Travel east of Ames, Iowa, and you’ll reach Marshalltown. Here, a Class A digital television station is being sold.
The buyer? It’s the company that owns the CBS affiliate in Milwaukee, and the CW affiliate in Chicago — among many other enterprises, including the “MeTV” brand.
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The donation-based IP-fueled local TV service that the “Big Four” broadcast TV networks love to hate and the NAB despises has just entered its 36th DMA.
It happens to be the home of the National Basketball Association’s 2021 World Champions.
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Another new satellite serving SiriusXM has completed orbital testing and has been handed over to the company, according to SiriusXM and manufacturer Maxar Technologies.
“SXM-8 will provide continuous, reliable delivery of SiriusXM’s audio entertainment and information services to consumers in the United States and will expand SiriusXM’s coverage area in Canada and the Caribbean,” according to an announcement.
It was launched from Florida in June. A similar new bird went up late last year.
The new satellites have expected service lives of 15 years; they replace XM-3 and XM-4 in the company’s total service constellation of six satellites.
[Related: “SiriusXM’s SXM-7 Satellite Is in Orbit”]
“SXM-8 is the ninth high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar for SiriusXM,” the companies announced.
“Built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform and designed to provide more than 15 years of service, SXM-8 is more than 27 feet tall and weighed nearly 7,000 kg at launch. SXM-8 has a large, mesh, unfurlable reflector almost 30 feet in diameter that will allow SiriusXM programming to reach its radios, including those in moving vehicles.”
The announcement was made by Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery Chris Johnsn and SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Satellite and Repeater Systems Engineering and Operations Bridget Neville.
The post SXM-8 Satellite Is Now Serving SiriusXM appeared first on Radio World.
On June 21, Univision Holdings unveiled its plans for what it calls “a comprehensive global streaming service” that includes both free ad-supported and premium subscription-based options.
With a 2022 launch planned for the U.S. Hispanic market and across Latin America, the Miami-based multimedia company has moved forward with the addition of four VPs who will work under President and Chief Transformation Officer Pierluigi Gazzolo in the buildout of Univision’s pan-Latin streaming business.
The two-tier streaming service, which is yet unnamed, will offer “a differentiated product proposition, vast content scope, expansive library and more Spanish-language originals than any other streaming service,” Univision said in June. It will incorporate content found on its PrendeTV platform, which will anchor the ad-supported tier. Content found on Univision’s VIX and Univision NOW services is expected to be “transitioned and unified into one global service and brand.”
At the same time, Univision’s new premium subscription tier (SVOD) will feature more than 6,000 hours of Spanish-language content and more than 30 original productions exclusively on the service within its first year, Univision said in June.
Now, with the blockbuster merger of Mexico City-based Televisa with Miami-headquartered Univision Communications on track for a late 2021 close, Gazzolo will now have the following individuals reporting to him, starting Monday (8/2):
In this capacity, Rovegno will be responsible for sourcing and acquiring tentpole content for both the AVOD and SVOD tiers. He will also be responsible for developing original films, curating and programming for the SVOD tier. Rovegno previously served in various roles at Netflix, leading the original film development as well as the licensing and co-production of Spanish-language films and TV series. Rovegno reports to recently hired EVP and GM of SVOD Streaming Rodrigo Mazon.
Carr joins from NerdWallet, where he served as VP of Data Science & Analytics. He will oversee the Data Analytics functions for all Univision Streaming including AVOD and SVOD and all other digital platforms.
Stescobich will be tasked with driving customer acquisition and retention for PrendeTV including the future global AVOD tier as well as other ad-supported digital tiers. Joining from Hulu and Fox, she will leverage her streaming and media expertise to grow Univision’s ad-supported digital customer base.
Both Carr and Stescobich will report to EVP and GM of AVOD Streaming Rafael Urbina.
Sanders will oversee the development of streaming technology platforms and services. During his career in digital media he has designed, built and operated multiple high-scale media platforms and led innovative engineering teams, including for Sony’s Crackle, Verizon’s Uplynk, and ViacomCBS’s PlutoTV. He will report to EVP of Product & Engineering and Streaming Michael Cerda.
Gazzolo commented, “I am immensely proud of the strides we have taken thus far in Univision’s streaming evolution, including building an innovative platform, engaging renowned creators and setting the foundation for what will be the largest offering of Spanish-language content globally. I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome these industry professionals who are now part of our streaming dream team, at this pivotal point in Univision’s transformation. Each of them brings a unique perspective that will strengthen our position as a global streaming leader.”
