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Radio World

Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

A technical session in the upcoming virtual Radio Show will focus on a topic of growing importance to U.S. broadcasters: hybrid radio.

As Radio World readers know, the term refers to in-car radio radios that can receive analog AM/FM or HD Radio over the air but also connect to the wireless internet to download station graphics, song information and station identifications.

Hybrid radios also support interactivity between the listener and the station. And they can switch seamlessly from a station’s broadcast signal to its audio stream whenever the vehicle drives out of the station’s broadcast coverage area.

RadioDNS has updated its standard to add geo-fencing to prevent access to specific platforms based on physical location. Among other benefits, this would allow a station to define its FM coverage area and “deny” access to streaming within that area in favor of the OTA signal.

For radio broadcasters concerned about losing in-car listeners to non-radio streaming services, advocates say hybrid radio is a timely solution that marries broadcast radio’s strengths — free service, localism and wide coverage — with the power of streaming audio including global reach, rich multimedia content and interactivity.

The technology has been talked about at spring and fall broadcast conventions for years but is taking on more urgency as hybrid radio-equipped vehicles start appearing in the United States, and as AM and FM broadcasters watch SiriusXM roll out its own enhanced 360L platform, which includes personalization and on-demand features.

Benefits

The session “How Radio Broadcasters Can Support RadioDNS” will be presented on Monday Oct. 5 by Nick Piggott, project director of RadioDNS. It’s a not-for-profit membership organization that is promoting the adoption and deployment of hybrid radio globally using open standards.

David Layer, NAB’s vice president of advanced engineering, will moderate.

On one level, the presentation will bring session participants up to speed on hybrid radio’s progress.

“We’ll be talking about hybrid radio’s capabilities and what it can do for radio stations as we’re starting to see more hybrid radio-capable devices proliferate, particularly in cars,” said Skip Pizzi, NAB’s vice president of technology education and outreach.

Piggott also will explain how radio managers can move into this medium through their own efforts or by hiring a third-party contractor.

This Audi receiver shows the availability of a streamed version at right; note the small box “Web.”

“We’ll provide a simple step-by-step guide under the headline, ‘So you’ve decided you’d like to do hybrid radio,’” said Piggott.

“It will be reasonably but not impenetrably technical, so that somebody who has a basic understanding of technology within their radio station or radio group can walk away thinking, ‘I know how we’re going to do hybrid radio. I can see how we’re going to do this.’”

The session will include a discussion of the issue of restricting in-car streaming within a station’s main coverage area, so that broadcasters do not find themselves paying higher streaming music royalties for content that can be heard easily over the air. This is a software-configurable restriction based on constantly comparing the vehicle’s GPS location to the station’s core coverage area.

Tools for Broadcasters

As an open-standards advocacy group, RadioDNS exists to help stations understand and implement hybrid radio solutions.

The Technical Section of its website (https://radiodns.org/technical/) offers a range of downloadable “How To” documents detailing each stage of implementing RadioDNS hybrid radio, from creating station logos and other metadata to station registration, implementing high-definition visuals and setting program listening restrictions by time of day or to a specific program.

The website’s technical section includes a number of presentations on managing RadioDNS hybrid radio applications and support for stations doing this on their own.

By digging into the nuts-and-bolts of hybrid radio in a plainspoken manner, Piggott hopes to make the concept accessible to radio engineers and non-engineers alike. This is why he, NAB and RAB are putting this discussion forward.

“My goal is to demystify the technology and encourage broadcasters not to be apprehensive about trying it,” Piggott said. “That’s the headline: Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio Through RadioDNS, So That Broadcasters Can Do It Themselves.”

For a deeper discussion, see the recent Radio World story “Hybrid Radio Picks Up Momentum” at https://tinyurl.com/rw-hybrid-2.

The post Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio appeared first on Radio World.

James Careless

Sarah Foss Is New Entercom CIO

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

Sarah Foss has joined Entercom as chief information officer.

Foss will “provide strategic direction and oversight for the design, development, acquisition, operation and support of the company’s enterprise technology systems and programs.”

Veteran Radio World readers may recall Foss from her tenures at Harris Corp. and Imagine Communications. More recently she was senior VP of strategic initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers. She has also held management or executive positions at Yangaroo, Encompass Digital Media and VCI Solutions.

[Read: Codecs Offer Redundancy, Backup and Failover]

She is a co-founder of Tech Bae, a tech-focused organization for women in the media and advertising ecosystem.

Richard Schmaeling, EVP/CFO of Entercom, praised Foss for “her strong business acumen and enriched media technology intellect.” At Entercom her job also will include helping apply digital, data and analytic tools.

Send People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Sarah Foss Is New Entercom CIO appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

DRM Advanced Radio for All

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

The author is chairman of Digital Radio Mondiale. Her commentaries appear regularly in Radio World.

The recent DRM virtual showcase proved to be a real box of delights and new announcements demonstrating that the digital radio industry remains resilient and innovative even in pandemic times. “The best DRM IBC show with the lowest carbon footprint and best attendance” was one of the many feedbacks received. And there were lots of things to excite the over 100 participants from literally all over the world.

The highlights were grouped around some big themes like DRM in practice, extensively proven and used in the FM band; DRM and its possible major role in delivering educational content to large and remote areas in times when many students cannot attend face-to-face lessons; use of DRM in public signage which can be applied for both education, health and emergency announcements; a new and “live” way of monitoring on-air transmissions, which can be beneficial to both the engineers and the editorial staff of broadcasters.

[Read: Can Digital Radio Standards Coexist?]

While the all-band, open DRM standard is stable and well-established, technical improvements can always be implemented like the recent updating of the DRM system specification ETSI ES 201 980. Three improvements were announced by the DRM Technical Chair (BBC) and are to do with removal of some obsolete or unused modulation features and enhanced signaling when using emergency warnings. The changes, which are backwards-compatible, will make DRM’s implementation in chipsets and receivers more reliable, and add additional support for receiver text displays to be able to also support different scripts from around the world. We now know that the publication of the new ETSI version is expected early in 2021.

