Industry News

With some vendors saying they’re not going to attend the 2021 NAB Show, Telestream has spoken out regarding its attendance at the early October affair in Las Vegas.

“They’ve got tons to talk about and, despite a reduced presence, will be showing the fruits of their labors especially in regards to technology integrations between products from previous acquisitions,” a spokesperson says.

The workflow automation, media processing, quality monitoring and test and measurement product maker will be using booth C3013 at the NAB Show, from Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas.

From live and studio production, video on demand and post production, content management, and distribution and monitoring, Telestream has a story to share.

“Attendees will see important updates and enhancements to the company’s wide range of offerings as a direct result of the synergies and integration of intellectual property by development teams provided by the company’s recent acquisitions,” it says.

With rapid analysis, faster diagnosis, and quicker resolution of issues, monitoring and measurement solutions are focused on preserving quality and reducing cost resulting in higher subscriber retention and better business value, Telestream adds.

“It’s been a challenging year and having NAB in October says it all, but the good news is that Telestream has been working closely with top tier organizations to develop processes and workflows that keep them competitive, profitable, and flexible enough to grow in these unprecedented times,” says Scott Murray, SVP Product Marketing at Telestream.

Telestream has continued to advance the state of the art in cloud and hybrid deployments for media processing and video quality assurance. Several Telestream media processing and workflow automation tools will be on display including updated versions of the Vantage Media Processing Platform, ContentAgent, and Lightspeed Live Capture.

The Telestream Cloud suite of services will also be on display allowing customers to mix and match services that meet their specific needs. A brand new, soon to be announced Telestream Cloud service, will make its debut at NAB 2021.

The latest versions of Content Management solutions including Kumulate and DIVA allow customers to easily migrate, update and upgrade their media libraries without affecting day to day operations. Attendees will see how to intelligently manage their storage on-premises, remotely or in the Cloud.

For video quality assurance, new tools for monitoring of QoE and QoS in the production network will be demonstrated. Users benefit from enhanced visibility post origin server of encrypted streams and Dynamic Ad Insertion. Flexible cloud, virtual or appliance-based deployment options are available.

The latest PRISM SDI/IP family waveform monitors will be shown for ST 2110, 4K/8K HDR measurement. PRISM is available in a wide array of form factors and designed to be used in multiple applications from HD-SDI Live Acquisition to 25G ST 2110 IP engineering and diagnostics.

For those unable to attend this year’s show, please visit: https://www.telestream.net/company/events/nab/NAB-2021.htm for more information.

EUREKA, CALIF. — Expanding the range of smart home devices through which radio broadcasters can engage their audiences, streaming and podcast product provider StreamGuys is now offering custom development of Google Actions.

Paralleling the popular Alexa Skills that StreamGuys has been providing for many years, Google Actions enable listeners to access stations’ live and on-demand content on Google smart speakers and other Google-enabled devices through intuitive voice commands.

StreamGuys’ Google Actions creation service allows broadcasters who don’t have their own in-house development capabilities to take advantage of the growing ecosystem of Google smart devices for engaging their audience. Once enabled on a smart device, the custom Actions allow listeners to verbally access not only live streams and podcast episodes, but also additional on-demand content offered by the station. Broadcasters can choose the unique words that users speak to launch their programming, as well as tailoring the interactive experience surrounding their content with customizations such as using their own DJs’ voices for device messages and prompts.

“In today’s media-saturated world, it is important for broadcasters’ brand voice to be presented consistently to their audiences across all listening platforms,” said Eduardo Martinez, Director of Technology at Humboldt County-based StreamGuys. “The ability to create tailored experiences also helps them forge deeper relationships with their listeners than the typical ‘cookie cutter’ approach available through third-party aggregators. Our customers have enjoyed using Alexa Skills to better engage their audiences, and our new Google Actions offering lets them extend these benefits onto Google-enabled devices while providing consistent, cross-platform listener experiences.”

One of the first stations to take advantage of Google Actions developed by StreamGuys is KJTH-FM 89.7 in Ponca, Okla., known as “The House FM.” It is a listener-supported, Oklahoma-based Christian radio broadcaster. Listeners can access the station’s voice-prompted menu by saying “OK Google, ask The House FM to play the live stream” or “OK Google, talk to The House FM”, or go directly to desired content with commands such as “OK Google, play The House of Praise”.

For broadcasters using StreamGuys’ CDN and SaaS-based solutions, tight integration between the Google Actions and StreamGuys’ SGmetadata metadata delivery system also allows live stream listeners to ask questions such as “what’s playing?” or “what song is this?”, with the device then speaking out the current song details.

StreamGuys-created Google Actions can be used on all Google Assistant-compatible devices. This includes native Google devices (Google Nest Audio, Google Nest Hub Max, Google Nest Mini) and third-part smart devices from JBL and Sonos. In addition to dedicated smart home devices, Google Actions are also supported natively on Android smartphones.

The Audio Engineering Society will be a bit of a two-step in October.

Firstly, it will co-habitate with the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Oct. 10–13 for an in-person get-together at the Westgate. Then it will go online for a massive series of sessions and workshops called AES Fall Online 2021.

Here is a combined schedule of events for the two.

The main day for the Vegas leg is Monday, Oct. 11, starting at 9 a.m.. Sessions that would be of interest to the Radio World audience include “Those Crazy Remote Broadcasts” (with Kirk Harnack), “Why and Audio Processor Is Necessary” (with Frank Foti), “Using SNMP” (with Jeff Welton, Nautel, and Tony Peterle, WorldCast), “Understanding Audio for SMPTE 2110,” “Guidelines for Streaming Loudness” (with John Kean) and “Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Training.”

