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The Dec. 23, 2020 issue includes Dan Slentz and John Bisset with tips about cleaning equipment in a pandemic. The RadioDNS Technical Group leads an effort to measure consumption across devices. WorldDAB advocates celebrate growth. Buyer’s Guide looks at antennas, RF support and power protection.

All this and our Excellence in Engineering Award recipient!

Read it here.

The post Inside the Dec. 23 2020 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

With a handful of exceptions, including Cumulus Media, radio and TV stocks were largely on the rise as the final trading week of 2020 kicked off on Monday.

Among the gainers: Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Dish, which just resolved its retransmission consent impasse with Nexstar Media Group.

 

RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION

Travel around Manchester, England, and you’ll hear radio stations with the same branding — Radio X, Capital, Heart, Smooth Radio, and Greatest Hits Radio — as other stations across Great Britain.

In Australia, the Nova and KIIS brands can be found in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Now, Canada is swiftly becoming a nation where national branding of radio stations, while retaining their unique program offerings, is being employed to help attract more advertising.

Interestingly, it hasn’t exactly happened in the U.S. — yet.

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In just days, the much-anticipated — and heavily marketed — discovery + OTT platform bows. How is Discovery telling consumers about its pending debut? Ironically, it is using cable TV to push viewers away from MVPDs and toward its soon-to-debut streaming service.

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At Spot TV, GEICO is most certainly one of the stalwarts with respect to ad activity by commercial count.

Indeed, it is No. 2 for the week ending December 27. But, there’s a big new No. 1, and it is a germ-fighting brand.

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RBR+TVBR EXCLUSIVE

Gene Loving has enjoyed a remarkable career in radio broadcasting. In the 1960s, his syndicated interviews with The Beatles could be heard on stations across the U.S., as he attracted big audiences for his daily radio program at WGH-AM 1310 in Norfolk.

In 1991, he co-founded the original Max Media Properties, and its current incarnation dates to 2001, when Loving teamed with local TV sales veteran John Trinder and the late Chuck McFadden — a former GM of WTVZ-TV in Norfolk — to build a company that today includes radio stations in the Tidewater region, including WGH.

Now, the ownership partners are shifting at Max, with Loving gaining a greater stake in the company.

It’s thanks, in part, to the departure of a key institutional investor.

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It was a largely expected deal. Still, the Media Bureau of the FCC used the time-honored tactic of burying big news before a major holiday to tell the world of its decision.

It has given its OK to a transaction that will see a global private investment firm and a related media-focused operating and investment company take majority ownership interest in the biggest multimedia company targeting U.S. Hispanics.

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A radio industry notable has moved forward in forming a “SPAC” focused on sports media. It is an effort sparked by the man who once owned the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club.

But, it also involves the man who serves as President/COO of the company this industry leader founded in 1979, and three board members.

Among those board members: the former head of ESPN Audio, Traug Keller.

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For those who were raised in Upstate New York, SPAC is shorthand for a popular outdoor concert venue in Saratoga Springs. On Wall Street, a “SPAC” is shorthand for a “Special Purpose Acquisition Company” — like the one Cumulus Media co-founder Lew Dickey Jr. created for an early 2019 merger with international digital music streaming platform Akazoo.

Now, another radio industry notable of the last 25 years has moved forward in forming a “SPAC” focused on sports media. It is an effort sparked by the man who once owned the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club.

BE SURE TO ‘LIKE’ RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

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For years, it was safe to say that GEICO was the biggest user of broadcast and cable to reach consumers, given their dominance at spot radio, spot cable and spot TV according to Media Monitors. That’s not true today, as one of its auto insurance competitors has surged to the top of the latest Spot Radio report.

As shown below, State Farm is the big leader at Spot Radio, and accounts for a stunning 94,230 spot plays.

By comparison, GEICO is ranked No. 8 for the week ending December 27, with some 45,757 spot plays detected. That puts GEICO slightly below Progressive in an ever-competitive brand category.

