Radio World

On Mar. 4, at 8:45 a.m. Central Europe Time (2:45 a.m. EST), around 150 stations across Europe played “Give Peace a Chance,” the anti-war anthem released by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, simultaneously.

Based on an initiative from European Broadcasting Union Member Rundfunk Berlin–Brandenburg (rbb) station radioeins, the symbolic transmission was heard in more than 25 countries on public service broadcasters and commercial stations as a reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“The horrors of the war against Ukraine are more apparent every day. Our solidarity, our humanity and our support are needed,” stated Patricia Schlesinger, chair of ARD, the German public service broadcasting organization, and director general of rbb. “It is a good signal seeing Europe’s radio stations join forces to remind us of that with this song. It is a source of strength and urges us not to look the other way.”

[Related: “Russian Broadcasters Leave EBU”]

Speaking on behalf of Ukrainian Radio, Yurii Tabachenko, executive producer for UA: Ukrainian Radio Channel One, said, “UA: Ukrainian Radio thanks its colleagues from the European Broadcasting Union for their support. It is extremely important that today Europe is united around Ukraine.”

EBU Director General Noel Curran said, “We know that throughout its hundred years history, the public have turned to public service media at times of war to inform and unite. This powerful call for peace through an iconic song will resonate with millions of listeners. This is what we do. I’m proud to belong to a community that, when the world has been fractured, can create moments to bring people together.”

The post European Radio Stations Call for Peace in Ukraine appeared first on Radio World.

Gigi Sohn (image credit C-SPAN)

A divided Senate Commerce Committee finally voted Thursday (Mar. 3) along party lines to send the nomination of Gigi Sohn to the full Senate for a vote, a big step toward her ultimate confirmation. The vote was 14–14, which means the nominee can get a floor vote, but with no favorable or unfavorable recommendation.

The FCC has been at a 2–2 political tie for well over a year, so a tied committee vote to potentially break the commission tie was appropriate.

Sohn would be the fifth commissioner, giving the Biden Administration the majority it needs to tackle some tough issues, including network neutrality and media ownership/equity.

Also reported in a partisan vote was a fifth Federal Trade Commission member, Alvaro M. Bedoya. The vote on Bedoya was also 14–14.

Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said Sohn needed to be seated, in part because of the importance of the administration’s broadband priorities. Cantwell thanked all her colleagues for being there, which may have been a reference to reports that Republicans had considered not showing up to deny a quorum, and thus a vote, on Sohn.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he could not vote for Sohn or Bedoya. He said he appreciated Sohn’s responsiveness, but said she was not the right choice to fill the FCC vacancy because she would continue to have an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Sohn was nominated last year but had to be renominated in January after the committee Democrats were unable to secure enough votes, then her first vote had to be postponed after one of the committee Democrats — Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico — suffered a stroke.

Luján got a lengthy standing ovation when he entered the chamber for the meeting.

Republicans have pushed back on her nomination over past criticism of Fox News and her relationship to Locast, the shuttered streaming service that was found by a court not to be entitled under a copyright carveout from streaming TV station signals without having to ask permission or pay for the transmissions.

But her backers have suggested that ISPs were pushing back because they did not want the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules, and Republicans were pushing back generally because they wanted to stall the Biden regulatory agenda until the Midterms.

If the Republicans took over the Senate and House, they could nullify any FCC attempt to reinstate the rules, as they did to an FCC privacy regulatory regime under then FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Wicker took issue with Cantwell’s phrasing of the nomination as being reported to the floor, saying only that the tie vote was being reported to the floor. Though Cantwell first said she thought that was the proper wording, she agreed that that technically constituted reporting a tie vote to the floor.

According to the Congressional Research Service, “a Senate majority can vote to discharge a committee from consideration of a matter, including a nomination, if it is not reported because of a tie vote in committee.”

The post Senate Commerce Sends Sohn Nomination to Senate for Vote on FCC Seat appeared first on Radio World.

Mix 106.5 personality Priestly (right) with Mo, a Children’s Center patient, during the radiothon.

Celebrating the second largest radiothon fundraiser in its history, Baltimore station WWMX(FM) and its parent company Audacy raised more than $1.3 million to benefit the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.

Held Feb. 24–25, the event marked the 33rd time that the station has hosted the annual Mix 106.5 radiothon. The radiothon is a part of Audacy Serves, the company’s social impact platform that is designed to raise awareness of social issues of issues like mental health and anti-bullying; veterans and service members; children’s health; the environment; civic education; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Mix 106.5 has been a long-time champion for families and kids in Maryland and year after year, we are excited that the radiothon supports the vital, life-saving mission of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center,” said Tracy Brandys, senior vice president and market manager for Audacy Baltimore. “With the uncertainty in our world in the weeks leading up to the radiothon, we weren’t sure what to expect, but Maryland residents came through again.”

