Radio World

Audacy has named its first chief technology officer, promoting Sarah Foss to that position.

“Foss will spearhead the company’s efforts to innovate and differentiate its products and services via new technological capabilities,” it said. “She will continue to report to Rich Schmaeling, chief financial officer and executive vice president of strategic initiatives.”

Foss has been Audacy’s CIO since coming to Audacy in 2020. Before that she was senior vice president, strategic initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers. She also has held executive roles at Imagine Communications, Yangaroo, Encompass Digital Media, VCI Solutions and Harris Corp.

She also is co-founder of Tech Bae, networking and mentoring organization for women in media and advertising.

Her job will be to manage “key technology initiatives” including software development, ad tech, business intelligence and analytics and data solutions. She also will oversee the live and on-demand audio streaming business, AmperWave, which it recently acquired from WideOrbit. The CTO role does not oversee broadcast engineering.

The post Audacy Promotes Foss to CTO appeared first on Radio World.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced new health protocols for CES 2022 in Las Vegas and is reporting that it will offer complimentary COVID-19 rapid testing kits.

This additional measure builds upon the previously announced requirement that all in-person attendees must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Upon arriving at designated badge pick-up locations, CES attendees will be provided with Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Self Test kits. Each BinaxNOW Self Test kit contains two tests, which can be used twice while attending the show.

The CTA noted that the test is easy to use, requires only a shallow nasal swab, takes 15 minutes and can be done from the convenience of a hotel room. It strongly encourages all participants to test for COVID-19 before they leave home and within 24 hours before entering a show venue.

[Check Out More Events on Radio World’s Calendar]

“CES is a global event, and we continue to see strong momentum with new exhibitors signing up every day,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “In August, we announced that every CES attendee must be fully vaccinated. CES will also provide complimentary COVID-19 rapid tests, onsite at badge pickup locations, as an additional step to protect the health and safety of all our attendees, exhibitors and staff.”

The organizers also reported that CES 2022, which returns to Las Vegas Jan. 5-8, 2022, has attracted more than 2100 exhibitors, including brands like Abbott, Amazon, AMD, Autograph, Damon, Goodyear, Hisense, Hyundai, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm, Revival Health, Samsung Electronics, Sierra Space, Sony, Waymo and more.

The updated list of health protocols planned for CES 2022 is:

• Testing – All CES attendees MUST be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The organizers also request that attendees test for COVID-19 within the 24 hours period prior to entering a CES venue.
• CES will provide complimentary PCR testing for non-US based attendees who require testing prior to their return flight home.
• Vaccination Requirement – CES attendees MUST show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend CES. Detailed information on the proof of COVID-19 vaccination process can be found here.
• Attendees must be fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO). A list of approved vaccines can be found here.
• U.S. based attendees are encouraged to use the CLEAR complimentary mobile app and Health Pass feature to expedite vaccine validation.
• Non-U.S. based attendees, as well as U.S. based attendees who may be unable to use CLEAR, will need to provide their proof of vaccination at designated locations on-site.
• Mask Requirement – Masks are required for large indoor events in the State of Nevada.

CES attendees will be required to wear masks as follows:

• In exhibit booths and indoor exhibit facilities.
• In conference and keynote rooms.
• CES shuttle buses and any CES transportation services.
• Safety ambassadors will be walking the exhibit floor to offer masks to those who may need one.

Additional health protocols include:

• Venues – Enhanced ventilation systems and cleaning protocols in CES venues.
• Conference programming and meeting rooms – Set to enable social distancing.
• Show floor design and flow – Wider aisles and one-way traffic flows in certain areas.
• Food and beverage – Sanitizing stations and guidance on attendee best practices.

Detailed information for all CES 2022 health protocols can be found here. Those unable to travel to Las Vegas will be able to access CES digitally.

The post CES 2022 Adds New Health Protocols; Will Offer COVID-19 Tests appeared first on Radio World.

When you hear the name “Ocean Way,” you probably picture the iconic studios that bear, or once bore, the name, where countless hit records have been recorded. Allen Sides, the legendary engineer behind those studios, also makes high-end studio monitors through his Ocean Way Audio brand.

In commercial studios, you’re more likely to find the company’s three-way monitors with horns, often soffit-mounted in a control room. With large footprints and price tags north of $10,000, they’re not practical for all but the most elaborate personal studios.

But recently, Ocean Way Audio released the Pro3, which is the latest in its smaller (and less-expensive) OWA monitor line. The company refers to the Pro3 as its “most affordable” monitor pair yet. At $3,000 for a pair, some might quibble with the term “affordable,” but it is within the range of many studios and recording musicians; to many, its high-end, pro-level sound quality makes it an exceptional value.

Not baffling at all

The Pro3 monitors are the smallest that Ocean Way makes. The cabinets are designed to reduce baffle reflections and low-frequency resonance. Each monitor features a circular port at the top of the back panel.

With dimensions of 9 × 14 × 13.5 (W × H × D) inches and weighing 23 pounds each, the Pro3 is small enough to fit in any-size room. They’re two-way active monitors with plenty of power — 125 watts per side for the aluminum low-frequency driver and 90 watts for the silk fabric dome–type tweeter.

Compared to most studio monitors these days, you could call their control set “minimalist.” What there is resides on the back panel. The front of the Pro3 has only the woofer and tweeter. The power indicator light is on the rear, not the front. I’m not sure I understand that design choice; to me, it makes more sense if you can see it from the listening position.

Back panel

The Pro3s offer two input options: Analog and Digital AES/EBU, both on XLR connectors. An AES/EBU digital XLR output is also included. The monitors can be switched between four different presets: Preset 1 is the default, with the analog inputs active. Preset 2 is also analog, for use with a subwoofer. When it’s on, a fourth-order high-pass filter rolls off at 85 Hz so as not to get in the way of the low frequencies coming from the sub. The other two presets are for digital input. Preset 3 sets the monitor to digital left input and Preset 4 to digital right.

The process for changing presets is not what I’d describe as user-friendly. Each monitor features a small recessed button on the back panel called the LED Selector. Near it is a series of four LEDs: two white and two red. The manual recommends using a “small blunt tool” or breaking off the end of a cotton swab to make adjustments. Pressing and holding the LED Selector for a second or more switches the white LED from 1 to 2, which toggles the active status of the analog and digital inputs.

Quicker presses set the two red LEDs, which blink when you first adjust them. The combination of white and red LEDs that are lit determines which preset is active. Fortunately, you probably won’t have to adjust them very often, if at all. I never thought I’d find myself wishing for dip switches, but I did in this case.

Each speaker also features a Master Volume control for trimming the output. It’s recessed and requires a small screwdriver or a tweaker to adjust it. It’s not detented, but has 10 position indicators printed around the recessed area, making it pretty easy to set the left and right evenly if you need to lower the volume.