While State Farm is firmly ensconced at the top, Bank of America and Merrill are again major users of spot radio, as is Pfizer — the maker of one of two approved COVID-19 vaccines.

An AM/FM combo serving Minot, N.D., has been involuntary placed into an estate administered by Virginia-based attorney Todd Steiner, following the recent death of the stations’ licensee.

The estate is being led by the deceased owner’s son, who continues to manage business affairs of the properties.

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A Class B AM licensed to Salt Lake City, and an unbuilt FM translator at 94.5 MHz in Draper, Utah, are among the assets that have been licensed to Vic Michael. He’s been trading translators across Hawaii and the Southwestern U.S. over the last several months, and Michael is at it again.

This time, it sees his Utah LMA partner converting its operation to a purchase.

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The idea of a broadcast engineer totally retiring does not seem to be working out for me.

I tell everyone I am semi-retired. The theory is to be able to find a few small side jobs to just make a little “mad money” using the skills acquired through a decades-long career. 

But the last few months have demonstrated how this theory never seems to quite work out. 

I live in rural Colorado, about 15 minutes from a four-station FM transmitter site. For them, the nearest unretired engineer is over an hour away.

I’ve just finished installing two transmitters there for K-LOVE/Air1. In the process I learned that fluid-cooled transmitters are not just for huge markets and installed on skyscrapers. This was one of the most complex installs that I have worked on, and the finished project seems like a new level of quality — 35 kW and 10 kW, so clean and quiet they seem unreal.

Just as I was completing the transmitter project and thinking of relaxing again, I got a text from the manager of a college radio station where I have a support contract. Turns out they got funding and had taken delivery of two Wheatstone control surfaces, blades and Cisco switches.

My experience is with small stations that owned good control boards, but nothing IP-based. So it looks like have some learning to do, as this next project gets underway.

If I really wanted to enjoy being semi-retired I guess I should have just gone back and taken a part-time job where I worked in college. Too bad there aren’t many RadioShacks left; that would have been the retirement job for me. 

Radio World welcomes letters to the editor at radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Letter: This Is Retirement? appeared first on Radio World.

The author is Colorado field engineer for Educational Media Foundation.

PUEBLO, Colo. — Educational Media Foundation is most often identified with its growing K-LOVE and Air1 brands, which today represent the largest contemporary Christian music radio networks in the United States.

EMF has provided a presence for both networks in Colorado through the acquisitions of KLCX(FM) and KWRY(FM), serving the Pueblo market and surrounding regions.

The acquisitions happened at different times, but both stations have long been combined into a common antenna. That antenna originally was designed to accommodate 104.9 and 107.9 MHz. KLCX broadcasts K-LOVE on 106.9 MHz, and KWRY carries the Air1 format on 104.9. Unfortunately, 106.9 MHz was not in the frequency range of the original design.

There were other concerns with the existing antenna, including its lack of protection against icing and other weather. The transmitter site is about 30 miles southwest of Pueblo in a mountainous area, so ice would often detune the antenna and raise VSWR levels, reducing coverage.

Following a severe system failure, we reached out to Dielectric for help, which led to the purchase and installation of a Dielectric DCR-M antenna and two-station combiner. In the months since installation of the antenna, combiner and two new transmitters, the new RF systems have eliminated all existing problems while strengthening our signal coverage.

The DCR-M model is a center-fed, eight-bay antenna with an omnidirectional pattern. The antenna design has unique attributes to meet the weight and wind load limitations of our tower. A typical two-station antenna uses half-wavelength bay spacing, which would have required 16 bays to produce the appropriate antenna gain and 100 kW ERP with a 30 kW transmitter. The 16-bay antenna loading would not have been a solution for the current tower without significant tower modifications.

Dielectric solved this problem by spacing the antenna bays at an approximate 0.92 wavelength, which allows the 100 kW ERP to be produced with a lighter eight-bay design.

