Radio World

WGN Radio is celebrating its 100 anniversary throughout the month of May with a series of events and a documentary release.

Dating back to 1922, WGN was created by Thorne Donnelley and Elliott Jenkins, both Chicago natives and radio enthusiasts. The duo first started broadcasting from the Wrigley Building with their experimental station named WDAP. Its call letters were soon changed to WGN two years later when Col. Robert McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, acquired the station. Now, WGN is owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

In addition to the famous Wrigley Building, over the years, the station has been headquartered at several other notable Chicago landmarks including The Drake Hotel and Tribune Tower.

To celebrate its centennial, WGN will debut the documentary “100 Years of WGN Radio: A Retrospective,” this Thursday, May 19. The 45-minute documentary, produced in-house, expands on the radio station’s history from its inception to present.

Other events this month include the launch of a special edition birthday lager, exclusive station broadcasts for the Indianapolis 500 and a long list of history segments. Plus, a resolution from the the State of Illinois and City of Chicago honoring WGN.

For a more detailed timeline on the station’s 100-year history and event details, visit WGN’s website.

The post Chicago’s WGN Radio Celebrates 100 Years On Air appeared first on Radio World.

Managers of radio stations, houses of worship, universities and corporate and government meeting rooms all face the question, “How can we effectively disinfect our microphones after an event?”

iSEMcon, which is in the “front of house” business, recently introduced the Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector. It uses controlled exposure to ultraviolet light (UV-C) to kill over 99% of bacteria and viruses on microphone surfaces, metal grilles and the windscreens underneath. 

It’s a rugged product, designed by live event touring professionals and mounted in a 19-inch, 3RU rackmount format. Load up to three microphones or several lavalier or headset microphones, headsets or belt packs, close the drawer, and press “Start.” Disinfection takes 12 minutes or less.

The Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is available online. It lists for $1,599. The company is based in Germany and has an office in Ohio; general info can be found here. 

The company notes that the simple operation of this device speeds a job that’s critical in today’s environment. We’re not completely out of the woods with respect to COVID-19; and even when we get there, microphone hygiene will remain important. 

The Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector uses UV-C light to disinfect the mics.

Many arms, light work

In the Feb. 15 Workbench, we discussed a useful circuit called an Octopus. Its purpose is to analyze components while they are in a circuit. 

Longtime Workbench friend Paul Sagi first encountered the Octopus years ago in Popular Electronics magazine. At one of his first radio station jobs, he had to repair numerous switched-mode power supplies, as are found in everything from transmitters to audio processors and network gear.

The most common failure components were capacitors followed by MOSFETs, ICs and other semiconductors; Paul found that inductors almost never failed.

Removing components from a printed circuit board was a nuisance, so Paul used signal injection and an Octopus to find faulty capacitors and the rare faulty inductor.  

Paul fed a 100 kHz sine wave, 200 mV peak into the components. Those specs avoided having the semiconductor junctions respond to the test signal. By the angle of the trace on the oscilloscope, Paul could measure the equivalent series resistance of the capacitor; an ESR of less than 0.1 Ohms usually indicates a good electrolytic capacitor, as does an ellipse.

Take DAT!

Buried away in your storage closet may be a defective Digital Audio Tape machine or two. Before you toss these finicky machines, Paul passes on a document from Eddie Ciletti that describes machine repair tips for Sony and Panasonic DAT models. Find it here.

Bright ideas from Darkwood

Projects engineer Dan Slentz found a neat site that has a variety of Windows freeware, developed by Paul Marshall of Darkwood Designs using Borland Delphi. 

Offerings includes individual and multiple volume metering indicators, a dB graphical display of audio frequencies, an audio tone generator and a jpeg image cropper. 

On the company’s website, click on “More PC Software.”

[Check Out More of Workbench Here]

More free posters

Tektronix has put together a couple of interesting posters showing the fundamentals of oscilloscopes. The posters are in color and free to download. Head over to tektronix.com for “Anatomy of an oscilloscope” and “Basic features and functions of an oscilloscope.” 

The posters provide a good review for seasoned engineers as well as an excellent training tool for the entry-level engineer; and they will liven up your office.

Let’s go to the tape

If you work with conduit or rigid transmission line, take a look at the T1 Tomahawk Digital Tape Measure. 

This is the tape measure for all measurements! It has a physical tape plus an OLED measurement display; and its ROCK Measuring App allows the T1 to synchronize any measurements with your iOS or Android phone. 

The display can be zeroed from any position, regardless of the amount of conventional measuring tape extended. A special bracket will hold a pencil or a Sharpie (or similar brand) marker. There is a side-mounted “E-paper” feature that records an unlimited number of measurements — no more writing the measurements down on a piece of paper! Measurements are recorded electronically on the T1.

The Tomahawk Digital Tape Measure

The T1 Tomahawk Digital Tape Measure also includes a high-visibility green laser. 

There’s a good video about it on YouTube.

This tool is not cheap, listing for around $250, but judging from the reviews on the Reekon Tools website, the time savings and accuracy may make it a worthwhile investment. 

John Bisset, CPBE, has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is in his 33nd year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.  

The post Freshen Your Mics With Li.LAC appeared first on Radio World.

This story appeared in the Radio World ebook “Spectacular Radio Studios.”

The Athletic Department at the University of Nebraska became the first major U.S. college athletic department to bring its multimedia operation fully in house, starting with the 2021–22 sports season. Part of the challenge was to bring up a statewide radio network on a very short timeline.

