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Recently, Good Karma Brands promoted Sam Pines to a corporate-level role of SVP. This left the top leadership spot open in Cleveland, where it operates the market’s ESPN Radio affiliate.

Pines’ successor in the market has now been named.

Rising to the post is Amy Crossman. She was previously the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Sports Talk station.

Pines said, “Amy embodies Good Karm Brands’ core values and takes a marketing first approach for our fans, advertising partners and teammates. She directly impacted our growth during a difficult and unique two years. I am excited for the future of ESPN Cleveland and our continued growth with Amy as Market Manager.”

Crossman added, “I appreciate the trust Sam Pines and the Good Karma Brands’ leadership team has put in me to lead and continue to grow a legacy brand. ESPN Cleveland has a passionate fanbase, loyal advertising partners and a dedicated team that we will continue to build in 2021 and beyond.”

Crossman joined ESPN Radio in Cleveland in October 2019, and for 19 months prior to that was Director of Partnership at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. A 25-year veteran of marketing, Crossman has worked at Men’s Health, Time, The New York Times, Crain’s New York Business, PARADE Group, and as a director for Momentum Worldwide’s top B2B account, American Express OPEN.

On Wednesday, December 1, the legal counsel representing the trustee for two FM radio stations in Florida Cox Media Group is required to sell in order to comply with FCC local ownership rules spoke by phone with the head of the Media Bureau.

Why? Media Bureau Chief Michelle Carey wants answers as to the necessary steps for the “CXR Radio Station Trust,” led by Houlihan Lokey broker Elliot Evers, to complete an “orderly process” of divesting the two radio stations.

Does this point to a capitulation with respect to Cox’s request that it get up to one year to sell the FMs, on the basis that the COVID-19 pandemic deflated their valuations and a rise in value could come in the next 12 months?

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) elected three experienced media executives to serve on the ATSC Board of Directors for three-year terms that begin in January 2022.

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On Dec. 2, Croatian media regulator Agencija za Elektroničke Medije (AEM) announced plans to consider applications for national DAB+ concessions, as well as local DAB+ concessions in Zagreb and nine counties. Applications for the 20-year concessions are due by year-end.

According to a report in the newspaper Glas Istre, AEM believes there is public interest in launching new digital radio services, especially in the Zagreb region, despite the low number of DAB+ receivers in the country.

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

The post Croatia Opens DAB+ Licensing appeared first on Radio World.

A new partnership between Triton Digital and Pocket FM will give media buyers additional access to the digital audio space in India.

The agreement will make Pocket FM’s OTT platform — a free podcast app and audio show that has grown into the largest audio OTT platform in India, the company said — available on the Triton Audio Ad exchange, giving buyers access to Pocket FM’s inventory through more than 30 demand size platforms via Triton.

According to the company, Pocket FM has become a top-ranking music and audio app, clocking in more than 40 million downloads and 2.7 billion monthly listening minutes. Listeners have access to more than 100,000 hours of programming via long-format content, audio shows, stories, novels and podcasts in eight languages through Pocket FM.

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Through the partnership, the companies said, Pocket FM media buyers will have access to Triton’s Yield-Op capability, an audio-first supply-side platform built for broadcasters, podcasters and music streaming services. Yield-Op offers users controls to set up deals, manage demand and optimize yield. Users will also have access to Triton’s Tap OnDemand, which enables streaming audio services and web-only audio publishers to streamline advertising trafficking and maximize revenue with dynamic audio ad insertion (DAI) as well as coordinate campaign trafficking, delivery and reporting.

“Consumption has grown significantly over the past 24 months, making digital audio an important medium for marketers seeking to reach this engaged and growing audience,” said Aditya Summanwar, director of market development for Triton Digital, adding that 57.6 million people in India as of 2020 were consuming podcasts on a monthly basis. “That makes India the third largest country for podcast consumption, following the U.S. and China,” Summanwar said.