“Radiothon is such an important event for everyone at the Children’s Center,” said Margaret Moon, M.D., M.P.H., co-director and pediatrician-in-chief at the Children’s Center. “We are incredibly thankful for all of the generous support from this event, as well as to Mix 106.5 and our volunteers and staff members who work tirelessly to make this event such a success every year.”

This year’s radiothon was the second biggest radiothon event since the program began in 1989, said Tom Cook, brand manager for Mix 106.5. The station’s on-air personalities shared stories of inspiration from families and kids treated at Johns Hopkins. Sponsors who contributed to the radiothon’s success included Chick-fil-A, Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union, Weis Markets, Rite Aid Healthy Futures, Wawa, Carroll Fuel Services and Royal Farms.

Since its inception in 1989, the radiothon has raised more than $25 million for the Children’s Center.

The post Audacy Radiothon Raises $1.3 Million for Children’s Center appeared first on Radio World.

Planning for the 2022 NAB Show is ramping up, and Radio World is asking exhibitors about their expectations for what will be the first in-person spring show in three years.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be on hand in the North Hall. Manny Centeno is project manager, National Public Warning System — EAS.

Radio World: What will be your most important news or exhibit message at the convention?

Manny Centeno: FEMA IPAWS encourages all broadcasters and EAS Participants to continue supporting the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and broadcasting in times of emergencies. Broadcasters provide a tremendous public service on a daily basis, and especially during times of extreme situations. IPAWS will provide best practices to attendees about the EAS and emergency broadcasts.

RW: FEMA has a program to harden Primary Entry Point stations. At the same time, the government is promoting the use of electric vehicles. What can or should be done about the EAS reliance on AM stations, while fewer cars may have AM radios? And what should we know about the FCC’s recent changes to the rules for broadcasters regarding EAS?

Centeno: EAS messages can be heard on AM and FM radio, terrestrial digital television, cable television systems and wireline operators.

AM radio continues to be a viable pathway for dissemination of EAS messages to the public. Its ability to reach vast geographical areas originating from a single transmission point and its inherent resilience make AM radio one of the best methods for reaching the public.

FEMA operates and sustains the National Public Warning System (NPWS), which includes 77 broadcast AM and FM station participants and relays covering 90% of the U.S. population. FEMA is currently modernizing its NPWS Primary Entry Point (PEP) facilities to provide added resiliency to assure the nation can be alerted and informed in times of extreme emergencies.

FEMA encourages the automobile industry to continue installing AM and FM radios in cars. Broadcast radio saves lives and supports our national security.

Additionally, FEMA encourages the public to keep a portable, battery-operated AM/FM radio at home with fresh batteries. Broadcast radio has and will continue to save lives in times of disasters and emergencies.

FEMA also encourages broadcasters and local/state jurisdictions to work together to assure that the public continues to receive urgent alerts and warnings.

FEMA Booth: N7106

The post Exhibitor Preview: FEMA at the NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

From our Who’s Buying What page: Calrec said Radio i Televizija Crne Gore (RTCG), the public service broadcaster of Montenegro, has completed a major upgrade of its radio and television facilities.

Calrec technology is being used on its two radio channels, Radio Crne Gore and R98, as well as on four TVCG television channels.

For radio, RTCG uses five native IP Type R consoles, a Brio36 and a Hydra2 router. For television, it installed three Artemis consoles, a router core, a Brio36 and two Type R consoles.

The system supports analog, AES and AoIP in a hybrid workflow. It uses Calrec’s H2 IP Gateway platform to integrate the proprietary and AoIP networks.

Dejan Vujovic is deputy general manager for technology at RTCG.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post RTCG Goes With Calrec appeared first on Radio World.

FM broadcasters soon will have a new and unfamiliar option when shopping for broadcast antennas. Dielectric has announced it will introduce a pylon FM antenna.

It said the FMP line will be “the broadcast industry’s first slot cavity microstrip FM antenna product family.” Dielectric says pylon antennas, which are used in television, are notable for high efficiency, low windload, multicasting capabilities, pattern flexibility and small tower footprint.

But VP/GM Keith Pelletier said that in the past, the cylindrical attributes of pylons produced narrow bandwidth characteristics that were impractical for FM signals.

“We have now adapted what was long a solution for mostly single-channel TV operations for both broadband TV and FM broadcasting, which very much differentiates our product portfolio from competitors.”

He cited several factors that allowed Dielectric to offer a pylon for full-band FM operation.

They include reducing the antenna Q factor, which he said improves the bandwidth from one to 20 percent; and stabilizing the H:V ratio across the band.