Director of Broadcast Operations Mike Elliott said the new facilities serve the Huskers Radio Network, with its 50+ radio stations across the Midwest, plus internet audio broadcasts across the world on Huskers.com and the official Husker App.

“This was not your typical radio station operation with ‘studios,’” Elliott said. 

“The Huskers Radio Network had to be built to support up to four simultaneous live Husker sporting event broadcasts to terrestrial radio affiliates, with up to eight live simultaneous internet radio streams of live Husker sporting events and programming.”

The network has the capability to send a live video stream of the network’s “Sports Nightly” talk show, heard on more than two dozen terrestrial radio affiliates, plus internet radio streams and free live video streams on YouTube, Huskers.com and the app. The show produces audio and video two hours a day, five nights a week, 52 weeks a year.

The Broadcast Operations Center has five live event production pods. Video can be ingested from any Husker Athletics venue, and audio from anywhere across the globe.

“Private video capability with ultra low latency — under half a second — is part of the Broadcast Center to accommodate non-traveling, COVID-safe broadcasting of any home or road game, with talent in isolated studios and/or offsite locations around the country,” Elliott said. “All audio connectivity to remote sites was using Tieline technology and products.”

At work in the Huskers Radio Network Broadcast Center

Bilingual broadcasts of all Husker Football games was a requirement of the facility, utilizing announcers at remote sites, often different remote sites for every game.

Elliott designed and built the Broadcast Operations Center and all REMI systems, with support from various Husker Athletics departments. 

“When Nebraska Athletics made the decision to bring their radio operation in house, they asked me to join the Athletic Department as Director of Broadcast Operations,” he said. “Initially that was system design, RFPs, buildout, testing, and training of all staff to operate and produce Husker broadcasts.”

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Elliott said the department took an unusual approach to producing road game radio broadcasts.

“Instead of sending producers and engineers to remote sites, we designed a radio version of the TV remote integration, or REMI, model. We send on-air talent to road games but do not send production or engineering staff. Using Tieline Gateway and Via codecs and their Cloud Codec Controller technology, a simple road kit travels. Each and every road game announcer microphone is individually returned to our Broadcast Operations Center. Each and every road talent has their own individual IFB mix to the broadcast operations center production team. 

“Every remote game-site talent — play by play, color, stats, even the sideline reporter — appear on individual ‘pots’ on the Husker Broadcast Center pod assigned to that game,” he continued. 

A producer position to monitor and operate the HDVMixer video production system

“With Wheatstone LXE and AoIP technology, we can easily generate custom mixes, and adjust any needed audio processing for each and every road game microphone while mixing at the Huskers Broadcast Center.”

For example, if the color announcer wanted to hear more nat sound, that’s handled at the broadcast center. Included in the return feeds are various nat sound feeds from the remote venue. 

“Furthermore, all of these feeds are also available to mix into the Spanish broadcast, with the Spanish broadcasters at another remote site.”

They use MaxxKonnect Wireless for automatic failover connectivity to the REMI road kit, with stadium Ethernet as the primary. 

“Using the Tieline CCC we had full monitoring and control of the Tieline equipment at the game site, no matter what IP patch the signals were taking.”

Setup at the remote site, he said, is simple. “Plug in Ethernet from the venue. Plug in headsets. Mount the antennas for the sideline reporter wireless. Power the kit up and the Huskers Broadcast Center takes over from there via Tieline CCC and VPN connectivity to the REMI kit.”

Given changes coming to satellite distribution, Elliott continued, the school decided not to set up a satellite uplink to distribute the network, as had been done in the past.

“We elected to not invest in a satellite system, instead to design and implement an independent redundant IP-based radio network audio and control distribution system. I designed a system using Barix hardware with full dual-provider redundancy, which has proven to be an excellent distribution system to all terrestrial network affiliates.”

Tieline and WheatNet equipment is visible in the rack area

The timeline to complete this project was remarkable, especially given current supply chain challenges.

“The decision to bring the radio network operation in house at Husker Athletics was finalized in the early second quarter of 2021,” Elliott said. 

“System design had to occur in record time, with RFPs in place for all interested bidders through the University of Nebraska public bidding process. RFPs were posted, bids accepted and reviewed, and bids awarded in the second quarter of 2021.”

Key technology components include the Tieline Gateway, Via, Cloud Codec Controller and ReportIT systems; Wheatstone WheatNet, LXE surfaces and StreamBlades; HDVMixer video technology; Telos VX Prime VoIP phone system; Barix codecs; and RCS Zetta automation. Dealer Broadcast Supply Worldwide provided much of the equipment.

Most of the products arrived at the stadium loading dock on May 27, which Elliott called “a herculean effort” by the suppliers. 

“Our first live radio network broadcast from the new Huskers Broadcast Center was June 28, 2021 — that’s from a completely open space on May 27, to a complete live radio and video production/live studio facility, including IP radio network distribution to 50+ sites, live video and audio streaming, full automation signaling to affiliates and training production staff. 

“Then over the next month we built and prepared for all live game-site production with our new radio REMI model of no traveling producers or engineers.”

The post Go Big Red: A New Radio Network for the Huskers appeared first on Radio World.

Last week’s release of TechSurvey 2022 shows the rise in popularity of digital audio and its role in the listening habits of the survey’s respondents, especially among younger radio listeners. 

Survey data shows the percent of time core radio listeners spent with their P1 station through a traditional manner with a radio — either in the car, at home, work or school — is 61%, while digital accounts for 35% of listening. 

