessions originally slated for Las Vegas.

Additionally, the NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference proceedings will be released online May 13 via nabpilot.org. 

This also is the first time the show’s technical proceedings will be available only online rather than also in print; that was a planned change, not related to the coronavirus cancellation, according to NAB Vice President of Technology Education and Outreach Skip Pizzi.

And for those who usually get their gear fix in Vegas, they can check out the NAB Show Express Solutions Marketplace, which will house exhibitor profiles, company-hosted events, press conferences and resources such as white papers, articles, webinars, guides and research reports.

According to Pizzi, the association will also incorporate its award presentations during the digital event. The format and schedule have not yet been announced. The recipient of the NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award is Jeff Welton of Nautel.

Three related events were also announced Monday. On May 11, NAB and Variety will co-host an Executive Leadership Summit. On May 12, NAB will offer a Cybersecurity & Content Protection Summit. And Post | Production World Online is scheduled for May 17–19.

The 2021 NAB Show is scheduled for April 10–14 in Las Vegas.

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Tracy Johnson

The author is president and CEO of Tracy Johnson Media Group, a company that excels in programming and talent consulting that attract fans, grows ratings and generates revenue. In addition to his long career in programming, Tracy managed a group of stations for 10 years and has worked with hundreds of media brands to develop digital content, promotion and revenue strategies.

Everyone knows the world has changed in the past few weeks. Life has been disrupted, and there’s no timeline for returning to normal. The current crisis has had a lasting impact on everyone. 

So now what? What’s our new normal? 

In our recent webinar, Ken Benson (P1 Media Group), Dave “Chachi” Denes (Benztown) and I shared best practices and ideas for the current environment, provided guidance for the near-term, and offered our forecast for the long-term. 

Here are some of the highlights from the webinar.  

THE NEW NORMAL: PROGRAMMING

In contrast with recent surveys indicating listeners say they are listening to radio more, early ratings results show AQH has declined significantly in most markets. Listeners are now forming new habits, which may or may not be similar to previous habits. The longer folks are at home, the more difficult it will be to re-attract them to our stations when society is more mobile. 

Listening to AM/FM radio via streaming and smart speaker usage is higher. Programmers that have not converted to Total Line Reporting to consolidate over-the-air and online listening into one ratings number should do so immediately. 

Stations should focus on connecting with listeners emotionally, providing an escape from anxiety, and renew efforts to reflect the local community. 

In times of stress, listeners seek comfort. Consider adjusting the music mix to play fewer new songs and more popular library titles. This is a great time to become more nostalgic, familiar and comfortable. 

THE NEW NORMAL: PERSONALITY

Air talent plays a vital role at this time. Most shows should remain calm, generally upbeat and positive. Don’t ignore the crisis, but find ways to relieve listener stress. 

Personalities should continue to be themselves, with a few subtle adjustments. Some segments that were hilarious a month ago (like prank calls) may seem mean-spirited now. Be a little more sensitive with a little less less edge.

Keep your sense of humor. The number one most desired trait listeners seek from radio personalities is someone that makes them laugh. That may be even more important now. But be tasteful. There’s plenty to have fun with, but it’s probably not a good idea to make jokes about the disease itself. 

Personalities having a hard time finding content ideas should consider just being the show that listens to the listener. Many personalities are finding connections just by asking “How are you doing today?” 

THE NEW NORMAL: PRODUCTION

It makes no sense to spend marketing or contesting budgets now. If it hasn’t already been taken out of the budget, save it for when life returns to normal. However, play games on the air. You don’t even need prizes! Just have fun. 

Most stations report phone and text activity is virtually non-existent, but social media engagement remains strong. Use that leverage. Create videos. Take listeners behind the scenes into your new normal. Some should consider starting a podcast now.

Plan now for the future. It seems a long way off, but this will end, and life will return to normal. Be ready to take advantage of it. Brainstorm ideas for being at the center of your city’s celebration when life resumes. 

FORECAST AND RECOMMENDATIONS

From Tracy Johnson: Just when you thought the radio industry had no more room to cut, the COVID-19 event has made it necessary for more changes. This is a painful time for everyone in radio. Some stations will never recover. Some may simply go off the air. There are two major challenges ahead. One is re-attracting listeners to your radio station. The other is finding new sources of revenue, because we can’t assume advertisers will automatically return anytime soon. 

From Dave Denes: Radio is going to struggle well into 2021. Smart managers will apply the principles in the Stockdale Paradox by maintaining a balance of reality and optimism. This is the time great leadership steps up to keep their teams positive and inspired. 

