Industry News

Air talent Kaytie at Woodward Radio Group’s WZOR in Green Bay, Wis., using AudioVault Air and the voice tracking widget.

The author is director of broadcast engineering for Woodward Radio Group.

Our organization has been using Broadcast Electronics’ AudioVault products since 1995 with great results. In 2009 we installed Version 10.10 of AudioVault FLeX, and it has run reliably and economically for over 11 years.  In 2021 we have started an installation of new computer workstations based on the current AV FLeX version 10.5.

We looked at offerings from many vendors of content delivery systems, but chose to stay with AV FLeX for a number of compelling reasons.

Top of the list is reliability. The software as installed here is fault tolerant and makes it easy to service without spending a lot of “midnight hours.”

Then there is flexibility. One of the strengths of the AudioVault systems has been the ability to customize the applications to handle just about any task you can imagine.

Cost is also important. AudioVault is not the least expensive system you can buy, but to us it appears to be the best value — you get a lot of functionality for the money you spend.

Furthermore, we have received wonderful customer support during installation and during the normal working life of the system.

[Learn about factors to consider when buying an automation system.]

Not to be forgotten is the learning curve — or lack of it. All current new and improved versions are based on earlier AudioVault virtual “machines” and the improvements are usually incremental, not radical. This makes upgrading to a new version more manageable for a large staff.

The AV system is designed with separate audio engines, dedicated machines and user interfaces like most current systems. It is easy to install and configure extra machines as backup engines and backup user interfaces.

One thing that impresses me is that an engine PC can freeze or fail, but usually audio will continue to play out until the fault is bypassed or corrected. This has prevented a lot of dead air emergencies for us.

The FLeX system has virtual machines for satellite automation, music automation, live radio shows, network recording and time shifting, and other necessary applications. The servers have a suite of background applications that keep all the files transferred and synchronized properly. And there is a powerful suite of maintenance tools that the system administrators use to correct problems that occur.

Some of the support people I work with regularly at BE have been in their roles for decades. The service manager Hector and installation tech Owen have worked with us on all of our systems dating back to 1995. Charlie, the “newcomer,” only goes back 20 years or so. All three have seen our system and understand it, so they are very helpful on the rare occasions we need to call for help or support.

The AV FLeX system is a powerful and scalable content delivery product that has really “delivered” for us at the Woodward Radio Group.

For information contact Ben Marth at Broadcast Electronics at 1-217-592-4228 or visit http://www.bdcast.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: Woodward Radio Is Locked in With AudioVault appeared first on Radio World.

Conrad Trautmann has been promoted to chief technology officer at Cumulus Media.

“A member of Cumulus’ executive leadership team, Trautmann reports directly to Mary Berner, president and chief executive officer,” the company stated. “He previously served as SVP, technology & operations for the company.”

 Trautmann holds one of the U.S. radio industry’s top engineering jobs, given that the company owns 413 stations in 86 markets, not to mention the Westwood One audio network and Cumulus Podcast Network.

In its announcement, Cumulus noted that Trautmann joined Westwood One in 2000 as EVP, technology, and was promoted in 2016 to SVP, technology & operations, for Cumulus Media.

“Trautmann is responsible for the oversight of companywide broadcast engineering and information technology, as well as purchasing, real estate and facilities management across the company. He also serves on the Radio Technology Committee of the National Association of Broadcasters.”

[Related: “New York Cumulus AM to Go All-Digital”]

Berner commended Trautmann for doing “a particularly commendable job successfully leading the company through the technical challenges presented by COVID-19” as well as recent severe weather events.

“He has also been critical to broadening and advancing the technology that drives our growth platforms in digital and podcasting. This promotion recognizes the vital role that he continues to play in our success.”

Trautmann studied electrical, electronic and communications engineering technology at Farmingdale State University of New York, and was for six years also a machinist’s mate in the U.S. Coast Guard.

He began his work in broadcasting in the early 1980s as chief engineer at WEBE(FM) in Westport, Conn. He later worked as market director of engineering for Cox Radio’s Long Island, N.Y., and Syracuse, N.Y., clusters.

His earlier work at Westwood One included overseeing technical aspects of coverage for the Olympics, Grammy Awards and NCAA basketball.

Trautmann was promoted to senior VP of technology and operations in 2016 when predecessor Gary Kline left the company; read our interview with Trautmann at the time.

 

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The latest NPRM from the FCC could ultimately lead to a new expense for U.S. radio and TV broadcasters that don’t already have backup power at their transmission sites.