Rohan Nayak, co-founder and CEO of Pocket FM, said that the new partnership with Triton Digital will offer media buyers and publishers a deeper look into validated measurement of India’s growing digital audio consumption market. “In the coming months, Pocket FM intends to achieve 100 million users and introduce more genres on the platform, building the largest community of writers, artists and homegrown authors in India,” Nayak said.

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The post Triton Digital, Pocket FM Ink Partnership appeared first on Radio World.

The newest version of the Global Radio Guide is out.

Penned by author Gayle Van Horn, this edition of the publication lists by-hour schedules that include language services, frequencies and world target areas for more than 500 stations. The guide includes listings of DX radio programs, websites, entries for time and frequencies for many stations as well as a group of unique transmissions available on shortwave radio bands.

The guide includes articles that look at the current state of shortwave receiver technology, technology product reviews, a guide to shortwave music programs from around the world, and current radio news.

In this issue, Van Horn delves into covering the radio broadcast services of the People’s Republic of China, looking at the local, regional and international medium-wave and shortwave networks run by China’s Communist Party, including the country’s largest and most widely broadcast radio station, China Radio International.

The 17th edition also includes introductory articles on traveling the world via shortwave radio broadcasts, tips on monitoring shortwave action bands and a frequency list of high-frequency non-broadcast radio stations worldwide.

The current edition of the Global Radio Guide is available on the Teak Publishing website and via Amazon.

The post Newest Edition of Global Radio Guide Hits the Streets appeared first on Radio World.

 

Work is done on a 3.8-meter single-feed antenna aimed at satellite SES-11. This particular facility in Christmas, Fla., supports a Hearst Properties site for WESH(TV).

USSI Global said it has helped satellite company SES complete the first phase of the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearing and relocation activities.

As part of the FCC’s program to encourage the rollout of 5G, SES is seeking to clear 280 MHz of the C-band spectrum. Broadcasters with satellite infrastructure are among the business sectors that have been affected by the overall process, as Radio World has reported.

“Phase I required SES to relocate all of its existing services that are received by Incumbent Earth Stations out of the 3700–3820 MHz band,” USSI Global stated in a press release. “USSI Global made the necessary equipment changes on all associated Incumbent Earth Stations.”

SES selected USSI Global as its primary vendor to help manage and execute the transition of Incumbent Earth Station filtering to mitigate risks of 5G interference.

“USSI Global served as the lead project management firm and was responsible for outreach, IT systems integration, field support management and status reporting.”

The work included research about site-specific details, and then design, procurement, installation and commissioning of 5G filters and antennas. USSI Global supported approximately 600 Phase 1 Incumbent Earth Station site transitions, which helped SES meet eligibility for the first accelerated relocation payment from the government.

The company said it also has supported the clearing of more than 100 Phase II sites so far.

The post USSI Global Supports SES in C-Band Transition appeared first on Radio World.

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies has named the 40 public radio stations, 16 public television stations, and 19 joint licensees participating in the Digital Transformation Project.

Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Digital Transformation Project is a virtual training program for public media senior leaders and their staff looking to apply best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture.

“CPB’s commitment to advancing innovation and diversity continues to be reflected through our strategic investments helping system leaders advance a digital-first, audience-centric approach,” stated Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO in a release.

The five National Multicultural Alliance Organizations — Black Public Media, the Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting, Pacific Islanders in Communications, and Vision Maker Media — will join the 75 stations to form four cohorts of 20 public media leaders participating in the nine-month program. The first cohort begins training in January with additional cohorts starting the program every three months.

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In addition to one-on-one and peer group coaching sessions, the program includes a series of educational webinars, work exercises, and resource materials that span the program curriculum.

“The selected participants are some of the nation’s most trusted sources citizens turn to for local news and information,” stated Poynter President Neil Brown. “Our partnership with CPB will help public media outlets build digital-first strategies that inspire an even greater — and more sustainable — connection to grow with their communities.”

According to Poynter, each public media CEO will work with their team on a specific digital performance challenge with clearly defined business outcomes, such as attracting and growing new and diverse audiences, increasing audience engagement, converting audiences to loyal members, and driving new revenues from digital channels.

