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The nation’s largest broadcast television station company’s board of directors wants it. Now, it is being put in the hands of its shareholders.

Two classes of Nexstar Media Group common stock face extintion.

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Across 2021, there have been some significant transactions involving television stations, with many deals involving Gray Television. That said, one entrepreneur known for its investment in programming catering to South Asians has emerged as a LPTV collector, buying up properties across the U.S.

Ravi Kapur, once a member of the KGO-7 in San Francisco news team, now has a formidable group of LPTVs through his Major Market Broadcasting. Now, he’s adding two more LPTVs to his stable in a transaction that sees Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group serve as the seller’s broker.

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Addressable advertising has been a vexing matter for many radio broadcasting company leaders, with the technology of bringing audio content to many via AM and FM in juxtaposition to the current marketing mantra that individual messaging — the dream that digital media is built on — matters more.

Has SiriusXM just taken one important step toward bringing personalized ads and promos to audio content consumers?

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While the Spot Ten Radio report for the week ending January 30, 2022, points to a potential slowdown for brands, the latest Spot Ten TV offers a stark contrast as to how diverse the paid ad mix is at broadcast television.

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The latest peek at the play counts of advertising by campaign at Spot Radio once again shows that promotional announcements from iHeartRadio outnumber everything except one key paid user of AM and FM stations tracked by iHeart-owned Media Monitors: job search portal Indeed.

The newest Spot Ten Radio report also suggests that podcast promotion is taking up slots that more paid users of AM and FM radio could harbor.

As shown below, language learning and translation software Babbel is the No. 2 paid user of radio for the week ending January 30, with Progressive, Lowe’s and Wendy’s, which is ramping up its multimedia efforts to promote breakfast menu offerings, the lone other paid users of Radio last week.

Here’s a full look at the latest Spot Ten Radio report:

Curt Yengst, a radio/TV broadcast engineer who for 17 years was also a contributor to Radio World, died in January. He was 52.

Yengst, a Senior Member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, was a broadcast engineer for Lighthouse TV/WBPH-60 in Bethlehem/Philadelphia, Pa.

Earlier he had worked The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as an engineer for the daily radio program “Decision Today” and for Star 99.1 FM WAWZ in Zarephath, N.J.

“He was buried with a tweaker in his hand and wearing his SBE pin,” wrote WBPH Chief Engineer Daniel Huber, noting that Yengst leaves his wife Dawn and four children. The couple had celebrated their 25th anniversary in October.

In lieu of flowers a GoFundMe page has been established for the family.

“Curt was part of the Radio World family,” said Editor in Chief Paul McLane. “It’s so upsetting to have him taken from us, and so suddenly.”

Yengst wrote numerous popular articles in Radio World about his own audio and recording equipment designs, as well as equipment reviews.

According to his obituary, Yengst also was author of the book “Tempus Fugit” and a self-taught musician who wrote, engineered and produced music in his studio, Zerro House Productions.

Yengst earned an associate’s degree from Thomas Edison University. He was an avid videographer who enjoyed recording and producing children’s musical and theater productions, a passionate follower of the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron, and an ordained minister. He attended Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship in Allentown, Pa.

The post Engineer and Author Curt Yengst Dies, Age 52 appeared first on Radio World.

The CC Skywave from CCrane

The challenges of precision-tuning analog radios, plus the reliance of international shortwave broadcasters on switching between multiple frequencies and bands to reach global audiences 24/7, explains why direct-entry pushbutton digital radios came into this hobby almost 40 years ago.

The flag-bearer for SW radios that were as easy to use as a pushbutton telephone was the iconic (and still respected) Sony ICF-2001/ICF 2010. Released to the world in the mid-1980s, the ICF 2001D/2010D even had an LCD display!

Today, digital radios with direct pushbutton entry are commonplace in the portable SW portable receiver market.

I recently tested two such portables, the pocket-sized CCrane CC Skywave SSB and the new tablet-sized Sangean ATS-909X2.

In addition to offering pushbutton tuning and automatic frequency scanning, both come with manual tuning dials, back-lit LCD displays, the ability to tune to the full SW bands (1.711–29.999 MHz) plus AM, FM (stereo in headsets) and the AIR (aeronautical 118–137 MHz) band. The ATS909X2 can also tune to longwave.