Dielectric’s “funky elbow” design maintains the full-wavelength electrical spacing between the antenna bays while allowing the physical spacing to be reduced, resulting in near full-wavelength bay spacing antenna gain. It also simultaneously reduces the RF radiation on the ground, which was a concern given the tower’s proximity to walking trails, campsites and wildlife.

The antenna also includes a “fine matcher,” which allowed for easy adjustments of the antenna system’s input impedance upon installation on the tower.

Galvanized Endeavors of Colorado Springs handled the DCR-M installation, as well as removal of the old antenna and damaged transmission line. The new antenna mount and transmission line were put into place, and the antenna was installed on the tower with its center of radiation positioned at 163 feet above ground level.

Given that the site elevation is at 8,350 feet above sea level, the antenna is prone to very heavy winds (often above 100 mph) and a consistent 20-to-30-inch snowpack in the colder months.

These weather conditions truly require antenna protection, and Dielectric’s antenna radome design has already delivered. We experienced a hefty snowstorm in October, which left several inches of ice and snow on all surrounding structures. The antenna was white from top to bottom, yet the radomes offered full protection from the wintry conditions. The antenna remained in tune, and with no change to VWSR levels, which remained steady between 1:05 and 1:08 across both station frequencies.

Inside the transmitter building, the Dielectric two-station combiner is properly matched to both the transmission frequencies and the transmitter power output. This means the combined signals are sent to the antenna with the right amount of power with minimal loss and a proper safety margin — all while meeting the mask requirements. The combiner properly prevents intermodulation issues from the two signals mixing along the path.

Even though the transmitter site’s mountain elevation required the RF components to be derated for altitude, Dielectric’s modern combiner design is compact, and the new system opens up a great deal of interior building space.

As this is a shared space, floor space is at a premium. The new combiner fits comfortably in the building, which allows us to make the most efficient rigid transmission line run possible — a perfect convergence point with the antenna feedline coming into the building. The location of the combiner means I can access the rear of my transmitters and audio racks comfortably to perform maintenance.

Two months in, the new Dielectric system has exceeded our expectations performance-wise, while providing a robust and reliable solution which has simplified our lives in engineering.

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

For information about this product, contact Jay Martin (United States) at +1-207-655-8138 or John Macdonald (international) at Dielectric at 1-239-272-5962 or visit www.dielectric.com.

 

The post User Report: Dielectric Innovates for EMF Colorado appeared first on Radio World.

The Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) has before it a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by Sander Operating Co. III LLC (Sander), licensee of KGW, channel 8, Portland, Oregon, requesting the substitution of channel 26 for channel 8 at Portland in the DTV Table of Allotments. The Bureau had instituted a freeze on the acceptance of rulemaking petitions by full power television stations requesting channel substitutions in May 2011 and waived the freeze to consider Sander's proposal to substitute channel 26 at Portland. TEGNA, Inc., filed comments in support of the petition reaffirming its commitment to applying for channel 26. The Bureau believes the public interest would be served by the substitution and will permit the station to better serve its viewers, who have experienced reception problems with VHF channel 8.

Look closely. A cleaning product has damaged this after-market shockmount.

Allowing employees to work from home is an excellent way to keep them safe and healthy in a pandemic, but it’s not always possible. So keeping radio studios clean is more important than ever.

Best practice, of course, starts with training staff in proper hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers. And hopefully you have issued individual microphone windscreens to your air talent.

But what about cleaning your specialized radio equipment?

Let’s share some recommendations from manufacturers. The information should not be taken as a final say but as supplemental to national guidelines and what organizations like the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization recommend.

Knobs become globs

The components of popular cleaning products can cause unexpected problems when used on broadcast equipment.

Jim Gray of Optimized Media Group has a client whose staff started bringing in household cleaners when the pandemic struck. These included 409, Clorox, Windex, Lysol and a few other familiar brands.