Around that time a DRM medium-wave pilot to be run by the BBC for the Middle East is also expected to start, as out of the 468 million people tuning to the BBC worldwide, we were told by the BBC representative that a quarter are still doing so on AM. And shortwave, a bit of a blast from the past for some, is not forgotten in places like Russia, China, and many other countries, as the demand for SW digital transmitters is quite healthy. As mentioned by the Ampegon representative the demand is mainly now for bigger capacity transmitters, above 25 kW going to 50 kW, able to cover wide areas with good analog and digital sound and delivering big energy savings. In its new factory Ampegon is working on satisfying these demands.

Improvements were also announced at the level of professional monitoring all these transmissions. So RFmondial announced the upgraded HTML5 GUI in its DRM/AM Monitoring and Measurement Receiver Family RF-SE and the possible software update of older versions. A new exciter version was also unveiled by the German company. Their German colleagues at Fraunhofer IIS also completed the picture with end-to-end implementations offering solutions (content server and multimedia player, data services like Journaline and Emergency Warning Functionality), services for supporting DRM field trials and rollout, as well as  unique expertise.

But the DRM Showcase was not all about better hardware. It was also about technical innovation. And the one that elicited most of the questions was the extended DRM multiplex for FM, an idea that benefited from the input of Nautel and RFmondial engineers. This solution allows one analog FM transmission (200 kHz) and four DRM channels (two in each of the 200 kHz guard spaces as a DRM channel only occupies 100 kHz). Or if the whole 600 kHz are used in pure DRM then up to six DRM channels (each service with up to three audio and one data services) can be offered from the same transmitter, same antenna with possible sharing of costs among several broadcasters. The individual broadcasters remain in control of their transmissions without the involvement of third-parties.

As usual, participants were also interested in what is happening in the various countries about implementing DRM. While India remains the top DRM country (alongside China), the adoption of DRM in all bands by Pakistan and its public broadcaster (PBC) was one of the big surprises of the showcase. The comprehensive three-phase costed plan to introduce DRM in FM, and medium-wave, first, in all the key areas of the country has been endorsed and praised since the “DRM—Advanced Radio for All” by top Pakistani officials.

Indonesia and its public radio (RRI) representative also presented its five FM transmitters which went on air over the last few months and the excellent results of the Emergency Warning Functionality demonstrated on a DRM FM transmitter in Jakarta in August. The recent tender for digital DRM transmitters in SW, MW and FM in Brazil was welcome news and the expectation is now that a locally produced SW DRM transmitter will be soon transmitting from the key public broadcaster central site.

Africa always gets a mention though South Africa has really scored a first with its policy announced two months ago that it recommends both DRM and DAB as a way to digitize radio in the country; a true torch-bearer for other African countries so reliant on AM and FM radio.

Over 2.5 million of cars with DRM receivers are placing India in a class of its own. Receivers are fitted at no cost in cars from the top brands. Work is continuing to increase pure DRM hours for five All India Radio (AIR) transmitters to full day and diversify content. Possibilities are being explored to have an educational channel and invite also some private broadcasters to use the extra channels available through DRM on AIR transmitters. Six more medium-wave transmitters are to be added to the existing 35 MW DRM transmitters. One of these new batch of DRM transmitters using all the extra DRM features will be launched officially in Hyderabad very soon. The increase of the DRM presence and the general technical effort being made will stimulate the receiver production and availability.

And a good part of the DRM event was devoted to the development of receiver and receiver solutions. One trend we noticed was the extension of DRM reception to FM so that it can cover analog and AM as well as FM broadcasts. Most of the receiver manufacturers proudly announced the availability of attractive features like support for xHE-AAC codec, Journaline, Emergency Warnings. The receivers introduced in excellent videos like that of Avion (India) came in all shapes and forms; from the rich variety of Gospell (China) and its GR series and DRM car stereo, to the Indian multifunctional receivers and SDR-based solutions of Inntot (India). RF2 digital (Korea/Germany) also came up with an SDR receiver solution for analog and all DRM bands, being also a multistandard device. Cambridge Consultants (U.K.) is working on a very low-energy and low-cost solution. The same idea was embraced by Starwaves (Germany/Switzerland) which presented a “tuk-tuk” radio (stripped down but very functional). It also announced the world premiere of Starwaves W293BT receiver, available now upon orders.

So, DRM is making great strides technically, geographically and in coming up with ingenious receiver solutions. To encourage as many digital radio practitioners, stakeholders and decisionmakers to embrace and implement digital radio, DRM, the consortium launched on Sept. 9 its own new video, “DRM — From Broadcaster to Listener.”

 

The post DRM Advanced Radio for All appeared first on Radio World.

Ruxandra Obreja

WorldCast Introduces APTmpX

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
APT IP codec promo image

WorldCast Systems has a new offering that it says will give FM broadcasters access to high-quality signal compression for FM MPX/Composite transmission.

“APTmpX is the world’s first and only MPX/composite algorithm to save network bandwidth without deconstructing the original composite signal,” it states in a release.

WorldCast described it as “a new compression format to transmit your high-quality composed signal at even lower bit rates, under 1 Mbps.”

It is available in MPX/composite-compatible APT IP codecs.

The manufacturer said advancements in recent years have eliminated much of the equipment once required to generate an MPX/composite signal. More recently, a single central processor assures consistent audio signature across a transmitter network.

WorldCast Systems graphic

“However, before APTmpX, there remained one challenge: how to manage the relatively high IP data rate of a composite signal without affecting the MPX/composite transmission,” the company wrote.

“APTmpX not only enhances our portfolio for MPX solutions, but also marks a milestone in the transition to an MPX/composite environment,” said APT Product Manager Hartmut Foerster in the announcement.

He said users benefit from lower hardware and distribution costs.

 

The post WorldCast Introduces APTmpX appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

For most AM/FM stations, getting listeners to utilize their online stream remains a challenge, according to The Infinite Dial’s report. When asked whether they listened to online audio in the past week, responses ranged from a high of 82% for sports listeners, to a low 39% for those who regularly tune in classic hits.

[Read: Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio?]

 When those same listeners were asked how often they listened to AM/FM radio online, the percentages drop significantly. The report stated that sports listeners still lead, but with 45%. Next comes R&B with 28%, while news/talk, alternative rock and hard rock/heavy metal are in a three-way tie for third with 26%. Bringing up the rear is classic hits with 11%. This disparity is a bit of a mystery, and no explanations are offered in The Infinite Dial’s report.