“A focus on digital transformation will pay off for public media by establishing even greater audience engagement and loyalty,” Brown stated.

The 75 participating stations/networks are:

Alabama Public Radio
Alaska Public Media, Anchorage
Arizona PBS
CapRadio, Sacramento
Classical KING FM, Seattle
CoastAlaska, Southeast Alaska
Colorado Public Radio
GBH News, Boston
Idaho Public Television
Illinois Public Media
Interlochen Public Radio, Michigan
Iowa PBS
KAWC/KOFA, Colorado River Public Media/Border Radio
KAXE/KBXE, Northern Community Radio, Northern Minnesota
KCUR FM, Kansas City, Mo.
KGNU FM-AM, Boulder/Denver, Colo.
KJZZ FM and KBAQ FM, Phoenix
KLCC-FM, Eugene, Ore.
KNBA FM, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, Anchorage
KOSU-FM, Stillwater, Okla.
KPBS TV-FM, San Diego
KPCC FM, Southern California Public Radio
KTSU 90.9 FM, Houston
KUER-FM, Salt Lake City, Utah
KUNC FM and The Colorado Sound, Greeley, Colo.
KVIE TV, Sacramento
Maine Public
Marfa Public Radio, Texas
Mountain Lake PBS (WCFE), Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Nashville Public Radio
Nine PBS, St. Louis
NJ PBS
Northern California Public Media (KRCB/KPJK)
NPR Illinois
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority
PBS Fort Wayne
Pioneer PBS, Granite Falls, Minn.
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting (WESA-FM and WYEP-FM)
Radio Milwaukee
St. Louis Public Radio
Twin Cities PBS (TPT)
USC Radio Group: KUSC, Los Angeles, and KDFC, San Francisco
Vegas PBS
WAMU FM, Washington, D.C.
WCNY TV, Syracuse, N.Y.
WDSE TV-FM, Duluth, Minn.
WERU Community Radio, Blue Hill, Maine
WFYI Public Media, Indianapolis
WGLT FM, Bloomington-Normal, Ill., and WCBU FM, Peoria, Ill.
WGVU Public Media, Grand Rapids, Mich.
WHUT TV, Washington, D.C.
WITF Public Media, Harrisburg, Pa.
WKAR Public Media, East Lansing, Mich.
WKMS FM, Murray, Ky.
WLIW TV/FM, Garden City, N.Y.
WMHT Educational Telecommunications, Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.
WNET/Thirteen, New York, N.Y.
WNIJ FM, DeKalb, Ill.
WPSU TV-FM, State College, Pa.
WQLN PBS/NPR, Erie, Pa.
WRTI FM, Philadelphia
WSHU Public Radio, Westport, Conn.
WTCI-TV, Chattanooga, Tenn.
WUNC FM, Chapel Hill, N.C.
WUSF Public Media, Tampa, Fla.
WUWF Public Media, Pensacola, Fla.
WUWM FM, Milwaukee
WVIK, Quad Cities NPR, Iowa/Illinois
WVPE FM, Michiana
WVTF FM (Radio IQ), Roanoke, Va.
WXPR Public Radio, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
WXXI Public Media, Rochester, N.Y.
WYES TV, New Orleans
WYPR FM, Baltimore
Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana

The post 75 Public Broadcasters Selected for ‘Digital Transformation’ appeared first on Radio World.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Some 75 public media stations have been selected to participate in the Digital Transformation Program, a virtual initiative developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture.

The training is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

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“The global economy has recovered in-line with expectations and, in most markets, so has marketing activity and advertising spending.”

That’s the key finding from the December 2021 MAGNA Advertising Forecasts report. It shows that growth was particularly strong wherever COVID vaccination was fast and deep.

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Audio-Technica has long made well-regarded pro microphones with prices to match, but also has a growing presence in the prosumer realm, creating products at more retail-oriented price points intended for bedroom producers, content creators, streamers and the like. In recent years, A-T has been engaging the podcasting world with its AT2020 and AT2035 condenser mics, and now has stepped it up even further with the introduction of the AT2040 hypercardioid dynamic podcast microphone.

