Radio+Television Business Report

Northern Mechatronics, a Canada-based manufacturer of radio frequency (RF) and wireless solutions, has chosen Ambiq’s Apollo3 Blue microprocessor (MCU) for its latest LoRa Bluetooth 5 Low Energy Module, NM180100, a revolutionary single-package solution for IoT applications.

The NM180100 is purpose-built to enable edge and endpoint computing with short and long-range wireless communication capability in a highly integrated and flexible single package module solution. By combining Apollo3 Blue MCU, the NM180100 can achieve ultra-low power consumption in all application states, including computing, transmitting, receiving, or deep sleep.

Wireless communications expertise has always been at a deficit, especially for commercial industries such as agriculture, electric and gas metering control, and property management. With the rapid growth of Industrial IoT and the recent 5G rollout, the need for faster time-to-market can easily make or break a solution provider in today’s competitive landscape. The NM180100, supported by a wide range of design resources, including the evaluation board NM180100EVB, the NM180310 small form factor application board, a software development kit, full programmability, and regulatory certifications for FCC and IC/ISED, is the only turnkey solution in the growing IoT market.

“We partnered with Ambiq because of its record-breaking ultra-low power energy efficiency. IoT sensors provide unprecedented insights to businesses across the spectrum, including commercial, industrial, and consumer levels,” said Dr. Joshua Wong, Executive Chairman and CEO at Northern Mechatronics. “Until the development of the NM180100, an ultra-low power single package IoT solution possessing short-range and long-range communications and edge computing capability without sacrificing battery life has been a pipe dream.”

About the NM180100 LoRa Bluetooth 5 Low Energy Module

With 1MB of on-module flash memory and 384kB of SRAM, the NM180100 allows applications to run two radio stacks simultaneously (BLE and LoRaWAN) with ample memory remaining for over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates via either LoRaWAN or BLE.  Page-level locking in the flash memory allows the application to maintain regulatory certifications without impacting critical firmware components such as the radio stacks.  The architecture design significantly reduces the end-product cost by eliminating the need for an additional application processor typical of many other LoRaWAN module solutions.

The Apollo3 Blue possesses a secure interface (ISO7816), including secure boot and secure OTA firmware upgrade over Bluetooth. Built on Ambiq’s patented Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT) platform, the Apollo3 Blue further enhances the power efficiency on Arm® Cortex M4F with DSP instructions by enabling designers to perform raw data pre-processing before transmission over the air, in so doing improving the battery life by reducing the amount of raw data transmitted.

For more information, visit www.northernmechatronics.com/nm180100.

With Christmas right around the corner, we’re pleased to offer our readers this Classic Media Information Bureau installment from longtime Adult Contemporary programming consultant Gary Berkowitz. 

Happy holidays, and best wishes on a successful “Holiday” ratings book.

By Gary Berkowitz

Christmas is less than two weeks away. If your company has stations that are presently airing all-Christmas music, making sure they sound great throughout the holiday season is of utmost importance. Here is a 10-point programming checklist to keep the holiday tunes sound fresh through December 25.

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Talk about “a case of the Mondays.”

Entercom Communications lost some 13.1% of its value on December 14, largely due to one big midday trade that send ETM’s average volume doubling while its share price fell hard.

At 11:44am Eastern, ETM dipped from $2.54 to $2.24, likely triggered by a single sell.

At day’s end, volume was 3.527 million, compared to an average of 1.893 million. The downward activity continued in early after-hours trading, falling to $2.32 as of 4:19pm Eastern — off 1 cent from the $2.33 closing price on Monday.

The close negated an upward trend for Entercom that began November 19, and ETM on December 9 reached $2.86 — the highest closing price seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, a negative investor report surfaced, and shareholders seem to have responded.

 

Take a look at the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report, and you’ll immediately notice one big difference from the Spot Ten Radio report for the week ending December 13.

Big retail stores are present at spot TV; they’re absent at radio.

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In October 2009, a veteran radio programming executive joined AT&T Entertainment Group as its Operations Director, a role that saw him “monitor technology acquisition responsibilities and optimize talent training responsibilities.”

This most recently included activity with the DirecTV/AT&T U-Verse channel Audience Network, which ceased operations on May 23.

With Audience Network sunsetting, Ken Kohl has opted to do the same for his career, which spans 50 years.

Kohl’s role at AT&T was far bigger than running an exclusive commercial-free channel. “On behalf of The Dan Patrick Show and The Rich Eisen Show I maintained a 500-station radio network,” he says, in addition to NBC Sports Network, AT&T Regional Sports Networks, two podcasts and a branded SiriusXM channel with an emphasis on business expansion.