In some instances, there is a difference in the number of commercials aired on radio and online media, and The Infinite Dial’s report sought to determine how important hearing few/no commercials is to choosing online audio. Leading the pack, according to the report, are hard rock/heavy metal listeners, of whom 64% said few/no commercials was the only reason for listening to music online. 23% of this group said it was not a reason for choosing online audio.

Almost evenly divided on the matter are hip-hop/rap listeners, where the survey showed that 39% say no commercials are the only reason to listen to online audio, 38% say it’s not a factor in online listening, and 23% say it’s an important reason, but not the only one. At the other end of the spectrum are contemporary Christian listeners, where the report says 38% find few/no commercials a reason to tune in online, and 56% say it is not a reason.

AM/FM radio has traditionally been considered a top source for music discovery. According to this research, it still is, but it now shares the lead with YouTube and friends/family. The research also suggests that YouTube is the wild card, as its adoption defies the expected radio format and age boundaries. Trailing behind as a source for music discovery in most categories are Spotify, SiriusXM and Pandora.

 

The post Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership appeared first on Radio World.

Tom Vernon

iHeart Launches Sports Network

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

Greg Ashlock calls iHeartMedia’s newest offering a “product-driven network.”

The president of iHeartMedia Markets Group was talking about the iHeartSports Network that launched today.

“People are passionate about sports and this will deliver the timely regional and local coverage they care most about along with the biggest national stories,” Ashlock said in the announcement.

The network — also referred to as IHSN in the press release — will provide content to some 500 stations and their digital streams.

Almost exactly a year ago, the company launched an iHeartRadio Sports website.

“IHSN will deliver short-form national, regional local sports reports to listeners on formats that index high against sports interest, including rock, country, hip hop, class hits, news, talk and sports,” the company said.

Talent to be heard on the network include Cris Collinsworth, Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick and Joy Taylor.

The company cited research from Scarborough that 83 percent of sports fans want a daily update, and from Nielsen that 89 percent of sports fans listen to radio each week.

“Research also indicates that almost two-thirds of sports fans do not have the time to seek out additional desired information.”

The post iHeart Launches Sports Network appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

History and Mic Hygiene Are on AES Show Agenda

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

Microphone hygiene and IP at the BBC are among the topics on the agenda for the Broadcast and Online Delivery track of the upcoming AES Show, which will be held virtually.

There’s also a healthy dollop of radio history, appropriate in this centennial year for radio.

Show planners released these highlights:

“Practical Tips for Using Digital Audio in a 2110 Facility” will explore IP architecture and the SMPTE ST 2110 media networking protocol, of which the Audio Engineering Society’s AES3 and AES67 standards are components. Moderator Andy Butler of PBS will host Wesley D. Simpson (telecom product consultant), Robert Welch (technical solutions lead, Arista Networks) and Peter Wharton (principal consultant, Happy Robot Inc.).

“Pass the Mic” will celebrate the 100th anniversary of radio broadcasting and its innovations with host veteran radio engineer John Holt.

[For News on Other Shows See Our Show News Page]

“A Century of Radio: What You May Not Know About the History of Broadcasting” features Donna Halper of Lesley University and Barry Mishkind of Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource sharing “surprising facts about broadcast history” and dispelling some cherished myths.

“Stay Safe: Disinfecting Microphones in the time of COVID-19” is presented by David Prentice.

“Podcasts: Telling Stories with Sound” has Rob Byers of American Public Media hosting designers/composers Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda of Revel as well as podcast series reporter/producers Laura Starecheski and Ike Sriskandarajah.

The AES Show usually includes facility tours; this year there are two: “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Broadcasting House Studio,” led by Jamie Laundon, and “A Virtual Tour and Discussion: BBC Wales — Cardiff Central Square IP-based Broadcast Facility,” with Adrian Wisbey.

The Broadcast and Online Delivery Track has been led David Bialik for 36 years.

Show info is at AESShow.com. Full all-access registration starts at $149. Free AES Show 2020 Showcase registration is free before October 1.

 

The post History and Mic Hygiene Are on AES Show Agenda appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

A New Frequency for L’essentiel Radio

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
The L’essentiel Radio Transmission Tower

These photos provided by Broadcasting Center Europe are from its project to install a new transmitter for L’essentiel Radio, adding a signal at 103.4 MHz for the French-language service in Luxembourg.

BCE is a European provider of media services, integration and software. The installation is in the small town of Blaschette in central Luxembourg.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“Since 2016, BCE has supported the French-speaking radio station with the integration of its studios, transmitters and antennas,” the company announced. “L’essentiel Radio has increased its country coverage with the launch of new frequencies in Rambrouch, Junglinster, Ettelbruck and Remich.”

The national radio service is now available on seven FM frequencies.

Eugène Muller is head of transmissions at BCE. Emmanuel Fleig is manager at L’essentiel Radio.

L’essentiel Radio is also planning tests of the DAB+ platform.

Send news of radio broadcast projects (studios, RF, TOCs/NOCs, etc.) to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post A New Frequency for L’essentiel Radio appeared first on Radio World.

RW Staff

How Michael Bolton Can Be 300 Times Worse

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
Screen grab of the YouTube video described below, taken after 140 generations.

Dan Slentz has been trolling the internet again.

This time he has come across a very interesting audio clip on YouTube. “Nickd2011” took an MP3 recording of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and compressed it up to 300 times.

Nick reminds us that every time an MP3 is recompressed, some of the audio is thrown away. In his example, Nick opened a FLAC file of the song in Adobe Audition, then saved it as a 128k MP3.

He then opened the MP3 he just saved, and resaved it as a 128k MP3 with a new file name. Nick repeated that process 300 times.

When you listen to the fifth generation you’ll notice artifacts in the audio. By the 10th, the audio sounds terrible. And with each subsequent compression, the audio quality only gets worse.

Nick compares the degradation to the game of “Telephone” in which a large group of people line up and the first person whispers something to the second person, who whispers it to the third and so on. By the time the message gets to the last person, the meaning would have changed.

A similar process happens when an MP3 file gets compressed over and over. Each generation introduces new artifacts in the audio, as the decoder imperfectly approximates what audio was thrown away. Wait till you hear the 300th generation!

This is a great clip to share with your programming folks. Find it here.

Sniffing for leaks

Amprobe probably is most familiar to broadcast engineers for its line of clamp-on ammeters the company builds. Their innovation doesn’t stop there, however.