But many such cleaners contain ammonia, which can be very harmful to rubbers and plastics. Whether from one particular cleaner or a combination of them, the gear at the station reacted badly. Equipment knobs became soft and deformed. Automation screens became cloudy. Mic shock mounts had to be replaced.

Rubber-coated keycaps can turn to “jelly” after frequent cleaning with non-approved cleaners, such as products with ammonia.

Jim estimated the cost of the damage at around $2,000. Since making the necessary repairs, he has purchased disinfectants that are electronics-safe. He is using 70% isopropyl alcohol as his cleaner but encourages others to do their own research for their needs.

The CDC doesn’t have radio-specific guidelines, but for electronics it suggests using covers that can be wiped down when possible. Of course this is not practical for devices that are in constant use.

Follow manufacturer instructions for cleaning and disinfecting; if no guidance is available, use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol. Apply it to a clean cloth, not directly to the surface. Then dry the surfaces thoroughly.

For convenient cleaning, Jim Gray cut a roll of heavy paper towels in three and put them in a disposable Rubbermaid food container with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

The CDC has a detailed information page about disinfecting facilities, including sections on soft surfaces, electronics, laundry, outside areas and other problem spots.

Ask the makers

As the CDC points out, manufacturers are a key source of information on how to clean and disinfect specialty equipment.

For instance, at Telos Alliance, Support Engineer Johnny Goldsmith and Marketing Coordinator Bryan Shay note that some parts on Axia products have rubber coatings, so home cleaners may cause problems.

They recommend 70% isopropyl alcohol applied with a dampened soft cloth; allow it to sit on the equipment for 30 second or more, then thoroughly dry with another soft cloth.

Telos Alliance reminds us to wipe with 70% alcohol solution, let sit, then dry.

They say you should avoid using Clorox brand or similar wipes on consoles and similar equipment because it may cause fading of printing. They advise against spraying disinfectant or cleaner directly on a surface, because liquid can cause great problems if it penetrates the electronics.

On Telos VSet phones, the handset may be cleaned with Clorox wipes, but the company still suggests isopropyl alcohol, to be sure to not get liquid into the earpiece or mouthpiece holes.

Goldsmith says check out the company page “Recommendations for Cleaning and Sanitizing Consoles and Equipment.”

At Wheatstone, Support Technician Dick Webb says look for disinfectant wipes that are labeled specifically as suitable for use on electronic devices. Check the ingredients and avoid anything corrosive.

Dick recommends you test a cleaning product on an inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn’t hurt the surface. Also, in addition to not spraying gear directly, he notes that a cloth can also cause damage if it is sopping wet, dripping liquid onto and into the electronics.

Mic care

Microphones are an obvious area of concern. Where windscreens are in use, each user should be issued their own.

For cleaning, Audio-Technica’s Audio Solutions department says you can remove a windscreen and spray it lightly with a disinfectant. Foam windscreen and headphone coverings can be washed by hand with mild soap in a sink, but carefully wring them out and dry thoroughly before using them.

For mics, arms, booms and headphones, dampen a wipe with 70% alcohol and wipe the surfaces. It should be wet enough to show moisture on the surface being cleaned, but never so much that it saturates the internal workings.

Most microphones have metal grilles as well as foam or other material to cut wind/pop noise. The grilles can allow bits of food as well as viruses and other germs to get in. Some manufacturers suggest spraying a mic very lightly with a “mist,” but Audio-Technica specifically advises against that.

“If a microphone has a removable metal grille, as most handheld microphones do, unscrew the grille and clean it while it is separated from the diaphragm and electronics of the microphone,” it states on a support page. “Internal windscreens should likewise be removed from the grille and cleaned separately.”

Though cleaners with ammonia or chlorine may be effective for viruses, I’d be very concerned about their use on microphones as both can destroy soft materials quickly; and they can leave a pretty foul smell for someone putting their face a few inches from a mic.

