Industry News

Thanks to a big PR push and the recent naming of Joe Crowley — the former Democratic Congressman who lost his primary re-election bid to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — as Chairman of pro-recording artist rights coalition musicFIRST, the latest effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to collect dollars for musicians and performers from radio stations was introduced with a big media splash.

The American Music Fairness Act arrived. It looks not so dissimilar to previous attempts to get legislation favoring recording acts passed by Congress, except for one big difference: a tiered royalty structure based on a radio station’s annual revenue.

Is that enough to woo Members of the House and Senate? If anything, it may have had the opposite effect, as the Local Radio Freedom Act has gained more support since the “AMFA” arrival.

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If not, now is your time to make your selections for the Medallas de Cortez awards.

The Medallas de Cortez are the most prestigious and highly coveted symbol of excellence in Hispanic radio. This is the twelfth year these exclusive radio awards will be presented at the Hispanic Radio Conference in Miami, and if you know someone who is doing great work in Hispanic radio, now is your chance to spotlight their efforts with a nomination.

Nominations can be made in seven categories:

• Marketer (may be someone from a station, an agency, or a client)
• National/Syndicated Personality
• Local Personality
• Program Director
• Sales Manager
• General/Market Manager,
• Station of the Year.

The awards, sponsored by vCreative, will be presented at the Hispanic Radio Conference, September 22-23, in Miami at the Intercontinental at Doral.

Nominations are being accepted through July 12. Don’t procrastinate — make yours today!

I recently had the opportunity to test out the new Movo UM700 USB Desktop Studio Microphone.

Movo Photo is an L.A.-based dealer that offers its own products along with those of others in the field of audio, video, photography and lots of accessories for those disciplines.

The UM700 costs about $100. The company markets it as “a Blue Yeti killer.”

To throw the specs out first, it stands about a foot tall on its desk mount and weighs just over 2 pounds.

It is a solid mic as far as its metal body and overall build, and certainly has the physical feel of a mic that will stand up to time, with a notable exception to be discussed.

It uses a 1/2-in he diaphragm and shows a frequency response (per manufacturer) of 20 Hz–20 kHz. As a USB microphone — no XLR — it’s limited to the world of PCs and laptops. It pulls its 5V power over the USB (at 150mA per manufacturer’s specification), and that is to power the internal headphone amplifier (using a mini 1/8-inch stereo jacks).

The sample rate listed is 48 kHz with a 16-bit depth. According to the company the headphone amplifier output impedance is 16 ohms, and headphone amp output frequency response is 15 kHz–20 kHz.

What makes this microphone unique for an affordable USB microphone is an adjustable polar pattern.

On the back of the mic are two controls. One for mic gain/sensitivity, and the other for pick-up pattern. By rotating a solid switch, it can have a stereo, cardioid, omnidirectional or bidirectional pick-up pattern.

The front of the mic has a headphone volume adjustment, plus a handy “mute” button (which illuminates to remind you that it is muted). It has a green indicator light to show you when it has a connection and is powered. One other feature is the 5/8-inch threaded opening in the bottom for a standard mic mount. Though you can’t swivel the mic on its included stand, it can be removed and used with a microphone stand, gooseneck or boom arm.

How does it sound? This is always a subjective question when working with microphones. So much relies on an individual’s own voice; mine is lower. For that it sounds decent.

It has a “proximity effect” to it, meaning you can “color” the audio quality of the mic by working it close or far. This is not something I like with mics in general, but some mics (like the EV RE320 and 20 series) are excellent at producing the same tonal quality no matter what the distance.

On the positive side, the adjustable pattern is a cool feature, and using a mic in stereo mode for some situations (like an interview where you only use a single mic) really provides an excellent “audible image” of the interview. You can hear the placement of the people in relation to the listener (or the mic). This is very nice.

The sensitivity is also a plus, though it should be noted that there’s enough gain to the mic to really increase noise as well.

Though I’ve had this mic for testing for about a month, there is a notable weakness. The micro USB connection on the bottom of the mic is flimsy. Mine is already loose and occasionally causes an intermittent issue.