That data has mirrored itself the past two surveys, according to Jacobs Media, but the gap has narrowed over the past decade. In 2013 it was 85% traditional listening and 14% digital via an Internet stream or mobile app.

“You can see the trajectories very clearly and where we are headed. Every year it seems digital becomes just a little more important while traditional listening is dropping, said Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media. 

Age difference also impacts how TechSurvey participants are listening to the radio. Last week’s online presentation shows Baby Boomers listen to radio by traditional means at 66% and digital 31%. Meanwhile, Millenials are listening on a regular radio at home, work, school or in the car at 53% and digital plots the graph at 42%.

“So Millenials are way lest likely to have a traditional radio in those traditional areas,” Jacobs said. “It’s when you start looking at generations that you can really see the listening difference. Gen Z is beginning to challenge traditional listening and digital. A 49% to 42% split between traditional and digital.”

Jacobs says broadcasters forging a digital strategy and meeting listeners where they want to listen is crucial.   

Techsurvey 2022 includes a media usage pyramid that reflects compilation data collected in early 2022 from survey respondents. AM/FM radio usage was down a couple of percent from 2021 levels. Audio streaming was down a bit but Smart Speaker and Smartphone usage was flat while use of hearables, things like Airpods and Bluetooth headphones, jumped up to 50% of respondents saying they use them.

Of interest to broadcasters who are following dashboard developments in connected cars is data showing that 30% of survey respondents drive a connected car, as compared to 27% a year ago. “That means three out of ten respondents now drives a connected car with a system like Ford Sync,” Jacobs said. 

This is another in a series of stories examining the results from TechSurvey 2022. The 18th annual web survey tracks audio listening habits and how core radio listeners interact with the mediascape away from the radio. The population spread of this year’s TechSurvey crew is 48% men and 52% female with the largest age group being 55-64, which represents 36% of respondents. 

The annual project, which measures the amount of change in the tech space and its impact on radio broadcasters, engaged radio listeners throughout the United States from more than 470 participating stations with some 31,000 respondents. Interviews took place in January and February of this year, according to Jacobs Media. 

This is the fourth in a series of stories examining the results from TechSurvey 2022. Click here to read part three.

The post TechSurvey 2022: Influence of Digital Audio Grows appeared first on Radio World.

Franken FM is on the agenda at the FCC.

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has released a list of topics for the commission’s June meeting and FM6 is on it.

“We’re asking about preserving established local programming for radio audiences,” she wrote.

“For years, some low-power television stations licensed on Channel 6 have provided listeners local radio programming that was picked up on the FM dial, so-called FM6 stations. These stations sought to maintain this service to their existing audiences after the LPTV digital transition by seeking commission approval to provide their analog radio service as ‘ancillary or supplementary services.’”

Rosenworcel said the commission will consider a proposal to allow these broadcasters to continue their existing FM6 radio service, “provided that they meet certain conditions, including interference protection and the provision of a synchronous TV service to consumers.”

The Educational Media Foundation has been among those pressing the FCC for approval and clarification on policies around FM6 stations.

Radio World contributor James O’Neal has an ongoing series of articles on these stations; the first provided an overview, the second focuses on the tech behind the stations in the era of ATSC 3.0.

The post FCC Will Consider Franken FMs in June appeared first on Radio World.

Radioplayer, the partnership between the BBC and U.K. commercial radio responsible for ensuring easy access to radio via IP platforms, is adding digital radio to its remit.

Following the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s October 2021 Digital Radio and Audio Review report, Radioplayer and Digital Radio UK saw significant benefits in merging operations.

The restructuring and merger was agreed to by the BBC, the U.K. commercial radio organization Radiocentre, and the national broadcast groups Global and Bauer Media.

The merger will, according to a statement from the organizations, strengthen partnerships and cooperation among U.K. broadcasters, as well as partnerships with European radio broadcasters, audio device manufacturers and with retailers. The goal is “to promote the benefits of radio and audio, and the increased choice of services available.”

[Related: “Radioplayer Expands in Europe”]

In the joint statement, the BBC, Bauer, Global and Radiocentre said: “We know there are further significant changes taking place in the audio market and in how audiences are accessing our content, as the recent Digital Radio and Audio Review highlighted. The newly structured Radioplayer, combined with increased investment and continued collaboration, will allow us to embrace every digital opportunity available to us and successfully deliver the next phase of innovation and transformation for the radio industry.”

While the U.K. has committed to continue FM broadcasting until at least 2030, the industry sees the future of radio as both digital and multiplatform, according to the statement, with online platforms playing an increasingly important role alongside DAB/DAB+ — particularly in cars.

As part of the restructuring, Ford Ennals will step down as CEO of Digital Radio UK. Ennals was appointed as Digital Radio UK’s first CEO in 2009, following his work as head of the British digital television switchover body, Digital UK. The statement thanked Ennals “for his services to digital listening, which is now the way most people listen to radio.”

With the restructuring, the BBC, Global and Bauer are expected to increase their investment in Radioplayer and to seek further international collaboration for the benefit of the radio industry as a whole.

The post Digital Radio UK to Merge with Radioplayer appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Sanders, a second-generation Iowa broadcaster and a former chair of the NAB Radio Board, has died. He was 77.

According to his obituary, “His work life started and ended in the world of radio broadcasting.”