The commission has launched a notice of proposed rulemaking to improve the reliability and resiliency of communications networks during disasters. It also wants better situational awareness in their aftermath.

The proposal considers changes to the Disaster Information Reporting System, or DIRS, which is a web-based system used by broadcasters and other communication providers to report service outages to the FCC. Participation currently is voluntary, but the proposal asks if it should be mandatory for participants following a disaster.

The NPRM, which specifically mentions Hurricane Ida and the damage it did to the Gulf Coast region in late August, also seeks ways to mitigate the effects of power outages on communications networks in the aftermath of such events.

The FCC in the proposal asks detailed questions about how backup power can be deployed to reduce the frequency of power-related service disruptions.

The commission raised the possibility of requiring backup power for participants in DIRS and NORS, the Network Outage Reporting System, and that list includes broadcasters.

“To the extent that the commission were to adopt backup power requirements, providers subject to them, potentially including cable providers, Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service, TV and radio broadcasters, Commercial Mobile Radio Service and other wireless service providers, could potentially be required to take steps to make their networks more resilient to power outages,” according to the notice.

The loss of power during Ida is addressed at length in the NPRM. The FCC says cell tower sites that lacked backup power infrastructure were particularly hard hit.

“Hurricane Ida, as well as recent hurricane and wildfire seasons, earthquakes in Puerto Rico and severe winter storms in Texas demonstrate that America’s communications infrastructure remains susceptible to disruption during disasters,” the FCC wrote.

The commission says it will consider the scope of obligations for broadcasters and that it is mindful that providers subject to any new rules would incur costs if the proposals are adopted.

It’s not the first time the commission has considered backup power requirements for communications providers, according to footnotes in the NPRM.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the FCC in 2007 required Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) providers and local exchange carriers to maintain emergency backup power — for a minimum of 24 hours for assets inside central offices and for eight hours at cell sites.

The wireless industry appealed the requirements on several grounds and the commission ultimately deleted its backup power requirements four years later.

The FCC also seeks fresh comment on any alternatives to on-site backup power that have proven successful or have the potential to reduce the frequency, duration or severity of disruptions to communications services caused by power outages. The NPRM also includes a call for improved coordination between communications service providers and power companies.

In conclusion, the NPRM asks about the possible benefits of fostering mutual aid during disasters in segments of the communications industry, such as cable, wireline and broadcast, through sharing of physical assets.

The FCC’s Oct. 26 open meeting will feature a virtual field hearing about Hurricane Ida and further discussion of ways to improve the resilience of this country’s communications networks.

A comment period on the NPRM (PS Docket 21-346) will commence following publication in the Federal Register.

Read the NPRM.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC on Tuesday kicked off a mid-band spectrum auction to support next generation wireless services – including 5G – in the 3.45 GHz band.

Auction 110 will make available 100 megahertz of contiguous mid-band spectrum for commercial use this year.

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On July 30, RBR+TVBR first reported on agreement signed by the children of the late Ray Moran that involves the sale of a full-power TV station in Albuquerque and its associated full-power and low-power repeater stations in a transaction brokered by Kalil & Co.

The buyer has now closed on the transaction.

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When it comes to low-power TV facilities, Ravi Kapur has been a buyer of late.

The Bay Area entrepreneur who once appeared on-camera at KGO-7 in San Francisco and today is behind the Diya TV operation targeting South Asian consumers recently grew in Florida, and in late April agreed to buy a construction permit for a LPTV facility in Chico, Calif.

Now, Kapur is expanding his holdings by traveling north to Redding.

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It sounds hard to fathom just one day after a global outage crippled Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, immediately triggering cybercrime concerns that Cybercrime Magazine Editor-in-Chief Steve Morgan will be addressing at Forecast 2022 on November 16.

Yet, it is indeed true. Some 27.6 million U.S. households lack a home internet connection.

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Add Beasley Media Group to the list of radio station owners who will be sharing their third quarter 2021 fiscal report prior to the opening bell on Election Day 2021.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST NEWS NOW.

The company, which is also invested in the Overwatch League, an eSports operation, will host a conference call to discuss the results on November 2 at 10am Eastern.

As has been the case in recent quarters, CEO Caroline Beasley and CFO Marie Tedesco will not be conducting a live Q&A with investors and analysts. Rather, it will be taking questions from analysts, institutional investors and debt holders via email until 9am on November 2. They may be e-mailed to ir@bbgi.com.