From Ken Benson: The world has changed as much as it did after 9/11. We need to step back and take a new look at the industry and realize there’s an opportunity for radio to shine. This is the time to pull together and make major differences in listener lives. This could be one of the most exciting and meaningful times in your station’s history.

The webinar is available to watch on demand anytime for free. It includes a 50 minute presentation, followed by 40 minutes of Q&A. Additionally, for more ideas visit the Coronavirus Radio Idea Facebook Group established by Benztown and P1 Media Group.

The post Programming, Personality and Promotion In the New Normal appeared first on Radio World.

LONDON — The United Kingdom’s first radio station devoted exclusively to podcasts has launched in London. Podcast Radio broadcasts on DAB+ digital radio, showcasing podcast content from around the world.

The Podcast Radio studio in central London is fitted with a Sonifex mixer. All photos courtesy of Podcast Radio.

The station’s CEO Gerry Edwards explains how the idea was born from his own radio and podcast experience. “Podcasting has intrigued me for years, and I found myself discussing it over and over in everyday conversation. After helping friends and colleagues produce their own individual series and seeing my own co-hosted seven-episode podcast reach the U.K. comedy top 10 on Apple, I felt podcasts needed to be heard over the airwaves.”

OVER THE AIRWAVES

“There are a small handful of brands that have tried placing extended podcast content on the radio,” he said. “Some were tried before the term ‘podcast’ was coined, and others use solely their own podcasts. We really want to work with podcasters and help them market their content with an audience who are looking to discover great new audio.”

The guest area features broadcast radio favorite Electro-Voice RE20 microphones.

Anyone can submit a podcast to the station for broadcast, said Edwards. “We don’t want every episode of a podcast series, but a sample so we can feature the podcast and podcaster. Each featured series will have some background information on our app and website, linking to the full series externally. We know ‘downloads and listens’ are the big currency in podcasting, so we want any contributors to experience growth in these numbers every time they are featured on Podcast Radio.”

Edwards’ business partner is radio consultant Paul Chantler, who previously helped set up the station for builders and tradespeople, Fix Radio, in 2017. “The popularity of podcasts and live radio is intoxicating,” explains Chantler. “Radio is a natural way for people to sample different podcast content and find out what they like so they can download more episodes.”

Gerry Edwards is the CEO of Podcast Radio.

One of Chantler’s contributions to the station is to create the “podjock,” linking between content segments. “This is speech radio that shares ideas, voices and themes that otherwise wouldn’t make the airwaves,” Podcast Radio’s CEO Gerry Edwards explains.

“Speech radio traditionally sounds quite serious, and while some of our programs may follow this mold, others can take you down an artistic, playful route — or even have you contemplating the meaning of life. Our podjock is there to tie all of these various themes together. He or she is a cross between a DJ and an announcer.

The station features podcasts such as “Alien Nation” with Jo Wood.

We don’t want to throw all of our contributors into a washing machine and just see what order they come out. Instead, our team is built up of both broadcasters and podcasters, using real knowledge and experience to help navigate the listener through our day parts.”

Podcast Radio shares its building with other radio stations, on London’s South Bank close to the Tate art gallery. The studio features a Sonifex S2 mixer, Electro-Voice RE20 microphones, Sonifex TBUs and DAs, and a BW Broadcast audio processor.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES

Podcast Radio launched with “Alien Nation,” which featured Robbie Williams.

Edwards says he needed to overcome some technical challenges before launching. “I called upon previous radio colleagues who could help set up the connections we needed and sync up the hardware and software. The systems were straightforward, but the goal posts moved when it came to the DAB carriage providers.

Eventually we found a great home combining and balancing multiplexes, to make ourselves heard London-wide and throughout the neighboring county of Surrey. The short answer to solving this was lots of meetings — and even more phone calls.”

The host of “Alien Nation,” Jo Wood, meets Robbie Williams.

The focus then turned to the station’s launch. Alongside an ongoing PR campaign, Edwards said finding the right content was critical. “Like MTV, we were really careful in choosing our first episode. We went with Jo Wood’s “Alien Nation,” in which Robbie Williams was a guest. The two discuss their own encounters with UFOs and explain what they believe is out there. It’s produced by Mike Hanson at Pod People Productions and it’s just brilliant!”