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

“The 20 percent bandwidth translates to full FM band operation, which is the key goal of the FMP antenna’s design,” the company wrote.

“Dielectric has also included its patented parasitic dipole, which adds a vertical component to the existing horizontal signal. This creates more pattern options for FM broadcasters, including elliptical and circular polarization, and contributes to the substantial bandwidth increase.”

The company says FMP antennas use 60 percent fewer parts than equivalent ring-style antennas, which improves reliability.

“The pylon design also provides broadcasters and tower crews with top-mounting options, in addition to the traditional side-mounted configurations of ring antennas,” it continued.

“This is ideal for high-power FM stations that want a true top-mounted omnidirectional antenna. The FMP can handle input powers of 100 kW and higher, which also makes the antenna excellent for combined operation of multiple stations.”

The FMP designs use full-wavelength spacing between elements, so fewer of them are needed. Antennas are built in four-layer building blocks and can be increased to eight or 12 bays to suit higher power requirements and elevation pattern gains.

The company noted that the antenna design process was done in a virtual environment using using High Frequency Simulation Software, and then built to validate the designs.

The company will be talking about the new antenna line at its booth at the upcoming NAB Show.

Dielectric NAB Show Booth: W7107

The post Dielectric Introduces an FM Pylon Antenna appeared first on Radio World.

There is clarity when it comes to how much money is available to pay FM radio broadcasters for expenses incurred due to the TV spectrum repack in the United States.

The FCC now says it will cover 100% of verified estimates — instead of 92.5% — because allocations are concluding and there is still money left in a $2.75 billion relocation fund created by Congress to cover broadcasters’ expenses.

The FCC in a recent public notice explained the final reimbursement procedures for owners of FM broadcasters who share tower space with full power or Class A TV stations that participated in the incentive auction and repacking. The TV repack process, intended to create additional spectrum for wireless services, resulted in some FM broadcasters incurring costs in order to facilitate the repack stations’ construction projects.

Radio stations affected have been filing reimbursement claims but now have until Sept. 6, 2022, to submit all remaining requests for expenses.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

The FCC says invoices totaling more than $1.67 billion have already been sent to the U.S. Treasury Department for processing and payment with some $34 million in invoices on hand still under review. The FCC said it took care to spend down the reimbursement fund in phases to prevent running out of money, acknowledging that estimates and expenditures were refined and changed over time as broadcasters moved forward with projects.

The Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau said their cautious payment allocation approach throughout the 39-month transition period “reduced the likelihood of over-allocating funds that would then have to be reduced or issuing payments that would have to be clawed back.”

In a previous public notice released in December 2019, the FCC indicated the owners of approximately 90 FM radio stations — all co-located with TV facilities — had been assisted with projects such as building auxiliary facilities in order to remain on air throughout repack work. The FCC at the time estimated that fewer than 500 radio stations in all would be affected by the TV spectrum repack.

Congress had designated $50 million of the reimbursement fund to be set aside for FM broadcasters. The FCC previously reported that as of late 2019, just over $17 million had been allocated for FM stations.

Radio broadcasters submitting their remaining reimbursement claims should be careful to have documentation to back up any reimbursement claims. The FCC says it will begin site visits to facilities of some fund recipients to validate the existence and operational status of post-transition equipment for which entities received reimbursement. Site visits, to be conducted by a third-party contractor, are expected to begin in March 2022 and continue throughout 2022, according to the FCC notice.

The TV repack resulted in new channel assignments for 987 full power and Class A stations. The reassignments cleared approximately 60 MHz of spectrum for use by wireless licensees.

[See Radio World’s 2017 eBook “Hey Radio, Here Comes the TV Repack”]

The post FM Stations Will be Fully Reimbursed for Expenses Tied to TV Repack appeared first on Radio World.

The process of renewing a station’s license depends on several factors, including honesty in communications and proof the station is serving the public interest. In cases where these requirements are not met — and before outright denying to renew a station’s license — the commission must start proceedings for a hearing to evaluate the factors in question.

That’s where an Ohio low-power FM licensee now finds itself — on the cusp of hearing proceedings regarding alleged rules violations related to its license renewal.

A hearing designation order has been put in effect for the Marion Education Exchange (MEE) regarding WWGH-LP in Marion, Ohio. The hearing will determine if MEE violated the Communications Act and FCC rules, determine if the commission should renew the station’s license and decide if a forfeiture should be imposed.

A key issue in question: whether MEE misrepresented the composition of its board of directors, including whether it listed a dead woman as one of those members.