The company has developed an ultrasonic leak detector to help troubleshoot leaks. Initially designed for air conditioning technicians, this probe also can be used to sense nitrogen or other gas leaks in pressurized transmission line.

The ULD-420 has a frequency range from 20 kHz to 90 kHz, the optimal range for detecting a variety of leaks. Three switchable filters help remove noise frequencies in noisy environments, and a headphone output is provided.

The tool runs about $1,000 on Amazon, so it may be better suited for group broadcaster purchase. You can find out more at the Amprobe website www.amprobe.com.

Coming up the end of this month, Amprobe is sponsoring a webinar on using the ULD-420 for leak detection. Register at www.amprobe.com/webinars.

Tiny bubbles

Looking for a less expensive means of leak detection? Radio World Technical Advisor and veteran engineer Tom McGinley reminded me of a simpler method: a bottle of soapsuds.

Even dishwashing liquid cut with water will work. Put it in a spray bottle and spray your connections and junctions of nitrogen tubing with the soapy water. If there’s a leak, little bubbles will appear at the leaky junction. Wipe the water off and tighten the connection.

Help the next engineer

I just presented a Generator Maintenance program for members of the SBE Mentor Program, which is designed to help broadcast engineers new to the field by partnering them with seasoned professionals. The goal is for the more-experienced person to share his or her gained knowledge, both empirical and practical, with someone new to the field.

Mentor Committee Chairman Chris Tarr says, “For the seasoned mentor, it’s a chance to give something back. For the freshman mentee, it’s an ideal way to gain inside knowledge and understanding that can sometime take years to accumulate.”

Program participants also are invited to join the SBE Mentor Group on the SBE Facebook page. This is a member-only benefit. Mentor program participants also receive monthly newsletters and have access to a special Mentor program quarterly webinar series.

Interested in learning more? Contact Education Director Cathy Orosz at corosz@sbe.org or 317-846-9000.

We’re hooked!

BGS Sales Associate Mary Schnelle sent us this photo. It’s a view of the underside of an interview table installed at WTOP in Washington by Rob Goldberg and RadioDNA last fall.

Just a simple hook intended for holding headphones. The hook quickly morphed into another use as a place for guests to hang their purses (or murses). Off the floor and easily within reach!

John Bisset has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification, and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post How Michael Bolton Can Be 300 Times Worse appeared first on Radio World.

John Bisset

Community Broadcaster: Inclusive Service Is the Future

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

The noncommercial media industry groups Public Radio Program Directors and Public Media Journalists Association hosted a joint conference virtually. One showcase featured a powerful initiative in public radio’s search for new audiences.

In 2015, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting launched its support of efforts to develop a new music format for noncommercial radio. What emerged was urban alternative, aimed at drawing a younger, multicultural audience to public media.

The graying of public radio has been a concern for many years, though podcasting, led by NPR in the public media sphere, has changed many of these perceptions. Diversity has been an ongoing concern, however. Urban alternative’s potential in this regard is tremendous.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Four Election Day Issues to Avoid]

While noncommercial radio has many successful music formatted stations — think KEXP, WXPN and KCRW — none are explicitly focused on making noncommercial media a draw to multicultural audiences. Thanks to champions like Mike Henry and CPB Vice President for Radio Jacquie Gales Webb, you can now tune in to one of a handful of urban alternative stations and hear one of public media’s boldest experiments in decades.

Turn on The Drop, featured on HD at Denver’s KUVO, and you’ll catch emerging mainstream hip-hop blended with classics, cutting-edge soul and lively conversation. Houston KTSU has just unveiled the Vibe as its digital channel. To ensure success, the Texas Southern University station has introduced Ben Thompson as content director. Thompson is best-known as Madd Hatta, a Houston hip-hop radio luminary who was program director and morning show host at KBXX, the city’s top-rated station for nearly his whole 20+-year run. Elsewhere, urban alternative endeavors are showing promise, too.

The next great chapter for urban alternative will be securing commitments for FM broadcast. Thus far, HD and other secondary bands have been its home. Considering the a new full-power noncommercial license window is on the way, could there be a possibility for an urban alternative-born terrestrial broadcaster? Many media groups, including the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, are stepping up to educate aspiring station operators about their options.

The positive growth of urban alternative is a crucial opening for those of us in noncommercial radio to have some needed discussion about audience engagement. For more than a generation, public media’s story has been, implicitly as well as openly, about “super serving” its core audience — mostly educated, mostly white, mostly older, mostly middle class to wealthy. The suggestion has been that, by providing quality content to this listener, a station was by extension serving listeners who were younger and less white and wealthy.

But, as we are seeing from controversies across public media, such as the recent implosions at Minnesota Public Radio and St. Louis Public Radio, the generic approach is getting internal and external pushback. Super service does not necessarily mean inclusive service. CPB’s recognition that stations should foster relationships with nontraditional audiences is gratifying. One can hope that such innovative approaches empower others to have discussions about engagement, and about acting for our future.

The post Community Broadcaster: Inclusive Service Is the Future appeared first on Radio World.

Ernesto Aguilar

College Stations Need Help With Online Public Files

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
Jeff Marks

The author of this commentary is a career broadcaster and a consultant to Widelity Corp. The company recently launched an outsource service to help stations maintain compliance with FCC Online Public Information Files requirements.

College students have a habit of graduating and moving on.

So, this year’s student manager at the campus radio station is gone next year and someone else is in charge for one school year.

Widelity’s informal survey of student-run radio stations shows that they are more likely to be in violation of FCC rules requiring online filings than are other non-commercial or commercial stations. It appears that the managers just don’t know to pay attention to the posting rules.

In most of these cases, nothing has been posted in their Issues and Programs folder since the requirement to post online started almost three years ago.

[Related: “Big Companies Settle With FCC on Online Public Files”]

Why would Widelity Corp., a company that derives its operating revenue by representing commercial radio and television stations, take on helping these chronically underfunded non-commercial stations to get current with their online responsibilities?

Widelity’s joint project with College Broadcasters Inc. seeks to educate these station leaders and to help them create systems so that the knowledge is passed on from year to year.

We have had success consulting radio and TV stations and MPVDs in the television repack, in the C-Band repack and in the online filing process, and this is an opportunity to help educate the next generation of broadcasters about their responsibilities.

Widelity and CBI believe that there is the possibility of finding an underwriting sponsor, so that the student-run stations can receive services paid for in exchange for on-air announcements.