Audio-Technica AT2040 Hypercardioid Dynamic Podcast Microphone

Costing a very reasonable $99, this XLR mic does a nice job of providing its target users with a microphone attuned to the spoken word, while also landing under $100, thus attracting customers for whom the top feature is the price point. At that cost, yes, it’s entry-level, but it’s “good” entry-level, providing a decent product for those who will only ever buy one mic, while providing a solid first experience for emerging audio pros who will dive deeper into the company’s product ranges in years to come.

Out of the box

Right out of the box, the AT2040 makes a good first impression — it has a sleek design that looks good on camera, whether it’s a video podcast, work-from-home environment or Twitch stream. (The priority, of course, is how it sounds, but visuals are a valid concern for on-screen content creators.) The black finish isn’t easily dinged or scratched, and at 5.72” long and nearly 22 oz., it has a real heft to it.

Pulling it out of the box, it simply feels like you’ve purchased something of significance. The thick metal casing and strong grille are joined by a hard plastic AT8487 mounting clamp already attached, so it’s clearly made to withstand some abuse. The AT2040 is solid enough that if you accidentally bang it around, it will put a dent in your desk rather than the other way around.

Rounding out the accessories in the box are a threaded adapter for the clamp and a mic pouch.

In use

The AT2040 sports a hypercardioid polar pattern that does a nice job, even capturing the voice at a moderate distance and off-axis up to 90° (with the expected change in timbre, of course), as happens with users who aren’t disciplined about staying on-mic or perhaps don’t want the mic blocking them on-camera. However, when used like a proper broadcast mic, the AT2040 captures the voice very naturally; its large diaphragm gets the low-mids warm and out front, while the highs are curled back to provide shape but not rough edges.

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One place where the mic particularly shines is its handling of plosives — pop filtering is provided by a multistage foam mesh windscreen inside, and it yanks plosives’ impact right down. The AT2040 does pick up stray clatter from usage, however. While there’s integrated shockmounting to reduce that, the mic is still best left untouched once it’s in a mic stand or boom, as handling and cable noise are readily picked up.

Overall

In all, it’s a solid first microphone; for many of its intended users, particularly the podcaster or streamer, this is all the mic they’re ever going to need. Meanwhile, for aspiring audio pros, it will make for a positive introduction to the Audio-Technica brand.

The post Audio-Technica Offers ‘Good’ Entry-Level AT2040 appeared first on Radio World.

The Opal on one end of the “Great Night” production.

We started our podcast “Great Night” in January of 2009. We’ve gone through several names, and along the way we’ve had several Billboard-charted comedy albums and have developed a large and loyal subscriber base. Currently, we’re doing a live variety show every Tuesday night, with a video component that we stream over Twitch and publish on YouTube.

For 11-and-a-half of those 12 years, we lived in different states. For much of that time, we were doing the thing that has essentially become the default podcast comedy technique during the pandemic: We were using Skype and recording our audio locally, then editing it together in post-production.

But the delays and hiccups caused by Skype were intrusive, and we wanted to find a full-duplex solution.

We learned about the Comrex Opal from a friend of ours who works at The Blaze. We had some challenges configuring our IP networks, but once it was set up, it was easy for everyone to jump onboard and learn how to use it.

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

We would use video from Skype and connect our audio through the Opal, and there was an immediate difference in our audio quality. Even when Skype was failing, the Opal audio would continue to be precise with low delay, and it felt as though we were in the room with each other.

Skype has been the standard for podcasting forever, but not because anyone likes it. If you get a group of podcasters together in a room, eventually they’re all going to complain about Skype. People use it because it works well enough and most of us know how to fix it when it’s broken.

But every conversation, every interview, every interaction has an ebb and flow that happens in the milliseconds between moments. Just as it’s not possible to have an in-depth conversation over walkie-talkies, it’s equally impossible to preserve that nuance over Zoom and Skype. You need full-duplex real-time audio if you want to create real magic in audio.

Only Opal has brought us that experience.