That is a serious flaw and, in my opinion, likely to cause failure and a short life. Unless they redesign it with a much more robust connection (or full-size) USB, I wouldn’t recommend it because of that problem.

For the quality of the sound, features and otherwise robust built, it’s a shame that a 25-cent connection limits this microphone.

PRODUCT CAPSULE

Movo UM700 USB Desktop Studio Microphone

Thumbs Up: Nice sound, multipattern mic in USB connection format; compatible with Windows and Mac

Thumbs Down: Flimsy USB connector

Price: $99.95

For information, contact Movo Photo at 1-800-354-1739 or visit www.movophoto.com.

The post Movin’ on Up With the Movo UM700 appeared first on Radio World.

So here’s the buzz… if the unusual design of the King Bee II makes one think about Blue, that’s not an accident.

The same group that founded Blue (technically Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics) a couple of decades ago and built it into a major microphone player, are also behind Neat Microphones, the maker of the King Bee II (and the original King Bee along with other XLR mics and many USB mics).

Not surprisingly, the mic designs put out by Neat have been … eye-catching.

Neat was recently acquired by iconic computer sound card pioneer now computer gaming peripherals power Turtle Beach …

But back to the King Bee II. It’s a cardioid large diaphragm condenser aiming to be a studio mic rather than a computer peripheral. This mic has an XLR output. Following in the tradition of Blue, Neat points to quality electronics on the inside.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

The target market includes the standard studio performers — electric guitar, acoustic instruments, drums along with voiceovers, podcasting and streaming content.

In addition it ships with the custom “Beekeeper” shockmount and “Honeycomb” pop filter. Price: 169.99

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: www.neatmic.com

The post Neat King Bee II Takes Flight appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters has joined a range of organizations to submit comments in support of REC Networks’ Petition for Rulemaking. The petition, RM-11909, promises to be a game changer for rural communities, in NFCB’s assessment.

Why did NFCB sign on to expand LPFM? Low power stations represent an important moment in radio’s evolution in the U.S. REC Networks’ proposal is straightforward and intuitive. It would permit LPFMs in communities where it is possible to upgrade their signals. Currently, most LPFMs only go about three miles from their transmitters due to the existing power limits of a maximum broadcast power of 100 watts. An increase would help sparsely populated areas tremendously, and cause no conflict with existing broadcasters, where they are otherwise present.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Giving Mood]

Radio World recently shared some of the words of noncommercial broadcasters representing governmental, community and faith-based licensees. Many radio station representatives share that their outlets are assets in their communities. “Our little station has provided hyperlocal programming,” the comments from WVMO read, for example. In each of these stories is the spark of why many people get into radio in the first place. These broadcasters aim to make a difference locally. A signal increase would only deepen those area relationships.

In few places is our medium’s relationship more necessary as it is in far flung regions. With not nearly the number of broadcast options as one might hope in rural regions, low-power FM stations serve a vital purpose. They provide a sense of belonging, emergency response information, and a cultural gathering place where in-person meeting is more difficult due to the terrain. Stronger radio in these areas means stronger communities.

The idea presented by REC Networks has its share of critiques. For as long as there has been radio, it feels like there have been tensions over space on the dial. However, such disputes are not nearly as prevalent in rural communities where, to quote NFCB CEO Sally Kane, there are more cows than people. Regardless, some argue possible conflicts should mean a complete halt on progress. But, with natural disasters and crying needs of communities for education and support, isn’t it wiser to be simply more responsive when issues arise, rather than stop everything? I tend to believe commissioners are professionals enough to handle matters as they arise.

The FCC has yet to consider REC Networks’ Petition for Rulemaking, but the overwhelming number of comments are an apt demonstration that, especially in rural communities, LPFM increases are an idea whose time has come.

The post Community Broadcaster: LPFM-250’s Time Is Now appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy has launched a podcast studio that’s intended to be the home of its sports digital audio content.

It is called 2400Sports. “The new studio launches on the heels of Audacy becoming the official audio and podcast partner of Major League Baseball,” the company said in the announcement.