Kohl arrived at AT&T following a two-year run as VP/Content Development and Broadcast Operations for The Content Factory/Acquaint Media, where he built out the Dan Patrick network.

That role was Kohl’s first outside day-to-day radio station activity — a career that began on New York’s Long Island, with an overnight shift at WBLI-FM and a Program Director slot, in the early 1970s, at beloved Progressive Rocker WLIR-FM. In June 1974, he joined the air staff of KBPI-FM in Denver, a legendary AOR station.

The 1981 year-in-review for Adult Contemporary radio from R&R

But, like many who started in free-form rock, Kohl rolled into a successful career in the News/Talk arena. His resume includes stints at KOMO-AM in Seattle, which he joined in February 1981 when it was still Adult Contemporary; KFBK-AM in Sacramento; and, most notably, KFI/Los Angeles, where he shifted to Talk upon joining in early 1987.

“It’s been an amazing 50-year career,” he tells Streamline Publishing, which also produces Radio Ink. “I’ve been blessed with fantastic staffs, amazing talk talent and exceptional ownership but there are a handful of folks who championed my career to whom I am eternally grateful: Mike Harrison (who reported on his WLIR departure as a Radio & Records Rock Editor long before launching Talkers Magazine), Monty Grau, Jim Donahoe, Jimmy De Castro, Chris Long, and the best of the best, Gerryann Agovino.”

What’s next for Kohl? “We’ve moved back to Seattle for our FINAL move, fishing and cruising the San Juan Islands, making new friends, and reconnecting with old Seattle pals top the list. For the first time in 50 years, I don’t have a morning show to get up for.”

Kohl remains available for a limited number of consulting clients in between bites of fresh
salmon and can be reached at kenkohl@acquaintmedia.com 

For more than a month, yuletide tunes, jolly jams and perhaps even “Puppy for Hanukkah” have been easily accessible — via YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and radio stations across nearly every city in the U.S.

Yet, SiriusXM, which offered a plethora of holiday-themed channels to its subscribers in years past, has seemingly skimped on its satellite-delivered offerings.

That’s not the case, the satcaster says. However, there’s an app for that explanation.

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Christmas may less than two weeks away, but that doesn’t mean key retailers are putting their dollars at CHR … or any other radio formats.

The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report shows no retailers present for the week ending December 13 — no Macys, no Walmart, no Target or Kohls.

In fact, the big categories are financial, with Bank of America and its Merrill arm in the top 5, while pharmaceutical brand Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer slips to No. 2.

Softer this past week were auto insurers, while Indeed.com is No. 10.

 

He’s been the acting Chief Revenue Officer since January 2020.

Now, he has officially gained the title at the Comcast Advertising arm known as FreeWheel.

Mark McKee is responsible for FreeWheel’s sales revenue and execution across all
U.S. lines of business with a strategic focus on customer experience and account strategy.

“Mark is an industry leader with a finger on the pulse of today’s dynamic advertising industry,” said FreeWheel GM Dave Clark. “He has been able to combine his visibility into areas of challenge with prioritization of areas with greater opportunity to deliver results and value for our customers.”

Until the start of 2020, McKee was a VP of Marketing at FreeWheel.

Prior to joining FreeWheel in 2018, McKee was a Sr. VP at Videology, where he oversaw
North American commercial functions. He also held sales strategy and development leadership roles at Joost and Massive Incorporated.

Local Now, a subsidiary of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, is a streaming service delivering real-time, local news, weather, sports, traffic, television shows, movies, and lifestyle information through technology that provides localized information to more than 225 markets across the United States.

It is available across a portfolio of OTT, CTV mobile, and TV platforms. As of today, it is also available on one of the nation’s biggest MVPDs.

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NEW YORK — Independent audio ad sales network AdLarge has signed a renewal agreement with Nielsen Audio.

With this agreement, AdLarge continues its participation in RADAR, the Nielsen audio service that provides commercial ratings.

Speaking of the new accord, AdLarge Media Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer Cathy Csukas says, “RADAR is the gold standard in network radio measurement. What sets it apart are the strict guidelines it requires from its subscribers, so they can provide agencies with highly accountable audience measurement. These are exactly the characteristics that make RADAR extremely valuable to advertisers and marketers as they make their purchasing decisions.”

Bruce Supovitz, SVP/National Audio Services at Nielsen Audio, adds, “AdLarge is an industry leader and a top independent audio sales network, and we are extremely pleased they have chosen to continue our relationship. We applaud AdLarge for continuing to be champions of audio advertising and investing in accountability and transparency for their advertisers and marketers.”