COVID-19 changed everyone’s daily life, and the same is true for student-run radio stations. Station staff had to relocate, and most student-run stations were scrambling just to keep programming on the air. The Online Public Inspection Files process wasn’t on everyone’s “to do” list.

Widelity services will provide board members who oversee student-run stations the confidence that FCC compliance standards are being met as required.

Outsourcing these time-sensitive requirements to Widelity should provide peace of mind not only to the directors, but to the staff administrators as well. As students rotate in and out due to churn, Widelity is a constant that can be depended on to assist the new student staff with information about how to properly handle their station OPIF requirements, including the Issues and Programs quarterly reports.

It certainly is not in an educational institution’s best interest to have its station noncompliant and subject to an FCC fine. It also makes for bad public relations.

Our informal survey shows that FCC OPIF compliance is not part of many student-run stations’ curriculums. We are answering that need by creating a webinar that, in conjunction with College Broadcasters, Inc, will be available to student-run stations.

Because sometimes FCC rules change, we plan to be a continuous, reliable source of FCC compliance information to our client schools.

College broadcast leaders, whether student, staff and faculty, can reach out to us at Widelity for more information.

Radio World welcomes other points of view at radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post College Stations Need Help With Online Public Files appeared first on Radio World.

Jeff Marks

Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio?

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

What do sports radio listeners have in common with top 40 listeners? Not much, really. That’s according to the latest report from Edison Research The Infinite Dial series. It profiles listeners of 11 U.S. radio formats. The report goes on to give some granularity to these different listening audio behaviors.

Titled “Radio Listener Profiles,” this report focuses on weekly AM/FM radio listeners who reported listening most often to a radio station with one of the following formats: alternative rock, classic hits, classic rock, contemporary Christian, country, hard rock/heavy metal, hip-hop/rap, news/talk, R&B, sports and top 40.

[Read: Radio Listening Audiences Rebound Despite Pandemic Impact]

The thesis of Edison Research and Triton Digital’s report is that while formats are usually classified by the age and sex of their listeners, not all audio and audio device behaviors can be inferred along those lines. The report refers to the survey participants as P1 listeners.

Ownership of an in-home AM/FM radio continues to be a challenge for the industry, according to the report. Formats whose listeners are most likely to have a radio at home include classic hits, classic rock, country, hard rock/heavy metal, news/talk and sports. Those listeners likely lacking this appliance regularly tune in to alternative rock, contemporary Christian, hip-hop/rap and top 40. Positioned exactly between these two in terms of radio ownership are R&B listeners, representing the overall average.

According to the report, this loss of traditional home radio receivers is partially offset by the influx of smart speakers. Again, the report claims, the utilization of these new devices is not consistent across the board. Not surprisingly, it suggests that smart speaker adoption tracks pretty consistently with the formats which attract younger listeners. Those most likely to own a smart speaker tune in to alternative rock, hard rock/heavy metal, hip-hop/rap, R&B, sports and top 40. On the other hand, the report says, those holding on to their AM/FM radio prefer country, classic hits, classic rock, contemporary Christian and news/talk.

 

The post Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio? appeared first on Radio World.

Tom Vernon

Mark Persons Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement Award

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
Mark Persons

Only nine people had received the lifetime achievement award from the Society of Broadcast Engineers, until this week. Mark Persons becomes the 10th.

It was presented to Persons during an SBE online membership meeting and award ceremony.

Radio World is proud to share this news in part because Mark is a longtime contributor and valued member of the RW family. (You can read many of his recent tech tips and commentaries here.)

“The SBE John H. Battison Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes and pays tribute to individuals for their dedication, lifelong achievement and outstanding contribution to broadcast engineering,” the SBE wrote in its announcement.

Prior recipients are Benjamin Wolfe and James Wulliman (1995), Philo and Elma Farnsworth (1997), Morris Blum (1998), Richard Rudman (2002), Richard Burden (2005), John Battison (2006) and Terry Baun (2010).

Persons told SBE: “I never had a Plan B. I was always going to be a broadcast engineer, and that’s exactly how it came out.”

The event planners had to get clever to plan the presentation. They secretly contacted Paula Persons via the Brainerd, Minn., VFW to ship the plaque to her via a friend.

To ensure Mark Persons was online for the ceremonies, they then invited him as 2018 recipient of the SBE Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award, to be present for a cameo with other past winners. And during the online ceremony, Paula came into his office with the award.

[Related: “SBE Names Its New Executive Director”]

SBE provided this summary of his career:

“Mark, a life-long resident of Minnesota, followed in the footstep of his father, who was also a radio broadcast engineer. Mark started turning transmitter knobs more than 60 years ago. While reaching the rank of sergeant in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, Mark was in charge of an avionics repair shop for the OV-1 Mohawk high-tech surveillance aircraft in Vietnam.

“After his military service, he spent the next 10 years with KVBR radio in Brainerd, MN, where he became chief engineer. In 1977, he opened his own radio engineering consulting business, which he operated for the next 40 years. He married his wife Paula in 1978, and she became instrumental in running the business side of the business out of their home.

“Mark has been a respected engineer in Minnesota and the upper Midwest his entire career. He built 12 commercial AM and FM radio stations, and rebuilt, upgraded, maintained and repaired countless other radio stations for clients. He has endeavored to share his knowledge and experience with others in the field. He has written more than 140 articles that have appeared in industry magazines and made more than 25 speeches and presentations at industry conventions, conferences and meetings.”

Nominees are SBE members and have been active for 40 years or more in broadcast engineering or an allied field. Persons joined the SBE in 1981 and is now a life member. He holds three life certifications from the society.

Persons retired several years ago but is active in the SBE Mentor Program. He’s also a ham and a member of the American Legion, The VFW and Disabled American Veterans.

You can watch the replay of the membership meeting and awards ceremonies on the SBE YouTube channel.

As previously announced, RJ Russell received the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award. Fred Baumgartner and Roland Robinson received the James C. Wulliman SBE Educator of the Year award. New SBE Fellows Ralph Beaver and Jim Leifer were saluted.

[Related: “RJ Russell Is SBE’s Engineer of the Year”]

The post Mark Persons Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

“Next Best Thing” Tour on Mid-Atlantic Swing

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

The “Next Best Thing Media Tour” is rolling onward, having visited almost two dozen markets so far, and with a long list to go before it concludes around Thanksgiving time.