“Management will answer as many questions as possible during the conference call and webcast, provided the questions are not addressed in their prepared remarks,” Beasley said.

Beasley enters Q4 2021 with a stock price that has been relatively steady since early February. In fact, the last eight months has seen BBGI near $3 and dip below $2.50 just once — in late September.

From September 28 through noon Tuesday (10/5), BBGI is up 30 cents a share, with pricing at $2.70 in light trading on the Nasdaq GlobalMarket.

What can investors and analysts expect to see from Beasley in Q3? Event dollars could be present, with NTR and events shifted to the third quarter owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ll get the revenue upside in third and fourth quarter, assuming no further negative impacts from the Delta variant,” Caroline Beasley said on the company’s Q2 earnings call in August.

Beasley noted at the time that the third quarter was pacing up 30%, with July up 40% and August and September pacing up 29% and 23%, respectively.

How was the third quarter of 2021 pacing against the same period in 2019?

Caroline Beasley noted that the company was “looking at that being about 5% compared to 2019 at this point.”

In terms of second quarter pacing from 2019, spot dollars were down about 16%, offset by increases in digital of about 67%.

The “big if,” however, is NTR and event revenue. In the third quarter of 2019 event revenue accounted for almost $3 million. In Q4 2019, it accounted for almost $4 million.

Media Financial Management Association’s “Media Outlook 2022,” designed to prepare financial professionals in the broadcast radio and television industries for the coming year, is gearing up for a two-day virtual event scheduled to begin in two weeks.

Scheduled for October 19 and 20, 2021 under the banner of “Opportunities Await – Ready…Reinvent Revenue,” this year’s event offers participants “a fresh view of how media financial leaders can continue to navigate the current uncertainties brought about by the pandemic and changes in the industry to help their companies thrive.”

The seminar is comprised of two two-hour sessions on the Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, respectively.

Jay Bryson, Managing Director and Chief Economist of Wells Fargo Corporate and Investment Bank, will give the seminar keynote on October 19 at 1pm Eastern. Bryson will discuss the current state of the U.S. economy and its outlook over the next two years, including forecasts of GDP growth, inflation and interest rates.

The second October 19 session, starting at 2:05pm Eastern, will feature Andrew Prior, Managing Director of Tax Policy Services at PwC US, who will review potential new tax legislation and implications for media businesses.

Two sessions will take place on October 20. At 1pm Eastern, the “Reinventing Revenue” panel will discuss ways media businesses can re-imagine and reinvent revenue. Panelists include Sinclair Broadcast Group SVP of Digital Sales Ryan Moore; Chase Rankin, SVP of Sales and Marketing at the Las Vegas Review-Journal; and Beasley Media Group e-Sports COO Lori Burgess.

At 2:05pm Eastern, the “Ad Sales and Data Analytics” panel will examine using data analytics to improve results for ad sales clients. Panelists include Audacy VP of Data and Analytics Dan McKinney.

This year’s Media Outlook 2022 co-chairs are Audacy Chief Accounting Officer and Controller Elizabeth “Beth” Bramowski, who on Friday (10/1) was faced with a company-wide direct deposit problem tied to employee payroll; and Cliff Ejikeme, a SVP, Controller and Treasurer at A&E Television Networks.

Dave Bochenek serves as Chair of MFM/BCCA’s Board of Directors.

 

Getty Images – Devgnor

Deutsche Welle recently launched shortwave radio service for Afghanistan.

It broadcasts daily radio programs in the Dari and Pashto languages.

“In Afghanistan, media diversity and free access to independent information are under acute threat,” said Director General of DW Peter Limbourg in an announcement on the DW website.

[Read: Using Media to Make Afghan Children Smile]

“DW has an experienced and skilled editorial team for the region which will contribute to providing better information to the people of Afghanistan with a shortwave radio service in Dari and Pashto, in addition to our online and social media offerings.”

The programs are broadcast daily for 30 minutes on 15230 kHZ and 15390 kHZ frequencies at 14:00 UTC in Dari and at 14:30 UTC in Pashto.

A spokeswoman declined to confirm where the transmissions originate, for security reasons. But the organization quoted Director of Programs for Asia Debarati Guha saying the focus of the programs will be on peace, civil society and gender and human rights issues, and that shortwave will serve the purpose well in case the internet is shut down or restricted in the country.

DW is Germany’s international broadcaster; it provides content in 30 languages and estimates that it reaches 249 million weekly user contacts in total with its services.

 

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