That’s it for the controls, save for the power switch and voltage selector. Ocean Way Audio includes IEC power cables for each monitor.

Somewhat surprisingly, there’s no room correction filtering or EQ that you can deploy on the Pro3s other than the high-pass filter for subwoofers that’s available with Preset 2.

Taking them for a spin

I set up the Pro3s in a nearfield configuration, placed on speaker stands on top of Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers, which are thick and heavy monitor pads. The Pro3s don’t have rubber feet, so you’ll want to use pads or decoupling stands. I connected the Pro3s to the outputs of my Cranborne Audio 500R8 interface, opened Ableton Live and hit Play on a song I’d been working on.

My first thought was, “These monitors are really bright.” But I soon realized that what I was reacting to was clarity. Everything in the mix sounded clearer and more present— the drum loops, the bass, the guitars and the keyboards. The transient reproduction was beyond impressive.

When I switched back and forth between the Pro3s and my regular monitors (I’m not naming names because it’s an unfair fight), which I like a lot, the contrast was enormous. Not only are the Pro3s excellent for mixing, their sonic clarity makes them extremely helpful in adjusting mic placement when setting up for a tracking session.

The bass response on the Pro3s is extremely tight and defined. The specs show that it goes down to 45 Hz. Mixing on the Pro3s, I found it easier to accurately gauge the level of the kick drum and bass than with my regular monitors. The imaging on the Pro3s is also impressive. According to the company, the frequency response between the two speakers is within ±0.5dB.

Crank ’em up

I was curious how the Pro3s sounded at higher levels than the 70–80 dB range I’d been listening in. I cranked the music up to over 90 dB — which, with the speakers less than three feet from my ears, was quite loud. I expected to hear the clarity diminish, but it didn’t. The monitors sounded louder but otherwise no different than at lower volumes.

If by chance you push the level up too high, the monitors are equipped with overload protection circuits that would prevent damage to the drivers and other components.

I mixed a couple of full songs on the Pro3s and got excellent results. I noticed less ear fatigue than I was used to on either pair of monitors that I use regularly in my studio. The ability to listen longer before you have to stop for a long break, or until the next day, could be a real boon for mixing productivity.

The last thing I tried was hooking up a subwoofer. I own a KRK 10s sub and connected its left and right outputs to the inputs of the Pro3s. After switching the monitors to Preset 2, to activate the high-pass filtering, I let it rip. With that extra bass, the overall sound of the system was magnificent.

Ocean Way Audio makes a couple of subs, the S10A and the S12A, which would probably sound better matched with the Pro3s than what I tried out here. But even with a sub from another manufacturer, the results were stunning.

Quality and consistency

Doing this review has been an eye-opening, or rather, an ear-opening experience for me. The Pro3s are hands-down the best-sounding monitors I’ve used in my studio. I’ve reviewed quite a few, but these stand above.

As noted, I have a few small issues. One is the lack of room correction features. Incredible as the Pro3s sound, if you have acoustical issues in your studio that you need to compensate for, they’ll be there no matter which monitors you use. I also wish they would add a front-panel power LED and that the switching system for the Presets was easier to use.

But when weighed against the stunning sound quality and performance of these monitors, those issues pale to insignificance. The headline here is that from a sonic standpoint, the Pro3s are a revelation and definitely worth every penny. If you’ve never considered spending three grand on a monitor system, you might want to change your mind.

This article originally appeared in our sister publication Mix. Radio World invites both users and suppliers to tell us about recently installed new or notable equipment. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Ocean Way Pro3s Offer ‘Ear Opening’ Experience appeared first on Radio World.

Jessica Rosenworcel, now FCC chair, is shown at a Senate committee hearing in 2018. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel made it clear to Republican lawmakers before her successful confirmation vote (68–31) earlier this month to a new, five-year term that she did not support efforts by “some liberal organizations” to remove conservative cable channels from their lineups or for the agency to use its license revocation power on broadcasters.

That assertion came in written answers to questions submitted after her confirmation hearing last month.

Rosenworcel was asked by at least three different Republicans about the issue of viewpoint diversity and alleged censorship of cable and broadcast.

This was how the question was posted by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R–Tenn.): “There have been efforts by some of our colleagues in the House of Representatives to pressure MVPDs into removing Fox News, Newsmax and other conservative channels from their lineups. There have also been calls by some liberal organizations to have the FCC revoke the licenses of broadcasters like Sinclair. Are you in favor of these calls to use the FCC to remove certain viewpoints from the airwaves?”

In an answer that would have made the late Rep. John Dingell proud, her answer was a succinct: “No.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R–Wis.) asked the question this way: “Will you commit to ensuring the FCC does not factor political content or viewpoints when issuing licenses, making regulatory decisions, or approving mergers and acquisitions?”

This time, the answer was a simple “yes.”

Sen Rick Scott (R–Fla.) got right to the “C” word (censorship): “The FCC has authority over broadcast licenses. As a nominee for this bipartisan commission, do you believe the government has the authority to censor opinions?”

“No,” said Rosenworcel, adding: “FCC authority is limited by the First Amendment and Section 326 of the Communications Act.” That section says the FCC has no authority to censor speech.

The post Rosenworcel Opposes Calls to Use FCC to Remove Fox News, Newsmax, Others appeared first on Radio World.

The first batch of comments in the FCC’s “resilient networks” proceeding — possibly mandating broadcaster compliance to submit status reports after hurricanes and other natural disasters — are now in, and broadcasters are expressing concerns over the logistical challenges such a requirement could present.

Broadcaster participation in the web-based Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which is activated in limited emergency situations, has been voluntary since it was established in 2007. The online service outage reporting system has come under scrutiny because of the frequency of major storms and other disaster events.

NAB wrote in comments any move to require broadcaster participating in DIRS would be “unduly burdensome” and could actually undermine the FCC’s overriding goal of improving public safety by disrupting stations’ efforts to provide critical information following a disaster.

“Mandating DIRS filings would force stations to redirect their already-strained staff away from trying to maintain or restore service to fill out a government form,” NAB wrote in its comments submitted this week. “Many smaller stations simply lack the bandwidth to log in, assess their operational status, and complete DIRS reports in the midst of an emergency.”

[Previously: “FCC Disaster NPRM Discusses Backup Requirements”]

NAB adds: “Alternatively, if the FCC still believes that DIRS should be mandatory, perhaps the onus should be on government to create and fund an automated system that identifies which broadcast stations are operating during a disaster.”

The proposed rulemaking, which was released in October, also looks at ways to mitigate the effects of power outages to improve communications reliability following disasters, including the possibility of imposing mutual aid obligations on broadcasters to support others when facilities are damaged or destroyed and generators become inoperable.

The FCC notes in the NPRM the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework is a voluntary agreement developed by the wireless industry in 2016 to provide mutual aid. The new proposal, which focuses largely on cell site outages, proposes expanding the “framework” to include radio and television stations. Several commenters note the need to include broadcasters is unnecessary.