The hearing will also determine if MEE made misrepresentations to the commission and whether or not it failed to properly notify the FCC that a transfer of control occurred.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

According to the Media Bureau, MEE was registered with the state of Ohio as a non-profit corporation in May 2, 2019, with Shawn Craft as the registered agent. Seven days later, MEE and the station’s former licensee, Marion Midget Football (MMF), filed an application requesting the station’s license be transferred from MMF to MEE. At the time, MEE indicated no changes to the makeup of its board members, only the name of the licensee. The commission granted the reassignment application.

But during the license renewal process, the commission learned that one of the board members of MEE — Betty Compton of Marion — passed away on Nov. 7, 2016, more than two years before MEE filed the application listing her as one of five continuing members of MEE’s board.

In June 2020, an objection was filed by Spencer Phelps, the station manager of another LPFM station in Marion, alleging that MEE had misrepresented its board composition in its application because board members were “completely different people” than those listed on MEE’s application.

Phelps submitted copies of corporate materials filed by MEE with the state of Ohio, and the bureau saw that the five individuals listed on MEE’s initial application were removed. Instead, four different individuals were listed as board members.

After no response from MEE to Phelps’ objection, the bureau sent the first of three letters of inquiry requesting information regarding MEE’s board. The bureau gave MEE until Jan. 7, 2021, to submit copies of corporate materials listing its board composition. MEE did not meet this deadline, the bureau said.

As a result, on Feb. 12, 2021, the bureau dismissed the licensee’s renewal application, cancelled WWGH’s license and informed MEE that its authority to operate the station had been terminated.

Four days later MEE responded and asked the bureau to reconsider. The Media Bureau agreed to reinstate the license and the renewal application while it awaited additional information.

In MEE’s response, the Media Bureau said, the licensee appeared to explain away any inconsistencies between the board members listed in its assignment application and the ones identified in its response to the commission. MEE said that several of the board members that left MMF in 2019 became ill and had since passed away and that these board positions were filled with “members who knew the radio station and have had its best interests … at heart.” MEE also maintained that the station is fulfilling an important role as an LPFM in the community and is currently serving as the last station in Marion to provide hourly local news and weather.

Phelps responded again to say that MEE was untruthful in saying its station is the last hourly news and weather station in Marion and that MEE was in violation of FCC rules because it continued to operate the station for several days in February after the commission rescinded the station’s license.

When the bureau followed up with a second letter of inquiry to MEE directing it to provide information and documentation about its board composition, MEE revealed that the organization was incorporated in 2019 by the second group of board members — not those individuals listed as board members when the assignment application was filed in May 2019. (MEE did not allude to the death of Compton, who was listed on that original assignment application in May, the bureau said.)

In a third letter of inquiry sent by the Media Bureau (“because the second letter … raised more questions than it answered,” the bureau said) the bureau directed MEE to clarify statements it made in its last response.

MEE responded with a list of all current and former MEE board members and their dates of services and said that board changes happened when some members could not attend meetings on a regular basis. MEE stated that did not file a transfer of control application “because we had hoped that some of the original board members might have been able to return.”

As far as the questions surrounding why the late Betty Compton was listed as a board member, MEE said that “her successor had not been chosen.”

Phelps weighed in again, accusing MEE of lying to the commission about Compton and being untruthful about the existence of certain corporate documents like bylaws and meeting minutes.

In its current hearing designation order, the bureau reminded MEE of several key factors the commission must consider before a station’s license can be renewed, including that the licensee has not committed any serious violations of the Communications Act and FCC rules and that there is nothing to indicate a pattern of abuse by the licensee.

When a licensee does not meet these requirements, the commission can deny the licensee’s application to renew its station’s license but not before giving the licensee the opportunity to have a hearing with an FCC administrative law judge.

The bureau said that misrepresentation and lack of candor “raise serious concerns as to the likelihood that the commission can rely on an applicant … to be truthful” and the sort of serious violation that could be grounds for denying a license renewal.

In this case, the bureau said MEE repeatedly failed to fully respond to commission questions, failed to notify the commission of a transfer of control, misrepresented its board composition and was less than candid in its responses to the bureau’s letters of inquiry.

Among the bureau’s specific complaints: that a deceased person was listed as a board member, that other individuals were listed as board members when it appears that they were not, that MEE showed a lack of transparency in listing its board members past and present, that MEE failed to notify the commission of a transfer of control from MMF to MEE, and that MEE may have tried to convince the bureau to renew its license by claiming that WWGH was the last station providing local news and weather every hour in Marion. (Phelps stated that three other full-power FM stations and two low-power FM in Marion do the same.)

“[Different and inconsistent explanations] reinforced our initial concern that MEE knowingly submitted false information in the assignment application and engendered additional concerns that, in an attempt to cover up its original misrepresentation, MEE made additional misrepresentations to … the commission.”

When it comes to the issue of unauthorized operation, however, MEE is not in violation of the rules as a station retains its authority to operate while an administrative or judicial hearing is pending, the bureau said.