Thum+Mahr announced a partnership with Wolftech Broadcast Solutions.
The agreement focuses on Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland at the outset.
“In the first step, we will shape customer-specific workflows together,” said Thum+Mahr Chief Strategy Officer Stefan Mertens. “By implementing targeted SaaS solutions, we can now act even more effectively.”
Wolftech has expertise in software as a service and media management systems, among other things. It was founded in 2011 in cooperation with TV 2 Norway, which has acted as a “startup hub” for several companies. Arne Berven is CEO.
Thum+Mahr services include consulting, project management and IT integration for broadcast media. “We will distribute Wolftech’s solutions and they can count on us if they need consulting or project management know-how to work together,” a Thum+Mahr spokeswoman said.
The post Thum+Mahr Partners With Wolftech appeared first on Radio World.
If you maintain an AM directional, why not put the summer sunshine to good use and perform a little preventive maintenance (PM)?
With your transmitter off the air and the breakers and interlock in place to prevent re-energizing, use a strong LED flashlight to view the variable coil and capacitor couplings from the back of the phasor. Remember before you begin to copy down all the turns-counter indications for each control as shown in the photo.
Then while your assistant rocks the component crank from side to side, check to make sure the couplings are tight so the variable coil or capacitor rotates smoothly.
I can’t tell you how many phasors our crew was called in to readjust because the setscrews holding the crank coupling to the component had become loose, so even though the engineer had turned the crank, one turn only adjusted the component by a half or even a third of a turn.
[Check Out More of Workbench Here]
In such a case, you can see how quickly you can get a phasor mistuned. When these setscrews are loose, there’s no consistency in how much the component is adjusted as the crank is turned.
The process isn’t a time hog and may save you hours of readjustment. While you’re inside the phasor, tighten all other strap and tubing connections.
Oops!
In the May 8 Workbench, I referred to selecting tower electrical connections “metrically.” Tom Weber, a principal in Weber Broadcast Services out of Greenwood, Ind., points out that I should have written “decimally,” as in tenths of an inch.
He’s right; metrically would assume millimeters or centimeters, which we are not using. We are converting inches to a decimal equivalent!
Tom concluded his note, “Yours in pedantry.” The sign of a great engineer!
Parts Is Parts
If you’ve recently needed to buy any broadcast gear, or for that matter any electronics, you may have encountered delivery delays caused by a parts shortage. The worldwide situation is causing problems for a lot of suppliers, so keep that in mind as you plan late summer or fall projects.
To complicate things, Workbench contributors Paul Sagi and Charles “Buc” Fitch, P.E., both reminded us of a related problem: counterfeit parts, including circuit breakers.
Shown, a Square-D QO circuit breaker. Counterfeiting of CBs is a real problem; manufacturers like Schneider Electric have tried to raise awareness of the issue.For example Square-D, part of Schneider Electric, which is headquartered in France, makes Homeline and QO circuit breakers in Mexico; but for various reasons the opportunity for counterfeiting such material is immense.
Also be aware that used and harvested circuit breakers, especially larger, more expensive ones above 60 amps, are out there in the marketplace. Most of these were rejected because of trip problems; they may be touched up cosmetically, perhaps with new lug screws to remove tooling marks, and then sold as new.
The problem extends all the way through replacement parts in a variety of industries. In the communications business, RF transistors are especially subject to international counterfeiters.
Paul and Buc have both seen reports of numbers being stripped from similar solid-state device packages. Unfortunately these look-alikes are of insufficient capability and do not meet the high-performance specs of the number now imprinted on the device. The cheaper chips are then sold at a premium price, realizing profits of 400% or more. Profits can be even higher if the substitute device is not even an RF transistor or a “pull” or dud, none of which will meet spec.
Many entities cooperate in these crimes and profit from them. Because so much manufacturing is now done outside of North America, the provenance of parts can be very iffy. If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. Save yourself the frustration and buy your parts from reputable dealers.
Here are helpful resources on the counterfeiting of circuit breakers. At www.ecpowersystems.com/resources/circuit-breaker, scroll down to “How to spot fake circuit breakers.” Or Google “Identifying Counterfeit Square-D Circuit Breakers” and look for the result that points to www.lanl.gov.