When we shifted to Opal, our audience noticed. We got a lot of feedback from our listeners about the change — they couldn’t identify exactly what was different, but it felt electric. Suddenly we were both able to talk at the same time without any delay.

We have this weird fixation on Billy Joel, and we’ve been making Billy Joel jokes and singing parodies of Billy Joel songs for a while now. Suddenly, once we got Opal, we could harmonize. We could overlap our jokes and pick up on what each other were saying without having to deal with Skype ducking our audio. We were finally able to do our material in the best way possible.

A lot of podcasters think audio quality issues can be solved by local recording, and certainly that can be edited together even though it adds another layer to post-production. But they really don’t realize what an audio delay does to active conversations.

In a medium that is all about where a conversation goes, whether it’s comedy or a panel discussion, high-quality and low-delay audio is irreplaceable. Opal is the solution that every podcaster doesn’t realize they need.

Info: Contact Chris Crump at Comrex at 1-978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

The post User Report: Comrex Opal Makes Full-Duplex Audio Magic appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — Thirty-five years ago, if one were to tune 92.7 MHz in Queens and the western portion of Long Island, there’s a good chance the only thing “Mexican” they’d hear would be the Wall of Voodoo track “Mexican Radio.” At the time, it was the home of Modern Rock outpost WLIR-FM, licensed to Garden City.

Times change, and since 2004 the facility has aired Spanish-language programming under Univision Communications ownership. Another change is in the works, and this will see the station’s return to English-language programming, under a new owner.

The bigger takeaway, however, is the extreme valuation difference between Univision’s purchase price and that from this Class A FM’s pending sale that sees Kalil & Co. involved.

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Show hosts and station volunteers Steve Slentz and Larry Karoll are shown at the event.

December is a time of year when many radio stations perform particularly good deeds. One of them is low-power FM station WDNP in Dover, Ohio.

Radio World contributor Dan Slentz helped launch the LPFM station, and he reports that WDNP is now in its sixth year of conducting an annual Coat & Food Drive in partnership with the Salvation Army of Tuscarawas County.

“Usually we fill their truck with food and coats, but people give cash and other things that others can use,” Dan writes.

Lieutenant Andrew Allen of the Salvation Army giving a DNP mug and accepting a donation.

“Our thinking was that the station doing ‘Toys for Tots’ is awesome, but what if the kid doesn’t have a warm coat or the family is struggling to put food on the table? So we decided to focus on necessities.”

The local Pizza Hut provides its parking lot, the food and even some gift certificates for free pizzas. The radio station distributes logo mugs to each donor, and those mugs are sponsored, so there’s no expense to the station.

“It’s a good local promotion and helps a lot of people,” Dan says, adding that WDNP is run entirely by volunteers.

Submit news about your event to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Ohio LPFM Conducts Coat & Food Drive appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World is taking an in-depth look at “The Infinite Dial UK 2021” report this week.

In a bid to provide British broadcasters with the same market intelligence enjoyed by their U.S. colleagues, Edison Research conducted its first-ever “The Infinite Dial UK 2021” consumer measurement study.

Its conclusions are based on 1,000 telephone interviews with U.K. residents 16 and older, during the fourth quarter of 2021.

The original Infinite Dial survey, which is focused on U.S. consumer interactions with radio, has been conducted annually since 1998. Similar Infinite Dial surveys have been done in Canada, Australia, Germany, and South Africa.

The results of the first-ever Infinite Dial UK were announced in a Dec. 2, 2021, webinar hosted by Edison Research President Larry Rosen, and made possible through the sponsorship of Bauer Media and Spotify. This week, Radio World will be summarizing his presentation in five parts. In Part One, we’ll cover Edison’s findings on U.K. connected technology ownership and social media usage.

Connect tech ownership

According to Rosen, 83 percent of respondents to the Infinite Dial UK survey own smartphones, which is “just a bit lower than our estimate for the USA,” he said. This percentage is consistent across age groups. Meanwhile, 53 percent of those surveyed own an iPad or other tablet, while 25 percent own a smart speaker. The leading brand of smart speaker is Amazon’s Alexa, followed by Google Nest and Apple HomePod.