RADAR radio networks provide Nielsen with commercial clearance records from affiliated radio stations, which are merged with listening information from a database of nearly 400,000 respondents. “This added accountability allows RADAR to provide the best available forecast of a network’s future audience delivery and a high standard of reliable metrics for buying network radio,” Nielsen says.

The founder and chief executive officer of America’s United Financial Partnerships and the Auto Masters Automobile Dealership Group, located in Middle Tennessee, considers himself to be an accomplished entrepreneur.

Among the businesses he’s controlled is a company owning Spanish-language radio stations that were once a part of the now-defunct Davidson Media Group, led by Chris McMurray. 

However, radio hasn’t been so kind to Mark Janbakhsh. Earlier this month, he divested properties in one North Carolina market. Now, he’s done so in the Triangle region.

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On Monday morning, the legacy of President Trump in Washington, D.C., was imprinted on the Federal Communications Commission.

Thanks to a spat over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the unwillingness of a Republican Commissioner who openly spoke out about his views as a strict Constitutionalist, the White House schemed to get a man who’d go along with the president’s quest to change the rule.

That individual on Monday was formally sworn in as the newest FCC Commissioner.

Nathan Simington has now been officially welcomed as one of five legislative leaders for the agency. The Commission notified all via a mid-morning Twitter post.

Simington takes the seat, previously held by Mike O’Rielly, after narrowly winning U.S. Senate approval — thanks to unanimous GOP support. Despite the controversy surrounding his nomination by the White House, the alternative would have been potentially worse for those seeking to further Republican “light touch” legislation — having the expectedly incoming Biden Administration get to select not one, but two, Commissioners.

Thus, for Roger Wicker & Co., it was a no-choice vote.

No matter how high Simington’s profile becomes in Washington, he can never be elected President.

Simington is from Saskatchewan, Canada, and became a U.S. citizen. That said, he is steeped in knowledge of many aspects of the telecommunications regulatory world. The University of Michigan law school graduate may have been a Senior Advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for just months, but in the role he worked on many aspects of telecommunications policy, including spectrum allocation and planning, broadband access, and the U.S. Government’s role in the Internet.

He’s also said to have authored the White House’s Section 230 plea, seeking it be discarded — thus holding social media platform owners accountable for what users post.

Prior to joining the Commission, Simington was a senior counsel to Brightstar Corp., the international mobile device services company. In this capacity, he led and negotiated telecommunications equipment and services transactions with leading providers in over twenty countries.

Prior to joining Brightstar, he worked as an attorney in private practice.

With Simington seated, he will be present at Ajit Pai’s swan song — the Jan. 13, 2021 Open Meeting for the Commission.

At this time, an agenda has not yet been released.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company has launched an offering of $700 million of new senior secured notes and $500 million of new senior unsecured notes.

The secured notes from Scripps Escrow II are expected to mature in 2029, and the unsecured notes are expected to mature in 2031.

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It’s now eleven days and counting for a major “blackout,” as required by Federal law, of all Nexstar Media Group-owned over-the-air channels and the nationally distributed WGN America cable network on Dish, due to the absence of a new retransmission consent agreement.

Could it be months before they return? It just took Cox Media Group, controlled by Apollo Global Management, nearly five months to ink a new deal with the direct broadcast satellite TV services provider.

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He began his career as a news anchor and director for a large group of radio stations. Then, he jumped to television, becoming a prime-time news anchor for some of North America’s biggest media companies.

This culminated in being named a lead news anchor in New York City for one of its top stations, in October 2018. Sadly, cancer has claimed Edgardo del Villar.

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From the top of Mt. Washington, a Townsquare Media FM reaches much of Maine, all of northern New Hampshire, and practically all of northern Vermont once leaving the greater Burlington area.

It’s a 48kw monster that was the late Norm Alpert’s first property, and is presently airing all-Christmas music. And, it is getting a new morning host and Brand Manager — an individual last with iHeartMedia in Tulsa.

That would be Jadd Naamani, who takes the role at WHOM-FM 94.9, which considers itself a Portland, Maine, radio station despite its huge reach.

“We couldn’t be happier to bring Jadd back to the northern New England airwaves. His energy, dedication to connecting with listeners on-air and online, and long-standing commitment to community make him an incredible addition to the team,” said Christine Sieks, Regional Market President for Townsquare Media.

