Industry News

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The author is editor in chief of Radio World.

A free Radio World webcast will explore key automotive technology initiatives of Xperi. Registration is now open.

I’ll be interviewing executives with the technology company about its current initiatives in several areas. This March 10 webcast is co-sponsored by Xperi and Radio World, and is free to attend. It will also be available on demand after streaming.

First we’ll get a look behind the curtains at the Xperi/TiVo merger, which the company says has had a dramatic impact on its offerings thanks to TiVo’s content aggregation, discovery and recommendation engines. What does that mean for radio?

Also we’ll get an update on the rollout of all-digital HD Radio for the AM band in the United States. Now that the FCC has allowed the option, I’ll be asking what broadcasters should know about licensing, costs and the experiences of the first adopters, including Hubbard’s WWFD in Maryland, which tested the technology, and WMGG in Florida, which was an early adopter and broadcast this year’s Super Bowl in Spanish.

And we’ll learn about DTS AutoStage, the company’s global hybrid infotainment platform, which recently launched in the Daimler MBUX and is heard in new Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars. With everything going on right now around hybrid radio platforms and car infotainment systems, this is an important topic and I’m looking forward to learning more about it along with you.

You can sign up here. Hope to see you then.

The post Webcast to Explore Future of Radio in the Car appeared first on Radio World.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NAB has set the dates for two of its signature events, which will be held in conjunction with the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The Radio Show, co-produced by NAB and the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), will be held October 13–14, 2021.

A spin-off event of the annual Sales and Management Television Exchange (SMTE) will take place October 8–9, 2021.

NAB Show programming begins October 9.

“We are excited to bring these popular events under the NAB Show umbrella in 2021, offering a unique experience that is both familiar and new at the most comprehensive convention of its kind,” NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith said.

Designed for television station-level managers and staff in small and medium markets, NAB’s SMTE explores innovative management and revenue-generating sales strategies to help stations increase their bottom line.

Registration for the Radio Show and SMTE will open in early summer.

The dynamic insertion of advertising based on audience tracking data is of ever-increasing importance to broadcast radio and perhaps even TV. With a $230 million price tag, iHeartMedia clearly sees the value in this by purchasing Triton Digital from The E.W. Scripps Co.

Veritonic is just one company that has marketing intelligence tools wrapped around digital audio marketing. In this podcast, presented by DOT.fm, Veritonic founder and CEO Scott Simonelli thoughts on the impact of this transaction.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Scott Simonelli” on Spreaker.

The religious noncommercial “Kingdom Keys Network” station roster has, until now, included a Class A facility in the tiny West Texas town of Stratford.

Now, this Top O’ Texas down due north of Amarillo is being spun, and a change in language — but not format — is on the way.

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KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY — Here’s something broadcast TV stations seeking a unified viewership metric of use to the sales squad and marketers may wish to learn more about.

There’s a tool that is offering TV ratings in real time. It’s just come out of beta test. And, it could bring a new dimension to over-the-air TV companies actively gaining eyeballs in OTT, AVOD and digitally delivered content packages — across Bavaria.

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MIAMI — Publicly traded Hispanic-centric multimedia company Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has completed its recapitalization effort and has closed its previously announced offering of notes due 2026.

But, here’s the big news: That Delaware Chancery Court matter regarding its Series B Preferred Stock is over.

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On Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, Rich Boehne stepped aside as CEO of The E.W. Scripps Co., yielding the position to Adam Symson.

However, he retained a role on the company’s board of directors, serving as Chairman.

Now, Boehne is fully set to retire when his term expires.

Boehne has notified the Scripps board that he’ll step down as Chairman effective May 3.

This puts the wheels in motion to give the Chair to Kim Williams. 

She’s been a board director since 2008 and has served as the Scripps board’s independent lead director, elected by public Class A shareholders, since 2018. Williams is also the Chair of Scripps’ audit committee and a member of the executive and nominating and governance committees.

“Since she joined the Scripps board, Kim has contributed to the company in so many ways, through her wealth of board experience, deep financial expertise and an innate sense of corporate stewardship – all of which has helped Scripps continue to capitalize on the changing media landscape,” Symson said. “I look forward to her leadership as we set our course as a full-scale television company.”

Williams is a financial expert with more than 25 years of investment management experience. This includes a role as SVP and Associate director of Global Industry Research at Wellington Management Co.

GOODBYE FROM BOEHNE

Boehne leaves a long legacy of stewardship over the company, having had a hand in driving much of the company’s evolution and value creation over decades.

A director for 13 years and Chairman of the Board for eight, Boehne, 64, served as Scripps’ President/CEO from 2008 to 2017.

He became CEO and joined the board in 2008 when Scripps Networks Interactive was spun off into a separate publicly traded company with its cable network assets, including HGTV and Food Network. Prior to the split, Boehne was COO of the combined company.

“Rich has left a lasting imprint on our businesses and culture, from his belief in the journalist’s role in bringing light to the world’s injustice to the entrepreneurial mindset he instilled in his team and that remains core to who we are today,” said Symson. “Rich’s leadership for over 30 years has been invaluable to our company’s success, and we wish him well as he steps away to pursue other interests and opportunities.”

A 1981 graduate of Northern Kentucky University, Boehne joined the corporate staff in early 1988 to help the company prepare for its initial public offering of stock. Before moving to Scripps headquarters, he was a business reporter and editor at the now-shuttered Cincinnati Post, where he covered Wall Street, the national economy and developments in the media industry.

 

The continuing saga of Ed Stolz, the owner of Royce International Broadcasting Corp., has taken yet another twist.

The Federal Judge who on January 28 ordered Stolz to surrender to U.S. Marshals no later than February 2 took it up a notch on Wednesday (2/17).

Why? Stolz ignored the order, and in the judge’s words is “a fugitive from justice.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Chairman of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee have scheduled a fully remote hearing for February 24 that takes aim at how “disinformation and extremism” has been fueled by U.S. media. BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

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Media technology manufacturer Lawo has given Sales Director Nacho Gonzalez additional commercial responsibility for the Brazilian market.

“Nacho draws on experience of over 20 years of sales experience in Latin America,” the company stated.

“Soon after starting at Lawo in 2013 as sales manager for the LATAM region, Nacho was entrusted also with Spain and Portugal.” He speaks Spanish and Portuguese and is based at Lawo offices in Germany.

The company said it has experienced “exponential” growth in the Latin American and Iberian markets in recent years.

Gonzalez was quoted in the announcement: “Last year has been particularly complicated for the audiovisual sector, which has led to technologies changing at a rate unthinkable months ago and forcing some companies to be more flexible and reinvent many traditional processes.”

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