Last, Schneider Electric has a page dedicated to awareness and action against counterfeits. “We take counterfeiting of our products seriously and pursue every means possible to stop this illegal activity while making the industry and public more aware of this critical safety concern,” it states. See www.se.com/us/en/work/support/counterfeit.
Poof! Soundproofing!
In his engineering career, Dan Slentz has used a variety of soundproofing materials in constructing studios. But he laments that many products have gotten very expensive, forcing him to search for alternatives to keep within a budget.
One option is common mineral wool insulation, the properties of which allow for excellent sound blocking in walls, more so than fiberglass.
For studios, Dan has built double walls that do not touch but have a foam board between them. He then places mineral wool in each 2 x 4 wall. He completes the job with double sheetrock on the outside.
This can be a bear to construct, but short of bringing in a pro “acoustician,” it is a functional poor-man’s construction.
Dan has also used Troy Board (which was named after the inventor’s second son). It’s like a “shredded-wheat” board material but it’s really heavy. It can be painted, and it’s meant to block audio transfer. Check out https://troyacoustics.com/applications/broadcast-recording.
If you’re looking for the cheapest acoustic foam, try the Foam Factory. While its prices have increased lately, they tend to be less than those of similar products. They also vacuum-suck their product before shipping, so the packages arrive very small; the instant you cut it open, Poof!, it opens up and decompresses, taking about a day to recover fully.
Find more info at www.thefoamfactory.com.
John Bisset, CPBE, has more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry and 31 writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.
Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.
The post Workbench: How About Some PM for This AM? appeared first on Radio World.
On February 11, 2018, the founder of Lubbock-based radio and TV station owner Ramar Communications passed away. At the time of his passing, Ramar was comprised of 16 radio and TV stations across Texas, New Mexico and Colorado.
In Lubbock, Ramar’s four stations were spun in October 2020, split evening between SagamoreHill Broadcasting and Gray Television. Now, the children of Ray Moran have signed off on an Albuquerque transaction.
The buyer? NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.
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In a transaction that saw Kalil & Co. as the exclusive broker, a CBS affiliate serving Meridian, Miss., is being spun.
The new owner is headed by Dr. Michael Hogan.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved $565 million in advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in Fiscal Year 2024.
The approved funding was included in the FY 2022 Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
“This is a historic day for public television,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations. “The House of Representatives has approved the largest increase in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in half a century, in recognition of the extraordinary work our stations have done in America’s communities and the exciting potential for even greater service in education, public safety and civic leadership in the years to come.”
APTS is also appreciative of the recommended level funding of $20 million in FY 2022 for station interconnection, the backbone of the public broadcasting system, supporting nationwide emergency alerting, providing local stations with national programming, connecting stations with each other, and creating operational efficiencies.
It is also “very pleased” that $31.776 million, an increase of $2.276 million, in FY 2022 has been recommended for Ready To Learn, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports public television’s essential work — on-air, online and on-the-ground — in early childhood education, to help build science, math and literacy skills of children between the ages of two and eight.
“America’s public television stations are ready to do more, to help revolutionize education in a post-pandemic America, to train more of America’s adults for better jobs, to provide more essential public safety communications services, to create a more well-informed citizenry that considers issues in a civil and constructive manner, and to use a portion of our licensed spectrum to do more to enhance telehealth, national security, Smart Cities connections, transportation efficiency, precision agriculture and more,” Butler said.
The SXM-8 satellite has completed in-orbit testing and has been handed over to SiriusXM.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the satellite into space on June 6 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SXM-8 is the ninth high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar Technologies for SiriusXM.
Built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform and designed to provide more than 15 years of service, SXM-8 is more than 27 feet tall and weighed nearly 7,000 kg at launch. SXM-8 has a large, mesh, unfurlable reflector almost 30 feet in diameter that will allow SiriusXM programming to reach its radios, including those in moving vehicles.
“We are proud of our long-standing relationship with SiriusXM and excited to see SXM-8 ready for service to bring entertainment to millions of SiriusXM subscribers,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery. “The entire Maxar team is committed to excellence, and playing a role in the success of our customers’ missions is what drives us every day.”
SXM-8 will provide continuous delivery of SiriusXM’s audio entertainment and information services to consumers in the United States and will expand SiriusXM’s coverage area in Canada and the Caribbean.
Importantly, SXM-8 will extend the health of SiriusXM’s satellite fleet and its satellite-delivered services through at least 2036.
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