“Required mutual aid is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the already supportive relationships that naturally exist without FCC enforcement,” according to joint comments filed by the Colorado Broadcasters Association and Association of Radio Broadcasters of Puerto Rico. “In addition, requiring mutual aid between broadcasters and other industries covered by the Framework would serve little purpose. Broadcasters do not have sufficient personnel or the expertise to assist wireless and wireline telecommunications providers or cable providers recover from a disaster, and those industries do not have the expertise needed to help get damaged broadcast facilities back on the air.”

A coalition of state broadcast associations also summarily dismissed the need to require broadcasters to join the aforementioned framework: “There would be no benefit to such a move, and it would instead merely burden precious staff resources that are a fraction of what common carriers can bring to bear in such circumstances.”

The FCC proposal does raise the possibility of adopting backup power requirements for DIRS and NORS (Network Outage Reporting System) participants. The small carve out was included in the appendix section of the proposed rulemaking: “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.”

That assertion led at least one observer to believe the commission could potentially require all broadcasters purchase backup power systems.

Gary Timm, chair of the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications Committee, filed comments as an individual on the matter: “If the Commission is suggesting requiring all broadcasters to acquire backup power generators on their own, this proposal should not even be considered due to the costs, particularly on small stations.”

Timm also notes there is no mention of federal funding for station generators in this current proposed rulemaking, “but that would be the most workable solution if the Commission is truly interested in broadcast station resiliency during power outages.”

NAB, which also discounts the need for additional rules regarding fuel backup for generators during times of crisis, concludes its comments touting the overall preparedness of radio and television broadcasters: “Given the Notice’s focus on the continuity of telecommunications services, it is important to highlight that broadcasting is likely the most reliable communications services during emergencies. Broadcasters, especially those in areas prone to severe weather conditions, plan and prepare throughout the year for disasters. They create, review, and practice their disaster response plans under various scenarios, enabling them to efficiently trigger such plans when disaster strikes.”

Reply comments to FCC docket 21-346 are due Jan. 14.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post FCC Reviews Comments on Network Resiliency appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World announced the recipients of the Best of 2021 Awards.

This award program normally is held in conjunction with the IBC Show, which was postponed and later cancelled this year.

The winners are:

• APTmpX – WorldCast Systems
• Adthos Platform – Adthos

These products will be featured in an upcoming issue.

The full list of recipients from TV Tech, TVBEurope and Radio World can be found here.

The pandemic disrupted the 2021 calendar for awards program in which Radio World participates. Just recently we also announced winners of the Best in Market Awards, a version of the program that normally runs in conjunction with the spring NAB Show.

The post Winners of Best of 2021 Awards Announced appeared first on Radio World.

(Flaticon/Freepic/AomAm)

Most of the people and companies that climb communications towers for a living in the U.S. don’t want a vaccine mandate. And their industry association is telling the government so.

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association said its member companies are worried about retaining their workforce if a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate is implemented.

After President Biden and the Occupational Health & Safety Administration announced a mandate for private sector employees, NATE ran a survey of its members and now has sent a letter to OSHA expressing concern.

“According to NATE’s survey, nearly 80 percent of NATE members are opposed to a federal government mandate that workers be vaccinated,” the association wrote.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

“While NATE members generally oppose the vaccine mandate, many NATE members are encouraging and incentivizing employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Almost 20 percent of NATE members have either paid employees to get vaccinated or are considering similar incentives.”

It said the survey affirmed that its members are concerned a mandate would exacerbate workforce challenges they already face. Tower service companies already face a workforce shortage of almost 15,000 people, according to NATE.

“In fact, approximately 85 percent of NATE members believe that some staff would resign if they are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and 30 percent of respondents indicated they would lose more than half of their workers.”

The association said NATE members, like companies in other expert trades, “have struggled to recruit skilled workers.” It said the possibility of losing a significant number of technicians is a serious concern and comes at a time when America is investing billions of dollars in broadband projects.

“Furthermore, this could even impact the ability to deploy broadband and high-speed communications on federal lands and in federal buildings. Many NATE members, approximately 60 percent, either work on federal projects or have in the past, and if they are unable to hire and train workers to complete these federal contracts, then the government’s own broadband goals may be unfulfilled.”

NATE said tower labor is done primarily outdoors and at elevations that minimize risk of exposure and immediate interactions with other people.

“Americans needed tower technicians and communications workers to help lead us through the transition to remote learning and working, and tower technicians did not stop doing their jobs due to the fear of COVID.” The association urged OSHA “to strongly consider the workforce and economic ramifications that the ETS and any federal vaccine mandates could have on our industry as well as on every American.”

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Would Tower Climbers Quit in Droves Over Vaxx Mandate? appeared first on Radio World.

So maybe you think you need to invest your entire brand advertising budget in digital/online/social platforms only. The music industry knows better. The new cutting-edge platform being used for many top-tier artists? Billboards!

It seems counterintuitive that great billboard advertising can get fans talking on social media, but it is a fact that the music industry noticed years ago.

Example: Drake’s album releases and concert appearances have been promoted regularly on billboards since 2011. The campaigns are clever and sometimes only understood by his legions of fans, which adds to his allure and makes one feel as if they’re part of a special club of insiders.

More than ever, it’s important to recognize that big billboards require big thinking. Out-of-home has always had the potential to be sexy, controversial and cost effective, but radio stations advertising their own product too often view billboard creative as a branding exercise.

Times-Shamrock Communications ran this series of billboards to highlight its Rock 107 format in a pandemic context.

To get the most out of your creative, it may be necessary to contract an advertising agency that specializes in getting attention.
You should consider testing your creative. The message must be so simple that it can be understood from a moving car in just a few seconds and yet it still should generate some emotion as soon as it is seen. Fortunately, it’s not difficult or expensive to test creative, either online or through in-person focus groups.

One challenge with billboards is that it’s difficult for some folks to see the creative on a computer screen and then try to imagine what it will look like when it’s blown up to huge proportions and seen from a distance. When in doubt, make one board, put it up, and rethink before making 20 of them.

[Read More Promo Power Here]

If you’re still not sold on the relevance of outdoor advertising, consider the success of Apple’s and Amazon’s recent campaigns. “Shot on iPhone” shows rotating selfies on digital billboards. The creative shows off Apple’s smartphone camera features and the quality of the imagery is gorgeous, proving without a doubt that new iPhones take terrific photographs.

The hashtags are taking the campaign from the boards to social and back to the boards to see more. Amazon is using motion to grab attention. Passersby in New York are now seeing otherworldly creatures appear to jump out of gigantic billboards in promotion of Amazon’s new “Wheel of Time” series.

You won’t be able to afford to cover your entire city by buying up boards everywhere, but you can place ads on boards where you have the most potential for growing audience.