They also offer a range of bandwidth filters to improve audio clarity on SW, the ability to preset station memories, and built-in SSB (single sideband tuners) for tuning in amateur radio transmissions heard within the SW bands.

As well, both portables come with long extendable whip antennas and windup external wire antennas for pulling in weaker and rarer SW stations, along with signal strength meters, stereo earbuds and even radio cases.

How to choose

So how can one pick between them?

The Sangean ATS-909X2

Well, a diehard SW hobbyist would solve this problem by simply owning both, because the CC Skywave SSB and ATS909X2 are fine additions to any radio listening shack.

But for those only planning to buy one SW portable, here are some differences that may guide your decision.

At $169.99, the CCrane CC Skywave SSBis the less expensive of these two SW radios. It is also smaller, measuring just 4.8 inches wide by 3 inches high and 1 inch deep.

Although the CC Skywave SSB is the size of a vintage AM transistor, the similarities stop there. With a full range of features including 400 memory presets — so you can prestore your favorite SW stations and recall them easily afterwards — the CC Skywave SSB is the ultimate pocket radio.

This SW radio is also great for long-time listening with great selectivity (choosing between stations) and sensitivity, both of which are aided by the CC Skywave SSB’s range of audio filters.

As well, the CC Skywave SSB is a great performer on the AM band — especially at night — and delivers excellent stereo audio on FM when you use earbuds/headsets. CCrane is proud of the fact that this radio can run up to 70 hours on earbuds/60 hours on its built–in speaker using pair of AA Alkaline batteries.

At $265 on Amazon, the Sangean ATS-909X2 costs considerably more than the CCrane CC Skywave SSB, but there are good reasons for this price difference.

For example, the ATS-909X2 comes with a much larger LCD screen that is also in color, and capable of displaying all kinds of information including RDS station data on FM. It also has 1,674 station presets, with the ability to program in station names for each that appear on the radio’s display.

The ATS-909X2’s rotary-style tuning dial (in addition to its direct-entry keypad) is front-mounted, as opposed to the CC Skywave SSB’s side-mounted (and smaller) tuning dial. This provides an analog-style experience for those SW fans like myself who still enjoy tuning across the bands manually to see what happens to pop up.

Meanwhile, the ATS-909X2’s built-in speaker is twice the size of the CC Skywave SSB’s 1-inch unit, which delivers fuller, more listenable sound.

This unit’s FM headset audio is also better. To be precise, listening to FM stereo on the CC Skywave SSB is excellent, but the ATS-909X2’s FM stereo audio has extra depth and definition, rivalling that of a standalone Hi-Fi amplifier.

One feature that I particularly love in this radio is its pair of clocks, one for local time and one for Universal Coordinated Time (UTC, a.k.a. Greenwich Mean Time), which is the time zone in which SW stations list their broadcast/frequency schedules.

This spares me the mental gymnastics of converting 12- to 24-hour time and then adding four or five hours to that number, depending on the season in eastern North America, to get the right time for UTC.

These are just some of the many features found on the Sangean ATS-909X2, which is truly an astounding SW portable radio. But this fact does not take away from the superbness of the CC Skywave SSB, whose price is less than 40% of the ATS-909X2’s.

These radios are aimed at different parts of the SW portable market. The CCrane CC Skywave SSB is a solid all-round performer in a go-anywhere package slighting bigger than a pack of playing cards, while the Sangean ATS-909X2 is a technophile’s dream in a larger but still streamlined piece of practical yet beautiful radio engineering. This is why this reporter cannot choose between the two of them — and fortunately does not have to.

Info: ccrane.com and sangean.com.

The post Two Worthy and Affordable SW Portables appeared first on Radio World.

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Media Bureau removes certain vacant FM allotment channels that were auctioned through our FM competitive bidding process, and are no longer considered vacant FM allotments

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The North American Broadcasters Association has released the NABA Radio In-car User Experience (UX) Guidelines.

The document was produced by the NABA Radio Committee in collaboration with the WorldDAB Automotive Committee.

“This is a ‘North American version’ of the latest edition of the WorldDAB UX Guidelines, which have also just been updated,” NABA stated in the announcement.

“These guidelines have been created to inform automotive manufacturers and broadcasters on how to deliver the best possible radio user experience and are largely based on the results of consumer research. Consumer use cases in the UX Guidelines include users wanting to find radio easily in the car media system, to find radio stations easily, for the list of stations to be up to date, to be able to easily set a station as a pre-set, and to keep listening to a station if it is available.”