“The majority of people who have at least one smart speaker in their household have two or more, and 28 percent of people … have three or more,” said Rosen. “That’s a trend we’ve seen pretty consistently … People who get them tend to really like them and put them in multiple rooms around their house.”

Smart speaker ownership in the U.S. and U.K.

Social media usage

Eighty-six percent of respondents to the Infinite Dial UK study reported “they use some form of social media, including nearly everybody aged 16–34, and a very, very sizable majority of everyone over the age of 35 as well,” Rosen said.

Facebook has the highest level of brand awareness at 89 percent, followed by Instagram and Twitter at 85 percent and TikTok at 83 percent. Sixty-seven percent of people surveyed are aware of Snapchat, 58 percent have heard of LinkedIn and 55 percent of Pinterest.

[Read more of our coverage of ‘Infinite Dial’ report]

Actual usage of social media in the U.K. varies by platform and age group. The social platform used most often was Facebook (55 percent for 16+; 48 percent for 16–34; 56 percent for 35–54; and 62 percent for 55 and older). Second place was a tie between Instagram (9 percent for 16+; 14 percent for 16–34; 7 for 35–54; and 7 percent for 55 and older) and Twitter (9 percent for 16+; 7 percent for 16–34; 9 percent for 35–54; and 10 percent for 55 and older).

These were followed by:

• Snapchat (8 percent for 16+; 15 percent for 16–34; 6 percent for 35–54; and 3 percent for 55 and older);
• TikTok (7 percent for 16+; 10 percent for 16–34; 8 percent for 35–54; and 4 percent for 55 and older);
• Pinterest (5 percent for 16+; 3 percent for 16–34; 6 percent for 35–54; and 5 percent for 55 and older);
• Other platforms (7 for 16+; 3 for 16–34; 8 percent for 35–54; and 9 percent for 55 and older).

In another chart, Larry Rosen compared social media platform usage in the U.K. and U.S.

Social media platform usage in the U.K. and U.S. compared

“There’s a lot more usage in the United States of Facebook, Instagram. and Pinterest,” he said. “Snapchat is pretty equal; Twitter is a little higher in the United States. The two [social media platforms] that have higher usage just by a small amount in the U.K. as compared to the U.S. are LinkedIn and TikTok.”

All told, social media in the U.K. is a potent force for radio broadcasters to deal with, with Facebook being far and away the heavyweight in this market.

In Part Two of Radio World’s summary of “The Infinite Dial UK 2021,” we’ll look at Larry Rosen’s numbers on radio listening and radio/smart speaker ownership.

The post First-Ever ‘Infinite Dial UK’ Survey Provides Insights for U.K. Radio appeared first on Radio World.

