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Megyn Kelly became a household name as a FOX News journalist. Today, she’s the host of the podcast The Megyn Kelly Show.

The well-known journalist, attorney, and best-selling author was just one of the highlights for the concluding day of Radio’s Financial Summit: FORECAST 2021 LIVE, as Kelly participated in an engaging conversation sponsored by Spanish Broadcasting System with Juliet Huddy, co-host of Curtis & Juliet on Red Apple Media’s WABC-AM in New York.

Didn’t get a chance to enjoy FORECAST 2021 LIVE? You can enjoy EVERY session on-demand with your registration today! Simply click HERE for access.

 

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SiriusXM announced a new automotive partner for its 360L hybrid radio platform.

The company said Maserati has made SiriusXM with 360L a standard feature in its 2021 vehicles in the United States.

“Maserati becomes the first manufacturer to make SiriusXM with 360L a standard feature in its vehicles,” it stated.

Like other hybrid radio systems, the 360L platform combines satellite and streaming content delivery. The company highlights its personalization and on-demand benefits not available in the more familiar one-way satellite service.

SiriusXM has made 360L-related announcements with other carmakers this year including BMW, GM and Audi.

Maserati owners will get a 12-month trial subscription to SiriusXM’s All Access package.

[Related: “Entercom Joins the DTS Connected Radio Ecosystem”]

The post Maserati Signs on for SiriusXM 360L appeared first on Radio World.

Entercom’s Radio.com digital platform is now part of Xperi’s DTS Connected Radio hybrid radio ecosystem.

The announcement gives insight into how Xperi is positioning its system. Senior VP, Radio Joe D’Angelo was quoted: “DTS Connected Radio continues to build on its mission to give today’s car-owners the visually rich, immersive listening experience they expect from the digital dash, while ensuring broadcaster editorial control.”

The platform recently came to market in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and Xperi says more vehicle launches are pending.

For Entercom, the benefits here are “increased engagement, expanded reach and turnkey management and control of content for each of our local broadcasters,” according to VP, Corporate Business Development David Rosenbloom.

[Related: “Hybrid Radio Picks Up Momentum”]

With the hybrid system, Radio.com radio stations will appear with artwork, artist and album information and playlists. The DTS system allows listener personalization and also provides “service following” capability — when a vehicle drives out of broadcast range, it switches in the background to the online version.

The companies said the integration also means economies of scale. Radio.com is home not only to Entercom’s 230 stations but hundreds of affiliates.

With this new relationship, they said in the announcement, “Broadcasters can easily integrate and manage their services, station information, and streams in one place via the RADIO.COM platform integration, all while maintaining control of their content, with all changes reflected in vehicles with DTS Connected Radio.”

 

 

The post Entercom Joins the DTS Connected Radio Ecosystem appeared first on Radio World.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — What do the father of a former FCC Commissioner and interim Chairman, a current FCC Commissioner, and a now-retired highly esteemed communications law of counsel for Foster Garvey have in common?

All are “champions of digital equality,” and were honored Wednesday for their efforts by the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council.

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Two days ago, Beasley Media Group revealed that its Director of Sales for its cluster stations in New England’s biggest market was rising to the corporate level position of VP/Sales for the entire radio broadcasting company.

On Wednesday, Tina Murley’s successor was revealed.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — She founded the company presently known as Urban One and run by her son, Alfred Liggins III.

On Tuesday, Cathy Hughes was recognized for her 40 years of service to African American media consumers on Capitol Hill.

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The Radio.com app, Entercom’s answer to iHeartRadio, is getting a big in-dash boost thanks to Xperi-owned DTS

As of today, Radio.com is now integrated into DTS Connected Radio.

The new in-dash product recently came to market in the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and more vehicle launches are on the way.

DTS Connected Radio is a global hybrid radio platform and has been “purpose-built to deliver consistent and reliable services in all countries while ensuring control of the broadcaster’s content and secure content delivery,” Entercom notes.

