Industry News

Phil Valentine, the conservative Talk radio host who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and became seriously ill, has died.

Valentine, who initially spoke out against the use of vaccines to combat the coronavirus, was a key air personality at Cumulus Media-owned WWTN-FM 99.7 in Nashville. He hosted the 3pm-7pm CT program.

WWTN confirmed Valentine’s passing in the 6pm Central hour on Saturday (8/21). He was 61 years old.

“We are saddened to report that our host and friend Phil Valentine has passed away,” the station posted on Twitter. “Please keep the Valentine family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Valentine had been hospitalized for more than a month while battling COVID-19. His family in late July revealed that he was in “very serious” condition and suffering from “COVID pneumonia” along with other side effects. His condition had worsened and was “grave” as of last week.

Valentine’s brother, Mark, spoke with several WWTN hosts on Saturday, confirming Phil’s passing in the early afternoon hours.

Initially, Valentine believed that he had recovered from the virus. “I think I’m on the other side of it,” Valentine said of the virus, as he described coughing, congestion, and fatigue that “hurts like crap. I’m certainly moving forward, it appears, but not in a straight line… It’s just one of those things. I don’t want it to linger on.”

Prior to falling in, Valentine took to his show to not only express his concerns over the safety of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, but also with mask mandates.

Among those expressing their condolences is former House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman and current Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn). In a statement, she said, “Phil Valentine was a visionary for the conservative movement. He made an enormous impact on the lives of many Tennesseans as an esteemed radio host, actor, and author. It was a privilege to know Phil, and I know his legacy will endure. My deepest condolences and prayers are with Phil’s wife, Susan, and his family. May they be comforted and surrounded by love during this difficult time.”

If there was ever a statement that solidified Nexstar Media Group’s commitment to covering Capitol Hill, this is it.

The media company known for its ownership of broadcast TV stations and the struggling NewsNation has agreed to acquire one of the leading political news brands covering Congress and the Federal government in Washington.

For $130 million, Nexstar is buying The Hill.

“With more than 100 journalists who cover political news and events and provide a wide variety of engaging content to its users, The Hill’s business model is primarily advertising supported by direct, programmatic, and licensing revenue,” Nexstar said, noting that its “omni-channel approach to content distribution” will allow it to expand The Hill’s reach and revenue channels while creating synergistic opportunities with Nexstar’s NewsNation.

Commenting on the transaction, Nexstar President/COO Tom Carter said, “The accretive acquisition of The Hill’s independent, political digital media platform marks continued progress with Nexstar’s ‘content-first strategy’ and reflects our organization-wide commitment to deliver trusted, unbiased, fact-based journalism that engages and informs our audiences across all screens and devices. The Hill has a nationally recognized brand known for delivering balanced political reporting, as well as authentic opinions and perspectives, and is highly complementary to NewsNation.”

The Hill marks the second digital transaction under Nexstar’s “content first” strategy, following the December 2020 acquisition of BestReviews.

Bret Pearlman of HRS Management, the largest investor in The Hill, commented, “We are pleased to have been investors in The Hill and partners with [Chairman Bill] Finkelstein for the past five years as he and the company’s management team transformed the business into a digital media powerhouse. With a strong foundation in place and unique offering in the market, we are confident that the future of the company is extremely bright.”

It’s been a challenging six months on the NYSE for Audacy shares. At 2:15pm Eastern Thursday, the company’s stock dipped as low as $2.93, continuing a fresh downturn that began August 5 but, on a grander scale, dates to mid-March.

Friday’s trading was a bright one, however, with heavier than average volume fueling a 9.8% rise.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF. — With the NAB Show adopting a vaccination mandate for all attendees of its October conference and expo in Las Vegas and RBR+TVBR learning Friday that some sort of virtual option is in the works for fully registered participants, an event “where the world’s leading digital creators, platform innovators, and their fans converge in one place” won’t be happening less than two weeks later in Southern California.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The leaders of every state broadcast association with an annual summer or fall conference have been asking themselves the same questions lately, trying to determine the best and safest way to hold their events in light of the ever-evolving COVID situation.

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters is one of the associations with an event on the fall calendar. The challenges to show organizers are reflected in its latest email to members:

“The GAB board of directors, along with our staff and partners, have been in deep discussion on how best to approach this year’s convention, GABCON, the GABBY Awards banquet and our Hall of Fame luncheon,” wrote Bob Houghton and David Hart, GAB president and chairman, respectively.

[Visit the Radio World Calendar]

“At this time, we are continuing to move forward with our live, in-person events as scheduled for Oct. 22–23. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to monitor the current public health situation and make adjustments if needed.”