The decision on the renewal of WWGH’s license is now set to be reviewed by the FCC administrative law judge. The hearing will also determine whether a forfeiture should be issued against MEE of up to $55,052 for each violation of each commission rule.

MEE has 20 days to file a written document stating its intention to appear and present evidence. If MEE fails to file that document, the pending application will be dismissed.

The post Ohio LPFM Heading to Hearing Over Alleged Violations appeared first on Radio World.

DigitalBridge Group has named Jonathan Adelstein as its managing director and head of global policy and public investment.

Adelstein has been president/CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association since 2012 but is more familiar to broadcast readers as a former Federal Communications Commissioner (2002–2009).

Marc Ganzi, president/CEO of DigitalBridge, called Adelstein “a nationally recognized leader in digital infrastructure policy.”

After serving on the FCC, Adelstein headed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service.

He’ll start in his new role in June.

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Adelstein Joins DigitalBridge appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media promoted Keith Liesmann to the newly created position of regional vice president for Arkansas, where the company has 16 radio stations.

“Liesmann will continue to serve the company as market manager for Cumulus Little Rock, a position he has held since 2015,” it said in the announcement, “and will add responsibility for the oversight of Cumulus radio stations in Fayetteville and Fort Smith, with the vice president/market manager of those markets reporting to him.”

He is former market president for iHeartMedia-Springfield, Mo., and was vice president/market manager for Cumulus Topeka, Kan.

The announcement was made by Bob Walker, president, Cumulus Operations at Cumulus Media; he called Liesmann said a strategic and focused leader who has done a wonderful job in Little Rock, especially given the challenges all of us have had to overcome in the last two years.”

Send engineering and executive job announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Cumulus Promotes Liesmann in Arkansas appeared first on Radio World.

Burk Technology has launched its “Arcadia24 Hosted Subscription Service,” making secure web-based remote control accessible to small groups and individual stations.

Based on Burk’s Arcadia system, Arcadia24 delivers remote facility control to station engineers and managers via their mobile devices. Hosted by Burk Technology on AWS, each customer’s Arcadia24 service is installed, configured, managed and maintained by Burk remote control experts.

Web links from mobile devices to the Arcadia24 server are locked down and encrypted using the latest generation of Transport Layer Security (TLS), ensuring that only authorized users can access and control each remote facility, the company said. Encrypted VPN tunnels and firewall protection guard communications between Arcadia24 and each remote site.

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

As a cloud-based service, Arcadia24 communicates with each remote site at its optimum rate, accommodating variations in communications speed and performance. The most current data from all sites is then made available for instant display on authorized mobile devices.

Arcadia24 users are authenticated via Microsoft AD LDS, with each user’s access restricted to specified channels, sites, and station groups. Control of critical site functions can be strictly limited to key personnel while overall site performance may be made visible to a wider group of authorized users.

Burk provides customized graphical control screens for each site connected to Arcadia24, giving station personnel instant access to critical site information. Sites can be grouped based on regional hierarchy, engineering responsibility or other criteria, with easy drill-down to display performance summaries. The Arcadia24 user interface seamlessly supports smartphones, tablets and PCs, the company said.

“Burk’s original Arcadia remote access system brings flexible, secure mobile site control to large radio and television groups operating tens to hundreds of stations,” stated Burk Director of Sales Matt Leland. “The new Arcadia24 is hosted and managed by Burk, making it easy for smaller organizations and even individual stations to realize this same level of secure mobile remote access.”

Arcadia24 manages remote sites equipped with Burk Technology v5 ARC Plus or ARC Solo remote control systems.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Burk Launches Secure Web-Based Remote Control Subscription appeared first on Radio World.

Dan Slentz gets funky with Adafruit. Fred Jacobs reflects on the recent Consumer Electronics Show.

Paul McLane plays with smartphone apps. Lance Coon builds an EAS antenna.

And Frank Foti explains his new audio initiative called DejaVu.

Read it here.

The post Inside the March 2, 2022 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Expect to hear a lot more from Audacy about selling to “addressable” audiences.

The company has launched the Audacy Digital Audience Network, describing it as “an addressable aggregate of over 60 million listeners that other audio platforms and streaming platforms do not reach.”

Audacy local and national salespeople can use it when working with agencies and clients.

Chief Revenue Officer Brian Benedik said in the announcement, “The marketplace has moved to audience-based investment and our new ADAN offering is highly scaled with unduplicated digital listeners. We can target these audiences with precision and optimize campaign performance for better marketer outcomes.”

Audacy believes it reaches 200 million people every month and that 30% of them can be found on ADAN through streaming, on the Audacy app and on its podcasts. It says these audiences are more affluent, more likely to be college educated and more diverse than others.