Or maybe your entire goal with a board or two is to gain the attention of a specific company, media outlet or even individual. The movie industry is famous for placing boards where stars and producers can see them so that the star will do more appearances to promote the film, or the producer will see that the studio is actively advertising the product.

Billboards are the perfect place to launch stunts and fortunately, digital boards can go up and come down quickly. Capture reactions of social media and amplify on-air and all your platforms. If your stunt is good, the action will catch fire. Putting out that fire is a topic for another day!

The post Build Some Buzz Through Billboards appeared first on Radio World.

Doug Ferber is vice president of sales for the Americas at Tieline. This interview originally appeared in the free ebook “Streaming for Radio 2021.”

Radio World: Does streaming need to be a bigger part of the radio business strategy?

Doug Ferber: If you believe that you have to be where the listeners are migrating to, then yes, streaming needs to be a bigger part of a radio company’s strategy. At least 10% of a station’s listening is done online, and growing rapidly, right? I think it would be a careless decision to ignore this trend.

RW: What are the problems radio managers need to solve to become successful streamers?

Ferber: Define successful for me. If success means higher listenership, then programmers should be promoting their streams and creating unique content to capture online listening. If driving increases in revenue from online listening is the measure, I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question. If I did I’d likely be speaking with you from a big boat on a big lake near a great golf course.

Last I heard nobody makes a profit that is directly attributable to streaming. This is the biggest challenge presented by streaming.

RW: It seems that many radio managers still question whether they can monetize their streams. What advice do you have for them?

Ferber: They should support the NAB and hope that their trade organization can negotiate better music royalty deals. Otherwise they will have to treat the streaming as another necessary cost of doing business.

RW: What misconceptions do many people have about streaming that you’d like to dispel?

Ferber: There are still radio operators out there that don’t believe it to be a critical distribution channel for their content. Remember cable TV in the ’70s? How many people do you know today that watch television using an over-the-air signal?

RW: Do streaming and podcasting benefit or conflict with one another in a media strategy?

Ferber: I think they are complementary. While I’m not convinced of the commercial efficacy of streaming and podcasting (yet), radio should be seen as a platform … over-the-air, streaming, podcasting, live events, digital, etc.

Package these up for advertisers and they will reach your listeners no matter which element of your platform that they are using.

RW: There was an article in Variety with the headline, “As Streaming Dominates the Music World, Is Radio’s Signal Fading?” I’m interested to hear your take on this bigger question of radio’s future in this world of so many audio choices.

Ferber: The effect of competing media is significant, but what some don’t know is that people are consuming more audio in general. Another thing … not everyone has access to the internet. No internet? You won’t find them online. Radio a fading signal? Not yet … it is still very important to hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. market.

RW: Is there a major difference between how commercial and public radio strategize streaming?

Ferber: Public radio is much better at streaming mostly because they offer more local and original programming. Content is king.

RW: What does your company offer for streamers and what sets it apart?

Ferber: Tieline specializes in distributing high-quality broadcast audio between remote locations, studios and affiliates with best-in-class AoIP audio codecs.

These codecs currently integrate Icecast client support as one of several fail-over options when distributing broadcast audio signals over all IP network types. In recognition of the importance of streaming, Tieline Gateway and Gateway 4 codecs will also deliver support for HTTP streaming to servers in 2021, e.g., Icecast.

Along with a range of other IP innovations, this will deliver greater streaming flexibility to broadcasters employing a range of streaming applications across diverse radio network infrastructure.

The post Radio Should Be Seen as a Platform appeared first on Radio World.

Carl Davis is retiring after a 50-year career in broadcasting.

For the past decade he has been radio account manager for the eastern United States for Electronics Research Inc. ERI has named Angela Gregory to manage accounts in the region starting Jan. 1.

“Davis’s career has included senior management roles at commercial and public television and radio stations and equipment sales at ERI and Harris Corp. (now GatesAir),” ERI wrote in the announcement.

“In 2018 he was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His professional activities have included participation on the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering and Advisory Committee, the North Carolina Emergency Communications Committee and holding leadership positions for his local chapter of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.”

[Read Radio World’s 2018 interview with Carl Davis.]

Davis grew up in Hickory, N.C., where got his start in radio at WIRC and WXRC, according to an earlier Radio World story. He studied sociology at East Carolina University in Greenville, where he worked at campus station WECU(AM) and local station WOOW(AM) as chief engineer and program director.

Earlier roles included assistant general manager of PBS-NC, vice president of engineering for Voyager Communications and director of engineering for Durham Life Broadcasting.

“In retirement, he will continue to reside in Greenville, N.C., and has indicated he will remain an active participant in the East Carolina University’s Alumni Association and the ECU Foundation and its scholarship programs,” ERI said.

ERI also announced that Angela Gregory will become Eastern Region account manager for radio.

“Gregory joined ERI in 2019 in its Quality Assurance Department in roles that exposed her to all aspects of ERI’s design, fabrication and installation processes and procedures,” ERI said. She will be based at the company’s headquarters in Chandler, Ind.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Carl Davis Retires from ERI appeared first on Radio World.

What appears to be a last-ditch effort by Urban One Broadcasting Network to salvage a radio station construction permit in Florida has failed. The FCC this week denied a Petition for Declaratory Ruling by the broadcaster to reinstate Urban One’s forfeited permit to construct an FM radio station in Cross City, Fla.

Urban One’s efforts to resurrect the CP for WURB(FM) date back to 2014 and its acquisition of an expiring construction permit from Alex Media Inc., according to FCC documents. Urban One filed an application to modify the construction permit just months before the expiration and proposed a new tower site. However, Suncoast Radio filed an objection to the modification saying it did not comply with the commission’s rules.

The FCC agreed and, in a subsequent notice sent on July 17, 2014, gave Urban One 30 days to amend its modification application. At the same time, the commission noted the CP permit for the proposed station was due to expire days later on July 21, 2014.

The FCC told Urban One: “This letter does not extend the expiration date of that construction permit or provide any additional time to construct.”

[See Our Business and Law Page]

According to FCC documents, Urban One followed up by filing two petitions for reconsideration — one asking for Special Temporary Authority to operate the FM at the new site — which were filed following the CP’s expiration. The FCC denied both in early 2015, determining “the construction permit automatically expired and was forfeited.”

What followed has been years of petitions and appeals filed by Urban One seeking return of the CP. The broadcaster’s most recent Petition for Declaratory Ruling was filed in June 2021 and sought reinstatement of the CP with an additional 18 months to construct the facility.

Albert Shuldiner, chief of the FCC’s audio division, perhaps ended the back and forth for good with a letter sent Wednesday to William Johnson, managing member, Urban One Broadcasting Network, which stated: “In short, then, there remains no construction permit for us to reinstate, as it was forfeited by its own terms on July 21, 2014. The call sign WURB was deleted, and the unbuilt Cross City FM channel assignment was deleted and designated as a vacant allotment in the Table of Allotments, from which it was subsequently added to the Auction 109 inventory.”