Greg Dahl

It’s a traveling outdoor equipment expo intended to help engineers and others see equipment or talk to vendors in person, in this year without an NAB Show. In some cases the visits coincide with SBE chapter meetings.

Stops for the week of Sept. 28 are Philadelphia, Baltimore, Raleigh and Charlotte. Major markets on the list and yet to be visited include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Atlanta.

Prime movers in the effort include Greg Dahl of Second Opinion Communication, Dave Kerstin of Broadcasters General Store and Jeff Williams of Yellowtec.

Companies with product and/or people taking part are American Recorders, Angry Audio, BDI, Broadcast Bionics, Broadcast Tools Inc., CANARE Corp. of America, CircuitWerkes, Comrex, DJB, ENCO Systems Inc., Graham Studios, Henry Engineering, Inovonics Inc., Kathrein Broadcast USA, Kintronic Labs, Masterclock, Inc, Myat, NotaBotYet, Radio Design Labs, Shoreview Distribution, Shure Incorporated, Sprite Media, Summit Technologies Group, Telos Alliance, Vclock, and WorldCast Group.

Dahl has said that the idea was inspired in part by the “Taste of NAB” tour that Larry Bloomfield conducted over several years.

The tour stops in four communities each week. The group photo above was taken this week in Cleveland.

Masks and hand sanitizer are available at each location. The organizers said equipment and surfaces are sanitized between interactions.

A link to the schedule is available at the Second Opinion Facebook page.

Traveling van of Second Opinion Communications.

 

The post “Next Best Thing” Tour on Mid-Atlantic Swing appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

FCC Decision to Nix Creation of New LPFM Class Gets Reactions

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

The National Association of Broadcasters is standing behind the Federal Communications Commission decision not to create a new class of low-power FM stations.

In a Report and Order issued earlier this year, the FCC concluded that it would not move to create a new class of 250-watt LPFM stations, known as the LP-250 service. The NAB agreed with the FCC in recently submitted comments, arguing that there is no reason for the FCC to create another class of service, governed by a different set of rules. Moreover, the association said, if an LPFM applicant or station wants to operate a 250-watt radio station, it can apply for a Class A license just like any other entity.

[Read: LPFM Stations Seek Technical Upgrades]

A formal Petition for Reconsideration was filed by a group of LPFM/NCE community radio engineer advocates as part of an FCC Report and Order on modernizing media regulations (formally known as Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 to Improve the Low Power FM Radio Service Technical Rules, Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket Nos. 19-193 and 17-105). Those commenters included Todd Urick with Common Frequency, Paul Bame with the Prometheus Radio Project and five other LPFM operators and engineers.

The group complained in its most recent filing that the FCC did not adequately acknowledge LPFM advocates’ concerns nor did it address numerous sentiments regarding the subject in the final FCC order. Specifically, the commenters argued that LP-250 is not in conflict with the Local Community Radio Act’s requirement regarding reducing minimum distance separations between LPFM and full-service stations. The commenters said that nothing in the commission’s reasoning within the order offer adequate enough rationale for denying the creation of an LP-250 service.

Rather, they said, the commission seemed to imply that the LP-250 issue required further study, which the commenters infer to mean that the commission intends to open a proceeding in the future to solicit various LP-250 proposals for stakeholders to contemplate. In addition, such a solicitation would also address LPFM operators’ concerns about low-power FM service deficiencies that curtail listener reception.

“There does not seem conclusive reasoning to not consider a LP-250 service,” the group said in its comments. “The commission has vastly assisted in relief concerning AM broadcasters failing coverage. Shouldn’t commensurate effort be extended to ameliorating LPFM coverage issues? [Plus,] there is certainly a demand for relief concerning LPFM interference/underpower concerns within the station’s 60 dBu contour of many LPFM stations.”

The NAB responded by saying the petitioners are only rehashing claims in support of LP-250 service that the FCC already fully considered. The petitioners also offer no new information about the burden on applicants of preparing contour studies and entirely ignore the impact on the FCC of having to review such studies, the NAB said. The association also said that although the text of the LCRA does not specifically cap LPFM power levels, the act does prohibit reduction of the minimum distance separations between LPFM and FM stations and that LP-250 supporters have not shown that LP250 service could be consistent with these spacing requirements.

“Petitioners urge the FCC to relitigate its view of the LCRA, but do not offer any additional facts or policy reasons,” the NAB said. “The FCC has repeatedly and consistently spoken on this matter, and while petitioners may disagree with the commission, the FCC’s approach is perfectly valid, thoughtful and requires deference.”

The NAB reminded the FCC that the group failed to provide new facts or new arguments in this subsequent round of comments, which is a necessary part of the process when the FCC considers reversing an earlier decision.

“As [the commenters are] well-aware, the act struck a careful balance between the interests of noncommercial entities for more licensing of LPFM stations with those of incumbent services for interference safeguards,” the NAB said in its comments. “Allowing LPFM stations to more than double their maximum power now, a decade later, would upend the careful balance that stakeholders forged at the time.”

Comments on the issue can be viewed within the FCC’s ECFS electronic database using Docket 17-105 or 19-193.

 

The post FCC Decision to Nix Creation of New LPFM Class Gets Reactions appeared first on Radio World.

Susan Ashworth

Xperi Partners With FM-world in Italy

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
A promotional image for the FM-world app.

DTS and its parent company Xperi said they’ve expanded DTS Connected Radio coverage in Italy by working with FM-world, a radio station streaming and aggregation platform.

DTS Connected Radio is a hybrid radio platform built around a database of broadcast metadata. Xperi says the platform is about to come to market in a number of 2021 vehicles. Hybrid systems combine over-the-air reception with internet connectivity to provide features like enhanced graphics, geo-targeting and data aggregation.

[Read: Xperi Highlights Its In-Cabin Monitoring Efforts]

FM-world — part of technology company Elenos, which also owns Broadcast Electronics — describes itself as “an ecosystem that lives around the radio.” Its activities include an online newspaper about radio and an app for radio listening that includes visual radio capabilities.

Under this agreement FM-world content will be integrated into the Xperi platform, feeding data and streams to the DTS Connected Radio system on behalf of its own Italian broadcast partners and other markets.