“Through this high-performing audience solution, ADAN can target precise audiences at scale and deliver high-performing digital audio media strategies for Audacy’s advertising partners.”

The post Audacy Launches Addressable Audience Platform appeared first on Radio World.

Planning for the 2022 NAB Show is ramping up, and Radio World is asking exhibitors about their plans and expectations.

Gary Luhrman is sales & marketing manager at Inovonics Inc., which will be found in the new West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Radio World: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trend for radio professionals at the show?

Gary Luhrman: There is a great deal of movement in AoIP applications for broadcast radio. I have spoken with many audio engineers who seem to be very happy with the audio quality and impressed with the ease of setting up AoIP connections, provided of course the cabling and switches are solid.

Inovonics has been incorporating Dante-based AoIP ports in all our latest models. This enables a simple connection with other Dante-equipped devices and gives AES67 AoIP interoperability among a wide range of pro-AV products. Dante is generally also compatible with proprietary systems from independent manufacturers of AoIP-enabled products.

In our world of radio broadcast, for example, this could mean incorporating our SOFIA 568 HD Radio SiteStreamer+ in a broadcaster’s Axia Livewire Network. We have a white paper explaining the setup procedure on our website.

RW: What will be your most important news or exhibit theme?

Luhrman: We’re very excited to introduce our new 551 and 552 HD Radio Modulation Monitors to this year´s NAB. We’ve been working on these in the background for a good two years now and we are extremely proud of the finished products. We believe these mod monitors are truly compelling products for our industry.

Actually, we were going to present the 551 and 552 for the first time last year when the show was cancelled. The big advantage of presenting them now is that both are already in production and shipping. It has also given us more time to work with a valuable group of beta testers, who have provided excellent feedback to enhance the reliability of the firmware and functionality of the products.

So, interested customers can be confident that what they see on the show room floor at NAB is what they will get when they place their orders. And like most Inovonics products, we typically have product in stock for fast processing of customers’ orders.

RW: How is it different from what’s available on the market?

Luhrman: The 551 HD Radio Modulation Monitor is unique to the market with a high-resolution 7-inch TFT Touch Screen that displays all the essential FM and HD Radio modulation data for accurate readings in a graphic format. The touch screen also displays HD Radio album artwork, station logos and similar visuals.

The Inovonics 551 HD Radio Modulation Monitor

In addition, all the essential information is remotely accessible from any web-enabled device through an interactive web interface. The 551 and 552 include a built-in BandScanner, a real-time clock and full SNMP functionality.

Full-time off-air program audio is available simultaneously as L/R-analog, AES3-digital and Dante-based AES67 AoIP streaming, all with adjustable levels, plus a multi-listener Internet IP stream and front-panel headphone jack.

RW: How has the lack of physical trade shows affected your clients or your own business?

Luhrman: The lack of physical trade shows and inability to safely meet in person with customers has required major adjustments for everyone. While we’re fortunate to have communications tools like Zoom, it is just not the same as shaking a hand and having a face-to-face conversation with a radio professional.

But we were all in the same boat and collectively have made business happen under the circumstances. I think Inovonics has managed pretty well by sticking to its core values and by anticipating some of the supply issues that have plagued many manufacturers. That is to say, we’ve managed to keep product on the shelf and broadcasters have responded to our fast deliveries, quality of our products, and excellent tech support.

Inovonics Booth: W4622

The post Exhibitor Preview: Inovonics at NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

The author is co-founder of Telos Alliance and Syndicate of Sounds.

A number of years ago, 2003 or so, Steve Church and I had an idea to enhance HD Radio for FM. To our ears, the HD system for FM lacked a “wow” factor, as the conventional HD signal sounded very similar to the FM-Stereo counterpart.

Just as HDTV offered an incredible advance in visual resolution, we felt the listener needed to experience something similar, with HD broadcast audio. Basically, provide a significant reason why HD Radio was the next step beyond FM-Stereo.

At that time, the record label/audio industry was in the midst of promoting a couple of newer audiophile formats: SACD (Super Audio CD) and DVD-A (DVD Audio). Both of them allowed higher sampling rates, as well as offering discrete, linear 5.1 surround sound.

Record labels began reissuing older catalog material in newly produced 5.1 surround sound. Most were of the rock and classical genre, along with some box sets of complete album catalogs of well-known artists.

We found this exciting for a few reasons, as we were able to hear incredible recordings, by favorite artists, in a whole new light. Also, we got an idea of how to enable this on FM radio.

The new HD Radio platform was still fairly new, and looking for a means to attract consumers of the new tech. As mentioned we felt there was not a significant sonic reason why a consumer would be drawn to this — until we heard music in surround.