The FCC says channel 249C3 at Cross City, Fla., was included in the inventory of the recently completed Auction 109.

Cross City, Fla., is a city of 1,689, according to the 2020 Census, located about an hour west of Gainesville, Fla., on the state’s Gulf Coast.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post FCC Denies Request for Reinstatement of Florida CP appeared first on Radio World.

Over the years, Australian pro audio manufacturer Røde has built a solid presence for itself in the recording and broadcast industries, but in recent times, the company has put much of its focus on podcasting — and that effort has paid off handsomely.

In podcasting today, Røde is one of the 800-pound gorillas and a lot of that has to do with its RødeCaster Pro podcast production studio, a specialized, all-in-one recording and mixing unit that came out in 2018. The unit does a great job of walking that upper-prosumer tightrope, providing simplified broadcast features in a portable form that audio pros, aspiring pros and content creators can all use to get very respectable results.

Building on that success, Røde has since also released podcast- and streaming-oriented mics at price points that are attainable by consumers. So what do you do once you release the two things that podcasters need the most? Well, you accessorize them out and accordingly, Røde has released a number of accessories aimed at RødeCaster Pro users in the last few months.

Rødecaster Cover Pro

The first item is the RødeCaster Cover Pro, which is simply a clear acrylic cover for the RødeCaster Pro. The cover is designed to fit perfectly over the unit and protect it when you’re not recording. Certainly, you don’t want to carry the unit in a backpack to go on location and then discover you’ve prised off a fader en route. Likewise, if you’re working from home as many podcasters do, the cover will protect the mixer from seemingly innocuous dangers like a cup of coffee or your too-damn-curious cat walking all over it.

There is a third-party cover already on the market for the RødeCaster Pro, but Røde’s obviously comes from the manufacturer (which always provides some added peace of mind) and it has a street price around $50 — a full $40 less than the third-party competition at this writing, so it’s a win all around.

[Check Out More Product Evaluations in Our Products Section]

Next up is the RødeCaster Pro Accessory Kit, which is a bundle of four minor-but-useful items — the kinds of tidbits that feel a little wasteful to purchase until the rueful day you need them. None of items are so essential that you can’t work without them, but they make things slightly simpler.

The kit includes the SC9 TRRS-to-TRRS cable, which is basically a 3.5 mm TRRS cable designed to connect a RødeCaster Pro to audio devices — for instance, a smartphone, so you can record a phone interview directly into the unit. There are other ways to connect a smartphone (Bluetooth, for instance), but it gets the job done simply.

Next is the HJA-4, which is a pack of four 3.5 mm-to-1/4-inch headphone adapters. You’ve got these lying around already, of course, and they come with every set of decent headphones you’ve ever bought — but you’ve misplaced them before, too. With a pack of four, you have more than enough to ensure you don’t run out when connecting podcasters and their guests’ headphones into the mixer.

Then there’s the XLR-ID pack, which is simply four pairs of color-coded plastic rings that snap on to XLR plugs at each end of a cable so you know which cable is which. Sure, you can use gaff tape to do the same thing or, God forbid, simply pay attention to what you’re doing, but they make for one less thing to think about.

Rounding out the Røde RødeCaster Pro Accessory Kit is the DC-USB1 USB-to-12 V DC power cable, which allows you to run a RødeCaster Pro off a USB output, like a portable powerbank, providing a bit more portable utility if you’re not near a wall outlet. You’re still going to need a relatively high-power USB power source (2.4 A minimum), but to sound like Yogi Berra for a minute, this is the kind of item you don’t need until you need it.

Rode PSA1+ Professional Studio Arm

All that said, let’s move on to the most notable podcasting accessory Røde has released in recent times — the Røde PSA1+ professional studio arm. It is a nice piece of kit, able to hold a microphone weighing up to 2.6 lbs.

Aesthetically, it is black with some silver accents, it prominently sports the Røde logo in a few places, and offers a horizontal reach of about 37 inches. The arm comes with both a desk insert and a clamp, so you have options for attaching it to your table or desk, and there’s also a mic thread adapter in case you need it.

The mic arm is well-packaged to survive transit; open up the box and you’ll find all the various parts, most notably the thick, hefty arm, which feels satisfyingly solid. Both lengths of the arm are covered with spongy neoprene sleeves that are emblazoned with the Røde logo. That makes it feel a little weird if you don’t have a Røde mic at the end of the arm, and I’m sure that’s no accident.

Not only do the sleeves help deaden potential sounds from the arm as you move it, but they also provide good protection if you bang your hand, head or coffee mug against the arm while recording. The sleeves have small plastic grips attached for cable management — a nice touch, though it means that if you want to cut the sleeves off for some reason (for instance, if you’re video podcasting and can’t have the Røde logos in the picture), you lose your cable management, which is a shame.

The arm comes pre-assembled, so all you have to do is install the clamp of your choice, drop in the peg at the end of the mic arm, and you’re set. The mounting hardware is very low profile; with both the desk insert and the clamp, installation is simple — very much a set-and-forget experience.

The desk clamp slides on to a desk or table with a width of 18–55 mm, while the surface mount can tackle 10–70 mm. On the desk clamp, there are rubber tabs at the ends of the metal bar that you use to tighten the clamp; they come off, allowing you to remove the bar for an aesthetically simpler look that also helps ensure that the clamp won’t accidentally get loosened by an errant knee hitting the bar under the desk.

The arm itself has a vertical reach of 860 mm and 360° rotation, and is nearly dead silent; when I moved it around, the mic didn’t pick up movement or create sounds like springs stretching as I put it into position. Whether folded in on itself or extended, the arm was well-behaved, even when it was fully extended straight out at a low, acute angle with the table.

In testing with a popular podcast mic from another manufacturer weighing 1.4 lbs., the arm didn’t droop or shake, even in some unlikely, difficult positionings.

Everything came together quickly, it worked well and as far as mic arms go, it’s stylish. I’m not sure how much there is to be said about studio arms, but ultimately, what do you really want from one? You want it to work quietly, stay where you position it, and otherwise be the last thing you’re thinking about; a good studio arm is something you ignore even as you use it, and the PSA1+ answers all of those demands easily.

This article originally appeared in our sister publication Mix. Users and suppliers are both invited to send news about recent installations and product applications to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Røde Delivers Range of Helpful Accessories appeared first on Radio World.

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GAB) has named the 2022 year’s inductees into the association’s Hall of Fame.

The GAB Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have had a lasting impact on the state’s broadcasting industry. “Once again our Hall of Fame class has great representation from radio and television, small markets and large, management and on-air talent and with diversity that is truly representative of Georgia’s broadcasting industry,” said GAB President Bob Houghton. “We are so pleased to be able to honor these incredible individuals.”