Local rules in Atlanta mean that unless something changes by October, GAB attendees will have to wear masks indoors at the conference, regardless of vaccination status, except when eating or drinking. Masks will be available on site. Visitors must also consent to touchless temperature checks.

Houghton and Hart encouraged members to register for the event, saying that if a person later changes their mind and wants to cancel, they will get a full refund without penalty. GAB also is offering a 50% registration discount through the end of August.

Other upcoming regional events on the broadcast industry calendar include the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Broadcasters Clinic and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters Annual Convention, both in September; the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association Sound Bites 2021 conference and the Midwest Broadcast & Multimedia Technology Conference, co-produced by the state associations of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, both in November; and the previously postponed Alabama Broadcasters Association conference in January.

Submit news about your event to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post GAB Moving Ahead With October Conference appeared first on Radio World.

Until now, the National Association of Broadcasters has remained quiet with respect to whether or not individuals who do not travel to the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas will have an option to participate via the comfort of their home or office, digitally.

On Friday (8/20), welcome news for those who have opted not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, or are simply not comfortable with travel to a large indoor gathering due to the Delta variant of the virus arrived.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

A low-power FM radio station serving the Florida city of Palatka has avoided a FCC financial penalty for filing its license renewal application after the due date.

As such, this mini-radio facility is getting an admonishment, with its forfeiture cancelled by the Commission.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

It’s a broadcast television station owner with eight properties in 7 markets.

Now, it is adding a property in Virginia’s quintessential college town, Charlottesville.

The seller: Jeff Winemiller.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Who knew that building awareness and inspiring consumers to get fit could benefit from a multiplatform marketing agreement with a company focused on audio content creation and distribution via streaming and broadcast platforms?

It’s the latest innovative ad sales partnership inked by iHeartMedia.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The author is chief engineer of Minnesota Public Radio.

Legacy T1 circuits have long provided radio broadcasters with a reliable way to contribute and distribute program audio. The telecom industry’s transition to IP has introduced challenges to broadcasters with existing T1 infrastructures.

While many of these TDM-based networking and transport systems remain in service, the price of T1 circuits continues to rise while quality of service has grown uneven. Telcos have also shortened contractual renewals for these circuits, with an obvious eye toward a T1 sunset.

Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media, with 46 public radio stations and 41 translators serving listeners in eight states, are among those that retain a high-performing T1 infrastructure for audio contribution and distribution.

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

We currently operate a hybrid infrastructure that includes IP codecs from a mix of vendors.

Management of our long-distance connections to the PRSS NOC is among my key responsibilities. Our APM program portfolio, which includes BBC World Service, C24 and Marketplace, reaches nearly 17 million listeners each week. To maintain that level of listenership we need to ensure our programs reach ContentDepot in Washington, and for this we have long relied on GatesAir Intraplex T1 equipment.

With T1 services fading, we are transitioning these circuits to IP with GatesAir. We now uplink a number of live streams using Intraplex IP Link 200 codecs. Full-time 24/7 streams include the BBC World Service and our own C24 Classical Music Service. BBC is delivered from London, while we originate C24 in our St. Paul studios.

The reliability of IP-type circuits is proven, but giving up the circuit diversity that T1 offers was a concern. We have found that the IP Link 200 does the job well, including the transatlantic hop from London.

We have also established a bidirectional link between Washington and Los Angeles, and we intend to serve more points from St. Paul with additional codecs. We expect to have more than 20 IP Link 200s in service before long.

We’ve gained experience with codecs over the years, and the IP Link 200’s feature set is impressive. It’s ideal for our deployment strategy with its advanced functionalities, including two bidirectional feeds and additional front-panel monitoring/GUI features when needed.

Most important is GatesAir’s Dynamic Stream Splicing software, which lets us send multiple identical streams over two separate paths to borrow data from each other in compensation for packet loss. We also use Intraplex LiveLook software to monitor stream performance and network conditions. Both systems, notably DSS, have been invaluable to our daily operations and stream reliability.

The DSS software adds even more value when using public internet. Experience has confirmed that the IP Link 200 performs reliably and consistently over two public internet circuits with stream splicing. I expect that our first IP-based STL will be GatesAir as well.

Our initial goals with the T1 to IP transition have been modest. We wanted to efficiently and reliably deliver program audio from point A to point B, and show our staff the potential these units offer as we expand our contribution and distribution services. The IP Link 200 has encouraged us to look beyond T1 and transition more of our contribution and distribution services to IP.

Info: Contact Keith Adams at GatesAir at 1-513-459-3447 or visit www.gatesair.com.

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

The post User Report: MPR Tackles T1 to IP Transition With GatesAir appeared first on Radio World.