“DTS Connected Radio continues to build on its mission to give today’s car-owners the visually rich, immersive listening experience they expect from the digital dash, while ensuring broadcaster editorial control,” added Joe D’Angelo, Xperi’s Radio SVP. “Radio.com’s integration is another example of global broadcaster support of DTS Connected Radio and our commitment to deliver today’s most modern and robust in-cabin infotainment experience to OEMs around the world.”

DTS Connected Radio allows continued station listening from local Entercom broadcast stations via streams provided by Radio.com when the vehicle drives out of broadcast range.

In addition, the integration means “significant economies of scale” for Entercom and its broadcast partners, as stations “can easily integrate and manage their services, station information, and streams in one place.”

In addition to DTS Connected Radio, Xperi’s automotive technologies include DTS AutoSense, and HD Radio.

Order for TRT on the Nautel factory floor

Nautel has snagged another big contract to provide FM transmitters in Turkey.

The company is supplying 30 NVLT FM transmitters to Turkish Radio-Television Corp. with the option to purchase 12 more if needed.

These transmitters are all 5 kW models. The transmitters will be deployed at key locations throughout the country next year.

“Based in Ankara, TRT provides five regional and six national radio services as well as six AM radio broadcasts,” Nautel noted in its announcement.

“Additionally, Voice of Turkey provides shortwave programming in 32 languages. TRT radio is available on internet, satellite and cable as well as terrestrial services.”

In 2009, Nautel won a contract for 224 FM transmitters in a range of power levels up to 20 kW, and it supplied three 300 kW MW transmitters to TRT in 2008-2009. It said its transmitters have been “used to modernize a large portion of Turkey’s national FM Radio infrastructure.”

Yusef Tasdemir is the head of the Transmitter Operations Department at TRT. Ilker Aydin Akin is sales manager for Europe, Russia and Israel at Nautel.

Send news for Who’s Buying What stories to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Nautel Supplies 30 FM Transmitters to TRT appeared first on Radio World.

Her name is Noemy Rodriguez, and she is the operator of Alcon Media.

And, her business is purchasing a full-power FM and an FM translator serving a market in Southeastern Washington known for its agricultural community, wineries and a large population of Hispanic immigrants.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some five years ago, in support of a goal to preserve a vacant channel for use by white space devices and wireless microphones, the FCC proposed rules for television stations applying for a new, displacement, or modified facility in the television band.

Now, largely due to “other actions” the Commission has taken to support white space devices and wireless mics, GN Docket No. 12-268 has been terminated.

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A divided Senate has approved Pres. Trump’s Republican nominee to the FCC, Nathan Simington.

Democrats strongly opposed the nomination of Simington, currently with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, arguing it was a way to stymie the Democratic FCC agenda out of the gate, but Republicans prevailed in a straight party line vote 49–46, though with no floor defense of the President’s nominee after Democrats had pilloried him.

Senate Republicans have consistently appeared unenthusiastic about the Simington nomination, not speaking up strongly for him during the Commerce Committee’s approval of the nomination on Tuesday before voting (the same 49–46) to proceed to a vote on his nomination.

[Read: Chairman Pai Will Leave FCC in January]

Simington was the president’s choice while traditionally congressional Republicans would have a voice in the pick.

He is expected to take his seat, succeeding outgoing commissioner Michael O’Rielly, late Thursday (Dec. 8) or Friday, following the FCC’s Thursday public meeting.

President Donald Trump nominated O’Rielly for a second term, but pulled the nomination following a speech in which O’Rielly raised questions about efforts to regulate social media, something the President has been pushing the FCC to do.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, was the first to speak on the Simington nomination after the Senate, again divided along party lines, had voted to limit debate and proceed, eventually, to the nomination vote.

She said she had questions about his neutrality and independence, given reports he had tried to enlist Fox News to spotlight the issue of regulating social media and given the abrupt withdrawal of O’Rielly’s nomination in favor of Simington, who worked on NTIA’s petition to the FCC seeking social media regulation, a petition Trump had mandated in an executive order as part of his effort to regulate sites, like Twitter and Facebook, he has long argued censor Republicans, including him.

