In Central Florida, Mike McClain has gained national recognition as the SVP/GM of FOX O&O’s WOFL-35 and WRBW-65 in Orlando and WOGX-51 in Gainesville-Ocala.
Now, the FOX operation along the I-4 corridor is getting attention for its choice of a video software provider that will support its rollout of ATSC 3.0-based broadcast TV signals in the market.
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Shure says its latest podium mic, the Microflex MX415Dual, is aiming to be a standout with two condenser cartridges for “delivering reliable, high-quality audio for high-stake moments.” The dual elements allow for more than one feed, for instance, a house feed and a multbox or broadcast feed. Or if one fails or is damaged there is another to carry on.
The MX415 is mounted on a 15-inch gooseneck. It has a cardioid pattern though the cartridges are swappable with other Microflex cartridges of different patterns.
[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]
It outputs to twin 5-foot (1.5 meter) cables exiting from the bottom of mic, terminating in two TQG 4-pin female connectors that can connect to included in-line mic preamps with XLR connectors.
There is an integrated shockmount to minimize podium noise, foam windscreen and mesh ball grille along with communications RF shielding to go after mobile phone interference. It ships with mounting accessories.
Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.
Info: www.shure.com
The post Shure Intros Broadcast-Quality Podium Mic appeared first on Radio World.
LOS ANGELES — Earlier this month, the SXM-8 satellite completed in-orbit testing and was handed over to SiriusXM.
It’s the ninth high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar Technologies for SiriusXM.
A 11th one is on the way.
Westminister, Colo.-based Maxar late Tuesday (8/24) announced it received an order to build another geostationary communications satellite for longtime customer SiriusXM.
And, it follows the SXM-9 satellite order that was announced earlier this month.
SXM-10 will be built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif.
Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s third-generation satellites, the last one of which was launched earlier this year.
“We’re proud to continue this relationship for both SXM-9 and SXM-10,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery.
— Adam R Jacobson
Nexstar Media Group is partnering up with the company behind a streaming video network that provides extensive coverage of sports betting by way of a just-signed multi-year agreement that will see the launch of what’s being billed as the nation’s first-ever diginet devoted to sports wagering and fantasy sports.
Beginning September 1, SportsGrid Network from SportsGrid Inc. will be distributed across nine digital subchannels licensed to Nexstar in nine major U.S. markets: San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Tampa-St. Petersburg; Portland, Ore.; Nashville; Norfolk; Grand Rapids; Knoxville; and Des Moines.
SportsGrid considers itself to be the nation’s “first and only 24-hour sports wagering and fantasy sports program service.”
That said, it is in many ways a competitor to such established brands as DraftKings, BetQL and VSiN, bringing Nexstar into a highly active and burgeoning non-traditional revenue stream for both television and radio in the broadcast media space.
At present, SportsGrid’s content is distributed across over-the-air broadcast and cable television, connected Smart TVs, a variety of streaming platforms, mobile devices and on the internet. The new network is being added to recently vacated digital sub-channels licensed to Nexstar.
At its launch, SportsGrid Network will feature 18 hours of exclusive live original programming hosted by a team of on-air personalities, sports and gambling experts, and guest contributors, as well as a variety of pre-produced programming and encore presentations of the network’s most popular shows.
The network’s mission: to provide real-time sports news, data, analytics, and statistics to engage sports audiences whenever and wherever they choose. SportsGrid’s reporting and analytic platform includes daily odds, lines, matchups, injury reports, statistics, news, and more across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, golf, tennis, and soccer.
SportsGrid’s live programming originates from television production facilities adjacent to Madison Square Garden in New York and at the SG Studios & Production Hub, across the Hudson River in the state of New Jersey.
SportsGrid was founded by President Louis Maione. He said, “Nexstar’s national reach across 199 owned or operated television stations in 116 markets throughout the U.S. is a great platform for distributing our content to fantasy sports fans and gamblers everywhere. This agreement provides both companies the opportunity to share content and to strategically expand the network to additional Nexstar markets.”
Sean Compton, the former radio industry executive who today is President of Nexstar’s Networks Division, commented, “Our nation is sports obsessed and we are delighted to deliver SportsGrid’s programming to address the rapidly growing interest in sports betting and fantasy sports. Distributing SportsGrid’s programming across digital subchannels in nine of our markets will enable us to connect with new audiences and continue expanding a new and fast growing revenue stream.”
The severity of the global computer chip shortage has broadcast equipment manufacturers finding creative ways to manage supply channels while trying to meet product demand.