A comparison of the new NABA and WorldDAB UX Guidelines

For each of those use cases, the guidelines put forth a series of recommendations. So, for example, to help meet consumers’ desire to find radio easily, they state that car designs should include a permanent “Radio” button on the dash, console or top-level menu; that selecting “Radio” should default to HD Radio where available or go to a menu where radio platforms can be chosen; that in a hybrid radio system, the best available platform signal will be automatically selected, minimizing use of a station’s audio stream; that the factory default setting for HD Radio should be ON, but default behavior should be settable by the consumer, with separate settings for AM and FM bands; that if there is no “Radio” button, selecting a station is only two clicks from the media home screen; and that a mechanism should be provided for no more than “two-click” switching between a projection system like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the car radio.

NABA Director-General Michael McEwen expressed thanks to WorldDAB for its collaboration. “We have been able to efficiently leverage their findings and apply them to the North American market, and the result is a more complete picture of radio listening for manufacturers.”

The documents also provide input on hybrid radio, including “service following,” improved visuals and the potential for interaction, it said. Here’s a link again to the guidelines.

Meanwhile, a new revision is out for the WorldDAB Radio UX Guidelines, first developed in 2018.

Those were created by the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group to provide clear guidance on how to deliver the best-possible digital radio user experience. New material includes hybrid radio; voice controls and phonemes; data on in-car radio listening; and service lists.

The post “In-Car User Experience” Is Focus of NABA, WorldDAB appeared first on Radio World.

Chalk up COVID-19 pandemic-fueled supply chain issues for the latest audience measurement concern to involve the nation’s dominant provider of ratings for radio and television stations.

Nielsen has just informed its clients that getting Portable People Meters (PPMs) has become problematic. As such, reaching its sample targets won’t likely happen.

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The most recent effort by the FCC to ferret out redundant or outdated broadcast radio regulations is expected to culminate at the commission’s next monthly meeting.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel this week released the agency’s February Open Meeting agenda, which includes plans for the commission to finalize a proposal introduced in July 2021 to clean up a series of technical rules.

It’s the continuation of a media modernization initiative that began several years ago under former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The FCC says the latest changes are expected to “reduce any potential confusion, alleviate unnecessary burdens, and make sure our rules reflect the latest technical requirements.”

The FCC voted unanimously last year adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking identifying seven technical rules that broadcast radio experts say will benefit radio broadcasters and allow them to operate more efficiently. The list of proposals included an update to the noncommercial FM community of license coverage requirements and eliminating the requirement that applicants demonstrate the effect of any FM applicant transmitting antenna on nearby FM or TV broadcast antennas.

The FCC’s proposal also calls for the elimination of the maximum rated power limit rule for AM transmitters, which one veteran broadcast engineer told Radio World previously “no one has paid any attention to for decades.”

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Another longtime FCC watcher described the technical rules update as “safe and sane deregulatory efforts” that constitute a “clearing of the regulatory underbrush.”

The FCC also plans to update the signal strength contour overlap requirements for noncommercial Class D FMs to bring those rules in line with the contour overlap requirements for all other noncommercial FMs. In addition, it proposes modifying the definition of AM fill-in area when an FM translator simulcasts an AM station to create consistency across different rules governing fill-in translator transmitter siting.

The NAB was generally supportive of all but one of the seven proposed changes, according to comments it filed in the FCC proceeding (MB 21-263). NAB wrote it respectfully disagrees with the FCC’s proposal to eliminate the regulatory requirement to consider proximate transmitting facilities. NAB believes eliminating the rule is “tantamount to instructing applicants not to worry about the potential effects of their operation on existing stations.”

NAB continued: “We submit that this requirement provides an important legal tool for defining interference protection rights.”

The group also offered the following caveat to its overall support: “NAB urges the commission to stipulate that any rule changes adopted in this proceeding should not cause any existing stations to be in violation of the commission rules and that any station adversely affected by such rules changes be grandfathered to the extent necessary to avoid being forced to modify their operations.”

The NAB concluded its comments on the FCC’s proposed technical changes by writing it “appreciated the commission’s goal of eliminating or updating unnecessary or outmoded regulations and supported the changes proposed in the NPRM.”

The FCC’s February Open Meeting is scheduled for Feb. 18.

The post FCC Set to Finalize Changes to Radio Technical Rules appeared first on Radio World.