“I hope that we will not pass the Simington nomination,” Cantwell said, but added that if he was to be confirmed, as assumed, her colleagues should move quickly to also approve a Democratic nominee to the commission, when one is chosen. She pointed out that, usually, Republican and Democratic FCC nominees are paired in such circumstances. A Republican Senate is not likely to rush to such confirmation, however.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the second senator to speak on the nomination, pulled no punches.

He said Simington was dangerous to the FCC at this moment in history, for which he was the wrong person at the wrong time, pointing to President Trump’s attempts to retaliate against social media platforms, his attempts to enlist the FCC in that effort, and Simington’s participation in that effort.

Blumenthal called him unprepared and unqualified for the post. He also cited the potential gridlock issue and noted the usual bipartisan pairing of nominees. He urged a no vote.

Democrats have reason to be worried that Simington’s installation could tie up the Democratic agenda after Jan. 20 — there would be two Democrats and two Republicans — and until a third Democrat can be named to Pai’s commission seat — he is exiting Jan. 20 — which if Republicans retain control of the Senate could be months down the road.

FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, who will be the only other Republican on the commission after the chairman exits, has been urging the Senate to confirm Simington so together they can thwart a Democratic FCC’s moves out of the gate.

In an appearance on Fox Business’ “Cavuto Coast-to-Coast,” Carr said: “I think it would be very valuable to get Simington across the finish line and help forestall what really would be billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage that I think a Democratic FCC would look to jam through from Day One. One thing a Democratic FCC is expected to do is restore net neutrality rules, which Carr has called “socialism in sheep’s clothing.”

 

The post Republican Nathan Simington Confirmed to FCC Seat appeared first on Radio World.

In normal times, he’d likely be celebrating the birth of a brand-new digital multicast network, thanks to a recent purchase through his growing broadcast media operation, at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach while attending NATPE Miami.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that event is now a virtual affair. But, that’s likely not stopping Byron Allen and his team from cheering about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day transition of Light TV to the latest offering superserving Black TV consumers.

As RBR+TVBR first reported on October 30, Allen Media Group has acquired MGM‘s over-the-air broadcast television networks This TV and Light TV, offered a digital multicast offerings across the U.S., for an undisclosed price.

Launched in 2008, This TV is programmed with films, and other limited general entertainment content in the form of classic television series.

Light TV dates to 2016; it has featured family-friendly movies and series. That fare will disappear on January 15, 2021 – the start of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.  At that time, Light TV will officially transition to TheGrio.TV.

According to Allen Media, TheGrio.TV will feature African American-focused content reaching over 100 million U.S. households via over-the-air broadcast television stations, cable/telco/satellite platforms, and free digital streaming. With its new network brand slogan Our Culture Forever, TheGrio.TV will feature movies, sitcoms, dramas, concerts, talk shows, variety shows, game shows, news, and lifestyle content.

What is “TheGrio”? The term, in parts of Africa, is used to define a storyteller.

At one time owned by NBCUniversal, TheGrio.com was purchased by Allen in 2016 when it had less than 1 million monthly active users. In Summer 2020, TheGrio.com achieved its peak of over 10.5 million monthly active users.

“TheGrio.com is now one of the most visited news and entertainment sites for the African-American community, and is the largest employer of African-American journalists,” Allen said in a press release.

He added, “TheGrio.TV is especially important to me as it will both serve and uplift all viewers. TheGrio.TV is the first and only 100 percent African American-owned and targeted broadcast television network and free digital platform – making us truly authentic, without being filtered or controlled by others outside of the community.”

On Tuesday, TheGrio.TV received a big boost courtesy of FOX Television Stations. It will carry TheGrio.TV as a digital subchannel on 11 owned-and-operated broadcast properties, including WNYW-5 in New York, KTTV-11 in Los Angeles, and stations in Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Orlando.