** SPONSORED CONTENT ** A world first in audio advertising, the Adthos Ad-Server was released in June 2021 and has since been downloaded many thousands of times across the globe. And following hot on its heels, Adthos Creative Studio has made it possible to create broadcast-quality advertising audio using innovative text-to-speech and synthetic voice technology.  This first-of-a-kind browser-based multitrack editor allows broadcasters and advertisers to collaborate online, combining music, human and synthetic voice to produce real-time audio advertising.  With the kinds of features commonly found in Digital Audio Workstations including equalisers, compressors, limiters and even an option to use professional plugins.  And that’s not all. Adthos Creative Studio allows on-the-go spot creation and offers powerful targeting possibilities.  Delivering the largest radio ad campaign in history But the latest innovation for Adthos Creative Studio is set to change everything: Pre-produced, customizable audio adverts. This technology was recently put to the test through the creation of a pro-vaccination ad campaign, which can be downloaded and used for free. Using Adthos’ advanced text to speech and synthetic voice technology combined with geo-locations, it was possible to generate more than 13,000 adverts, covering over 6,500 cities, and in 70 languages, all within a matter of hours! The potential that this offers to advertisers and broadcasters for future large-scale, multi-lingual and cross-border campaigns is extremely exciting.   Hearing is believing Adthos Creative Studio has harnessed the power of AI to produce natural sounding and programmable audio that needs to be heard to be believed. Users can choose from up to 40 US – English voices, with Adthos’ exclusive voice talent library of broadcast professionals and Emmy-award winning talent offered within the Gold or Platinum voiceover packages respectively.  It’s also possible to add a specific voice or voices to the library as an additional service.  Once selected, voices can be brought to life with character and personality. Control intonation, speed and apply reading rules for certain types of content such as phone numbers or emails to deliver realistic and engaging audio.   And any voice talent who add their voices to the library have the opportunity to monetise their synthetic voices via a royalty system, track where and when their voice has been used, and choose to opt out of any advertising they don’t want to be associated with e.g., Alcohol or adult-themed content.    Advertising that’s always a step ahead Creative Studio can dynamically use any webservice to insert content based on different data sets to produce timely, relevant advertising. From web-based information such as weather pages, using geo-targeting for location-based advertising, or even Excel files in the case of information such as pricing catalogues for supermarket deals.  Astonishing possibilities. Unbelievable price. You’d expect all of this to come at a cost wouldn’t you? Think again. Adthos Creative Studio comes in at just $49.95/month for a standard subscription.  Still not convinced? Then sign up for a month’s free trial to experience it for yourself! Curious? Prepare to be amazed  ** SPONSORED CONTENT **

It was interesting to read the shortwave article. It was also high time to address the issue of SW transmissions, as the death of radio, of shortwave and even of medium-wave is being aired again while the progress of streaming and podcasting is hugely hyped — again trumping global realities.

The article would have benefitted by stressing the actual huge size of SW listening. BBC World Service alone has an estimated weekly audience of 269 million, with radio delivering around 150 million.

This top international broadcaster has 200 transmitter sites, of which four are high-power AM, with 12 others hired. Content is distributed to 800 locations globally (often using SW) for direct broadcast or inclusion in partner broadcasts. And AM services reach many tens of millions across Africa and Middle East, the future potential audience of DRM shortwave as well.

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The Radio World piece clearly was aimed mainly at the enthusiasts, as indicated by the receiver prices mentioned. The average non-enthusiast listener who has a laptop with connectivity would probably just listen to radio via the internet.

There is definitely merit in portable SDRs, which (depending on price) will likely keep some of the audiences and make it easy for them to pick up analog shortwave but also DRM.

India, China, Russia, U.K., even Brazil, Pakistan and other countries are testing, broadcasting or seriously considering shortwave DRM at the moment.

The natural and only son of analog SW, DRM, with its huge spectrum, energy and audio quality advantages, does not get a mention in the article, though. This is definitely a missed opportunity, as some of the big public broadcasters mentioned — BBC, All India Radio, Radio Romania, etc. — are already in this space and report excellent reception and increasing listenership.

Most of the new DRM receiver solutions cater for both the analog and digital versions of shortwave reception. Work is afoot to deliver more affordable receivers aimed precisely at the huge and less affluent shortwave markets of Africa and Asia.

Ruxandra Obreja, Chair
Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium

Radio World invites industry-oriented commentaries and responses. Send to Radio World.

The post Letter: Shortwave’s huge audience appeared first on Radio World.

When I started doing radio back in 1994, a camera in the studio was unheard of, but now it’s pretty much mandatory to have a streaming component to your show. It helps get your listeners more engaged in what you’re talking about and it helps you do more things.

For instance here at “The Shannon Burke Show” we have a watchmaker as a sponsor. We can have him in to demonstrate his collection of watches to the listeners.

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

Towards the end of last year we found ourselves looking for an efficient streaming camera system. A lot of stations around here have employed someone to switch their cameras manually, and that didn’t seem like a very good move to us.

That was part of what led us to a BroadcastPix system. RadioPix is microphone-activated and the cameras just follow whoever is talking.

Once we had the system settled in with our Wheatstone board it’s been fantastic. We haven’t had any issues.