We’ve been very fortunate to have maintained a strong business and collegial relationship with the crew at the Frauhofer Institute (FhG), in Germany. On account of this, we learned they had recently developed a new method to transport 5.1 surround within a coded audio environment. This is known as MPEG-Surround.

A simple description explains the usage of the left/right stereo channels for audio transport coding, and at the same time data reducing the surround cues, which are transported alongside the main stereo audio. Then, during the decoding process, the surround cues will properly assign and derive each of the surround channels accordingly. This method provides discrete 5.1 surround and operates within a coded environment platform. The surround cues require very little data, normally around 5 kbps.

Given the data rate of the HD Radio system, MPEG-Surround was the perfect fit for FM broadcast. Automotive listening is the perfect experience for this, and it would surely add the needed “wow” factor to HD Radio, or so we thought.

Telos, along with FhG, built an operating prototype of this system, complete with demonstrations inside a BMW automobile at a couple of NAB Shows in Las Vegas. Anyone who heard the demo was blown away.

So, what happened?
Two mitigating circumstances negatively impacted this innovative idea: the record labels were too quick to pull the plug on producing more surround content, and broadcasters were reluctant to invest in the infrastructure changed needed to add this transmission method to their facilities — even though the Telos Alliance made this all easy and affordable via their AoIP tech, which allows 5.1 surround to easily coexist with stereo signals.

The lack of content was quite possibly the biggest challenge. It would have been very confusing to consumers as to whether their reception was stereo of surround.

Given all that has been expressed here, there has always been a concept that intrigued me. Would it be possible to render discrete 5.1 surround from existing stereo material?

Relevance to radio
This idea is not new, and there have been various upmixing applications available, which will output a “surround” signal.

Most, if not all, of these render surround using some form of simulation, or trickery to generate the added sound field. Most of them employ time delay, phase manipulation, reverb or switching to derive surround.

My goal was to develop an upmixer algorithm that operates in real time, without any of the aforementioned gimmicks — find a linear method that preserves original production integrity and creates discrete surround.

After much research into managing sound fields, I was able to develop a method that creates discrete surround, as it expands the original stereo stage into discrete Left, Right, Center, Left-Surround, Right-Surround, and LFE (Low Frequency Enhancement) or sub-woofer for short.

[Read More Guest Commentaries Here]

This method is now known as Déjà Vu and is marketed through Syndicate of Sounds. The accompanying image is a basic illustration.

The system has been vetted out by some of the biggest names in the recording industry: Gary Katz, Hugh Padgham, Frank Filipetti, Giles Martin and Jean-Michel Jarre to name a few. Each of them has provided the proverbial “thumbs up” to the tech.

So, how does this apply for streaming? Well, after all that background information provided here, it’s really very simple. All of the work done for the HD Radio application ports over 100% to streaming! After all, HD Radio is basically another streaming platform, except we’re not dealing with transmitters and receivers.

Instead of the need to rely on discrete produced 5.1 material, all we need is a great-sounding discrete upmixer for 5.1, and a transport mechanism, like MPEG-Surround, and we are good to go! For the consumer, just about any player app will automatically provide 5.1 surround if an MPEG-Surround signal is present. The players default to this now.

For the streaming installation, all that is needed is a transport codec that both employs the Déjà Vu upmixer and contains MPEG-Surround as a streaming selection. Basically, a stereo audio connection in, and the output is both stereo and surround, all neatly packaged in a standard streaming format.

For broadcasters who stream, this is an excellent way to add a truly amazing wow factor to your online signal, and it does not require any change to your existing infrastructure. Now all content can be presented in true discrete 5.1 surround.

As of early February, the Telos Alliance is finalizing a software update that will enable their streaming product to offer both the Déjà Vu upmixing function, coupled with MPEG-Surround for the transport stream.

Find out more about this topic at syndicateofsounds.com.

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iHeartMedia faces a possible $20,000 fine in a contest rules violation case. The Federal Communications Commission said the company’s history of contest rule violations played a factor in the amount of the penalty.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau said the case involves a contest — ironically called “You Can’t Win” — that was held by WBGG(FM) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

(via @CastronovoShow Twitter)

A person who attempted to participate on May 30, 2019, had won a separate station contest, the “Southwest Flyaway Fridays,” on March 1, so the station call screener didn’t allow him to participate. The listener then argued that the station wasn’t following its own contest rules.

When the FCC inquired, the company replied that an employee had applied a past exclusion rule incorrectly but it also said this wasn’t relevant because the listener would have been ineligible anyway. But the commission ruled that the “plain language” of the contest rules indicated otherwise.

Even if there was an ambiguity, it continued, FCC precedent is that ambiguous rules are to be “construed against the interests of the promoter of the contest.”