RBR+TVBR RELATED READ:

Byron Allen’s Group Makes ‘Island News’ With KITV Buy Adam Jacobson Across the Hawaiian Islands, “Island News” has come courtesy of an ABC affiliate owned and operated by two brothers from Erie, Pa.: Brian and Kevin Lilly. That ownership will soon come to an end, thanks to one of the most aggressive buyers in broadcast television today. Byron Allen’s Multi-Million Deal Includes LPTVs Adam Jacobson USA Television Holdings, the Bob Prather-led entity, on Oct. 1 revealed that it is agreeing to sell 11 broadcast television stations to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting for $290 million. It is now known that the blockbuster deal includes several low-power TV stations. DuJuan McCoy’s Next Move: A Spin To Byron Allen Adam Jacobson One month ago, DuJuan McCoy emerged as the buyer of two TV stations in Indianapolis that Nexstar Media Group needed to sell in order to get regulatory approval of its merger with Tribune Broadcasting. Now, McCoy is poised to focus solely on those properties. Lightning Strikes For Byron Allen With Weather Channel Buy Adam Jacobson In the early 1980s, Byron Allen was best known as one of several commentators on the NBC comedy talk show Real People. Now, he’s a media mogul that just acquired The Weather Channel and its Local Now streaming service through his Allen Media LLC. Entertainment Studios CEO Byron Allen Upset by Industry Racism RBR-TVBR Media mogul corners President Obama at fundraiser and makes racist claims against AT&T. A TV Mogul Talks To The Audio World Adam Jacobson Once a host on NBC’s “Real People,” Byron Allen is today at the helm of one of the most successful broadcast media growth stories of today. He’s the founder of Entertainment Studios and Chairman/CEO of growing TV station owner Allen Media Group. So, why was Allen a keynote speaker at the virtual 2020 Radio Show on Thursday?

As RBR+TVBR first shared on its Twitter feed on Tuesday afternoon, the Republican majority of the U.S. Senate, by a 49-46 vote, confirmed Nathan Simington to be a member of the FCC.

Simington will take his seat as a Commissioner, replacing Mike O’Rielly, with the transition in power at the White House from President Trump to Joe Biden. Concurrently, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down, as is traditional with a change in leadership at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.

Much discussion is being had across Washington about a “deadlock” at the FCC come January 21, 2021. But, is that just conjecture?

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Noemy Rodriguez and her Alcon Media isn’t just purchasing a full-power FM and an FM translator from a husband-and-wife ownership team in the Tri Cities of Washington state.

In a separate deal filed with the FCC concurrently, Alcon is also seeking FCC approval for its purchase of a second full-power FM and two more FM translators.

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Wayne Eckert is an engineer with the Rural Florida Communications Cooperative. He occasionally comments here in Workbench on electrical matters of interest to broadcast engineers.

He noted the article by Mark Persons in the Oct. 14 issue of Radio World detailing lightning damage at KRJM. For engineers who are interested, he points out that AT&T has a relevant document “Grounding and Bonding for Network Facilities” that can be downloaded free in PDF form.

Fig. 1: The down conductor has been stapled to the 4-by-4 pole.

Wayne writes that while the document was created for central office grounding and bonding, it is now considered a company reference for all cell sites as well. And many parts it are applicable to broadcast sites, studios or any other facility where uptime is of high importance.

Wayne believes that if just some of the practices detailed in the AT&T document had been applied at KRJM, the damage suffered could have been greatly reduced.

One thing that caught Wayne’s eye was it appears that the pole supporting the STL link lacked a down ground. Wayne bases this opinion on the damage to the pole and from what Wayne could see in the photograph.

A down ground is an old utility practice and is a simple lightning protection device. Normally before the pole is placed, a lineman will secure a #6 hard drawn copper conductor to the pole with fencing staples. This line will attach from the top of the pole to the “butt” or bottom of the pole, leaving 6 inches or so of it standing above the top and coil up a few feet of the cable on the butt.