For a useful and detailed discussion, see “How Do I Clean My Audio-Technica Microphones?” For other brands, try a similar search or consult the manufacturer.

The folks at ElectroVoice add that if the mic has a removable threaded-on grille, it can be removed and soaked with the inner foam components in hot soapy water. The grille and foam components should air-dry before you put them back together and use the mic. For fixed grilles, a clean, soft-bristle toothbrush can be used to clean between the strands of grille wire. Visit https://electrovoice.com/support/troubleshooting/.

Cabinetry

Of course, regularly clean surfaces that people touch a lot such as light switches and doorknobs. Cleaners like Brillianize, used with microfiber cloths, can kill 99% of bacteria, according to a study from University of California, Davis, which the company notes on its website.

Studio furniture is one such surface. David Holland, chief design officer of Omnirax, says the company builds its countertops using Wilsonart high-pressure laminate, a very durable material. On these you can use more robust cleaners than with electronics.

Omnirax builds products with durable Wilsonart HPL. It suggests getting in the habit of trying any cleaner in an inconspicuous area first.

Wilsonart suggests cleaning first with dish soap, warm water and a soft cloth, then apply a SARS-CoV-2 approved disinfectant. In the absence of that, use a diluted bleach solution based on CDC guidelines (remember to test the cleaner first on an inconspicuous area):

Wilsonart has a helpful nine-page guide that includes discussion of specific brands; find it at https://tinyurl.com/rw-wilsonart.

You never want to forget your remote gear. Not only is it in contact with people, it’s also out in the field.

Jacob Daniluck of Tieline echoes the advice to never spray directly onto your gear and to use a clean soft rag dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

Tieline and other manufacturers say don’t spray your gear; instead use a cloth that is dampened but not sopping wet. A solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol can be used.

A final note is that OSHA requires businesses to keep Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all chemicals and cleaners; keep this in mind when dealing with chemicals at your station. Should someone be “spritzed” in the eyes or inhale a cleaner, you’ll need to know how to treat them. You should consult OSHA regulations and/or your safety managers.

To summarize, manufacturers want us to be smart and well informed about cleaning. The real experts are doctors and scientists, so the manufacturers I spoke with all said that you should refer to CDC guidelines when it comes to protecting the health of your employees.

While this pandemic will eventually be overcome, colds and flus will not. Maintaining our best cleaning practices will help minimize sick staff and downtime in the future and keep your equipment and studios safe.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

 

The post Radio Equipment Pandemic Cleaning 101 appeared first on Radio World.

RadioDNS pulls unique station identifiers from RDS. It rewrites these into a format that looks like a domain name. This gets passed to the nearest DNS server. The receiver then makes a direct connection to a station’s stream using the IP address.

Hybrid radio is just around the corner. Is your station ready?

Audi and BMW are selling vehicles with hybrid radios in the United States and Canada. This technology enables both over-the-air and internet radio reception in cars.

Impressive as that is, these receivers will also be able to display a station’s logo as well as station information such as “now playing” and other metadata from the web stream as part of a vehicle’s on-screen station guide.

A small web icon for KITS at the right indicates that the station, along with its associated metadata, is being received via the web stream rather than over the air.

Additionally, the Audi radios will offer service following, which means they will be able to switch from the FM signal to streaming audio when radio reception becomes iffy, effectively extending your station’s coverage area.

The receiver will enable the most seamless transition possible, matching timing and levels between the two signals, so long as the time difference is 30 seconds or less.

Audi radios offer “service following,” and the driver is given the option of switching to a station’s stream when the FM signal becomes marginal.

In order for stations to reap the benefits of hybrid radio, they must first create an XML file with station information, host it on a publicly-accessible web server, create some DNS records and register with RadioDNS.

Any number of service providers can do this for you, but in these challenging economic times, you can save some cash by doing it yourself. It’s not difficult, but like most things, it takes some study, advance planning and organization to ensure a happy outcome.