The commission also didn’t accept the station’s argument that the person raising the complaint didn’t have “standing” in the case. (Readers who are involved in creating radio station contest rules may wish to read the FCC NAL for specifics of why the commission didn’t accept iHeart’s various arguments.)

The base forfeiture in contest cases is $4,000 for each violation; the FCC opted to increase the proposed penalty to $20,000 in part because the station also failed to maintain the contest rules on its website for at least 30 days after the end of the contest, as required.

But another factor in raising the amount, the FCC said, is that “the licensee is the pro forma assignee of an affiliate with a history of violating the Contest Rule.” The commission listed several examples of contest cases 2000 to 2012 involving stations owned by what was then called Clear Channel.

The station has 30 days to pay the fine or to reply with any counter argument.

This was the second time in as many days that the FCC has mentioned problems of past rule compliance by a major broadcast group; in an unrelated case we reported earlier, the commission took Cumulus to task for various past EEO and other infractions.

The post No, Really, You Can’t Win appeared first on Radio World.

ASCAP reported record revenue for 2021, collecting $1.335 billion.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said, “Increases in collections from the audio streaming and audio-visual sectors pushed ASCAP’s domestic revenue to $1.011 billion in 2021, up 4.4%, an increase of $42.5 million over 2020. This was the first year that ASCAP domestic revenues from U.S.-licensed performances surpassed $1 billion.”

It said the strategic growth plan it launched in 2015 has driven revenues to grow at a 5% compound annual growth rate since then.

“ASCAP’s identification, matching and processing of trillions of musical performances drove record-setting distributions that exceeded $1 billion for the fifth year in a row and increased $41 million over the previous year, for a total oaf $1.254 billion available for distribution to its more than 850,000 songwriter, composer and publisher members in 2021.”

It said the total available for domestic distributions of licensed and administered performances was $912.6 million, a 2.4% increase over 2020. It said strong domestic performance offset a drop in revenue from foreign societies of 9.7% “due largely to business closures and the lack of vaccinations.” But its international distributions were up 5.9%.

Its annual report is posted at www.ascap.com/annualreport.

 

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From the People News page: Guntermann & Drunck announced two new sales roles in North America.

“To better serve the many western U.S. customers, and particularly to drive further market success, GDNA is continuing their North American expansion,” it said in an announcement. “Carlos Mira was appointed  director of sales for Mid America, Florida and Latin America, and Silvia van Lieshout joined GDNA North America Inc. as director of federal sales.

The sales team is joined by Andy Cooper, field application engineer.

G&D makes professional KVM extenders, switches and matrix switches; it is headquartered in Germany and has a North American sales and support subsidiary in California.

Send announcements for People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

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There’s a new feature in the iHeartRadio app that lets listeners send voice messages to air talent on participating iHeart radio stations.

“Engage with your favorite on-air hosts and DJs in on-air conversations by tapping, recording, and sending your voice directly from within the iHeart app for iOS and Android,” the company tells listeners on its website.

The user navigates to a participating live station, taps the mic button and records a voice message up to 30 seconds, and hits Send. The voice recording is sent to the station.

The feature only works on participating iHeartRadio live radio stations. The user has to have the latest iOS or Android app.

TechCrunch reports that the feature also will roll out to interested iHeartRadio podcasters who opt in come April.

“What makes this offering unique,” TechCrunch reports, “is that the recordings aren’t just going to some inbox somewhere — Talk Back is integrated with the proprietary iHeartRadio content management system, so the voice recordings are available to use, live on air, within about 10 seconds after sending.”

The post iHeart Adds Talk Back Feature to App appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters today, Mar. 1, urged broadcasters to refrain from carrying and state-sponsored programming associated with the Russian government or its agents. The call came in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a fierce defender of the First Amendment and the critical importance of the ability to freely express views, both popular and unpopular,” stated NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “While the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, however, it does not prevent private actors from exercising sound, moral judgment.”

LeGeyt’s statement continued: “To that end, given the unprovoked aggression exhibited by Russia against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine, NAB calls on broadcasters to cease carrying any state-sponsored programming with ties to the Russian government or its agents.”

[Related: “Russian Broadcasters Leave EBU”]

The statement ended noting that NAB knows that such programs are extremely limited on U.S. airwaves, but “we believe that our nation must stand fully united against misinformation and for freedom and democracy across the globe.”

The question of how a broadcaster can tell the source of any given programming is timely. The NAB and other broadcast organizations have sued the FCC, opposing a new rule that requires stations to determine the source of foreign-based content. The association has argued that the requirement puts undue burdens on radio and TV stations, that that the rule is unconstitutional and that the problem the FCC is trying to solve is a “phantom harm.”

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