“The companies have completed and validated country-wide integration in Italy and will rapidly add more FM-world territories in other countries,” they announced.

The announcement was made by Gianluca Busi, CEO of FM-world, and Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president of radio at Xperi.

“FM-world will feed validated live, now-playing data, as well as station streaming services into DTS Connected Radio,” according to the announcement. “This collaboration will provide all FM-world’s broadcast clients with turnkey integration and presence in the DTS Connected Radio ecosystem.”

D’Angelo was quoted saying of FM-world: “Their unique position in Italy, and other markets, makes them an ideal partner as we work to revolutionize the in-car radio listening experience.”

Xperi recently completed its merger with Tivo. It is also the parent of HD Radio as well as DTS AutoSense, a line of car occupancy and driver monitoring systems.

 

The post Xperi Partners With FM-world in Italy appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

SBE Names Its New Executive Director

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago
James Ragsdale

James Ragsdale, a former finance executive at Anderson University in Indiana, will be the new executive director of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

When he comes on board in January, Ragsdale will be only the second full-time executive director of SBE.

He was chosen from a field of 28 candidates to succeed John Poray, who will step down at the end of 2020 after almost three decades. Poray gave the society a one-year heads up that he’d be leaving.

[Read: “SBE’s Poray to Retire in 2020”]

Ragsdale was the VP for finance at Anderson University, a private liberal arts school where he managed the operational budget; he was a member of the university president’s leadership team and oversaw the business office, human resources, physical plant, police and security, and auxiliary services.

Prior, Ragsdale was senior financial analyst at Ascension Technologies, where he managed the operational and capital budgets for Indiana Market and St. Vincent Health system. He also was treasurer and controller at Church of God Ministries and practice administrator at Anderson Family Practice Associates.

John Poray

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in business management and public affairs at what was then called Anderson College; he has a masters of business administration in finance from Indiana University.

The SBE board approved the appointment following a meeting Tuesday.

Society President Wayne Pecena thanked the people involved in the search effort including Past President Joe Snelson, who led the search committee.

The non-profit professional society is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has approximately 5,000 members and 114 local chapters.

John Poray was SBE’s first full-time executive director and has been with the society since 1992. He began his career in with the Boy Scouts of America’s Central Ohio Council and went on to work for Kiwanis International, The Apartment Association of Indiana and The Columbus Apartment Association.

The post SBE Names Its New Executive Director appeared first on Radio World.

Paul McLane

NAB Launches Campaign Celebrating the First Amendment

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

Our First Amendment freedoms are an essential part of our democracy and the National Association of Broadcasters wants to celebrate that.

The NAB announced the launch of a campaign celebrating the First Amendment and its guarantee of free speech and the press. The campaign — which is being hosted at WeAreBroadcasters.com — provides a toolkit with on-air and digital resources to help media professionals, policymakers and the public celebrate the First Amendment.

[Read: NAB Ad Campaign Emphasizes Local Broadcasting]

“America’s founders, in their infinite wisdom, understood that our country could not long survive without a free press that could report the facts and deliver their opinions without fear or favor,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith in a statement. “NAB celebrates this enduring principle that has kept our communities informed and engaged since our nation’s early days, and we honor the ongoing work of the press in preserving our democracy.”

The campaign coincides with the 231st anniversary of congressional passage of 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution that were sent to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were eventually adopted as the Bill of Rights — the First Amendment provided the freedom of religion, speech, the press and the right of assembly.

The NAB created a series of radio and TV spots for broadcasters available in English and Spanish. The resources include an interactive timeline of key First Amendment moments in history, shareable video and social media posts, on-air talking points, and a listing of association, organizations and partners that defend and support the First Amendment.

 

The post NAB Launches Campaign Celebrating the First Amendment appeared first on Radio World.

Susan Ashworth

NextKast Has Licensed Version Option

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

Axis Entertainment Inc., has released its latest NextKast Broadcast automation, Terrestrial License. The latest automation offering has evolved over the last few years as the software adds more terrestrial customers looking for an intuitive software with the power to run FM, AM, and HD radio stations at an affordable cost.

Some of the features include Natural Log, Marketron, and other traffic merging; Advanced Nexus Integration with Music Master; ability to import external logs from most other music scheduling programs; enhanced live assist screen with track search on second screen; current hour remote and in studio voice tracking; advanced playlist macros; and much more. TCP and cloud-based voice tracking is available for PC, and cloud-based voice tracking on MacOS.

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

The scheduler includes features like multipass scheduling (giving power categories artist separation bias), granular hourly mood/feature/gender flow, daypart sectioning for evenly distributing songs in different dayparts, date and time track restrictions, and more.

Hardware triggering is achieved using serial connection either USB or RS-232 using the Broadcast Tools relay boards like the SRC-16 Plus or SRC-4. The software can run well in a virtual server environment because of its minimal CPU and memory requirements. It has been time tested running in the Telos Alliance Axia IP-Audio Driver environment.

The new affiliate mode allows one main studio instance generating music and voice tracking, while affiliate stations have control of local commercials, imaging and station IDs. The end result is each affiliate’s imaging and commercials are unique to that station but voice tracks and music are shared, eliminating satellite or remote triggering scenarios. NextKast Broadcast version now also integrates closely with syndicated content providers such as local radio networks and others.

Info: www.nextkast.com

 

The post NextKast Has Licensed Version Option appeared first on Radio World.

RW Staff

Perspectives of a Fly in the Milk 2020

Radio World
4 years 7 months ago

The author of this commentary is chief engineer for Entercom Communications station WIP(FM) in Philadelphia.

Ben Hill

I wrote an opinion piece in Radio World almost 20 years ago that I headlined “Fly in the Milk,” hoping to draw attention to the lack of opportunity for minorities in U.S. radio engineering. The issue didn’t gather much steam.

Today, much national attention is focused on racial issues. Recent stories in Radio World have been exploring the professional experiences of Black radio engineers. It seems a good time to update my earlier commentary and share my own.

Getting here

Dr. King’s work nationally, and local civil rights efforts in my city, certainly influenced me growing up. It was North Philadelphia and the 1960s. Police and parents were on the same page for “law and order.”

It seemed a time of innocence; and then came the Vietnam War. Everything changed.

Growing up a young Black person in America, the pressure can be intense; but my mother never allowed us to wallow in self-pity or to be afraid to venture out in the world and accomplish things. There was no playing the race card. But we had to stand up for ourselves.