The following individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Athens, Ga., on Jan. 26.

• Doug Weathers, WTOC-TV – television journalist and news director
• Ed Harbison, WQXI-AM/FM and WAGH(FM) – Georgia state senator
• Scott Miller, WCUG(FM) – radio broadcaster and play-by-play voice for Columbus State University Cougars
• Joe Willie Sousa, Golden Isles Broadcasting – general manager and on-air personality

From Left: Doug Weathers, Ed Harbison, Scott Miller and Joe Willie Sousa

Each winter the GAB hosts an annual luncheon to honor new Hall of Fame members and recognize recipients of the annual E. Lanier Finch Scholarship.

Since its inception, 93 broadcasters have been inducted into the GAB Hall of Fame. Past inductees include this year’s emcee — Monica Pearson with Georgia Public Broadcasting — and others, including Judy Woodruff, broadcast TV journalist; Skip Caray, former Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer and son of Chicago broadcasting legend Harry Caray; Pete Van Wieren, American sportscaster; and Mike Roberts, Georgia radio station owner and morning host.

Submit news about your event to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Georgia Broadcasters Name 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees appeared first on Radio World.

It’s been a decade since digital radio launched in Germany, and it seems to be catching on with listeners. Digitalradio Büro Deutschland, the joint-initiative between broadcasters, receiver manufacturers, and network operators in Germany, declared the 2021 the “best year for DAB+ since 2011.”

According to the Büro, 2021 saw a 30 percent increase in number of digital radio receivers in German homes and cars over the prior year, and DAB+ signals are heard in about 27 percent of German households, some 11 million people. Around 20 percent of all radio listeners regularly tune to DAB+ programs.

On Dec. 21, 2020, regulations went into effect requiring radios with displays, as well as radios in cars, to be capable of receiving DAB+ signals. This resulted in the sale of about 1.83 million stationary DAB+ devices in 2021, a relative increase of 15.2 percent over the previous year.

[Check Out More Global News from Radio World]

“The driving force behind the current DAB+ dynamism is the commitment of many private broadcasters, who are broadcasting new programs nationally and, increasingly, regionally via the digital terrestrial radio standard,” stated Digitalradio Büro Deutschland in a German-language announcement.

According to the Media-Analyse ma 2021 Audio media usage survey, the audience share for DAB+ is 20.4 percent among listeners 14+, and for the 30- to 59-year-old demographic that increases to 22.7 percent.

As of December 2021, about 300 DAB+ channels are offered nationwide, around 100 of which are digital only. The Büro also noted that DAB transmission infrastructure continues to grow in Germany with six more transmission sites going on air by April 2022 to close gaps in the transmission network.

In the first two weeks of December alone, public broadcaster NDR put into operation a new DAB+ transmitter in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; private broadcaster Radio Arabella Bayern expanded its reach to cover all of Bavaria; and 37 private broadcasters in Saxony applied to join local, regional, and state-wide DAB+ networks.

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post 2021: Best Year Yet for DAB+ in Germany appeared first on Radio World.

“Radio is outmanned, outgunned, out-funded and fragmented. The competition is not.”

That’s the message that Xperi Corp. has been taking to the global radio industry. The technology company believes its DTS AutoStage platform is the answer.

In a new ebook co-produced by Radio World and Xperi, we talk with experts about this proposition — how the connectivity environment is changing and how DTS AutoStage is designed to address that change.

For listeners, this new hybrid radio platform promises more content, better control, and new ways to engage and personalize audio content in the car.

For automakers it offers consistency in the driver experience, global coverage and field upgradeability.

For radio, it promises stations a visual presence that can be monetized and that looks as good as what SiriusXM, TuneIn or Spotify can offer, if not better.

Will it meet those objectives? Providing insights are Roger Lanctot of Strategy Analytics, Steve Shultis of New York Public Radio, John Clark of NAB PILOT, Steve Newberry of QUU and executives at Xperi led by Joe D’Angelo. You’ll also see what real radio station displays look like in DTS AutoStage on the dash of a Mercedes S-Class vehicle.

Read it here.

The post Radio’s Call to Action: DTS AutoStage appeared first on Radio World.

Happy holidays from the team at RW Engineering Extra! Here’s your latest issue, featuring insights and resources just for engineers.

Take a page from the IT handbook. Chris Fonte writes that FOSS applications can be adapted to create custom solutions for broadcast.

What to know about getting your streams cloud-ready and CDN-compatible from a paper. Rick Bidlack of Wheatstone offers a primer on the politics and protocols of streaming.

And thoughts on streaming for radio by Tech Editor Cris Alexander.

Read it here.

 

 

 

The post Read the Dec. 15, 2021 Issue of RW Engineering Extra appeared first on Radio World.

Jim Winston

Jim Winston is president and founder of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.

He was interviewed by Victor Bruzos, a 2021 law fellow at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC). Answers were edited for clarity and brevity. MMTC commentaries appear regularly in Radio World, which welcomes other points of view on industry issues.

Victor Bruzos: NABOB has been around for more than 40 years, please tell us about the association’s history, work, and core principles.
James Winston: NABOB was founded in 1976 after a series of conversations at the National Association of Broadcasters convention. A young lady who worked for NAB at the time, Patty Grace Smith (she went on to have a very successful career at the Federal Communications Commission and at the Department of Transportation), spoke to several different Black broadcasters and they all described similar problems to her; however, most of them did not know each other, and they assumed that they were experiencing these problems all by themselves.

She introduced a few of them to each other and when they realized they were all having similar problems, particularly with advertisers not understanding African-American consumers, they created NABOB.

NABOB was formed with two goals: to increase the number of African-American–owned radio stations and to improve the business climate in which they operate by making advertisers and advertising agencies aware of the business value of advertising on their stations…

We still have a very small number of African-American owners … approximately 200 radio stations about 35 TV stations, which is still a considerably small part of the industry. …

Moreover, we advocate on behalf of our members within the advertising industry. … Many corporations now realize that, in spite of past efforts, there’s still a great lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate America. And we have seen in recent months, several corporations specifically say they would like to do more business with Black-owned media companies. We are working with several companies to try to make that happen.

Bruzos: What is NABOB’s position on H.R. 4871, the Expanding Broadcast Opportunities Act of 2021, introduced in August by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D–N.C.) and S.2456, the Broadcast VOICES Act, its Senate companion bill introduced by Sen. Gary Peters (D–Mich.). What kind of impact will it have for minorities and women wanting to gain entry into the media business?
Winston: The tax certificate program is a very interesting program. … NABOB was instrumental in getting that program adopted in 1978 as part of what the FCC called its minority ownership policy.