Of course there’ll be events and audio celebrities such as Al Schmitt and Chuck Ainley making appearances.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The online session menu is still in development but some items of interest are sparkling.

Listed for Wednesday, Oct. 20 are “Advantages of Using Metadata” (with John Kean), “Planning a Multistation Facility” (with David Skalish, Audacy), “Spatial Audio in Podcasting” (with MPR’s Rob Byers), “Understanding SNMP (with Tom Ray) and “MPX Transport for Broadcast” (with Frank Foti).

Needless to say there are many other sessions that could pique the curiosity of the Radio World reader (Hint: “Dead Tech: Is Anything Ever Really Obsolete?”).

The post Ready for Real Live Audio Sessions Again? appeared first on Radio World.

Media workflow solutions provider vCreative is welcoming one of the nation’s biggest Hispanic -focused media and marketing technology companies to its family.

That’s because Babson Park, Fla.-based vCreative has completed its deployment of vPPO, the company’s cloud-based software for radio and digital.

Now using vPPO is Entravision Communications.

vCreative implemented its centralized, collaborative platform to connect all departments involved in the production workflow process across all Entravision locations to manage creative radio projects. “From initial task assignments, talent selection and automated advertiser approvals, through to storage and delivery of all digital, local and agency assets, Entravision users now have complete visibility and control of the critical work that drives revenue for their company,” vCreative says.

Entravision also activated the vCreative integration with WideOrbit’s ad management platform WideOrbit Traffic. This integration helps to eliminate duplicate entry and reduce the labor associated with the production workflow process, vCreative says.

Entravision President/COO Jeffery Liberman says, “From the minute a sale is made, the comprehensive work to craft and deliver the best creative message for our customers begins. vCreative has helped us become more effective and precise with our work, allowing us to be efficient, giving us back time while still guaranteeing the highest quality product.”

Susie Hedrick, CEO of vCreative, adds, “The past 18 months have forced us all to take a fresh look at how we operate and conduct our daily jobs. Entravision is a prime example of a company that has consistently focused on finding innovative ways to drive productivity and bring value to its customers. We are proud to offer additional time-saving technology to their employees, who can now focus more acutely on meaningful work for their customers.”

Entravision also manages 47 radio stations across the U.S., most of them serving Spanish-speaking consumers.

Bill Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Townsquare Media (pictured), and Stuart Rosenstein, the locally focused media company’s Chief Financial Officer, are presently preparing to participate in three upcoming investor events.

This includes the Noble Capital Markets virtual roadshow.

Management will participate in Tuesday’s Noble Capital Markets’ Virtual Road Show Series, presented by Channelchek.

The event will feature a corporate presentation, followed by a Q&A session proctored by Noble Senior Research Analyst Michael Kupinski, featuring questions submitted by the audience.

The live broadcast of the virtual road show is scheduled for tomorrow (9/14) at Noon, Eastern Time.

Later this month, management will participate in the Sidoti Virtual Investor Conference on  September 22 and September 23, 2021.  Management’s presentation is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:30pm Eastern on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Management will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors on both days.

To register for the presentation or one-on-ones, visit www.sidoti.com/events. Registration is free; one does not need to be a Sidoti client to participate.

Lastly, Townsquare management will participate in the Guggenheim Virtual Broadcast Conference on Wednesday, September 29. Management will be available for one-on-one and small group meetings.

He previously served as Market Manager of the company’s Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss., radio stations.

Now, he’s moving on up to Jackson, the state capital, to lead Alpha Media‘s properties there.

Ricky Mitchell has been named Market Manager of Alpha Media’s Jackson, Miss., station group.

Mitchell returns to Alpha after a stint at El Dorado Broadcasters in Yuma, Ariz.

As Alpha Media Regional President and Chief Compliance Officer Bill McElveen explains, Kevin Webb recently retired after 32 years of running the Alpha/Jackson, Miss., station group. This led to a nationwide search for his successor.

“We began a nationwide search for our next Market Manager, and after interviewing dozens of candidates, we were thrilled to be able to bring back to the Alpha Media family a true son of Mississippi in Ricky Mitchell,” he said.

Mitchell added, “I am thrilled to come home to Mississippi. It’s a tremendous honor to be able to live, work and serve the local Jackson community with such a talented and dedicated team and I can’t wait to get started!”

Mitchell’s first day back with Alpha Media is Thursday, Sept. 16.

The NAB; Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC); and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) late Friday filed a petition with the FCC demanding a stay of the Commission’s order mandating disclosures for foreign government-sponsored programming.

The groups also want the FCC to delay implementation of its order until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rules on a petition for review they’ve just filed, which challenges the order.

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Salem Media Group has successfully completed a refinancing effort that effectively sees old debt replaced by new debt.

The move, the company notes, shrinks its debt by more than $9 million.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has selected the Poynter Institute to develop and deliver a new “Digital Transformation Program” designed to educate, assist, and coach up to 80 public media senior leaders on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture.

The virtual training will be funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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A professional with over 28 years of experience in accounting, finance, human resources and business administration has been named GM of nonprofit Adult Alternative “88Nine Radio Milwaukee.”

It’s a woman who was previously the HR manager and accountant.

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