Founded in October 2009, RadioDNS is a non-profit organization based in the U.K. that promotes the global use of open technology standards to enable hybrid radio. In addition to HD Radio, the standard supports VHF/FM, DAB, DRM and AMSS. RadioDNS manages the internet-based technologies that can connect hybrid radios to radio stations providing internet content like streaming audio URLs.

DIY

To assist the do-it-yourselfers, NAB PILOT offers a free on-demand webinar that walks you through the process. It’s hosted by David Layer, vice president, advanced engineering in NAB’s Technology Department. Panelists include Christian Winter, development engineer, radio, media at Audi AG; Nick Piggott, project director and co-founder RadioDNS Hybrid Radio; and Andy Buckingham, creative technologist at Togglebit.

Help is also available on the RadioDNS website. There you can find step-by-step guides to implementing RadioDNS functionality, as well as presentations from technical conferences explaining how to manage RadioDNS hybrid radio application systems. There are also discussion boards where you can post your questions.

This fall’s Radio Show virtual event, co-produced by NAB and RAB, featured a session on “How Radio Broadcasters Can Support RadioDNS.” It was hosted by Layer with panelists Piggott; Jason Ornellas, regional director of engineering, Bonneville International; and Mark McConnell, system administrator and digital content manager, Bonneville International.

Layer began the Radio Show session by noting a September press release from Audi, announcing a collaboration with iHeart Radio, which is making more than 600 of its radio stations hybrid radio capable during its initial integration phase.

The release, according to Layer, underscored an important point. “Auto manufacturers are going to great lengths to introduce hybrid radio-equipped cars, and now the onus is on radio broadcasters to do their part by making their stations capable of utilizing this new service.”

Layer adds that no fees are collected for registering your station with RadioDNS; it is a free service. However, there are costs involved in setting up radio stations to make use of RadioDNS technology.

RadioDNS is supported financially by its members worldwide, of whom NAB is one, as are several broadcast groups in the U.S. Broadcasters who want to help move this technology forward should consider joining RadioDNS.

The XML file with station information previously mentioned is called the Service Information (SI) file, and is the main resource for conveying basic information about radio stations to the hybrid radio receiver.  To create this, you’ll need a database containing the station metadata from all stations being supported. For each station that should include call sign, name, description, genre, logo URLs and audio stream URL. Also needed is information on the station’s RDS PI code (for analog FM stations) or the facility ID (for HD Radio stations).

NAB PILOT has created a way to automate the collection of the PI code/facility ID and other “bearer” information. It’s called the “Radio Call-signs API.” For more information, contact David Layer via nabpilot.org. Station logos as well as a web hosting service to put the SI and logo files on are also required.

Next, you’ll need to create the XML file to make it all work. Most of the examples on the NAB webinar are created using the PHP scripting language, but other languages can also be used.

Preparation is key

The first step is to collect all the station information from the database. Next, all the images need to be prepared.

RadioDNS specified five different resolutions to support different receiver display resolutions, including 32 X 32 PX, 112 X 32 PX, 128 X 128 PX, 320 X 240 PX, and 600 X 600 PX. This step is really a matter of converting your one large image file into these smaller sizes. Then, you’ll need to ping the Radio Call-signs API to get back your broadcast station details. Finally, you must build the SI file document and save it.

After the coding is complete, you need to register your station with RadioDNS. A bit of preparation is necessary. You’ll need to gather some information about the parameters in your signal. In order to get into the RadioDNS hybrid radio registry, analog FM stations must be transmitting RDS, including the PI (Program Identifier) code.

It is further recommended that you transmit the ECC (Extended Country Code). This can help improve the accuracy of locating your DNS entry. For the United States, the ECC is A0.

The DNS utilizes a GCC (Global Country Code), which comprises the first digit of your RDS PI code followed by your ECC code. For U.S. stations, PI codes begin with A, B, D and E, so valid GCCs would be AA0, BA0, DA0 or EA0.