Naamani took the iHeartMedia/Tulsa role in July 2018, as programmer of KTBT “92.1 The Beat.” Before that, he was Program Director at WERZ (Z107.1)/Portsmouth, N.H. He’d been there since June 2015, when he was upped from Promotions Director. He’s also done weekends at WXKS (Kiss 108)/Boston and WKSS (Kiss 95.7)/Hartford.

“I’m beyond grateful to the entire Townsquare Leadership Team,” said Naamani. “Thanks for bringing me back home to New England to what I feel is the best area in the country. The amount of localism that’s focused on by this company is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Plus, I REALLY missed Maine lobster!”

WHOM was acquired in September 2013 by Townsquare Media as part of a $238 million deal signed off by Lew Dickey Jr., then the head of Cumulus Media.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, the MORE Act was approved last week in the House of Representatives.

Does this mean broadcast radio and TV stations are now free to air marijuana advertisements? Not so fast, David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer warns.

In a WBK Broadcast Law Blog post, Oxenford notes the actions taken by the lower body of Congress to decriminalize marijuana under federal law.

This, he explains, would include removing marijuana from Schedule I — a list of drugs prohibited in the United States, with very few exceptions.

“The passage of this bill through the House … should not be taken as a sign to start running marijuana advertising on your broadcast station, though there are some signs that the day on which that advertising can be run may be in sight,” he says.

First, it is important to remember that this bill passed only in the House of Representatives.  “Without also being approved by the Senate and being signed by the President, the House’s action had no legal effect,” Oxenford reminds media executives. “Because of the way that Congress works, if the bill does not pass the Senate in the current legislative session, which ends in the first few days of January 2021, the whole process must start over again.”

Good luck with that. Bills do not carry over from one Congressional session to another.

“So, to become law in the new year, a new Congress would have to start with a new bill, and a new House of Representatives and a new Senate would both have to vote to adopt the legislation,” Oxenford says.

As such, the MORE Act is — more or less — toast.

Absent Senate approval, which is doubtful in this lame duck session, “broadcasters run a real risk in running marijuana advertising even if they operate in a state that has legalized its use.”

David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP

According to Oxenford, the Commission “could be forced to take actions against a licensee for running this advertising if a complaint is filed against a station running such ads – including during the ongoing license renewal process.”

In addition, he adds, “there are still federal criminal penalties for promoting Schedule 1 drugs, including a specific prohibition against using radio waves to promote its sale and distribution.”

But does that House action signal movement in the future?

“[W]ith a new administration and a new Congress in 2021, and a different regulatory status in many states across the country, one can see that there has been a general shift in the regulatory climate surrounding marijuana legalization,” Oxenford says. “That shift could well lead to further rule changes in the near term.  Until then, broadcasters should act with caution, but should stay alert to see how future regulatory actions play out.’

With the December 10 interview with Pearl TV’s Anne Schelle,  the RBR+TVBR INFocus Podcast, presented by Dot.FM, has reached its 80th episode.

These short podcasts, hosted by Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson, place a spotlight on the key news makers who shape broadcast media in Washington, drive its future through station transactions, and those providing the latest tech products of interest to the industry. Originally launched as a daily series focused on the challenges and response by broadcasters to the Coronavirus pandemic, RBR+TVBR InFocus podcasts have since evolved into a popular Tuesday/Thursday feature of a broader nature. Here’s a brief look at the guests who have recently appeared on the podcast:

Vincent Letang, MAGNA

Former NAB General Counsel Jack Goodman

Sean Compton, NewsNet – WGN America

Norberto Sanchez, Norsan Media

Ron Stone, Adams Radio Group/Independent Broadcasters Association

For the entire roster of on-demand podcasts to enjoy, just click here!

BOCA RATON, FLA. — ViacomCBS’ CBS Television Stations has been issued a summons in a civil action brought against the owner of WFOR-4 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale by a former freelance reporter who claims the station engaged in wage discrimination — and, a as a result, gender discrimination.

CBS now has until December 29 to respond. If not, judgment by default will be handed down by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

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The Walt Disney Company announced late Thursday that it would raise its monthly subscription fee for Disney+, its OTT service, to $7.99 per month as of March 2021.

It then tripled its subscriber projections for 2024.

Investors responded in resounding fashion, with DIS soaring by nearly 14% in the final hour of trading Friday on the NYSE.

As of 3:21pm Eastern, Disney shares were trading at $175.37, up roughly 13.3%.  A $179.39 session high was logged in midday trading, as volume soared past 78.2 million shares with 40 minutes left in the trading day.

Average volume for Disney is 9.68 million shares.

The growth for DIS is exceptional, as shares were at $112.64 six months ago and were at $93.53 on March 11.

With today’s activity, Disney stock will finish at an all-time high.