Sanders grew up around KICD in Spencer, Iowa, which was owned by his father Ben. Sanders eventually purchased the station and served as general manager until retiring in 2000.

Bill Sanders (photo via Warner Funeral Homes & Crematory)

KICD, now owed by Saga Communications, posted an appreciation that includes audio clips of Sanders. It noted that the station was owned by the Sanders family for 54 years.

Sanders was also a former board member and president of the Iowa Broadcasters Association and was inducted into the Iowa Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He served on the NAB Radio Board in the late 1980s and was chairman of the board from 1989–90.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

He was also former chairman of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, which honored the longtime broadcaster with a special achievement award, and a former member of the advisory board of the Associated Press.

The obituary said Sanders was diagnosed over time with several rare cancers, starting in 1984.

“He was the most optimistic person on earth and he oozed positivity every single day,” the obituary read. “The man never had a bad day. Even when the cancers took away his ability to smile/laugh/eat/drink and talk he continued to look forward. He was not going to let the disfigurations stop him from living life to its fullest.” [Read the obituary.]

The post Former Iowa Broadcaster Bill Sanders Dies appeared first on Radio World.

There are no more fall Radio Shows, but the NAB Marconi Radio Awards will still be held in the autumn.

The National Association of Broadcasters says its 2022 Marconi presentation will take place during NAB Show New York in October.

April Carty-Sipp, executive vice president of industry affairs at NAB, said the move makes sense given the “prime location and ideal timing in the fall when the Marconis have traditionally been presented.”

“We look forward to celebrating the best in radio in October.”

The awards honor radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence in radio broadcasting. The nomination window will open in May. NAB Show New York will take place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

The post Marconi Awards Move to NAB Show New York appeared first on Radio World.

USSI Global says it has completed the first phase of its project management services for Intelsat’s C-band clearing and relocation activities.

“Completed in October 2021, USSI Global provided logistics and field services that were essential in supporting Intelsat’s customer service transitions, technology upgrades and earth station filtering required to meet the aggressive Phase I schedule as mandated by the FCC’s Report and Order,” the company said in a press release.

It is working with Intelsat and other satellite companies to relocate radio, TV and other contribution and distribution services to a different part of the C-band spectrum. The FCC’s initiative is opening 300 MHz of the C-band for 5G mobile services by the end of 2023.

[Related: “USSI Global Supports SES in C-Band Transition”]

Intelsat hired USSI Global as one of its vendors to manage the transition. The vendor said it started with contacting the owners of 2,500 sites to inventory their antennas and assess the needed transition work.

A closeup of an Intelsat satellite dish.

“USSI Global’s program management and logistics team subsequently handled all equipment procurement and logistics for these sites,” the press release read, “ensuring that systems were delivered in alignment with transitional deadlines.”

Its technical staff installed 5G passband filters and antennas at about 300 sites. New satellite IRDs were installed at some programmer affiliate sites to facilitate an upgrade in compression technology.

Phase II will start shortly and require about three times as many sites and antennas to be transitioned, the company added.

The post USSI Global Preps for Phase II for Intelsat appeared first on Radio World.

The NUG@NAB Radio Technology Forum will be back for 2022.

Prior to the start of each spring NAB show, Nautel hosts the Nautel User Group (NUG), a technology forum that brings together notable industry speakers and company personnel to discuss broadcast transmission best practices, challenges and trends in technology.

In years past, the event has included guest speakers, updates on important industry milestones, tips and tricks, and a Q&A session. Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane is among the speakers.

The event wraps up with a networking lunch.

Starting this year, attendance at the NUG@NAB event qualifies for a 0.5 credit toward SBE recertification in Category H (attendance at a factory school or in-station learning environment). After the event, an optional session will offer an in-depth introduction to Natuel’s new HTML5 Advanced User Interface.

This year the event will be held on Sunday, April 24, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Those interested in attending the free event — which is open to anyone interested in radio transmission — can register online.

The post NUG@NAB Ready to Roll in Las Vegas in April appeared first on Radio World.

The latest Share of Ear report from Edison Research reveals radio continues to dominate in several key areas.

But can one go so far as to say that AM/FM radio shares are pandemic proof?

The fourth quarter 2021 report examines American audio listenership in several ways, including examining ad-supported audio use among key voter segments and by location and demographic.

Cumulus Media and Westwood One’s Audio Active Group recently dug into the data.

Among the conclusions is that AM/FM radio continues to grab a sizable share of registered voters’ listening time. When calculating the share of ad-supported audio time spent among persons aged 18 and older, registered voters who were surveyed by Edison say they spend 75% of that audio time listening to AM/FM radio. Those numbers fall significantly when compared to other outlets: 11% for podcasts and into the single digits for the ad-supported platforms Pandora, SiriusXM and Spotify.

Radio’s share among registered voters and by party. (Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group)

The report also revealed that AM/FM radio leads when tracked across major demographics. Leading the charge are those aged 35–64 who say they spend 79% of their ad-supported listening time with AM/FM radio. Persons aged 25–54 fall in the second range with 72% of time spent with radio, followed by ages 18–49 (66%) and ages 18–34 (59%).

In comparison, the age group spending the largest percentage of time listening to podcasts is those 18–34s at 21% followed by 17% for those aged 18–49, 13% for those aged 25–54 and 9% for those aged 35–64.