Despite the semiconductor shortages, people in the radio technology marketplace who spoke with Radio World say products are still being shipped, with mostly minor delays, thanks to prior planning. Equipment suppliers said they hope the semiconductor shortage will ease soon, perhaps by early 2022.
The pandemic has disrupted global supply chains for integrated circuits since early 2020, as factories closed and transportation was delayed. Surging demand for motor vehicles and other consumer electronic products, prompted in part by economic stimulus measures, have exacerbated the situation.
While some suppliers were reluctant to discuss workflow issues for this story, others confirmed that their difficulty in sourcing components has worsened in recent months. Broadcasters are primarily seeing delays on computers and computer-based audio gear, sources said, but even transmitter delivery dates are being affected in some instances.
The scarcity of chips has had an impact on HD Radio. General Motors this summer decided to exclude HD Radio on certain pickup truck models in the 2021 and 2022 model years.
HD Radio parent Xperi Corp. acknowledged there could be some “feature reductions in radios” in some cars but expressed confidence that HD Radio deployment in vehicles will continue to progress.
Global logisticsScott Stiefel, COO of Telos Alliance, said a series of unplanned events — including fires at two chip factories in Japan — combined with the pandemic to contribute to the shortage.
“The same challenges affecting the auto, computer or household electronics industry are there for us,” he said.
“Chip shortages, end-of-life issues for low-volume components, as well as global logistics problems. But without question, the factory fires at the AKM and Renesas Fabrication facilities have impacted the electronics industry, already taxed by the COVID-related shortages. The mass buying and stockpiling over and above the normal demand have also created shortages in both supply as well as in logistics. Again not directly attributable to COVID, but a side effect of consumer behavior.”
Inovonics President/CEO Ben Barber said chips and virtually all components have been affected.
“Earlier this year we made the decision to ramp up our purchasing in order to get ahead of the delays. Making this type of investment has been expensive, but at the same time we have the raw inventory to continue to manufacture all of our product lines without being backordered,” Barber said.
Prices for chips are up. One microprocessor for which Inovonics normally pays $14 is now $60. “And lead times have also been extended in many cases to 42 weeks plus,” he said.
The shortage has affected virtually all parts including ICs, SMD parts, power supplies and even metal chassis, Barber said.
Tony Peterle, manager in the Americas for WorldCast Systems Broadcast, said the radio technology sector has been affected by the semiconductor shortage like every other area of industry.
“Broadcast equipment is certainly no exception, but thanks to all our partners all over the world we have found immediate solutions and we continue to deliver,” he said.
Peterle said most of WorldCast’s broadcast customers are thinking far enough ahead to give his company solid estimates on lead times.
“Most broadcasters are obviously aware of the component crisis and they are planning their project timelines accordingly.”
Another observer who asked not to be named said there are only a handful of companies that make the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog components used in phones, cameras and just about anything that converts audio between analog and digital.
And of those, only two major chip makers, Cirrus Logic and AKM, produce the kind used in most pro audio and broadcast products.
To make matters more difficult, the observer continued, AKM ADC ICs pinouts are different than Cirrus Technology’s equivalent ADC/DAC ICs, which makes it impossible to substitute one for the other without some redesign.
“A year or more out”The good news for broadcasters is that supply chain disruptions caused by the chip shortage haven’t necessarily resulted in immediate price increases for products.
“For now, we’re pricing our products based on our reserve inventories of components and materials, and re-evaluating by the month,” said Dee McVicker, a representative of Wheatstone. “We’ve been through volatile supply situations in the past — never this severe though, and one thing is always certain; things will change.”
She described lead times on important components as “insane.” Nevertheless, McVicker said, Wheatstone’s manufacturing runs haven’t been compromised.
“We do both production runs of some products and customized runs of others, and that hasn’t changed any. But since we’re our own plant, we can scale our production according to our own needs,” McVicker said.
“If we had to rely on third parties to manufacture our products, we’d probably be in a situation where we’d have to batch our runs or, worse, have long wait times competing for component availability.”
Several equipment manufacturers described extra steps taken to limit the effects of the shortage and control supply chain volatility.
“We are meeting daily with our vendors to make sure we can source chips and materials a year or more out. That takes a little bit of planning on our part and also close communication with our customers on their project time lines,” McVicker said.
IP audio codec maker Tieline said it manufactures its codecs in-house, which ensures as much control over the supply of critical components as possible; still, lead times have become exaggerated because of the chip shortage.
“We are definitely seeing lead times for components blow out, and it’s not always semiconductors that seem to have been affected,” said Charlie Gawley, vice president of sales for Tieline.