When you register, RadioDNS will create a DNS entry for each of your frequencies. If your group has numerous channels, you may be able to register with a wildcard (*) entry, and you won’t need to list them all. Otherwise, frequencies need to be entered as a five-digit number, i.e. 08850 for 88.5 MHz, or 10790 for 107.9 MHz.

In summary, each FM channel will information entered in the form frequency.pi.gcc, for example 08850.pi.BA0.

If you’re operating with HD Radio, you need to be transmitting your FCC Facility Identifier (ID) in hexadecimal format, padding with leading 0s to create a five-digit number. This should be followed by the country identifier (CC), which is 292 for the USA. And if you’re transmitting multicast, all of this needs to be preceded by MC.

An example of a multicast HD Radio entry would be MC.id.cc, for example MC.10C21.292.

Completed applications should be e-mailed to registrations@radiodns.org. These should include your fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and your broadcast parameters for FM and HD for each station being registered, your .zone file as an attachment (if you have created one), your name and telephone contact number, the registered name of the radio station(s), and finally the name of the authority that issued the broadcast license(s). RadioDNS will acknowledge the change request via email, within 48 working hours. New and changed entries take up to 24 hours to propagate through the Domain Name Service.

On the air

Some stations have already taken the plunge into this new technology.

As soon as Ornellas and McConnell heard about hybrid radio, they knew they wanted to make Bonneville International an early adopter in the six markets the company serves. Their journey took them to places they never expected.

Ornellas said, “Initially, we just wanted to be a part of it. Then Mark began looking online and realized we can do so much more than just have an online presence. The Capital FM example inspired us to put all the extra information out there for our listeners.”

McConnell adds, “The two big things that jumped out for us were their use of the PI content code, as well as their use of an electronic program guide which had links to their social media. But the entire structure is XML-based, so there’s a lot of flexibility to add what you want.”

The second big discovery for Ornellas and McConnell was how much data could be gleaned once the server logs are combined with owner data from car dealers.

“These can be used to create some powerful real-time analytics,” says Ornellas. “The age and sex of the driver, for example, can be combined with where and when they tune in, how long they listen, and what station they eventually switch to.

“There’s probably more to be discovered. The challenge for us is to take this wealth of data, which is already parsed out by station, and create a dashboard where it can be easily accessed and understood by sales, promotion and management.”

McConnell began the process by using a PI code look-up tool, which obtained the PI codes necessary for analog FM stations. A few things were left to be added by hand, including the ETSI content CS codes and electronic program guide links, including social media, website and studio line links.

The result was the overarching framework for the Bonneville station’s SI files, and it was left to station engineers to fill it in, using the Sacramento station as an example. All of the completed files reside in the Bonneville International corporate server.

Piggott said getting hybrid radio to work involves teamwork.

“The implementation of hybrid radio brings people from two sides of the business together. It’s the intersection of broadcast engineering skills, such as making sure PI codes are being transmitted on RDS encoders, but also knowledge of how to set up DNS records and put files on web servers.”

Ornellas added, “You need to have that collaboration with digital and engineering to really streamline this, especially the artwork and stream URLs. Some engineers have access to that, others rely on the digital folks. We’re unique at Bonneville in that we already work together so closely that this was a seamless process. Moving forward, I believe digital and engineering are going to become very integrated, and hybrid radio is a perfect example.”

Radio never stands still, nor should your SI file. Stations change logos, formats, call signs and even ownership, often with little advance notice. It’s best to think of creating the SI file, as well as your other digital assets as a process rather than a one-time event. This may be another reason to learn how to create and manage them yourself, rather than relying on a service provider.

The solution at Bonneville is a virtual machine located at company headquarters. When new logos or other graphics are created, they are immediately uploaded. Station engineers also keep backups of their SI files and other engineering data there.

Tom Vernon is a longtime contributor to Radio World.

The post Power Up Hybrid Radio With RadioDNS appeared first on Radio World.