[Read past coverage of the Share of Ear report]

But what about the charge that AM/FM radio shares are pandemic proof? An analysis of the report by Brittany Faison, insights manager for the Audio Active Group of Cumulus Media | Westwood One, found that time spent listening to AM/FM radio changed relatively little — 79% to 76% — from 2019 to 2021. Compare that with a drop in listening to an audio service like Pandora, which saw its numbers fall from 8% in 2019 to 6% in 2021.

One area of growth? Podcasting, which almost doubled from 6% to 11%.

The report also found that in the car, AM/FM radio leads ad-supported audio across all age groups with AM/FM radio accounting for 84% and 88% of their time spent listening to ad-supported audio. By comparison, podcasts at best get 8% of listening and ad-supported streaming between 1% and 5%.

Ad-Supported Audio TSL by Demographic Group (Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group)

The analysis by Faison found that advertisers looking to reach people in their car with advertising should seriously consider those in-car ad-supported listening stats.

“When it comes to ad-supported audio in the car, AM/FM radio is the ‘queen of the road’ with shares in the mid to upper 80s across every buying demographic,” wrote Faison. “Looking at ad-supported audience shares in the car, even among persons 18–34, AM/FM radio’s share is a whopping 84% — 84 times larger than Spotify’s one share.”

Faison also noted the importance of considering online streaming. Over the past six years, the proportion of AM/FM radio listening occurring via online streaming has risen from 8% to 14%, with Nielsen finding that 10% of radio listening is to the AM dial.

“Currently, there is more radio listening occurring via the stream (14%) than the entire AM dial,” Faison wrote. “Smart advertisers should allocate 14 cents out of every dollar spent on AM/FM radio to the station stream.”

AM/FM Radio Listening: Over the Air vs. Streaming (Edison Research)

AM/FM radio also leads ad-supported listening on smart speakers with a 43% share, the report revealed. With 40% of U.S. homes now owning a smart speaker, AM/FM has been brought back into the home.

The report also revealed other key details, such as the fact that podcasts and certain online listening services seem to skew higher in larger markets when compared to other services.

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

The post Latest Share of Ear Report Indicates Radio’s Strengths appeared first on Radio World.

The author leads a tour of the ATSC booth at the 2022 International CES (Image credit: ATSC)

Triple vaxxed, masked, and fully caffeinated, we broke through the clouds over the Nevada desert in early January not certain what would await us at what had been the world’s largest trade show. While CES normally brings more than 170,000 to Las Vegas, no one knew how many would venture to America’s playground in the midst of a pandemic. And while attendance was down 75% over 2020, there were still more than 45,000 people from all over the world who did what they needed to do to reach Las Vegas for the big show.

CES was prepared. They’d struck a deal with Abbott Laboratories to be a show sponsor, and Abbott’s COVID rapid tests were available at badge pickup. The show also made the decision to require proof of vaccination and to move registration lines away from the Las Vegas Convention Center. So that meant badge and COVID test pickup at the airport or at the big hotels.

Same experience as before, but with a mask
I usually need a rental car during large events, and the entire process of waiting for luggage, riding to the rental car facility, and finding my wheels was easy enough — just a masked experience. Check-in at the hotel was straightforward, and no one looked happier to see me than the hospitality community so dependent on tourists and conventioneers.

We always arrive for CES and for the NAB Show a few days before most of the crowd, for exhibit setup. Aside from the requirements about masking and staying socially distant, there wasn’t much change from previous years. [Since CES, Nevada has lifted its state-wide indoor mask mandate. As of Feb. 24, the NAB Show still recommends masks for all exhibitors, attendees and staff at the show. —eds.]

NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt (left) met up with the author during CES. (Image credit: NAB)

While at CES, I did run into newly-minted NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt who was at the show to talk with CES exhibitors to find out why they stuck with the show, even during the rise of the omicron variant. LeGeyt said he was pleasantly surprised at how upbeat people were — from behind a mask — and how engaged attendees were, in turn. The reaction gives him reasons for optimism about April’s NAB Show.

In short, while there were certainly fewer people in attendance, the people who came to CES this year were very serious about business. One of my business contacts had to get permission to attend from the Israeli government. It took four tries, but he finally got the green light to leave (and to come back). And if there was one thing that surprised me most about CES 2022, it was the number of international visitors who made the trip. I had wrongly assumed that this would mostly be a show of U.S. attendees and companies.

Even the big government affairs dinner at CES was well attended. The evening reception was held outdoors at the Wynn. Dinner was inside, and people were seated in a socially distanced manner and truly happy just to see each other after so much isolation.

On the show floor, while some big exhibitors put up static displays and kept staff at home, others took a different tactic. Samsung did things the smart way, choosing to have a fully-manned and complete exhibit but borrowing a page from Disney theme parks and controlling exhibit attendance by assigning times for visitation. I never expected to have a “fast pass” for a CES display, but the system worked well.

Any big city has experienced disruptions in commerce because of COVID-19, and Las Vegas is no different. The Starbucks and restaurant in the Grand Lobby of the Convention Center had greatly reduced hours and similarly, the complimentary breakfast at our hotel was slim pickings because of the number of cancellations and probably because of staffing issues.

Big changes in store for NAB Show
Those returning to the LVCC for the 2022 NAB Show will find some big changes — some really big changes — in store. The biggest one is the billion dollar (with a “B”) expansion of the convention center itself. The new West Hall now stands where the Landmark Hotel was felled for the movie “Mars Attacks.” In place of the parking lots just across Paradise Road from North Hall rises the mammoth West Hall, itself looking like a UFO from another planet. It’s a beautiful expansion of the already-enormous LVCC, linked by both a pedestrian walkway and a space-age underground transportation network.