The monitor that it runs off sits back in my engineer’s area; he turns it on at the beginning of the show and we’re off to the races. It just works.

On the rare occasions when we’ve had to call somebody about it, mostly when we were getting up and running, the BroadcastPix folks were attentive.

We have two moving cameras installed at the moment in high-up positions. We’ve got a small table with four positions, and the boom mics would be in the way if they were stationary on the table. But saying that, we’re looking at getting a third camera and we’re toying with a tabletop unit for the center of the table so we can get a closeup of myself or the guests.

I’ve not used any other modern systems, but when looking at other people’s shows, a lot of the time the picture is terrible. The quality is just not there. Our pictures are great, and it’s all from a system that we just set and forget. It’s just rock ’n’ roll, it’s fantastic.

For product information contact Patrick Murphy at BroadcastPix at 1-978-600-1100 or visit www.broadcastpix.com.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

The post User Report: BroadcastPix Brings the Video appeared first on Radio World.

The author is director of production technology for Vox Media.

Tieline Report-IT in use at Vox Media.

Vox Media is a leading independent media company, and the Vox Media Podcast Network is one of the largest collections of popular podcasts spanning technology, news, pop culture, futurism, current trends and more.

Our portfolio features the most relevant and respected editorial properties including Vox, New York Magazine, The Verge, The Cut, Eater, Vulture, The Strategist, Polygon, SB Nation, Intelligencer, Curbed, Grub Street and Recode.

Tieline’s Report-IT Enterprise app is an important tool within our technology offerings and it helps us tell stories that affect our audience’s daily lives and entertain as much as they inform. Podcast producers and hosts primarily use Report-IT to interview remotely located guests outside of the company, because the app facilitates high-quality recordings and simple file uploads.

How It Works

The Report-IT Enterprise app is a free Android or iOS download for guests. They download the app and then we send them a URL link created by Tieline’s TieServer Console.

When the prospective user clicks the link it launches the app and automatically authenticates and logs each guest in. The guest then just taps “Connect” to dial a secure Tieline codec (Gateway, Merlin, Merlin Plus, Bridge-IT) at one of our studios. When they connect they can communicate in real time with hosts at our studios in New York, Washington, San Francisco or elsewhere.

Sometimes guests have accessories they plug in to improve listening and sound quality during the interview, but often they just use the phone itself, which usually provides pretty good quality these days.

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High-fidelity audio is automatically recorded as a file on a guest’s device as they chat directly to Vox Media’s producers and hosts. At the conclusion of their interview it is securely uploaded directly to a server over Wi-Fi or cellular for ingest and editing as required.

In my experience, achieving high sound quality and simple file delivery are our biggest challenges. Uploading or sending files can be a huge challenge with nontechnical guests. Report-IT helps us deliver the best possible recording quality from our guests with simple file delivery to our servers. This is a great option for Vox Media Podcast Network producers.

We also use Tieline’s Cloud Codec Controller software, which provides remote control over critical Report-IT functions like input gain, as well as record functions on the app. This makes it easy to adjust settings remotely if a nontechnical person is on the other end.

Ease of Use

We use Report-IT multiple times each week and ease of use is everything with our external podcast guests. The simplicity of configuration regarding file uploads and connection points is crucial to the workflow. The app’s user interface is simple. Plus, it’s easy to connect, record and then seamlessly upload a recorded file.

Producers appreciate the reliable file delivery and quality of recordings. I particularly like the user interface and how you can have different user accounts configured for specific Tieline codecs and server folders etc. It’s very flexible for automation.

Achieving high-quality sound and reliable and timely file delivery of recorded interviews are our biggest challenges. Report-IT delivers superb features and a robust solution at a great price. The app helps achieve the best quality possible from our guests as well as easy file transfer, which keeps our talented producers happy.

Info: Contact Doug Ferber at Tieline at 1-888-211-6989. For international queries contact Charlie Gawley in Australia at +61-8-9413-2000 or visit www.tieline.com.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

The post User Report: Vox Media Uses Tieline Report-IT for Interviews appeared first on Radio World.

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