When the FCC had a conference in 1977 looking for suggestions about how to promote minority ownership, one of the things NABOB explained was that we weren’t getting phone calls telling us about stations that were available. Stations were mostly being sold through an “old boys” network that didn’t include NABOB members.

With the tax certificate program … if you sold a radio, television or (eventually) cable TV system to a company owned and controlled by minorities, you got a deferral of the capital gains tax. … Owners who never contacted NABOB members were now contacting them regularly saying, please buy my station.

In 1978 when the policy was adopted, African Americans owned 37 radio stations and one TV station, but by the time the policy was eliminated in 1995 there were 250 African-American–owned radio stations and 25 African-American–owned TV stations. That growth was primarily due to the tax certificate policy. Since the elimination of the policy in 1995 we have actually seen our numbers of radio stations and TV stations decrease.

NABOB has worked to get that policy reinstated for many years and we’re very hopeful the bill introduced by Congressman Butterfield and Senator Peters will get favorable consideration and bring that policy back. Additionally, the new policy is being proposed for small businesses, which include minorities and women-owned businesses, so we think it will have a broad impact in a number of areas and will significantly increase diversity within station ownership.

We still have some owners that took advantage of the program the first time around who would love to see it come back so they have a chance to use it again. The support is very high among our NABOB members for getting it reinstated.

Bruzos: Geo-targeting is another area of interest to minority broadcasters. If the FCC allows FM boosters to have separate programming and to engage in geo-targeting, what would be the impact on minority-owned stations?

Winston: The geo-targeting proposal is designed to enable radio stations to target smaller areas within their service area. For specialized programming, the geo-targeting program would stay the same, but an expanded program would allow for more local announcements. … So, for example, you could allow for different public service announcements, traffic announcements and, of course, commercials. …

For example, I might have a restaurant and my patrons come from an area that’s within a specific neighborhood and advertising to communities 10 to 20 miles away would not be cost effective for me; in that instance geo-targeting might be exactly what I need.

One other interesting thing I just learned about geo-targeting is that because it uses FM boosters, it can actually improve the service quality for FM boosters by directionalizing the signal. … I think that is a further reason for the FCC to grant the rule change.

Bruzos: What are your thoughts on the FCC incubator program?

Winston: NABOB has advocated for this program for a very long time, and I think it has the potential, if implemented properly, to be very positive for minority station owners and prospective owners.

The problem we had with the policies adopted by the FCC was the manner in which an incubating company could use the benefit could be contrary to the value of the incubated station. For example, a company could incubate a station in a very small market that had a number of stations and then use the waiver of multiple ownership rules the policy provides to gain a new station in a much larger market. That would not be in the public interest. It wouldn’t be a good thing for minorities, certainly, if someone were allowed to exceed the ownership limits in a market where they already had stations competing with a minority-owned station.

We could have a net decrease in minority ownership as a result of a badly used incubator program, so we’re hoping the FCC, as it the looks at its ownership rules in the current quadrennial review, will consider whether or not it should look to change the incubator program.

I think it has great potential, but our members would like to see it implemented in a in a more favorable manner.

Bruzos: During this ongoing pandemic, how have NABOB members been affected and what have they learned?

Winston: In the early days of the pandemic, our members were hit really hard because advertisers dwindled. If you shut down your business, you have no reason to advertise. We saw many of our stations lose advertising dollars in the 30 to 50 percent range over the first few months of the pandemic.

Fortunately, as people started getting back out into public and stores learned to adjust their sales so that people could pick up products on the curb or they added outside eating areas, the economy started slowly coming back and we were able to withstand the impact.

Fortunately, I’m not aware of any NABOB station that went out of business as a result of the pandemic, but they certainly had a very, very rough time and even now, of course, with the delta variant. We see that we’re not back 100 percent to where we want to be, but we’ve made a great deal of progress from where we were a year ago, and I know our stations will come back strong.

The post Improving Opportunities for Minority Broadcasters appeared first on Radio World.

The author is president/CEO of Bohn Broadcast Services and The MaxxKonnect Group. This commentary appeared in the free Radio World ebook “Mission-Critical: Maintaining Your Transmitter Site.”

Picture it: 1997.

Bill Clinton is president. Reed Hundt is FCC chairman.

Radio deregulation is now the norm — but so are tube transmitters, analog consoles and dialup-only remote controls.

It was a different world in so many ways.

In 2021 deregulation is still the norm, but solid-state transmitters have overtaken tubes by a large margin. Analog consoles are still in service, but AoIP has a huge stronghold in the modern broadcast plant. And remote controls now can call, text and email.

What’s the common denominator in all of those modern devices?

IP connectivity

We live in a world where the internet is connected to everything from your phone to your security systems and, in some cases, even your refrigerator.

The modern broadcast plant is no different. Today’s solid-state transmitters basically are giant computers with RF amplifiers attached to them. They’ll tell you exactly what the fault is and in some cases even order parts for themselves — as long as they have an internet connection.

Remote controls allow you to connect nearly infinite amounts of monitoring and controlling countless devices, plus they’ll show you everything visually on a neat little screen — as long as the internet is working.

POTS lines are nearly impossible to get in many locations now, but you want the remote to call you; what’s the solution? A reliable VoIP service is great — if you have internet.

Many broadcasters have embraced the connected site. Cameras, Burk ArcPlus remote controls, Nautel transmitters — you name it. But the key is reliable and redundant IP delivery. There are a plethora of ways to accomplish this.

This translator built is 100% IP connected, with Wheatnet as the primary delivery over UBNT, fiber as backup and MaxxKonnect for secondary backup and remote control.

The earliest P2P IP option specifically for broadcasters was duplexed ISM radios, offered by Moseley as LANLink nearly 20 years ago. This provided a 512 kbps data link from studio to transmitter site and offered Ethernet and RS-232 connectivity.

It was a revolutionary system and allowed, for the first time, networked devices to live at the transmitter site but be part of the studio LAN without adding costly telco circuits or expensive, dedicated, licensed standalone radios.

The IP delivery landscape was altered again with the proliferation of low-cost unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz radios. These systems, with their significantly higher throughput, altered the way stations delivered content to their sites.

Traditional 950 MHz STL systems were backed up, and in some cases supplanted, by IP-only radios carrying codec audio, HD Radio data, RDS metadata and remote control information.

Now sites without some type of internet connectivity are in the minority.

IP radios have become, by far, the most common method of internet delivery to transmitter sites. Prioritized cellular, such as my company’s MaxxKonnect Wireless offering, is another great option to get connectivity into a site without major tower work, large upfront costs or long-term commitments.

A screen capture from a Wyze Cam Pan camera. Extremely helpful to diagnose things remotely.

If fiber is available at your site, take advantage of it! Costs on fiber internet are coming down significantly.

Satellite internet is an option as well. In the past, satellite has not always been the fastest or most reliable option. However, with the coming of SpaceX’s Starlink and other new low-earth orbit (LEO) technologies, satellite could rival wireline delivery in the not-too-distant future.