(Image credit: Las Vegas News Bureau)

The NAB Show will use the West Hall for the first time this year, housing pavilions like the “Future of Delivery,” “Connect Experiential Zone,” and Futures Park. If you need your Dunkin’ fix, rather than Starbucks, you can head to West Hall’s food court.

But the big change is underground. While the rest of the world was locked down during the pandemic, construction crews were busy finishing both the above-ground and below-grade expansions at the LVCC.

The Vegas Loop now connects, in figure-8 form, the new West Hall with a Central Hall Plaza underground transportation station and a similar arrival station at the back of South Hall (near parking lots for cars). The Loop is powered by a network of Tesla electric cars, which are human driven and not autonomous — for now.

The Las Vegas Loop is powered by a network of Tesla electric cars, which are human driven and not autonomous — for now. (Image credit: CTA)

This is the beginning of an underground network of bored tunnels created by Elon Musk’s Boring Company. Ascending into the subterranean world in the formerly grassy area outside Central Hall, you enter a world that looks like the Batcave — if the Batmobile was a Tesla.

A friendly driver can whisk you to the far reaches of the convention center in a couple of minutes — but that’s just the first step in a planned 20-mile, 50-plus station network of underground tunnels that might someday connect the airport to the LVCC and hotels in between. Expansions of the Loop are already in the works to bring visitors to the Wynn/Encore from the LVCC (finally!) and also over to the sparkling new Resorts World complex.

Las Vegas continues to evolve and change. When the Stardust opened in 1958, it proclaimed itself the world’s largest hotel — with more than 1,000 rooms. In its place today, the Conrad and Hilton hotels that anchor the Resorts World complex have three times that many rooms and a ritzy shopping mall, to boot — it’s worth a visit.

The MSG (Madison Square Garden) Sphere is under construction behind the Venetian, which will someday soon seat more than 17,000 people at arena events. The “Sands” moniker has disappeared from the convention center at the Venetian, quietly removed a few months ago.

We enjoyed some of the new sites, including a nightcap at Resorts World, tacos at Taco El Gordo (which all of a sudden is at the heart of the revitalization of the area near the West Hall), and a visit to the near Area 15 Entertainment Complex — an immersive art and bar scene that includes the latest outpost from artisans at Meow Wolf. If avant garde art isn’t your thing, then maybe axe throwing or a Jules Verne-style distillery will be!

In short, bring your sense of humor along with your mask to Las Vegas. The people of Las Vegas — and the people who bring you the NAB Show — are ready to have you back.

To register for the NAB Show, April 23-27 in Las Vegas, visit http://nabshow.com/2022/.

Dave Arland is president of Arland Communications and executive director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association.

The post Who Attends a Las Vegas Trade Show During a Pandemic? appeared first on Radio World.

A web-based tool that allows newsrooms to search transcripts of local government meetings is one of the winners of the 2022 PILOT Innovation Challenge.

The National Association of Broadcasters announced the recipients of its contest on Mar. 8, 2022.

“Minutes,” created by Michigan Radio, saves time on research and gives reporters the ability to create deeper, more relevant stories for audiences, NAB wrote in the announcement.

Also relevant to radio is Blueprint CRM from Townsquare Media, a customer relationship management platform for broadcasters. It is optimized for ease of use and has tools for prospecting, managing relationships and garnering insights.

“The vision for the Blueprint system is to combine the best technology with the unique insights and strategies developed over the past decade building the Townsquare Media business,” NAB wrote.

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The third winner is Spalk’s Virtual Sportscasting Studio, which NAB says allows for remote production of network-quality live sports programming. “Spalk will work with faculty and students at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University to produce high-quality, remote commentary and play-by-play to broadcast live sporting events on their channels.

This allows local broadcasters to produce COVID-19 safe, low-cost, high-quality content which leads to expanded local sports coverage and new revenue opportunities.”

Winners will receive mentorship, feedback, travel support and exhibit space at the NAB Show.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The judges gave honorable mentions to Teamium, a smart project resource management system for production teams, and TVadSync, a platform for broadcasters “to collect first-party ATSC 3.0 viewing data, analyze viewing behaviors and attribute advertising to business outcomes.”

The announcement was made by PILOT Executive Director John Clark.

The post PILOT Announces Innovation Challenge Winners appeared first on Radio World.

Fifteen hopefuls are an important step closer to securing construction permits for new noncommercial educational FM stations.

The Federal Communications Commission released the results of a “threshold fair distribution analysis” of 15 groups of mutually exclusive applications from the recent filing window for new NCE FMs.

In each case, two applicants applied to serve separate communities. In each case the FCC tentatively has chosen one applicant over another after running them through a series of checks based on service area population data, tribal priority criteria and certain certifications from the applicants.

What emerges is this list of 15 applicants tentatively selected for CPs:

Group 12: Community Broadcasting Inc. proposes to serve West Plains, Mo.
Group 17: Arizona Board of Regents for Benefit of University of Arizona, to serve Safford, Ariz.
Group 21: Cochise Community Radio Corp., to serve Virden, N.M.
Group 52: Ethree Group Inc., to serve Key Colony Beach, Fla.
Group 67: Elijah Radio, to serve Danville, Ga.
Group 103: Torstrick Ministries Inc., to serve Harlan, Ky.
Group 105: Christwood, to serve Covington, La.
Group 108A: Central Pennsylvania Christian Institute Inc., to serve Greensburg, Pa.
Group 119: Smile FM, to serve Litchfield, Mich.
Group 120: Minn-Iowa Christian Broadcasting Inc., to serve Hutchinson. Minn.
Group 125: The Association for Community Education Inc., to serve Windsor, Mo.
Group 148: Gallup Public Radio, to serve Zuni Pueblo, N.M.
Group 175: Missions Unlimited of Oregon, to serve Clinton, Okla.
Group 208: Remante Broadcasting Network, to serve Moroni, Utah.
Group 217: Spokane Public Radio, to serve Kettle Falls, Wash.