“As part of that partnership, Audacy and Major League Baseball will collaborate on the production and distribution of official podcast programming for the league and its clubs.” That includes a new series coming this fall about past playoff highlights, as well as projects with the individual ballclubs.

Audacy also announced an agreement with podcast producer Jody Avirgan’s Roulette Productions to develop and create shows. Avirgan is former executive producer and host of ESPN’s “30 for 30” podcasts.

2400Sports joins Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studio along with podcast marketplace Podcorn as elements of the company’s podcast stable.

The post Audacy Launches Sports Podcast Studio appeared first on Radio World.

The regional Mexican radio specialist headquartered in Ventura County, Calif., has secured an FM translator for an AM station it owns in the San Francisco Bay Area.

There’s just one catch, and it involves Audacy.

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With a deadline fast-approaching to build low-power TV stations or lose the license altogether, several companies have opted to sell the properties rather than rush to construct them.

Among the willing buyers is Jeff Winemiller.

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Add Cumulus Media to the list of audio content and distribution companies with radio at its roots that has all but recovered from the economic Slip-and-Slide brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Atlanta-based company on Thursday (6/24) submitted what’s called an “irrevocable paydown notice” to the administrative agent of its Term Loan to officially make a required paydown of $23 million.

The good news? This represents the remainder of the initial amount of the Cumulus’ Tender Offer that was not validly tendered prior to the expiration date.

For the groups that lent Cumulus the money, holders of the Term Loan are expected to receive their pro rata portion from the paydown on Monday.

With the payment, Cumulus completed its previously announced actions to pay down $175 million of debt — using cash on hand to do so.

Cumulus’ debt reduction actions began on May 17. That’s when the company completed a $60 million repayment of its ABL Revolver due 2025, which represented the entirety of the amount outstanding under the facility. Following the paydown, the ABL Revolver due 2025 is undrawn and available as liquidity for general corporate purposes.

Then, on May 25, Cumulus paid down approximately $89 million of its Term Loan Credit Facility due 2026 related to a mandatory prepayment obligation arising from the company’s sale of the former WMAL-AM tower site. The property, located in Bethesda, Md., was sold in June 2020 after years of wrangling with local leaders over the future use of the land for new home construction. Cumulus also completed a sale of towers and related assets in September 2020.

Pursuant to the terms of its 6.75% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2026, Cumulus one day later launched a tender offer to repurchase approximately $26 million of the Notes at par. This, Cumulus says, represents the pro rata amount required to be offered from the proceeds of the tower sale.

As of the expiration of the Tender Offer, approximately $3 million of Notes were validly tendered, accepted for payment and subsequently cancelled.

Giving effect to the impact of the Tender Offer, approximately $450 million principal amount of notes remains outstanding.

“As the improvement in economic and public health conditions continues to drive momentum in business trends, we felt it appropriate to accelerate several debt repayments in order to expedite our balance sheet de-levering, reduce interest expense, and increase our free cash flow generation,” said Frank López-Balboa, the EVP/CFO at Cumulus.

He believes this “better leverage and free cash flow profile,” along with more than $200 million of available liquidity “and solid rebound trajectory” are “significantly enhancing our financial flexibility.”

The liquidity represents $294 million of unrestricted cash on hand as of March 31, less $175 million used to paydown debt — plus $83 million of availability under the ABL Revolver due 2025.

With the news from Cumulus, its shares continued to rise, reaching levels last seen in January 2020. As of 2:18pm Eastern, CMLS was trading at $13.68, up 2.5% from Thursday.

On Aug. 3, 2020, a $3.94 closing price was seen for Cumulus.

That’s an incredible 247% gain in just 11 months.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) have forged an interagency agreement to share information about and coordinate the distribution of federal broadband deployment funds.

In accordance with the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the respective Cabinet and agency leaders announced that their agencies will consult with one another and share information about the distribution of new funds from the FCC’s high-cost programs that support broadband buildout in rural areas, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Services grant and loan programs, and programs administered or coordinated by NTIA.

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