An asset exchange agreement has been reached that will see the licensee of two Pennsylvania AM radio stations and an FM translator trade the properties in exchange of two different AMs and a pair of associated translators.

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This year’s World Radio Day celebrates the trust, accessibility and long-term viability of the radio industry.

Feb. 13, 2022, marks the 11th annual celebration of World Radio Day, which is organized by the United Nations’ UNESCO organization. This year’s theme is “Radio and Trust” in recognition of radio’s standing as one of the most trusted media sources around. Even as various studies reveal a global decline in trust in the internet and social media networks, people continue to see radio as one of the most trustworthy news sources, the organization said.

“Part of people’s trust in radio is due to its low cost and ubiquitous nature,” UNESCO said in a statement about the upcoming World Radio Day. “Despite digitalization being a global tendency, digital access to information is far from being equal with huge differences remaining between regions and between communities.”

Compare that to radio, the organization said, a medium that remains affordable and can be listened to everywhere, even when electricity or connectivity are not reliable. “Radio is thereby one of the most popular means of communications, used by an overwhelming majority of people,” the organization said.

UNESCO suggested in its announcement several themes that can be celebrated on World Radio Day, including trust in radio journalism, the accessibility of radio and the viability of radio stations.

Radio has a key role to play in several areas, UNESCO said, beginning with producing independent and high-quality content, providing information to a diverse group of individuals and working to transform loyal audience engagement into financial stability, especially for small, medium or nonprofit stations.

World Radio Day got its start in 2011 when member states of UNESCO adopted Feb. 13 — the anniversary of the 1946 founding of United Nations Radio — as World Radio Day in an effort to raise greater awareness of the importance of radio, to encourage decision makers to provide access to information via radio and to enhance networking and international cooperation among broadcasters.

The post World Radio Day Focuses on Trust for 2022 appeared first on Radio World.

(Image credit: Public Knowledge)

Gigi Sohn, the Democratic nominee for the FCC told the commission this week that she would recuse herself from television broadcast copyright and retrans issues if her nomination for commissioner is approved.

Sohn’s nomination has garnered some pushback from broadcasters who object to her role as a member of the board of Locast, a streaming service that was found by a court to violate broadcast copyright laws. In add

In a letter to acting FCC general counsel Michelle Ellison and obtained by TV Tech sister publication NextTV, Sohn said the recusal would last for the first three years of her term, but that she would not recuse herself from other media related issues such as media ownership or transfer of control of broadcast, cable, and satellite companies.

Sohn told Ellison that in 2010, as president of Public Knowledge, she signed a Petition for Rulemaking to change rules governing retransmission rules and that in order “to avoid any appearance of impropriety and in interest of ensuring that the public has full confidence that policymakers will make decisions free of bias,” she would voluntarily recuse herself when the FCC considered retrans and broadcast copyright issues.

The NAB welcomed Sohn’s decision.

“Ms. Sohn’s recusal agreement resolves the concerns NAB raised regarding her nomination. NAB appreciates Ms. Sohn’s willingness to seriously consider our issues regarding retransmission consent and broadcast copyright, and to address those concerns in her recusal. We look forward to the Senate moving forward with Ms. Sohn’s confirmation and are eager to work with her and the full complement of commissioners in the very near future,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt.

The Commerce Committee is scheduled to vote on Sohn’s nomination next week.

A version of this story first appeared on our sister publication TV Technology’s website.

The post Sohn Says She Will Recuse Herself from Broadcast Copyright, Retrans Issues appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World’s latest ebook is the biggest yet, almost 50 pages chock-full of photos of new studios recently built by leading broadcast organizations.

Yes, new radio studios are still being built during the pandemic, and here’s the proof. Check out the equipment and design choices made by your peers who solved technical problems and overcame challenging deadlines in these exciting buildouts.

You’ll read about new facilities at Audacy Miami, 77 WABC in New York, Nashville Public Radio, CBC/Radio-Canada, Educational Media Foundation in Tennessee, IB3 in Spain, Rider University’s WRRC, Hubbard Cincinnati, the Huskers Radio Network, Midwest Family in South Bend, Urban One Atlanta, The Station of the Cross in Buffalo, University of Sherbrook’s CFAK, Cumulus Kansas City and Cumulus Lake Charles.

Read it here.

The post Spectacular Radio Studios: A Radio World Ebook appeared first on Radio World.