My family had a lot of dignity and grace, since most of my relatives were housekeepers, maids and butlers. My high school was 90% white, and there were heavy racial tensions and fights.

I couldn’t wait to get out of there. No proms or sports really; it wasn’t good to be around after school. I was busy tinkering and trying to fix broken mechanical and electric appliances.

As a kid I could fix things, especially electronic items; I was working on radios and TVs by the age of 14. I attended a tech trade school for electronics that nurtured and taught me. The school was 50% black in the student body, which helped me to fit into it.

My professor Mr. Wortham told us, “Boys, you will learn all the technical stuff you will need; but dealing with people and co-workers? That will be a bigger challenge for you.” Boy he was right.

A couple of electronic repair jobs brought in some income but I was bored. I liked radio. I liked to play on-air radio contests; and I won a lot.

My radio career began because a morning show host wanted employees who looked like the predominately Black audience the station served. A noble cause indeed! A friend of mine told me about the job. I went to work at WHAT, a 1 kW AM station in Philadelphia. It was a crazy exciting place. The FM was WWDB.

This lasted about a year before I was let go; why I don’t know. Someone else was hired to replace me who wasn’t Black; but he was a good engineer, I was told.

I interviewed for jobs but didn’t get them. I knew things weren’t right because some of the interviews didn’t include a tour of the facility, no in-depth questions on my technical ability and not even eye contact in some cases.

But I also was interviewed and given a test by the legendary engineer Glynn Walden at KYW. He said I was very good; but he wasn’t hiring me because the job was a board operator position, and he said I was better than that. He told me to find an engineering job. He was right. Thanks Glynn!

Always back to radio

These interviews took me all over the Philly and New Jersey area. Meanwhile I taught broadcast electronics for the First Class engineering license. I had gotten mine by passing the tests for the Third, Second and then the First, which later became a General license.

I met a guy teaching at the school who’d heard that a job was open at a 1 kW station in Camden, WSSJ(AM). I applied. The African-American owner told me I was the only Black candidate he’d seen; he asked an engineering friend to interview me, not a radio guy but a nice person, and I was hired that day.

At WSSJ we built new studios and had to rebuild the transmitter site after an arson fire. The station was sold within two years. I decided to leave and take another teaching assignment at a trade school for electronics. Officially done with the radio business — I had had it! I was frustrated again; the career in radio didn’t seem to be happening.

This chapter went well, and I actually relearned electronics by teaching it, especially RF electronics. But a friend called me and said there were a couple of radio engineering jobs open in Philly.

I interviewed at the WSNI(FM)/WPGR(AM) combo. I got the job. The manager said that he liked that I came to the interview with my suit jacket over my arm and my sleeves rolled (it was a hot day). They took me right in as soon as I arrived.

We clicked the day I became chief at those stations, dealing with high-power FM and a 50 kW AM.

From there and over 40 years I have prospered at some of the biggest and best stations in the Philly area.

And I did eventually get to work for Glynn Walden, at WIP and KYW Newsradio for CBS Radio, which had been a dream job.

Creating positive culture

I’ve been known as something of a Radio Mr. Fix It, but I try to be more than that, remembering Mr. Wortham’s advice about people.

I walk around the station several times in the morning to make sure all is good — with the facility, but also with my co-workers. Someone’s memory is jogged by seeing me walk by. I get early warning of an impending issue. I ask not only “What else needs fixing” but also “How is your family?”

A friendly approach is always better than the alternative. Mom used to say you get more with a cup of sugar than a bowl of salt.

I tried to create a culture, a way to let young board ops and DJs and announcers know that someone was looking out for them. If they needed a pair of headphones or advice on building a home studio. Or cooking BBQ or one of my famous fish fries.

My friendly approach helped so much with making friends in a White world that was so different to the one I grew up in. Positive attitude and uplifting approach, even when I was not happy or pleased with the situation, really made a difference for me. No one was going to accuse me of a bad attitude or a chip on my shoulder.

I have wondered over the years how I was regarded by my engineering peers. I always felt concerned to fit in and be recognized as competent and knowledgeable, like they were. Not a token. Black.

This wondering — about whether we fit in or will be accepted — is added pressure we have to cope with daily.

Start with education

I have not seen a lot of racism but I’ve seen racial bias. I have heard the question in a crowd, “Who is the chief?” and seen their surprise when I identified myself. I’ve been at a convention and had someone think I couldn’t comprehend or understand how antennas or transmitters work.

Also I questioned why I could never seem to get a promotion. A dear friend, an industry stalwart who is White, told me, “They prefer to hire and promote those who look like them.” I appreciate him for telling me that. (This was not the 1970s or ’80s but far more recently.) He personally didn’t hire that way, saying he felt diversity was important for all of us.

I think that my Black peers — the few I know and with whom I’ve spoken about this — are well aware of the spotlight on us to succeed. Our mere presence in this radio world is a great thing because we are succeeding and benefiting. It has always been a form of protest to me, my presence.

But there are no new Black engineers coming along. Maybe in western and southern cities, but I haven’t seen it in the north. There have been some IT pros and some remote engineering guys I have met. Not many.

What to do about it?

Discussion on race as with any discussion needs to be followed with action plans. We need every major learning center in this country to open their doors with scholarships and grants to allow young Blacks and Latinos to attend college or trade school.

This would go a long way to helping young people find their way. We need to use our schools and universities as training and “melting pots,” learning from each other while we learn our particular craft.

And radio and TV companies should hire young people to fill their empty studios and buildings, especially at night. Where will the future radio DJs and workforce come from if we keep automating and cutting people?

The most startling fact I’ve heard about population lately is there are more young people under the age of 30 living on this planet than ever. They need guidance and mentors and education.

Removing the names of former presidents’ from buildings because of their racial misdeeds is good, I guess. But these universities need to make tuition free, especially at state-funded schools. Offer free education to young inner-city youth. Support inner-city schools, especially high schools and top-performing charter schools.

President Kennedy once said “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”

I would amend that to “What more can I do to help my country?” Help young people succeed by mentoring, educating and offering them an alternative to the negatives they see.

I had the same encouragement and it worked for me.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

[Related: “Is Diversity in U.S. Radio Engineering Possible?”]

The post Perspectives of a Fly in the Milk 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

Ben Hill

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