“For some components, average lead times of 26 weeks or less have extended out to 52 weeks or more. And in one case, as far out to 2024. As you can imagine, this adds an additional layer of complexity to ensure the bill of materials for each product is available for manufacturing when required.”
Tieline believes the chip shortage will extend at least into early 2022, Gawley said. “However, we do not expect to be impacted given our order placements for components already placed.”
Gawley said Tieline has been able to absorb any extra costs and has not adjusted prices.
Several equipment vendors told Radio World that the chip shortage is affecting their research and development efforts and work on new products.
Possibly softening the impact of the shortage is that more broadcast products now are based on software. However, “Our experience has shown us that not all products can be replaced by software,” said Todor Ivanov, CEO and owner of DEVA Broadcast. “Many of our devices are intended for use in the field and at transmitter sites where using PC-based solutions is not reliable enough. For all of those products, we have taken the necessary measures to make sure that no hardware shortages are experienced and that our customers can rely on our products at any given time.”
Sidebar: Steel Also Feels the Pinch Image: ERISteel prices in July were up 215% from 16 months prior, according to Fortune.
A worsening shortage may scramble supply chains and increase the cost of broadcast towers.
Tom Silliman, president of Electronics Research Inc., told Radio World in July that material for current projects was largely on hand and that work was continuing. However, he said, ERI’s supplier of steel for broadcast towers, O’Neal Steel, was unable to order additional material from steel mills other than what was on order.
“Rollings are closed at this time and there is not a date on when they will open them again. Definitely no additional orders for 2021,” Silliman said.
Prices for the material that goes into tower members are going up terribly, Silliman said.
“Some of the solid rod suppliers don’t want to sell any more solid rod tower material now because the cost of the material is so high. They would rather sell other material,” he said.
ERI designs, fabricates and installs self-supporting towers, guyed towers and antenna mounts used by the broadcast industry. As of mid-summer it was experiencing only minor project delays, due mostly to a shortage of guy wire insulators for AM towers.
“This causes a problem because it pushes our crews into late fall, causing higher numbers of weather days,” Silliman said.
For new tower orders, Silliman said broadcasters should expect higher material costs and long delays in receiving tower steel.
“Material delivery time is way out. In 2020, O’Neal Steal was quoting us six-week delivery of tower steel, and now they are quoting six-month deliveries. And since prices for material has gone way up, tower prices will have to go up, too.”
The post Chip Shortage Hits Radio Technology Marketplace appeared first on Radio World.
A Class B AM licensed to Horseheads, N.Y., that serves the Corning-Elmira market and reaches nearby Ithaca is being spun.
It’s a facility that was owned in recent years by Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman’s Community Broadcasters and later spun by Seven Mountains Media, the dominant radio operator in the market today, to a non-commercial religious entity.
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A licensee of an FM translator serving Marion, Ind., has received a proposed fine from the FCC much like several other NALs issued within the last month.
It shows that the FCC means business when it comes to filing deadlines — and that it hopes to add to its coffers from tardy radio licensees.
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In February, the 12-year-old Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) took to Zoom and conducted the first of its two virtual sessions comprising the 10th annual Cross-Platform Video Measurement & Data Summit.
Six months later, we’re pleased to be checking in with Managing Director and CEO Jane Clarke to get a new look on the state of measurement. Among Clarke’s choice declarations: The panel just doesn’t work anymore.
For all of what Clarke has to say in just under 15 minutes, check out this must-listen RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM!
Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jane Clarke, CIMM” on Spreaker.
The Museum of Broadcast Communications has unveiled the names of eight new inductees, as well as a new class of 33 Legacy inductees, into the Chicago-based Radio Hall of Fame for 2021.
The 2021 inductees will be honored at an in-person 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 28 at Chicago’s Wintrust Grand Banking Hall.
THE 2021 RADIO HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ARE:
Brother Wease – Radio 95.1, Rochester, NY
Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)
Elliot Segal – DC101, Washington, DC
Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)
Dan Patrick – The Dan Patrick Show
Longstanding Networks/Syndication (20 years or more)
Kim Komando – The Kim Komando Show
Active Network/Syndication (10 Years or more)
Javier Romero – WAMR-FM/Amor 107.5, Univision Miami
Music Format On-Air Personality
Preston & Steve – 93.3 WMMR, Philadelphia, PA
Spoken Word On-Air Personality
Erica Farber, President and CEO, Radio Advertising Bureau
Bill Siemering, Founding Director of Programming and Founding Member of the Board of Directors, NPR
Four inductees were determined by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 600 industry professionals and four inductees were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, two with input from the public. The outcome of the listener vote for a music format and spoken word format on-air personality counted as one vote among the committee votes. The process was overseen by the certified public accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase LLP.