The goal is to produce a grounding electrode on the butt of the pole, so when the pole is placed in the earth it will make good contact with the earth.

If the pole is already in place, you can add a down conductor by installing an 8-foot ground rod into the earth.

Note well: Before pounding anything into the earth, contact your state’s one-call utility notification center. All states have such centers and require by law that you call 48 to 72 hours before digging. In most states the number is 811.

A “locate” will be scheduled and done at no charge to determine if there are any underground utilities present. Keep in mind that though this service is free, it is not “next day,” so plan your work, giving the “locates” folks plenty of time. Failing to notify them can get you killed should you drive the ground rod through an electrical cable or natural gas pipe. At the least, it can result in being sent a substantial bill from a utility should you damage something below grade.

The down conductor provides a bypass for the lightning’s energy into the earth, sparing the pole from extensive damage. Keep in mind that all pole attachments shall be bonded to the down ground cable. It is required by code that you bond the grounding electrode to the building’s grounding system using a direct buried #6 copper conductor, which prevents potential differences between grounds.

Wayne included several photographs that detail a down ground installed on a pressure treated 4-by-4 support pole.

In Fig. 1 above, note how the down ground is stapled to the support post. Also note that the last 36 inches or so of the down ground cable is protected by a piece of PVC pipe secured to the post.

Since the size of the 4×4 is too small for a butt coil, a ground rod was used, shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

In this photo, also note that all of the bends in the grounding conductors are sweeps (gentle curves, no sharp angles). This is very important as it minimizes the inductance in the grounding conductors.

Fig. 3: A view at the top of the pole.

Wayne writes that though lightning is direct current, it acts more like RF due to its extremely fast rise time, so inductance must be kept to a minimum.

Fig. 3 shows the top of the 4×4 pole with a pigtail, to which supporting structures like antennas or STL dishes can be bonded and grounded.

More on GDTs and MOVs

Robert LaJeunesse in Ann Arbor, Mich., holds an MSEE. He read with interest our discussions about gas discharge tubes and metal oxide varistors.

Bob points out that there are unique differences. The MOV clamps above its breakdown voltage while the GDT clamps below its breakdown voltage.

This may seem like a minor point but it has a major impact on the power dissipated by the clamping device, not to mention the pass-through energy.

With the GDT clamping lower, this device reduces the amount of energy that can pass into the subsequent protected circuitry; and the lower clamping voltage likely allows for more clamping current without over-dissipating.

It also makes sense that both be used together to protect a load. The MOV would absorb lower power surges but might allow the voltage to rise significantly above the MOV threshold on a higher current surge. The GDT can then kick in and clamp the voltage down, pushing more of the dissipated power back to the source — and source wiring — thus limiting the surge power that gets to the protected device.

Bob notes two PDF resources from Littelfuse to learn more. One is “Varistor Products Overview.” The other is a datasheet about its CG6 gas discharge tubes.

John Bisset has spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry. With this column he begins his 31st year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. John holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He is also a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post Workbench: A Lineman’s Tips to Ground an STL Pole appeared first on Radio World.

Deloitte on Tuesday released its “2021 Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions,” which highlights how worldwide trends in TMT may affect businesses and consumers worldwide.

In addition, the report highlights how many of these trends are being driven by the global pandemic’s economic and societal impacts, resulting in growth for cloud technologies, the intelligent edge, media segments such as sports and the shift to telemedicine.

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EUREKA, CALIF. — On November 10, an asset purchase agreement codified the transfer of a series of full-power and FM translator radio stations from an estate, trust and related broadcasting company to an individual who served as the day-to-day president of the stations under the now-deceased seller.

Here are the details of this Golden State transaction.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — It may be non-binding, but it certainly has meaning.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H. Res 549, a resolution reaffirming the lower body of Congress’ commitment to diversity in media.

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