The FCC document spells out how it reached those tentative selections.

Petitions to deny may be filed within 30 days of the FCC’s order.

“It is our intention to grant each application if, after the 30-day petition to deny period has run, there is no substantial and material question concerning the grantability of the tentative selectee’s application,” the FCC wrote.

[Related: “FCC Tentatively Awards CP to Blackfeet Tribe”]

The post FCC Names 15 Tentative Winners of FM CPs appeared first on Radio World.

Much like their counterparts in Europe did on Mar. 4, public broadcasters across the U.S. are planning to play “Give Peace a Chance” simultaneously. The broadcast is planned for Mar. 11, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. EST.

The coordinated broadcast is backed by the Public Radio Program Directors Association, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the VuHaus Group.

“Right up there with food, clothing, and shelter — human connection is something we can’t live without. Radio has always amplified connection, and at this moment in time, we can take action for the people of Ukraine and reinforce the connection we share as human beings,” stated NFCB CEO Sally Kane.

PRPD President/Executive Director Abby Goldstein added, “PRPD stands with our colleagues in public radio, with all those affected by war and with the people of Ukraine at this time. Collectively, we send this message of peace to everyone willing to listen.”

Paragon Media Strategies is making available via its website a 15-second promo, social media playbook, and other visual and audio assets for stations participating in the broadcast.

“This collective transmission serves to unite public radio listeners from coast to coast in a unified demonstration to support those around the world who are affected by war, reminding all of us that we can collectively amplify support for peace across the globe,” stated Paragon CEO Mike Henry.

The anti-war anthem “Give Peace a Chance” was originally released by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in 1969.

The post U.S. Public Stations Plan Call for Peace appeared first on Radio World.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America will hold its annual Breakfast, Wednesday, April 27 at 7:00 am in the Brahms Room of the Encore Hotel during the 2022 NAB Show, which takes place April 23-27 in Las Vegas. The Broadcasters Foundation is the only charity devoted exclusively to providing financial aid to broadcasters in acute need from critical illness, accident, or serious misfortune.

The Broadcasters Foundation annual breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting. During the Breakfast, the Broadcasters Foundation will present the Leadership Awards to individuals in recognition of their career contributions to the broadcast industry and the community at large. In addition, the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award is bestowed on an individual whose work in broadcasting exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

Last year’s Breakfast was postponed due to the pandemic, therefore, the honorees that were previously announced in 2021 will be recognized and presented with their award at this year’s Breakfast.

The Leadership Award honorees include:

• Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Media Group
• Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media
• Ralph Oakley, Retired, President and Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Media
• Christine Travaglini, President, Katz Radio Group
• Dennis Wharton, retired, Executive Vice President, Media Relations, National Association of Broadcasters

Gordon Smith, former U.S. Senator and Special Advisor to the NAB, will receive the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award.

This year’s sponsors are: AccuRadio, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Association of Media Brokers (NAMB), Nielsen, Premiere Networks, Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), USTrust, and vCreative.

The Breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting, although pre-registration is required.

For more information on the 2022 NAB Show, visit nabshow.com/2022/.

The post Broadcasters Foundation Plans Annual Breakfast at 2022 NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

This story is adapted from the ebook “Radio’s Call to Action.: DTS AutoStage.”

John Clark

NAB PILOT, Xperi and several major radio companies are part of a group that has been working to ensure that radio is integrated into Google’s open-source Android Automotive operating system for connected cars. John Clark, executive director of PILOT, says they are ready to pitch Google executives to make the case for broadcast radio to be supported properly in that system.

The Android Automotive OS will be a standalone system with user apps installed directly to the car’s system — no smartphone required. (“Android Automotive” is distinct from “Android Auto,” where the system runs on the user’s phone.)

Android Automotive OS is expected to be available in about 50% of new cars in the next seven years. General Motors, Ford, Audi and Stellantis are among those with plans to integrate the platform.

Clark says the goal of PILOT’s initiative is to help define what radio will look like in these dashboards and ensure that radio can benefit from the rollout.

He said Xperi is doing much of the development work. Also involved are Beasley Media Group, iHeartMedia, Audacy, Salem Media Group, NPR and BBC. The group also took input from Ford and Audi.

Google itself is a member of NAB PILOT, and Clark said the group has had conversations with the company throughout the process.

[Check Out More of Radio World’s Ebooks Here]

“An extensive amount of work has been done. This round of work is finished, so now it’s time to reach back out to Google,” Clark said in late 2021. He didn’t specify a timeframe but hoped the presentation could be done early this year.

The group’s work includes a recommendations document. Though specifics have not been made public, Clark says it outlines vendor extensions and other parameters that the group would want Google to incorporate into Android Automotive.

Clark says it has defined standards in broadcast radio that should be supported, like RDS, dynamic text, station logos, slide show images and multicast channels.