Kraig T. Kitchin, Radio Hall of Fame chairman, commented, “I’m thrilled to welcome this deserving Class of 2021 and look forward to celebrating their inductions in late October in Chicago. In addition, it’s my honor to announce and recognize the talents of individuals who provided the foundation for so much of our industry’s success, but have not been yet recognized by this institution. These individuals have earned their place within the Radio Hall of Fame. We used the opportunity of this medium’s 100th anniversary to undertake a review of the industry’s past performers and operators, to identify a select group of industry legends that left us before they could be properly recognized. We honor their contributions and their memory by these inductions.“
In addition, to honor the 100th year of radio, the Radio Hall of Fame has established a Legends induction, recognizing the talents and efforts of air personalities, programmers and operators who although they have died, spent their lives contributing their talents to the industry. While the industry celebrates 100 years of existence, the industry’s Hall of Fame is only 33 years into existence. The centennial milestone provides an opportunity to recognize the talents and efforts of 33 individuals in 2021, as well.
The following 33 radio legends take their place in the Radio Hall of Fame immediately, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of radio:The Mix Group is the presenting sponsor of the Radio Hall of Fame 2021 induction ceremony. The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations in 1991.
The FCC’s process for assessing and collecting regulatory fees continues to draw daggers from the National Association of Broadcasters. The lobbying group says the commission is using a “pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey approach to assessing fees.”
The association has been vocal on this topic for the past few years and seems particularly determined this year, with fees scheduled to go up again.
NAB representatives met by teleconference with FCC staff members on Aug. 18 to review their arguments against the proposed hikes in fees to be paid by radio and television stations.
The average proposed increase in MD Docket No. 21-190 is about 8 percent, though some stations could see fees jump by as much as 15%.
[“State Associations Push Back on Fee Increases”]
According to a summary of the “ex parte” meeting, NAB objects to what it considers discrepancies in how the commission sets these fees and specifically argues that the FCC has no right to require broadcasters to contribute to a $33 million broadband mapping fee as directed in the proposal.
The NAB estimates that broadcasters use 0.07% of allotted spectrum but account for at least 16% of the FCC’s entire budget — all while offering a free service to the public.
The commission proposes collecting $374 million from all the industries it regulates. It could act on the proposal within days, given that the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, according to legal observers, which adds a sense of urgency to broadcaster arguments.
During the recent meeting, NAB again said the FCC proposal ignores a requirement by Congress for the commission “to take into account factors that are reasonably related to the benefits provided to the payor of the fee by the commission’s activities,” as required by the Ray Baum Act of 2018, which states that the “touchstone” for setting fees should be benefits rather than licenses.
NAB also argues that under the Communications Act, the commission “must not only analyze the changes in the number of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) across the agency, but also must adjust the resulting fees based on the benefits provided to the payor of the fee.”
It continued: “And apart from a very brief discussion of benefits provided in the context of non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems, the proposed rulemaking notice setting the regulatory fees for the new fiscal year blows past this obligation as if Congress never mandated it.”
The broadcast group goes on to stake out its argument:
“The error infects the entire Notice, but is particularly acute when considering Congress’s unusual step of earmarking $33 million for broadband mapping beyond the commission’s general appropriation. The Notice’s treatment of the $33 million could not possibly be more violative of the statute.
“First, it makes no attempt to tie which FTEs [full-time equivalent employees] are working on broadband mapping to the fees associated with that project. If it had, it would have recognized that the Media Bureau has no role in the project and therefore Media Bureau regulatees are not responsible for contributing to its overall cost.
“Second, even beyond the first-step FTE examination, had the Notice bothered even acknowledging its benefits provided obligation, it undoubtedly would have concluded that broadcasters should not have to contribute to the $33 million broadband mapping cost because they receive no benefits whatsoever from that effort. The Notice’s failure to exempt broadcasters from that $33 million is a blatant violation of the statute.”
NAB concludes: “It is well past time for the commission to change its unlawful and unjust approach to regulatory fees. At the very least, the commission must exempt broadcasters from contributing to the commission’s broadband mapping efforts.”
The broadcast industry as a whole has been hyper critical of the FCC proposal. All 50 state broadcast associations in comments to the FCC have argued that their industry has been unfairly subsidizing competitors through fees for decades. Broadcasters also argue that the fee hike is unfair coming on the heels of a pandemic, hurt advertising revenue.
The post NAB Continues Its Fight Against Higher Station Fees appeared first on Radio World.
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