And so?

You may be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with site maintenance?”

Answer: Everything!

Having the ability to know what’s going on at your site, even when you can’t get there as often as you’d like, is key to keeping things running smoothly.

Example: Install an inexpensive web camera or cameras at your site. We typically install three: one looking at the room as a whole, one outside the door, and one aimed squarely at the front of the transmitter and/or equipment racks.

Dashboard for a Ubiquity AF60 IP radio.

This allows you to know who or what is lurking at your site, inside and out, plus it allows you to diagnose equipment faults or failures visually before rolling out.

Being able to see which fault indicator is lit on an older transmitter or hear the UPS beeping through the camera lets you plan for what tools and equipment to bring on your trip. This is a huge timesaver for an engineer. And less time spent on a problem means less money spent or lost — which is a win for management.

Another example is program delivery redundancy.

IP radio systems are awesome but they’re mounted on a tower and will, most likely, get popped by lightning at some point. Same goes for 950 MHz STLs.

A wireless internet option such as prioritized LTE provides an alternate program delivery path that is less prone to lightning strikes and power spikes. This backup program path can be the difference between minutes of off-air time or hours.

Climate control is another hot topic for internet connectivity. App-linked Wi-Fi thermostats are a great way to give you 24-hour remote control of the temperatures at your site. Set up your own lead/lag controller using the schedule functions, and adjust it from your phone at your house. Plus, you’ll know immediately through push notifications if the temperature exceeds the limits you set.

Other benefits include the ability to look up manuals and parts onsite rather than the 4-inch screen of your phone, and Wi-Fi calling capabilities. At many remote sites, Wi-Fi may be the only way to get a call through if cell service in the building is bad.

Our connected world is overtaking our broadcast facilities. There are more options than ever before to know what is going on at your site, without being there.

The post Life Is Good — As Long as You Have Internet appeared first on Radio World.

Clark Hurrell, president of Major Custom Cable, and Peter Milbery, president of Neutrik Americas

Neutrik Americas has acquired Major Custom Cable, a manufacturer of data and communication cables.

Among other things, the deal gives Neutrik Americas a U.S. manufacturing capability.

“Neutrik’s efforts to expand into new markets is enhanced by the acquisition of MCC. The Neutrik Group’s expertise as a manufacturer of connectivity solutions is now augmented by MCC’s leadership,” it stated. “This new level of shared knowledge and experience is expected to elevate Neutrik Americas’ ability to diversify.”

Neutrik Americas is part of the Neutrik Group. The announcement was made by Neutrik Americas President Peter Milbery and Major Custom Cable President Clark Hurrell.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

MCC has been both a customer and supplier of Neutrik in the past. “For more than a decade, Neutrik has pushed to expand into new markets with our ruggedized copper- and fiber-based locking, circular connectors,” Milbery said in the announcement. “The acquisition of MCC will help us accelerate this push to diversify into new markets. We are thrilled that we will now have U.S. based manufacturing in addition to our existing global manufacturing capabilities.”

A view of the MCC factory floor

Neutrik Group is based in Liechenstein; its Americas operation is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.

Major Custom Cable was founded in 1990 and is based in Missouri, where it has an ISO 9001 registered facility with more than 50,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space, according to its website.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Neutrik Americas Acquires Major Custom Cable appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has just asked a big question: Should the legacy, audio-based Emergency Alert System architecture be redesigned?

That is one of a bunch of questions that the FCC has asked in a new notice of inquiry about EAS. As Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel put it, “We’re looking for all the good ideas here, both big and small, because we know first-hand they can make a difference.”

The commission took several steps regarding alerting at Tuesday’s meeting, and this big question came toward the end.

First, it issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that sets out proposed changes to improve visual messages that appear on television during nationwide tests.

“When EAS alerts are displayed on the screen, they have both an audio component and a visual component,” Rosenworcel wrote in a statement. “In other words, they feature both a recorded message and a text crawl. But because of the legacy television architecture of EAS, the audio component may not always match the visual text. This can mean that in some circumstances, less information may be conveyed to either those individuals who have access only to the visual component or to those who have access only to the audio component. It can cause real confusion.”

This is especially true for those with disabilities, she said.

[Related: “FCC Contemplates ‘Persistent’ EAS Alerts”]

“For starters, we propose to improve the script for visual text during nationwide tests of the legacy system. We also propose changes to our rules that would bring similar clarity to nationwide tests using the newer, internet-based common alerting protocol, or CAP.”

Also, because there is greater ability to include enhanced text with CAP alerts, the FCC proposes to require broadcasters to check to see if a CAP version of an alert is available when they receive an emergency alert over the legacy system. “Finally, we ask what additional steps can be taken to rethink the architecture of EAS and improve the functionality of the system as a whole.”

In addition to that NPRM, it opened a notice of inquiry asking about more dramatic changes to legacy EAS.

A draft version of these actions was published prior to the meeting, you can read that here; the long list of questions starts in paragraph 24 on page 13. It includes questions like “Is there a more functional compression or modulation scheme that could replace AFSK,” and “Can we take advantage of digital transmission standards like ATSC 3.0 and HDR standards to improve EAS’s capabilities” and “Would it make sense to use legacy EAS only for the EAN (i.e., national emergencies) and NPT (to test the legacy system’s performance in delivering the EAN), but require use of CAP for all other alerts?”

And then the NOI concludes with that big question we led with above.

The FCC wrote, “The legacy EAS is audio-based, and daisy chain-based, because a relatively small number of hardened, full-power AM radio stations can reach 90 percent of the continental U.S. population, potentially allowing the president to communicate to the public during a national emergency. The system is centered on the EAS Protocol because it allows for automated EAS operation on the EAS Participants’ parts, and it is the same protocol used for NWS alerts broadcast over the National Weather Radio system. When the commission adopted the CAP EAS rules in 2012, it kept the legacy EAS because of its resiliency in the face of a national emergency, and because there was no fully CAP-centric system in place — where EAS messages are inputted and outputted in CAP format rather than the EAS Protocol format — to replace it.

“Do these factors remain as true and relevant today?” the FCC wants to know.

“Can the EAS architecture be redesigned to achieve the resiliency and automation provided by the legacy EAS (including delivery of ‘live’ audio), but with the functionalities provided with CAP — such as a system where the alert is still delivered over-the-air using daisy chain distribution, but the alert is formatted in CAP, with ‘live’ audio enabled by an instruction in the CAP contents?”

It wants to know what burdens and costs that would raise, whether downstream processing would systems be affected, whether consumer and enterprise emergency radios would be affected, whether NWS alerts would be affected and much more.

Comments will be taken in PS Docket No. 15-94, and we’ll report on filing deadlines when we have them.

The post FCC Asks: Should Legacy EAS Be Redesigned Altogether? appeared first on Radio World.