“I would describe this process as making sure all the services radio broadcasters have put in place are fully functional in the (Android) system itself.”

Clark says it is vital that the broadcast be a part of Android Automotive with full functionality, which in turn will help leverage a truly hybrid experience, as envisioned by a platform like Xperi’s DTS AutoStage.

“Then folks like Xperi can begin layering in things coming over the IP connection. But to get to hybrid we have to make sure the radio broadcast piece is there.”

How long might it take for this work to bear fruit?

“Google is probably working on a two-year implementation cycle for release in an open source software environment — I’d say more than one year but less than three, to get things vetted, tested and hardened. You have to remember we are talking about the entire operating system for the dashboard. So they are working through a lot of things not related to radio. Think about voice control and the impact of that alone.”

But Clark emphasizes that time is short for radio to “bend the ear” of the big tech company. For instance, Ford says it will turn over its operating vehicle systems to Google beginning in 2023. The automaker’s deep integration of the Android system will include voice-activated Assistant, Google Maps and other automotive approved Android apps, according to an announcement from Ford.

Clark said it is possible that NAB will be able to demonstrate what broadcast radio in an Android Automotive OS environment could look like at the NAB Show in April.

“We hope to showcase a radio interface on Android Automotive that takes advantage of all features of broadcast radio.”

Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post Android Automotive Project Completes First Phase appeared first on Radio World.

According to a tech note sent to its affiliates, a swap of satellite receivers will be necessary to continue to receive Westwood One programming.

The Wegener iPump 8640

The radio network told affiliates on Monday it has selected the Wegener iPump 8640 receiver as the new satellite delivery platform for Westwood One formats and shows, including all talk and music programming.

Radio World confirmed the letter is in the hands of at least several Westwood One affiliates even though the radio network did not immediately reply to questions about how many affiliates might be affected by the change.

Westwood One stated the new Wegener i8640 receivers will be shipped to affiliates, but did not indicate in the notice when the transition will take place.

“[The] Wegener receiver includes many improvements with the primary advantage of standardized relays,” Westwood One stated in the notice to affiliates. “This is a big advantage as you no longer have to map different relays for the same function such as local breaks or liners. For example, relay 1 will always be the local break for all Westwood One programming.”

The new Wegener receiver also has an isolated relay bank associated with each audio output, Westwood One said, so no errant relays from another audio source when programming is active at the same time on multiple outputs.

“There are 4 audio/relay ports which can provide 24/7 programming for up to four separate stations at your location or simulcast two or more stations from one audio/relay output. The audio quality is also dramatically improved,” the radio network stated.

For the transition, the audio connection on current XDS receivers can be moved directly to the audio output of the Wegener receiver provided a radio station will not have non-Westwood One programming remaining on XDS.

The change also affects all affiliates currently using a Wegener i6420 receiver. “That receiver model will be upgraded to the i8640,” Westwood One told affiliates.

The radio network noted: “Your engineer will need to wire new relays to your switcher and/or automation as there is not a way to convert your XDS mappings to the Wegener standardized relay output.”

Affiliates are asked to refer to the Westwood One technical site at technology.westwoodone.com. At the site, affiliates will find show clocks for the Wegener (and XDS for comparison), audio/relay pinouts, ShowDirector instructions (for scheduling the Westwood One shows currently contracted) and other critical information.

For additional technical questions, affiliates also can contact Westwood One at 888-435-7450.

Westwood One, which is owned by Cumulus Media, says it has nearly 7,300 affiliated radio stations and media partners. It describes itself as the largest audio network in the United States.

Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post Westwood One Notifies Affiliates of Move to New Satellite Receiver appeared first on Radio World.

The Voice of Equality studio (UNICEF Iraq via Twitter)

To mark International Women’s Day, Voice of Equality launched in Erbil, Iraq, on Mar. 8, 2022, with the goal of advocating for women and adolescent girls’ well-being and empowerment.

The FM station, which broadcasts on 101.9 MHz, is run by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s General Directorate for Combatting Violence Against Women (GDCVAW) and UNICEF with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

According to a UNICEF press release, Voice for Equality “will promote participatory approaches that aim to stimulate critical reflection on power and strengthen voice and agency and also facilitate partnerships across organizations and sectors.”

The goal is to advocate for girls and women’s empowerment, as well as to address issues of gender-based violence and violence against children.

The post Voice of Equality Launches in Iraqi Kurdistan appeared first on Radio World.

Arrakis Systems is introducing APEX Cloud this spring.

This optional service brings cloud functionality and enhances the company’s flagship automation, APEX.

“The key benefits of a cloud-based automation system are remote access, failsafes and backup of critical files, along with being able to share audio between locations,” the company wrote.

“APEX Cloud does this all while utilizing the latest in security technology.”

[Related: “Exhibitor Preview: Arrakis Systems at NAB Show”]

The system allows the user to mix and match the needs of small individual operations up to large station groups.

APEX Failsafe software runs remotely in parallel with APEX automation; it will go live if the studio goes down so the broadcaster can continue to serve its community in emergencies.

Cloud and local automatic backup uses the Synology NAS with a 1 TB HDD and/or a current or new cloud backup service. This assures that the station can get back on air quickly regardless of hardware failures.

The system offers remote access setup and support for remote control of all APEX Plus/Harddisk and APEX Tools management features, with current security protocols.

APEX Connect automated file downloading software downloads and updated audio to your automation and moves files automatically across the user’s LAN or VPN, such as Traffic, Music logs and reports.

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