Edwards says the response from podcasters has been positive. “We have several inboxes full of applications and it’s heartwarming to hear the quality content being made around the world. There will also be scope for partnerships with podcast content companies to feature their shows, and we’ve already had interest from U.S. and Canadian companies who saw us announce our launch at the RAIN Summit in London last November.”

There are global aspirations for Podcast Radio, too. “We would love to expand across all of the U.K. and eventually into other countries,” said Edwards.

“Part of the beauty of podcast content is being able to hear different accents, themes and genres from all over the world. It’s a sign that we can sample from anywhere on the planet and enjoy cultures and different characters. Discovery between these borders isn’t easy, and that’s where we come in. When it comes to podcasters, it’s their amazing hard work and programs that we want to showcase.”

The post All-Podcast Station Launched in London appeared first on Radio World.

Logitek has introduced the mixIT-6, a six-fader touchscreen-controlled tabletop AoIP audio console/control surface. The mixIT, like its bigger brother, the 12-fader mix-IT, works in conjunction with Logitek’s JetStream Mini and JetStream Plus routers as well as the new Jet67 AES67 engine. It is also compatible with Livewire and Ravenna. A Dante option is planned.

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

As with Logitek’s Helix consoles, mixIT-6 provides metering, source selection and scene selects via a 7-inch touchscreens above the faders. Onboard router widgets enable easy selection of transmission, recording or codec feeds. Controls are also provided for talkback to studio/remote, monitor (control room, studio and headphone) and the console’s built-in cue speaker. A program meter simplifies operation by providing indicators for “too high/too low,” enabling at-a-glance setting of optimum levels.

Logitek President Tag Borland said, “mixIT-6 and mixIT-12 are perfect solutions for small broadcast operations or smaller studios in a large broadcast complex, with no hidden surprises in the equipment costs.”

He added, “Many budget-priced consoles require the purchase of external microphone processors, dynamics processing or even networking options. mixIT includes all of the electronic equipment needed to get on-air, offering an intuitive interface for operators while providing easy networking with other studios.”

Info: https://logitekaudio.com/

 

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Lawo’s AoIP Stream Monitor is monitoring software for AES67 networks. It runs on Windows 10 PCs and is VMWare-compatible for multi-instance deployment.

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

It can display data for up to 16 streams. Information can include LUFS readouts, definable loudness alerts, stream health data track of jitter and packet loss over time, user-definable per-stream over- or under-level alerts along with offering tools such as a silence sensor and an SDP interrogator.

The software adheres to the ST2022-7 standard and can monitor two dual-redundant NICs simultaneously.

Info: www.lawo.com

 

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The author is co-founder of Ferncast and Binaurics Audio as well as founder of Mayah Communications.

MUNICH — Shareholders of Munich-based Institut für Rundfunktechnik GmbH recently announced they would stop supporting the research facility.

Detlef Wiese

Between 1987 and 1992 I was lucky enough to be part of the IRT, developing and exploring audio coding. At the time IRT was already recognized as a prestigious R&D organization. Wherever I presented a paper, being associated with the IRT had great value.

My time as a scientist there was a highlight of my career. The knowledge I gathered in so many fields of broadcasting was overwhelming. Those five years were great! The IRT focuses on the three business fields: AV and production systems, media services and platforms, and network technologies.

It was already very sad to discover the termination of regional public television broadcaster ZDF in 2019. And now with IRT backers (German public broadcasting organization ARD, Austrian ORF and Swiss SRG), deciding to withdraw as shareholders in the organization, the research center will be forced to close by the end of the year.

It’s about the fate of all the 100 employees who do not know about their future. It’s also about the culmination of a prominent, almost 75-year-old research institution. Today Europe needs to encourage innovation in so many fields to stay on track with global developments and remain competitive.

IRT’s areas of research

Therefore, I find it incomprehensible and unjustifiable that Germany is giving up another research platform. Freedom of expression in the broadcasting sector and the corresponding technology that derives from it has a huge value and is certainly worth keeping. In addition, when comparing the overall budget of public broadcasters ARD, ZDF, ORF and SRG, one sees that the amount dedicated to the IRT makes up less than 0.5% of that budget.

What’s even more perplexing is that in October, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder announced that the government would invest €2 billion in a research and innovation program for that region.

It’s important to emphasize that in Europe there is a strong political push to increase research in the short- and medium-term. Closing a important research institute that has been operating since 1956 is clearly not in line with this policy.

Detlef Wiese is one of the original inventors of MPEG Layer II and is CEO of Ferncast. He is also musician, entrepreneur and local politician. Contact him via email at author@detlefwiese.de.

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